Sealed with a Hiss: Book Four Supernatural Enforcers Agency (10 page)

“Did you know Gunner and Erin are a couple?”

Jessie smiled as she thought of the huge polar bear and the sweet human.  “I kind of suspected, I’ve never seen him so protective over anyone.”

“They’re mated and getting married.”

“That’s wonderful, I’m happy for them.”  Her beast whined. 
And completely jealous and bitter that her own love life was in the toilet.

“I actually wanted to tell you that I’m leaving Los Lobos.”

And now someone had flushed the toilet
.  “Leaving?”

“I’m planning on asking for a transfer to another city.”

She sank into a chair, ignoring the face that she had just crushed her own purse.  “Why?”

His cold façade crumbled just a little as his voice cracked.  “Why do you think, Jessica?”  The black seeped into his eyes as he gave her a mournful look.

Ignoring her chittering animal, Jessie turned the heat off her soup and led him into her bedroom.  She folded her arms over her chest.  “You’re not leaving because of me,” she told him firmly, in the same voice she used to tell her younger siblings that they were definitely not staying up for another half hour.

“Jessica.”  The name rolled over his tongue and made her shiver.

“You can’t,” she choked.

“I care about you, but I can’t stand by and watch you with another male knowing you don’t reciprocate my feelings.”

“What other male?”  He didn’t really think she’d do anything with her moronic roommates, did he?

The sadness on Gerry’s face morphed into irritation.  “I see you with that bobcat shifter.  He wants you.”

Jessie squeaked indignantly.  “We’re friends!  It’s not like I’m the one who’s married!” 

“But you might be, one day.  A beautiful creature like you won’t be single forever.”

Wait a second, what did he just say?  No not the beautiful part – that part she absolutely loved.  It was before then.  It was something her squirrel was gnashing her teeth about.  “Who the hell said I don’t reciprocate your feelings?”

Gerry sighed.  “Clearly, you don’t.”

“I don’t want to fool around with a married man – that’s totally different!”

“So what do you want?”

“I want you to stay.”

He frowned.  “But you don’t want anything to happen to us?”

“No… yes, I… I don’t want you to go.”

“Jessica.” he exclaimed in exasperation.

No, he couldn’t go.
  Not now, not ever.  “Please, Gerry, don’t go.”

“Give me a reason to stay.”

“Ugh!  Fine!”

Jessie grabbed his tie and yanked him down to her for a hard kiss.  He froze in surprise for a few seconds before his arms coiled around her body, the kiss turned steamy.

When they finally came up for air, she panted, “Reason enough?”

“Yes, that’s a very good reason.”

Chapter Fourteen

Jessie blushed as she walked into Gerry’s office.  She wasn’t doing anything wrong.  But after last night, it somehow seemed a little… naughty to be going into the office of someone you were secretly making out with.

And that was
all
they did last night.

He explained about his situation with his wife, and their agreement, and the money for his parents.  She understood - she did, but it still felt wrong.  But she was weak, so she allowed him to kiss her some more, and she didn’t even object when his hands started wandering over her breasts.  Okay, she enjoyed that part even more than he did.  But she had firmly put her foot down about doing anything more.  Gerry was disappointed.  Her squirrel was disappointed. 
Hell, she was disappointed! 
But they had a lot to talk about before they could go any further.

Besides, she didn’t want her roommates to hear her.  She wasn’t particularly shy.  The walls were thin, and undoubtedly they’d heard her with her previous boyfriend.  But it was different with Gerry.  It was…
special
.  She didn’t want anyone intruding on their relationship. 
If they could call it that
.  After all, there was his wife to think about…  But if it meant not losing Gerry, she could try and get over her reservations.

She didn’t blame him for marrying that stick insect bitch – not that she bore the woman any ill will of course.  But she wished he had negotiated a prenup with her at least, with a nice juicy clause that would have gotten him out of this mess if she cheated.  He didn’t think about it at the time.  Although it wasn’t something Jessie would think about either, to be honest.  Where she came from squirrels mated for life.  Her parents weren’t legally married, squirrels in her scurry weren’t.  They mated and were blessed by the leader.  It was a given that everything they owned was now each other’s and that they were together until death.

