by C. D. Gorri
Melody spun around in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She could not believe the transformation in herself.
When she’d walked into Skin Deep, she didn’t know what to expect. Finding exquisite couture gowns for plus-size women was like stepping into a dream! They’d even had some gowns that fit her curvaceous frame without alterations. Talk about a bonus!
Melody could have stayed there for hours just trying things on. The place was that good! She was thrilled to meet Amelia Grayson, Mrs. Grayson’s daughter-in-law. The woman was an absolute gem!
After a few minutes of looking around, Amelia had gotten a twinkle in her deep purple eyes. She’d darted to the back room only to return with the most gorgeous dress Melody had ever seen!
It was a long, strappy gown, a deep green color, made of the softest fabric imaginable. It looked amazing with Melody’s honey-kissed hair and lightly tanned skin. She simply had to try it on. Thank goodness she did!
She never wore sleeveless anymore. After listening to her husband rant about her fat arms and too large breasts, she’d given up wearing anything without a high neckline and at least three-quarter sleeves. Funny how she hadn’t started wearing them again even after the divorce.
The gown was cut as if it were made for her. The silky material clung to her curves, flattering her fuller frame. Her large breasts were beautifully displayed without being vulgar. The built-in bra made it possible for her to wear only a pair of sheer seamless panties underneath. She bit her lip as she stared at her reflection.
She looked sexy. Hell, she felt sexy too. Melody turned to check out her butt. All women did! She ignored the blush of her cheeks as she took in the way her heart-shaped ass was outlined in the fabric. Day-um. Baby got back alright. She cringed then allowed her gaze to travel upward.
The gown dipped way low in the back, the material stopping just over the swell of her ass. Four thin, beaded straps, loosely crisscrossed the span of smooth skin, revealing the tip of a tiny wing from the tattoo she’d gotten years ago just over her left hip.
She’d chosen the dragon tattoo to spite her parents who’d often scoffed at the idea of her decorating her buxom shape in anything other than work clothes or sweats. Whenever she’d tried to wear something even the slightest bit flirtatious, she’d been told that wasn’t made for someone like her.
The second she was old enough and had earned enough from her first job, she’d gone to a Shifter run tattoo shop. She’d chosen an emerald green Dragon, for some reason the fierce beastie had called to her and green was her favorite color.
The tattoo wrapped around her hip, the tail curving under her left buttock and the wings spanning from her back to her soft belly. The design was executed perfectly, the Hawk Shifter who’d applied it had been the first boy she’d ever kissed.
Just a sweet meeting of the lips. He’d been a little too mature and wild for a seventeen-year old virgin. Ultimately, he was not for her, but she loved that tattoo.
Needless to say, she’d gotten it before Thomas, back when she was young and wanted to take on the world. She liked that hint of something wild the low back revealed. Yes. It was perfect for tonight!
Not that she had any reason to get all worked up. In her humble opinion, sex wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. No. Not going there. Even if she was tempted to fall into bed with someone.
Melody refused to go down that dark and dangerous road. She bit her lip and did a quick turn-around. Focus on having fun! It had been too long since she let her hair down.
She looked curvy and sexy as hell. Melody had piled her long hair on top of her head, leaving curly tendrils to frame her lightly made-up face and neck.
She’d always hated artificial things and make-up was up there on the list. She had great skin and full lips and used only the barest minimum of powder to dust her cheeks, nose, and forehead. She chose a shimmery, gold shadow for over her eyelids, dark brown mascara to enhance her already long lashes, and a shiny mauve lip gloss to finish. She was more than ready to have a good time.
Melody’s stomach muscles clenched with nerves. She wondered why she was feeling so anxious. Most of the people at the ball would be business acquaintances. People she had worked with either in person or on the phone.
True, they’d never seen her like this, but why would they? She’d hardly wear a gown in the office. At any rate, there would be a number of strangers there as well. Her Coyote peered through her eyes, making them glow in the dim light of her bedroom. It was as if she sensed something coming. Something big.
