5. Abby

5

Abby

A bby had just gotten home Friday night when Xyla called.

“Hey. My friends Beth, Savvy, and Jade are hanging out at Beth’s place tomorrow. They asked me to invite you. They’d love to meet you. You’ll adore them.”

Abby thought about it for a minute. She had been looking forward to lounging around her place, watching television, napping, and relaxing. However, it would be fun to meet some new people. She already liked Jade, so she said, “Sure. Sounds like fun. What do I need to bring?”

“How about if I pick you up at about nine and we’ll hit the grocery store. I’ll grab some macaroni salad, and you can pick up some cookies, brownies, or other dessert.”

Knowing that Xyla had been craving macaroni salad lately, Abby teased, “Is your contribution for yourself, or can others enjoy it, too?”

“You each can have a macaroni.”

“So, what your saying is, you’ll pick up some macaroni salad and I’ll buy another container of macaroni salad and some cookies.”

“That might work. At least I’m only craving that. I’ve heard that some women actually crave glass, dirt, hair, stones, and other terrible things.”

“That’s called pica-cravings. It comes from the Latin word for magpie because that bird is known to eat just about anything.”

Xyla made a gagging sound. “I remember reading about that in one of my classes. No one knows why they do that. It could be an iron deficiency or some other mineral deficiency they’re not getting from their normal diet or it could be from a physical or mental health issue.”

“Yeah. You just stick with your macaroni salad.” Abby laughed.

After they got off the phone, Abby made a couple fried egg and cheese sandwiches and then filled the bathtub with as hot water as she could stand it. She grabbed her book and slid into the bath, moaning with pleasure as the water wrapped itself around her.

Closing her eyes, she imagined that Sawyer was in the tub with her. In her mind, he was sitting behind her, his large cock filling her as he reached around and rubbed, pinched, and lightly pulled on her nipples. Her fingers found the hard nub between her legs and she rubbed it lightly.

Sawyer nibbled on her neck as she rocked back and forth with him inside of her. She could feel his hard chest behind her. Abby moaned as she felt the tingling heat build up inside of her, and she exploded all over her hand.

When the feeling subsided, she was almost disappointed to find that he wasn’t with her. It had been so real in her mind.

I really have to stop this. He’s my boss. The other part of her brain argued. This is just fantasy, and a little dreaming never hurt anyone. It’s no different than people imagining sex with movie stars or people they make up in their minds. As long as it stays in your mind, you’re fine.

Groaning, she dried her hands off on the small towel she kept by the bathtub and picked up her book. She allowed the author to take her away to a haunted theater until the water started to get cold.

Bed felt good, and she smiled as she went to sleep, thinking about Sawyer and pretending he was holding her.

The next morning, Xyla arrived right on time. They headed over to Beth’s house. Abby loved Beth, her daughter, Taryn, and Savvy right away. The three women exuded a warmth that only came from the souls of truly good women.

Around noon, one of Beth’s sons fell on a sharp rock and cut his knee to the bone. Blood poured out of it. Abby was ready to render some first aid, but Beth touched it, muttered something under her breath, and it was immediately healed.

Disbelief exploded in Abby’s mind. At first, she wasn’t sure if she had really seen what just happened. Abby’s jaw dropped and she stared at Beth, her eyes wide open.

“How did you do that?” she stammered.

Beth, Taryn, and Savvy looked at each other and shrugged.

“Taryn, Savvy, and I are witches. I’m a healer witch, Savvy has a knack for spells, and Taryn is extremely powerful and has many talents, including healing.”

Abby’s mind was blank. She was completely flustered. “What? Witches are real?”

“Yes, very real,” Jade said. “They healed Conner when he was trampled by a bull while he was in the rodeo. They’ve healed some of our other folks who were badly wounded or gravely ill.”

“Do you have a clinic or something set up?” Abby asked.

Beth laughed. “No. That would be too dangerous. First, everyone in the country would be wanting something from us, and it takes a lot of energy to use our gifts. Second, there are those who still hunt witches. Our lives would be in extreme danger.”

“I understand that. It’s the same thing for shifters. They can’t advertise who they are because there are those who would hunt them down and kill them.”

“That is the case,” Xyla said. “Just like my father used to be.”

Taryn looked at Abby and asked, “You do know that there are other supernatural beings as well. There are a few vampires living in the area. Faeries, ghosts, and other hybrid folks can be found all over the world.”

Abby’s mind spun around in circles. “Really?”

Savvy laughed. “Why is it so easy for you to believe in dragons, bears, wolves, and other shifters but not think that there are other types of people in the world as well?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it. What about centaurs, minotaurs, and unicorns?”

“I’ve never actually heard of anyone saying they’ve seen one, but we haven’t explored even half of this world. My thought is that they either existed at one point in history, because they are written about and no longer exist, or they are really great at playing hide and go seek,” Savvy said.

“Wow. I’m just…wow.”

Everyone laughed.

Abby had a lot to think about when she got home. She had known for a long time that shifters were in the world and that there were a lot of animal hybrids, including dragon shifters.

“Are there more hybrid folks in this world than mundane people?”

Abby was afraid that she would scrutinize everyone as they walked by, trying to figure out if they were supernatural beings or ordinary folks.

She spent Sunday lounging around the house, reading her book, and making a couple of casserole dishes to serve as her lunches for the rest of the week. Abby went to bed early, thinking about Sawyer as she closed her eyes.

Monday was incredibly busy. There seemed to be a flu outbreak, and several kids from school were brought in by worried mamas and daddies. When the day was finally over, Abby sat down at her cubicle and finished up the paperwork for the day. Everyone else had gone home when Sawyer stopped by and leaned over the partition.

