Isolated Maneuver

by Mandy M. Roth

  The women closed ranks on Galiena and gave her more hugs. The men shared looks like they were going to have to step it up in the romance department, and fast.

  Bill waved his hand in the air. “So, how big would the mount over the mantel for his balls need to be?”

  Bane grumbled. “Stop trying to see my dick.”

  “Dear gods, you’re not trying to see his too, are you?” demanded Weston.

  Shrugging, Bill adjusted himself. “Hey. I want to know what I have to look forward to when I go back in and make them give me what you guys got.”

  Casey laughed. “Not something you want, little buddy. Trust me. How about we get Gus and load him on the plane while he’s out cold?”

  Weston groaned and made his way to the SUV. “For the best. He fucking hates to fly. I learned the hard way.”

  Bane laughed. “So I’ve been told.”

  Casey beat Weston to the SUV and lifted Gus out carefully. He started in the direction of the plane, and then stopped as Weston reached into the open door of the SUV quickly and removed the bag of brownies that Bill had made.

  Before Bane could warn the man off them, Weston was shoveling some in. “Mmm, I was starving. These are delicious. Want one?”

  Casey continued to hold Gus, but shook his head. “Chocolate and wolves don’t mix.”

  “Oh, right. Your loss.”

  Bane opened his mouth and then closed it, his gaze finding Bill, who was smiling like the cat who ate the canary. Casey carried Gus onto the plane and then returned, going to his mate, who was still talking and hugging with the other women. Bane snorted, happy his friends weren’t so touchy-feely.

  Casey checked his watch and then glanced at Bane as if to ask him to get the women moving. Bane lifted his hands and shook his head. No way was he stepping in it with the ladies.

  Weston finished the last of the brownies and clutched the empty bag in his hand. He froze and stared at the SUV with wide eyes. “Bane, there is some creepy chick in your car staring at me with eyes that don’t blink. They don’t fucking blink…”

  Galiena drew back from Paisley and lifted a brow. “Honey, is your friend high?”

  “He ate Bill’s special brownies and now he’s found Mona.”

  “Mona?” asked Casey.

  Bane grinned. “Creepy chick in the back of the SUV.”

  Weston moved back and forth slightly. “Her gaze follows me. It’s weirding me out.”

  “I know the feeling,” said Bane, at the same moment that Mona’s head picked to fall off once more.

  Weston screamed, sounding like a little girl rather than a genetically engineered super soldier. He then proceeded to run and stand behind Casey, making Bane laugh in the process.

  Bill snorted. “Some alphas you are.”

  Galiena came to Bane and eased her arms around his waist. She hugged him and he returned the embrace. She kissed his chest and looked up at him. “I happen to love my alpha, and aside from being scared of Mona, I think he’s very brave.”

  His body warmed at hearing her voice her feelings for him. “And your alpha just so happens to love you too.”

  Bill smiled. “About time you manned up and said it to her face-to-face, monkey-boy.”

  “Casey, I’m going to eat your friend,” snarled Bane.

  Bill stuck out his tongue and ran for the plane. “Gotta catch me first!”

  THE END

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  The Guardians by Mandy M. Roth: Paranormal Dark Fantasy Vampire Shifter Romance

  Ass-kicking Guardian, Madelyn Mason, is the only female in a sea of supernatural males. College student by day, she spends her nights fighting for mankind--the innocents, the ones who have no clue that the things of nightmares walk among the living.

  Larger than life Hollywood hunk, Brady Devens, has won the hearts of millions of adoring fans. But, the only heart he wants to win is that of his mate, Madelyn. She hasn't shown an interest in him as anything more than a friend, and he’s beginning to think the Powers That Be goofed.

  In this world of magik, mishap, demons, gods, and pleasure nymphs, anything is possible. Can they find a love that transcends time and space or will the Powers That Be decide maybe they weren’t destined for one another after all?

