The Shifter's Catch

by T. S. Ryder

He raised an eyebrow when he turned to look at me.

  “Not a time waster, are you?” he asked with that same boyish smile on his face. I placed my hands on my hips so he could look at my bulging breasts. His eyes were drawn to them instantly.

  “Where’s your bedroom?” I asked him and he gently placed his glass down on a table.

  “Let me lead the way,” he said, slowly walking past me. His hand grazed my hips as he brushed against me. His smell filled my nostrils and I felt my knees quiver. I had to keep it together. He was just another man, just another guy who was fulfilling my needs. Why did he overwhelm me like this?

  I followed him down the hallway, while he turned to look and smile at me. I noticed the luxury of his house. The four bedrooms we walked past, the beautiful big bathrooms and then the master bedroom.

  I wasn’t prepared for how luxurious and beautiful all of this was, the house, him...

  “Like it?” he asked as he pressed the door shut behind us. I only smiled at him, but I was certain he could see it in my eyes. How badly I was lying to myself, about everything.

  Chapter Six

  Oscar

  I hadn’t expected Jonathan to suggest something like this. We had never been very close. I could see him approaching me from the bar now, with two glasses of whiskey in his hands.

  Anybody who didn’t know us wouldn’t have been able to guess that we were brothers. He was at least a foot shorter than me, his blonde hair was thinning, and his eyes were gray rather than blue like mine. He was stockier, with a bulging belly and his thick fingers were all decorated with flamboyant rings.

  “Here you go, little brother,” he said while placing a glass in front of me.

  “Thank you, Jonathan. I’m glad you had some time to go out with me,” I said, clinking our glasses together as he sat down.

  Jonathan was married now. His wife Louise usually kept to herself, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen her. It could have been at their wedding a year ago.

  “Of course I had time to spend with you. We haven’t had a chance to catch up in so long,” he said, as he crossed his legs, or tried to. His belly kept getting in the way.

  I had moved on. As much as Sandra’s unfaithfulness had hurt me, and as much as I had hated Jonathan at the time; I didn’t blame him anymore. I let bygones be bygones.

  “So, what else is new?” he asked, fishing for things to talk about. I smiled at him, thinking about how much things had changed since we were younger.

  Sandra and I were in high school together, and Jonathan had already started working for father. I was a lanky, freckled teenager then. Unsure of myself, lacking in self-confidence and living in the shadow of my father and elder brother, both of whom I thought the world of.

  Jonathan was cool. Or at least that was what Sandra thought. He rode fast cars, smoked cigarettes, was learning to be a businessman and making his own money. Sandra caught his eye quickly. Young, outgoing, friendly and giving him the attention he wanted.

  I was too madly in love with her to notice what was going on.

  “Nothing much, other than trying to figure out a solution to bring us out of the dump,” I replied to his question and took a sip of my drink.

  “No, with your personal life I mean. Work is work. Are you seeing anyone?” he asked and I chuckled.

  “No. I’m not, Jonathan,” I replied, not surprised that he was trying to dig around for personal information.

  “Good, because there’s somebody I’d like you to meet,” he said with a twinkle in his eye that I didn’t appreciate. Before I could say anything, I saw him wave to someone at the far corner of the bar. I followed his gaze and found a woman making her way towards us.

  “Jonathan, what are you doing?” I turned to him, and while he kept his eye on the woman, he smiled.

  “Just trying to set you up with my good friend Marcia. She’s lovely, you’ll like her,” he said just as she approached us.

  I took a deep breath, shaking my head. I wasn’t in the mood for this at all.

  “Hello, Jonathan,” she said, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek.

  “Good to see you, Marcia. Glad you could make it. This is my brother Oscar,” Jonathan introduced us and I stood up to offer my seat to her.

  Marcia smiled at me, accepted the chair and sat down, while I took a different one between the two of them.

  She was dressed impeccably and elegantly in a sequined cocktail dress, glimmering and shining. She sat with her long slender legs crossed and waved to a server.

