The Bucklin Wolves Next Generation: Return (6 page)

“Ummm…” She looked embarrassed to even be ordering any food. She was pretty self-conscious, Seth decided. “Can I get biscuits and gravy?”

“Sure thing, hon. What about you, pal?”

“I’ll have the eight ounce T-bone meal with a baked potato. I’d also like the cheeseburger meal, times two. I want one with fries and one with onion rings. Also, bring me the chicken fried steak meal with another baked potato.”

“Expecting someone else?” the waitress asked as she furiously tried to jot it all down.

“No,” he said. “That’s all for me. And two waters, please.”

The waitress looked like she couldn’t believe him. He had seen that look before: she thought it was all a prank. One time he’d had to assure the manager at a restaurant in Cedarville that he was serious, and they’d still made him pay for it all in advance to prevent him from running. This waitress finally just nodded, her eyes still wide, before turning to walk away.

“You’re really going to eat all of that?” Maribel asked.

“I didn’t order it to stare at.”

“But you’re so… so…. how do I put it? Buff. How do you maintain your body?”

Seth threw his head back and laughed deep. She must not have done very much reading on werewolves. “We wolves eat a ton of food. It’s almost impossible for us to get fat. It’s the way our metabolism works.”

“Must be nice,” Maribel muttered.

For the next several minutes all they did was sit in silence, staring at one another. Maribel couldn’t maintain eye contact; she kept looking away before glancing back up at Seth. Seth couldn’t peel his eyes away from her, though. She was gorgeous. He couldn’t believe how taken by this one female he actually was.

Thinking back on it, he’d honestly thought he would be more attracted to a girl like Stacy Wilson than a girl like Maribel. But here she was in front of him and he couldn’t get enough of her. Then again, the girl Rowan had claimed had been a little heavier than the average female too. Humans were shallow when it came to their choice of mate, but not so for the wolves of Bucklin. Maribel was perfect.

“I guess it’s going to take a while to cook all that food,” she said, reaching into her bag. “Maybe I can ask a few questions?”

“Go right ahead.” He was curious to find out what questions she could possibly have for him.

“Well, I’ll just dive right in,” she said, opening a folder.

“I don’t know what you could possibly be worried about. Sure, we have some abandoned houses and businesses, but we have virtually no crime. No gang activity. No drugs. It’s perfect for you, isn’t it?”

“But what about the wolves who abandoned the town? That Aster guy and his people?”

Seth tried to hide the surprise on his face. “How did you find out about that?” Only wolves in the know should know about what had happened in Bucklin.

“Jacko told me,” she said. “It’s what prompted this interview.”

So there’s more to Jacko than meets the eye. I’m right to keep one eye on him. Where did he get his information?

“Yes,” Seth said. “It is true that most of the town left with the former mayor. They sought to reestablish their roots in the forest where we came from.”

“And have they been seen or heard from since?”

“Not at all. They live in the wild now. They have their new territory to take care of.”

“But what about their old territory? Do they feel any attachment to it?”

“Not that I know of. I haven’t seen any of them in this town in two years. It takes a lot to establish a new pack, especially one the size Aster is playing at.”

“I just worry that they pose a threat. Statistically wolves never give up a territorial claim.”

“They’re deeper in the forest than you think.”

“But do they have spies?”

“Why would they bother to spy on us? They renounced this place. They’re gone. And why would they care about the casino anyway?”

“Because it violates what they built in Bucklin: a community for werewolves. What if they hear the town is being opened to humans? It could pose a threat to them, with so many humans so close to their new territory.”

Seth sighed and leaned forward again. “Maribel, you’re going to have to trust me on this. They’re gone. You’ll see.”

“Very well, Seth,” she said, and put her folder away. “I’ll take your word for it. I hope the groundbreaking ceremony goes off without a hitch.”

“Don’t you worry,” he assured her. “It’ll be the best groundbreaking ceremony in history.”

Chapter 6

Maribel was so busy over the next week that she could barely keep things straight. In addition to risk analysis, she helped Ms. Wilson with all the ceremony planning and with communicating their progress to Mr. Sokolov.

