Chapter 23
TWENTY TWO
Jen
Adam holds out the new pink set of lingerie with a grin. “This one.”
I’m buzzing with energy as I dress, excited about what the night will bring.
We’ve arranged to meet Astor, the dragon from the monster dating app, at a bar downtown.
I’ve never been to Night Shift before, but apparently it’s very popular with the supernatural crowd.
Hopefully that means Adam will feel comfortable there too.
He was anxious about work today, but from everything he’s told me, it went well.
I’m glad he’s coming with me. I wasn’t sure how the whole hotwife thing was going to work when he first brought it up, but it turns out Adam has been doing his research.
On his lunch break today he sent me an article written by a woman who has been in the lifestyle with her husband for nearly twenty years.
The author is down-to-earth, and her story was reassuring.
She spoke honestly about some of the challenges she and her husband faced as they were starting on their journey.
Rather than presenting it as simply a hot fantasy with no downsides, she talked about the fact that they had to learn to communicate openly with each other and any potential partners.
It made me feel like it’s something real people do. Not just characters in films and bad erotica.
As a final touch, I add some bright red lipstick and step out of the bathroom in my short black dress.
Adam looks up from his phone, and his grin stretches right across his face. “Fuck me. I am the luckiest guy in the universe, you know that?”
I give him a little twirl just to enjoy the sound of appreciation he makes as I show off how short the skirt is at the back. Then I walk over to the bed and hold out my hand for him. He stands and takes it in his. “Ready?”
“Yeah. I reckon I am.”
When I step forward, though, he holds me back for a beat. “Hey, Jen? Whatever happens tonight, I want you to know that I’ve got you, OK? I’m right there with you. It’s your call from here.”
I’ve been dating new guys on and off for the last few months since Adam and I broke up. Getting plenty of attention on dating apps. I’ve never walked out the door feeling better about myself or more excited for the night to come than I do tonight.
The phone call comes just as we get into the rideshare car.
“Heading downtown?” says our driver.
“Yeah, that’s right.” Then I look down at the number and a little knot of worry twists in my stomach. I nudge Adam and show him the screen.
The car pulls away from the curb.
Astor. The dragon we were supposed to be meeting tonight.
“Gonna take it?” he asks.
In answer, I swipe to accept the call and lift the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
The voice on the other end is deep and masculine, with an edge to it I can only describe as smoky. “Good evening, Jen. I hope you’re well. I’m so sorry to have to do this, but I’m not going to be able to meet you tonight.”
“Oh.” The article I read today said lots of guys ghost, and I’d sort of been expecting this. It’s still pretty deflating to have it happen after we’ve already left the flat.
Astor is still talking. “I know you probably won’t believe me, but I never cancel on a date if I can help it.
I put off calling because I was hoping I could arrange something, but I’m afraid I’m out of options.
My babysitter is unwell and I’ve called around, but everyone I trust with my daughter is busy. So I’m afraid I can’t join you.”
His daughter? I guess if I have to get stood up, this feels like a pretty good reason. “That’s too bad. I was looking forward to meeting you.”
“Likewise. Listen, I won’t keep you, and I understand if you never want to contact me again. But if you’d like to reschedule, I’d love to meet you both. Think about it and let me know.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
I hang up and turn to Adam. “He can’t make it.”
“Damn.”
I shrug. “Sounds genuine. Seems like his babysitter couldn’t make it.”
The driver takes a left turn onto the ramp leading onto the motorway. It would be such a hassle to turn around now. “Do you want to go out anyway? We could get a drink. Just the two of us.”
He wraps his arm around me and gives me a squeeze. “Yeah, let’s do it. Don’t worry. There will be other chances.”
I put my hand on Adam’s knee, wondering why I feel so flat suddenly.
I guess I had been really looking forward to what might happen tonight.
It was exciting to think about how badly Adam wants this.
About how much it turned him on to think about me being fucked by someone else.
Glancing at the driver, I lean close and whisper in his ear. “Maybe we’ll meet someone else.”
Under my hand, I feel his muscles jump. “I’ll have to fight them off with you looking like that,” he whispers back.
By the time we walk into the bar my mood has lifted, and I smile at the bartender as we order our drinks. As he makes them, Adam reaches across and pulls my stool closer to his. “You’re already getting looks. I’ve clocked three people checking you out since we got here.”
“Really?”
He leans in. “Guy on your left keeps staring every time you’re not looking. He’s got a tail, so I’m pretty sure he’s a supe of some kind. Maybe a demon.”
I force myself not to look, but it’s hard.
“Gorgon lady in the booth behind us couldn’t take her eyes off you as we walked in.”
The bartender brings our drinks, and I sip my vodka tonic while Adam scans the room. “There was a minotaur over by the window, but I can’t see him anymore. Fuck, this place is great. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many monsters all in one place.”
“Should we approach one of them? I don’t know if I’m brave enough to approach a demon, though.”
“Why don’t I go take a walk and see if someone approaches you? I’ll just kind of hang out in the shadows and keep an eye on you.”
I chew my lip. “OK.”
He leans in and brushes his lips against my neck in a kiss that leaves me pressing my thighs together. Then he straightens and picks up his drink and walks away, casting a heated look back over his shoulder before disappearing into the busy venue.
I reach for my drink and take a sip, pressing the cool, dewy glass to my chest to draw off some of the heat from my overactive thoughts. We’re really here. We’re doing this. And just because Astor couldn’t make it, that doesn’t mean we have to give up our plans to give this hotwife thing a go.
