“Instead, you got the spoiled princess. She has a lot of growing up to do. No one has ever told her no except for you. Are you ready to order drinks?” Shownie asked changing the subject quickly.
“I’ll take sex on a ski slope.” Twila ordered.
“Me too.” The waitress left. “Maybe you’ll tell me what we just ordered so I won’t look surprised when she brings the drinks?”
“It’s a coconut drink Moe recommended.”
“Moe, huh? It’ll be strong and sweet.”
“Wish you had ordered beer?”
“No, Sweetheart. I like sweet just fine, that’s why I like you so much.” Twila blushed and he liked it. “I love the way you are a mix of innocence and sexiness.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“So now you’re prim and proper.”
“No, now I’m remote. You want me to be honest with you, Trail?”
A shiver of fear ran over him. Would she say she didn’t want him? Would she ask him to leave her alone? Only one way to find out. His heart aching with fear, he did what he had to do. “Always, Twila. Never be afraid to say what you think.”
“I hadn’t really dated much before I was taken. I had an overprotective father and brother. Since I wasn’t social, I have no idea how to act around people, especially the male variety. You say I’m acting prim? Maybe because I never wanted to draw attention, especially the sexual kind from those that lived around me or the guests. It wouldn’t have been a good thing.”
“I’m sorry, Twila. Sometimes I forget about your history. It’s not that I intend to push, it’s that you mean so much to me.”
“You keep being so sweet to me, I might start believing you.” The waitress brought their drinks interrupting their conversation. “They do look like a snow banks.”
Trail took a sip and it tasted like coconut with a hint of hard liquor. He’d bet if he was human, it would seem easy but hit with a punch. “I like it.” He admitted. He watched Twila sniff it first then delicately sip her straw.
“Mm, that’s delicious.” She agreed.
The waitress still stood there with her pen in hand ready to write down their order. “Trust me?” Trail asked. Twila nodded. “We’ll both take the special.”
The waitress hurried off. “Do you even know what the special is?”
“No, but it’s always good. There’s a lot of food for a fair price and it always starts with an appetizer, has a salad, and ends with dessert.”
The waitress returned with an onion loaf. “I love these. Moe took me to a restaurant in Springfield that had these.”
“This is one of the best I’ve ever had.” Trail admitted. “Move your plate over here and I’ll give you some.” Trail gave her a big section and poured some of the special dipping sauce onto her plate then pushed it back to her. He continued to fix his own plate. Now they both took their first bite at the same time.
“Goddess, that’s good.” Twila moaned with enjoyment.
“It was always the house special appetizer. I’ve not had it in years and I’ve missed it.”
They ate quickly since they were hungry, but they weren’t quite done when the salads came. The waitress set them down and disappeared quickly. “What’s this?”
“It looks like the cranberry, walnut house salad with sweet ranch dressing. They’ve served this here as long as I can remember. The more things change…”
“The more they stay the same?” Twila offered.
“Exactly. It’s reassuring sometimes that there are things that don’t change.”
“Like my brother and this place.”
“And the way I feel about you.” Trail added. Before Twila could say anything, the meal came family style in serving dishes with dinner plates set in front of them so they could serve themselves.
There was a large oval platter covered with big chunks of meat in a succulent gravy, another large oval plate had some kind of bread dumplings, and the last platter had mixed vegetables. They finished their salads quickly and began to feast on their meal. Ever the gentleman, since his mother had always instilled manners in him, Trail served his lady and then himself.
They ate in silence enjoying their food and assuaging their hunger. Once their hunger began to ease, they slowed down. “Do you like it?”
“I have heard Mad’s food is better and it is good, but this is amazing.” Twila answered.
“I agree. This is tasty.” The waitress came by and dropped off a platter of sourdough bread.
“They serve a lot of this kind of bread.”
“It’s a staple in the state. The most popular of all the breads, sourdough is served almost everywhere. You can asked for another bread, if you would like.”
“No, this is great. I was just curious.”
“I think we’ll have leftovers to take home.”
“They brought us a lot, even for wolves. I guess bears eat more than wolves.”
“That’s true. They eat several times what wolves do.”
“I’m ready for dessert.” Twila admitted as she sat back patting her tummy.
Trail motioned to the waitress and she came over right away. “We’ll need a couple of to go containers and we’re ready for dessert.”
“I’ll be right back.” She said with a smile.
“I hope I can find room for dessert.” Twila said.
“I’m betting you can but I wonder what it will be. So far everything, especially the company, has been excellent.”
“You are such a charmer.”
“Only being honest. I love to spend time with you.”
“I’m beginning to discover you can be fun too.”
“Whatever you need me to be, I can be if you’ll let me.” Trail offered.
The waitress came back setting the boxes down on the table and placing their desserts in front of them. She lit them on fire and they flamed up for an instant before it died down. “Baked Alaska.” The waitress told them.
Twila looked as excited as a youngster and he realized she’d missed out on a lot of the fun and excitement a young adult would have had. Trail wanted to make that up to her, today and every day. “You never had this before?” He asked.
