Lady of Way

by Rosemarie McCants

  He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, placing his hand on her cheek.

  “I love you Meredith Rhodes and I will make it my life’s purpose to prove that to you,” he smiled at her.

  Two Years Later

  Screaming at the top of her lungs, Meredith watched Nathan run and get the final touchdown. Jumping up and down, she hugged Finn who was standing beside her. As she made her way down to the field, she grinned like a Cheshire cat.

  Ross was waiting for her when she got on the field, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, spinning her around. She caught the scent of sweat and cedar. He kissed her deeply, his tongue caressing hers erotically.

  “You were amazing! Congratulations.” She beamed.

  “It was all for you beautiful.” Ross grinned and held her tight against him.

  “Marriage suits you.” She chuckled softly.

  “That’s because my wife is the best thing that has ever happened to me.” He kissed her cheek.

  “How do you think Fatherhood would suit you?” she looked up at him, giving the words a few moments to sink in.

  “What? Are you? You mean?” his eyes opened wide.

  She nodded softly and grinned.

  “Confirmed it before the game. I wanted to wait until you won. I knew you would.”

  “I adore you Meredith Rhodes. You are the love of my life.” Ross growled into her ear.

  “I love you too Ross. With everything I have inside me.”

  THE END

  Getting Packed

  Description

  Keisha Pryce is a young and beautiful African-American woman who is always the life of the party. She lives for adventure and a little bit of danger. Werewolves have gone mainstream, and everyone is itching to see them up close. When her best friend, Felicia, invites her to a werewolf club, she can’t resist. When she arrives, she meets a dark and mysterious man at the bar. When she finds out he is a werewolf, even that doesn’t deter her. Not even his extracurricular activities.

  She finds herself between two dangerous werewolves, but lives for the danger anyway. When she starts to get too attached, the casual relationship comes to an end. Can she be claimed?

  *****

  Keisha Pryce needed a new rush. She needed something exciting or she would probably fall ill from how dull her life was at that moment. She always felt average. She had an average job, lived in an average town home and drove average fuel-efficient car. On the weekends, Keisha liked to mask her average life with an exciting trip to the club, or a new bar, or the same bar with her sidekick and best friend, Felicia.

  Keisha was just wrapping her work up as a lab assistant in the pathology department of the local hospital before starting the weekend. As she was putting her tools and other necessary items away in her desk, she received a text. It was from her best friend, Felicia.

  She picked up her phone and read Felicia’s message:

  It’s Friday! We have to hit up this new bar I found!

  Keisha wrote back:

  Sure. Where?

  A few minutes later, Felicia finally replied with a cryptic:

  Call you later.

  Keisha read Felicia’s response and then started the twenty-minute drive home. She was excited to go out, and she never passed on a good party.

  She arrived home around five and made herself an instant bowl of rice and watched Friends reruns. As she was settling back and relaxing from a full day in the lab, Felicia called her.

  “Hey! So, what is this new club that we are going to?” Keisha asked her.

  “It’s more of a bar, but they have a pretty good night life. It’s called The Den. Which is pretty corny because they are mainstream wolves.” Keisha’s breath hitched in her throat. She thought mainstream wolves and their clubs were a thing of social media and gossip.

  “Really?” Keisha asked.

  “Yeah! Do you still want to go?” Felicia responded.

  Keisha thought for a second. She liked a bit of a thrill and some excitement, but this could be a little too much if she wasn’t careful. Then again, when was she ever careful. “Yeah. Of course.” Her voice was a bit shaky, but she was pretty sure she wanted to go. If werewolves were dangerous, they wouldn’t be allowed to own businesses.

  “Cool! I’ll be there at about ten and we can get ready together.”

  “Sounds good. See you.”

  Keisha’s boss gave her a few files to look at over the weekend. So she got started on them so that her weekend would be free to party. Keisha wasn’t all just about partying, but she enjoyed a good time. Her bills got paid on time, and she was never late for work. Keisha reasoned that she was allowed two days of fun a week.

