The wolf pack, p.3
The Wolf Pack, page 3
“It always helps to come prepared for anything. Do you want help? I’m sure my husband won’t mind me giving you a hand.” I didn’t give her a definitive answer and continued into the washroom, which was cleaner than most with the smell of antiseptic and bleach to make it spotless.
In the light, I was able to assess my injuries and I couldn’t believe he wanted to continue the date with this train wreck. What did that tell me about him? Did he want to find the nearest exit and would I find the table empty when I got back? I might’ve been a pragmatist but I could always look at the worst case scenario bringing it into focus.
The lady in question was a woman of her word wearing an Italian original in black. Every woman had that little black dress to make them feel sexy in the back of their closet, to break out for those special occasions. I pegged her for being on an anniversary date to keep those home fires burning in the bedroom.
“I know that look better than anybody. I’m afraid the windows are painted shut.” I did make a fleeting glance toward the window scouting out my exit strategy.
“Let me guess, this is where he proposed and the rest is history. This place does leave a lasting impression but I was hoping for something a little less romantic for a blind date. I would’ve been perfectly comfortable at a hole in the wall where they made the best burgers. I don’t dress up and these are the kinds of games I try to avoid. The package looks nice but I have no idea what I’m going to find underneath the pretty bow.” She was tastefully made up and she was a few inches taller than I was.
“Isn’t that half the fun of doing something completely crazy and unpredictable? I know I miss the feeling of exhilaration when I’m about to meet somebody new. Don’t get me wrong, I love my husband and I would never change the time I’ve spent with him for anything in the world. We still keep things exciting but we will never have that first kiss again. I invite you to look around at how the women have been looking at your date from the moment he arrived an hour ago,” She suggested while administering to my wounds with some alcohol swabs she had in her purse.
There was a virtual treasure trove of different things she was carrying around for emergencies. The woman was indeed prepared and it probably drove her husband crazy whenever she felt like being a concerned citizen.
“You do give me a lot to think about and I appreciate it. I find your generosity a little unnerving. It’s rare to find someone who does anything without expecting something in return. I know it sounds jaded, there are obviously good people in the world, but finding them isn’t easy.” The alcohol did sting and I certainly wasn’t going to tell her to make it hurt more, even though it was on the tip of my tongue.
It was almost orgasmic and my legs twitched to those nerve endings firing on all cylinders. She nicked me with the needle when she began sewing up the tear in my blouse. It wasn’t the same color but I wasn’t going to make any mention of it, after all, she had gone out of her way to help. It gave me hope for humanity.
“Tell me about it. I come from hometown values and the city was a culture shock. Phoenix was where my career sent me and I couldn’t turn down the money. I met my husband on a blind date right here five years ago. I staked out the bathroom the very same way you are doing but I’m glad that I exercised some restraint,” she said, and her recollection of events gave me a good reason to go back to the table to finish what I'd started.
She handed me her card and her name of Natalie Black was embossed on the surface. She was a computer specialist with an up and coming technology company. They were making waves in a big way and I had been investing wisely watching the trends. It was merely a pastime but it had netted me a tidy sum for a rainy day. I was waiting for them to go public.
“I live on the outskirts away from the hustle and bustle on my family farm. We know the value of hard work. I’m going to give you my number. I don’t have a lot of friends but I would like to consider you a new one I just met. You never know when I might need your technological know how,” I told her. She walked out ahead of me and I followed suit back to the table where my date was sitting patiently, cool as a cucumber.
“I thought I would wait to order dinner as I would never presume to know what you might like. If I were to make a recommendation, though, I would rave about their pasta dishes. They make it fresh to order right here in the restaurant. The sauce is a family recipe and the taste will have you wanting to bathe in it. I chose this place for the food. Nobody really wants to go on a blind date but at least this way you get a good meal out of it.” He had the gift of conversation and it came easy for him, making it look like he was going by the numbers.
The waiter was young and impressionable, most likely a family member of the owner. He looked proud and showed his knowledge about the food by suggesting the house special. He made it so appealing that I had to try it. Daniel went a different route choosing linguine with a white wine clam sauce and promised to share.
He was urbane and thoughtful speaking of current events including the plight of the Muslim community. 9/11 made people nervous, and for good reason, even after all these years. It was too bad a few bad apples made it rough on those trying to make an honest living. I had sympathy and I went to a mosque on a regular basis to share in the Muslim faith. Religion was subjective and I delved into different avenues to find out which was a good fit for me. Buddhism was where my heart was leading me to a simpler lifestyle where it wasn’t about want but need.
“I don’t let my life get cluttered with unnecessary things. Daniel, the one thing you need to know about me is that I don’t take life too seriously. I’ve always been a little bit different and I’ve never wanted to be normal. It’s highly overrated to follow the sheep.” I thought for sure I had said something wrong when he flinched noticeably.
