Beautiful Creatures Series

Gordon woke to the sound of his cellphone ringing. He rolled onto his side, reaching for his phone, which was not on the nightstand next to him. Giving himself a second to become more alert, he sat up on the edge of the bed and looked around. He was still in the hotel room, but he appeared to be alone. The phone stopped ringing, and Gordon stood up, raking his fingers through his dark tangles as he walked to the bathroom to find it also empty.

Mackenzie must have slipped out while he was sleeping. Walking back into the main suite, he noticed the large mirror over the desk had a message scrolled across it in burgundy lipstick that read: Had to work, call me — followed by lip print kiss as a signature. Gordon smiled. Yeah, he’d had fun too.

Suddenly his phone was ringing again. Gordon searched his jacket and removed the smartphone. He snarled with disgust. Then he saw Melissa’s picture and number. “Nope,” he hit decline, then he went into the settings and blocked her number. With that done, he checked his call history to see he had missed ten calls and fifty text messages. It would seem Melissa had been trying to contact him all morning. Probably pissed off, he hadn’t come back after a few drinks. Oh well, he owed her no explanation. However, he should probably go home. He needed a shower and a fresh set of clothes before he went to work. He had his first appointment at noon, and the clock on his phone said it was well past 8:00 am.

Gordon got dressed and left the hotel. He walked out the doors heading for his bike when he saw a female uniformed officer writing him a ticket. He ran over. “No, I’m here,” he said, reaching her.

“Is your motorcycle, Sir?”

“Yes. Look, I know I parked here overnight, and I wasn’t supposed to, but I had a hell of a night. First, I find out my wife is cheating on me with my friend and then….”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the officer cut him off. “Your wife sounds like a bitch. It’s such a shame when a woman doesn’t know what she’s got,” Gordon was confused. What was going on here? “You know what? I’ll let you off with a warning. You’ve had a bad enough time,” she then took his hand and using the pen she had been using to write him up. She scrawled her phone number across his palm. “You give me a call if you need someone to talk to,” she said, then caressed his face and walked back to her cruiser and went about her day.

Gordon looked down at his hand. Taking hold of his shirt, he lifted the fabric to his nose and sniffed it. Was he giving off some form of Fuck Me pheromone? Looking at his hand again, Gordon smiled. It seems he was on a hot streak, and it took no time at all. Single life was looking promising. He should have divorced Melissa sooner.

Gordon straddled his bike and revved the engine up. Lifting his feet, he pulled out of the parking lot and into the street. He was heading home to make sure Melissa had packed her stuff and left. It took twenty minutes to reach Feral and another ten to get home. He pulled into the driveway and groaned when he saw Melissa’s little hatchback. He put his bike in park and turned it off. He climbed off his bike and made his way to the door. Once inside, he noticed Melissa. She had been sitting on the couch, and she rose when he walked in. She looked like she had been crying, but it was clear manipulation.

“Where have you been all night?” She demanded.

“At a hotel.”

“Doing what?”

“A twenty-six-year-old.”

He said, walking past her heading upstairs to his room. He needed to get rid of Melissa and get a shower in before he left for work. Melissa followed him; her tears were replaced by anger. “You had sex with another woman?”

“Repeatedly,” he said, reaching his room. He opened the closet and took out a suitcase which he left on the foot of the bed opened.

“Fine, you got it out of your system. I hurt you. You hurt me. We are even.”

Gordon laughed. “We are so far from even. Even is not in the same galaxy,” he said, taking her clothes from the closet and throwing them into the suitcase.

“What are you doing?”

“Packing your stuff.”

“You were serious about throwing me out?”

“Yes.”

“This is my house.”

“No, it’s my house. The deed is in my name, and I am the one that has paid every mortgage payment. You were just living here, and now you don’t. I can take this to court. “Go ahead, but that will take time, and I don’t think you can afford the lawyer. Melissa had not worked a day in their relationship. She had raised Aster, and after their daughter moved out, she started working as the midwife for the pack, but she never charged.”

“I have no income. What am I supposed to do? How do I provide for myself? Where do I go?”

I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care,” he said, closing the suitcase. “Now, are you going to walk out, or am I going to have to throw you out literally?”

“This isn’t fair.”

“Fair!” He yelled, his eyes glowing with rage. “You want to talk about fair?” He said, picking up the suitcase and advancing on Melissa, which made her back out of the room and down the stairs as he came at her slowly. “For decades, I took your abuse. I cleaned up after you. I provided for you. I bent over backwards to keep you happy, and all you ever did was shit on me and cheat. Today is my Independence Day. I’m not a petty man. I won’t exile you from the pack, but you will get the fuck out of my house.”