Perhaps Gerry hadn’t considered the marriage would fall apart.  Her squirrel huffed at the thought of Gerry and the evil blond python together.  She shuddered and tried to banish that mental image.

He slammed the phone down as she entered, but when he saw her, his scowl blossomed into an almost predatory smile.

“Ms. Duchamp,” he purred, sending acute tingles through some unmentionable nether regions.

“Director Sanders,” she said breathlessly.  She’d hoped to sound sexy, but she suspected she sounded as if she’d just run a marathon.

“How are you?”

“I’m well,” she said coyly, “I had a very nice evening yesterday, and you?”

His eyes glittered.  “Never been happier.”

He meant it, too, and that just melted her heart even more.

Jessie walked towards his desk.  “I was just finishing my report on the illegal organ harvesting case.”

“I look forward to reading it… because you wrote it… not because of the subject matter… I’m really bad at flirting.”  He told her that without an iota of self-consciousness and without blushing.  She, on the other hand, could feel herself turning pink.

“You’re doing a good job so far.”

Gerry cleared his throat.  “I know we didn’t make any definite plans, but I want you to have dinner with me tonight.”  He paused before adding, “If you want to.  If you’re free.”

“I do, and I am.”  Her squirrel whooped.

He passed her a piece of paper, and she sat on the edge of his desk, leaning down, so he got a nice eyeful of her breasts.  The scoop neck had been a very good idea. 
Who said nerds had to be skinny?

“Come to this address at eight… please,” he mumbled in the direction of her breasts.  His ears started turning pink.  It was a relief to her that he wasn’t completely unflappable.

“Well, since you said please.”

Gerry looked up sharply a second before the door flung open.  Edith and Norma fell through it at the same time, arguing.

“If you’d just wait a moment,” snapped Norma.

“I need to speak to my husband!” yelled Edith.

Jessie jumped off his desk and almost fell over a chair.  Gerry was about to reach for her when she stepped away.  She thought she saw hurt flash through his eyes, but she couldn’t be sure.  He was generally as inscrutable as a statue.

“Norma, it’s fine,” he said coldly.  “Jessica, I…”

Jessie waved her hand.  “Oh, it’s fine, I have to get back to work anyway.”

Norma left huffing and muttering.

“Thank you, Jessica.”

“No problem, Ger… Director.”  Rose pink cheeks turned to lobster red cheeks.

Edith raised an eyebrow and then snickered.  “Don’t blush on my account sweetie – as long as you’re discreet and don’t have sex in my house I don’t care.”

“Edith!” snarled Gerry.

Lobster red cheeks turned to bloody crimson cheeks that were threatening to explode.

“What?  I was trying to put the poor girl at ease; I can smell your arousal a mile away Gerry and this little girl is virtually putting on a strip tease to get your attention.”

Gerry rose to his feet, a picture of trembling ferocity.  “Edith!”

“Okay, okay – I just need to talk to you in private for a few minutes and then,” she looked at Jessie, “he’s all yours.”

“I… ah… I have to go!”

Jessie practically ran out of there. 
Oh god, that was embarrassing!
  Jessie had done a lot of things other people generally considered embarrassing – karaoke, dancing on tables, skinny dipping…  She even posed nude for an art class a couple of times to make money.  But this was
seriously
embarrassing.

Was it that obvious?  Did she have it tattooed on her forehead that she was the other woman and considering a relationship with her boss?

Her beast mewled at her as doubts crept forward.  But no, she had to get over them.  If she wanted to be with Gerry, she would just have to lump it!

*

Gerry’s face twisted into a menacing glare.  “Thank you for that,” he ground out through gritted teeth.  Talking was difficult when your face was trying to shift into that of a python’s. 
The beast wanted out.
  It had taken months to get Jessie to let her guard down.  If Edith had now ruined his chances, he dreaded to think what he would do to her.

Edith snickered and collapsed into a chair, rolling her eyes as the seat made a loud farting noise.  “I didn’t mean any harm; I was trying to let her know that I wasn’t going to come after her for sleeping with my husband.”

“What do you want?” he demanded.  Although that was a Freudian slip – he actually meant to say ‘fuck off and leave me alone forever you demented harpy’.