The gorgon Adam mentioned looks up at me over her drink, and I look away quickly in case she gets the wrong idea. She’s beautiful, but I just don’t think I’m built that way.
My eyes drift to a lone male sitting in a darkened booth across the bar. I can’t make out his face because of the shadows across him, but as he shifts to pick up his drink, his eyes flash bright amber for a moment like a cat in the dark.
His gaze locks with mine, and he lifts his glass to me before taking a sip. I don’t look away, letting the look linger as I bring my own drink to my lips and swallow. Something passes between us, and I drag my gaze away, feeling a prickle along the back of my neck as I turn back to the bar.
Sure enough, a moment later there’s a quiet sound as he draws out the stool beside me and sits. His voice is rich and velvety. It skates over my skin like a caress. “Good evening, beautiful. Your man is a fool to leave you sitting here alone like a morsel waiting to be devoured.”
I shiver, turning to face him with a thrum of energy buzzing in my veins. “Maybe he likes it when other guys notice me.”
The stranger is handsome, with dark features and a smooth-shaven jaw. His brow lifts, and he leans in closer. “And does your man like it when they touch too, or just look?”
My lips curve into a smile as I realize this guy might be playing the same game we are. “Depends. Who’s doing the touching?”
He huffs a laugh and leans back again, sipping his drink and watching me. “You’ve done this before, then?”
My heart skitters in my chest, but I force myself to shake my head. “No. We’re new to it. Have you?”
“Stolen another man’s woman? I’d tell you, but then I might have to kill you.”
I frown. Are we still talking about the same thing?
The stranger laughs again as if I missed his joke and now the joke is me.
I chuckle half-heartedly. “So are you a supe too? My boyfriend wanted it to be a supe who fucks me.”
The man grins. His teeth are sharp.
I swallow.
“Shifter. So do I get the job?”
Something about this feels off. A vibe? The way he’s staring at me with a predatory look? I shift in my seat, but rather than show my discomfort, I force a smile onto my face. “Let me just go freshen up, OK?”
I slide from my stool, hoping Adam is there watching like he said he would and gets the message that I want to check in with him.
I was excited when the shifter first came over, but now I’m anxious.
I feel more like a deer in the headlights than an empowered woman about to get what she wants, and I hate that.
Around back where the bathrooms are, the bar is even darker and only the bass of the music carries through the wall. The door to the corridor closes behind me, muffling the sounds of the bar further and making me feel like I’ve been wrapped in gauze.
There’s no one else around, so I make my way slowly toward the women’s bathroom, unsure what else to do. I hope Adam doesn’t just think I need the restroom. Where is he anyway? I haven’t spotted him since he left our seats at the bar.
The music from outside grows louder for a moment as the door opens, and I let out a sigh of relief.
But when I turn, it’s not Adam stalking toward me down the darkened corridor.
It’s the shifter. His eyes glow in the dark enough for me to catch a glimpse of teeth bared in a sharp grin.
He’s almost on top of me. “Couldn’t wait. You smell so ripe.”
My breath catches in my throat, and I take a hasty step back, but he’s too quick. Suddenly he grabs me, moving so fast I’m not prepared for it. He pins me to the wall, and his breath on my face makes me shrink away from him. “Look, I think you have the wrong idea.”
He leans closer, inhaling audibly. “Your scent says otherwise. Your cunt is hungry to be filled.”
What the fuck? Before I’ve even considered the ramifications, my knee finds a soft, squishy area between his legs that makes him double over for a moment. I guess shifters are just as sensitive in the balls as regular human guys.
He snarls and I shriek, ducking under his arm to get away from him.
The door opens again, but I barely register it because I’m running from the shifter who is staggering after me.
I trip, stumbling forward only to be caught in familiar strong arms. Adam whirls me around so he’s standing between me and the angry shifter. “I get the impression my girl isn’t interested in being touched by you,” he says, his voice flat and solid as a brick wall.
The shifter lets out a low growl. “Didn’t seem that way a moment ago.” He advances further.
What if he tries something? Is he dangerous? Did we make a mistake even coming here?
Adam just laughs. “Tell me again you don’t know the first thing about women. She changed her mind. They do that. Now back the fuck off.”
The shifter seems to grow two inches, his eyes glowing ominously in the dark. His ears lengthen and grow into pointed tips, and his face elongates into a snout. Instead of backing away, Adam steps forward until his nose is pressed against the leopard shifter’s snout.
“I said back. The fuck. Off. I don’t know if you realize this about me, so let me spell it out.
I’m already dead. I don’t need to eat, I don’t need to sleep, but I’m guessing you do.
And if you don’t turn around and walk out of here right now, I’ll use all that free time I’ve got on my hands to find you and make your life a living hell. And I will never stop. You got me?”
There’s a horrible pause where my belly feels like it drops through the floor while I stand and wonder if the shifter is going to fight Adam despite what he said. Then, suddenly, his glowing gaze drops and he turns. He stalks to the other end of the corridor, a door opens, and he’s gone.
I hold my breath for another few moments, then let it out in a rush.
Adam crushes me back against his chest and presses a kiss to my head. “Sorry. Fuck I’m sorry, Jen. I blinked and you were gone.”
I’m shaking, though I try to hide that from Adam. He catches up my hands and holds them between us until the shaking stops, pressing kisses on my knuckles. “Shhh. You’re safe. What a fucking jerk.”
“Yeah.” I sniff. “I think he was extra mad cause I kneed him in the balls.”
Adam laughs. “Atta girl. Course you did.” His knuckle under my chin lifts my face to look at him. “Hey, let’s go home, huh?”
“Yeah. Let’s go home.”