Colby’s expression instantly changed from polite to not-so-polite. “Barbara, can I talk to you?” he asked.
Tanisha’s body felt tense. She wasn’t sure why, but it felt like she just got rejected. Indignation began to bubble. Was this actually a setup? And did he just reject her? Did he need to run off and tell Barbara that someone like Tanisha wasn’t his type?
She calmed herself and smiled, this was stupid. All the talk with Amelia had gone to her head. That and Mr. Blue Eyes. Who’s to say this was a setup anyway? And his need to talk to Barbara reminded her of hers.
“Barbara, I also need to talk to you.”
She looked at Colby, for a second concerned about being rude, but remembering he just wanted to dash off with Barbara as well. She turned her attention back to Barbara. “Do you have time? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Barbara and Colby both looked at her concerned; she wondered if she weren’t perhaps too forceful or eager with her request for a private conversation.
“Sounds like were all dying to talk to each other then,” said Barbara. As she said it, someone else came up to Barbara wanting to talk.
“Just a moment,” said Barbara to the man vying for her attention. She looked to Colby and Tanisha. “How about we rendezvous at the bar in five minutes?”
***
Colby’s wolf was telling him to shut up but he wouldn’t listen. He and Tanisha waited at the bar for Barbara. He was trying to be polite to the bombshell standing in front of him, but he didn’t want to lead her on and he wasn’t happy being manipulated like this. “Look,” he said to Tanisha, “I appreciate what you and Barbara are doing, but I have to tell you that I’m not interested.”
“Excuse me?”
“The setup,” said Colby. “I know what this is.”
“Ex-cuse me?” Indignation exuded from Tanisha’s voice. Maybe he was wrong about this, though inside he scoffed and doubted it. “I’m sorry, maybe we’re both victims here.”
Tanisha seemed to be forcing a polite smile. “Yeah,” she said, “sure.”
His wolf was scolding him for messing things up. She’d gone from being open and if his nose was correct, turned on, and now she was clearly angry repulsed.
The longer he stood there the dumber he felt. She was fucking hot, even if this were a setup. Did he really have trouble being setup with a beautiful woman? Was he really that principled? Either way, she didn’t deserve to be treated like the sweater he didn’t want or an unwanted surprise. He owed her an explanation. “I’m very sorry,” he said. “I’ve been known to be a little frank, too frank, but I believe we’re here on a setup.”
Tanisha scoffed. “And that’s an excuse for bad manners?”
Colby was taken aback. Shit. He put his foot in his mouth again. His mind was scrambling, fighting with his Fenrir and the situation. He needed a moment to breathe. “Can I get you a drink?” he asked.
“No thanks,” she said in a cold tone. “But why don’t you go get one for yourself.”
***
Colby took his time at the bar, even allowing people to jump ahead of him. He kept glancing at the spot where he just left Tanisha. Damn. She was fucking hot. He averted his eyes, not wanting her to stare back at him with those brown eyes he’d turned into daggers. They were beautiful when they weren’t squinted at him in anger. They almost sucked him in and he knew there was a lot behind them, but that’s why he had to be strong. He definitely didn’t have time for this. He couldn’t deal with this amount of temptation.
He glanced in Tanisha’s direction again. Where was Barbara? Maybe this was her plan. To leave the two of them alone hoping they’d hit it off. It was clearly a bad idea.
He scanned the room for Barbara then back in Tanisha’s direction. She had her back to him, probably purposefully. He didn’t mind, it allowed him to stare at her from behind.
Have mercy.
Everything in him was roused and he wasn’t sure if he could control himself. But he was a Fenrir, so it was always about control with him. It was in his blood.
When he looked back at Tanisha, Barbara had come into view and the two of them were talking. He made his way back, but at a pace slow enough to give them time to chat.