“It’s about Lance…”

Great, her idiot brother
.  “Not interested.”

“I just want you to talk to him.”

“Do you have any idea how hard it has been to stop him from being charged with anything?”  The boy was a selfish asshole who only gave a crap about himself and his twisted needs.

“It’s delicate.”

“Because he’s sleeping with a married woman?”

It had become clear that Lance pursued married women, and when they left their husbands for him, he dumped them.  It was a disturbing pattern, and ended in either the husbands or the wives coming after Lance in one way or another. 
One day, it was going to end very badly
.

“No, well, yes.  It’s because he’s sleeping with the wife of a member of the Council of Supernaturals.”

“What?” growled Gerry.

Edith actually looked pained.  “I found out by accident.  I went over to his house to take him out for breakfast, and she was there – Millie Crescent.”

He almost slapped his forhead and shouted d’oh. 
The bull shifter’s wife?
  Maxwell Crescent was by far the craziest Council member and among other things he wanted to legalize honor killings.  He seriously wanted to make it legal for packs and prides to kill each other if they feel their honor had been slighted!  Crazy wolves and cats would be killing each other if someone took the last napkin and they wanted it.  They didn’t need much provocation to go mental!

If Maxwell knew what Lance was up to, who knows what the crazy bull might do.

“Does Maxwell Crescent know yet?”

“No, but it’s only a matter of time.  You know how Lance is - he’s not discreet about cheating on a spouse.”  She paused before cheerfully adding, “Not like we are.”

“Edith!!”  He recalled Jessie’s embarrassed flush and his python grumbled.  This really wasn’t a subject they could joke about yet.

“What?  I’m trying to lighten the mood.”

“Does your father know?”

Edith’s brow creased.  “About you and the squirrel?”

“About Lance!” he shouted as anger thundered through his snake.

“Well Lance’s neck hasn’t been wrung, so no.”

Gerry looked at her impatiently.  “What do you want me to do exactly?”  Cheating wasn’t against the law.  Otherwise, he’d have to arrest himself.  Well, technically they’d only kissed, and he’d managed briefly to feel the curvier parts of her body, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

“Talk to Lance, and try and knock some sense into him.”

His snake huffed. 
Like that’ll work
.  “I’ve talked to him every time the cops are called to his house, or he’s arrested – he’s not interested.”  The male was obsessed with married women.  He seemed to like the chase, and when it was over, he no longer cared.  “Besides, how can I tell him it’s wrong to cheat considering the state of our relationship?”  Something about pots and kettles and calling them black sprang to mind.

“It’s not the same,” said Edith, dismissively.  Gerry gave her a look.  “Well, it’s not,” she insisted.  “Our relationship is on paper only and has an expiration date.  Lance goes out of his way to try steal women out of their probably happy marriages.”

“I don’t think…”

“Look, it’s Daddy’s birthday next week – I’m sorry, but you will be expected to attend the party – please talk to Lance then.  If he ruins this marriage, it may have consequences for Daddy and his position on the Council.  Try to impress that on him.  He’s scared of Daddy.”

Gerry looked at Edith’s pleading face, and for once she seemed genuine.  She wasn’t prone to caring about other people, but Lance appeared to fall into the tiny category of people for which she actually felt real affection.  Well, he was already going to suffer by attending the party anyway, so how could this make it any worse.  He was going to have to find a way to pacify his python about that later.

“Fine, if I get the chance I’ll talk to him.”

Edith beamed.  “Thank you.  Right, I’m off to…”

“I’d rather not know.”

“Suit yourself.”

She flounced away, and Gerry massaged his temples.  Less than a year and they would be divorced.  It wasn’t that long to go now.  Yes, he had to keep telling his snake that.  Plus, at least, Jessie was coming round.

He didn’t like how uncomfortable she was earlier.  But, in spite of his snake’s fury, he actually considered the meeting between his wife and her to be a good thing.  In a small, tiny, minuscule way.  Because at least Jessie now knew that his wife was okay with them being together. 
Hell, Edith probably welcomed it – it was something to torment him about
.  Surely that was something. 
Right?