by R. Casteel
“Taren.” He stopped and looked back.
“You’re forgiven. I’ll be ready by seven.”
* * * * *
The soft doeskin cradled her breasts, caressing them softly, the way she thought a lover might. No one had ever been allowed close enough to be a friend, much less a lover. She had always hoped somewhere there was a man who would accept her. A man who wouldn’t shy away because of the little oddities that made her different from other women.
The chime of the doorbell returned her to reality. Opening the door, she found Taren dressed in formal attire. His smile showed his eagerness for the night and his eyes were lit with joy as they slowly traveled from her head to her feet and back again.
The heat she felt in her face at his approving smile traveled downward with his eyes. It was a lover’s caress. Her breasts tingled and butterflies fluttered excitedly in the hollow of her stomach. Drifting on the current of the night air came the distinct scent of a male on the prowl. This time it didn’t disgust her but triggered a primal instinct with her.
She turned around and the fringe fluttered. The feathers tied into her braids twirled and danced.
“Taneika, you will be the queen of the ball. You are beautiful.” In or out of that dress. “Shall we go?”
Taren pulled into the parking lot of the pavilion and sensed her apprehension. He placed his hand on hers and gave it a squeeze. “Relax, everything will be fine. Try to enjoy the evening.”
Every eye found her. Conversations ceased and soon the only noise heard came from the kitchen and the heating system. If it wasn’t for his hand somehow finding hers, she would have turned and fled into the tranquility of darkness outside. People whispered, unaware she could overhear their comments. Some of them were what she had expected while others surprised her, warming her heart.
Dozens of waiters in white waistcoats moved about the room. Within moments after being seated, one of them stood at her side.
“I will be your server this evening.” He poured a glass of wine for her and then for Taren. “We are serving prime rib. How would you like yours prepared?”
“Please,” Taren said. “Allow me.” At her nod, he continued. “She will have hers very rare and I would like mine medium rare please.”
She wasn’t sure if this was a test, or if Taren accepted her preference of meat.
“Is rare all right, miss?”
The doubt in the waiter’s voice caused a bubble of laughter. “Yes.” Her eyes connected with Taren’s and she smiled. “Very rare if you have it.”
The waiter nodded, bowed slightly and left.
Taren felt a hand on his shoulder and knew the moment he had been dreading had arrived.
“Well, Carpenter,” Harold said. “I’m glad to see you could finally lower your standards and grace us with your presence. I see you have even managed to bring a date this evening. A beautiful Indian Princess. Is she the one with the pet wolf, Taren?”
The way he said pet left no doubt in her mind how he felt about the wolf or her. “Lobo isn’t a pet. Although she has been with me since she was born.”
She felt the hostility radiating from him. The tension around the table was smothering. She pasted on what she hoped was a winning smile. “But this isn’t the time or place to discuss these things. I would be happy to meet with you later and continue this discussion.” She turned her attention away from Taren’s boss.
“Yes, we shall.” Harold’s voice dripped with ice. The part of her that was one with the wolf bristled at the evil she sensed radiating from him. She felt a shiver run down her spine.
“You have a wolf? How quaint. Aren’t you scared it will turn on you?” asked another woman seated at their table.
“No, I think of Lobo as a friend,” Taneika said. “We have a very understanding relationship.”
The loud speaker hummed and crackled. The brief ceremony before the dinner was beginning.
Fortunately, the reports of progress at the park and the speech from the Under Secretary of Interior were short. The waiters were soon busy bringing trays of food to the table. Taneika noticed as Taren made eye contact with the Under Secretary, he gave a slight nod of recognition. It happened so quick she might have imagined it.
The food arrived and the waiter placed her plate in front of her.
“The chef assured me this was the rarest cut he had. If it’s not what you want, let me know.”
Looking at her plate, she noticed the blood-red juice draining from the meat. “Thank you, this will fine.”
The woman who had spoken earlier looked sick. “My dear, you can’t be serious. It’s barely cooked.”
The only person she was concerned about was Taren. He was trying to hide a smile but the light dancing in his eyes gave it away. She had an urge to shock the Washington socialite. “I was raised on the reservation.” She popped a forkful of meat into her mouth and moaned in satisfaction. “Meat was always in such short supply, when we had any, we didn’t wait for it to cook very long.”
The woman gasped.
“Plus eating it like this saved me from receiving the animal’s spirit by drinking blood.” Taneika watched as she turned pale and fine layer of sweat beaded on her forehead.
“If you will excuse me,” the woman said.
The men at the table started smiling and one of them laughed. It was contagious and she joined in.
Senator Kross’s wife spoke. “My dear, I congratulate you on a first. No one has ever gotten to the high-and-mighty Mrs. Worthington, and believe me it has been tried. When I tell everyone else in our garden club about this, you will become legendary in Washington.”
Taneika thought for a moment. “Maybe it would be best if this was our own little secret. I imagine she has suffered enough without having anything else said.”
“Perhaps. I am just glad I was able to be here to see it for myself.”