Reaching the door, he opened and shoved Melissa out the door and threw her suitcase at her. Angry, she narrowed her eyes at him and got that nasty, vindictive look she always had. “So, you’re just going to run around town hitting on young girls like some filthy old man?”

Gordon grinned, not letting her nasty mood phase him. “For the record, they hit on me. Besides, I thought a little youth would be a nice change,” that offended look on her face was priceless, and Gordon slammed the door in her face. He paused and then opened the door to see her still standing there. She had just taken out her keys to get into her car, and he snatched her keys right out of her hand. He quickly removed the house key and threw the others back at her and shut the door, and locked it. He tossed the spare key up in the air and caught it with a smile. Yup, things were looking up.

***

Mackenzie pulled into the parking lot just out front of the Blood Moon Studio. She pushed open the door to her car and stepped out with a six-pack of beer, and shut the door by bumping it with her hip. She adjusted the red skirt because it had ridden up her thighs while driving. She had on an off-white blouse with a decorative red silk scarf and matching pumps. She had swept her long heavy blond curls up in a loose, sloppy bun that gave her a flashy look. Her heels clicked on the concrete of the sidewalk as she reached for the door and went inside.

The door chimed as she walked in and over to the service counter. “Come on back,” she heard Gordon call to her. He probably would have called to anyone since he was the only employee and was likely with a client. She rounded the counter and went into the back. Gordon glanced up, and he smiled at her. “Well, if it isn’t my favourite drinking buddy,” he said, wiping off the chest of the man he had been tattooing and rose to his feet.

“I brought you a little something,” Mackenzie said, offering him the six-pack.

beer and smiled at her. “Thanks. Most bring coffee, but I like

“I thought you would.”

now,” she

to book another after-hours appointment

with pride.

“I certainly hope so.”

Why don’t you come to my place tonight?

sounds perfect,”

off his counter and wrote something on it, then offered it to Mackenzie. “That’s my address. Say

leaned in and placed a feather-light kiss to his cheek. “I’ll see you

will be

the door, Gordon sat back down and picked up

she is,” Gordon

***

assumed belonged to Gordon. Gordon lived a few minutes away from the small town of Feral, where his tattoo shop was located. He must have done some good business because his two-level mountain cabin was very nice, at least from the outside. The cabin was on the side of a small lake. The exterior looked like it was made of logs with tall windows. There was a curving wooden staircase that went up to the front

doorbell. It took a moment before the door opened, and when it did, she was face to face with Gordon and his sinful smile. He had changed from work. He had put on a clean pair of jeans with no tears in the knee and a black cotton button-up dress shirt, which

he stepped aside and

door. “You caught me off guard last night, but tonight I

bad boy thing you got going on is sexy,” she said, pressing herself fully against him

almost ready. I hope you

“Famished.”

upstairs. To the right was a large living room and to the left a dining room. She followed Gordon through the dining room to the kitchen at the back of the house. It was a quaint little kitchen. There were doors that opened out onto a large deck that overlooked

took a seat on the barstool at the island as she watched Gordon open the oven and take dinner out.

“Wrack of lamb.”

stove to look a the beautifully cooked lamb. “I

“So do I.”

turn. You never disappoint,” she looked at

and

A dynamite lay and a good cook. You never fail to

think

dessert?” She asked, smiling

whispered in her ear. “You.”

grin grew. “Looking forward to

picked up both plates, and they took their dinner to the dining room.

living in Aspen long?” Gordon asked as he cut his

“About six years.”

are you from?”

“California.”

move from California to Colorado?” He laughed. “As an event planner, wouldn’t

it here. It’s a nice touristy town, so I

“All my life.”

house is impressive. I had

well enough, but I also invest money in various businesses that turn me a

clever and financially stable. A bad boy

smartened up quickly when I became responsible for the

that meant. “Who are you

moment, he took on that deer in the headlights look as if he had shared something with her. He had not meant to.

is biological and a few I sort of

sort of

fair enough. There were things she did not wish to discuss at this point,

a boy or a

“Girl.”

old is

“Twenty-three.”

was only a few years older than Gordon’s adult daughter. “How does she feel about you

to add to her stress right now,” she supposed that was fair too. At the moment, they were just two consenting adults engaging in casual sex. Why would he tell his daughter about Mackenzie? “I have to admit I’m still

only added to his appeal. Sure, he was older but sexy

laughed. “Is that what

said, rising from her chair and slipping onto Gordon’s lap, wedging herself between him and the table at her back. Her skirt slid up her thighs as she straddled him drawing his gaze down to her bare legs. Gordon’s hands went to her legs, caressing her thighs as they slowly slid up, slipping beneath her skirt. “Every time I’m around you, all I can think of is riding