  Excerpt from The Guardians by Mandy M. Roth The Guardians (The Guardians) © copyright 2007

  I propped my feet up on the Formica table and leaned back in my chair to see if Brady was done filming his scene yet. He was already running an hour and a half behind schedule. Typical, but it still pissed me off. Since he was my ride home, I was stuck. I didn’t really mind. I’d also come prepared with things to do while I waited. Watching him work was rather amusing. It was especially funny when he and his co-star didn’t see eye to eye as was the case now.

  The skinny redhead in front of him was having trouble getting into the “zone” in regards to chemistry. She was supposed to look like she couldn’t get enough of Brady in a sensual, erotic sort of way. That hadn’t happened as of yet. Instead, she was coming across as a giddy teenage girl who might faint at the slightest bit of attention from him. Sadly, I think that’s exactly what she was.

  Every time Brady moved in to her to say his lines, she giggled. I wanted to buy her an ice cream cone and the newest heartthrob magazine before sending her on her merry way. Yeah, I was that annoyed with her. It didn’t help she’d started aggravating me about forty minutes earlier, leaving me no choice but to do mischievous magikal things to her from afar. Since I didn’t have to actually lay a hand on her, I looked innocent. Only Brady knew what I was doing. He was the only person present who was aware I was more than human. Each time I zapped the redhead, he laughed so hard they had to restart the scene. His running behind might have had something to do with my shenanigans, but it was so much easier to point the finger of blame in another direction.

  David, the director, yelled “cut” and announced another break. At this rate, we’d be spending the night at the studio. The lights came on and the set cleared almost instantly. I couldn’t blame the crew for being in a hurry, I was a little sick of it all too. Though, shocking the redhead did make me giddy.

  Brady grabbed his long-sleeved, white cotton shirt and tossed it on, not bothering to button it. The solid wall of tawny muscle left showing made me do a slight double-take. He was certainly a fine specimen. That much was for sure.

  He nodded towards me. His tousled blond hair was purposely messy, styled in one of those shorter cuts, leaving the top about two inches long and the sides and back cut close. Brady’s hair routine consisted of pouring a glop of gel in his hands and running them through his hair. That was it. Anything above that was primping in his book and just wasn’t done.

  Sadly enough, our rituals weren’t altogether that different. I tended to avoid the gel and just let my hair air dry. I had little room to comment on his laziness. Especially since most people assumed I was high maintenance.

  As he neared, I spotted smudged lipstick on his face and laughed. Leaning forward, I grabbed my red handbag and tossed it to him. “Catch, Casanova.”

  Brady wrinkled his nose and sighed. “Is it bad?”

  Looking up into his blue eyes, I snickered. We’d been through enough of these types of scenes to know he was covered in lipstick. “It sort of looks like you’ve been attacked by an entire team of Great-Aunt Ednas, who all took turns laying one on you, but it could be worse,” I snorted. “They really should take that off her. It doesn’t do a thing for her. Light peach would have been a perfect color for her. It wouldn’t show so bad on you and it’d bring out her eyes.”

  Brady chuckled and opened my handbag. “You know, when you go all girlie you make me wonder how we ended up friends.” Reaching into my bag, his eyes widened and the color drained from his face as he pulled out a handful of condoms. “Madelyn?”

  I grinned. “Yes?”

  “W
hat are these?”

  “Brady, you of all people, know what those are. Don’t even pretend like you don’t sleep with every girl who throws herself at you.”

  The thick muscles in his neck worked overtime as he appeared to have momentary issues swallowing. I considered patting his back but held back. “Uhh, Mads, I thought you and Vance were taking some time apart?”

  Flashing him a bad girl smile, I stood slowly. It felt good to stretch after sitting for so long. “We are on, if you’ll recall, what Vance likes to refer to as a break and I like to call broken up, because he did what…?” Tipping my head, I put my hand out to Brady, prompting him to take a guess.

  Brady gave me the “I really don’t want to discuss this look” and grabbed a tissue out of my bag. “Because he cheated on you.”

  “With how many women?”

  “Two,” he sighed before tapping a condom package, “at the same time.”

