Chapter 9
Janice’s voice felt a little raw and her underwear a little too tight when Warren led her back into the building. Well, actually, all of her clothes felt a little too tight. She was satisfied, yes. . . But more than anything she wanted him inside her.
The man had finished her five times in about ten minutes before stopping and changing out her bandages. Now she was exhausted and wanted to take a nap. . . and to maybe grind his pelvis to a pulp with hers later.
Sascha met them at the door as he was saying he’d be back before he planted a quick kiss on her, surprising her more than she’d thought his kissing her would.
She could still taste the honey on his mouth, despite the fact that he’d wiped his face clean before they got back out of the car.
Sascha waved and smiled before turning sharply on her and practically barking at her to, “Dish.”
Janice felt heat flame in her cheeks as she turned to walk back to the break room. “I don’t know what you mean.” It was getting concerning how often she heard that come out of her mouth.
“Oh, yes you do.” Sascha hissed at her as she kept her voice low. “Who is that man?”
Janice shook her head. “He’s just someone I met while I was out.”
“Strangers don’t just bring coffee, banana bread and blueberry muffins to you at work.” The other woman huffed.
“Fine. He’s a friend I made while out.” Janice grumbled embarrassed.
“Friend my ass,” Sascha hissed. “Friends don’t just go down on friends to help relieve their sexual frustr—”
Janice had the other woman by the throat before she realized it, staring at her with wide disbelieving eyes. She blinked several times, suppressing her Instinct to shut the woman up and snatched her hand away just as quickly.
Sascha just stared at her, eyes full of shock and uncertainty.
Janice glanced around quickly, praying no one had seen that before sweeping an arm around her friend and quickly ushering her back into the break room.
Once there, she backed away from Sascha and looked both ways down the hall before shutting the door.
Almost at the same time as the door clicked shut Sascha turned to her, horrified, hand at her throat as though unable to forget the way Janice’s hand felt on her skin. “What the Hell was that?”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Janice rushed, shame weighing her shoulders.
She went to one of the two small circular tables and pulled out the chair.
Collapsing into it she held her head in her hands.
“I’d never do that to you.” She looked up at Sascha, eyes pleading.
“I just. . .” Groaning, she dropped her head back in her hands. “I’m so sorry.”
After several long moments, Janice heard the chair across from her screech on the floor and Sascha slid into it. “Janice, what’s going on with you? You’ve been strange since this morning.”
Janice sighed heavily, her mood darkening.
She had no idea what was wrong with her.
She’d been distracted all day. She was on edge about pretty much everything.
She couldn’t relax. . . She was even pretty sure she had a low grade fever going.
And that was just the stuff that had nothing to do with Warren.
Groaning, she dropped her head to the table, the sudden cold of the table top a welcome difference from how she’d been feeling all day.
“I don’t know.” She groaned miserably. Shifting slightly when the crotch of her pants stimulated the already over stimulated bud of her current frustrations.
“Warren said I’m ‘in heat’, but I don’t even know what that means. ”
Sascha inhaled sharply but remained silent for a long time. When Janice finally built up the courage to look at the other woman, she found a look of nervous concern, like she’d heard the term somewhere before.
“Sascha?” Janice frowned, worried she’d just said something she shouldn’t have. “What’s wrong?”
“Janice. . . I didn’t know you were a SkinWalker.” Sascha’s voice was hushed. Barely a whisper, as though she was afraid they’d be overheard.
Janice’s frown deepened. The fuck was that supposed to mean. Taking a deep breath she said slowly, “I’m getting real tired of people saying things I don’t understand.”
“A shapeshifter.” Sascha clarified. “Someone who can turn into an animal.”
The way Sascha was watching her set Janice on edge.
She couldn’t shapeshift, but her brother could.
They assumed it was part of what made him so strong and fast. .
. But it was also what made him a monster.
Janice was different though. She’d never experienced anything her brother went through.
She just had her power to deal with. A dangerous power that she could barely control— at the thought of it, her power swirled lazily, like it couldn’t be bothered to deal with or exacerbate her issues right now.
. . At least, she hadn’t been able to control it until now.
Janice tried to stay calm, but all her alarm bells were going off like crazy.
This was a dangerous conversation that they should not be having.
She needed to find a way to excuse herself from this conversation.
“I’m not a shapeshifter.” She said as levelly as she could manage.
She didn’t say that she might be some type of magic user, as she was almost certain Warren would call her.
Sascha frowned at her, studying her for a long time. “Well. . . Perhaps you should see my doctor, Ansell.”
Ansell. . . Janice couldn’t help the sneer that came over her face. That name was the last thing she wanted to hear right now. “I’d rather not.” Janice grumbled lowly. “I want nothing to do with that ass hole.”
“‘Ass hole’?” Sascha shook her head in surprise, clearly taken aback.
“If he’s taking good care of you, that’s fine.” Janice tried and failed to keep the harshness out of her voice. “But I want nothing to do with the man beyond making sure he’s treating you right.”
