Tiger Queen: A Reverse Harem Romance

by Cassie Cole

  “You know he’s dead, right?” Jake said.

  “Who?”

  “Evil Knievel. He died like ten years ago.”

  Bobby John looked like he had just learned that Santa Claus wasn’t real. “Oh, man. I didn’t know that. Man. No kidding?”

  The two of them shared their whiskey and spent half an hour catching up. From what I gathered, they hadn’t seen each other since Jake left the zoo years ago. Jake was more comfortable around his friend than I had ever seen him, and soon opened up as if I wasn’t there.

  It made me feel bad for yelling at him earlier. While being totally focused on the zoo, it was easy for me to forget that the three Haines brothers had lost their father. Jake didn’t go to the funeral. He was still dealing with his grief in his own way, and Bobby John was the first person he could talk to without judgment.

  “I still haven’t fucking forgiven him,” Jake said angrily. “Didn’t think I ever would. But now he’s gone I won’t get the chance. I’ll always hate him for that. It sucks.”

  “Sucks,” Bobby John agreed. He was on his fourth glass of whiskey but didn’t even look buzzed. “Didn’t think you’d ever come back.”

  “Times change.”

  “So you sticking around this time?”

  “Fuck no,” Jake quickly said, slurring his words a little bit. “Just here to help get the affairs in order. Make sure it’s done right.”

  Bobby John grimaced. “Saw what your bro has been doing. Closing up shop and whatnot. Kind of shitty.”

  I bit my tongue. Inserting my opinion here wouldn’t help things.

  Jake snorted. “You know how he is. Always taking charge like he owns the place. Barking orders and expecting you to jump.”

  “Man, my older sister’s the same fuckin’ way. That’s some first-born shit right there. Us middle childrens always get pushed around.”

  “Preach,” Jake said.

  “So you’re here until everything’s fixed up. How long’s that gonna be?”

  Jake spread his hands. “Depends on how soon they can do what needs to be done. We keep running into problems.”

  “What kinda problems?” Bobby John asked.

  “Too much work, not enough hands. We’ve got some new animal rights group on our ass accusing us of shit that ain’t even true. And now we’ve got a big food problem.”

  Bobby John perked up. “Food problem?”

  “Naw, man. I’m not trying to push my problems onto you.”

  “Just askin’. What food problems?”

  “You know the distributor guy we bought all the zoo meat from? Dude out in Atkinson with the hot daughter? He’s jacked up his prices for no reason. Doubled ‘em without warning. Can’t afford to keep the animals fed, now.”

  “That’s a real shitbird thing to do, man.” Bobby John swirled his liquor around in the plastic cup. “Well, shit. How much food you eatin’ these days?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “How much?” our host insisted.

  Jake shrugged. “Quarter ton a day. Almost five thousand pounds a week.”

  “Shit, is that all?” Bobby John said. “You know we got the cattle business over on the other farm, right?”

  Jake cocked his head. For a split second he seemed totally sober, but then his drunken slur returned. “No shit?”

  “Sure. Couple thousand heads of cattle now. Six roosts full of chickens. Thought you knew about that. Hell, I’ll sell ya the meat ya need.”

  “I don’t think we can afford your prices…”

  “Fuck the prices!” he declared. “We can afford to cut you a deal. Give it to you real cheap.”

  Jake shook his head. “That’s a lot to ask of an old friend. I’m not trying to put you on the spot.”

  Bobby John leaned across the table and put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You remember how fucked up I was when my pops died? You came by every day and made sure I got out of bed and came to football practice. Even though it was half an hour out of your way. Shit meant a lot to me, man, and now you’re struggling ‘cause your own dad’s gone and left you with a bunch of problems. I’m gonna fill whatever order you need, and I won’t hear any other argument about it.”

  Jake stood, and the two men embraced. They clapped each other on the back and there were tears in their eyes. Seeing Jake that vulnerable made my throat tighten. I felt like I was intruding on a very private moment.

  “I’m, uh, gonna take a piss,” Jake said and wandered off. Bobby John sat back down at the table.

  “He’s stubborn as a mule, but he’s good people,” he told me. “You take care of him now, ya hear?”

  I smiled. “I’m really not his girlfriend. We just work together at the zoo.”

  He gave me a suspicious look. “Maybe so. But Jakey definitely likes you.”

  I laughed. “Jake hates me!”

  Bobby John shook his head. “Now, it’s been a long time since I seen him. But he’s got a tell. The same tell he had when he was a youngin’. And sure as my name’s Robert Jonathan, he’s got the hots for you. He’s got it bad.” He leaned across the table and pointed at me. “And I seen the way you look at him, too.”

  I opened my mouth to deny it, but no words came out.

  Jake returned from the bathroom. He was teetering on his feet now, and had to put his hand on the wall to steady himself. “We, uh, should get going.”

  “Y’all are welcome to stay here,” Bobby John offered. “Don’t often have guests, but I got the pull-out couch and some fresh linens in the closet.”

  “I have to wake up early for work, and I’d rather drive Jake home tonight than in the morning. But that’s sweet of you to offer.”