Mrs. Worthington didn’t come back to the table and the meal was finished without further incident, for which Taneika was thankful. The small orchestra began playing and several people moved to the dance floor.
“Shall we?” Taren held out his hand.
Her heart raced with anticipation, her palms turned moist as she stood and placed her hand in his. Once she was in his arms she found a soothing magic that calmed her jitters.
“You are as graceful dancing as you are beautiful taking a midnight swim.” Taren whispered in her ear.
“Thank you.” She could feel his heart pounding where her breast was pressed against him. Sharp electric jolts traveled from the point of intimate contact to the very core of her being. It was suddenly very warm in the room. Her heart beat with his and the air grew heavy.
She moved like the wind blowing through the trees, swaying and turning with each note played. From the moment she’d placed her head on his shoulder, he’d felt on fire. Never had a dance been more hypnotic or sensual. They moved as one body, one spirit. The world around him disappeared. Only the soft melody remained, moving them across the floor and into a world of enchantment.
The music stopped several moments before she realized it. “Would you care for some fresh air?” His breath caressed her ear.
“Please.”
He led her out onto an observation deck stretching the length of the building and stepped into the shadows. Her hopes and desires were met when Taren pulled her into his arms and his mouth covered hers. He kissed her tentatively at first, as if unsure of her reaction. The next kiss was full of passion as she opened her mouth to allow him access. The full force of the impact weakened her knees and she sagged against him. Her breath mingled with his while their tongues battled for space. The wine mixed with his unique flavor sent her head whirling. She felt like howling at the moon.
His hands locked behind her back as he held her. Taren looked into her wild eyes. Her breathing was labored and he could feel her heart raging beneath her breasts flattened tight against his chest. Never had he experienced in a single kiss anything compared to what
they had just shared. He rested his head against hers for several moments. “I think we should go in. Another kiss and I might not be able to stop.”
The alarm bells were going off in her head. Not because of his hardness pressed intimately against her, but because of her own reaction to it. She took a shaky breath and smelled the essence of her own desire. Brazenly she licked a drop of sweat from his face, tasted the desire and need that oozed from every pore.
“I think you’re right.” She wasn’t sure if she could say no to anything further than a kiss or even if she wanted to.
The flow of the next dance was disturbed, much like the surface of the water when a pebble is cast into it. Their kiss on the deck continued to ripple over her. She tried to concentrate on the music and the other dancers, all to no avail. Every fleeting second of the kiss was etched permanently into her soul. Taneika held herself stiffly in his arms, afraid to get close, afraid not to and never experience it again.
Taren felt her withdrawal and blamed himself for it. Their kiss had been too soon, too sudden, and he couldn’t let it happen again. At least not tonight.
“Shall we go?” She looked up at him with relief on her face.
“Yes, please.”
* * * * *
Lobo was standing guard, her eyes glowing yellow in the headlights. Taren turned the key and the engine died; yet he made no move to get out.
“Thank you.” They both spoke at once.
She laughed and continued. “I had a wonderful time. Thank you for asking me.”
“Considering the embarrassment I put you through the other night, I figured you might dump a plate in my lap or something. I am glad you enjoyed it although I don’t think meeting the boss was very comfortable for you. I will try to keep him at a distance, but right now, it may be impossible.”
“The rest of the evening was very memorable.”
“Would you like to do it again sometime?” He didn’t specify what it was he would like to do again. He let her field the question how she interpreted it.
“Maybe we can. . .sometime.”
He got out and walked her to her door. Lobo met them, falling in slightly behind Taneika. Taren knew a little about wolves. Lobo was treating Taneika as if she were the alpha female in a pack, waiting to be recognized, following and not bounding ahead.
“Good night.” He kissed her on the cheek. What he wanted to do was taste the sweetness of her lips, feel the weight of her breasts pressed against him. Taren sensed another kiss like the first would rush their relationship. The gamble was just too great. He might lose the passion the first kiss had promised.
“Good night Taren.” She opened the door and felt a conflicting sense of loss and relief. The kiss had been chaste, leaving her again with an option. Almost with regret, she closed the door.
“What am I to do, girl?” she asked while stroking Lobo behind the ear.
Lobo licked her face and whined. It’s time for you to take a mate. He is a good one.
“So you think I need a mate and he is the one. What makes you so sure?”
Lobo stuck her nose between Taneika’s legs. You smell different.
“Just because you smell me you think I am in heat.” She laughed, grabbed Lobo’s head and shook it. “It’s more complicated.”
Not to me. Lobo sat and scratched an itch.
“I am not a wolf, no matter what you think.” Taneika turned toward her room as she slipped the dress past her shoulders and over her breasts. Her sensitive nipples had her thinking that maybe Lobo was right. Maybe she did need a mate.
* * * * *
Taren stood beneath the pulsating hot water. Steam shrouded his body while a cloud of worry enveloped his mind. His boss was a vindictive bastard and rumors of his underhanded dealings had filtered all the way to Washington. But rumors weren’t facts and Harold had covered his tracks quite successfully.