  “So, Oscar,” she said as she turned to me, “your brother has told me so much about you. You’ve only just returned from London, haven’t you?” Her voice was low and husky, and I felt myself stir.

  I smiled at her and nodded. “I have, yes.”

  “Back for business,” she said and laughed a little. I noticed how her beautiful blonde hair shone under the chandelier crystals of the bar. Her lips were small and painted a bright red. Her dress was provocative, clung to her body, and her breasts rose and fell with her each breath. Marcia was a beautiful and sexy woman, and she knew it.

  “Marcia and I have worked on a number of projects together, and she was only recently telling me that she’s beginning to feel lonely. I told her, don’t you worry, my brother Oscar is coming back to town and he’ll know just what to do to cheer you up.” Jonathan was laughing as he spoke and quickly drained the glass of whiskey down his throat.

  Marcia ordered a bottle of wine for herself and sat upright in her chair, looking at me curiously.

  “Jonathan tells me you’re a bit of a party boy. You know how to paint the town red?” She spoke in that same sexy voice, leaning towards me a little. I laughed and exchanged looks with my brother.

  “I’m trying to leave that life behind. Get a bit more serious,” I said and Marcia rolled her eyes.

  “Then you’ll become just like Jonathan, no fun at all,” she said and ran her fingers through her long blonde locks.

  Jonathan laughed and then suddenly stood up.

  “I should be on my way then. The wife awaits,” he said and I stood up too, in surprise.

  “You’re leaving? I thought you’d have time for a few more rounds,” I said as he clapped his hand on my back and laughed again.

  “I’m a married man now, little brother. I’m not fun anymore, as Marcia pointed out,” he said and blew her a kiss.

  “Consider this as an apology gift,” he whispered in my ear and then turned to leave.

  I remained standing, watching him leave and then eventually sat back down.

  “Your brother is a tease,” Marcia said as the server poured her a glass of wine. I tried to smile, even though I was feeling uncomfortable in her presence. I couldn’t quite establish what was wrong with me.

  Marcia was beautiful and I knew what she wanted. And I’d never had a problem with situations like this before. So what was holding me back? The fact that Jonathan had set us up? That Jonathan believed this would atone him for his sin of sleeping with my girlfriend?

  “So what is it that you do, Marcia?” I asked her and she threw back her head and laughed. It exposed her long neck and brought her cleavage to my notice. I could feel myself harden a little, but it was gone in a second. My warring emotions were suffocating me.

  “Let's not talk shop, Oscar. Tell me about your life in London,” she said, leaning towards me casually.

  I drank my whiskey quickly and called for two more. I couldn’t remember feeling this insecure and uncomfortable, not since my teenage years. I couldn’t believe that Jonathan was still capable of making me feel so small.

  “Nothing to report really. It’s like any other major cosmopolitan city,” I said, knocking back another glass as quickly as possible. I couldn’t understand why I wanted to be drunk.

  “Did you meet a lot of beautiful English girls?” she asked, touching my arm lightly. I flinched, clenched my jaw and smiled at her.

  “None like you,” I said and Marcia laugh
ed loudly.

  “You’re a naughty boy. Just like your brother,” she said and I flinched again. I hated being compared to Jonathan. I didn’t take it as a compliment.

  She had barely finished her first glass of wine, but I was already on my third finger of whiskey. It was starting to take effect, my head was swimming a little.

  I ordered more.

  “Jonathan told me you like a good time. He’s probably right. Look at you, knocking them back like a champion,” she said and gave my forearm a squeeze, feeling my biceps as she inched closer to me.

  For a second when I looked at her, I thought she was Kayla. Kayla! The thought entered my brain, and I looked away quickly.

  “What’s the matter?” I heard her ask and I pulled at my collar. It was getting hot in here.

  “Nothing. Just looking around,” I said, growing a little annoyed by Marcia’s incessant talking. I wish we could just sit in silence for a bit and think.

