“Great,” she sighed. “Another one bites the dust.”
Accepting the fact that Mike wasn’t there, she paid the coordinators for their dinner and went on her way. She wanted to cry on the drive home, thinking that Mike had left her hanging just like any other guy, but she held it together.
“Maybe I’m just meant to be alone,” she said to herself.
She wanted to blame Brooke for this. She was the one who told her a beach date would be a great idea, but maybe it was a little too romantic and scared him away. He probably thought she was trying to trap him into a relationship and decided to skip out instead of hurting her feelings. But that hurt her feelings even more. She didn’t want to believe that to be true about Mike, but it was starting to look a little too familiar.
When she got home, she just wanted to sleep. Brooke had called her, of course, to see how her date had gone, but Sandy didn’t feel like talking. She was pissed. Sad. Hurt. If she saw Mike or Brooke right about now, she would probably curse the both of them out.
*****
The very next day, Mike called Sandy to apologize. She still wasn’t taking anyone’s calls, so he got her voicemail. He had called her nearly twenty times, and she hadn’t answered a single one. Not even a text message.
“Sandy, I know you’re probably pissed. Most of all hurt, but I’ll explain everything. Just give me that chance. Call me back when you get this message. Please.”
He left a ton of messages just like it. She figured whatever lie he was going to feed her about why he left her hanging, he would leave it on the voicemail soon enough. If not, he just wouldn’t get the chance to explain.
“I have to go see her Matt. She probably hates me.”
“Mike, leave it alone man. You’re fishing for trouble. Last night, if she would have seen you shift, do you actually think she would have continued the dinner? Get a grip!”
Mike let Matt’s words go in one ear and out the other. He wouldn’t stop trying to get through to Sandy. If it was the last thing he did.
“Hey, Sandy!” Fred called out when she got to work Monday morning. “Some guy dropped by. He said he had something important to tell you.”
Mike’s little disappearing act Saturday night must have lit a fire under Sandy’s ass because she snapped on Fred as soon as be opened his mouth, not giving him the chance to crack any jokes about her. That must have turned him on or something. He kept coming over to her cubicle asking her if she was ok and if she wanted to go to lunch with him. He even apologized about that stupid bet he had made once upon a time.
“No I don’t wanna go to lunch with you. I wanna finish my job and go home.”
By the end of the day, Sandy had everyone in the office walking on eggshells. They thought she had reached her breaking point. In fear of pissing her off and risking the whole building getting blown up, they stayed out of her way and kept their words to a minimum. She enjoyed the silence, wishing it had been like that every day.
“How you hanging champ?” Brooke called to check up on her way home from work.
“I’m hanging,” she laughed nonchalantly. “I’m heading to the market to pick up a few things for dinner. If you don’t mind, I’m really not in a talking mood. Call you later?”
“I understand,” Brooke said. “If you wanna talk you know how to reach me. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
When Sandy got to the market, the first person she saw was Mike. She almost got back in her car and drove to the market across town to avoid him, but decided against it. From the looks of things, he wasn’t going to stop bothering her anytime soon, and she wasn’t going to go out of her way every day, changing her whole life’s routine just to avoid him. She lived there first.
“Sandy wait,” he called out, jogging slightly to catch up with her. “Let me explain.”
“What’s to explain? You skipped out on a date just to avoid hurting my feelings. I understand perfectly.”
“No, Sandy. That’s not it! Would you just—” She cut him off by snatching her arm away from him and threatening to scream. “Just listen to me, please? For one second.”
She stopped pushing her cart and just as he opened his mouth to speak, she counted out one second and proceeded with her shopping.
“Is everything ok over here ma’am?” the store clerk asked, noticing Mike harassing her.
“I don’t know,” she sassed, with her hand on her hip. “Ask him.”
Mike’s eyes flashed that familiar glow she’d seen at the beach and the time before when he defended her from those guys at the arena and her entire mood changed. She wanted to ask him about that glitch. Was he possessed? But he’d answered the clerk and walked away. Pissed.
After finishing her shopping and heading home, Sandy felt the strange sensation of eyes watching her. She kept checking her rearview mirror, thinking she’d pissed Mike off to the point where he would follow her home and try to kill her, but there was no sign of him. She was kind of bummed out about it too. She kind of enjoyed the feeling of having a man chase her trying to get her attention.
“Do you wanna inform the police? Just in case,” Brooke asked.
“No. I don’t wanna get him trouble or anything, it was just a little weird.”
“Well, maybe you should just hear him out, Sandy. He might have a legitimate reason for leaving. Especially if he’s trying so hard to get back in good standing. You know?”
For a minute, she thought about it, but as soon as she remembered what the other guys had done to her, she made up her mind to stay stern.
“Nah. There shouldn’t be any reason for him not to tell me he was leaving. It’s just a matter of respect. Especially after I just told him what I’d gone through with other guys.”
“Yea. I guess you’re right. But I still think you should hear what he has to say. He has made more of an effort than most.”
Brooke was right, but that didn’t change Sandy’s mind at the moment. If Mike really wanted to make things right with her, he would figure out a way to get her attention.
