The Lure of a Traitor

by F. L. Jordan

  She turned her attention back to the stove. She’d only burnt the butter because she’d been snooping through his cabinets trying to find a spatula. If she’d known he was going to come out like that she would have done it on purpose.

  Copper and Slag were curled up in his bed on the counter, sniggering. Copper may have planned for that to happen. He turned to his companion and buried his head under her wing. Things between Zach and Natalie needed to work out. He'd already become too attached to Slag.

  Zach's door opened and Copper popped his head up through her wing, surprised to see his human wearing sweats and a black t-shirt. His hair was a disaster, suggesting he hadn’t even made an attempt to tame it, and he hadn’t put on socks. The dragon snorted, disappointed in him.

  ‘Way to impress her there, champ,’ he thought to himself.

  Natalie turned around to chop the ends off the asparagus and squeaked, surprised to find Zach sitting on the other side of the counter, “Dear God! When did you get there?”

  “Just now,” his voice was deep with sleep.

  “You’re ridiculously light-footed,” she continued preparing dinner, fully enjoying how his t-shirt accentuated his arms.

  “And apparently you’re not too skilled in the kitchen,” he quipped, “please don’t ask me to eat burnt food, Natalie. I’ll order a pizza before I’ll do that.”

  “Oh hush,” she laughed, “I burnt some butter, no big deal. Here, have a drink.” She slid a full wine glass towards him.

  Zach picked it up and sniffed it, slowly taking a sip. His eyebrow raised slightly and he took a larger drink, “Not bad. But I still don’t like whites. What’s for dinner?”

  “It’s a surprise,” she cut a slit into a chicken breast and stuffed it with cheese, mushrooms, and bacon bits.

  “This is horrifying for me,” he set the glass down and leaned on the counter. “You realize that, right?”

  “I’m proud of you for trusting me,” Natalie stuffed another chicken breast and set them both in the pan of bubbling butter to brown, flipping them with a set of tongs before she tossed them into the oven to finish cooking.

  “What kind of man would I be if I didn’t place a little faith in my girlfriend,” Natalie froze, her hand full of asparagus above the pan, a smile tugging at her lips.

  “Not... a very good one,” she tossed the veggies in and popped a lid on to steam them, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Now, I should have asked this before I bought everything, but are you allergic to anything?”

  “Bad food,” he caught the dish towel she threw just before it hit his face, chuckling at his own joke. Zach set the towel down and reached over into the bed of dragons. His plan was to bop Copper on the nose for not waking him, but when he felt two different scale types, he quickly changed plans and gently petted each of them. He’d get the mischievous creature back for his traitorous ways later.

  “You two sure are chummy now,” Zach said to the lizards as he sat back down.

  Would you prefer we fought? Slag asked as she groomed Copper’s scales.

  “No,” Zach answered honestly, “I like that Copper’s made a friend.”

  So do I, Copper nuzzled her fondly.

  Natalie snuck the dragons each a piece of chicken, “Well, that settles it then. Zach we have to stay together. We can’t separate the children.”

  Zach laughed, truly genuinely laughed for the first time in years. Natalie loved the sound of it. She watched as he settled himself, sighing and reaching for his glass. Short bursts of amusement escaped his nose as he sipped his wine. She leaned on the counter quietly and watched him, surveying every inch. Four days ago Natalie had been nervous about meeting him again. Three days ago she’d found out he was an absolute dumpster fire of a human being with anger issues. Today he’d become her dumpster fire, and to her surprise, she found the flames were somewhat easy to manage.

  The timer on the stove went off and she stood, pulling the chicken out. It was a perfect golden brown. She filled their plates and set them on the dining table, including two smaller plates filled with plain chicken, scrambled eggs, and boiled shrimp. She figured it would stick close enough to Zach’s diet for Copper while satisfying Slag.

  “Let me make Copper’s plate,” Zach headed for the refrigerator.