She crinkled her nose and sighed, grabbing her evening bag and slipping on the thin heeled shoes she’d splurged on to go with the sinful gown.
Surprisingly enough, they were comfortable and added some much-needed height for her to pull off the entire ambiance of her attire. She’d be mingling with millionaires, powerful businesspeople, and even heads of state, supernatural and normal alike. Tickets to the Worlds Bank Charity Ball were coveted. At five-thousand dollars a head, they were not easy to come by. Thankfully her employer paid for hers.
She grabbed her matching sheer wrap and left her apartment. The driver exited the waiting sedan, giving her a once over that made her grin though she chose not to acknowledge the borderline leer. If anything, she was flattered.
There would be no subways for her in this outfit, she smiled. She’d never splurged on the luxury of ordering a car before, but if she was going to play Cinderella she might as well go all the way.
Music pulsed as Melody made her way through the crowds. Her sensitive nose picked up on several supernaturals in the room. The ball was an event frequented by both human and supernaturally run banks and companies across the world.
It was her first time attending, however. She was not much for parties. Tom had truly done a number on her confidence she realized sadly. She didn’t know why she’d ever taken what he’d said to heart.
They weren’t mates in any true sense of the word. He’d played on her insecurities and paid attention to her at a time when she was feeling lost and quite low. She married him believing he’d change and grow to love her for herself in time. But he never had.
The way he griped on about her size was one more nail in the coffin of their marriage. She’d gotten enough of that kind of shit from the snarky females in her old band. She’d been called all sorts of names as a kid and teen. Fatso, chubs, two-tons of fun, you name it. Bitches.
Coyotes were social creatures, but the band she’d grown up with was ripe with judgmental individuals who thought they were entitled to criticize those they did not understand. Melody was big, but she was also smart and kind. And she was beautiful in her own way.
It took a long time for her to embrace herself for who she was. Now, at the age of thirty-five, she finally accepted her body as it was, and, to other people’s constant consternation, she fucking loved herself.
Every inch, every jiggle, every dimple. Melody Casper was a confident woman. Even if she repeated that little mantra to herself at least once a day. Her Coyote whole-heartedly approved of her self-affirmation.
Didn’t her old math teacher, Sr. Rita, teach her that? She recalled the old, white-haired nun fondly. She spoke with a lilting Irish accent that had been firm, and yet kind. Tears stung Melody’s eyes as she recalled her inspiring words.
Repeat after me, Miss Casper. I am good. I am beautiful. I am God’s perfect handiwork and God loves me. There now. Pay no attention to the others. God makes no mistakes, child, and He made you. Remember that.
Yes, Sr. Rita, I remember. Melody sighed and got hold of her emotions. She was not a child anymore. And she was not Thomas’s scared little wife. She was Melody Casper, Coyote Shifter, management accountant at Merlin Banking Solutions.
She felt wonderful in her new gown and, judging from the men breaking their necks to get a glance, she looked wonderful too! She felt her cheeks heat but relished the fact that she could induce that kind of behavior from the opposite sex.
“Melody, my dear” Mr
s. Grayson ascended on her like a storm and gave her a great, big hug.
“Hi, Mrs. Grayson,” she laughed and hugged the woman back.
“You look beautiful, my dear! Amelia treated you well then, yes?”
“Yes, I just love her store. I bought a few items, but she insisted I wear this gown this evening. I admit it is my favorite.”
“Indeed, she was right! Green is your color, dear!”
They chatted a few minutes and Melody smiled. The older woman was charming and lovely. She knew she was retiring this year, and Melody thought what a shame to not have her around to chat with.
“I’m expecting to be a full-time grandmother you know!”
“Congratulations! You’ll be a wonderful grandmother, I am more than sure!”
“Thank you, dear, I am so excited!”
Melody nodded and chatted until Mrs. Grayson was cooped up by her husband who wanted to dance with his wife. She loved that the graying couple was still so obviously in love. They were lucky.
