[The Shifters Committee 01.0] Time Shifters

by Rebecca Foxx

  “Why, I’m smiling at you. Who else would I be smiling at?”

  “I’m not sure what there is to smile about.”

  “That conversation. What you just did. That took guts, sir.”

  “Please,” he said tiredly as he gingerly rubbed his temples to stave off an impending headache, “just call me Brent. At this point I don’t really feel like keeping up the pretense of formality. I think we’re a little bit past that, don’t you?”

  “If you say so. But it did take guts. You followed your instinct, and it was correct.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Just take a look. You told me to do a little bit of research, right? So here’s your research. Every unsavory little detail you’d ever want to know about the man you almost sold your father’s life work away to. At least everything that left any kind of dirty little trail on the internet. God only knows what else he’s done, the things that nobody much knows about.”

  Brent picked up the papers, feeling like he was being made to touch something unclean, and riffled through them as quickly as possible. What she said was true. In those papers was all manner of information pointing to Mr. Lawrence’s shady business dealings and lawsuits dropped due to missing witnesses. It was like dealing with a member of the mafia, for christ’s sake.

  Brent glanced up at the portrait of his father that hung in his office realized that perhaps this empire was not for him to give up. Perhaps it was his cross to bare, and what was so wrong with that? It could be much, much worse. How ridiculous he must seem to be whining over something like this when he was a billionaire with everything a man could ever ask for. It was time for him to grow up and it was Devon who had helped him to see that.

  Devon. He looked up quickly to see her still standing there patiently beside the desk. When he made eye contact with her, she smiled again, wider this time.

  “Was it what you needed?”

  “It was exactly what I needed. Now I must ask you for just one thing more.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Have dinner with me. It’ll make me the happiest man in the world.”

  Her grin grew even wider still and finally Brent was able to return it. Yes, this was what he wanted. Things were going to get better from here. He was almost sure of it. If only he could shake the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that there was still some kind of threat, still something left undone.

  Chapter Four

  “Well I have to say, this is probably the best meal I”ve had in a long, long time. You certainly do have the hookups, don’t you? Last I heard, this place was booked up for the next couple of months!”

  Devon gave Brent a coy smile and was delighted to see how easily he returned her happy look. He was starting to unwind now, to remind her of the man she had been so taken with that first night of cosmopolitans and witty flirtation. Things hadn’t been the same after that night.

  First of all, when she had taken the job he left the note about, it hadn’t occurred to her that she would be working directly for him and only for him. She needed the job, and badly, so she had accepted the position, but the power struggle between them had been a problem. Devon was a woman who was used to standing up for herself, not one prone to take orders without question, and doing so from a man with whom she had already spent the night was ten times worse than it otherwise would have been. Not to mention the fact that she was still crazy attracted to him.

  That definitely didn’t help the situation. Every morning she had considered just walking out on the job, and every morning something had stopped her. It wasn’t just the money, either. It was this little feeling she got in the pit of her stomach.

  Whether he realized it or not, Brent needed her. She knew that with every fiber of her being and because of it she couldn’t up and leave. She just couldn’t, no matter how frustrating she found her situation to be.

  “Devon? Are you there?”

  She looked back to him with a start, realizing she had drifted off into her own thoughts and stopped paying attention from the beautiful man across from her. It was just that she had expected that after Brent made the wise decision to decline the merger with Mr. Lawrence, that strange little feeling she had would go away. But looking at him now, she knew that it was as strong as ever. She couldn’t make any sense of it, but she was worried. Well fed, but worried.

  “Yes, sorry. I just got distracted by something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s just that I get the feeling that I missed something. About Mr. Lawrence.”

  “Does it matter? I’ve already turned him down.”

  “I know,” she said hesitantly, “but I can’t shake this feeling. Maybe if I stopped back by the office? Just to check? You don’t have to come with me or anything, maybe just lend me the key. I’m pretty sure it’s closed down at this hour.”

  “Yes,” he said with a boisterous laugh as he leaned back and signaled for the check, “I’m pretty sure you’re right. And like I would ever send you off in the dark to go there on your own. No, I’m coming with you, but only if you make me a promise.”

  “Oh? Are we bargaining now?”

  “Indeed we are.”

  “Ok, then what is it I’m promising?”

  “I’ll come with you to the office, if after that you come home with me. I’ve seen your place, now I want you to see mine.”

  Devon felt herself grow hot at even the mention of that night they had spent together what seemed like forever ago. It was a lucky thing her skin was so dark, or she was positive it would have been bright red.

