Chapter 7 #2
‘No.’ He raised his glass politely in the witch’s direction and turned away. ‘She’s not the one.’
Mallory’s mouth fell open. ‘You’ve not even spoken to her!’
‘I know her type and I know what she wants. If I speak to her now, the entire evening becomes a fait accompli and carnal knowledge is guaranteed.’
‘How is that a bad thing?’ she asked. Surely that was why they were here.
‘I don’t want sex, Mallory.’
She couldn’t help herself. ‘Ever?’
Now Alexander sounded exasperated. ‘You’re being deliberately obtuse. As you pointed out, I don’t want a one-night stand. That woman, lovely as she may be, doesn’t want a relationship. She wants a shag. There’s nothing wrong with that, although it might irritate you.’
Mallory crossed her arms. ‘The only thing that irritates me is that you’ve made up your mind about her before you’ve exchanged so much as a single word.’
‘I’m an excellent judge of character.’
‘We both know that’s not true,’ she retorted. ‘When we first met, you were so suspicious of me that you kept growling.’
He quirked an eyebrow. ‘You’re complicated. Anyway, the jury is still out on you.’
This was ridiculous. ‘I can leave now and we can call it quits for good,’ Mallory said firmly.
‘All you have to do is say the word and we can cancel our contract. Besides, everyone is complicated. You can’t give someone a single look and decide you know exactly who they are and what they’re like. Go and talk to Alicia.’
‘Is that an order?’
‘Yes.’ She gave him her sternest look.
He chuckled. ‘If you want me to do your bidding, Mallory, you’ll have to look fiercer than that.’
She abandoned her attempt and smiled sunnily. ‘Actually, I don’t have to look fierce at all.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because Alicia is taking the initiative and coming over here.’ And with that, Mallory reached for her glass of wine and spun away, leaving Alexander to meet the woman on his own.
She wove in and out of guests to the other side of the hall; the more space she could give him, the better. Other than her lack of werewolf heritage, on paper Alicia Van Borgen was an ideal candidate. All he had to do was give it a bit of time, talk to her properly and—
‘I told you she was a no.’
Mallory’s head jerked up. Alexander was beside her again. ‘Seriously? You couldn’t have spoken to her for more than thirty seconds.’
‘It was more than enough.’ He took a sip of his wine, grimaced and put the glass down. ‘There must be something else here we can drink.’
‘Don’t change the subject.’
He gave her a long look. ‘There’s nothing more to say. She’s a perfectly nice woman but she is not who I am looking for.’
Mallory winced internally. Nice? As compliments went, that was damning by faint praise. She shook her head, then a thought occurred to her and she glanced at him, assessing him with fresh eyes. ‘You want a chase,’ she said.
Alexander’s brow furrowed in a brief scowl.
‘You think that if it’s too easy it’s not worth having,’ she said, warming to her topic. ‘You want to be in control. It pissed you off that Alicia showed initiative and approached you. You have to be the alpha, not just in your own pack but in all things.’
‘That’s not true!’
She ignored him. ‘So my second suggestion will be even better because you’ll have to work for her. She’s got far less confidence than Alicia, but what she lacks in that department, she makes up for in quiet strength and brutal intelligence.’ Mallory nodded. ‘Yes. This will be much better.’
Alexander didn’t look convinced. ‘Who?’
Mallory searched across the heads of the crowd. ‘There,’ she said. ‘Lynnia McIntosh. She’s a druid. She’s standing by the bar ordering a drink.’
They watched as the tall woman handed over some money and received a balloon-shaped glass filled with a bright-green liquid, a puff of dry ice, a little parasol and sparks of orange flame.
‘She’s drinking some sort of hideous cocktail.’ Alexander’s lips were pursed with disapproval.
‘So she doesn’t like the wine either.’ Mallory shrugged. ‘You’re allowed to have different tastes to your partner.’
‘That particular cocktail is a Green Goblin. Having different tastes is one thing but enjoying the nastiest concoction in the world is something completely different.’
