Bearly In Control (4 page)

He glanced down in his lap and her foot was rubbing his inner thigh.
What would Connor say to do about this?

Edwin pushed her foot away but it came right back like a persistent snake.

Alfred returned holding a tray of plates. He served the women first, then the Senator and then Edwin. It was a salad with different color lettuce and a thick sauce on it.

Edwin picked up a purple piece of lettuce and nibbled on it. Grace shook her head quickly and then looked to her Dad.

Alfred stood behind him and grabbed one of Edwin’s fork. “Your salad fork,” Alfred said, holding it out for him to take.

“Where did you say you were from?” Grace’s Dad asked, as Edwin took the fork.

“New Hampshire,” he answered, stabbing his salad.

“Lovely state,” Senator Richard said. “I’ll be stopping there on my election tour. Are you from Manchester?”

Edwin shook his head. “I’m from the woods.”

“It’s a city in the north of the state,” Grace said quickly.

Edwin looked at her while fumbling with his fork. She was ashamed of him. She wouldn’t even meet his eye. Why else wouldn’t she want her father to know where he was from. She was ashamed that he wasn’t from a rich family like hers.

“It’s a city,” Edwin said nodding. “Called The Woods.”

Richard took a sip of his wine. “I’m sure it’s lovely.”

The foot was back, sliding up the side of his calf. Daisy was watching him. She was biting her lip.

Edwin jerked back as her foot rubbed his privates. The chair squeaked on the floor and his beer glass spilled over as he hit the table with his knee.

Grace jumped up and threw her napkin on the beer pooling in the middle of the table. Senator Richard snapped his fingers and called Alfred over. Daisy was smirking at him.

Alfred walked into the dining room and frowned when he saw the mess. He butted in front of Edwin and wiped up the beer with the white towel draped over his arm. He leaned in close to Edwin’s ear, so that only he could hear him. “Would you prefer a sippy cup?”

Grace was fidgeting with her fork and stealing glances at her Dad. Her ears were red. Edwin sighed. He just wanted to be the kind of guy that Grace deserved. She didn’t deserve a savage like him. Maybe he was just better off going home.

Grace fixed the collar of Edwin’s new shirt on the way out of her mansion. She had bought him a bunch of clothes for their week. She really liked him but he looked like a lumberjack in his clothes. She couldn’t be seen walking into Rouge or Canabaris with a guy wearing clothes like that. She stepped back and admired her work.

This guy could be a movie star.

“Sexy,” she said, nodding her head. The tight, long sleeved, white shirt hugged his thick biceps and full shoulders. His pants were slim and his ass looked great. She would have to keep an eye on him in the club.

“It’s so tight,” he said, pulling at his collar. This was a guy that was used to being naked all of the time.

She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. “Tight is good,” she said. “Tight is sexy.”

He moved around like the material was made of poison ivy. “Why can’t I just wear my clothes again?”

She rubbed the smooth material over his arm, feeling the hard muscle underneath. “Because they are covered in dirt. We are going to the hottest club in Manhattan tonight and they won’t let you in if you show up wearing socks and sandals.”

“Are there going to be a lot of people there?” he asked, looking nervous.

“Tons,” she said. “It’s going to be great.”

Grace’s Dad was walking towards them from down the hall. She didn’t want a repeat of dinner. He clearly didn’t approve of Edwin.

“Go look at the car collection,” she said, opening the garage door. “I’ll be there in a minute.” The garage was the size of half a football field and filled with new and old sports cars. All in mint condition. It was a car lovers’ wet dream.

Edwin walked into the garage and looked at the cars with a look of complete disinterest on his face.

“Going out?” Grace’s Dad asked. He was wearing his robe and holding a snifter of brandy.

“We’re going to Santorini Club,” she said.

“Will Devon be there?” he asked.

Grace looked at the wall behind him. “I don’t know.”

“Well tell him I said hi if he is.”

“Okay Daddy,” she said, turning to escape into the garage.

“Ci Ci,” he said. “Edwin seems like a very nice young man but I don’t think he’s a good fit for our family.”

A good fit for
our family
. He didn’t care if Edwin was a good fit for
her
. She turned towards him and sighed. Her whole life she always did what was right for her family. And never for herself.

“I think if you just-”

“We have the reporters coming tomorrow,” he said, interrupting her. He was always interrupting her. “It would be best if he stays off camera. For the good of the family.”

“But Daddy I-”

He pointed into the garage with his eyebrows raised. Grace held her breath and turned. Edwin was bent over on all fours sniffing the tires of a nineteen eighty six Mustang LX. He yanked the collar of his shirt and the top button flew off and rolled away on the floor.

Grace sighed. It looked like her Dad was right. He would never fit in.

four

Grace walked in the club holding Edwin’s hand. The bass was thumping so loud that her ears were ringing. She could feel the vibrations shaking every cell in her body.

She waved to the bartender, a hot Asian girl named Ting, who was pouring some fluorescent colored martinis. There were beautiful people everywhere.

Edwin pulled his hand away. Grace turned back and he was shaking his head. His lips were moving and his eyes were glossed over. He looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He stepped backwards and bumped a girl’s drink out of her hand. The crystal glass fell and shattered on the floor.