He’d been very pleased with her report on the risk factors and decided no additional security was needed, leaving Jacko and his team of twelve ex-soldiers to keep an eye on Bucklin and the project.

There was a buzz in the air of Bucklin that hadn’t been felt in quite some time. Unfortunately there was a constant buzz from Maribel’s phone as well. She hadn’t spoken to Seth since the night they’d had dinner together, but he had called her plenty of times. She wasn’t actively avoiding him, she was just busy. But at the same time she didn’t really know what business he would have with her and she didn’t like the way he flexed his abs when he smiled at her or the way her body reacted to his presence. It just wasn’t professional and she knew sexual harassment laws worked both ways. She didn’t want to throw herself at the hot mayor only to be rejected and a complaint levied against her company.

Surely he was just teasing her when he smiled at her and flexed, wasn’t he? Maybe she was just scared that a man was actually showing interest in her, albeit a man who could turn into a wolf and crush his enemies between his vise-like jaws.

She was still surprised when she arrived at the groundbreaking ceremony and Seth approached her in the holding area behind the stage they had set up. He was wearing another perfectly tailored suit that did nothing to hide his V-shape, while she was wearing a plain brown dress that did nothing to hide her round shape.

“Maribel,” he said, grabbing a cookie from the table and smiling at her. “I had fun at dinner last week. I tried to call again to see if you’d like to go for another ride, but you didn’t answer the phone.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” she said, trying not to look at him. “I was just way too busy. You know, a lot goes into this.”

“Tell me about it,” he said. “I’ve been pretty busy myself. Still, I would have found time for you. We don’t get a lot of outsiders in Bucklin, so I like to find out about what’s going on out there in the world.”

“Well, Ms. Wilson and Jacko are here too.”

“She rubs me the wrong way,” Seth said, staring off into space. “So does he, to be honest. I just had an easier time talking to you. Maybe we can get together and talk tonight?”

“Well, I’m—” she said, trying frantically to find an excuse. He was a nice guy, she had to admit, but it wasn’t professional to mix work and pleasure—if there was even any pleasure to come of this. “I don’t know if I’ll be available.”

“What do you have going on?” he asked.

“Well, I…” She trailed off again, searching for some excuse. Seth wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Maybe she just needed to get it over with and move forward. “I guess I don’t have anything going on. Would you like to go to dinner again?”

“I have dinner plans already,” he said. “But I can come by the house you’re staying in afterwards and have a drink. Won’t you be going back to Dallas soon?”

“Monday,” she said. Unfortunately it was Thursday, so that left a lot of time for the two of them to hang out. More time to avoid the man of her dreams. What the hell was wrong with her?

“Excellent,” he said. “We’ll hang out tonight, then, and talk. It’ll be fun. I like your take on life. Maybe you can give me some statistics.”

“About what?”

“Anything. I just find it fascinating how many numbers you have in your head.”

“Oh, there’s a lot,” she promised. “Don’t you worry.”

After Seth had walked off to find someone else, Maribel nearly collapsed into the table. She hadn’t realized she’d barely been able to stand while he was standing there. No man should have that effect on her body.

“Well, it looks like someone has learned from the best,” Ms. Wilson said, sauntering up beside Maribel.

“What are you talking about?” Maribel asked.

“You’re going to sleep with the mayor.”

“No, I’m not.” Maribel was shocked that Ms. Wilson would even suggest something so boldly and loudly.

“You were getting pretty dewy-eyed with him there. And it’s obvious he has a crush on you.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Maribel refused to believe it despite all evidence to the contrary. His attraction for her flew in the face of every statistic she knew about dating.

“You’re doing it backwards, though. You’re supposed to sleep with him before the deal is signed, to make him sign it.”

“He was ready, willing and able to sign it. We didn’t even have to negotiate.”

“No, we didn’t. Now you’re just having fun. It’s okay. I like to have fun too.”

“He just wants to talk,” Maribel said, reassuring herself more than anything else. “He finds me interesting.”

“Oh, please,” Ms. Wilson said, rolling her eyes before she started to walk off. “Nobody finds you interesting.”