  As much as she enjoyed their evening together, as much as she still thought about it every time she saw him walk through the office in his beautifully tailored designer suits, she had believed that had been a one time thing. Now, the only thing standing between her and another night of pure pleasure was this need to make sure everything was in order. If she was lucky, everything would be fine and they could move onto much more enticing activities.

  “Alright, Devon. Let’s get the last bit of work out of the way, shall we? Then it’s time to play.”

  She nodded, suddenly unable to speak, and stood. At this point, she would gladly follow him wherever he wanted to go. Her mouth was already salivating with the thought of tasting his full lips again.

  “Something is wrong here.”

  Brent spoke in a strained whisper, but there was no need for him to have spoken at all. She knew it even before he opened his mouth, even before they boarded the elevator that carried them up to the top floor of Brent’s impressive skyscraper of an office building. He was right, something was wrong.

  Something was very, very wrong, and she was acutely aware that they were both in danger. But why? What was it that was waiting for them up there in the office so high it felt like they were touching the heavens? Did it have something to do with Mr. Lawrence, or was it just some kind of terrible coincidence? Either way, Devon was beginning to wonder if she should have just kept her mouth shut.

  It seemed relatively clear that she had put them both in danger by insisting they come here. She just hoped that her instinct had been right, that she hadn’t led them into some random crime that could have been avoided.

  “Maybe you should wait for me here. I don’t want you to get hurt, and I don’t know what we’re going to to find out there.”

  “Forgive me, I know you’re my boss and everything, but there is not a shot in hell that I’m going to just hang out in the waiting elevator while you go off and look for bad guys. With all due respect.”

  Even in their heightened sense of tension, Brent smiled at her response, which made Devon like her all the more. He didn’t seem bothered by the fact that she was strong willed, and that was exactly the kind of man she was looking for. For the first time she could see something actually developing between the two of them, assuming they both made it out of this unscathed.

  “Alright, but do me a favor and try to stay close, ok? Just for my own peace of
mind.”

  She nodded, perfectly willing to do that much. It seemed best that they stick together, anyway. It was definitely the safest way to go, and as they made their way to Brent’s office it was clear to Devon that there was an actual danger to be concerned about. Because, although the building was locked up for the night and should consequently be empty, they were not alone.

  There was someone in Brent’s office, waiting for them as if he knew all along that they would come. Brent turned to Devon, giving her one last warning look, before throwing the double doors wide open.

  “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing in here? I thought I made myself clear on the phone. I have no interest in dealing with you. Not now, and not ever.”

  “Oh yes,” Mr. Lawrence said flashing a mirthless smile full of teeth that looked just a little bit too long, “you made yourself clear. The problem is, it seems that I did not do the same. I seem to have given you the impression that you had a choice in the matter. That was my mistake. I suppose I wanted you to feel like you were the boss. I’ve come to rectify the situation.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You’re just like your father, you know that? All full of piss and vinegar and nothing to back it up with. It got your dear old dad killed in the end. Don’t make his same mistake.”

  “My father was killed in a mugging. What do you think you’re talking about?”

  “A mugging, yes. That was the most convenient way. With him out of the picture I knew I only had to go through you, and it was obvious that you had no interest in owning this company. Everything was practically written in stone, before that little bitch had to come in here and interfere.”

  “You watch your mouth” Brent said in a low growl. Devon could see his face changing, his body lengthening and turning into some kind of gross caricature of himself. His eyes still looked the same, or almost the same, aside from the inhuman glow they now contained. Because what he was turning into was not human at all. What he was turning into was a wolf, the largest wolf she had ever seen, set and ready to pounce oh his foe.

  “Two can play at that game.”

  Things were happening very fast now. Mr. Lawrence had begun his own transformation now, and very quickly Devon found herself trapped in a room with two large wolves, each one gnashing his teeth and ready to kill. Now that she was here, Devon saw that she was a liability to Brent. She was the thing he cared about, his achilles heel, and her even being there was putting him in great danger. Even as she recognized it, the beast that had been Mr. LAwrence leapt towards her, trapping her neck in his enormous jaw in an obvious threat to Brent.

  He was either to comply, or he would kill Devon and never give it a second thought. He was using her as a pawn, and he probably thought himself very clever for it, too. Unfortunately, he didn’t know quite as much about her as he seemed to think.

  He was underestimating her, thinking that she was nothing more than slightly chubby secretary, and that would be the thing that undid him. As far as she could tell, it was about time someone took this monster down. She was more than happy to be the one to do it.