Melody exhaled. She’d settle for a night where she didn’t go to bed alone. A little light fun. Sex and no strings. That was all she wanted for herself. Anything else was unrealistic.
She walked up to the open bar and ordered a flute of champagne. She tapped her neat, unpolished nails on the gleaming wood counter and waited for her drink. She noted a platinum-blonde giant of a man walking up to the bar.
She inhaled a deep breath. Shifter. But she could not tell what kind. The scent was not canid or feline, it was something else she was unfamiliar with. Still, he smelled nice enough. She smiled and accepted her drink from the bartender. The stranger looked down at her and did a slow double-take of her breasts before raising his gaze to meet her laughing eyes.
He wasn’t the first man in the room to be caught drooling over her ample cleavage. It amused her more than anything that men would stare at her body when the rest of society deemed her overweight and unattractive. The hell with them. I look good!
“Uh, I guess, I’m busted,” he grinned revealing a cute little dimple on his right cheek. He was very nice looking, even if Melody didn’t usually go for blondes. Still, he might be nice to chat with while she sipped her champagne.
“Yes, I’d say you are! Do you always have a one-track mind?”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, when you consider where your eyes were your choice of words is interesting. Busted indeed,” she smirked back.
“That is funny, my sweet,” his accent held traces of England. She laughed with him even though her joke was kind of lame.
“I would apologize to you, but you’d know I was lying. So, what if I simply tell you the truth then?” He quirked his lips and she nodded, eager to hear him continue.
“You have got an amazing body. And that gown looks as if it has been made for you. Simply gorgeous, love. You could conquer nations in that dress. I was simply appreciating the view.”
Melody’s eyebrows were raised to her hairline. Talk about a smooth line. Holy cow!
“My name is Cecil, by the way, and you are?” He reached out to take her hand.
“I’m Melody Casper-” she smiled and was about to accept his proffered hand when she felt a powerful urge to turn around. It was as if someone or something was pulling her towards them.
She turned, and her gaze collided with a strange man. He was even bigger than the giant next to her. He had silky, dark hair and wore a perfectly tailored tuxedo.
He looked incredible. Devastating. Yet, he was breathing as if he were in pain. Helpless to stop herself, she crossed the twenty-feet or so that separated them.
Melody stopped a breath away from the stranger, his intoxicating aroma filled her nostrils and sent her senses a-tingling. She exhaled, feeling the Coyote rise to take a look.
His low growl reverberated from his chest, causing her skin to break out in goosebumps. He was sex on two legs. She vibrated with anticipated pleasure but pushed the mental image away.
What kind of person salivated over a man in pain? She mentally berated herself as she fought the instinctive urge to wrap herself around his enormous frame. Instead, she focused on his breathing, looking for injuries as her eyes ran over his large body.
“Are you alright?”
CHAPTER 5
Nikolai had handed the keys to his Rolls over to the valet along with a couple of hundred-dollar bills. The man smiled widely and nodded, promising to take care of his vehicle.
He breathed deep, taking in the many scents, most unpleasant, that was New York. The crowded, impatient, beast of city was home to many, though he failed to see the appeal.
Fine for conducting business or taking in the sites, but not as a dwelling place. He’d left his luxury penthouse suite at the exclusive hotel he’d booked and made it across town in record time.
Something tickled his senses as he stood taking in his surroundings. Bam. It hit him again. Hard. Fuck. He pressed his hand over his chest. He felt odd. He was a predator at heart. His EnergyDragon peeked out and looked over his surroundings. He was safe, but something was different.
Nikolai rolled his shoulders trying to dispel some of the tension he felt. He frowned as he entered the stuffy, though beautifully decorated room. They had chosen a terrific venue, he thought idly. Too bad they’d filled it with a bunch of self-important idiots.
He was greeted by a few bank presidents that he was acquainted with. He’d done business with several of them, supernaturals and normals alike. Some of the faces were new, but the names remained.