“I do admire individuality. I might seem straight-laced but there’s more to me than meets the eye. Wearing this suit is armor against the rest of the world. It protects me from scrutiny. I’ve always been most comfortable in the outdoors. I come from a very big family and we’re all a little overprotective of one another.” He was full of surprises and the conversation came to a stop when the food arrived.
Chapter Four
I thought about him for the next couple of days. I was never one to find myself daydreaming in the middle of the day. The date ended with a loving embrace outside on the curb where the taxi was idling to take him back to his hotel room. He apparently came to Phoenix on business twice monthly and was scheduled to make another appearance at the end of the week to go over last-minute negotiations for a deal.
I was glad I had taken the chance and I had Natalie to thank for it which was the reason why I was knocking on her door. I had to go through a vigorous vetting process and they literally frisked me at the front desk making quite the scene. It was tempting to turn the tables on them with a few quick moves but I contained the rage they had been responsible for igniting inside of my bloodstream.
I heard a muffled response from inside and I turned the knob to see her sitting with her back toward me. Her long dark hair fanned out over the chair and she was talking animatedly with her hands moving in the air. She had a fantastic view from forty floors up. I always did have this sense of vertigo when it came to heights.
“I don’t want to hear it. The deadline is fast approaching and you really don’t want me to come down there. Everything hinges on this going according to schedule. The launch of the product is going to put us on the map. Iron out the bugs and get back to me with your recommendations. I don’t care if you have to hire more people to get it done. We have the budget to bring in consultants on a contract basis.” I couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation but there was real confidence in the way that she was taking a switch off of one of her employees.
“Naming this place Black Industries is a little on the nose. There’s no arrogance in your family. I don’t normally let people touch me like the way your guards did down at the front desk without buying me dinner first. One of them got past third base,” I teased, wearing a pinstripe pantsuit a little classier than my usual jeans and T-shirt.
“I should have warned you about that when you called this morning. Things are a little tense around here. We can’t be too careful about rival competitors. We have marketed our new product, getting the attention of technological giants. My phone has been burning up for the past week with desperate attempts to get me to reveal something about the product. It’s going to be a game changer.” She was right to take precautions. Insider espionage was not a victimless crime.
“I’m not complaining. They did have a gentle touch, even though I still felt a little violated after they were done but not in a bad way. I will deny it if you tell them.” I used humor as a self-defense mechanism to keep people from seeing how nervous I was in social settings. Public speaking was a nightmare.
My studies had been completed and I was waiting for the hammer to come down with the posting of my grades in a few hours. The best way to get out of my head was to distract myself and I thought of no better way than to spend time with my new friend. I didn’t want her to think I wasn’t grateful that she had rescued me from an embarrassing situation.
“Alas, they don’t do that for me anymore, even though I have suggested it on several occasions. They just need to see my credentials. Sometimes a woman wants that unwanted attention. With that being said, I do believe we have a date for lunch. I hope you don’t mind and I feel a little silly mentioning it but I thought of somebody perfect for you. He’s going to join us for an innocent lunch. After all, a girl needs to keep her options open.” She turned her back and was waiting patiently for me to respond.
“I don’t like being ambushed but I can turn the other cheek. You’ve earned my respect and that’s not easy to do. Everybody gets three strikes. It remains to be seen whether or not this is going to be one of yours.” The lights flickered and there was the sudden appearance of a helicopter outside the window.
It was black and ominous just hovering there and then it revealed its intentions with one man holding a rifle. This was going a little further than insider spying but the threat was looming with its red targeting laser scope streaming through the window aiming right at my heart. The red dot made me an unwitting player and they probably couldn’t see through the tinted glass.
The man’s finger was on the trigger and he was preparing to fire.
The bullet didn’t make it through the glass but it certainly did leave its mark. It was actually still spinning like a drill. It was something I had never seen before and it was terrifying to think somebody had this kind of technology in their possession. We didn’t have a moment to lose, the copper tip was going to penetrate any second.
I dove to the floor grabbing Natalie at the same time until we were lying there on our stomachs. The bullet made it through and drove into the back wall where I had been standing. It would have cut through me like a knife through butter giving me little chance to respond to the unprovoked attack. He began firing indiscriminately, with several of those same rotating tips smacking into the glass repeatedly. It took merely a few seconds for her office to become a war zone. Placards of her accomplishments were destroyed beyond recognition with the glass from their frames raining down on us from above.
“You people really do take your business seriously. What are you going to do for an encore?” I was slowly backing away from the carnage and then I heard return gunfire from where I could only assume was the roof.
The helicopter began billowing smoke and veering to the side. The man with the gun became a casualty, when he fell from the helicopter after being struck by a bullet, his body plummeting to the ground below. It wasn’t the fall that was going to kill him. It was going to be the hard and unforgiving landing on the pavement. My fervent hope was no innocent bystander was going to be injured in the process.