“The only foods I’ve had that were on fire were the ones that were accidently burned by one of the cooks. They always fed that stuff to the slaves.”
“You’ll love this.” He said ignoring the sad commentary she’d made about the life she had lived. Trail wanted her to confide in him, but not now. Right now he was wooing his mate, trying to get her to accept him as hers and only hers.
Everything seemed to be against them but he refused to give up. He wanted Twila more than anything and he intended to prove it to her. Tonight he had made great strides toward them being together and he wasn’t willing to give up an inch of ground he’d gained. They finished their dessert slowly savoring it. Once they were done, they packed up their leftovers and Trail paid before they left.
They walked back to the office, sated food wise and mostly quiet, at least at first. “Just curious. Why do you have an account at Mad’s, but not at the Polar Bear?”
“Mad’s is more the everyday place while the Polar Bear is more for special occasions.”
“Taking me out is a special occasion?”
“Always, but it felt more special today.”
“How come?”
“I felt closer to you than I ever have.”
Twila flushed pink sweetly. “I did too. I guess you’ll have to go back to work when we get back?”
“Yes, I have two jobs to get done and I need you to follow up on the interviews and the new hires, if you don’t mind.”
“I can do that. You won’t be back until late, right?”
“I can’t be sure, but that’s likely.”
“If you need anything, I’ll be in the office at least until five.”
“Thank you. If I need to, I’ll call.” He would too, because he wanted him and Twila to have a relationship where they could depend
on each other.
The physical relationship would be marvelous once they indulged it, but being able to count on someone to have your back regardless of the situation? That was priceless. He hopped in the company truck and took off hoping the jobs would go smoothly so he could return to Twila’s side.
Two days later and the new guy was finally here. Trail and Twila had not had much time together because work had gotten even crazier. Hopefully the new guy would take on part of that burden but first he had to be trained. Usually their field personnel did two jobs in an average day. That was what this new guy would be doing.
“Hello. I’m Trail and this is Twila. She’s the office manager and I’m the field manager.” Trail greeted the new guy.
“I’m Ray Jobes and I’m happy to be working again. Things got rough back home and half the businesses shut down.”
“You relocated to here?” Trail asked.
“Yes, I moved my family here. My wife is looking for an office job. Do you know any place she could apply?”
“Send her to me and I’ll see if I can find her a job.” Twila said. Trail knew they were planning on hiring office help as soon as possible.
“Do you know a place to rent too? We’re staying in a weekly studio. It’s tough with two kids, a mother in law, and it’s expensive.”
“I’ll put the word out with the locals. What are you looking for?” Twila asked.
“A three bedroom, but we’d take a two bedroom for a while. It’s not that we wouldn’t like a bigger place, say a four bedroom, but we’ve used up all out savings and her mom is staying with us. Mom doesn’t draw social security yet.”
“Twila will look out for you, but for now, we need to go.” Trail insisted. “You’ll be with me for two jobs today and I’ll decide if you’re ready to turn loose or not.” The man had excellent references and was trained in setting up security already.
Trail would see if he was competent and if he was, he would turn him loose. Twila would see that at first, Ray got the closest jobs at the easiest to find addresses. Jobs that were straight forward and as simple as possible. Once he got the lay of the land and they were sure he wouldn’t have problems, his jobs would get harder and possibly in more remote places.
They were behind and had one hell of a waiting list. That was never a good thing. The two of them arrived at the first job and got to work. Trail wasn’t easily impressed, but the guy knew what he was doing. His biggest problem would be finding some of the remote locations but a GPS would help most of the time. Sometimes, only a local could help.
At lunch time they were back and Trail took his new guy and Twila out to Mad’s. They sat at the table waiting for a waitress. “Who is that?” Ray asked.
“That’s just Mad. She goes after all the new guys.” Trail said as he looked up and saw Mad circling the table like a land shark. Ray looked nervous and he didn’t blame the guy. Mad had a gleam in her eye and a ravenous look on her face. Finally, she approached the table and looked like she might drool. Ray was a nice looking guy.
“Hello Mad. Let me introduce you to my new guy, Ray. He, his wife, and their two kids will be moving here soon.”
“Married? Damn! Nice to meet you anyway.” Mad said before she stomped off.
Ray leaned back in his seat and let out the breath he’d been holding. “That went easier than I expected.” He said and he looked relieved.
“I’d tell you her bark is worse than her bite, but it isn’t. She does however leave married guys alone.” Trail enlightened.
“Thank goodness. I don’t need any of that.” Ray mumbled.
“Well, why don’t we order three on tap?” Trail said as he waved three fingers at a waitress. She came to their table with three mugs of beer and set them down.
“Do you know what you want?” She asked.
“Three specials.” Trail said and the waitress swung around and was gone.
“What’s the special?” Ray asked.
“You never know until it comes.” Trail admitted.
They started to talk about work. “When can my wife come in and put in an application?” Ray asked.
