Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

“ S o how’s it going, working for the famous prof?”

Charlie smirked into her cocktail and shrugged. Her college friends Gina and Simone, a pixie and a nagi, stared at her across the table with expectant eyes.

It was Friday, the end of her first week as Max’s assistant. She’d met up with different friends every night so far. Luckily, she had plenty to choose from. Tonight she was in a funky little bar on the edge of the old city, rather ironically called Fangs and Claw.

But frankly, what else was she to do? Stay home and eat alone in the kitchen? She guessed from the neatly washed dishes she saw on the side of the sink when she returned that Max had at least eaten. But there was never any sign of him.

Even at lunchtimes he disappeared, leaving her to eat at her desk, or make polite conversation with Mrs. Bates on the days she came in.

She was beginning to feel like maybe she smelled bad or something…

And every evening, different friends had asked variations on the same questions, impressed that she’d jagged the gig with the Max Hunt.

“What do you do all day?” Simone asked.

“Well, so far, apart from viewing the Almanac of Beasts, which was amazing,” (she was not going to share just how amazing), “it’s pretty run of the mill stuff. I’ve just been collating his notes, and other than the fact that his handwriting is appalling, the work is dead easy.”

“He looks like he takes himself very seriously,” Gina commented.

Charlie nibbled on her lip. “I think he’s a loner. Maybe a bit shy even. And a total workaholic. But then, he only has four weeks here in Motham, so I guess he’s on a tight deadline.”

She must have huffed a tiny sigh because Gina, who never missed a trick, chuckled, “Oh dear, you’re still hot for him, aren’t you?”

Charlie gave her an indignant glare. “No way.”

“Oh c’mon, you had a major crush at college.”

“Did not!” Charlie felt the color darkening in her cheeks as her friends eyed each other, then burst out laughing.

“Oh, you so did.” Simone uncoiled in a leisurely fashion and sipped at her drink. “You practically ignited the day he gave that lecture. Then you didn’t stop talking about what a genius he was for weeks.”

“I admire his brilliant mind, that’s all.”

“And those ripped muscles under his jacket. We know.” Gina smirked.

“Honestly, I hardly notice what he looks like anymore,” Charlie lied.

Truth be told, her crush had only intensified. Every time Max came into the room, her heart skipped a beat. When he flicked through a book to show her some of his notes, she imagined those long, expressive fingers touching her body. She’d cast covert glances at his mouth, wondering as he plucked seriously at his lip, deep in thought, what that mouth would feel like capturing hers. Thinking about kissing Max Hunt made her nipples harden against the silk of her blouse (she’d given up wearing a bra since she’d gotten here, it just felt too constrictive).

Could he smell her arousal, she wondered? Sometimes she sensed his gaze on her, dark and brooding, and once she definitely saw his nostrils flare, but whenever she caught his eye, he quickly glanced away.

Each evening when she got back, she noticed the light around the edge of the snug door as she tiptoed past to the staircase. Each time, she wished she had the courage to invite him to share a nightcap, a hot chocolate maybe, by the light of the fire.

As she stripped off her clothes and got into bed, she fantasized about how he’d regale her with fascinating stories of Motham’s past while she sat at his feet… or better still, in the crook of his thighs as he stroked her hair and told her of those wild early days. She imagined his fine-boned fingers moving down her neck, to her breast. She’d arch into the pinch of his fingers on her nipple, as he murmured about danger and intrigue in that deep, baritone rumble.

And that’s when her hand would creep under the covers, and she’d find that little nub between her thighs and pleasure herself into a sharp, swift orgasm before falling into very pleasant dreams of the sexy professor.

Now she glanced at her friends a little sheepishly. “Really, I’m too engrossed in the work to even notice the guy.”

“You’re a lousy liar.” Gina scoffed. “You always look up and to the right when you fib. Apparently, that’s a sign. I’ve got this book on body language, though I guess it differs depending on the species.”

“I wouldn’t know.” Simone shrugged. “Snakes never lie.”

Everyone laughed at that.

Gina said, “Talking of guys, I saw Tod the other day. He said he’d invited you to his birthday party this weekend.”

“Yeah, it was nice to bump into him. Are you both going?”

“Sure. You’ll come, right?” Gina said.

“I guess…”

“Unless you get a better offer from the Prof,” Simone teased.