The conversation stopped as soon as he arrived. Clearly they were talking about him, making this the appropriate time to bring this up. “Barbara,” he said, “I wanted to apologize.” He looked at Tanisha. “Actually I should be apologizing to you.” His eyes were stuck on Tanisha for a moment, then he regained composure. “I’m sorry, the both of you.” He ran his fingers through his hair, something he did when he was younger and nervous. He cleared his throat and remembered he was a man. A flustered man, but one with principles nonetheless. He looked at Barbara and continued. “While very tempting,” he said, “I’m not interested. It’s-”
“That makes two of us.”
Tanisha cut him off before he could finish and say that it wasn’t personal.
Barbara looked confused. “I don’t think I’m following.” She looked to Tanisha, who crossed her arms, then at Colby. “What’s going on here?”
“The setup,” said Colby.
“What setup?” asked Barbara.
His wolf was telling him to shut up.
“Is this a setup?” asked Tanisha to Barbara.
Barbara looked flabbergasted. “Well, I did want you two to meet, but for professional purposes. What we talked about last week,” she said to Tanisha, “I’d like you two to work on it.”
“So this isn’t a setup?” asked Tanisha.
“Of course this isn't a setup. What do I look like, some kind of paranormal matchmaker? Where’d you get such an idea?”
All eyes settled on Colby.
Fuck.
Chapter 2 - The Call
Tanisha cursed and banged the dashboard as she drove to the Big Shifter Center. “Don’t do this Beulah.” But Beulah the Buick was blowing steam from behind. Anxiety coursed through her. This wasn’t a good time for a breakdown. Not when she needed to be on her way. It made the work she needed to do for Barbara even more important, as she was sure she’d need the money as she saw repairs in Beulah’s future.
Adding to her anxiety was that she was on her way to meet Mr. Jackass/Blue Eyes. She felt a mix of things but found him mostly laughable. She couldn’t even be angry about last night because it was too laughable. The man was a presumptuous idiot. She wondered what else he was. Surely he was part man, he’d certainly looked the part of a man, all six feet plus of him. And of course he was an idiot like one. But she wondered what else he was. Hopefully not a demon.
Another cloud of smoke billowed from the back as she waited at the stoplight. Better the back than the front, she thought, giving her the slight hope that maybe she didn’t have some sort of terrible engine trouble, but maybe something with the muffler. Still, this was problematic all the same.
This wasn’t what she needed, an extra expense just as she was getting ready to leave. But at the same time, she needed reliable transportation. It was a requisite for life on the run.
Reality forced her to make tough decisions, including the decision to work on the proposal for Barbara. Barbara was (over) paying her well and it would only take the weekend. Plus, she couldn’t say no to the cause.
She pulled up into the lot of the center. The car seemed to give out as she cut the engine. A jolt of stress shot through her. She’d get it fixed, but first this. One problem at a time.
***
A woman with whiskers sat at the reception desk of the Big Shifter Center. Tanisha tried to keep her composure. She remembered that she lived in a community of shifters, but it was strange actually seeing one in front of you. The catlike woman answered the phone just as Tanisha arrived.
“Thank you for calling Big Shifters, where we provide big brothers and sisters to adolescent shifters. How can I help you today?”
Tanisha looked around the lobby, trying to avoid looking at the woman’s whiskers
as she spoke on the phone. Behind the woman she saw a giant mural on the wall that looked like a thermometer. Help save the center! Was written above it, with lines and red paint denoting various levels of donations. They were a long way off from the top.
The woman finished her conversation and turned her attention to Tanisha. “Welcome to the Big Shifter Center…” she began, as if rereading from the same script. “How can I help you today?”
“I’m here to see Colby Fenrir.”
“Oh how wonderful,” she said.
Tanisha wasn’t sure what was so wonderful about it.
“Can I offer you a tea or a tour while you wait?” The woman was extra bubbly. “How about a cookie? Would you like a treat?”
Tanisha wasn’t hungry or thirsty, besides, she wasn’t sure if she were being offered catnip tea or perhaps a dog biscuit. “No thank you,” she said politely.