‘You can teach her about wine,’ Mallory said. ‘You can mansplain about corkage and vintage and different types of grape to your heart’s content.’ She nudged him. ‘Go and chat her up.’
He huffed dubiously but thankfully he squared his shoulders and set off across the room to speak to the druid. This time Mallory watched; if he turned away after anything less than a full five minutes of conversation, she would have serious words with him.
Fortunately he finally appeared to be taking the venture seriously. He adjusted his cuffs, smoothed his hair and approached Lynnia McIntosh with a smile that suggested friendly, polite interest.
Alexander’s lips moved and the druid nodded back. He spoke some more, angling his head towards her in a way that suggested enthusiastic engagement. She shook her head. He spoke again. She rolled her eyes, scowled, finally opened her mouth and spoke at some length. She didn’t look pleased. Oh dear.
‘Lynnia McIntosh is allergic to werewolves,’ Alexander informed her, when he returned to her side looking sheepish.
‘Don’t be silly.’
‘It’s true! Well, she’s allergic to alpha werewolves with over-the-top personalities who think they have the authority to tell her that she shouldn’t drink acid-green cocktails that will burn her guts, because she’ll drink whatever the fuck she wants to drink.’
Mallory considered; it was a fair and measured response from the druid. ‘You’re not very good at this, are you?’
Alexander drew himself up to his full height. ‘What? I’m great. Just because she took offence when I suggested she was risking her health doesn’t mean I’m not good at chatting up women.’
Mallory pretended not to hear him. ‘Now it makes sense why you came to me. You’re successful in your professional life but you can’t translate that to your personal life because you’re intimidated by smart women.
You fumble conversation with anyone who’s not a werewolf in your own pack.
You put on a brave front, but the thought of getting to know a real woman terrifies you. ’
‘That’s not even remotely true!’
Excellent: he was taking the bait. ‘Prove it, then. I have one final candidate for you. She’s a werewolf.
She’s in a small pack, but she’s just been promoted to beta.
She has a degree in linguistics – and I know for a fact that she likes wine rather than neon-green cocktails.
She came out of her last relationship more than a year ago so she’s definitely not on the rebound or looking for a one-night stand. ’
Alexander put his hands in his pockets. ‘Go on,’ he said. ‘Who is she?’
Mallory pointed. ‘Cathy West. Right over there.’
He followed her finger. ‘She’s brunette.’
‘If the colour of her hair is the deal-breaker I’ll void that blood contract and damn the consequences,’ Mallory said cheerfully.
‘Fine. I’ll go and talk to her.’
‘No, that’s not enough. You will go and talk to her and prove to me that you are genuinely prepared to accept my help. You will get her to agree to go on a date with you.’
Alexander’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. ‘Cathy West was your plan all along, wasn’t it?’
She looked at him serenely. ‘If you can meet your future mate weeks before the Wolf Ball then we both win. Right?’
He sighed. ‘Right.’
‘Off you go, Alex.’
He muttered something under his breath – but he did as he was told.
Mallory had to admit that Alexander MacTire could do many things when he applied himself. She’d known from the start that Cathy West was the most likely candidate; lupine heritage notwithstanding, she was intelligent and capable.
From the other side of the room, Mallory watched Alexander chat to the woman.
She saw Cathy start to relax and laugh at what he had to say.
He was smart enough to snag a passing waiter and order a different bottle of wine.
Cathy appeared pleased to accept and in fewer than fifteen minutes, the pair were absorbed in conversation to the exclusion of anyone else.
When Alexander gestured towards the dance floor, Mallory held her breath. Cathy nodded and within moments they were deftly navigating a waltz. Mallory hadn’t realised that Alexander could dance; in truth, he was so good that it was difficult to drag her eyes away from him.
‘So did you escape from your temporary prison?’ a voice murmured in her ear. ‘Or were you released?’
Mallory turned towards the twinkling eyes of Liam Ferguson. ‘Shhh,’ she said conspiratorially, placing a finger on her lips. ‘Keep your voice down. I’m a fugitive on the run.’
‘And you thought the perfect place to hide out was a busy Imbolc party? Makes sense. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.’
‘I appreciate that.’ She winked at him.
