Chapter 15 #4
“I’m going to go tomorrow morning just like I planned.
I’m going to tell my mother what we suspect about Clay, and about crapwad.
Then I’m going to tell crapwad if he doesn’t get the hell out of our house I’m going to call Auxin Bio Sciences and tell them about his threat to our customer relationship with the company because I denied his sexual advances, and the fact that he erased messages on my personal phone. ”
“What about your father?”
“I have to see how he reacts. I still can’t believe he’s trying to defend the guy. He’d have yanked anybody else up if they even slightly showed an interest in me, much less disrespected me, and implied that I could cost him a working relationship with Joel’s company if I didn’t behave myself.”
“That part really surprises me.”
“Ultimately, if he still defends him, then I’m done. He can set the damn farm on fire as far as I’m concerned,” Harper said, her voice growing growly the more she spoke about her father before she tossed her phone the few feet to land on the towel she’d left nearby for just that reason.
Summer picked her head up off the float she reclined on and looked over at Harper still floating about six feet away from her with a constant rumbling pouring from her chest. Summer grinned to herself as she paddled over to the pool side closest to her, set her glass on its edge, then slipped into the water as she allowed her beast form to take over her body.
Harper lay unsuspecting on her float, trying to tame the Tiger that lived inside her and its unparalleled disgust for Joel, and anger toward her father.
Despite her efforts the rumbling just grew progressively louder.
“Assholes,” she mumbled to herself as she raised her glass to sip her drink — then suddenly the world was upside down, her drink flew a couple of feet away before it mixed into the pool water, and she herself was doing her best not to choke underwater as two large, black hands did their best to hold her down as she squirmed and fought like she was fighting for her life.
Harper grabbed the arms trying to wrap around her and the moment the fur floated into view, she knew what was happening.
Summer had decided to shift into her Gorilla form to make a sneak attack.
Harper upended Summer and shoved her away before surging to the surface and giving her Tiger control of her body.
Just as Harper’s shift was complete, Summer was headed back toward her, a huge grin on the black, leathery face of her strangely beautiful Gorilla as she shrieked and laughed as they tussled in the water.
Harper roared, tossing her head back and forth, sending curtains of water toward Summer’s Gorilla as she tried to get Harper’s Tiger in a headlock.
The roars, growls, and hisses of a fully grown female Tiger, caught up in a play fight, in the water, with a fully grown female Mountain Gorilla as she whooped, screamed and shouted her joy at the fun they were having, would have been enough to convince any neighbors that the family owned a zoo.
Thankfully, though, there were no neighbors.
Basilio had bought all the surrounding land and installed high security fencing all around the perimeter.
That meant that anyone on his property was safe to be exactly who they were anytime they wanted.
But the sounds and the water sloshing out of the pool brought Renata to a stop when she stepped out onto the lanai carrying the steaks she’d cooked for the girls.
She stood there for only a moment before she called for her mate.
“Basilio!” Renata shouted.
He was there in a matter of seconds, standing beside her. He started laughing.
“It’s not funny. We’re going to have to clean the pool again. It’s a bitch to get the PH just right! And it’s getting harder to convince the pool guys we don’t know what animal is leaving all the fur behind and clogging the filters.”
“It’s kind of funny. And look at them, they’re having fun. They needed to blow off some steam. It’ll be fine.”
Renata sighed. “You deal with the pool guys this time.”
Basilio chuckled. “Consider it done.”
“I guess we’ll have their steaks since they’re busy splashing all the water out of the pool,” Renata called out.
Both the Tiger and the Gorilla stopped and looked over toward Renata and Basilio standing on the lanai watching them.
Harper’s Tiger started doggie paddling toward the steps, followed closely by Summer’s Gorilla.
They climbed out and shook the water out of their coats, as Renata walked over to the outdoor table and set down the plates.
“I’ll bring two new swimsuits when I bring the condiments back out for you guys,” Renata said as she shook her head while heading back into the house. She grinned at the antics of her daughter and her daughter’s best friend as she stepped inside.
Basilio was still laughing as he followed his mate back inside.
Summer and Harper both shifted back into their human forms, grinning and breathing heavily from the exertion as they wrapped themselves in their towels and took a seat to enjoy their lunches.
“Feel better?” Summer asked.
“So much better. We need to do that more often.”