The smell of brewing coffee drew Gordon from his sleep. He had not slept that soundly in… well. He
could not remember the last time he slept like that. He had been dead to the world. Gordon rolled over
in bed and looked around. Mackenzie was not in bed. It had been so late by the time they had worn
themselves out Mackenzie had suggested he stay the night, and he was way too wiped out to drive
home, so he snuggled in close to her and let sleep take him. Only now she was missing, and he was
alone.
Gordon climbed out of bed and found his pants. He tugged them on and went in search of the source of
that welcomed morning smell. He walked down the hall to find Mackenzie in the kitchen, just wearing a
pair of booty shorts and his shirt. Her dark ebony hair was tied up in a sloppy ponytail.
“Now that is even sexier than the lace,” he said, coming up behind her and wrapping both arms around
her waist as he nuzzled her neck. “I could just eat you up,” he purred gently, tugging at her earlobe with
his teeth.
“Coffee?” She said, turning in his arms and offering him a mug of freshly brewed coffee.
“Thank you,” he kissed her cheek, accepting the mug she offered.
“Cream and sugar?” She offered.
“No thanks, I take it black,” he said, sipping his coffee as he walked over to the couch and sat down.
“Damn, this is good coffee.”
“It should be it is expensive enough,” she said, mixing cream and sugar into her own before joining him
on the couch. Gordon draped his arm over the back of the couch, and Mackenzie scooted in close,
cuddling up to him with her feet pulled up on the cushion tucked under her bottom.
“What time is it?”
“Eight,” she answered, looking up at him. “Do you have to rush off and open the shop?”
“Not right away. The best thing about being the boss I work when I want. Do you have someplace to
be?”
“I have to meet a new coupled at ten, but besides that, no,” a naughty little grin curved the corner of her
delectable mouth. “Why? Do you want to fool around?” There was so much excitement in her tone,
Gordon grinned with pride.
“Is sex all you think about?”
“No, sometimes I’m asleep,” she said with a straight face as she sipped her coffee. It was all Gordon
could do not to choke on his coffee when he laughed. “Men are ridiculous. You all want a woman with a
high sex drive until you meet a woman with a high sex drive. Then all of a sudden, you can’t keep up.”
“Don’t count me among them. I have stamina as you have never seen,” he was not boasting; it was a
fact. As a Lycanthrope Alpha, Gordon was blessed with strength, speed, and endurance that no human
man could ever hope to achieve. While he was in his mid-forties physically, he could outperform any
18-year-old Olympian who did nothing but train and still have enough energy at the end of the night to
go clubbing.
“Come back tonight, and we will see who wears out whom,” she challenged.
Gordon grinned. He loved hanging out with Mackenzie. She was one hell of a woman, and he liked her
a lot more than he should. He would never complain about the sex, he enjoyed the sex, but he found
himself craving to know her better. “What are we?”
“Horny?” She grinned.
“To each other?”
“Oh,” she said with a serious expression. “Well, we are friends.”
“Friends?”
“With benefits. Don’t you like being my friend?”
“With benefits?”
“You don’t like the benefits?”
“I love the benefits, but call me old-fashioned. I like to get to know the person I’m fucking.”
“You want to get to know each other?” She said, pulling back and sitting, so she was looking at him
with her coffee in both hands. “That sounds dangerously like the start of a relationship.”
“You don’t want a relationship?”
“I’m surprised that you do. You did just get out of what I’m assuming was a horrific relationship. Why
would you want to start a new one so soon?”
“I’m not talking about getting married. I’m just suggesting a date that doesn’t start in the bed?”
“I don’t want to get to know you,” she said with all seriousness.
Gordon felt blindsided by her response. It had not been the one he had been expecting. “Why not?”
“I like you, Gordon. I don’t want to lie to you. If we did, the get to know you crap…” She stood up and
walked out of the room. Mackenzie returned shortly with the rest of his clothes. Gordon stood up,
accepting his things. “Please, just go,” she then turned and locked herself in the bedroom.
What the hell had just happened?
***
Mackenzie closed the bedroom door and then sunk her back, sliding down the wood. She pulled her
knees up and hugged them. She felt so bad sending Gordon away. Mackenzie always kept things light
and casual. She didn’t like to get to know people. She didn’t like to lie to people, but if she got to know
Gordon, she would tell him nothing but lies. For years in witness protection, Mackenzie couldn’t even
remember the truth most of the time. It would be wrong of her to have him pour his heart and soul out
to her while she told him falsehoods. He would never know the real her.