If Harold’s sights were set on Taneika, both she and her wolf could be in danger. Especially Lobo, and it would be his fault. All he had to do was make up some lame excuse for being late to work. But no, dammit, he had to be honest and tell Harold the truth, or at least part of it. He had gotten her into this mess and it was his responsibility to get her out of it.
Thinking of her, his mind replayed the kiss they’d shared on the deck of the pavilion. His body responded to the passion they had experienced.
The doorbell sounded and his thoughts, already heated, ignited with the hope Taneika was at the door. He wrapped a towel around his waist.
Taren opened the front door and all his hopes died.
“Am I interrupting something?” The Under Secretary of Interior stood at his door. The Under Secretary’s eyes dropped to the towel and the obvious hard-on standing out like a tent pole underneath. “Or were you expecting me?
“Linda, what a surprise. Won’t you come in?”
She entered, looking around.
“I’m alone.”
“Oh really. I figured you might have that beautiful woman waiting in the shower or between the sheets. Or doesn’t she know of your wonderful delights?”
“Whether she does or doesn’t is hardly any of your concern, is it, Linda?”
“No, but I haven’t found anyone who can light my flame like you did.”
“I know you didn’t stop by to discuss my love life and if you remember, you were the reason our relationship stopped.”
She smiled wistfully. Obviously, he didn’t have any difficulty remembering, but that’s all that was left. They were just memories, however fond they were.
“Taren, you have been here for what, almost three years? I am getting impatient. Have you found out anything new?”
With Linda, there were no secrets, no regrets and no future, at least not romantically. “Here’s my report, look at it while I get dressed.”
“When is this shithead going to make a mistake?” She threw the report on the table as he came back. “There’s still nothing we can tie around his neck to hang him.”
“I know. There is something brewing and it could open everything up, but I don’t want to use it.”
“Taren.” Her voice had gone cold, vibrating with suppressed anger. “Damn you, don’t you dare go soft on me now. I have waited too long to see it fall apart now. Whatever you have, use it. That’s an order.”
A feeling similar to sinking in quicksand ripped through his gut. Obeying the Under Secretary placed Taneika and Lobo in the middle. The flip side was the possibility of losing his job, or at the very least a reprimand in his record, which amounted to the same thing.
“Fine, but I need a favor.”
Chapter 3
“I hate Mondays.” Taren poured a steaming cup of black coffee from the office pot.
“Talking to the coffee pot again, Taren?” A secretary sat at her desk, a smirk on her face.
“I suppose you just live for the Monday morning meeting.” Taren smirked knowingly and glanced towards Harold’s office.
She laughed. “Now, don’t go putting words in my mouth, Taren Carpenter, I never said I liked Monday mornings, but I don’t go around complaining to coffee pots. Besides, the walls have ears. Shh, they might hear you.”
Taren joined her laughter.
Harold came out of his office and there was a mad scramble to be seated in the conference room before he entered.
Taren took a sip of his coffee, hiding a smile behind his cup. Casually walking to the door he allowed Harold to enter first.
Keeping a straight face, he received Harold’s frown with pleasure.
“You’re late, Carpenter. I don’t like to wait on anyone, especially you. If you want a cup of coffee, get here earlier or have one at home.
“All right, down to business. I am glad everyone turned out for the banquet last Friday night. It went off with only a couple of glitches.” He turned to Taren with an icy stare. “Next time you bring a date, inform her it is a formal, not a costume party. Also, try to pick one a little more refined and who won’t insu
lt a guest. One I might add who is a friend of mine and very influential in Washington circles.”
Harold tossed a copy of the department’s, Rules and Regulations for Management of Endangered Animals. Taren read the title and thought to himself…I wonder if I should point out to this idiot what the edited by T. Carpenter means. He cocked an eyebrow.
“Don’t play the innocent with me, Carpenter. She is to be arrested for keeping an animal listed on the endangered species list. It’s a privilege allotted to zoos, not private citizens. And I want her damn wolf caught and moved to the upper region of the park. And if you can’t catch it, kill it. There are too many people in the area. Hikers and bikers don’t like finding dead deer when they are out for relaxation and fun.”
Taren clinched his jaw, fighting the rage that boiled and threatened to erupt like Old Faithful. The bastard had tried and convicted Taneika without a hearing.
“Pretty extreme measures at this point. Have her come in and talk to her,” Taren said. “Try to settle this without the publicity. There are ways to settle this so everyone is happy.”
Harold turned red and then smiled. “An excellent idea, Carpenter. Have her come in and bring the wolf with her. When she gets here, we can arrest her and get the wolf at the same time.”
“She’s already told you, she doesn’t own the damn wolf. And besides, the wolf is helping with the deer population around this end of the lake.” Taren stared at his boss and allowed a slight grin to form. “You did receive some bad publicity about thinning the herd. The public wasn’t very thrilled to find out we were performing, as the media called it, wholesale slaughter.
“The Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Humane Society of the United States are watching the department and this park closely. They’re persistent about the wolf population being allowed to grow and their removal from the endangered species list.