She Wolf and The Detective: (Suspense, Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Fantasy) (Book 1-3)

by Michael Reyes

  Andrew smirked, feeling significantly less self-conscious. “You know, we should come up with an alter ego for you as well.”

  “Okay,” Faith mused, handing him the pan with pot holders on either side as she reached in the refrigerator for a bottle of wine that Andrew suspected to be much better than the specially-spiced cooking wine he had tried during the cooking process, motioning for him to follow her over to the table area. “But, instead of a western chef, I want mine to be a Greek gladiator.”

  Andrew cocked an eyebrow in surprise. “A gladiator huh? That’s a new one.”

  “I just feel like I have an inner fierce female gladiator in me, you know?”

  “No, I can honestly say that I’ve never had that particular feeling in me, but I’ll take your word for it.”

  Faith chuckled. “You never know, it could still happen, you could still find one. She may be playing poker or something with your cowboy and chef.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think so but I’ll consider it. I’ll ask Arthur later if he’s met her. But what about yours? What’s her name?”

  “I don’t know,” Faith mused, pouring a glass of wine and handing it to Andrew before pouring one for herself. “I guess I’ve never much considered it. But, if I had to give her a name, I think it’d be, hmm . . .” she hummed, tapping her lips with her finger as she thought it over, “I think her name is Karina.”

  Andrew raised an eyebrow. “Karina?”

  Faith nodded. “Yep, definitely Karina. And for the record, she’s a total badass. Trust me, you don’t want to get on her bad side.”

  “I’ll try and keep that in mind.” Andrew smirked. “I’d hate to have to find myself in the arena with her. I don’t think she’d manage to get a strike in, because I’d have already fallen over at the sight of her beauty.”

  Faith flushed, but tried to cover it up with a snort, laughing. “That’s so corny we should get some butter and salt.”

  Andrew shrugged, smiling. “What can I say, I’m a regular minstrel, singing the songs of romance when I see such a beautiful creature as you.”

  “Oh my goodness,” Faith laughed, “what have I managed to get myself into?”

  Andrew blinked at her, eyes comically wide in a fake show of innocent. “What, what have I done? I haven’t even begun quoting Shakespearean sonnets at you yet?”

  “And I hope that you don’t,” Faith smirked, “at least save it for the second date. I feel like Keats’s poems are more appropriate for a first date.”

  “Keats?” Andrew frowned, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. “I’m pretty sure that I had to memorize The Road Less Traveled but I don’t think that I could quote it for you.”

  “What a shame,” Faith said in mock disappointment, “I had really hoped that you could rat it off over dinner.”

  Andrew laughed, taking a sip of his wine before grabbing one of the plates and beginning to dish out some of the food for both of them. “Alright, should we try our gourmet concoction?”

  “Yes, let’s do that.” Faith smiled, grabbing her fork, waiting for Andrew to do the same. “How about on the count of three?”

  “Alright,” Andrew said, laughing. “One.”

  “Two.”

  “Three,” they said in unison, Andrew bringing the fork up to his mouth and taking a bite. He swallowed, cocking his head inquisitively when he realized that Faith hadn’t tried any yet.

  “Sorry,” Faith laughed, “Just wanted to make sure that it wasn’t utterly horrible or poisonous before I tried it.”

  “Oh, so you’re okay with me being poisoned.”

  Faith chuckled, shaking her head as she took a bite, eyes sparkling with mirth. “No, but someone has to be well enough to call an ambulance, so I thought that it should be me.”

  “Oh, well how very kind of you,” Andrew said, taking another bite. “So, what do you think?”

  “Well, it’s definitely not poison.” She smiled. “In fact, I think that it’s quite good.”

  “Well Arthur thanks you.” Andrew smirked. “And I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, must be Karina’s battle instincts coming out.”

  “Hmm, must be.” Faith laughed, taking a sip of her wine. “So,” she said after another sip, relishing just how good it was, “tell me about yourself.”

  Andrew smirked. “What do you want to know?”

  “What’s your biggest fear?”

  “Alpha’s don’t have fears; what are you talking about?”

