by Mac Flynn
"So you two got beds and just slept there like that?" he questioned. Stephanie wasn't sure she was liking where this was going, and she was reminded of Chuck's warning not to let him run over her.
"No, we had to get the same room to save some cash," she bluntly informed him. "And Chuck slept on the floor all night, if that's what you're getting at."
"I wasn't meaning anything like that," he defended himself. She wasn't sure she believed him, and he could see that in her expression. "I was just wondering how trying it was for you. You look better now, though," he noted as his eyes studied her face. "Picked up some food to eat on the way to the office."
"Actually, Chuck bought me a Chinese dinner," she coyly explained. She inwardly smirked as a ghost of a frown passed across his lips. "But then he's nice like that. Always caring about other people's feelings or how they are doing."
"I see..." Bob mused. He got her second meaning, but he seemed unperturbed by the shot. Her husband stood up from his seat and stretched. "Well, perhaps we should both get some rest," he suggested. "Another day, another chance, right?" He pointedly met her eyes with his own. Apparently that was his way of asking for a second chance. She wasn't buying it.
"I think I'll stay up for a little bit longer," she surprised him by saying.
"I know you slept through the afternoon, hun, but maybe a little more would help," he insisted. He actually stepped up beside her chair and gallantly offered her his arm. There was a wide smile on his face, but she didn't care for the look in his dark eyes. "Mind if I escort you, my lady?"
"I said I wasn't going," she stubbornly countered. Then she sweetly grinned at him, as though to excuse her persistence. "But I'll join you in a little while, okay, honey?"
The smile on his face nearly fell off, and the real look beneath the facade was almost frightening. Stephanie's open eyes could see the truth in him now, and it worried her to know she'd never seen this side of him before. Unfortunately her knowing the reality of his personality made him a little more reckless, because now he was himself nervous about slipping up. Not enough, though, to have him trip up badly.
"Well, maybe I'll stay up with you, then," he suggested. Stephanie didn't like that idea one bit.
"No, that's fine," she hastily replied. She just wanted some time to be alone, and maybe if she waited long enough, he'd be asleep when she went upstairs. Also, she really wasn't that sleepy. The nap had really done the trick. "You just go get some rest and I'll be up later."
"All right," he grudgingly agreed. He looked tired. "But don't stay up too late." He knelt over and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. When he pulled away, he was glad to see she was smiling. "And wash that wound before you go to bed."
"Yes, mom," she laughed.
"Night, hun," he said his goodnight as he patted her gently on the shoulder.
"'Night," she returned.
Stephanie watched him ascend the stairs with that smile on her face, but the minute he was out of sight it slid off. She leaned over the table and cradled her head in one of her hands. This was going to be a painful process until one of them gave in to the other's personality. She'd been living in his oppressive and selfish shadow for the entirety of their marriage, she figured it was his turn to give a little. The young woman sighed and shook her head. She knew that was probably not going to happen, at least not soon. Maybe not at all.
Stephanie frowned when she noticed his bowl was still on the table. She rolled her eyes, pushed back her chair and picked up the serving dish to take it to the sink. For all that cleanliness, he really was an unconscious pig. She was just putting the bowl into the sink when something hit her. She stiffened and leaned over the sink as she suddenly felt a flash of heat rush through her body. Her left hand gripped her other arm where the wounds lay. Her heart was pounding and her breaths came out in quick, deep gasps. Wildly she turned and looked around the room. She needed air. The house was stifling her.
Stephanie pushed off from the counter and stumbled through the living room to the sliding door at the back of the house. She instantly felt better the moment the door slid open and a breath of night air blew onto her. The grin on her face was wide and full of joy as she stepped outside. There was a patio poured from concrete, and she stepped out onto the end where it met the green grass. She was disappointed to find the moon was obscured by a few loose clouds, but the night was still bright enough she could see shadows of objects.