  “Ding, ding. We have a winner.” Taking my bag from him, I tossed it aside and put my hand out. A woman’s touch was needed. Brady relinquished the tissue and stood still. I moved in close and went to work on cleaning him up. I thought about putting my mule heels back on. They gave me an additional two inches of height. Not that I normally needed any more, but Brady was six-four and I was five-nine. Compared to many women I knew, I was tall. Compared to Brady, I wasn’t.

  Tilting his head to the side, I cleaned his cheek before going to work on his neck. I wrinkled my nose as I found something wet and slimy on him. “Gawd, did she drool on you too? This is ridiculous.” Grinning, I added my own saliva to the mix by spitting on the tissue before going back to the task at hand. Surprisingly enough, Brady wasn’t fazed.

  “Tell me about it.” Brady shifted, not seeming pleased in the least. “So far today, I’ve been pushed off a building so many times I lost count and pawed by a girl who barely looks legal.”

  I laughed and finished wiping him. “You noticed that too, huh?”

  “Yeah.” The look on his face said he wasn’t happy about the age thing. It was surprising because I’d have guessed most men in their late twenties would be all over a hot little redhead wanting them, regardless of her age. Guess I was wrong. Though, Brady wasn’t like most men I knew.

  “Her file says she’s nineteen. I don’t see it.”

  Brady grabbed my wrist and held it gently. “Been peeking in Daddy’s files again, I see.”

  “Yep.” Bending over, I reached for my shoes and stilled as I felt Brady’s hand on my ass. “Why, exactly, are you touching me?”

  “Uhh, you had something on the back of your jeans. It’s gone now.”

  Right. So much for my theory on him not being like most men.

  I slipped my shoes on and began the fun task of cleaning up my area. “So, how long do you think we’ll be here tonight?” I asked, tossing my books back in my bag. My Ancient Civilizations class was killing my GPA and I was sick of staring at the text book.

  He shrugged. “A while yet. Do you want me to send for a car?”

  “Nah, my movie star roommate isn’t home yet and since the house is huge, I get lost often.” I’d have laughed but it was true. I still got a bit turned around and I’d lived there with Brady for two years now.

  Brady smiled wide and nodded. “This guy must be a real winner, leaving you alone to fend for yourself.”

  Pushing past him, I headed towards the sound system behind the backdrop. I turned it on and selected random play. The first MP3 kicked on and I laughed. Typical Brady music came blaring out—classic rock. “My roommate’s not so bad. Though he does have the worst taste in music.”

  Turning to look back at Brady, I gasped and backed up when I found him standing directly behind me. He had the uncanny ability to sneak up on me. As much as I trusted Brady, it was still a bit unnerving. Part of my life left me utilizing my skills and being on guard at all times. The fact I let it go, dropping my natural shields for Brady, meant something. What, I wasn’t sure quite yet.

  He took hold of my waist and steadied me. “I love catching you by surprise, Mads.”

  I smacked his rock hard, six pack abs with the back of my hand. The man was muscled perfection at its finest. “Yeah, well I hate it. One of these days I’m going to level your butt.” Sadly enough, I meant every word I said. It would be accidental, I’m sure of it, but it would happen.

  “Are you going to start tossing magik at me too?” he asked, his blue gaze raking over me. “I almost begged you to electrocute the barely legal girl.”

  “Hey, I zapped her in the rump at least four times. Maybe more. Those were for you by the way. I noticed she kept grabbing your backside and you kept pulling her hand off. If you’d rather I didn’t toy with her, I’ll stop.”

  His eyes widened as I reached up and hit the search button on the sound system. “No. Please feel free to do whatever you want to her, Mads. She’s purposely delaying the scene and it’s pissing me off. Why the hell they picked her is beyond me. We obviously don’t connect.”

  “You better start connecting real soon, Brady. She’s your romantic lead. So in between things blowing up and you kicking the bad guys’ asses, you have to look like you can’t get enough of her.” I gave him a droll look. “Currently, you’re coming across as not being able to get far enough away from her.”