  “You know, if you think this place is too noisy, we could just go back to my place,” she said and I turned to look at her. Her lips were inviting, her voice was sexy as Hell and those legs were endlessly long. I didn’t have to struggle to imagine what she would look like naked.

  “My place might be closer,” I said and she bit on her lip, tugging her lower lip with her teeth.

  “You’re the boss,” she said huskily.

  Boss. That reminded me of Kayla again. I had an image of her naked, standing at my bar, drinking a glass of whiskey. Could she be the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, or was all that whiskey starting to get to me? Surely there were more attractive women in the world. Marcia, for instance.

  I stood up from my chair, draining the last glass of whiskey. I felt slightly unsteady on my feet. Marcia dragged herself out of the chair too and tugged at my arm.

  I reached for my wallet, pulled out several notes and flung them on the table.

  “Shall we proceed to your castle, then?” she said, leaning on my arm, and looking up at me with that sensual bright red smile.

  “I’m going home, alone,” I said and watched as she pulled away from me, surprised.

  “What? I thought we were only getting started,” she said, panic entering her voice.

  “Look, Marcia, I don’t know what my brother told you, but I just want to go home and catch up on some sleep. I’ve been working long hours this week,” I said, trying to pull myself away from her grip but at the same time trying to be polite. She was holding on, though.

  “I thought you were fun. Don’t be boring, Oscar,” she pleaded, trying to pull me back.

  “I really have to go,” I said, jerking my arm away from her now. My head was swimming again. I wanted to feel Kayla’s skin under my fingertips. That is what I was craving, even in my drunken state.

  Marcia scowled at me and picked up her purse in a huff.

  “Your brother clearly thinks more highly of you than you deserve. You don’t even know how to treat a lady,” she snapped at me. I breathed in deeply.

  “My brother thinks very low of me, in fact. He is the one who doesn’t know how to treat a lady, throwing you at me like this. Good night, Marcia,” I said and walked away from her, out of the bar.

  I looked at my wristwatch, it was nearly midnight. I wanted to see Kayla, watch her undress in front of me. But it was too late, I thought. It would be unfair to expect her to come over at this hour. I knew I’d spend the whole night thinking about her, though.

  Chapter Seven

  Kayla

  I checked my phone on the way home from work and saw that he had texted me.

  Nine, my place.

  My brain buzzed with the thought of Oscar’s body, even though I was tired. It had been a long day at the office. At work, it was all business, and thoughts of us lying in bed together usually escaped my mind. It was only when I was away from him that the memories resurfaced.

  We had fallen into a pattern now, he invited me to his house every alternate night. It had been going on for ten days and I had still not grown tired of him.

  I arrived back at my apartment and stepped in for a quick shower. I dried my hair off with an old towel when I got out, patting my body down as I stood in front of the mirror. I remembered where he touched me, the grip of his hands on my hips when he pushed into me. He didn’t shy away from looking into my eyes as he entered me, and the very thought of it made me get wet.

  He was a man like any other, I tried to remind myself, but I could feel myself growing excited now that I knew I was going to see him soon.

  It was always the same. He opened the door for me, I entered and then we either fucked in the living room or the bedroom. We spoke very little, I asked him no questions and he had stopped offering me drinks or dinner. Within an hour I was out of his house and on my way back home. Then I’d spend the night in bed, trying to sleep with a smile on my face. Hungry and satisfied and looking forward to seeing him the next day at work.

  I put on a dress, the same black leather one he seemed to like peeling off my body. I tied my hair up tonight, tightly in a neat bun behind my head. I wanted to feel the swoosh of my locks cascade down when he undid it.

  I made sure I was on time.

  I rang the bell outside his door and instead of being greeted immediately, my eyebrows furrowed when I realized I had been waiting longer than usual. What was taking him so long? The door cracked open and Oscar stood before me, the look on his face distracted. He wasn’t smiling this time.

  “Kayla…,” he began but was interrupted by a woman’s voice from behind him.

  “Who is it, honey?” the woman asked and then I heard the sound of heels clicking behind him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and her face appeared. A beautiful middle aged woman, with Oscar’s blue eyes and curly blonde hair.