One of those objects was moving. The neighbors who owned the dog also had a cat, and the fiendish feline was prowling the top of the wide fence between the two properties. Stephanie liked cats much more than she liked dogs, so she slowly approached it with the intention of giving it a good, gentle petting.
"Hey, Fred," she cooed the kitty's name. She was only a few yards from it, and the cat had stopped to turn at her. She reached out her hand to stroke that smooth fur coat. "You out for some hunting?"
Stephanie was prepared for the cat to merely jump out of her reach to the other side. What she didn't expect, however, was for the small beast to arch up and viciously hiss at her. She pulled her arm back as it swiped its clawed paw at her, and then it made a dash over the side. The young woman was stunned at the cat's violent behavior. It wasn't the friendliest feline, but that was downright hostile.
Stephanie sighed and turned back to the house. The mood was ruined. Even the night didn't offer any further comfort for her. She went back inside and upstairs to find Bob sitting up in bed with the nightstand light on and a book in his hand. He smiled at her as she entered the room.
"That didn't take long," he wondered. He frowned at her sad face. "Something wrong?"
"No, just tired I think," she lied.
She got dressed for bed and slid beneath the covers without another word. Her husband, still sitting up in bed, glanced at her still form. Her back was turned toward him, so she didn't see the dark, pensive expression which passed over his face. Then he shut off the nightstand light and they both went to sleep.
WOLF BLOOD (IN THE LOUP: BOOK #4)
Stephanie grumbled as a beam of sunlight shone on her face. She peeked one eye open to absently look at the clock, and then she pulled the covers over herself.
Then she threw off the covers and sat up. She didn't a double-take at the alarm clock on her side of the bed. It read eight o'clock. She was always at work by this time.
"God damn it!" she cursed as she jumped out of bed.
The frazzled woman couldn't think how she had slept through her obnoxiously loud alarm clock, but her hurried question was answered when she glimpsed the alarm light on the face. It was turned to off. She turned to scowl at the lump beside where she'd just been sleeping. Bob must have shut it off while she was gone.
Stephanie was so angry she didn't heed her lateness and instead grabbed her pillow. Ruthlessly she moved over to his side and began belting him with the soft weapon. She actually felt pretty glad when he flailed around against his attacker and fell off the bed.
"What the hell?" he grumbled. He groggily looked up at his grinning wife. "What the hell was that for?"
"For shutting off my alarm and not turning it back on," she scolded.
"I didn't mean to," he angrily shot back. The deep scowl on his face showed him no excuses would be accepted by her. Instead, then, a smooth smile appeared on his face. "I'm sorry, hun, I didn't mean to," he swore. "It was just an accident. You know, with that clock being all the way over there, I can't shut it off very well myself." He pulled the blankets off himself and stood. "Now how about a nice kiss before you go to work?" he offered.
Stephanie stepped back out of the reach of his arms. She wrinkled her nose and looked him up and down. She swore she smelled something funny on his clothes.
"Are you using a new lawn detergent?" she asked. She waved her hand in the air to ward off some of the strong smell. "It smells like lilacs." Stephanie was surprised when he jerked back in shock.
"Um, yeah, just trying out a cheaper kind," he stuttered out. "
You know, trying to save money and such for, um, for a surprise."
"What kind of surprise?" she questioned with a raised brow. She wasn't one for surprises, even on her birthday.
"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise," Bob pointed out. He mischievously grinned and slid toward her. "Now are you going to give me that kiss or do I have to force it out of you?" he teased.
She didn't have time for that, and right now she didn't want it.
"I think I have to go," she quipped.
Instead of letting him win the morning she deftly brushed passed his advances and into the bathroom, where she firmly shut the door behind herself. Bob got the not-so-subtle hint, and scowled at the closed door. He grumbled back into bed and threw the covers over his face so he didn't have to see her again when she passed.