  She saw Brent’s eyes, the eyes of his wolf, grow wide with surprise as she began her own transformation. What neither man had ever suspected was that she was a wolf in her own right, stronger than the two of them could ever have imagined. She twisted her body, easily removing herself from her adversary’s hold with embarrassing ease. She turned on him, and when it was two against one.

  She could see that he would lose, there was no doubt in her mind, and she had half a mind to implore him to surrender. But the old wolf was too stuck in his own ways. He would let them kill him before he admitted defeat. He reared up, letting out a howl that would have sent chills down a normal human’s spine, and moved towards her to strike. He never had a chance. She moved forward with teeth bared and felt Brent do the same behind her. In no time at all, they would rip him to shreds. His only hope was that it would make it mercifully quick.

  “I have to say, Devon, I consider myself to be a perceptive and maybe even clever man, but I did not see that coming. You are the most wonderful creature, you know that?”

  Devon laughed, delighted by his look of clear admiration. She deftly removed the towel from her hair and pulled the robe Brent had given her more tightly around herself. She eyed him all the while as she did so, feeling an insatiable need that only he could satisfy. He sat on his massive king sized bed, two glasses of wine poured and waiting for her on one of his lavish bedside table. It looked like a good bottle of wine and she was sure she would enjoy it, but there was something else she wanted to enjoy first. Something she was pretty sure only Brent could give her.

  “What is that look, beautiful creature?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said with a feigned innocence she knew was riling him up. She began to walk towards him slowly, casually untying the sash to her robe and letting it fall quietly to the floor. She could see a hunger in his eyes that matched her own and she knew that what was about to happen between them would be even better than the first time. They each knew what the other was now. There were no secrets, no need for being careful or delicate. They could fully enjoy themselves and the result would be rapid, furious pleasure.

  “You should probably take off that robe, Brent.”

  “Oh,” he said with a laugh, “is that so.”

  “Yes. It’ll only get in the way.”

  “Well in that case,” he said, opening his robe and revealing a truly magnificent erection, “your wish is my command.”

  She stood before him now, saw the way the muscles in his legs twitched and his whole body strained towards him. He wanted her more than anything. She could see it, smell it on him. She considered teasing him for a while, making him wait, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to. After all, it would only be teasing herself as well. She moved over him, lowering herself into his lap until she felt his member invading her and saw his eyes shut as he moaned with pleasure.

  “Oh god, you feel so good.”

  She moved into him, kissing along the line of his neck, his collarbone, plunging her hand in his thick hair as she slowly began to rock her hips. His hand moved around to the back of her, his fingers clutching her fleshy thighs, her thick ass, rocking her faster and faster with every thrust. His face moved to her breasts, her nipples in his mouth, and then it was her turn to throw her head back in pleasure. She could feel the pressure in her body rising, could feel the heart of her pulsating with the orgasm she would not be able to contain.

  “Oh god! Oh my god, I’m going to come!”

  That was when she lost all control, her back arching and her whole body shaking with pleasure. At the exact same moment she heard him yell out with the intensity of his own release and he clutched her more closely to him as they rode it out together. They sat that way for a long time, his head resting on her prominent breasts and her hands moving gently through his hair. Finally, he looked up at her with beautiful, smitten eyes and smiled at her with pure, unadulterated joy.

  “What,” she asked with a laugh, “what’s that face?”

  “It’s you. I never thought I would find this.”

  “And what is it you found?”

  “My mate. After all of these years, I’ve finally found my mate.”

  THE END

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  Choose Me

  Chapter One

  “Falcon, mother is looking for you. Don’t you hear her calling? Good lord, but you are a pain in the ass. It’s like you’ve made it your mission in life to anger mother and daddy, although I can’t imagine why. Haven’t you ever heard that you shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds you? Well, I think you can file this away as a perfect example. Please tell me you understand that. You’ve got to. I keep hearing how smart you are. It’s seems like a good time to finally live up to the compliment.”
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  Falcon Cyrus Kennedy rolled his eyes and took another sip of his Chivas Regal Royal on the rocks. He glanced at the portrait of his father hanging over the imposing fireplace that acted as the showpiece to the sitting room in the expansive and expensive Kennedy estate.

  If anyone looked like American royalty, it was Reginald Kennedy, Falcon’s father. Even staring down at him and his sister from that long stretch of canvas, it was difficult not to feel a little shiver of nervousness make its way down his spine.

  Falcon was not the sort of man to get nervous, not about anything, but if anyone could inspire a bit of anxiety in a man it was Reginald Kennedy.

  He was the alpha, after all, and that was not something to be taken lightly. The younger generations in America may have been systematically shrugging off the shackles of respect for the elderly, that was not at all true in shifter communities.