Taming the Alphas: Part Four: Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance (3 page)

“Ooo la la!” I exclaimed. The little red shoes were so sexy, patent with leopard lining. They had a six-inch heel and a perfect arch.

“Your toe cleavage looks great miss,” the salesman said as I admired my feet. They did look nice—pretty hot actually. Now all I needed was a little something to wear with them. They would be perfect for our dinner with Cal Peet at the hibachi restaurant.

“Toe cleavage … what the hell is toe cleavage?” Todd asked.

Dave grinned and shook his head as he stared down at my feet. “I think it means lickable and biteable—definitely very suckable.”

I sassily pranced down the carpeted floor making sure to wiggle my ass. I could see out of the corner of my eye it did not go unnoticed. It felt good to try on new shoes and clothes. I loved fashion and it was so nice to be able buy something. Plus, they were practically giving away these shoes. Ok, maybe not giving away, but they were on super sale.

“I’ll take them!” I exclaimed. I handed the clerk the gift card my mom had sent. It was a peace offering to make up for not visiting me. She was so wrapped up in her lifestyle as the second wife of Bob Collingswood, the semi-famous attorney, that she didn’t have a lot of time for me. It made me sad, but I tried not to think about it.

“They are sexy, Bev. But you know, I’m not much of a shopper,” Todd said, stretching. “Maybe Dave and I should grab a beer while you finish up.”

Dave nodded his head in agreement. “Sounds good.”

“That’s fine, you guys go ahead. I’m going to the panty section and I’ll meet up with you after.”

“The panty section? You mean, as in teensy bikini panties?” Todd asked, his eyes widening with interest.

“Uh huh,” I replied.

“Well, I am not so thirsty right now after all. And I do owe you a pair of panties,” Todd grinned. “Dave, let’s help Beverly pick out panties.”

“Next stop, panty town,” I joked, referring to the lingerie section of the store. “Actually, we need to get you two a few things first. That’s a priority.”

The men’s face dropped. “It’s on the way to the panty section and it won’t take long!” I glanced at my watch. “We only have about two hours till dinner and I want to make sure you men are properly dressed in something besides the jeans and tees you always wear.”

Todd groaned. “I love seeing you model your hot little outfits, Bev, but argh, I don’t want to try stuff on.”

Dave curled his lip. “I can’t say I’m too excited about it either…”

“You two don’t have a choice. You need to look sharp. The men’s section is just around the corner and you are both getting some new threads.”

When we got to the men’s department, Todd and Dave aimed for their usual jeans and tees. As they thumbed through the stacks, I motioned them over to the slacks.

“Todd you have plenty of jeans and tees; same for you Dave. We need to get you something for dressier occasions like going out to dinner tonight.

Todd eyed the racks of slacks hesitantly. I could tell he had no idea where to start.

“Style wise, you both like that casual Friday kind of look … but now we are going to bump it up a notch. See those pictures?” I pointed to several oversized photos of males modeling different garments that were dotted around the area. “Use those for inspiration.”

“I don’t want to look like that. Those guys look like clowns,” Dave shook his head.

“Guys, I did not say copy what they had on, I said to use them to get ideas. When you look at the photos, look at the length of the jacket, how the slacks are cut, the style of the shirt collar, the colors… then look for clothes that have those elements.”

“That makes sense,” Todd said. As they looked through the stacks, I could see both men referring to the photos. Soon, they each had a small pile to try on. I sat back and relaxed in an oversized chair near the dressing room as they came out and modeled for me. It was like having a private runway show with two smoking hot models. Despite their initial displeasure at trying things on, I was having fun, and it seemed like they were too.

They looked delicious in almost everything they tried on. Though I had to nix a few eyesores, including the orange and black striped pants Todd thought were super comfy, they were soon getting the hang of what worked and what didn’t. When Todd came out in a pair of almond slacks and an ocean blue, long sleeved shirt that showed off his eyes, I knew it was the one. Then, Dave modeled a pair of black slacks paired with a cerulean green button down that barely contained his super tight, toned muscles. I knew we’d found just the right outfits.

“Keep those on and we’ll get the tags clipped off when we pay,” I stated. Todd and Dave went back into the dressing room and grabbed their old clothes.

I grabbed Todd’s jeans out of his hands. “These should go in the trash, they’re full of holes! I like seeing your skin, but these are in tatters. They probably stink, too.”

Dave held his nose and grimaced. “Pee-yoo!”

Todd grinned as he jostled Dave. “Ok, ok, you can toss ‘em,” Todd said, “but hold up!” He pried the jeans back from my tight grip and fished in the pocket. “I can’t forget this,” he exclaimed, holding up an army knife. “I gave Kristen mine before and she just sent me a brand new one! This one’s got even more tools!”