  “Hello, there,” she said to me, eyeing me from head to toe. I felt naked under her gaze. My face must have displayed the confusion and embarrassment I was feeling because she suddenly smiled and extended her hand to me.

  “I’m Janet, Oscar’s mother,” she said, in a warm understanding voice.

  “Kayla Edwards,” I said, shaking her hand. I hoped I didn’t come across as nervous as I actually was.

  “Kayla Edwards…you work at the office, don’t you? My husband mentions your name all the time,” she said, sidestepping Oscar as she stood in front of me. She was wearing a pair of cream trousers and a black ruffled blouse. Her hair was neatly styled into a side chignon and she had expensive jewels on her neck and dangling from her ears.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m Mr. Connell’s PA,” I said, exchanging a look with Oscar. I could see that Janet was studying me closely, probably wondering what I was doing at her son’s apartment at this time of the night, and dressed like this.

  “Oh well, come in then. We were just about to sit down for dinner. Maria has been very kind and cooked us up something.” Janet held the door open and I had no other choice but to follow her in. I avoided looking at Oscar, feeling the heat climb up the back of my neck.

  “Mother, I’m sure Kayla has plans. Don’t force her to stay,” I heard Oscar say, but we had already walked into the living room, where Oscar’s father, Richard Connell was sitting.

  “Oh, nonsense honey. Kayla will stay,” Janet said, walking over to her husband. Richard Connell stared at me, a slight look of surprise coloring his face.

  “Good evening Mr. Connell,” I said. His face broke into a smile.

  “How many times do I have to tell you, Kayla, stop working so hard. I hope Oscar isn’t pushing you too much,” he said, looking at his son as he entered the living room.

  “Not at all Mr. Connell, I was just here to pick up a report and then I’ll be on my way,” I said, trying to smile as genuinely as possible.

  “I’ll get that for you right away,” Oscar said and our eyes met. He looked truly apologetic, and I looked away from him.

  “Oscar, Kayla should stay for dinner. It’s the least we can do. I apologize on my son’s behalf for
making you come all the way for a piece of paper at this time of the night,” Janet interrupted him and turned to look at me, with kindly welcoming eyes.

  “Yes, of course, Kayla, you have to stay,” Richard said and stood up from the couch.

  “Now, Oscar, pour Kayla a glass of wine and the two of you join us in the dining room. Richard, come with me,” Janet said, leading her husband away.

  Oscar and I stood staring at each other in silence till we heard the scraping of chairs in the dining room, telling us that they had sat down.

  “I apologize, Kayla. They surprised me by showing up here.” Oscar took a few long strides towards me. I licked my lips and looked up at him. My heart was still racing. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this embarrassed.

  His parents weren’t stupid, especially Janet wasn’t. The amount of cleavage my dress was revealing made it pretty clear why I was here. They were just being polite. I felt dirty and disgusted with myself. How could I have let this happen? My purpose with this deal was to use and throw away Oscar, not to make a fool of myself. Did they think I was stalking their son? That he was buying my body? Would they fire me from my job tomorrow morning?

  “I have to go, I can’t stay,” I said in a whisper as he came closer to me.

  “They’re sitting at the table, expecting you to join us for dinner. You can’t just leave now,” he said, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He looked gorgeous, more casual than I had seen him before. A polo shirt and simple blue jeans. I wanted to see him naked, of course, feel those hands on my body, but my feelings of shame overrode my desire for him.

  “I can’t sit there and pretend to eat, Sir,” I said, emphasizing the last word, reminding him of what our relationship truly was.

  “Just pretend it’s a work dinner. My father used to be your boss, I’m sure you wouldn’t have been uncomfortable being invited to dinner with his family,” Oscar said, looking deep into my eyes.

  “I can’t. Not dressed like this, not when they’ve just caught me out,” I said, intertwining my fingers and pulling them apart again. My shame was building up, I hoped I wouldn’t break into tears.