Stephanie, meanwhile, hurriedly washed her hair, threw on some clothes and raced downstairs. In a thrice she'd eaten a small bowl of cereal and grabbed the car keys from the counter. It was only twenty past eight when she slid behind the wheel of the car, and if she was lucky she'd be able to beat Chuck there.
Her partner in business usually couldn't drag himself out of bed and to work any earlier than eight-thirty, so as partial compensation he worked later than she did. This would mean she'd have to work later if she wanted to keep her end of the bargain, but that wasn't what worried her. What really concerned her was showing up later than Chuck and him constantly worrying about her for the rest of the day. She felt fine, if a little tired, so his concern was a little annoying.
Stephanie floored it out of the garage and broke a couple of speed limits on the way to the office. She was relieved to see the parking lot was empty of Chuck's usual red, beat up beetle. After she parked the jeep she jumped out and raced to the door.
Unfortunately, the frantic young woman was still fumbling for her office keys when Chuck drove up. He was right on time. Her shoulders slumped as he stepped out of his vehicle with a quizzical expression on his face.
"Did you just get here?" he hesitantly asked as he moved to stand beside her.
"Yeah," she sheepishly admitted. She finally got the right key and inserted it into the lock to open the door. "Bob shut off my alarm, so I slept in late."
"You look like you could have used some more of it," he commented as they stepped inside. She shot him a death glare, but it harmlessly bounced off. He was used to it by now with his daily scoldings of her childish behavior. "Are you sure you should even be here today?"
"I feel fine," she insisted. "Now stop bothering me and get some work lined up."
Stephanie stalked off toward the backroom to start her end of the business, but Chuck merely stood by his desk. With more than a little worry he watched her go into the room and slam the door.
"Come on, Boss, you need some rest..." he muttered to himself.
Chuck sighed and shook his head. There was no talking to that woman when she was in her stubborn mood, though, so he sat down at his desk and began his daily routine of calling up clients and prospective clients.
After Stephanie had slammed the door behind herself, she leaned up against it and softly sighed. She shouldn't have been that mean to Chuck, he was just a little worried about her, but she was just so irritable today. It didn't help the late rising, but she felt there was something else awry. That strange sensation she'd been experiencing since that wounding. Stephanie reached up and brushed her fingers against the wounds. They still hadn't healed properly, and the scabs which covered the wounds were dark black and very callous in appearance.
Suddenly Stephanie heard the front door open and a commotion erupted in the front office. It sounded like Chuck was raising his voice at some intruder, and she had just enough time to push away from the door before it swung open. In the doorway stood George Gregory, and the gentleman had a wide, pleasant smile on his face.
"Good morning," he greeted just as Chuck came up behind him. Her partner's nostrils were flaring and his eyes were daggers of annoyance.
"What a pleasant surprise," she managed to welcome him. She shot Chuck a questioning glance, but he just angrily shrugged and scowled. "What brings you here to our small shop?"
"I did promise a visit, remember?" he teasingly reminded as his eyes swept over the back room. He stepped further inside and Chuck replaced him in the doorway. "Quite an interesting building you're using here," he complimented. "I would never have imagined anyone could work an advertising business out of an old building such as this."
"We're just that talented," Stephanie returned. She frantically looked to Chuck for him to do something. Speaking with the clients wasn't one of her strong suits.
"As I was telling you, Mr. Gregory, we're not really ready to give you a tour of the place today," Chuck tried to convince him. "We just got back from the conference and we're still trying to get the place in order with new commissions."
"I won't take much of your time," Gregory consoled them. He glanced over the crowded tables. "I was just wanting to take a quick look at some of your designs for previous clients, nothing more," he explained to them. He turned to Stephanie and she nervously smiled at his grin. "Then I'll be out of your way, I promise." Stephanie sighed, but Chuck was still in the mood to throw him out.
"All right," she agreed. He was a prospective customer, after all. "What would you like to see first?" Chuck wasn't pleased with her decision.
"Boss, you sure you're up to this?" he insisted.
"Has she not been feeling well?" Gregory wondered with concern.