I thought back to the camp counselor who had been turned into werewolf just like me. She and Markus, one of the weremen at Camp Vickers, had fallen in love, and now she was pregnant with twins. 

“How is Kristen, Todd? Have you spoken with her?”

“Not lately. I need to call her. She and Lisa talk all the time though and Lisa said she is busy planning her wedding at Camp Vickers. They are getting married after the twins are born.”

“I bet they’ll have the cutest babies,” I said. Markus was a hot stud and I had to admit I had felt jealous of Kristen’s curvy body and confident personality.

Todd slipped the knife into the pocket of his new slacks and my eyes traveled down to his front zipper, then back up his muscular frame. He looked totally yummy. I glanced over at Dave. My men always looked great, but in their new clothes, they looked beyond amazing.

“Panty-time!” I announced after the men paid. We walked past the cosmetics counters, taking a moment to spray on some fragrances, and then headed into the lingerie department.

A pretty brunette clerk rushed over to Dave as we passed the robes. “Can I help you find something?” she asked flirtatiously.

“No, I am with my baby girl here,” he pointed towards me.

“And how about you, sir?” she asked Todd. “Is there something I can do for you?” she batted her eyes confidently.

“I just need to buy my woman some panties to replace the ones I ripped.” Todd was so cute. He was deliberately being super serious towards the clerk. He did not want to upset me as he had with Jenna.

The clerk’s mouth fell open as she realized the three of us were a trio.

“Umm and how about you? May I help you miss?” she asked reluctantly.

“No,” I said airily. “As you can see I have plenty of help picking out my new panties, thank you.” I stifled the urge to giggle at her shocked expression as I waved my hand at the two hunky men.

As the clerk flounced away from us, I told the men to pick out their favorite pair of panties for me. With Todd paying for a pair to replace the ones he had ripped, I planned to buy one other pair. So, why not let them have some fun and choose? Plus, it gave me a clearer idea of what they found sexy, something I could file away for future reference.

It was funny watching the men, their burly hands sorting through the delicate fabrics as they narrowed down their selection. They both looked a little sheepish as they man-handled thongs, G-strings, and bikinis in satin, silk, and lace, but I could see it turned them on too.

Todd finally found a pair of hot pink ones that looked a lot like the ones he’d ripped, and Dave found a barely there blue polka dot G-string. That man liked his booty. A flash of desire raced through me as I thought of Dave licking and playing with my ass.

“Mmm.” I couldn’t help but moan aloud thinking about it.

Dave must have sensed my thoughts.

“God, you’re so fucking hot, Bev. I can’t wait to see you in these.” He pulled me towards him and gave me a deep lingering kiss.

“Save some for me,” Todd said, nuzzling the back of my neck with his nose.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the clerk staring at us, her eyes wide. Eat your heart out!

They both insisted on paying for the panties they picked out. Since they were going to be enjoying them also, I figured hey, why not!

After paying, we stopped by the dress department. I snagged a pair of slacks and two light tops; a mesh white sweater and a striped boat neck. Then, I tried on several dresses. They all looked pretty decent, but none of them were quite right. As I shifted through the racks again, I spied a little red jersey dress. When I put it on I knew it was right, and the way Dave and Todd stared at me when I modeled it confirmed the choice. It was simple, sleeveless, and form fitting, with a hidden back zip. Paired with the peek a-boo shoes, it was perfect! I found a little cream sweater that was on sale to go over it.

We were all dressed and ready to meet Cal at the Japanese restaurant. It was good that we were feeling refreshed for the meeting. But, that didn’t mean we were ready for what was to come. What could this man really want with us? What were his true intentions?

I had only been to a Japanese restaurant once, years before when I’d gone on vacation to a theme park. I was so tired that day from walking around the park that I’d fallen asleep at the hibachi table and missed almost the entire experience. That was not about to happen tonight.

As soon as we arrived and told the hostess stand we were there to meet Calvin Peet we were given golden service. We were quickly whisked past the smiling pictures of happy hibachi eaters pinned to the wall and the line of customers waiting for a table to an elegant, private room in the back. Several waiters stood by attentively, and Margaret Redson greeted us while they took our drink orders.

A small bar near the wall boasted bottled Japanese beer, sake, plum wine, and other alcoholic beverages. Dave and Todd ordered a beer while I opted for a small cup of hot sake.

I had barely taken a sip of my drink when a tall, muscular man entered the room, followed by two burly types. He was handsome with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, and he exuded an aura of wealth and confidence.

