by EJ Whitmer
As soon as Lea spotted me, she jumped up from the table and pulled me into a tight hug. "Hello, gorgeous! I'm loving the navy and mustard look! Good job outta you!"
I laughed and returned her hug before giving her outfit a once over. "Hello yourself. You look fabulous as usual. Only you could pull off a skirt that short in March."
Lea flipped her hair and winked before sitting back down at the table. "Girl, if it's above fifty, you can bet your boobs I'll be showing some skin."
Our waitress arrived and took our drink orders, and within minutes, Lea had me rolling with laughter. Lunch with my outrageous friend was exactly what I needed. Our meals arrived and all talking ceased. One thing I love about my Lea, she understands that food takes precedence over communication. I'd just shoved an entirely too large fork-full of salad into my mouth when Emmett Vance walked in the front door. I stood to wave him over and immediately sat back down at the sight of a beautiful woman following him into the restaurant. Gia smiled up at Emmett as he spoke with the hostess, standing entirely too close to him.
Noticing I'd stopped shoving my face full of food, Lea followed my gaze and gasped. "There's Emmett! I'll call him over!"
"No!" I hissed. "He's with his new assistant, Gia! He told me he had lunch plans but he failed to mention his plans were with her! What a ho!"
Lea placed her hand over mine and squeezed it lightly. "He could have a perfectly reasonable explanation for taking her to lunch, Anna. Don't jump to conclusions."
As Emmett's gaze searched the room, I assumed in an attempt to find an empty table, I took the opportunity to throw myself under the table and wrap myself around Lea's legs. Lea wiggled in her seat, trying to dislodge me. I’d have bitten her, but she had on expensive hose. Instead, I held on for dear life and prayed that the tablecloth hid our scuffle.
“What are you doing!?” Lea whispered down at me.
“I have no idea! It was my first reaction! But now that I’m here, I can’t undo it. Now Hush. Don’t let him see me!”
“Anna Jennings, you are being ridiculous! It’s a crowded restaurant. He’s not going to … oh … shit. Here he comes. Keep still!”
I held my breath as the sound of footsteps drew closer. The tablecloth touched the floor, blocking my view, but I could see the shadows as Emmett approached the table.
“Hello, Lea.” Emmett sounded pleasantly surprised to see her.
“Hello, Emmett. Fancy seeing you here! Who’s your friend?” Bless her heart, Lea layered her greeting with a healthy dose of sass.
“This is Gia, my new temporary assistant. It’s her first week on the job, so I figured I’d take her to lunch. Gia, this is Lea McIntyre. I’ve known her for years, always running into one another at various social events.”
Gia murmured her hello before excusing herself to visit the restroom. Her footsteps faded away in the noise of the restaurant just as the edge of the tablecloth rose.
“Hello, dear.” Emmett smiled down at me and offered his hand to assist me out from under the table.
“There it is!” I exclaimed, proudly holding up the earring I had just ripped out of my earlobe. “I knew it was down here somewhere!” I took Emmett’s outstretched hand and rose to my feet. “I just adore these earrings, don’t you, honey?”
Emmett stared at me blandly before releasing my hand. “I’m so glad you found it. I almost thought you were hiding from me. But that would be silly and childish, wouldn’t it?”
“Absolutely.” I nodded decisively as I sat down at the table. “Almost as silly as a man taking a beautiful woman who isn’t his girlfriend out to lunch in a very public place.” I smiled up at Emmett and tipped my head to the side. “Now that would be silly!”
One dusty brown eyebrow rose at my comment and damn if it didn’t send a zip straight to my hooha. He’d worn a light, silvery gray suit with a crisp white button-up and no tie. I wanted to lick him. I also wanted to punch him in the face and demand that he fire Gia. Neither of those things were about to happen in an overcrowded deli, so I kept the smile plastered on my face and sat on my hands, lest they decide to say “screw it” to the PDA rules and latch on to Emmett’s buns.
Emmett leaned in close. “That would only be silly if the man was doing something inappropriate with the beautiful woman who isn’t his girlfriend. He could just be a considerate boss who wants to take his new employee to lunch as a welcome to the company gesture. Maybe he’s not into blondes. Maybe he only has eyes for beautiful, silly redheads who hide under deli tables.”
“This is hot.” Lea’s voice broke the spell, effectively calming my racing heart. “Seriously. You guys should just do it right here on the table. I’m starting to sweat just watching you. Whew! I need a cigarette!”
I laughed and threw a crouton at Lea before smiling up at Emmett. “I believe you. After all, I am pretty awesome. But next time, for your neurotic girlfriend’s sake, would you just tell me you’ve got plans with Gia? I’d rather it just be out there.”
Emmett leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. “Absolutely. I should have just said so. Probably better for you to know in advance than feel like you’ve caught me later on.”
“Ooo … He’s cute AND he’s smart!” Lea exclaimed. “I’d let him stick around for a while. Plus, he’s got a fabulous ass.”