"Just a little ill lately, that's all," she brushed aside both of their worries. "I'm fine now, and I'm definitely well enough to show Mr. Gregory some pictures."
"I'll be out in the front if you need me," Chuck assured her. He grabbed the door and paused to give one last scowl to Gregory before he shut it.
"I don't think your partner likes me," Gregory commented as he glanced to where the other man had gone.
"He's just worried about the finances from the trip," Stephanie tried to excuse her partner. Maybe he wasn't feeling too well, either, and was trying to hide it from her. "But what did you want to look at first, Mr. Gregory?" she asked her guest. She gestured at several sketches for logos and nodded at the computer in the corner where she did the digital drafting. "Did you want to see the shoddy first steps or the nice final step?"
"What I want you to do first is to call me George," he insisted. "Being called Mr. Gregory all the time makes me feel old."
"You're not that old," she consoled him with a laugh. He really didn't look much older than herself, and she didn't want to think of herself as old. "And how about we meet halfway and I call you Gregory?" She didn't feel comfortable being on a first-name basis with this strange man, mostly because he'd be calling her by her first name soon. That was just too personal for a business relationship, which is what she intended for this to remain.
"I suppose I'll have to agree to that," he replied as he turned his attention to the drawings on the table. "You have quite a bit of ability shown here," he complimented.
He shuffled through the papers for a moment while Stephanie nervously stood beside him. Usually the visits by clients were scheduled and Chuck would give them a presentation with examples of her work. That left her out until they had some questions he couldn't answer or wanted a quick sketch for their design.
"Very nice indeed," he repeated as he finished glancing over the products. "Now how about those final examples?"
"If you'd like to step over here," she answered. Her nervousness was starting to make her feel ill, and she tried to hide her anxiety as she showed him some random advertisements she'd completed for past clients. "I don't really have them organized for a good viewing," she apologized. "Maybe if you give us a call about your coming we can have more examples for you to look at."
"That's fine, I've seen more than enough to know I'll definitely recommend you to my company execs," he brushed aside her concerns. She hoped he would leave now and she could take a breather,
but he only pulled back from the computer and glanced at her. She didn't like that look in his eyes, it was too curious. She felt he was almost trying to see inside of her. "There was something else I wanted to ask you," he slowly informed her.
"About what?" she innocently returned. She had no idea what this was about.
"I understand something happened to you during the conference," he plainly informed her. "My associate, Miss Seville, noticed you in the lobby and she mentioned you looked the worse for wear."
"Oh, that," Stephanie nervously recalled. Sher unconsciously reached out and clutched the wound on her arm. "I just wandered a little too far from the hotel, that's all," she sheepishly lied. "There was an alley beside the hotel that I thought was safe, but I...I fell down and ruined my clothes."
"I hope there's no lasting effects," he oddly commented.
"Well, my clothes were pretty much ruined, so I had to throw them out," she admitted. "But other than that, I'm fine."
"Your partner said you weren't feeling well," Gregory pointed out. He noticed how she clutched her arm, and his face took a grim turn. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Oh, no, it's just me being a wimp," she brushed aside. "You know, tired after a long trip and just needing some more rest." She glanced at her watch in a pathetic attempt to appear preoccupied. "Well, it looks like I'd better get to work on some deadlines coming up," she briskly informed him. She still managed to keep a smile on her face, though, as she gestured to the door. "I'm sure you have a long drive back to your business office." She was just guessing, as she hadn't caught where he was from, but as noted before there were no large companies in the area so he had to have driven a ways to come to them.
"I'll probably be staying a few days," he admitted, which surprised her. "I actually took a couple of days of vacation time off and I booked a room at a nice lodge not too far from here. It's the one over the pass."
"Oh, yes, that's a really nice one," she hurriedly agreed with him. If it wouldn't have been deemed impolite, she would have been trying to physically push him out of the office by now. "I'm sure you'll have fun there."