Banking in the supernatural world was a family affair, and he’d been around a very, very long time. First doing business for the Blackthorn Clan at the behest of his jailor, and now for himself and his brothers.
Indeed, the Falk Clan was already wealthy, but now they were gaining ground in the world of technology. Taking it by storm, to hear the head of Merlin Banking Solutions tell it.
Daniel Atkins was an older man, an elf to be precise. He was wise and affable. He liked making money, but not as much as he liked his spotless reputation. After a hacker got past their old system using some nefarious spells, he’d come knocking on Nikolai’s door for the brand-new magically enhanced firewall he’d spent the past year perfecting.
Nikolai had interviewed him regarding some details about banking that he’d needed for his software. That was how Daniel knew about it. He had volunteered to test the firewall for Nikolai, but he hadn’t wanted to pay for the tremendous upgrade until it became clear to him that it was a necessity.
“Yes, my boy, you saved my life! Because of you, we no longer have to change our slogan, we simply are the most secure bank in the world! Genius! You, Falk, are pure genius,” Atkins’ voice boomed across the room and Nikolai groaned. He hadn’t wanted his presence announced in such a way.
“Excuse me, Atkins, I’m off to get a drink,” he nodded and excused himself. Nikolai liked the man, but he was tired of talking business tonight.
He cringed when a familiar woman blocked his way as he attempted to flee the crowd. All he’d wanted was to find himself a quiet corner and indulge in a nice tumbler of Apple Thyme Bite. The artisan whiskey was crafted by a neighbor of his, and Nikolai was greatly impressed with the quality of the product.
Angie White reeked of magic. The Witch was using a particularly strong glamour to make herself appear younger than she was, not that Nik would have approved of her were she as young as she’d like people to believe.
He noted her bespelled hair and features with a grimace. He wondered what she would say if he told her he could see right through her glamour? All the way to the skinny hag underneath. She’d probably try and hex him, he thought, bored with the idea as he was with her constant presence.
“As I live and breathe, Nikolai Falk of Draco Fortis, in the very fine flesh,” her beady eyes sized him up and he could only imagine what she saw. Dollar signs? A chance to find out of the rumors she spread were true? He was not letting her get that close to him. Not tonight or ever
again.
“Yes, hello Ms. White. Excuse me, won’t you?” He pushed past her only to find the irritating Witch following on his heels.
He felt his Dragon surge forward and he stopped in his tracks. No. Not now. He tried to regain control of the beast, but something was not right. Whether it was the annoying presence of the Witch who kept babbling in his ear, the way her fake tits pushed up to her throat in that mockery of a dress, or the fact that there were too many strangers in the room, he didn’t know.
“I said, have you considered my proposal for a merger between Draco Fortis and Viridi Lux. I have been trying very hard to connect with you all week, Nicky-boy, we can make this work. Seal the deal and all that, what do you say?”
“Ms. White, while I’m sorry I didn’t return your calls, I have been quite busy, but a merger is not in the cards for us,” he was polite out of habit. Normally he’d be thinking of ways to fake his inability to be with her, but right then his attention was elsewhere.
“I see. Well, maybe you and I can meet up, after all this, and talk?” She smiled at him, her grin showing too much of her teeth and gums. It was a mockery of a smile, one he ignored completely as the scent of something tantalizing reached his nostrils.
The spicy citrus fragrance was driving him wild. His EnergyDragon rippled beneath his skin. He needed to step back and try to rein in his beast for the sake of appearances. Too many normals around for his tastes.
There it is again! Suddenly, everything was too much. Too much noise. Too much light. Too many smells. Too many strangers.
Nikolai tilted his head and breathed in deep, desperate to get away from the crowds and the noise of the gala. He stopped abruptly, as if some unseen force had him in its grip.
That beguiling aroma filtered its way through the cloying perfumes and artificial colognes, making his insides tingle with awareness. Grrr.
He strode forward, determined to find its source. He picked his way through the throng of party-goers, flinching away in disgust when another bold woman with far too little clothing on rubbed her body against him, her invitation clear.