by Alexis Davie
I should call the police. That thing could be dangerous, she thought, trying to dig through her purse for her phone with shaky fingers. Her hand closed around the device, but before she could dial, a voice shot out through the kitchen.
“What are you doing in here?”
Amy yelped, dropping the phone as she whirled to look at the speaker.
“There’s a bear!” she blurted out, unable to say anything else.
“What are you doing in here?” the voice demanded again. The person it belonged to stepped toward her, and a spark of electricity jolted through Amy’s veins as she stared at the man now standing in front of her. He took another step forward, into the light of the floodlight.
His hair was thick and dark blonde, stylishly cut away from a broad-structured face and high cheekbones. He had the form of a linebacker, wide shoulders, broad hips, and he seemed to tower over Amy. His dark eyes pierced into her.
Almost as if someone had twisted her head, she turned to look out into the backyard for the bear, but it was gone.
She turned back to the man, and a little voice inside her head seemed to whisper into her ear, The bear’s standing right here in the kitchen with you, can’t you see it?
Amy was beginning to truly feel like she was losing her mind. Still, she couldn’t help the strange sensation of déjà vu as she stared at the man.
“I—I work here,” she replied once she found her voice. “What are you doing here?”
The man raised an eyebrow at her. “You work in an unfinished house without any electricity at night? I find that hard to believe.”
“Who are you?” she asked instead, nervously as she reached to retrieve her fallen cell from the phone. “What are you doing here?”
“You’re in my house,” he answered gruffly.
“This is your place?” she repeated. She knew she was coming across as foolish, but it was as if she had no control over the words she was speaking.
“There are motion sensors everywhere in this house,” the man informed her. “And you tripped one as soon as you hopped the fence. So, before I call the police and have you arrested for trespassing, who are you?”
“My name is Amy,” she told him quickly. “I really am a worker on the construction crew. I left my purse here, see?” She showed him her purse.
He eyed her speculatively, his eyes glittering like onyx against the intense light at his back.
“I-I’m sorry,” Amy blurted. “I didn’t want to trouble Kyle, so I thought I would just sneak back in here and get it myself.”
The man’s eyes continued to study her face, and Amy felt herself growing hot under his scrutiny.
“If I had known there were sensors, I would have called him,” she rambled on. “I just didn’t want to cause any problems. This—this was my first day. If you have cameras, you can see that I was here in the afternoon, and you’ll see I left my purse.”
He still did not speak, and Amy grew more uncomfortable by the second.
“It won’t happen again!” she hurriedly added, her eyes growing wide as she thought about what Kyle was going to do when he found out. Would the man call him and tell him what she had done?
Two customer complaints on my first day, Amy thought woefully. I’m getting fired for sure… if I don’t get arrested first.
Her heart hammered in her chest, and she chewed on her lower lip to keep from rambling on any further. The silence was so thick, it threatened to choke her, and she almost broke it again—probably with another stupid couple of words—when he finally spoke.
“You may go,” the man informed her.
Amy was sure she had never moved so fast in her life, snatching up her handbag and bolting out the front door. She ran toward the secure gate and glanced over her shoulder, as if expecting either the man or the bear to be at her back.
Neither of them were, but as she mounted the wall to get out of the property, Amy could not shake the sense that she was being watched.
* * *
Amy tried to quietly sneak back into her house, but when she returned home, her brother was still watching TV in the front room.
“Mom’s flipping out!” he called to her as she tried to make her way into the back hallway.
“Why?”
“Because she called and you weren’t home.”
Amy held back a groan. “What did you tell her?”
“That you were still at work,” Joel said. “You better call her.”
Amy knew her brother was right. She should call her mother back and tell her that she was okay, make up some story about staying late at work or something, but all she wanted was to rest after the day she’d had.
“I just want to go to bed,” she moaned, resisting the urge to bang her head against the wall in front of her.
Joel let out a soft sigh. “I’ll call and tell her you’re home,” he assured her, and Amy was flooded by a sense of gratitude.
“I owe you big time,” she told him. “Thank you, Joel.”
“I’ll collect,” he vowed, and she grinned at him.
After a quick shower, she retreated to her bedroom. Her mind inevitably went back to the millionaire who had caught her in his house.
Is he going to tell Kyle about me being there? Of course he is. He has no reason not to, she thought, lying down on her bed. She closed her eyes, and his ruggedly attractive face instantly popped into her mind.
He’s not how I envisioned him at all, Amy thought, a flush rising through her. Definitely not like Professor Frink.
Her hands were resting on her stomach, but as her mind began to wander, she licked her lips, fingers trailing down between her legs. Slowly, she began to massage herself as she imagined what he smelled like. She hadn’t been standing that close to him inside his home.
In her mind’s eye, she stepped closer to him, inhaling his musky scent, and a spontaneous rush of heat exploded between her legs, her stomach fluttering. Amy rubbed herself harder, her free hand reaching up to sneak under her tank top and caress her left nipple, and her breaths began to escape in shorter gasps.
