Species Interaction (13 page)

"How dare you!" Her face crinkled as her cheeks blossomed with redness. A split second later Misha reached out, claws extended, aiming at my back.

Yelping, I lurched but found myself tossed to the far corner of the couch. The blanket wrapped me like a mummy as I tugged and pulled in order to at least be able to peek out and watch the action. Finally, I managed to pop my head through a hole in the top, much like a turtle from her shell.

Meat tightly grasped her hands, which still sported long, sharp claws. "Enough!" He gave her a hard shake and bared his fangs.

Misha's eyes widened at his handling.

"I warned you before to never again threaten Shy." He snarled in her face.

Her eyes lowered, shoulders slouched to appear smaller and less threatening. "I'm sorry, Alpha." The words whispered across the silence.

"Not good enough." He tossed her hands free, body tense yet light on his feet, almost daring her to challenge him further. When she stood submissively, he moved in to stand nose to nose, cupping her chin tightly. "From now on, you are banned from my house."

"Tyger…" she began, then ceased when he gave her chin a squeeze. Her eyes shot daggers my direction.

He continued, "And should you venture close to Shyanne ever again, you'll find yourself ousted from the
Familia
."

Big blue eyes overflowed with tears. "Tyger… Alpha… please…"

Finally, something that struck a chord with her. It certainly took enough time.

"No." Releasing her, he gave her a shove, putting space between them. "You will obey."

Fury flew across her face as sparks flashed in her eyes. "Shy never obeys you, and you haven't banned her. What? She fucks you, and you become her beta?"

A low rumbling growl and an impressive show of fangs preceded his words. "This isn't about Shy. This is about you disobeying your alpha's orders."

Her mouth opened and closed with no sound emerging. She retreated only to have him stalk her aggressively. She paused, and he glared down at her. Hissing, he clenched his fists.

"Count yourself lucky this time. The price of disobedience is the forfeiture of your life." Leaning in, he snarled his next words, "Next time, that will be your sentence."

A soft gasp rose from her lips as she stared at him in obvious shock. A finely manicured hand covered her mouth before she disappeared.

I wiggled to get free of the blanket, tucking it around me in a more manageable heap. Unsure the best approach after such a showdown, I stood quietly and waited.

After a long minute, Meat finally turned, anger and tension quite apparent in the tightness of his body, his increased rate of breathing, and his locked jaw. Taking a seat on the couch, he sat quiet and broody.

I shuffled in his direction, falling as I tripped over the trailing blanket, landing hard on his lap, face down.

"Oomph."

His hands settled on my waist, helping me to sit up. Tossing one leg over, I straddled his lap, plastering my still naked body against his equally nude chest. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I set about placing feather-light kisses against those addictive pecs.

"I'm sorry."

He squeezed me gently, resting his head on the back of the couch. Slowly, small bits of tension began to ebb away. "You have nothing to apologize for." His voice came out quiet and flat.

Leaning back, I studied his face. On a hunch, I asked the pressing question, "Do you think she'll leave things alone now?"

He shrugged. Both hands worked their way up from my waist to my head, his fingers weaving through my waist-length unbound hair. "Honestly, I don't know. For her sake, I hope so."

Seeing the pain clearly written on his face, I offered the only comfort I could. I nipped his chin and then lightly kissed his nose. His skin rubbed and tickled my own as I soaked up his unique scent.

Nuzzling his cheek, I contemplated what to say. "No matter what, I'll be right beside you."

I felt a small grin against my ear before he gave the area a searching lick.

Squealing, I wiggled against his hold as he continued the tickling onslaught.

He chuckled. "I think right now, I would prefer you climbing into my saddle."

Smiling mischievously, I teasingly lowered my eyes only to peek up through my lashes. "Do I get to wear spurs?"

His wicked grin flashed. Those eyes sparkled with sudden interest and inspiration.

"Uh oh." I blinked at him. "What are you thinking, now?" I chewed my lower lip until he leaned in to soothe the area with his own tongue.

"You. Naked. Boots. Chaps. Spurs. Cowboy hat."

Tilting my head, I tried to follow his line of thinking. "And?"

"And nothing else."