“Is she really that important to you?” Matt snapped at Mike. “For you to show her the real you? You’re really willing to risk it all, for her?”
“What do you mean, for her? What, is she not good enough because of her weight?”
“Hey, you said it,” Matt laughed.
Before he had a chance to utter another word, Mike tackled him to the ground, ready to rip his throat out with his canines.
“Mike relax, it was just a joke man. If she’s really that important to you, show her. Just be careful.”
*****
Over the next few days, Mike fought with himself on how to break the news to Sandy about him being a shifter. He knew he had to tell her; he just didn’t know how to tell her. Of course, Matt didn’t think it’s a good idea, but Mike didn’t care — all he cared about was Sandy.
“Sandy, you have someone here to see you,” Her boss said.
“Is it a tall, good-looking guy?”
“Uh, yeah. I suppose he is rather good looking.”
“Tell him I’m busy.”
Her boss looked at her like she’d just lost her mind. Sandy, turning down a visit from this handsome Young thing? If she didn’t want to visit with him, she definitely would, and she definitely tried. But Mike wasn’t having it. He was there to see Sandy and Sandy only, and since she didn’t want to come see him downstairs, he stayed and waited until she got off.
“What are you still doing here Mike? You can’t just show up at my job. You could get me fired.”
“I’m sorry. I just really need to talk to you.”
“You should have talked to me Saturday instead of leaving me on the beach alone. Do you know how hurtful that was? To feel like someone really likes you and then they just up and leave? Like I said, I’m used to it, but I didn’t see that coming with you.”
“Sandy—” he started.
“You know what, I think I will hear what you have to say.” She
stopped and folded her arms across her chest. “Go ahead. Spit it out.”
Mike froze up. He honestly didn’t know where to start. How could he tell someone, someone he was interested in, that he was a shifter. She would probably never want to see him again.
“Exactly what I thought. Nothing to say. Or can’t come up with a good enough excuse. It hurts to know that I wasn’t worth the truth.”
Sandy got in her car and drove away while Mike stood in the middle of the parking lot, staring at her car as she left.
“What happened?” Matt asked when Mike came into the house looking bummed out.
“What happened with what?”
“The girl! Did you tell her? How did she take it?”
“She didn’t. Because I froze up. I don’t know how to tell her. I hate this shit. Why can’t I just be normal?”
“Dude, you have one of the greatest gifts ever. I wish I was a shifter. Do you know how much trouble I would cause?”
Mike had to laugh at that because he did know. It was a good thing Matt couldn’t shape shift. This town would never know what hit them. Especially the ladies.
“On a serious note, dude, you just gotta tell her and if you can’t tell her, show her. It might freak her out, but if he really likes you, she’ll get over it and accept things for what they are. I mean, it’s not like you’re gonna eat her or anything,” he paused. “Right?”
“No Matt!” He laughed and put his friend in a playful headlock. “I’m not gonna eat her. Not for food anyway.”
“Aww man! Come on. That’s TMI,” Matt laughed after catching on to what Mike meant.
Having that talk with Matt really gave Mike the courage to tell her. He was going to just go over to her house and let it all out. If she got scared and didn’t want to see him anymore, he would give her some time and let her think about it. Sooner or later she was going to come around.
“Have you spoken to Mike?”
“No Brooke. He came to my job today, saying he had something important to tell me, but when I gave him the chance to, nothing came out.”
“Don’t be so hard on him Sandy. The man is really trying here and not to be rude but…,” Brook had to stop herself.
“Go on! Say it! I’m not in the position to turn down any man.”
“Sandy, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just saying, the man is really making an effort here, and he’s a very handsome man. He has his own money, he likes you for who you are, and if you can’t already tell, he’ll do anything to make you happy and keep you that way. Give him a chance.”
Sandy sighed. It had taken her so long to build this wall around her heart, and she didn’t want to tear it down for Mike, and have him do the same thing to her as the other guys. She didn’t know if she would have the strength to rebuild it as strong as it was.
“I’ll think about it.”
“And I’ll take that as a yes. We know what happened the last time you said you would think about something concerning Mike.” They both laughed.
“Thank you, Brooke. For always having my back and telling me the right things to consider. I really appreciate it.”
“No need to thank me. That’s what friends are for.”
After hanging up the phone, Sandy danced around the house eating ice cream. She decided the next time she saw Mike, and he tried to reach out to her, she would let him. She really didn’t care what his excuse was for leaving her on the beach that night. All that mattered now were his efforts to be with her again.
She could see he really cared for her, and he didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. Whatever his reasons for leaving were, she knew it had to be serious. He was just too straight up of a guy to leave her over something stupid and not tell her. She just hoped it wasn’t because of a girlfriend, or wife. That would really break her down.
Finally finished with her ice cream and dancing, she decided to clean up a little and call it a night. As she cleaned, she felt that familiar feeling again, like someone or something was watching her. She checked her surroundings inside the house and even peeked out of her windows to make sure no one was outside. When she thought she’d seen those glowing eyes again, she squinted a little more, but there was nothing.