  “Oh, how silly of me,” Faith said. “Oh wait, you’re full of it.” She smirked, making Andrew burst out into laughter, happy that he hadn’t been drinking or the wine would have surely come out of his nose.

  “Well, what’s your biggest fear?” Andrew challenged.

  “Uh-huh.” Faith smirked, shaking her head. “I asked you first.”

  “I asked you second.”

  “And yet, you’re still going to tell me first.” Faith grinned mischievously.

  “Oh really?” Andrew snorted, taking a sip from his glass. “You sound awfully sure about that; how are you going to manage that?”

  “I have my ways,” Faith said, waving her fingers in a fake show of mystery as she took another bite of her food. “And I’m relatively patient when I’m not behind the wheel of a car, so I’ll definitely beat you out in the waiting game. So, tell me.”

  Andrew sighed. “Do you really want to know?”

  “Mhmm,” Faith murmured, not wanting to speak around her mouthful of food.

  “Fine, fine; I’m afraid of needles.”

  “Really?” Faith said once she had swallowed, sitting back. “I did not expect that.”

  “Is it really that surprising?”

  Faith shrugged. “I mean, maybe not, I guess I just expected you to have a tattoo or something.”

  “I look like a tattoo guy?”

  “Kind of, yeah.” She laughed. “But I guess it’s good to know that you’re not a heroin addict.”

  “Yeah, I prefer cocaine,” Andrew joked.

  “Oh, I’m so sure.” Faith laughed.

  “Well, do you have any tattoos?” Andrew asked, eyes scanning her briefly as if he had somehow missed noticing a visible tattoo in his last two encounters with her.

  Faith looked at him through narrowed eyes as if to determine whether or not he could be trusted with the information before she nodded. “One.”

  “Really, where?”

  “It’s surprising that you ask me where it is before you even know what it is.”

  “Well, I could probably see what it is if I knew where it is.”

  “And yet you won’t get to see where it is for quite a while, and only if you behave.”

  Andrew raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “So, where is it then?”

  Faith laughed, shaking her head. “It was a drunken night in college, and at the time I was in a sorority, and my sisters didn’t exactly inspire common sense in me when I needed it. In fact, I remember them egging me on.”

  “So it was a mistake.”

  She shrugged. “A mistake, perhaps, but a regret,” she shook her head, “not anymore.”

  “You know you still haven’t told me where it is yet.”

  Faith flushed briefly before shaking it off. “My lower back.”

  “You have a tramp stamp?” Andrew asked, perhaps a bit louder than he meant, causing Faith to give him an exasperated look.

  “Yes, as you so eloquently put it, I have a tramp stamp.”

  “Of what?”

  “Oh, it’s entirely original,” Faith smirked, “so well thought out in fact that I’m sure no one has it.”

  “And what’s it of?”

  She laughed, the sparkling laugh that Andrew couldn’t help being drawn to. “A butterfly. I, in my ever-infinite drunken wisdom elected to get a butterfly on my lower back. That’s not to say that butterfly tattoos are bad by any means, but they’re very common, and, as lovely as butterflies are, they don’t really have much of a meaningful significance to
me, so, it would definitely have not been my first choice for things to get.”

  “But you don’t regret it?”

  “No” Faith said, mulling it over just a bit, “I try to live with no regrets to the best of my ability. I did at first, but now I’ve kind of come to like it.”

  “Can I see it?”

  Faith snorted. “Nice try, but no. Unless we go to the beach or something.”

  “Can I plan the third date then?”

  “Yep, but I’ll buy a one piece bathing suit if I have to.”

  “Damn,” Andrew muttered, taking another bite of his food that he had entirely forgotten about in his focus on picturing just what the butterfly, and the rest of Faith’s unclothed body would look like.

  “Stop undressing me with your eyes and eat.” Faith said good-naturedly, still making an interesting shade of pink darken Andrew’s cheeks.

  “So,” Faith asked once they had finished their meal and there came a small lull in their conversation, “would you like to make some dessert or do something else?”