Margaret Redson quickly rushed over to him. “Mr. Peet, it is so wonderful to see you. Dave, Todd, Beverly—this is Mr. Calvin Peet.”

“Let’s not be so formal. Call me Cal,” he said, stroking back a lock of his thick, dark hair. He shook Todd and Dave’s hands quickly. “It’s delightful to finally meet you at last,” he stated.

When he got to me, he paused, looking me up and down. His eyes roamed my body, taking in my red patent heels and form fitting dress. “You are certainly a beauty, Beverly.”

Like any woman I enjoyed being called beautiful, but for some reason his words and gaze made me uncomfortable. Despite his good looks, there was something cruel about his eyes—something that made me uneasy.

As we sat down at the hibachi table, the two men who had accompanied Cal into the room stood behind him. I realized then they were his bodyguards. What type of man travels with bodyguards?

“So, let’s get this party started, shall we?” he asked. He nodded towards our hibachi chef who had been standing attentively nearby, and he rolled his cart over to us. Though no one had taken our orders, there was a mass amount of food on the steel trays. We weren’t going to go hungry, that was for sure. I could see shrimp, scallops, lobster, steak, and chicken, accompanied by an abundance of fresh vegetables and rice.

The cook, eager to please, played games on the grill with the different foods. He made an onion volcano, tossed an egg into the air that landed in his hat, and set off a huge, flaming fire on the grill that made us all howl with laughter. We enjoyed watching as we indulged in the alcohol and miso soup.

The waitress brought each of us a salad just as the chef finished cooking a few appetizer shrimp. “Do you want to catch?” he asked. As he went around the table, he flipped the shrimp in the air off his spatula, aiming it directly at each person’s mouth. Margaret missed, but Todd’s landed directly on his tongue. Both Cal and I declined to try. I wasn’t sure why Cal didn’t want to do it, but I wanted to look hot ‘n sexy, and having shrimp thrown at my head didn’t work with that.

Finally, he got to Dave.

“You want to try?”

Dave nodded his head. The chef did a little drumroll with his spatula and salt-shaker, then flipped the shrimp into the air. Dave opened his mouth wide to catch the flying morsel of food, but the chef had aimed too high. Without thinking, Dave leapt out of his chair and snapped the shrimp with his teeth, his head jerking to the side as he gobbled it down quickly. It was a small feat, but a pretty impossible one for a human that was not a werewolf.

I glanced over at Cal and he was nodding his head. “Fascinating,” he muttered.

As the meal progressed, Cal made us all feel relaxed. He asked us about school, our jobs—he really focused on us and seemed to be a likeable, nice guy. My reservations from earlier in the evening began to melt. Maybe I’d been wrong about the man. Plus, the food and drink was so delicious. In between entertaining us, the chef had cooked up a scrumptious main course with vegetables. I dug into giant sized portions of the tasty seafood, meat and veggies the chef had placed on my plate, relishing every morsel.

“So, Margaret tells us that you have been supporting two divergent groups, the WHO and the WAG,” Dave said as he tried to balance some fried rice onto his chopsticks. “Why would you give money to both groups when they are clearly at odds with one another?”

Cal nodded.  “That’s a fair question. To be honest, I think werewolves are a gift to our nation. You may have heard the expression keep your friends close and your enemies closer? That is what I am doing with the two groups. I want to know what they are doing and to help guide them. This will help ensure that werewolves serve the best interests of our nation.”

Hmm … he wanted to make sure we served the best interests of the country. It was almost like he thought of us as objects to be used, instead of people just like him who happened to also be weremen and werewomen.

“Um…” Todd asked, putting up a hand. “So which group is your friend and which is your enemy? Are you in agreement with the WAG or the WHO?”

Cal laughed. “Relax. I want to harness your natural powers for the greater good. I think…” he said, giving us a meaningful look, “…I think this could be profitable for all of us. Think about it—you want to help mankind and our planet, don’t you?”

“By doing what?” Dave asked.

“Well, that is what I want to show you. I want you to come to my estate in Virginia. I can tell you more about some of the things I am working on there. When the truth about werewolves comes out—and you can bet that it will—you can be at the forefront of the new technology and experiences it will open up to the world. If you work with me, you will not only feel deep satisfaction from our achievements, you will be among the first in line to benefit financially.”

“That sounds good. As much as I enjoy Slice of the Pie, it’s not exactly making me rich,” Todd said. “What do you want us to do?”

“I’d like you to come to my estate in Virginia this weekend. A driver will pick you up. You will be wined and dined, first class all the way. My home is large and I know you will be very comfortable. ”

I looked at Todd and Dave, and both men were nodding their heads. “Let’s do it!” Dave exclaimed.