“How about some dinner? I’m tired, hungry, and don’t feel like cooking.”

Abby’s stomach flip-flopped. “Sounds like a plan.”

“I’ll pick you up around six-thirty.”

“Perfect.”

After their steaks and loaded baked potatoes were served by the flirtatious waitress, he asked, “Did you leave behind a boyfriend in Albuquerque?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I was seeing a guy named Colby. I thought he was really great – until I caught him having sex with one of our professors on her desk in her office at the school.”

“Oh, ouch. That had to hurt.”

“It was a shock, to say the least. I broke up with him on the spot, and then Xyla took me to the club. I had a lot to drink. He came in and tried to apologize, but I humiliated him in front of everyone, and he left with his tail between his legs.”

She smiled at the memory. Abby wasn’t always great about standing up for herself. However, between her pain, the liquor, and Xyla, she had dug deep inside herself and found the courage to say exactly what had been on her mind.

Sawyer quietly clapped for her. “Good for you. Did you report them to the ethics committee or the school board?”

“No. I figured that karma would eventually come around and bite them in the butt. They hadn’t been careful enough, or I wouldn’t have discovered them.”

“True enough.

“What about you?”

Sawyer sighed. “I thought that I had fallen in love with another one of the doctors. She was smart, funny, and had all the qualities I had hoped to find in a partner. I asked her to marry me, but she told me that she wasn’t interested in that particular institution. She enjoyed her freedom as a single woman and working with Doctors Without Borders. Then, a week later, she transferred out.”

“I’m sorry. That was kind of a slap in the face.”

He shrugged. “It’s all good. She obviously wasn’t the right woman for me.”

Do I have any of the qualities you look for in a partner?

Abby blushed and purposely thought about the food, trying to remember that shifters could read minds.

They talked about the changes that Angel’s Creek had gone through since Sawyer had left home.

“It seemed as though it was exactly the same as it was when I left, but there are some new companies and shops in town. Most of the people I grew up with are still around, although I guess a few of them left to go do their own thing out in the world.”

“It’s easier to stay where you know everything and everyone. It’s comfortable and safe.”

“You left home,” he said.

“I did. It wasn’t all that comfortable there. My folks are something else,” she said. Then, because she didn’t want to talk about the situation, she changed the subject. “Beth said that Angel’s Creek has its own international celebrity.”

“Yeah, Dakota Higgins. He left Angel’s Creek when he was eighteen and started traveling around the world. He’s photographed and written books about many different animal species, including a lot of endangered animals. Dakota has also starred in a lot of documentaries that have been shown on the science channels.” Sawyer smiled. “He came back to Angel’s Creek and fell in love with Sadie, the high school’s media coordinator. From what I understand her parents didn’t approve, because Dakota graduated in the same class as Sadie’s father.”

“The heart wants what the heart wants.” Abby cringed as she said the old cliché.

“Yes, it does. You can’t tell it otherwise.”

After he paid the check, he drove her back home and walked her to the door.

“Would you like to come in?”

He hesitated for a minute and then nodded.

She brought him a glass of wine and they sat on the couch, talking about New Mexico and all the fun places they enjoyed visiting. There were a few places they both wanted to see, and Abby almost suggested that they make plans to go to them together. She stopped herself right as the words were going to come out of her mouth.

Not appropriate, Abigail. He’s your boss, not your boyfriend.

At one point their hands touched and electricity exploded inside of her. Her entire body trembled as they stared into each other’s eyes. Abby was sure that she could see the wanting in his eyes that matched her own.

He started to lean over, as though he was going to kiss her, but then his phone buzzed.

Pulling it out of his pocket, he laughed. “Mom wants me to come for dinner this weekend.”

He looked at her intently, as though he was trying to look into her soul. “I need to go.”

Sawyer stood up and made a beeline for the door. He smiled at her as he stepped onto the porch. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” and then he disappeared into the darkness.

Abby shut the door behind him and leaned against it. She put her fingers up to her lips and closed her eyes, wondering what it would feel like if he had kissed her.

Would it have been as wonderful as I imagined it to be or would it be terrible?

Somehow, Abby couldn’t see Sawyer doing anything terrible.

She took a quick shower, dried her hair, and went to bed. As usual, Sawyer was on her mind. He lay beside her, naked. Their hands and mouths roamed over each other. She could feel him enter her.

Abby sighed and fell asleep imagining him holding her.

The next day, both she and Sawyer acted like nothing had happened the night before and he hadn’t almost kissed her.

During lunch, she brought up the subject of the lab on the hill. “That thing gives me the creeps. It just gives off an evil vibe. If buildings could have auras, that one would have a dark one.”

“I agree. There’s something not good about that place. A friend of mine is checking it out. He does investigative work.”

“I know that some places do good things, like find cures for cancer and HIV, but something inside of me tells me that’s not what’s going on up there. It gives me the chills.”

“That’s my fear. Hopefully, we’re both wrong.” He took a bite of his sandwich and after he swallowed it, he said, “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about. There’s been a lot of drugs that have gone missing from the clinic. It started before I took over, but it’s become more frequent lately. I’m going to have to report it to the DEA, and I’m afraid that it’s going to look bad on me. I’m hoping to find out who’s responsible before the feds do.”

“I’ll keep an eye out and keep my mouth shut,” Abby promised.

He told her about the types of drugs that had gone missing. Her stomach sank. The last thing that she needed was to be involved with a clinic that had this kind of problem. She also worried about Sawyer. She had come to care for him a great deal – as a friend, of course.