  Andrew glanced over at the kitchenettes and seemed to ponder the question for a moment before speaking. “As much fun as cooking with you is, I know this small little ice cream shop nearby, in walking distance, that serves the best ice cream that you’ll ever have.”

  “Really?” Faith asked, intrigued.

  “Yeah, it’s called Sweet tooth For You; it’s great, I think you’ll like it.”

  “You’re sure about that, are you? I may just be lactose intolerant,” Faith said, making Andrew balk for a second.

  “Wait, are you?”

  Faith chuckled, laughter filling the now quiet area before she said, “No, no I’m not, but I wish you could have seen the look on your face; it really is excellent.”

  “You’re evil,” Andrew said, laughing, oddly impressed. He smirked. “I like that.”

  It was Faith’s turn to flush. “Well, it’s not like a typical restaurant so we don’t have to worry about paying; are you ready to go?”

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for you but, yes, I think I’m ready for ice cream.”

  “Well then,” Faith said, standing up with a small smile on her face, “let’s go then; lead the way.”

  The ride down the elevator was just as rickety as the ride up had been, and Andrew unconsciously held his breath in anticipation of a sudden freefall that never came.

  Faith chuckled. “honestly, you worry too much, I hardly think this will crash today, I think it has at least another year of use in it before Matilda buckles down and gets it fixed,” Faith smirked, eyes roving over him once more, “but, I wouldn’t exactly hold your breath.”

  The breath that Andrew had indeed been holding let out in a little puff as he laughed at her comment.

  “So, how did you hear about this supposedly life-changing ice cream shop?” Faith asked as they walked into the cool night air.

  “A friend introduced me to it.”

  “A lady friend?”

  Andrew chuckled at her utter lack of discretion. “No, not a lady friend, an old college acquaintance; we were catching up.”

  “Oh, well, I’m happy to hear that.”

  “Mhmm,” Andrew said, watching Faith out of the corner of his eye. He felt a strange buzzing going through his limbs as he continued to look at her, eyes instantly looking elsewhere whenever Faith caught on and would glance at him in an attempt to meet his gaze.

  She smiled, and finally, after another block of silence and shifty looks out of the corner of his eye, Andrew finally mustered up the courage to place a tentative arm around her waist.

  Faith hummed, grinning up at him to offer a small sign of reassurance as she settled back into his comforting arm.

  Finally, they reached the ice cream shop, a quaint little parlor with a painted brick exterior and windows in the shape of ice cream cones.

  The ice cream shop was mainly empty, save for two employees chatting behind the counter. Faith checked the shop’s hours, noting that it closed in thirty minutes.

  “So,” she mused, eyes roving over the menu, “what here is good?”

  “It’d be easier telling you what here is bad, in which case the answer would be nothing.” Andrew smirked. “Honestly, I’ve come here a lot more often than I’d like to admit and I’ve had the fortune of trying just about everything on the menu. And I have to say, there’s not a flavor that I don’t like.”

  “What can I get for you?” one of the employees whose nametag read ‘Anna’ asked them.

  “I don’t know,” Faith groaned, looking at all the delicious-looking choices on the menu and feeling just a bit overwhelmed. “It’s my first time coming here, is there anything that you would recommend?”

  The server smirked. “Well, if you’re feeling extra daring tonight and not particularly full, I would recommend that you and your friend take on our Mega Sundae Extravaganza Challenge.”

  “Mega Sundae Extravaganza Challenge?” Faith repeated, finding the name just a bit comical. “What is it?”

  “Well,” the second server named ‘Daisy’ chimed in, leaning against the counter, “it was the winning creation from a contest a while ago. It has two giant cookies with a brownie sandwiched between, and the cookie sandwich is sandwiched between eight giant scoops of our most famous flavors: Razzle Dazzle, Banana Split, Rocky Road, Strawberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Mudslide, Peanut Butter Cup, Wedding Cake and Chocolate Boom Boom Pow.”

  “Boom Boom Pow?” Faith asked.

  “Boom Boom Pow,” Daisy confirmed.

  “And, it’s all topped with hot caramel, hot fudge, heated marshmallow topping, roasted almonds, chocolate chips, sprinkles, loads of whipped cream and a cherry.”