  Keisha had never been to a werewolf club before, so she had no idea what to wear. She looked the section of her closet she put her club clothes in and started looking. But, she still wasn’t sure. Keisha gave up and decided to wait until Felicia came over. Keisha watched a movie until Felicia let herself in. They had been friends for over ten years, since freshman year of high school, so they were very close.

  Keisha and Felicia were basically sisters. Keisha was an only child and when her parents passed away she was in college. Felicia was pretty much all that Keisha had.

  Felicia walked in with a duffel bag and was wearing a black track suit.

  “Hey, have you just been sitting here?” Felicia said.

  “Yeah. Girl, I have no idea what to wear. How do you dress to a werewolf club?” Keisha laughed, and it seemed her brown eyes twinkled.

  “Well there is your main problem right there. You’re thinking about it too much. Come on.” Felicia pulled Keisha toward her closet.

  Keisha had no problem dressing herself when they went out, but sometimes she did overthink things. The last time Keisha got this stuck, she was going on a date with a guy. That relationship didn’t end very well either.

  “I don’t know if I want to wear a dress though.” Keisha sat on the small chair she kept in the corner of her closet. It was usually packed with clothes, but she had just cleaned it off yesterday.

  “Why? Your ass always looks amazing in dresses,” Felicia said. Keisha giggled softly at Felicia’s words.

  “Yeah, but I just don’t really want to,” I said. Felicia just puckered her lips and kept shuffling.

  There wasn’t very much left in the closet. So it didn’t take Felicia very long to find something. “I got it!” Felicia exclaimed.

  Felicia happily showed Keisha a pair of dark, and very tight jeans. Probably the tightest of jeans that she owned. And a lace bralette that was more of a crop top. The lace was back, and the front went very deep to show a lot of good cleavage.

  “Whoa, I guess this will work,” Keisha nodded.

  “Yep! And heels!” Felicia exclaimed. She picked out a pair of Keisha’s purple pumps.

  “Cool. Let’s get dressed then,” Keisha said.

  As they got dressed, they passed the time talking about work and the goings on around the office. Felicia was still in school to become a crime scene investigator. It was always her dream, and she had a set back a few years ago when her grandmother got sick and she had to take care of her. When she died, it was really hard for Felicia. Thankfully, Felicia got back on her feet and went back to school.

  “Oh, and this guy in my forensics class is so fucking hot! I just want to lick him everywhere!” Felicia said. Keisha stopped, looked at her and just cringed.

  “I don’t think that would be very exciting,” Keisha said and laughed.

  “With him, it would be. Anyway, I was thinking about asking him to study with me,” Felicia added.

  Keisha furrowed her brow as she buttoned up her jeans. It required a lot of jumping and stretching to get them on. “Why didn’t you?” Keisha asked her.

  “I don’t know. Maybe because I wouldn’t be concentrating, and would learn nothing,” she said as though it were obvious. Perhaps it was.

  “True,” Keisha said in agreement.

  They
had both put their hair in braids before getting dressed. So when they finished, it came out curly.

  “We look hot,” Keisha said as they looked in the mirror.

  Felicia and Keisha were strikingly different. Felicia was a bit taller than Keisha, and her hair was dark brown, her lips thinner and her face strong and dramatic. Keisha was one inch short of plump, wide hips and thick thighs. Keisha used to think her ass and boobs were too big, but she embraced herself and knew how to work it.

  “For sure. Let’s get going,” Felicia said. They grabbed their phone wallets so they wouldn’t have to worry about purses, and headed out.

  “Do you want to pregame?” Felicia stopped in the kitchen and asked Keisha.

  “No, I’m good. You don’t want to get too faded so you don’t have a wardrobe malfunction.” What Felicia wore was way riskier than what Keisha had on. Felicia’s dress was very short, and the sides were open down to the hip, and the back was too. The most covering that the dress offered was right over her boobs.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Felicia replied.

  Keisha decided to drive, and they both decided it would be a good idea not to drink too much. Neither had never been to a werewolf club before, and they didn’t know what to expect.