  We said our goodbyes. The two men hugged again, and then Jake nearly fell. I put my arm around him to help him to the car.

  “You watch after him, alright?” Bobby John told me.

  “I’ll do my best.”

  I wasn’t sure if I meant it or not.

  29

  Rachel

  I helped Jake into the car and then set the route home on Waze. Jake put the seat back until it was as flat as it would go, then put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. The tattoos on his arm were momentarily illuminated by the light at the entrance of Bobby John’s driveway, dark ink spreading across his massive muscles.

  “We’re awfully lucky that your friend owns so much cattle. Not a lot of cow farms down here.”

  “Lucky. Right.”

  I glanced over at him while I drove. There was a smirk spread across his handsome face, and his eyes were closed.

  “You planned that, didn’t you?”

  He sighed drunkenly. “I told you. My brothers have their ways of solving problems, and I have mine.”

  I laughed. “This was not how I expected the night to go.”

  “Shoulda trusted me.”

  “Trust isn’t really something you’ve earned since I came here,” I pointed out.

  “I may do things my own way,” he admitted. “But I get shit done.”

  I couldn’t argue with him there. Between this, and the work he did around the zoo, he was shockingly productive. If only he communicated better.

  My phone rang on the dashboard. Another call from mom. I quickly tapped the screen to send it to voicemail.

  “Boyfriend calling you?”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “Except for David and Anthony.”

  I glanced over at him. “I wouldn’t call them my boyfriends either.”

  “What would you call them?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know.”

  He laughed like it was the funniest joke in the world.

  “Is it true what you said about your father back there?”

  “I said a lot back there.”

  “How you hated him.”

  Jake was silent for a long while as we bounced along the country road.

  “Everyone worshiped him,” he finally said. “Because he was crazy and diff
erent. He was entertaining to them, and they loved him for it. But they thought it was all an act. A character he was putting on for laughs. Truth was, that was really him. He was crazy all the time, even when nobody else was around. Paranoid as all hell. Held grudges. He was mean as hell, too.”

  “Is that why you hate coming back here? Bad memories?”

  “Mostly.”

  “What’s the rest? Because of Lara?”

  I felt his eyes open without having to glance over. When I did look over, his stare was intense. Like I had crossed a line.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I’m just curious, is all.”

  “He never let me live that down,” he said bitterly. “It was a joke to him, the way we all shared Lara. Brought it up whenever he wanted to hold something over me. You won’t share your candy bar with me, but you’ll share a woman with your brothers. Fuck, he was such an asshole.”

  “I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

  “Yeah, you did,” he replied pointedly. “Because you’re wondering about David and Anthony and if it’ll work out. Don’t try to deny it. I don’t blame you for worrying. Nothing good ever lasts.”

  We drove in silence the rest of the way home.

  Jake was asleep by the time we pulled into the Crazy Carl’s Zoo parking lot. I turned down the side road and drove past the employee trailers. My headlights swept across them and I saw Mary Beth standing outside her trailer, talking on a cell phone while gesticulating with her free hand. Then the headlights passed on and she was bathed in darkness again.

  I parked next to Carl’s monster truck in front of the house. I went around to the passenger side and tried to pull him out. It was like trying to move a stubborn tiger.

  “Come on,” I said. “You can’t sleep in the car.”

  “Yuh huh,” he said. “I’m happy here.”

  I reached inside to unbuckle his seat belt, and my hand brushed against the front of his jeans. It was completely by accident. But once I had done it, I couldn’t help but notice the thick rod running down one leg, perfectly outlined against the denim.

  That’s the biggest cock I’ve ever seen in my life, I thought.

  Suddenly Jake pulled me down onto him and kissed me. I grunted with surprise, then sighed into his whiskey-flavored lips. Alcohol aside, his grip on my waist was firm and stable. His body was hard underneath me, from his massive cock underneath my lap to the chest my hands were pressed against.

  We had spent so much time arguing that it felt so good to finally click with him. To do something together that helped the zoo. It was easy to ignore his incredible sexiness when he was being an asshole, but after seeing the softer side of him…

  I moaned and pushed my tongue into his mouth, ready to give him everything.

  As if awakening from a dream, Jake jerked and pulled back. He blinked and his nostrils flared as he caught his breath.

  “This is…” he said. “I can’t.”

  He pushed me off him and scrambled out of the car. Then he hurried inside the house. David was standing inside the foyer when I entered a few seconds later.

  “What was that all about?”

  “He had too much whiskey. I think he’s going to throw up.” I pointed behind me. “You know, if we need money you ought to sell that eyesore of a monster truck.”

  “We have bigger problems than that,” he said ominously. “The Animal Freedom Foundation posted something new. And it’s bad.”

  30

  Rachel

  David, Anthony, and I stood around the laptop in the kitchen. Facebook was up, and an individual post was maximized to take up the full screen. Anthony clicked the mouse, but the video remained black.

  Before I could ask why, my voice drifted out of the speakers.

  “You need to find a way to get rid of them. Once we dump more tigers, we won’t have groups like the AFF bothering us.”

  “I said I’m working on it,” David’s voice replied angrily. “I’m trying to find creative solutions, but it’s not easy.”