“That won’t happen.” Charlie shook her head so hard her curls bounced. “He’d never let himself mix work and pleasure, he’s way too controlled.”

“But you would…”

Charlie rolled her eyes. “Oh goddess, you guys, leave off, will you? Okay… I might be tempted.”

“I mean, he’s only your temporary boss. In three weeks you’ll be free to do what you like,” Gina pointed out. “Maybe even take him home for Christmas…”

Charlie laughed. “Can you imagine my mom’s face?”

“ Charlotte, oooh, Charlotte, don’t bring a nasty wolf into our home, ” Gina mimicked. They’d all met her mom and knew what she was like. They’d met her dad too, but all her friends loved him.

Glancing at the Christmas decorations around the venue, Charlie wondered what she would do after these three weeks were up. She guessed she’d go home and spend Christmas with Mom and Dad. Would Max be alone for Christmas? He said he was a loner. Maybe she should invite him… Mom would hate the idea, of course, but Dad would talk her into it. In the end, Mom always gave in to Dad’s charm.

Dad would welcome anyone, even a lone wolf into their home. Perhaps especially a lone wolf.

Stop daydreaming, you idiot, she scolded herself. Max would go back to Selig and write his book, and if she was lucky, she’d see him once more at the book launch. And that would be that.

Deliberately, she changed the subject. “What about you, Si? Any development with the hunky centaur?” Simone was hot for a centaur who worked with her at the Motham cinema, but it had been slow progress to say the least.

“I’ll shed another skin before he makes a move,” Simone grumbled, staring into her cocktail.

“Why don’t you invite him into the back row of a movie?” Charlie suggested.

“I’ve thought about that.” Simone smirked, and leaning over, she coiled around Gina’s neck, flicking out her forked tongue and licking slowly down Gina’s cheek. “Would that work on you?”

The pixie grimaced and batted her away. “Hey I might be bi, but that doesn’t mean I’m into you, Si.”

Simone pouted. “But I need practice.”

“Practice on Charlie.”

The nagi flicked her blue forked tongue suggestively at Charlie.

Charlie shook her head, laughing. “Nope, Gina’s right, that’s testing the bonds of friendship.”

Their laughter was interrupted by a new voice. “Hi girls, you look like you’re having fun.”

All three of them looked up. A pretty female with sharply angled features stood by their table. She was wearing a leather skirt and a matching laced-up bodice, her bare arms liberally covered in tattoos. Her nose sported a pierced septum, and three studs were strung along each eyebrow. Charlie wondered if she’d met her before, she looked vaguely familiar.

“Yeah,” Simone grumbled. “Just trying to spice up our non-existent love lives.”

“Maybe I can help with that.” The girl slid in next to them and brought out some flyers from her purse. She splayed them in a semi-circle on the table. Her long-shellacked silver nails made Charlie think of claws.

“My name’s Taryn and I’m out promoting the Winter Solstice Rut. Ever heard of it?”

Charlie’s ears pricked up. Everyone nodded.

“Up until this year the ruts have been on the fringe, y’know, but our Summer Solstice Rut got triple the numbers of last year. So we’ve decided to go mainstream,” Taryn explained.

“Are you LGBTQ friendly?” Gina piped up.

“Of course.” The girl smiled. “We have been for years. And apart from that with so many human Furries around who want to get involved…” She glanced at each of them, her golden gaze lingering on Charlie. “You’re a human, right?”

Charlie nodded.

“I love your look,” Taryn purred. Her nostrils dilated ever so slightly, her head ducking toward Charlie. Was she sniffing her? “Does the idea of being chased appeal to you?” she murmured, close to her ear.

Charlie felt heat spreading up her neck. “I’ve really never thought about it before.”

The girl laughed softly. “Maybe now’s the time.”

“Are you one of the organizers?” Charlie asked, crossing her legs and hoping her scent wasn’t giving away her interest.

“I designed the posters and the website.”

Charlie picked one up. It was beautiful, a forest interspersed with images of intertwined bodies, wolf ears and snouts, all kind of ghostly through the trees.

“So this is your work?”

“Yeah. I’m studying graphic design at Motham College.”

“You’re very talented.”

“Thanks. My parents do most of the organizing, with the rest of our pack chipping in now that the event’s gotten so much bigger. It’s a real family-run enterprise.”

Charlie read the information with avid interest.

The Twenty-fifth official Winter Solstice Rut

Hosted by The Hunt pack

Her head jerked up. “Y—you’re Hunts.”