I pondered that for a second, trying to envision the scene. I mentally painted those clothing objects onto a naked me. Western gear certainly beat the nun's habit.

His dimples popped out as he smiled in amusement. "Save a horse. Ride me, cowgirl?"

Oh, boy.

Chapter 14

Four weeks later

"Ms McDaniel, if you don't wish or can't fulfill the Threesome Fantasy luxury prize, then we must notify the back-up winner immediately. It has been four weeks since the drawing, you know."

The woman's voice ground on, just as it had for the past five minutes, politely demanding the weekend getaway had to happen now.

"We will continue with the same dancers, of course. Looks like…" She paused as if looking at her notes, "Ah, yes. Meat and Ducian. I'm sure the new winner will be thrilled at the notion of forty-eight hours alone with such handsome, virile men."

The mention of Meat's name caught my attention. "Huh?" The pen I had been playing with dropped onto the writing pad on the kitchen table.

An exaggerated sigh came through the phone. "As I was trying to explain, if you forfeit your win, another lucky woman will be chosen. She will enjoy all the attentions, as I'm sure there will be many yummy and exciting intimacies poured upon her by Meat and Ducian."

Oh, I so didn't think so.
"I'll take it!" The words flew out of my mouth before I could think.

"Splendid! I knew you would come through for us." Papers turned in the background as her office chair squeaked with obvious movement. "Now, we do need to decide on the pictures…"

"Pictures?" I sputtered, having visions of naked centerfold me, complete with staple in the middle of my belly.

"Oh, no, no. Not
those
kinds of pictures, Ms McDaniel. Unless…"

I could almost see the hamster wheel spinning furiously inside her head. "No. No. I don't do nudes! Just no!"

"Yes, of course not." Her tone returned from intrigued to sheer boredom, with a touch of frustration tossed in.
Yeah, well. She didn't have me skipping to my Lou either
. She cleared her throat and returned to the drilling at hand.

"We need pictures of you with the guys, a follow-up for the club as well as advertising, you see. Our customers want to see what wonderful door prizes the club generously hands out."

"I see." I picked up my pen and began to doodle once more.

"No worries, dear. We'll get you all made up and dressed to kill. In fact, I imagine when we're finished, you'll be so stunningly sexy that no man will be able to resist drooling and you shall be the very topic of many a wet dream.

"Oh, fabulous." Just what I wanted to do, become the wet dream queen of Clearwater City. If that wasn't bad enough, the pictures of scantily clad me would be posted all over the club and their website, for all to see. My luck, they would shove me into a corset three sizes too small and six inch heels with matching stockings. Not how I wanted the world to remember me. I could picture the scene in my head.
'Look, Dad! A new picture of me to hang on your wall.'

"I'll make all the arrangements." Her babbling continued for a bit longer. "Ms McDaniel?"

"Hmm?" I absently answered.

"What type of toys do you prefer?"

My eyes flew open. I managed to wheeze out, "T-toys?" Coughing, I frantically sucked in a breath of air.

"All women need toys, you know. We just need to know your favorite flavor, so to speak." A short pause followed. "For instance, do you lean toward the more demure and romantic? Or, perhaps you are more adventuresome? Maybe even some BDSM?"

Choking, I gasped into the phone. "BDSM?" The words came out as a mouse squeak.

"Oh, excellent choice! And, it's nothing to be embarrassed about, dear. We all have our dirty little secrets, after all."

Whapping myself in the chest, I coughed a few more times. "But I don't…"

She boldly interrupted, speaking over me at a mile per minute, much like the Energizer Bunny after a six-pack of energy drinks. "I'll make all the arrangements. You don't worry about a thing. Just be ready for the limo to pick you up at five pm on Friday. Leave the rest to me. A BDSM Threesome Fantasy Weekend coming right up. I guarantee you'll never forget it!" A loud click followed.

Slowly, I settled the landline phone back into the cradle, still not completely sure what transpired.

"What's wrong?"

Glancing up, I found Bas standing at the kitchen threshold, leaning against the jamb. A bit of concern pinched his brows.

Sighing, I tried to make coherent words. "It seems the Threesome Fantasy Weekend I won, will happen this weekend."