  “That’s the conversation we had earlier today!” I exclaimed.

  “That’s about it,” Anthony said, stopping the playback. “After that there’s a bunch of voiceover.”

  David crossed his arms and sighed. “They’re claiming this is evidence that we are euthanizing tigers. They are especially focusing on the phrase creative solutions.”

  “But you’re clearly talking about finding ways to get zoos and animal preserves to accept them,” I insisted. “Of course it sounds bad out of context.”

  David shook his head. “Rachel, that’s the point. They’re trying to make us look bad.”

  I frowned. “Wait. How did they get that audio? Was the office bugged? Are they listening in on our conversations?” My skin crawled as I looked around the kitchen. I didn’t feel safe anymore.

  “The audio was muffled, like it was recorded from a cell phone in someone’s pocket and then cleaned up a little,” Anthony said.

  “But which one of us would…” I trailed off. There was only one explanation.

  “Yep,” David said with a nod. “Either Brandon or Mary Beth is working against us.”

  I leaned my elbows on the counter and held my face in my hands. “It’s Mary Beth.”

  “You think so?”

  “I’ve caught her on her cell phone several times between tours,” I explained. “She was on it tonight, too.”

  “Being on her cell phone doesn’t mean anything,” Anthony said. “Everyone’s on their phones these days, you know?”

  “She looked like she was having an argument tonight. She was gesturing angrily. Oh! And yesterday, when I came to work, she was lingering outside the food prep building. She seemed surprised to see me, but then covered it quickly by asking if she could accompany me on the feeding schedule.”

  When I looked up, David had a thoughtful expression on his face. “Earlier tonight, when we discussed the first Facebook video, I did notice something off about Mary Beth. At the time I thought it was nothing, but after what you’ve said…”

  “Was there anything suspicious in her history?” Anthony asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing related to animal rights activism. She worked in a dog kennel. That was about it.”

  “What about a background check?”

  “I told her not to bother,” David said. He sounded annoyed with himself. “We thought it would be quicker and cheaper to skip it. Damnit.”

  “We couldn’t have known,” I said softly. “She looks like a ditsy cheerleader.”

  Concern was plastered on Anthony’s face as he looked back and forth between us. “So what do we do?”

  “Let me think about it,” David replied. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”

  David stayed up to do some work, so Anthony and I slept together. But we only slept. Neither of us were in the mood for anything sexy. Simply cuddling together and taking comfort in each other’s presence was enough.

  If they’re not your boyfriends, then what would you call them? Jake had asked me. While being spooned by Anthony, I wondered about the answer to that.

  David and I walked into the zoo together the next morning. “Thought about it?” I asked.

  “I want to monitor her throughout the day. See if she does anything suspicious that removes all doubt. And if not…” He shrugged.

  “I can keep an eye on her throughout the day. I’ll talk to Anthony and have him—”

  I stopped talking as we rounded the corner. Mary Beth was standing in front of the food preparation building, face illuminated by the glow of her phone screen.

  “Hi, guys!” she said cheerfully. “Hope I didn’t scare you waiting out in the dark like this. I was hoping I could shadow you again while you feed the animals? If that’s okay?”

  “Yeah, totally,” I said. “We can definitely do that. No problem.”

  I shared a look with David as we got to work.

  I tried to act normal around Mary Beth but it was hard. I wasn’t good at this ki
nd of clandestine behavior! She asked me plenty of questions about the zoo again, just like yesterday. It was easy to believe that she was sincerely interested in learning more about the animals so she could pass the knowledge on to the visitors during her tours.

  But she also asked more questions about Crazy Carl and the way he treated the animals. She was sneaky about it too, slipping these questions in among the more innocent questions. Now that I suspected her of working with the AFF, the strategy stuck out like a sore thumb.

  Despite that, she didn’t do anything overtly suspicious throughout the day. I kept a close watch on her, and even had Anthony jump in with a fresh pair of eyes when I needed a break. She gave tours of the zoo, explained lots of information to the curious guests, and never veered into the employee-only sections.

  After everyone had left for the day, I told David and Anthony what I had seen. “No smoking gun. Not even anything remotely suspicious.”

  “Fuck. I was afraid of that.”

  “I ran some diagnostics on the computer in the office,” Anthony told us. “There’s no microphone installed. I even used my Wi-Fi interference device to search for anything giving off stray signals.”

  “Like a bug?” I asked.

  “Like a bug or any other recording device, yep. There was nothing. The office is clean.”

  “So the audio had to have come from one of us,” David said.

  Jake came storming into the office like the devil himself. “Were you not even going to fucking tell me?”

  “Jake…” David said.

  “One of them recorded us! And you haven’t done anything about it all day? The fuck?”

  “We’ve been thinking about what to do,” David said calmly. “Choosing our next move wisely.”

  “I’ve got our next fucking move. We march into her trailer and confront her.”

  I could see David preparing to tell him no. Rejecting the idea because it had come from Jake. Before he could, I cleared my throat.

  “I agree with Jake.”

  Both David and Jake gave a start. “You do?” they said in unison.