  Natalie gently pressed her hand into his chest, sucking her lips into her mouth for a moment to keep herself from making an inappropriate noise in response to the muscles she felt beneath, “Already done. Sit.”

  “Now wait a second,” he tried to protest, but she silenced him with a kiss. The sudden contact caused him to shy away, but only for a fraction of a second. Zach leaned into her, deepening the contact as he raised his hand to cup her face. He could feel that she had her hair down. For some reason that made him happy. As she pulled away he fought the urge to reach after her.

  “You uh... you sit,” Natalie smoothed down her blouse and turned to grab her own wine glass, emptying it in two gulps before pouring herself another.

  “At least let me get the silverware,” his voice had softened. He barely sounded like the man she’d met at the beginning of the week.

  “Fine,” Natalie bit her thumbnail, glancing up to see both of their dragons watching her intently, “You two, go eat.”

  They slowly untangled themselves and stretched like a couple of felines before hopping over to their places at the table, patiently waiting for their humans to join them. The mischievous twinkle in their eyes told Natalie that they were up to something. Rotten children.

  Zach grabbed the silverware and sat, holding Natalie’s out for her to take, “So what are we having? It smells good.”

  “You tell me,” she took her utensils and sat, digging into the meal. “You’re the professional chef.”

  “Natalie,” he looked like he was about to burst into tears, “I don't think you understand, this is literally terrifying. I don’t like not knowing what I’m about to put in my mouth.”

  “Neither does a hooker,” Natalie happily ate a fork full of cheesy chicken, “but she does it without complaint. Go on, let’s see how good that palette of yours is.”

  Zach tossed down his fork and stood, heading for his bedroom. Copper looked at Slag nervously as the man left. They both looked at Natalie, who wore an expression of curiousness.

  Zach returned a few seconds later with his phone, “Tell me what’s on the plate or I’m ordering pizza.”

  “I thought you said you trusted me,” her tone was serious and her expression angry. She needed to know that he trusted her, for more than one reason. If she couldn’t even get him to eat a meal, how could she get him to believe she was an honest witch?

  He thought for a moment, nervously tapping his phone before setting it down on the counter and reclaiming his seat. Zach found his fork and poked around on the plate until he speared something. The crunchy snap of the metal through the object told him that it was some kind of vegetable. He lifted it to his mouth, feeling it with his lower lip and inhaling the smell of it. It was long and round with a bumpy pointed end. Confident he knew what it was, Zach bit the head off the asparagus spear.

  “I hate everything about this little exercise you’re putting me through, Natalie,” he said as he swallowed, going back in to finish the rest of the vegetation on his utensil, “but at least I know you can steam asparagus well.”

  “What else is on your plate?” she asked.

  He searched around for something else, surprised when his fork sank into something paste-like. Zach moved the utensil around a bit and smiled, “This is either mashed potatoes or some other mushed up root vegetable.”

  “Well done,” Natalie smiled as his confidence grew.

  Zach took a bite and went back for another, “These are delightful.”

  “Thank you,” she resumed eating her own meal, noticing that their dragons had also ceased eating to watch him. “Wait until you find the main dish.”

  He continued to explore his plate, sinking his fork into somethin
g thick and heavy, “I’m going to need a knife for this, aren’t I?”

  “Mhm,” Natalie gently pushed the aforementioned cutlery under his searching hand. Watching as he cut into the chicken, she could tell he was analyzing every stroke the blade made through the meat. As he put a piece in his mouth confusion washed over his face. This clearly wasn’t what he thought it was going to be.

  Zach chewed a few times then set his fork down, trying to concentrate on all the different things he was tasting, “No, this isn’t fair. What did you do? Stuff a chicken breast with cheese?”

  “And what else?” she was impressed to say the least.

  “Bacon and, oh God, what is that?” he chewed slowly, shaking his head. “It’s either mushrooms or bell peppers. I can’t tell through all the cheese.”

  “Mushrooms,” she felt he deserved the answer for doing such a good job. “Now, was that so bad?”