Just as she was on the verge of climaxing, she heard a sound that made her bolt up in bed.
Cocking her head to the side, Amy listened. It was faint, but it was an unmistakable roar in the distance.
Amy jumped off the mattress and hurried toward the window to look outside. She saw nothing, but she sensed the intruder nearby. Whoever he was… or whatever it was, it wasn’t far. She could feel it deep within her.
Where are you? she called out. Show yourself.
Her silent plea was met with nothingness, and after a few moments, Amy sat down on the edge of her bed. She was unable to shake off the sensation that she was being watched, just like when she had left the house.
You’re imagining things, she told herself. As she rose to undress and turn off the lights, though, she could not convince herself she was being irrational. She slipped beneath the covers of her bed, but when she turned to flick off her bedside lamp, she froze.
The millionaire was standing in her room, next to her window.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered, her heart fluttering dangerously in her chest.
“You broke into my house,” he countered, a half smile on his face. “Thought it would be fair to return the favor.” After Amy didn’t say anything else, he spoke again. “Would you like me to leave?”
She shook her head, biting down her lower lip as he drew closer, tentatively joining her at the foot of her bed. She lay back down on her bed, her toes brushing against his expensive suit pants, and he leaned down to softly grasp her ankle and press his mouth to it.
Amy sighed as his other hand worked its way up her calf, and she kicked off the bed sheet, exposing her legs fully to him. A small voice in her head reminded her that she didn’t know this man, he had threatened to have her arrested, he was basically someone she was going to start working for, she shouldn’t be doing this…
But Amy ignored that voice. She did
not stop the millionaire, his hands warming her body with each inch of skin he touched.
His tongue laced its way around her ankle, up the curves of her legs, until both of his palms cupped her naked rear and his face was positioned perfectly between her thighs.
Amy was quivering before his mouth touched her core, but when the first flick of his tongue met her throbbing clit, she turned her head to muffle the cry into her pillow. He instantly began to tease her with strong, smooth strokes that immediately brought her to trembling heights.
When he plunged a long, thick finger inside her, Amy could not help but release against him, mewling hopelessly into the pillowcase. She wanted to reach for him, but she dared not pull her hands away, lest she scream and rouse the attention of her brother down the hall.
The mysterious man dipped another finger inside, his lips suctioning around her, and Amy bucked upward, forcing his face deep against her center as his digits continued their thrusts.
Again, she climaxed, an orgasm after another, until she was sure she would never reach a release again.
He rose then, licking his fingers, and Amy extended her arms toward him, coaxing him close. Slowly, he lowered his head to kiss her, and she embraced him closely, eagerly sucking on his bottom lip.
The man untangled himself from her and rose to his full height. In the eerie, shadowy light, he seemed like he was half-beast, as if he had both human and animal attributes, but Amy was sure it was only an illusion.
Staring down at her, he gave her a half-smile.
“What are you doing?” she breathed, realizing that he was preparing to go. “You can’t leave me here like this.”
He shook his head. “I’m not leaving you,” he assured her. “You will see me again, I assure you.”
In the blink of an eye, however, the millionaire had suddenly disappeared, and Amy could not stay awake a moment longer.
* * *
Amy’s eyes flew open, and she looked wildly around the room once she found herself alone. Grey light made its way through the curtains of her open window.
Wasn’t the window closed last night? she wondered. The air conditioning is on in here.
She sat up and tried to reconcile fact from fantasy.
That was one hell of a dream, she thought, throwing her legs over the bed and checking the time. It was almost six o’clock in the morning. It was time to get up.
A small pang of disappointment washed through her as she wandered into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Her dream had felt so real, and she had felt so connected to the mysterious man.
You’re chasing rainbows, she told herself with annoyance. First Oliver, then the millionaire. You probably dreamt the entire thing—hell, you probably dreamt going back for your purse and all.
But Amy knew the latter was untrue; she would not be so lucky.
Kyle is going to fire me today. I concocted this dream alternate reality to avoid dealing with the truth.
Her body stiffened as she heard a noise from the living room.
Amy poked her head into the hallway and glanced toward the front of the house.
“Hello?”
There was no response, and Amy swallowed, putting on some clothes and exiting the bathroom.
As she drew closer to the door, she could see it was open. Amy’s heart began to race.
“Hello?” she cried out again, stepping onto the veranda.
She heard nothing save for the birds chirping, but as she rounded the corner onto the driveway, she exhaled in a swooping breath.
“Mom! What are you doing out here?” she demanded, staring at Carlene.
Her mother glanced back at her, her face pale against her green nurse’s scrubs. She was clearly just returning home from her shift at the hospital, but she stood completely still in the driveway, staring at something Amy could not see.
“Mom?” she asked again, closing the space between them. “Are you okay?”
Carlene pointed at the grass, and Amy’s pulse felt like a tidal wave under her skin.