Sascha’s startled look ate at her conscience and Janice heaved a sigh, rubbing at her temples and dropping her head back onto the table.
The other woman was quiet for a long time before she got up.
Part of Janice thought she’d leave, but then the other woman took back her seat and placed a hand on hers.
“Let’s take a deep breath and get some caffeine in you. It might help you to relax.”
When the ice cold cup was placed in her hand, Janice brought it to the side of her neck, welcoming the frozen touch with a soft sigh. “I’m sorry. I just do not like that man.”
Sascha sighed softly and Janice sat up to take a drink, seeing the frown on her friend’s face.
“I’m not saying that he’s a bad guy or anything. I don’t know him, you do.” Janice shook her head lightly. “But as far as I go. I don’t like him. Just throwing that out there so we know where we stand.” Sascha was quiet as she watched Janice take another sip of her creamy coffee.
Eyeing the coffee curiously, Janice had to wonder where the man had gotten this thing. It was delicious. Far better than any she’d gotten at the cafe down the road. She’d never had it blended so smoothly.
Sighing softly, Sascha apparently let the topic go and shifted focus when she said, “Alright. Then let’s talk about a man you do like.” When she paused, Janice glanced at her curiously, taking another sip of the creamy substance. “What’s really going on between you and Warren?”
Janice choked on the delightful confection. When she could breathe again, she practically shouted, “Nothing.”
Sascha pursed her lips together dubiously. “Oh, come now. You’re a grown woman, Janice. If you can go out into the parking lot and have enough brass in your blood to let the man go down on you, you should be brassy enough to talk to your best friend about it.”
Janice just stared at the other woman, slack jawed with disbelief. When she could finally manage words, they came out horrified. “How did you even know that?”
Sascha rolled her eyes. “I can smell you all over the man. And I looked in the camera and saw you guys get in his car, but at no point did I see the thing start jumping on it’s shocks, so it had to be something else.
” Sascha put an elbow on the table and fixed her in place with a pointing finger.
“And the only reason I even suggested he take you outside was to calm you down in the first place. Your scent has been all over the place. Why did you even come to work?”
Janice chose to ignore the confusion spilling from the other woman’s mouth and instead chose to focus on the staying home bit and the reprimanding finger the other woman had in her face.
“Hey, you’re not my mom. And I came to work because I need the money and have bills to pay.
” Janice motioned to the other woman’s stomach.
“Besides. You’re the one pregnant with five kids. What are you doing at work right now?”
Sascha recoiled, rubbing a self-conscious hand over her swollen stomach. “I’m pregnant with four babies, Janice. Not five.” She shook her head succinctly.
Janice chose not to argue with her. For some reason, when she thought about the woman’s babies, she saw five in her head.
. . Not four. But that was business between Sascha and her doctor.
Janice pressed her lips together and looked away huffing a sigh.
“Look, Warren is just some guy I met and we have casual fun together.”
Sascha pressed her lips together, studying Janice for several moments before giving a weak smile and breathing a laugh. “I know. I can smell how into you he is. I’m just upset you didn’t tell me about him. Especially if he can mess your head up so bad.”
Janice cut a glance at the other woman and sighed. “I felt the same way about you and your pregnancy. . .”
Sascha was quiet for a long while. “I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to carry a baby. If I had lost it, I didn’t want to drag you on that emotional roller coaster with me.”
Janice frowned. “So you think I would have felt better watching you go through that all alone? Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been about you since I pulled those cards for you?” Janice shook her head. “Even my brother is worried about you.”
Sascha frowned, looking as though she were reevaluating the way she had thought about things before.
Sighing, Janice held a hand across the table for her. “Look. If you promise not to keep secrets and go through things alone, so will I.”
Sascha watched her seriously. “That a tall order, Janice. . . Especially coming from someone who never opens up about herself.”
Janice swallowed. She knew. She knew exactly what she was saying and for herself, it was an extremely tall order.
The only person she’d ever let that close was her brother.
Even Warren, who was trying to weasel his way into her life didn’t truly know the depths of the monster she was, but with this promise, she was granting Sascha the right to not only her present and future.
. . but her past. Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of any other way to do this.
Janice believed in fairness above anything else.
If she wanted and expected Sascha to do this for her piece of mind.
. . She’d have to be willing to do the same thing for Sascha.
“I’m serious, though. . .” Janice bit her bottom lip, debating if she could really do this or not.
“If you can promise that, no matter what, you won’t run from me or see me as a monster.
. .” She swallowed hard, eyes pleading and feeling so terribly vulnerable. “I’ll promise to do the same for you.”
Sascha watched her for a long time. Studying her again like something through a microscope. Then she stood and came around the table. She was slow, gentle as she wrapped her arms around Janice and said softly. “Sisters then.”
Janice felt the little shock as Sascha touched her and the wave of emotion that followed, threatening her with tears as she hugged the pregnant woman tightly.
“But as your sister, you need to know.” Sascha said lowly. “If you ever grab me by the throat again, I’m breaking your arm.”
Janice couldn’t help it. She laughed. Then she buried her face in the other woman’s shoulder and cried.