  “No,” he admitted as he continued to eat, “actually, it was somewhat fun. How do you keep doing this to me?”

  “What?” Natalie was confused.

  “Getting me to do things I normally never would?” he asked, popping a larger bite of chicken into his mouth.

  “I'm not getting you to do anything, Zach,” she clarified. “You’re making these decisions on your own. Think about it. You could have very easily chosen to order pizza, but you didn’t. Why?”

  “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” he admitted sheepishly.

  “See, you didn’t do it because I made you, but because you acted on your own desire,” she finished her plate, “Do more of that, Zach.”

  “I’m working on it,” he sighed, stuffing another piece of chicken into his mouth. “This really is quite good, Natalie.”

  “Thanks, I learned to cook out of necessity and figured out how to make my experiments tasty in the process,” she sipped her wine, enjoying the slight buzz she now had from the first glass.

  “Food and creativity go well together.” He raised his glass to her, “to good food.”

  “And good company,” she gently clinked her glass against his and drank.

  Two bottles of wine later, the dishes had been placed in the sink, the dragons were asleep in their bed, and Natalie sat on the couch curled into Zach’s side as he read to her. She’d helped him polish off a bottle of red wine and was beginning to feel the strength of it.

  As he read to her, she drank him in, enjoying every detail of his face like the fine wine they’d just finished. She traced the line of his square jaw with her eyes, slowly allowing them to wander south. She knew what was beneath the thin cotton of his t-shirt, and she wanted to see it again.

  “Natalie,” his voice was low, the sound of her name on his lips snapped any remaining resolve she had not to touch him like a twig, “are you staring at me?”

  She gently took the book from his hands and climbed into his lap, seductively trailing her fingertips over his chest. Her body responded feverishly to every valley between his muscles, nearly igniting as his hand came up to hold her ass. Natalie captured his lips with her own, pouring the same passion she’d felt earlier in his office into the embrace. They didn’t have to stop this time, and she didn’t mean to.

  Zach slid his hand up her shirt, reveling in the softness of her flesh. The last woman he’d been with was Steffani, and he had no trouble shoving the experience from his mind. Natalie had a lot more to offer, and he was determined to sample all of it. He stood, gently laying her down on the couch as he kissed every available inch of her neck.

  Could you guys go to the bedroom to do that? Copper’s voice caused both of them to freeze, We’re trying to sleep.

  A moment of clarity struck Natalie then. They had to work in the morning. She panted as she looked at her watch, torn between going home or enjoying the company of the man who was currently above her, “Zach, it’s ... it’s 1:30. We should go.”

  Zach had never wanted to kill Copper before, but at the moment he’d gladly do it, “Stay, please.”

  “I... I don’t think that would be a good idea,” she gently pushed on his shoulder, letting him know she wanted to sit up and he moved out of the way. “We’re both pretty drunk. I don’t want to make a choice we might regret later.”

  “There’s no way in hell I’d regret that choice, Natalie,” Zach stood, he needed to get away from her if he was going to respect her wish to end the night.

  Natalie was now eye level with the one part of him she still had yet to see, and it looked positively engorged through his sweatpants. They were a couple, right? They clearly had some kind of chemistry, so why not indulge? Oh right, because she was a witch, and he hated witches.

  She stood and smoothed down her blouse, ignoring the throbbing between her legs as she walked towards the door, snagging her purse violently as she struggled to get her sneakers on, “Slag, we’re leaving.”

  Copper hunkered down in his bed as Slag glared at him. Why had he said anything? Zach looked positively pissed, and now Natalie was leaving. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. They were supposed to flounce off to Zach’s room and not come out until morning.

  Copper didn’t know what Zach was going to do to him exactly, but by the way he was clenching his fists the little dragon had a feeling it wasn’t going to be painless.

  “Don’t forget your phone this time,” Zach said quietly, his voice a low growl.