*****
“This is a man’s job,” Sandy said to herself while taking out the trash.
On her way back up the driveway, there were those eyes again. Racing across the top of her driveway. She saw an animal shoot from one side of the driveway to the next, plain as day. Not sure if she wanted to risk running toward the house, or down the street, she froze in her tracks, panicking.
“What the hell was that!” she cried to herself. “Oh my god.”
Inching her way up the driveway, she made it to her car, but of course, the doors were locked. Just as she thought about running for her front door, she saw those eyes floating in the darkness right in front of it. She remembered that she’d left the side door to the garage unlocked, and she was close enough to make it there.
When she shot around the back of the car and came sprinting up the other side, just as she reached for her side door, something pounced on her from behind, knocking her to the ground. When she saw it was a leopard, she lost her mind. Kicking, screaming, and trying to break free of its grasp.
“Oh my god! Someone, please help! Help me!” She screamed into the night.
Knowing he had to act fast before someone actually heard her and came to help, he licked her face. She was so scared she swore she’d been bitten. But when he licked her face again, she calmed down. The animal was calm —a little too calm actually. Almost like he thought she was being ridiculous. She was still scared.
When the leopard got close to her face and stared into her eyes, she instantly recognized that glow.
“Mike!” She gasped and grabbed his face.
He licked her face again to confirm. When Mike dropped his head, like he was ashamed, she now knew his reason for leaving her on the beach. Everything she had been seeing in him was real. The glowing eyes, the spots sprouting on his face. But why was he ashamed? He was a beautiful leopard. It actually turned her on —a lot — something she hadn’t felt in years.
“Are you ashamed of this?” She asked, rubbing his head. “Let’s get you inside before someone sees you and wonders what the hell a leopard is doing in the city.”
She was taking this better than Mike imagined. He guessed she understood what it was like to be not normal?
“Wow!” She said, as she petted and admired the fact that there was a real live leopard in her living room, and inside of this beautiful animal was Mike, the man she had begun to fall for.
Her calming nature actually soothed him back to his human form, which was new for him. Anytime he’d shifted, he’d always had to wait it out. He didn’t have too much control over it just yet.
“Uh.” She said, getting nervous because he was now naked.
Mike was so turned on by how she took his surprise, he didn’t care that he was naked. All he wanted to do was take her upstairs and let out his frustrations. When he kissed her, she didn’t object. She was just as horny as he was, which made the sexual tension escalate very quickly.
Now upstairs, Mike approached her. When he got close to her face, she tensed up. She hadn’t had sex or been naked in front of a man in a long time, so she was nervous about showing her body. Letting his lips trace hers, trying to make her feel more comfortable with herself, he noticed her growing weak.
Usually, Sandy didn’t get turned on very easily, but the way his lips felt against hers had almost gotten her off right then and there. When it came to sex, Mike was usually the aggressor, but not with Sandy. He took his time. He knew what she was thinking, and he wanted her to know that everything was ok. He appreciated her body.
When he gripped her by the back of her hair, slightly pulling her head back and seductively sniffed her neck, she felt her garden sprinkle in her underwear.
“Are you sure about this?” He asked, taking in her scent. “We d
on’t have to if you don’t want to.”
Sandy was at a loss for words. She could barely answer. She knew she wasn’t an ugly woman, it was just that she had never had a man like Mike approach her and it be genuine, especially not about sex. She didn’t want to keep him waiting, and unable to form her words right, she nodded and smiled, letting him know it’s what she wanted.
Mike’s eyes started to glow and wherever she let her fingers trace his skin, she saw his spots pop up and glow. That was so sexy to her.
“Do you want me to make you cum?” He asked, sliding his hand into her panties.
“Yes.” She moaned loving the feeling of his touch on her vagina.
“Take off your clothes.” He commanded, tugging at her night shirt.
Once she was naked, he gripped her hip with one hand and felt up her breast with his other hand. Turning her around, he rubbed his erection up against her butt and let it slide between her thighs. She moaned like he had just entered her wetness. She was ready to take every inch of his penis, and he knew it.
“Get as loud as you want.” He said. “And if you hear me roar, don’t get scared. I’m not gonna hurt you.”
She believed him. He had the perfect chest and arms, his shoulders were well rounded, and he was strong. She knew he wouldn’t have any problems lifting or maneuvering her around. Sandy had never wanted to have sex so bad before, and Mike made her feel comfortable.
Comfortable to the point where she started to sway her hips so she could feel his penis rubbing up against her vagina. He was a little too focused on the foreplay for her. She was ready to be plastered on her bed, with a long, hard rod dipping in and out of her garden.
She was so horny, she almost passed out when he touched her. Mike looked over her body with pure hunger in his eyes. If she wasn’t so horny, she would have been scared, considering he was just a leopard a few minutes ago.
She tried covering herself up with her blanket while she waited for him to make his move, but he pulled the blanket away and tossed it to the floor.
Alien Romance: Interview with an Alien (Football Paranormal Invasion Abduction Alpha Sci-fi Romance) (Fantasy First New Adult Contact Science Fiction Mystery Sports Alien Short Stories) Page 15