“Just have a seat then, he’ll be here in just a minute.”
***
She shouldn’t have been surprised or pissed, but half an hour later she was both. She already knew his manners left much to be desired, but making someone wait half an hour for a meeting was outright offensive. Did he not value her time? Did he think she had nothing else to do this weekend?
If this wasn’t for Barbara and if the work didn’t have to be done this weekend she’d walk out of there right now and let him have fun trying to reschedule. But this wasn’t about her. This was about helping Barbara and the center.
She made her way to Kathy, the catlike woman, to once again inquire about Colby’s whereabouts. Tanisha reminded herself that it wasn’t that she was being impatient, but that they had a meeting—a Saturday morning meeting—and she had other things to do, like prepare to get out of town.
“I just called him again. He’s sending his assistant to come and get you.”
“Thank you,” she said with a smile, though in the back of her mind she frowned at the idea of the luxury of an assistant when the center had financial needs. But she was just there to help write a grant proposal. She was there to help them get money, not tell them how to spend it.
***
“Shift back,” said JC to Colby, in Colby’s office. “Don’t mess this up.”
Colby spent the last 30 minutes trying to get things under control. JC wasn’t helping the situation.
Colby had dreamed of her. All night. The erotic things that happened had woken him from his sleep. What was she doing to him? Granted, in his dreams it was him doing things to her, but he couldn’t think about those things. Thinking about those things left him in his current condition— stuck as a wolf.
Colby growled as he tried to take control of his wolf, his Fenrir. But it was too powerful.
“Why aren’t you wearing a gleipnir,” asked JC. “Do you have one here?”
Colby growled. He didn’t wear his gleipnir because wearing it was uncomfortable. Besides, he’d learned to control himself without it. It was Tanisha that was doing this to him. She sparked something in him that unleashed his inner beast.
“You have to get your shit together,” said JC. “Don’t ruin this. We need the money.”
Colby growled. He knew the situation at the center, he didn’t need the reminder. JC also needed to watch his language.
“It’s been half an hour, she’s going to leave.”
Colby growled at the idea of missing the meeting.
JC took off the necklace around his neck, his own gleipnir. “Take mine,” he said.
Colby growled at him. He told JC not to take it off because like Colby, JC was also a Fenrir and he hadn’t yet learned to fully control his wolf.
“I’m taking something else anyway, I don’t need it. My girlfriend makes enchantments.”
Girlfriend? Colby’s wolf head cocked to the side. Since when did JC have a girlfriend? And when did he start taking enchantments? They needed to have a big shifter talk, but after this and after he gained control as a man.
The phone rang again. Colby growled at it, unsure why.
“Down boy,” said JC. “You have to snap out of this.” Colby growled at the advice. Everything made him growl.
The problem was that he was a Fenrir, a descendent of the Nordic wolf god. Despite Fenrir living ages ago, the bloodline was strong and the Fenrir in Colby was just as powerful and potent today.
But it wasn’t unlike a boy learning to take control of his manhood. It just took practice and time to gain control.
But Tanisha had done something to him. Something about her made him lose control. He smelled her from the parking lot. As soon as she walked in the building her scent turned him into a hound.
“Shift back,” said JC. “It’s just like you taught me. Don’t think of what you are right now, think of what you want to be. You want to be someone working to make money to save the center, remember? So think really hard.”
Colby growled.
The phone rang again.
JC picked up the receiver. “Colby Fenrir’s office.” Colby could hear Kathy’s voice pouncing through the receiver. “Thanks, Kathy, please tell her his assistant is on the way,” said JC, hanging up the receiver.
Assistant? growled Colby.
“Makes us look more important,” said JC, “more professional. You need to work on your impression management skills.”
Colby growled. Was that a joke?
He watched JC run to the locker where they kept the swag they gave away to visitors. JC grabbed a T-shirt from a bin.
“I’m going to give her a tour,” said JC. “Take a cold shower and shift back already. She’s not going to help us if she has to work with a giant wolf.”