  “Wow,” Andrew said, “that’s-”

  “Magnificent, yes,” Anna chimed in. “And, believe it or not you get all of that for the very reasonable price of $5.47.”

  “Well, I’m sold, what about you Andrew?” Faith asked, looking up at him with a wide smile, eyes sparkling with excitement. “You want to take on this beauty?”

  Andrew sighed, shaking his head as he chuckled, clearly amused. “We’re going to get sick.”

  “Yeah, well, what are the kids saying these days, YOLO?”

  “YOLO?”

  “It means you only live once,” Daisy said matter-of-factly.

  Andrew snorted. “Yes, thank you, I’m aware of its meaning.” Andrew groaned, looking once more into Faith’s ever widening eyes as she blinked innocently up at him, imploring him to say yes.

  He sighed, knowing in the back of his head that it was likely going to prove to be a very bad idea, but knowing that he’d ultimately do it anyways, partly out of the allure of the challenge but mainly because he wanted to make Faith happy.

  After another moment of inner chastisement, he finally nodded. “Alright, alright, let’s take on this Sundae Extravaganza thing.”

  “Mega Sundae Extravaganza Challenge,” Faith corrected him with a small tut, before she suddenly squealed, making Andrew jump just a bit. “I’m so excited!” She grinned, leaning up on her toes to peck him once on the cheek. “Thank you!”

  “Terrific,” Daisy said, grinning widely.

  With a salute, Daisy and Anna both grabbed a pair of ice cream scoopers and turned to begin their very important work, Andrew putting the exact amount of payment on the counter before he led Faith over to a pair of bar stools at the counter, each taking a seat.

  After five minutes, what had to be the largest plate that either of the wolves had ever seen was set on the counter in front of them.

  “Oh. My. God,” Faith said, eyes comically wide as she took in the dish piled high with ice cream and loads of sweets that made Andrew wonder about the exact point that his insanity had gone out the window.

  “As a tradition, we have to take a picture of everyone that attempts this massive challenge, so, if you would, scooch close together and smile, and pretend like you like each other!”

  Faith grinned,
leaning her head on Andrew’s shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist, smiling up at the retro-looking camera that Anna held. Both blinked at the bright flash the camera let off, chuckling as Anna showed them the picture that managed to capture them right in mid-blink.

  “Oh that’s excellent.” Faith laughed, Andrew shaking his head at the picture that Daisy was now tacking onto the wall behind the counter next to the menu.

  “Now you will forever live in infamy on the walls of our lovely little ice cream shop.”

  “Aww, how romantic,” Faith cooed, batting her eyelashes in an over-exaggerated manner at Andrew, who chuckled.

  Anna handed them each a rather large spoon and gestured grandly to the decadent deluxe dessert in front of them. “Alright,” she said proudly, “dig in!”

  “Bon appetit.” Faith smiled, clinking her spoon with Andrew’s before taking a bite, closing her eyes in moaning in a way that forced Andrew to shift slightly, crossing his legs in a way that covered his lap.

  Sighing at the realization of what a huge task he had set before him, he took a spoonful, eating the overly sweet treat and having to admit that it was just as delicious as Faith’s moan suggested.

  Andrew glanced at the clock, wondering if it was even possible to finish the treat in thirty minutes.

  Daisy followed his eyes and when she saw that they were fixed on the clock, she smiled. “Don’t worry, Anna and I have to stay for an extra thirty minutes after closing to set the freezer temperatures, clean and lock up. You two will have plenty of time to finish.”

  “Oh boy,” Andrew said, smiling but unsure of whether or not it was actually a good thing.

  Andrew couldn’t believe it; he was honestly astounded as, after forty-five minutes, he found that he and Faith had actually managed to complete the entire Sundae.

  Andrew felt full beyond comparison and Faith, while she smiled proudly in accomplishment, looked just a bit green.

  “Congratulations you two,” Daisy said, taking the empty dish away from them with the two spoons, “you are one of three couples to complete this; I hope you’re proud.”

  “Very proud, and very sick,” Faith said faintly, looking queasy.