Her words stung, but Maribel had come to expect that kind of behavior from Ms. Wilson. She was a grade-A bitch through and through. Maribel considered saying something, but she still had to ride home with the woman. Instead, she straightened up and tried to compose herself as she heard clapping on the other side of the stage. The ceremony was beginning and she could already hear Ms. Wilson speaking into the microphone in a sugary-sweet and one hundred percent fake voice.

That woman should run for public office. She’d win any election in a landslide.
If only politicians knew how much more devious corporate America was than what they dealt with on a normal basis.

Still, they had put together a hell of a groundbreaking ceremony. News crews from Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Wichita, Dallas and even Kansas City had all come out to cover the city of Bucklin making a big-time move. Sokolov Enterprises had become a force in the entertainment world in a very short time. It wasn’t too long ago that they had opened their first casino and already business was booming. The world knew that the Sokolov stamp of approval meant money. It made Maribel smile that she had been so crucial in creating the force behind that stamp that it now carried.

Seth looked very assured of himself as he took to the podium and launched into a speech about how much he loved his small town roots. He was completely on point as he gripped the sides of the podium and made eye contact with the audience members. He detailed how he’d grown up with a single mother and watched as his town’s once booming tourism sector had suddenly regressed, forcing many residents of the town to flee for bigger cities and other opportunities.

“And I promise that those opportunities will not be lost ever again!” he said, slamming his fist down on the podium. “Jobs will be available here in Bucklin. The casino will hire from within, giving our residents an opportunity they’ve never had before. But that’s not the only opportunity. We’re going to need convenience stores, restaurants, clothing stores and other businesses to keep our guests entertained. Who better to open these stores and restaurants and run them than my very own Bucklin residents? I beg you all, go forth and prosper. I promise within three years you’ll look back on the ghost town era of Bucklin like America looks back on the Great Depression. A mere bump in the road that led us to greater glory. Mark my words, Bucklin will not die!”

The crowd erupted in cheers as Seth stood straight and smiled, waving at specific members of the crowd and giving others a hearty thumbs up. As she watched him, Maribel could feel the heat growing between her legs. He was so sexy, so confident, everything she had never thought she could have in a man. But he wanted to have drinks with her tonight. Not Ms. Wilson. Not a hard-bodied werewolf female—her.

Is this really what I want?
she wondered.

Fuck it. I’m taking him up on his date offer. Let’s do it.

Chapter 7

Statistically most men expect sex on the second date,
Maribel thought as she did her makeup in front of the mirror.
But our first meeting wasn’t a date. Still, the odds of a man expecting sex when a woman invites him in for a drink are much higher than if she kisses him good night at the door and sends him on his way.

Oh god, what have I gotten myself into?

Seth was thrilled that she wanted him to come over for a drink. In the short time she’d known him she hadn’t seen a smile quite as large as the one he’d worn when she confirmed their plans. He’d even leaned in for a hug. She could’ve sworn he’d sniffed her hair when he did it, too. It made her skin tingle, amongst other things, when he had done it. Luckily she’d showered that morning and her hair smelled like vanilla coconut.

He’d been flirting with her pretty hard, but still, having the mayor over for a few drinks seemed mildly inappropriate. Especially considering Ms. Wilson’s conjecture about the entire situation. But he was on his way over now and there was no backing out.

Maribel wasn’t looking too bad, by her standards. She was sure she looked like a painted whore next to Ms. Wilson. She’d done her eyes with a beautiful green eye shadow that didn’t make her brown eyes look so dark. She’d also put on a lower cut blouse with a few ruffles in the front to hide her massive cleavage. The chain she wore around her waist seemed a little strained around her muffin top, but it still added to the entire ensemble, which she capped off with a tight skirt and heels. She couldn’t believe she’d gotten so dressed up just to have drinks inside of the house she was staying in.

The house was barely bigger than her apartment in Dallas, but she could definitely get used to living in a place like this. It was old, but it was well maintained and very quaint. There was a detached garage out back and it was already fully furnished. Everything in the house was very old and retro except for the obviously new flat screen television in the living area.