“Watch out asshole,” she said, giving him a dirty look.

Edwin’s face was getting darker. It was turning brown.
God damn it! He’s phasing.

Grace leaped forward and planted her lips on his. His body was rigid and tense. She shoved her tongue into his mouth and moaned.

His body relaxed a bit under her hands. She pulled away and looked to see if he was a bear. His face was pink. Back to normal. His eyes were darting around the club.

“Follow me,” she said. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the back corner of the club where there was less people. He was breathing easier already.

She stood on her toes and peered over the crowd at the roped off VIP section that was reserved for her friends. The white couches were empty.

“You can’t phase into a bear in here,” she said.

“There’s so many people,” he said, looking around. “It’s so loud.” He covered his ears with both hands.

Grace pulled his hands down as she looked around to see if anyone saw. She should have known better than to bring him here. She should have went out for a nice quiet dinner with her high school friends, Becca and Angie. Why did they even come?

“Just try to act normal,” she said into his ear.

His face dropped and he swallowed hard. “I don’t know how to act normal.”

She glanced back at the VIP section. Her friends still weren’t there.

“Okay,” she said. “Stand like this.” She stood in a natural pose, with her hand on her waist.

Edwin was standing as stiff as a board with his feet together. He shook out his body and copied her stance.

“Looser,” she said, shaking her arms.

He dropped down, like his limbs were made of jello.

“Too loose,” she said, laughing.

She glanced around. Nobody was paying attention to them. They were in the back corner of the club in a dark area.

“Yes like that!” She clapped her hands and kissed him on the cheek. “Now what do you do when someone says hi to you?”

His head darted around. “Is someone going to say hi to me?”

She snorted a laugh. “
If
someone says hi to you. Lean your head back like this and nod.”

He imitated her with all the grace of a wooden puppet.

She giggled. “Now say, what’s up?”

He nodded his head vigorously. “What’s up?”

She put her hands on his hard chest and laughed. “Close,” she said. “Maybe we skip the talking part. Let’s try dancing.”

Edwin glanced over at the dance floor and his face went pale. He stared at the gyrating bodies with wide eyes.

“Are you okay?” she asked, giggling.

“Can we go home?”

“Let’s try. Like this.” Grace was moving her hips and rolling her shoulders, trying to give him an easy move to start with.

He pumped his hips from side to side while jerking his shoulders back and forth. Grace covered her face with her hands as she burst out laughing. “You’re a natural.”

“Really?”

“No,” she said, barely able to contain herself. “Okay. Now try this. Put your hand out like this and move your head.”

He studied her movements as she repeated them. “Now you try.”

Edwin’s hand flew out and his fist crashed through the wall.

“Oh my God!” Grace said, throwing her head back and laughing. “You broke the-” she couldn’t finish. She was turning red.

“Do you have any more moves I can try?” he asked, wiping the powder from the drywall off of his knuckles.

“I do but I don’t want you to hurt anyone.” He furrowed his brow. “Come here,” she said, wrapping her arms over his shoulders. She stepped on her toes and kissed him on the lips.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” she said. “Even though you’re not.”

He kissed her back. “I’m just happy that I’m with you. You’re my mate.”

She pulled her body off him. “Please don’t say that word around my friends.”

He looked hurt. “You can say that you’re my boyfriend,” she explained. “But please don’t say mate. It sounds weird.”

She glanced over at the couches and her friends were sitting down. Two waitresses were opening bottles of Cristal Champagne. Samantha, Todd, Madison, Britney, Mike and Devon were there.

“Come,” she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him back into the crowd. “I’ll introduce you.”

Edwin watched as Grace squealed and hugged her friends. He had never felt so uncomfortable in his life. His bear was pacing around inside him, agitated and pissed off. The music was deafening and the smell of all of the perfume and cologne was too much to handle.

He had to try really hard not to phase. His bear kept bounding towards the surface trying to get out. It was only Grace’s calming effect on him that allowed him to stay in his human form.

One guy with sweat stains under his shirt and a shaved head, hollered, stood up on the couch and drank the champagne straight from the bottle. The girls cheered him on.

Edwin wanted to go home.

He was only here because Grace wanted to be here.

Grace grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. “This is Edwin,” she said. The girls on the couch looked him up and down with smiles on their faces. Their perfect white teeth were shining.

The guys were staring him down with their chests puffed out and their arms flexed. Edwin could read the dominant positions. His inner bear didn’t like it.

“This is Madison and Samantha,” she said, pointing to the first two girls.

Edwin replayed in his head what Grace had taught him. “What’s up?” he asked nodding.

“This is Britney and Todd,” she said, moving on.

Edwin kept nodding. “What’s up?”

Grace laughed nervously and pointed to the two guys standing up. “That is Mike and Devon.”

“What’s up?” Edwin asked nodding. He was proud of himself. He did exactly as Grace had told him. So far it was going great.

She squeezed his arm and whispered into his ear. “Stop nodding your head.”

The girls slid over on the couch and Grace sat down beside them.

The big, muscular guy, Devon, with the sweat stains and shaved head walked over to him. His breath stunk of cigars. He wrapped his arm around Edwin’s neck and squeezed it, putting him into a hug-like headlock.