In the dewy grass were four huge paw marks—as if a bear had been there.
Amy fell back, her hand against her heart.
So, it hadn’t been a dream after all.
Suddenly, she could not wait to get to work.
* * *
THE END
4
Key West Shifter
Kristy dove back into the Key West waters, swimming easily to the river floor before springing back upward and crashing through the surface. Droplets glimmered in the afternoon sunshine, and Kristy blinked several times to clear her vision before running her hands through her dark hair and gazing around at the others lounging about in various aspects of relaxation.
To her left, the newlyweds were sprawled on a rock, hands entwined as they stared into each other’s eyes like there was no one else around.
Kristy both loathed and envied the look of happiness on their faces.
No one can be that happy, she decided. Honeymoon or not.
She had to admit that the idea of going kayaking on a honeymoon was romantic, despite her slightly cynical thoughts.
I have to give Sven points for creativity, she thought, studying the Swedish couple’s expressions. There was nothing but adulation and genuine affection exuding from both of them.
Or maybe he’s plotting her death, Kristy considered, her calculating mind taking over as she examined them more closely, wading back toward the camp. It was the second day the Swedes had taken the tour. Maybe there was something sinister behind it.
Not on my watch, buddy, Kristy thought firmly. There will be no murdering as long as I’m your guide.
She had never had so much as a kayak tip over on her watch—she was certainly not about to let a murder occur. She knew she was looking for drama where there was none, but that was the way her mind worked. After all, she was a pre-law student.
It was her second summer leading the kayaking tours, and Kristy loved every minute of it. To her, nothing was more exhilarating that being on a boat, especially after exercising her mind so heavily throughout the school year.
Work hard, play hard, was Kristy’s motto, but she knew it was also the groups themselves who made the tours so enjoyable. She loved people-watching, and although the couple on the rocks was making her slightly nauseous, Kristy was having a wonderful time.
“Has everyone eaten?” she asked, slipping out of the water, her athletic body sprinkling droplets against the sand.
She expertly scanned the area for crocodiles, although she was aware she was being ridiculous. Even though it was the only area in the United States that actually had crocodiles, she had never actually seen one. The route had been tried and tested hundreds of times, and dozens of those times had been with her in charge. The reason the inn insisted on using it as their kayaking route was because it was a safe trek.
Still, Kristy reasoned she could never be too careful.
The group nodded and murmured their assent to her question, but Kristy could feel the eyes of the men on her as she reached for a towel.
Even Sven pulled his eyes away from Inga long enough to admire Kristy’s svelte form. It gave Kristy a small spark of satisfaction; not because she had any interest in Sven or the others, but because it proved she was right.
No one was as happy as the newlyweds were pretending to be.
“We’ll head back toward the inn soon,” Kristy told her group, turning her dark eyes to regard the sunshine. It was late in the afternoon, but they had plenty of light left.
Shouldn’t take more than two hours to get back to home base, she thought, recalling her previous experiences.
The weather was expected to be clear, with possible drizzles late in the evening.
It will be another perfect day, she sighed, smiling at the others. If I keep this up, I could probably ask for a raise.
Kristy flopped onto a smooth stone and gazed out into the sparkling waters of the ocean. Then she glanced toward the sandbar, where some
of the people in her group continued to snack. Her coffee-colored eyes noted that the snorkelers had finished, pulling up shells to compare amongst themselves.
Despite the fact that she was having a good time, Kristy was glad there was no night trip that evening. She was looking forward to some down time after ten days of working straight.
Off for two days starting tonight, she thought happily. I’ll call Keegan and see what he’s doing.
There were so many perks to being home, and Keegan was at the top of the list. It had started when Kristy had come home for the summer in her freshman year.
Keegan was her brother’s best friend, and while Kristy had always been attracted to the quiet, slightly older man, he had been off limits, of course. She had resigned herself to admire him from afar, always secretly hoping he would notice her, but knowing that he was not interested.
Two years earlier, it had all changed.
Keegan had booked a kayak tour, not realizing that his best friend’s sister would be his guide. He had taken the excursion with a girl he had just started dating, and the trip had turned into a disaster.
The girlfriend had loudly accused Keegan of ogling Kristy, which had secretly pleased Kristy. She had listened as their argument escalated to ridiculous heights, forcing Kristy to step in for the peace of the other members of the group. She had barely managed to quiet the incensed lover, and Kristy had been grateful when they finally made their way back to shore, where the woman disappeared in a huff.
Keegan had turned to Kristy apologetically, and the two had found themselves going out for drinks, which had led to a night of passion that Kristy would never forget.
After they had both stopped shaking from their intense climaxes, Keegan had turned to her, spent and grinning.
“Why do you look so smug?” she had teasingly asked him. “Never had sex with a college girl before?”
Keegan had snorted and hugged her close. “I’m laughing because Tanya was right,” he’d replied, and it had taken Kristy a long moment to figure out who he meant.