“Yeah, is there something wrong with that?” the girl asked. “We’re a non-feral wolf pack. No links with organized crime. We fund all this out of our family business.”

“You guys run the big wrecking yard in the East Quarter, right?” Gina piped up. “My mom’s car was sent there after it got totaled.”

“That’d be my dad, Benjy. He’s grown the business up a lot since my grandpa died.”

Hmmm, thought Charlie, this has to be Max’s pack. There couldn’t be two Hunt packs, surely? She let her gaze sink once more to the flyer in her hands.

This years Winter Solstice Rut…

Bigger, better, more exciting.

All sexual orientations and preferences catered for.

Let our trained wolves give you the chase of a lifetime.

Or choose to chase with the love of your life.

Cozy cabins available for those wanting absolute privacy to indulge at the end of the rut. Champagne and breakfast included in all premier packages.

Talk to us about any kinks or fetishes.

We will be sure to accommodate them in your package.

Contact Benjy or Janine Hunt for more information. www.solsticeruts.com

“So you’re interested?” Taryn said, standing up.

Gina and Simone nodded, their eyes round with excitement.

“Fantastic. Mom or Dad will be happy to answer any questions, but most of the info is on the website.” She bent down and gave them each a quick hug. “It would be so good to see y’all there.”

Charlie watched her sashay off to the next table and give the same spiel, her laughter drifting over to them. No denying it, Taryn was good at marketing. You could see the same nods and smiles of enthusiasm within seconds of her starting to chat.

Charlie tucked the flyer into her purse before turning back to her friends.

An hour later, letting herself into the house, Charlie’s heart rate notched up a beat when she noticed the door of Max’s study ajar.

He was seated at his desk, working.

He looked up at her over the top of his glasses, his eyes sparkling topaz in the lamp light.

“I’ve had some great news,” he said, jumping to his feet. “I’ve just received an email confirming we can view the archives in Motham Palace on Monday.”

“Oh wow, Max! That’s fantastic.”

“Here, sit a moment,” he said, waving to the seat opposite.

She did so gladly, her pulse tripping a little, watching him pace up and down behind his desk. His shirt had come untucked, and when he raised his hand to stroke at the back of his neck, she noticed a slice of tan skin at his waist.

He spent the next ten minutes regaling her on the different texts that were likely housed in the archives. She only heard half of it, to be honest; she was enchanted by his enthusiasm and the way he glowed as he talked.

“The majority of these books haven’t been seen by anyone other than the Motham family since The Great War. The curator said we can spend a full day going through the records.” He stopped and gazed at her intensely. “Do you realize what this means, Charlie? I—you and me—will be the first members of the public to go through all the archives.”

“That’s the best news, Max.”

“We’ll have access to information that’s never been shared before. It really will be the making of this book.”

She loved the way his face lit up, how boyish it made him look. How he included her in the project. On impulse, Charlie got up, leaned over the desk and raised her hand, palm facing him.

Max glanced at her face then her raised palm, frowning slightly.

“High five,” she explained, with a lip quirk.

She saw him hesitate. Then, almost tentatively, he touched his hand to hers. Charlie registered the size and heat of his big palm.

Her body started to thrum, heat swirling low in her belly.

Max didn’t move a muscle.

Oh goddess, now what?

Suddenly, slowly, his fingers curled around hers until they were holding hands across the desk, strangely suspended in time and space.

She felt Max’s thumb slide down the inside of her wrist, and then the pad was resting on her racing pulse.

For a moment he looked almost perplexed, then his heavy gaze raked over her body. A pulse jumped in his jaw, his expression darkening. There was no mistaking that look. It was raw hunger, and it set off a throb of need low in her belly. It was almost like he’d captured her, like she was his prey. With barely the lightest of touches.

Glancing down, she saw the hard points of her nipples dark against her shirt.

Charlie’s lips parted on a silent moan, and she felt herself sway toward him, her breasts yearning for his touch.

Max gave a low growl, dropped her hand, and started to shuffle the papers on his desk.

Charlie waited. And waited…

But when he looked up, it was like a cloud had come over his face, wiping out the sun.

“I’ve still got a fair bit of reading to get through, so it’s best if you leave me to it, Charlie,” he said tersely.

Charlie forced a smile to hide the sting of his dismissal. “Yes… of course. Goodnight, Max.”