She could never see him again.
She spent the next hour in her room getting ready for her day. She curled her hair and put on her
makeup. Then she slipped into a black and white dress that came just below her knee with matching
shoes. She was meeting a new client this morning, and she wanted to look professional. Once she was
ready, Mackenzie walked to the door, intent on leaving.
She opened the door and came face to face with Gordon, who was standing just on the other side of
the door, his powerful arms folded across his chest and an almost scolding expression on his face.
Mackenzie was stunned to find him there. She had thought he had left over an hour ago.
“Have you been standing here the whole time?” She asked.
“I’m an amazingly patient man,” he smiled.
“Don’t you have a business to run?” She said, pushing past him and heading for the door.
“I gave myself the day off,” he said, following Mackenzie to the door. “We need to talk.”
“I don’t have time. I have a meeting to get to.”
“When something is important, you make time.”
Did he just say she was important to him? Mackenzie stood by the door. “Fine, I’ll give you five
minutes. What do you want to talk about?”
“I get the feeling I freaked you out. That had not been my intent. It’s clear you are not looking for a
relationship; I’m ok with that. If all you want is a good time, then fine. I don’t mind. I won’t ask any more
questions. But when you are ready to share and open up, I’m willing to listen.”
“I have to go,” she said, fidgeting with her car keys.
He looked wounded by her response. “I see, ok, can I call you later?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Are you going to let me finish your tattoo?”
“I think I’ll have someone else finish it,” she said, not looking him in the eyes. There was a long silence.
“I have to go. Please don’t be here when I get back,” she then turned and left the house.
***
The days passed slowly. Gordon went about his business. He had not seen or heard from Mackenzie in
days. She did not come to her next appointment. Gordon had been annoyed for days. He had gone
and screwed up a good thing. He should have kept his mouth shut and enjoyed the ride. Today he was
tattooing matching military tattoos on four young soldiers who had just returned stateside. It was small
and easy enough to bang out quickly. He was just finishing up the last one.
As he finished up, he heard the chimes of his door alerting him to a new customer. He sprayed the site
with saline water, then wiped it down and wrapped him up. When he looked up again, he saw
Mackenzie coming into the back without an invite. Gordon finished the cleanup and gave the men
instructions on how to care for their tattoos while they healed to prevent a staph infection. He then
walked all three to the front counter and completed the payment.
Once they were alone, Gordon walked back into his backroom, finding Mackenzie seated on his tattoo
chair. “You’re late. Your appointment was two days ago.”
“I know. I was hoping you could squeeze me in.”
“I thought you were going to have someone else finish it.”
“I changed my mind. I don’t want someone else fucking it up. So, do you have time?”
“No, I really don’t.”
“Why not? Do you have another appointment coming in?”
“I’m actually closing up right away. I have to help a friend.”
“Oh, tomorrow, maybe?”
“Closed all day.”
“Why?”
“I have a wedding to go to. One of my boys is getting married. I’m a groomsman.”
“Oh,” she hopped off the chair and made to leave, looking like a pouting child who had just been sent to
the corner.
“Monday,” he said, and Mackenzie stopped and turned to face him. “I’ll finish it on Monday… if… you
be my date for the wedding.”
Mackenzie grinned. “What time?”
“I have to be there by noon, so meet me at my place no later than ten.”
“I’ll be there,” she then turned and walked out.
He really hoped he was doing the right thing. He felt giving her a second chance was only fair since
she had given him one when he’d had his hissy fit the night she came to his home for dinner.
***
Gordon stood in the yard of Darrell’s farmhouse, where he had joined the small bigrade of pack
members who had all come by to help set things up for the wedding tomorrow. He was helping Darrell
decorate the arbour he had built for his nuptials. Darrell was a general contractor. There was nothing
he could not build or fix. They were hanging white silk, flowers, and fabric butterflies to make it beautiful
while Gordon’s daughter and the rest of Darrell’s friends set up white folding chairs and hung bows on
each row.
Once they had things set up, they would all be heading out for a party. The ladies were throwing a bash
of Katelyn, Darrell’s fiancée. In turn, the guys were heading over to Stanton’s place to throw Darrell a
wild send-off. “How this?” Gordon asked as he was pinning up the last butterfly.
Darrell took a few steps back and looked over their handiwork. “Looks good. I think we are done.”
Gordon stepped back and looked it over. “Damn, boy, you do good work.”
“Thank you.”