  Keisha was still adjusting to the idea that werewolves were even real. She had never seen one in real life, and she had no idea what to expect. But she could not deny that she wasn’t curious.

  “It already looks so cool,” Felicia said as they pulled into the parking lot.

  The club wasn’t very tall, but it spanned out very wide, and looked like it went far back too. Keisha found a parking spot on the side and they walked in together. A few people were leaving, and more were coming in with them.

  Someone was there to open the door for them. A big, burly man. He must be a wolf, Keisha thought. His eyes were very dark, his beard thick and his arms bigger than one of her thighs. Keisha shuddered as she walked past him.

  “Bar?” I nodded. I needed at least something to relax.

  “Two shots, please!” Felicia yelled over the bar.

  The bartender had his back turned away from them Both noticed that the bartender’s back was very big. Keisha wondered if all the men working were werewolves. His hair was very dark and reached his neck before curling up. The muscles in his shoulders moved every time he even moved just a finger.

  He turned around once Felicia spoke, and Keisha was almost frozen in space. From behind the bar, Keisha could tell how tall he was. His back was almost nothing compared to his chest—strong and defined, his six-pack bulged through his shirt so easily. The fabric wrapped his bicep so tightly that she expected it to break. Keisha’s eyes met his face. His beard was thick, but not too long and didn’t leave his face. And his eyes… they were almost silver. They were so gray, and cool like ice.

  Keisha noticed she was barely breathing, and let out a big breath. Then she noticed he was staring right at her.

  *****

  “Is that all for you ladies?” His voice was so deep it seemed to go right through Keisha’s chest and made her heart beat faster.

  “For now, thanks!” Felicia took her shot, and Keisha managed to down hers as well.

  “So, what do you think?” Keisha said as she looked around.

  Everyone was into their own conversations. Many of the women were sitting in the laps of their men. Keisha realized they were the only “unaccompanied” women in the club. Keisha was sure there were many who had just picked up a man here, but still.

  “Let’s sit,” Keisha said. They sat at a table, but it was still near the bar where Keisha could see the bartender. He was so big, but he moved around so… gracefully. He never smiled, but he was nice to the guests. Perhaps he owned the place, Keisha thought.

  “What are you staring at?” Felicia asked. She caught Keisha and wouldn’t give up until she told her the truth. “Um…the bartender,” Keisha replied.

  Felicia looked over and made a mental assessment. “He’s um… he looks a little rough. But I guess that’s what makes him sexy.” Keisha just shrugged at her response.

  Keisha tried to get a better look at the tattoos on his arm. They looked like half sleeves. There was a tattoo peeking out of the collar of his shirt, but Keisha wanted to see the rest.

  “He isn’t rough. He just isn’t a clean-cut city boy,” Keisha remarked.

  “Well, he’s also a werewolf,” Felicia said and laughed.

  “We don’t know that,” Keisha said.

  “Find out. Go talk to him,” Felicia said. Keisha’s heart beat fluttered a little bit. She was never nervous talking to men, but for some reason, the notion of talking to him had her fingers twitching.

  “I’m okay. You can go get us more beers though,” Keisha said. Felicia grabbed a ten out of her purse and passed it to her. “Dos Equis,” she winked.

  Keisha grabbed the ten and strutted to the bar confidently. She just had to think of him as a regular man, and get our beers.

  “Excuse me!” Keisha leaned over the bar.

  He turned to her, and made no secret of looking at her exposed chest. His eyes met hers, and he walked over to Keisha and placed his hands on the bar. His forearms flexed, and the veins of his arms formed a roadmap that disappeared underneath his shirt.

  “Two Dos Equis, please.” Keisha then slipped the ten to him. His fingers brushed over hers on purpose as he took the money from her.

  “Sure. But we keep them in the back,” he said. Keisha furrowed her brow in confusion.

  A smirk found his lips, the first time Keisha had seen him smile all night.