He smiled. ‘So, assuming none of that is actually true, are you here for business or pleasure?’
‘It’s a party,’ Mallory replied smoothly. ‘What do you think?’
‘Given that I know what your business is, it could be either.’
‘What about you?’ she asked. ‘Are you here for fun?’
‘I know a lot of druids and Imbolc is my favourite druidic celebration. There’s something wonderful about the start of spring. My spirits always lighten when I see the first snowdrops on the ground. Winter is not my favourite season.’
‘Every season has its benefits,’ Mallory told him. ‘Winter is cold and sometimes bleak, but you get to snuggle indoors with roaring fireplaces and mugs of hot chocolate and cosy blankets. It’s not all bad.’
Liam smiled. ‘I suspect that your hot chocolate mug is always half full.’
‘I like to think so.’
He glanced away from her then rubbed his jaw, rasping his stubble. ‘Well,’ he said ruefully, ‘I guess that answers one question.’
Confused, Mallory frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
He shrugged. ‘You’re here for pleasure, not business. Alexander MacTire wouldn’t be glaring at us so ferociously if you weren’t with him on a date.’
Mallory turned to the dance floor. Alexander was still waltzing with Cathy but he was watching Mallory and Liam from over his partner’s shoulder. And Liam was right; he looked absolutely furious.
‘It’s not what you think,’ Mallory said, as the song ended and Alexander turned back to Cathy.
‘It rarely is,’ Liam murmured. ‘Either way, I think I’ll take my leave.’ He stepped back. ‘Enjoy your evening.’
‘You too,’ she said distractedly as Alexander bowed to Cathy.
She beamed at him as he returned. ‘I knew you had it in you! What did you think of Cathy?’
‘She’s fine,’ he snapped. ‘Are you working for Liam Ferguson?’
Startled, Mallory blinked. ‘What?’
‘It’s a simple enough question.’
‘That I’m not going to answer! I don’t talk about my other clients.’
He glared at her. ‘So that’s a yes, then.’
‘It’s a “mind your own business”,’ she said mildly, though she felt unusually rankled.
‘You’re here for me, Mallory. I need to know that you’re not getting distracted by other work.’ His jaw hardened. ‘Or did you suggest we come to this party so you could double-dip?’
And just when she’d thought they were getting along. Mallory returned his angry stare with one of her own. ‘Now you’re being rude – and I am certainly not double-dipping, as you call it. Yes, I have other clients but tonight you are my focus.’
For some reason, Alexander appeared even angrier. ‘So that was a social chat?’
Mallory hissed, ‘It was nothing.’ She tightened her toes and tried hard to compose herself. ‘Tell me how it went with Cathy.’
‘It went fine.’
‘Alexander…’
He sighed. ‘We’re meeting for dinner next week after the next full moon.’
Thank goodness for that. Mallory managed to smile. ‘Great!’
‘Wonderful,’ he said flatly. He sniffed. ‘I think we’ve done all we need to do here. Let’s go.’
She didn’t move. ‘No. You’re my client, Alexander. I work for you, but I’m certainly not beholden to you and you can’t talk to me like that. I understand you’re annoyed because you thought I was being distracted but that doesn’t give you an excuse to act so rudely.’
A muscle throbbed in his cheek and he looked away. ‘I’m sorry,’ he muttered. He drew a deep breath. ‘I know I sometimes appear flippant but this is important to me. I really do need to find a mate.’
Mallory softened. ‘It’s alright,’ she said gently. ‘I get it. I’m on your side, you know, and we will find the right woman for you. If not Cathy, then someone else.’
As she started to turn away Alexander took her hand, an odd expression in his eyes, both troubled and thoughtful at the same time. ‘I really am sorry, Mallory. I won’t act like that again. I don’t know what came over me.’
‘You don’t need to apologise twice. It’s fine.’
He rubbed the back of her hand with the base of his thumb and they smiled at each other. The uncomfortable moment was over – but Mallory’s stomach was flip-flopping all the same, and it didn’t settle down until some time after Alexander MacTire had let go of her hand.