A smile slowly appeared on his face. "And?"

"I was just informed the theme for the weekend."

His grin grew another notch, giving a glimpse of white teeth. "Which is?"

"BDSM."

My head thunked onto the kitchen table as I heard gales of deep male laughter roll through the room.

"Go spend a weekend in the dungeon. I'll gladly watch the boys. But I want details when you return." He flew into another chuckling fit.

I hoped he pulled a muscle in the process.

Chapter 15

When the club's representative declared I would be "washed, waxed, and made over" she didn't lie. At least the makeover personnel consisted of three women. If a single man stood around with hot wax in hand, I would have balked and stormed out the door, hair intact. Instead, the ladies cajoled me into every step, promising that Meat would be thrilled with the results.

Yeah, he'd better be.
Waxing hurt. Not to mention the humiliation of complete strangers working in such an area. I used to dread yearly doctor visits complete with stirrups, a backless gown, and paper sheet. After this experience, the medical check up didn't look near so bad.

I had been scrubbed, oiled, hair cut and styled, waxed, and finally stuffed into a red bustier complete with black trim. One of the ladies explained the outfit had a Miracle Bra sewed in, which lifted and gave the impression that I gained two cup sizes. Uh huh. It would be a miracle if I didn't pop out the top before the photoshoot was over.

Linda, the woman in charge, busily stuffed my breasts into the cups, while the other two women worried with my hair and helped roll up my fishnet stockings. The brunette commanded for me to lift a foot, followed by the other, in order to slide my panties on. Relieved at the minimal coverage, I glanced in the mirror.

I looked like a centerfold for "Whips and Chains Weekly".

"I'm not…"

"You look great. The guys will be drooling all over you," Linda reassured, dragging me along in the three inch spike black heels someone declared completed the outfit.

Several minutes later, I stood before Janie, the photographer contracted for this shoot. She seemed nice enough. Until I started tugging at the top to pull it up and the spandex undies to pull them down. She smacked at my fingers and tsked me. By the time Janie's eyes crossed and I was prepared to hike my rear home, the guys stepped into the room.

I couldn't help but stare, blink, and gape some more. Meat stood in black leather, with a big "X" in studded straps across his chest. A thong covered the important bits as a spiked leather dog collar wrapped around his neck. Matching wrist and ankle bands with metal rings matched the whole ensemble.

Ducian stood in the same outfit sans the dog collar. He must have caught my appraisal as he explained crankily, "No way in hell they were putting a collar on me. Cat boy here can wear it for both of us!"

That earned a snarl from Meat along with an elbow that just missed Ducian's ribs as he scooted back. Meat's expression when he turned back to me quickly changed from annoyance to one of intrigue and sexual interest as his gaze landed on my cleavage.

"Nice." His words purred from his chest as he took in the full view.

Ducian simply grinned wickedly, making no effort to hide his enjoyment of the scenery before him. "Oh, yeah."

Nervously, I chewed my lip while trying to cover any and all protruding parts. Janie would have none of it. Instead, she started barking orders, pulling and pushing us into place, all the while reminding us of her tight schedule.

The first pictures flew by smoothly. Shots of the three of us, sitting and standing. Nothing exciting and fairly easy. Unfortunately, the calm and mundane didn't last. Janie the Hun had other ideas.

Following her directions, I spread my feet, backing up where Ducian stood directly behind me, his hands braced on my hips. Meat stood to the side, intently listening to the photographer's orders. A sudden chilly draft blew across my lower body.
What the?
Leaving my feet in place, I bent in half, checking out my risqué costume.

"Omigod. My panties have a hole in them!" My head lifted so I could gaze at the other woman in the room. Instead of looking outraged as I expected, she simply rolled her eyes.

A snort and a muffled cough followed.

I leaned again, checking out the gap once more. "And it's a
big
hole."

"Bloody hell! She's shaved bald too!" Ducian exclaimed behind me.

His vocal observation jerked me into a standing position. I clamped my thighs together, even as my face flamed.
Just great
. My Shy parts were naked and cold and being ogled by everyone in the room.

"I seem to have defective panties. I need another pair."