Some people had taken cover under their desks, while others crawled toward whatever exit they could find, including the door to the stairs. Their fear was pungent and punched me in the face but their reactions were normal. Natalie remained steadfast and had a calming influence on the others. There was an evacuation plan but it was mainly dedicated to fires.
“You all know what to do. Get to the safe areas and don’t come out until you get the all clear. Keep moving and don’t look back,” Natalie urged still on her hands and knees beside me.
“It was probably a portable electromagnetic pulse to keep us in the dark. Thankfully, a device of that size can only work in close proximity. The guards have confirmed the helicopter has left the airspace so it should mean everything will come back to normal shortly.” A stranger in a dark suit, wearing his long blond hair in a ponytail, was trying to be the voice of reason in an otherwise chaotic environment.
The lights flickered again and the computers began to power up after temporarily being shut down by force. Some couldn’t handle the stress and remained a darkened screen, dead on arrival. There was a fire and I acted irrationally by getting on my feet to put it out. A fire extinguisher near the back wall was soon in both hands converging on the electrical fire before it had the chance to spread to other flammable areas in the building.
The nozzle brought to life a blast of condensed air coolant smothering the flames. I continued to douse the area afraid of an errant spark. I couldn’t stop and I became laser-focused on the task at hand. It sputtered when it became empty and Natalie gingerly took it from my hands with one hand on my shoulder as a gesture of solidarity.
“I appreciate your quick thinking but I think you’ve got it and then some. I was just informed the power is back on in the rest of the building with a few minor scrapes and bruises. The police have been called and there will be an investigation. Wesley is who I wanted to introduce you to but not in this way.” She pointed to the man in the corner conversing with a couple of security guards.
From my vantage point, he was a Greek god and there was no doubt he was someone uniquely acquainted with the gym. Muscle-bound freaks were not my type but he could certainly change my mind. I envisioned doing something particularly naughty to get punished for my bad behavior. That man could overpower me and take me to new heights of pleasure women only dreamed of.
I didn’t advertise but being a virgin had kept me up nights. It didn’t mean I hadn’t done other things which usually came courtesy of my hand. Pleasure was the only thing men of my age were looking for. It didn’t matter how they got it as long as it wasn’t by their own hand. Getting a reputation for handling a certain part of their anatomy had gotten me off the hook of going too far. I guess I was waiting for the right one to plant their masculine flag.
He came over with a disarming smile that made my panties melt. I usually didn’t have this kind of reaction to anybody of any gender. Just one look at this man made my pulse race and my heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest. I had to chalk it up to the adrenaline of danger and not give in to the foreign feelings creeping up on me.
“Wesley, I would like you to meet a dear friend of mine. Alyssa is going to join us for lunch after we get this mess cleaned up. You showed yourself to be a real leader and I’m not going to forget it. Nobody really knows what they’re capable of until push comes to shove. Never sell yourself short.” She hugged him in a sisterly way and he looked a little uncomfortable with the public display of affection.
His name and his voice were awakening a familiarity between us. I had just put a face to one of the voices. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Somehow I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. To bump into him accidentally seemed statistically impossible.
Natalie held it together and went to greet her frazzled employees, coming back with questions she couldn’t answer yet.
“She doesn’t know and I don’t want her to. We need to talk but in private. Can you meet me later tonight? It’s a matter of life and death,” He emphasized those two words with a deeper tone than the rest of his words.
“I feel like I’m dreaming. To meet you after all this time doesn’t seem real. You gave me those meditation exercises and breathing techniques. All of you contributed in some way to my upbringing without my parents’ knowledge.” I didn’t dare look at him but I could feel him behind me with his hot breath on the back of my neck.
“We can talk about that but not here. I’ve always been the spiritual one and I wanted to share with you something intimate. I know you sometimes feel like you are losing your mind. It’s to be expected when you are this close to the truth. The awakening is coming but it can be considered a gift or a curse. The closer the day comes the more you will be recognized by rival factions. It doesn’t make any sense and we should’ve done a better job of preparing you. The Alpha has the final say. Callan makes the rules and we follow them.” His mention of Callan was surreal. They obviously knew each other and for some reason, they’d found it necessary to reach out in this way.
Wesley was around six feet tall and he had an aura of cool detachment. He was the one to help me to get in touch with my spirituality. He never pushed me to any one religion but we talked about it at length. His words of wisdom conveyed his experience in these matters and I took it on faith he knew what he was talking about.
“What about Crosby?” I figured if he was going to mention Callan that Crosby would be in the same breath but he wasn’t.
“He was injured in an attack and is still recovering. His intervention was premature and had consequences. Do you remember the incident on campus a couple of months ago? Let me refresh your memory. There was an attack on a girl coming back from the library, amazingly similar to your build and hair color. Crosby thought the same thing as the assailant and came to the girls’ rescue. The girl got away but Crosby wasn’t so lucky.” I felt a tug of concern for Crosby, now it made sense why he had become silent in the last couple of months.