Emmett shook his head at Lea and bent to kiss her on the cheek before turning to leave. We both watched his retreat, more specifically that “fabulous ass” Lea mentioned. As he neared the hostess station, Emmett looked over his shoulder, winked and wiggled his booty, causing us to howl with laughter.
“Emmett Vance just shook his tushy in a public place for your enjoyment. Pretty safe to say he’s crazy about you, Anna.” Lea swiped another crouton from my salad and grinned at me.
Still entranced by the magnificent hiney, I narrowly avoided placing my elbow in my salad as I swooned. “Yeah. He’s dreamy. I’m lucky.” I turned back to the table and winked at Lea. “Not as lucky as he is, but still pretty darn lucky.”
12
By the time I returned from lunch, my mood had drastically improved. I try not to sensor my personality around people. I am who I am. But with Lea I’m able to completely drop my walls. It’s refreshing. Lunch with her was exactly what I needed. In fact, I felt so good that when I walked into my office and found Carl waiting for me, my honest-to-goodness first reaction was to smile. I didn’t even flinch when I noticed the industrial size bag of beef jerky in his hand or what looked to be a tiny ponytail protruding from the back of his head.
“Hey, Anna!” Carl greeted me with a grin before shoving a huge handful of jerky into his mouth.
“Hi, Carl. Having a late lunch?”
He nodded emphatically as he continued to chew. “Yep. I realize the sodium content in this beef jerky probably isn’t the healthiest, but I can’t exactly carry around steak filets during the day.”
“No, I don’t suppose you could. There are other food options, though. I have a protein bar in my desk. Would you like it?”
“Absolutely not! You never know what’s in those. Did you know that as few as five raisins can be toxic to a dog?”
My good mood began to slip. “Carl, you’re not a dog.”
He shot me an annoyed look. “I know that. But wolves are canines, just like dogs. It only makes sense that their digestive systems are similar. I’m not going to chance it. Besides, this jerky is good for plaque removal.”
“What’s with the mini ponytail?” I asked, gesturing toward the back of his head.
Carl turned so I could clearly see his creation. His hair had been a bit on the shaggy side, but nowhere near long enough to produce a ponytail. Instead, a tiny rubber band held together a half-inch long clump of blonde hair, poking out like a little hamster tail.
“Well, I’ve been doing my research on the Were community and most of the males have ponytails when in their human form. I’m not sure if it’s related to their powers or if it’s a cultural thing. Then I noticed that my hair
grew at least an inch between last night and this morning. I wanted to keep it out of my face and fit in with my wolf brethren. Plus, I think it makes me look tough. Nobody effs with a guy who’s got a ponytail, whether he’s a shifter or not. Do you see people starting fights with Steven Seagal? Nope. And why? Because he’s got a ponytail.”
“He’s also a 7th-dan black belt. But yes, I’m sure his ponytail helped.”
“Absolutely,” replied Carl around a mouthful of jerky. “Anyway, I just stopped by to say thanks for patching me up last night and letting me crash at your place. I’m sure you were pretty scared knowing you had a werewolf sleeping in your living room. If it wasn’t already obvious that you value our friendship, it definitely is now. So thanks.”
“No problem,” I replied with a smile. “You’re always welcome at my place, human or not.”
Carl’s eyes misted over as he wiped the jerky grease from his hands. “Alright then … I’d better get back to work. See you later.”
The rest of my afternoon was booked. As seasons change, so does Tuff Enuff. In anticipation of spring’s arrival, we’d been working for months on securing several companies to feature for a maritime theme. Thousands of Chicagoans wait anxiously for the first warm day of the year so they can dust off their sailboats and take a spin around Lake Michigan. To me, spring means sitting on my balcony with the peek-a-boo view and watching the colorful sails fly across the water. That afternoon was blocked off for yet another brainstorming session with my designers to try to nail down the “look” of the special edition.
Five o’clock came and went without any notice from my team. They really are the best. We finally wound down just after six, our mission completed and well on the way to being the best issue yet. I was packing up my briefcase when Emmett sauntered in and leaned against the door frame.
“You’re here late,” he observed. “Need help with anything?”
“No. I’m good, but thank you.” I smiled at him from across the conference room and shoved the last pile of papers in my bag. “What are you up to tonight? Do you want to grab dinner or something?”
He frowned and shook his head. “Sorry, babe. The next few days are going to be a bit crazy until we can nail this latest …” Emmett chewed his bottom lip and stared at the ceiling, trying to choose his word.
“Supervillain?” I offered with a smirk.
“For lack of a better word, yes. We’re all taking shifts for look-out duty. I’m on tonight at eight.”
I slung my bag over my shoulder and made my way over to him. “Bummer. I need to go for a run as soon as I get home. I missed my workout this morning. Wanna come with? We’ll be back well before eight.”
Emmett pulled me into his big body and kissed my forehead. “I can do that. Or you can come to my place and we can use the gym there. That way you can run as fast as you’d like and I won’t have to worry about keeping up.”
I grinned up at him and stood on my toes to kiss his lips. “Sounds great. I’ve got some spare gym clothes here at work. Meet you there in twenty?”