“Anytime is fine.” Twila replied.
“How about tomorrow?” Ray wondered.
“Sure. I’ll set you up with a job near here so it won’t be out of your way.” Twila offered.
“Thanks. I wish she didn’t have to work, but she’s damn good at it.”
“What did she do before?”
“She was a PA. Rita is good at anything that deals with computers, phones, and people. She was the PA to the President of the company we both worked for before it went under.” Ray admitted.
“What happened?” Twila asked.
“Nobody is talking. I suspect someone did something illegal. It was such a big company and now the whole thing is down the drain. They closed doors at fifty locations. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. I don’t think I ever appreciated what that meant as much as I do now.” Ray admitted.
“You’ll get back on top of things. This location is just starting out and good people can move up fast.” Trail encouraged. “Right now, we have all the business we can handle. If I’m honest, we have more than we can handle. We found a void and now we’re filling it. I do three jobs a day but my list is still growing faster than I can possibly fill it.”
“That sounds good. Once I’m familiar with things, I wouldn’t mind some overtime. We got behind a little and her mom has been living with us. She’s a great lady, but she’s alone with no income. Once Rita starts working, we can pay her to babysit. The kids are six and ten.”
Once they finished eating, they returned to the office. Ray went out alone. He had a radio in case he ran into trouble. Trail finished his two jobs and headed back. It was a relief when he saw Twila in the office. That relief was something he felt every time he returned to see her alright. The danger was still there, it just wasn’t out in the open right now. Those wolf haters were still lingering in the shadows waiting for a chance to attack.
“Hey Twila. How did Ray do?” Trail asked. He really wanted to pick her up, sling her over his shoulder, carry her off somewhere, and ravish her.
“Ray did great. I have him scheduled for two jobs tomorrow. I hope his wife is as good as he says. We could use the office help.” Twila admitted.
“Even if she isn’t, I’m betting she can answer a phone and take a message.” Trail assured.
“I was hoping for more.”
“I know, but even if she’s not superwoman, she’ll be a help.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have such high expectations. It can be disappointing.”
“I’ve got a great idea.” Twila looked at him suspiciously. “Why don’t we get an order to go, and eat in your apartment while we watch a movie?”
“Do you have any movies I would want to watch?” Twila asked.
“Sure. I have action movies and Tyne once said you like those. I also have fantasy and alien ones.”
“Okay.” She agreed as she handed him the phone. “Put in an order already.” Trail did and then they walked to Mad’s to pick it up. “You ordered a lot.”
“I’m hungry.” He explained.
They got the food to her place and Trail ran over to his place to bring back a box of movies. Twila had the food unpacked and plates and drinks set out for them. He set down the box and she thumbed through the movies.
“This one.” Twila yelled in victory.
“Why are you so excited about picking a movie?”
“I never thought you would really have one I liked.”
“Pick another in case we watch two.”
She began to thumb through them again. “Yes!”
Trail smiled at her indulgently. “I told you that you would like some of them.”
“I know, but I didn’t believe you.”
“Will you believe me next time I tell you something?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“On what it is
about.”
“I’ll never understand females.”
“You’re not supposed to understand us, just worship us.” Twila grinned.
“You made a joke?” Trail chuckled.
“I tell jokes.”
“You’ve never told me a joke before.”
“I guess I’ll have to make more of an effort to tell you more. Come over here if you have your plate fixed.”
Trail did and he sat on the couch next to her. It felt quite domesticated for them to sit side by side on the couch eating their meal as they watched a movie. Once they were done eating, he paused the movie and set their dishes in the sink. He got them each their dessert and went back to join her. It felt nice and comfortable. He felt she was getting used to him and starting to trust him.
Once dessert was done, Twila leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around her. He’d never felt so complete before and now he knew what the saying about being home truly meant. For him, it was his mate, Twila. That was what it would always be no matter where they lived.
She turned and looked up at him and he did what came naturally. His lips pressed against hers and when her mouth opened, his tongue slipped inside. Trail worried that she might protest, but her tongue danced with his. Her breathing sped up and her heart beat faster, just like his. He scented her arousal and it matched his.
Could tonight be his chance to be with his mate? Could this be one giant leap forward in their relationship? It was what he wanted but what did Twila want? Their kiss continued to heat up as his hands stroked her curves roaming over her delightful body. Her hands stroked his back and she clung to him.
“Twila, I want you so badly.” He whispered in her ear and felt her shiver.
“I want you too.” Twila murmured back. It was exactly what he wanted to hear, but did she mean it?
“Are you certain? There is no going back.”
“I’m not ready to mate you, Trail. But I can be with you and explore what this is between us.”
Not what he’d hoped for, but it was a start. ”Yes. I can accept that. Let’s go to your bedroom.” Trail turned off the TV, the movie long over. As much as he wanted more out of his female, he’d not expected her to get to this point as quickly as she had.
Bad Habit (Wolf Investigations and Securities Inc. Book 2) Page 6