  “That would be because I can’t get far enough away from her. Trust me, I’ve tried.” He ran a hand through his hair and then over his squared jaw. He scratched his neck and yawned, proving what I already knew, he was tired. It had been a long day, full of action packed scenes and endless retakes, not to mention his lack of enthusiasm over the redhead. All things considered, Brady had the right to be a bit worn around the edges. As his best friend, I had the right to try to cheer him up.

  I headed towards the set and smiled wide at the mock nightclub that had been erected several years back. In reality it was a half square that pulled apart for shooting purposes. On film, it was anything from a happening dance club to a raunchy bar, dependent upon what movie was being filmed there at the time. Currently, it was a high class strip club—a gentlemen’s club. That struck me as funny.

  Yes, often I equate a gentleman with some guy ogling chicks’ breasts. Not.

  Arching a brow, I cast a questioning look at Brady and let my gaze travel over his bare pecs. “Tell me again why they have you with your shirt off in the middle of a crowded club? No other men have their shirts off. What? Was your character suffering from hot flashes? I don’t get it.”

  Brady smiled as he stretched his arms high above his head, yawning so loud that for a moment, he covered the music playing in the background. He also did a fine job of showing off every muscle as it rippled with his movements. “I asked them the same thing. They told me your dad ordered it.” A sly grin spread over his sleepy face. “Something about my sex-appeal.”

  It sounded exactly like something my father would say. He owned the production company and did whatever the hell he wanted. Exploiting his hottest star, Brady, was one of his favorite pastimes. I hated every second of it and always felt bad for Brady. I wasn’t sure if he agreed to my father’s demands because he wanted to or if he did it to please me. “Do you want me to get that changed for you?”

  For some reason, I was one of the only people who could get my father to budge on anything in the way of toning down how much he tried to exploit Brady. He knew I hated it. My father also knew Brady wasn’t fond of stripping down in front of millions, yet he still tried to push the envelope.

  “Let me think about it. If the barely legal gal keeps being all touchy-feely I might. She tried to slide her hand down my pants three times already. And I’m not trying to be a dick but the girl can’t dance.”

  Running my hand over the black bar, I glanced around the set again. They tweaked it enough to not be recognizable from movie to movie but the general layout stayed the same.

  “What ya thinking about?” he asked, watching me closely.

  I laughed softly. “I wa
s just thinking of how much fun it was to practically grow up here. I’ve seen just about everything. The first time I asked to go out dancing with my girlfriends, my father freaked out and had us use this place instead. I’m fairly sure we filled it to capacity. They all enjoyed it. I kind of wanted to go somewhere else but they had fun and that’s what was important.” I glanced back at him, recalling he was there as well. “Did you have fun?”

  Brady nodded slowly as he walked towards me. “I enjoyed watching from the sidelines. I didn’t enjoy every one of your little girlfriends swarming around me until your mother came to my aid by kissing me on the cheek and putting her arm through mine. Your girlfriends looked pissed. Your mom just smiled.”

  “Did you know she cornered me later about not coming to your rescue?” I asked, giving him the evil eye.

  “Nope, but from the look on your face, it was my fault.”

  “Mmmhmm, she told me I should have done that for you. I should have been the one to rescue you from them all. I laughed but she didn’t. I then went on to tell her I didn’t understand what the big deal was. It’s not like she looked a day over thirty. And I think you’ve gotten locked in some weird time warp too because you’ve looked exactly the same since I met you.” I cast him a wary look as I flipped the disco lights on, instantly bathing us in a multi-colored shower of light.

  Brady moved up behind me and gave me the courtesy of dragging his feet a bit to warn me he was there. “Why did your mother think you should have been the one who saved me from your friends?”

  “I’m not sure. You know how she is. She’s crazier than I am. But she went on and on about it. Mom even got to the point she told me, don’t laugh, millions of women around the world would die to get to kiss your cheek.”

  Sure, it was true but it wasn’t something I expected to come out of my mouth. I tended to ignore Brady’s celebrity status unless picking on it. I wasn’t one for the public eye and still couldn’t understand how comfortable he was with all the attention he received. Of course, he didn’t have to hide his true calling from the world for fear he’d inadvertently notify all humans that demons were not only real but living among them.