He nodded and gave me one last kiss before we went our separate ways.
Twenty minutes later, I met Emmett in his parking garage and we made our way up to his loft so we could change clothes. This, of course, led to kissing which led to us rolling around on his bed, stripping each other naked. I was down to my bra and panties, preparing to divest Emmett of his boxers, when someone cleared their throat from the open bedroom door. I screeched and whipped around to find Will doing a horrible job at hiding his grin.
“By all means, continue. Just hit pause for a second while I run and grab a chair.”
I attempted to wrap my half-naked self in the bed sheet while I scowled at him. I’d forgotten that Will was staying at Emmett’s place. Unashamed, Emmett leaned back on his elbows and smirked back at Will.
“Did you need something?” Emmett asked coolly.
“Not really,” replied Will. “I was just going to see if I could borrow your swipe card to get into the gym downstairs. I didn’t know you had company.” He tilted his head and arched an eyebrow at me. “Nor did I know you and Ms. Jennings were an item.”
I cut my gaze to Emmett. “You didn’t tell him we’re dating?”
Emmett had the good sense to look abashed. “It didn’t come up.”
I reached out to feel his forehead with the back of my hand. “Are you feeling feverish? Are you really Emmett Vance, the guy who has to stake his claim on me whenever another penis is within fifteen feet? You don’t even care that I’m sitting here in my underwear in front of another man.”
“I’m not worried about Will.”
“Why not?” I demanded. “He’s very handsome. I’ve seen him in his underwear already. He’s got a great ass.”
“Why, thank you,” Will chirped from his position in the doorway.
“You’re not his type,” replied Emmett as he stood and made his way to the master closet.
“I’m not his type!? What does that mean? He’s out of my league?”
Will smirked and walked over to sit next to me on the bed before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and giving me a squeeze. “You’re beautiful. You’re funny and quirky and intelligent and strong. But you have a vagina. And that’s gross.”
I stiffened as my jaw dropped. “My vagina is not gross! I’ll have you know I go in for regular waxing appointments, wipe from front to back, and wash with special lady soap! Who told you my vagina is gross!?”
Emmett snorted from inside the closet.
Will placed both of his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. “I didn’t say your vagina is gross, Anna. I said the fact that you have a vagina is gross. In other words, I prefer my lovers to have penises. But I’m glad you take your feminine hygiene so seriously. I’m sure your mother is proud.”
My face flushed with embarrassment. “Oh. Well I guess that makes sense as far as Emmett goes.” I chewed on my lip as I pondered something. “You sure you’re not bi?”
Will chuckled and stood. “I’m pretty sure. Is that going to be an issue? You don’t look especially happy about it.”
“No, no. It’s fine. It’s great, really. The heart wants what it wants. The woman in me is just sad. It’s always the hottest guys who are gay.” I sighed wistfully and grinned at him.
“Hey!” Emmett popped his head out of the closet and scowled at me.
“You’re one of the exceptions, dear.”
“Damn right.” Emmett peered around the corner at Will. “We were heading down to the gym ourselves. We just got a bit … uh … sidetracked. Give us five to change and we can head down together.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be in the living room.” Will threw me one more wink before leaving.
“Feel better?” Emmett emerged from the closet, dressed in dark blue basketball shorts and a white Blackhawk’s tee.
“A bit, yes.” I unwrapped myself from the bed sheet and rifled through my gym bag for my clothes. “Your possessive side is annoying sometimes, but it would be weird if you were just all of a sudden okay with other guys seeing me naked.”
“Well even if he is gay, I’m not thrilled that he walked in on us. You’re mine. Only I get to see that delectable ass.” He swatted my butt before I could pull my gym shorts up.
I rubbed my stinging buns and raised an eyebrow in warning. “Annnnd there’s the Emmett I know. Welcome back. Now quit smacking my ass and let’s go.”
Sixty minutes later, the three of us were sufficiently sweaty and decided to call it a night in the gym. I’d never worked out with Emmett before and I was pleasantly surprised by his fitness level. I knew he was muscular, of course. He has super strength and all that. But I was impressed with his endurance as well. We ran side-by-side at a pretty decent pace for the entire hour. I didn’t feel the need to compete with him, which was a bit odd. I wasn’t sure if it was a good or a bad thing, but it was nice to be able to concentrate on my workout instead of beating the guy next to me.
/> Emmett walked me to the door and gave me a sweaty kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow, alright? Oh, and if you have time tonight, could you send some pictures of your loft to Will? I’ll text you his number. It would make me feel better if he had the photos on hand, just in case he needed to get to you quickly.”
My heart hummed with happiness at his concern for my safety. “Absolutely. I’ll do it as soon as I get back. Good night.” After one more quick kiss, I hopped in my Mini and took off for home.
13
Dusk had fallen by the time I pulled into my parking garage. A fat calico cat lounging by the door yowled as I approached and rubbed his body against my legs. I gave him a quick scratch behind the ears, made a mental note to check on him in the morning, and trudged up to my loft. I was sweaty, tired, and hungry enough to win a hot dog eating contest.