Gordon turned to smile at him. “Do you mind if I bring a date tomorrow?”
Darrell looked surprised. “You’re already dating?”
“I figured, why should I wait? Melissa didn’t.”
“Do you have a date in mind?”
Gordon’s grin grew. “You will not believe this girl. She’s young, attractive, classy, and she has a sex
drive that could kill a human man.”
“Fun,” Darrell laughed. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
He was looking forward to it also.
***
Later that night, while they sat around Stanton’s cabin in the woods, not that far down the road from
where Darrell lived. They were sitting around playing drinking games all night as the men of the pack
came and went throughout the night, congratulating Darrell on his upcoming marriage. Things were
going well, and Gordon was good and drunk. Nothing could have ruined the night, or so he had thought
until he showed up. When Conrad walked in, the party went quiet as everyone held their breath, waiting
to see what would happen between Gordon and the man who wronged him.
Gordon stood in the middle of the room, a half-drunk beer bottle in his right hand, his hateful glare
fixated on his once friend. “Sorry, Gordon, I didn’t know he was coming,” Stanton apologized.
“Hi,” Conrad greeted Gordon.
“I think you should leave,” Gordon spoke calmly.
“I heard you would be here. I thought…”
“That I wouldn’t cause a scene with all these people around.”
“I wanted to apologize, but you won’t take my calls.”
“That’s because I blocked you.”
“You have to forgive me.”
“I have to?” Gordon laughed. “I don’t have to do anything.”
“We are friends,” Conrad said, coming closer.
“No, we were friends. Not that you were much of a friend because you fucked my wife. In my bed.
Where was your friendship then?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Your words mean nothing to me.”
“Gordon, please…”
“You are dumb as fuck. Honestly, I’m surprised you can walk and breathe at the same time. You need
to start appreciating the effort I put into not killing you.”
“Are you going to exile me?”
“I’m not that petty. You’re dead to me. We will never be friends again. So, keep your distance, and I’ll let
you keep your teeth,” Gordon flashed an evil, menacing grin where he bared his fangs. “Savvy?”
“You heard him,” Stanton growled, “get out.”
Conrad turned and walked out the door without another word. It still pissed Gordon off that he had not
realized earlier that Melissa had been cheating. It baffled him how he had not smelled Conrad on her or
her on him. They had managed to pull the wool over his eyes, for God only knew how long. He was not
sure how Melissa had hidden this from him for so long, but what pissed him off was the mockery she
had made of him. Well, he was done being the nice guy. For the sake of the species, he would not exile
Melissa or Conrad. He would allow them to stay in the pack, but he would never trust either again.
***
The door buzzed over and over, waking Mackenzie from a sound sleep. She climbed out of bed and
pulled on her robe before walking to the intercom. She pressed the button and spoke. “How is it?”
“Gordon,” his voice came back.
Mackenzie pressed the button to buzz him in. Moments later, he was at her door. She opened it and let
him in, closing the door behind him, locking it. “What are you doing here?” She asked, running her
fingers through her tousled golden locks.
“I think younger generations call it a booty call,” he purred as he backed her up against the door and
started kissing her neck. “I have a powerful need to fuck you senseless.”
“You are drunk,” he was slurring his words, and the smell of beer on his breath was overwhelming.
“What did you do? Swim through a lake of beer?”
Suddenly Gordon bent over and hoisted Mackenzie up over his shoulder and slapped her bottom as he
carried her to the bedroom. He carried her to the bed and followed her down, trying to kiss her once
more, but she turned her face away. Wow, his breath was harsh. She could get drunk just kissing him.
“Ok, lover boy,” she said, placing her hand on his chest and pushing him off her. It did not take much to
push him over, so he was lying on his back. “I’m game, but if this is going to happen, you need to rinse
with mouthwash,” she said, getting out of bed. “I’ll get you some.”
Mackenzie headed to the washroom and grabbed the bottle of Scope. She removed the cap to fill it and
then thought twice. It might be better if he just used the whole bottle. Placing the cap back on,
Mackenzie headed back to the bedroom.
“Ok, buddy, if you want….” She trailed off as she came into the room and found Gordon passed out.
She had a feeling a bomb would not wake him. She placed the Scope on the nightstand on his side of
the bed along with a bottle of Tylenol she retrieved from the washroom to help with the almost certain
hangover he was going to have come morning.
Removing her robe, she climbed into bed next to Gordon and closed her eyes. It was so late, and she
needed her beauty sleep, so she looked good on his arm tomorrow.
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