***
Tanisha saw the young guy walking toward her. Was he the assistant? He looked way too casual in his oversized shirt and ripped jeans, but then again it was the weekend.
“Justin Bane,” he said extending his hand. “But I go by JC.”
Tanisha smiled and shook his hand. “Tanisha Violet.”
“Colby’s a little tied up at the moment, he’s really sorry. I’m here to give you a tour of the facility.” He grabbed the T-shirt he was holding. “Oh, and we have a gift for you.” JC fumbled with the t-shirt. “Congratulations, you are hereby a Big Shifter.”
Tanisha appreciated the gesture but hoped they screened people a little more carefully. “Thank you,” she said taking the T-shirt.
JC and Tanisha made their way around the center. “Those are the basketball courts,” said JC pointing in the direction, “obviously.”
Tanisha was taken aback by the running werewolf she saw playing on the court. “Hmm,” she said, not sure what else to say.
JC continued on, taking her to the weight room and then the pool where they gave swimming lessons.
“It’s a saltwater pool. It’s new. Mrs. Wolfe helped raise the money for it.”
Tanisha heard the unmistakable sound of a seal, causing her to take a closer look at the pool. She didn’t see a seal, but did see a school of fish at the shallow end of the pool. “Oh,” she said, again lost for words.
“This is a form neutral zone.”
Tanisha wasn’t sure when JC meant. “Form neutral?”
“Normally you have to be in human form, but here there is no requirement. You can be in human form or shifter form, either way, you just have to be able to control yourself.”
“Oh,” said Tanisha, once again unsure what else to respond. “Sounds like a really free place.”
“It is, that’s what makes it so great. Of course that’s also the problem, everything is free.”
They were nearing the end of the tour. “So that’s us.”
Tanisha smiled. The tour was good for her. It grounded her, focusing her on the job to be done. This wasn’t about Colby, who lacked people skills and common courtesy, but about the kids at the center – in whatever form they took. “Thank you,” she said. “I really do appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. So do you think you can save the center?”
Tanisha wasn’t sure how she felt about the question, let alone how to answer it. She was not at all comfortable being seen as the savior of the center. She could do her best – she would do her best – but that was by no means a guarantee. Besides that, they hadn’t actually gone over the specific problems the center was facing nor how much money needed to be raised. The realization of this caused panic in Tanisha, especially since they needed to go over all of this and then come up with a grant proposal. She wanted to get the work underway as soon as possible. She was trying to think of the most polite way to ask to be taken directly to Colby when she realized JC was already leading her in that direction.
They passed into a room, outside of the door was Colby Fenrir, Director.
“Just one second,” said JC, seeming to almost creep toward the closed door to Colby’s office.
Tanisha wasn’t sure, but did she just hear a growl?
***
His Fenrir threatened to resurface when he saw her, but thanks to JC’s borrowed gleipnir, Colby’s wolf was under control. Colby knew that was a good thing because damn if Tanisha wasn’t stirring up his blood. But after all the commotion with his wolf he knew they were delayed and needed to be laser focused on the work.
They gathered around the phone on Colby’s desk after finally getting settled in. JC the “assistant” made them two cups of the worst coffee known to man and then left them to it.
“I’m glad we could finally sit and talk about this,” said Barbara over the phone. “Is everything okay there?”
The plan was to call Barbara half an hour ago, but with the delay, JC called and pushed the call back, leaving out the details about why. Colby was glad JC didn’t tell her that it was because the scent of Tanisha had done uncontrollable things to him. Colby didn’t want to even admit that to himself.
He looked at Tanisha, something inside of him wanting to know that she felt that everything was okay. Why was he being protective of her? Granted, he was the director of the center, so she was in his territory and it was his job to make sure she felt safe. But it was more the responsibility that had him concerned.
Sassy Ever After: Sass with a Past (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Demons, Gods, and Monsters Book 1) Page 2