  “I’ll wait,” Keisha said. He licked his lips quickly. Her eyes stuck on the flick of his tongue for a good, long second.

  “You could just come with me.,” he said. He then wiped his hands on a towel and stepped around the bar. He whistled once, and motioned to someone off to the left. “Come on. There are cameras here, don’t be scared.”

  “I’m not scared,” Keisha said, feeling the dryness of her throat as her words come out. Her eyes stuck at the spot between his chest before she looked up at him. His gray eyes seemed to grow brighter as he stared at her. “Come on then.”

  Keisha looked over at Felicia. She had been watching and had seen everything. When he turned, Felicia urged Keisha on. Was my friend urging me to be alone with a werewolf? Keisha thought. I guess she was.

  He led Keisha down a dark hallway and then went into a door on the left. He stepped to the side, Keisha walked in first. It didn’t even look like a storage room, more of an office. And there were no beers at all.

  “I though you said…”

  Keisha barely had time to turn around and face him before his hands were on her, and his mouth on hers. She was stunned, but she had no time to adjust before he moved his lips against hers, and coaxed her lips open with his tongue.

  Keisha put her hands on his chest to push him away—Keisha was not the kiss-a-random-guy kind of girl. But then her fingers just sunk into the hard muscle of his chest and she kissed him back.

  Seconds later Keisha was up against the wall and he had her legs wrapped around his strong, solid waist. He pushed her into the wall with his body and deepened the kiss. His tongue lapped against hers. He tasted like smoky cinnamon, and he smelled like forest pine and his own masculine scent.

  Keisha’s hands moved to his hair and pulled softly. The growl that escaped his throat was so primal that it turned Keisha on. She couldn’t kiss him anymore, she couldn’t breathe and she felt so lightheaded. Keisha pulled away softly, but he kissed here again and tugged her bottom lip softly with his teeth.

  “Are… are you a werewolf?” Keisha asked. He looked her right in her eyes. She was panting like she had just run a race, but he was breathing evenly like nothing had happened.

  “Yes. Is that good or bad?” He said as he arched his thick brow.

  “I’m not sure yet.” Keisha latched her legs around him tighter.

  His hands moved from
Keisha’s waist and down to her ass and squeezed. Keisha always thought that she had a big ass, but his hands covered her fully.

  “Do you want to find out before or after I fuck you?” he said. A lump of surprise formed in Keisha’s throat.

  “Who said we were having sex?” Keisha said. Her voice was little more than a whisper now.

  “This.” He shifted slightly and Keisha felt his hardness between her legs. He was like an iron rod- hot and large.

  “I came here with someone,” Keisha answered. What was I saying? I was really considering it. One night stands aren’t a bad thing as long as both parties are on the same page.

  “Meet me later. Here,” he responded. He set Felicia down and left the room before she could protest—or agree.

  Keisha stood there for a good moment, wondering not only what the hell just happened, but how she would ever breathe normally again. When she could contain myself enough to walk, she made my way back to Felicia.

  It was extremely awkward for Keisha to walk by him at the bar. He seemed completely unphased as he was pouring drinks like nothing had happened.

  “What was that?” Felicia asked. She did not miss a beat before interrogating Keisha.

  “Um… we kissed.” Keisha then gulped down the rest of her drink.

  “That’s it? I think that’s a little bit odd,” Felicia said. She made a face. Keisha just shrugged like nothing had happened.

  “He asked me to meet him back there later,” Keisha said. Felicia’s eyes widened in shock as she smiled a bit.

  “Why don’t you then?” Felicia said.

  “I can’t leave you alone!” Keisha replied.

  “Come on, these people are totally harmless. Anyway…”

  Felicia pulled Keisha with her and they went to play pool with some of the other patrons. They were friendly enough and let Felicia and Keisha join right in. The patrons didn’t ask them any questions and the girls didn’t either.

  Keisha then noticed the tattoos on their forearms. If they had them, it meant they were part of the pack. It was a howling wolf, surrounded by dark thorns and black roses. The man from the bar had one on his left forearm.