  Natalie patted her pockets and realized it had slipped out. She looked around for the device, finding it on the couch. She quickly tucked it into her purse and headed for the door where her tired dragon waited patiently. It felt like she was making a mistake by leaving, like she was walking away from where she was meant to be. She looked back as her fingers touched the door knob. Zach was closing the door to his bedroom. He wasn’t even going to say goodbye to her.

  She’d been attracted to him eleven years ago, but had given herself to a lying, abusive, and unfaithful prick simply because he’d shown her a few moments of his time. She’d been too shy to pursue the man she’d really desired, and now that she had the opportunity to indulge in him, she was leaving? No. She wasn’t going to deny herself what she really wanted. Natalie took a deep breath, locked the door, kicked off her shoes, dropped her purse, and followed him.

  Slag flew back to the warmth of Copper’s bed and snuggled into him. The pair watched as Natalie entered Zach’s room, happy that the night had been saved. Slag giggled and tucked her face under Copper’s wing, wishing him a good night. He returned the wish, but did not snuggle into her. He was too busy focusing on a dark sparkly object that had fallen from Natalie’s purse after she'd dropped it.

  “Zach?” Natalie whispered in the dark of his bedroom as she quietly closed the door behind her. She reached for the wall beside the door frame, finding the lightswitch. Unlike her partner, she wasn’t great at navigating a world of darkness. The room illuminated, revealing an empty bed. She heard running water and chose to investigate. Her heart was racing. It felt like she was encroaching on his private space. Wasn’t that the whole reason she’d decided to stay?

  She pushed open the barely closed door before her and found a darkened bathroom. The shower within was on. Natalie quickly found the light and her breath hitched at the sight before her. Nearly naked Zachariah Hail had been a wonderful vision, but the fully nude, absolutely drenched version was far better. The fact that he was currently pleasuring himself wiped every intelligent thought from Natalie's mind. She shook off her nerves and removed her clothing before gently tapping on the shower’s glass door.

  Zach froze, listening to see if he’d really heard something. She tapped the door again and he shut the water off, opening the door in confusion.

  “Care if I join you?” she asked, surprised at how low her voice had become.

  He smiled, “Please do, I could use a hand.”

  Chapter 13

  Zach smacked his alarm, angry that its incessant ringing signaled the end of their night together. They had absolutely devoured ea
ch other, staying in the shower until the water ran cold. Then he’d carried Natalie to the bed and continued to ravage her. He hadn’t desired someone like that before. Every touch of her skin against his had driven him mad. For once, he was enjoying the soreness associated with sex.

  Zach stretched and rolled over, reaching for his lover only to find an empty bed. What was more baffling than her absence was the fact that her place beside him was cool, meaning she’d been gone for a while. He was used to his partners leaving before he woke, or before he even fell asleep, but this hurt. They were supposed to be a couple, not a cheap fuck. She was supposed to be there. Why wasn’t she? He took a deep breath to steady his emotions and got up.

  Zach returned to the shower and angrily scrubbed the smell of her from his skin, washing much longer than necessary before dressing in yesterday's uniform. He ran a comb through his hair, making a mental note to go to the barber after work, and stepped out into his living room.

  "Good morning!" Natalie's voice made him jump, he hadn't expected her to be there. "I hope you like breakfast sandwiches, because I got you one. I also snagged some coffee. I wasn't sure what you'd want, so I got black."

  Zach had spent the last twenty minutes being mad at her, and now he was struggling to erase that emotion. He heard her place a paper bag and cup down on the counter for him, but chose to ignore it. He walked past her and got a bowl from the cabinet, silently pulling out his daily breakfast of Grape-nuts and almond milk.

  "So... that's a no on the sandwich then?" she sounded hurt.

  "Yeah," Zach kept his tone short and clipped. Why was he being mean? Hadn't he wanted her there just a few minutes ago?

  He heard her throw the food in the trash, "I don't know what crawled up your ass this morning, but I'll be in the car when you're done."

  "More like what crawled out of my bed," he quipped, closing his refrigerator with more force than needed.