Bear Shifters: Hunt Collection #2 (11 page)

"I just don't see me settling for her when there are too many beautiful creatures that will be at my disposal."

"Then it seems like the 'time and stepping' approach is your only option." Morgan said as he downed his Diet Coke, spun off the barstool, and walked out of the Morningwood Bar and Tavern.

****

When she walked into MakeSoft a year and a half ago, Mercy Bell was a confident woman. Born with great hips, ample thighs, and breasts that couldn't be contained by your average bra, the curvy woman packed a serious case of personality and sass along with her impressive form.

She arrived with years of experience and slid effortlessly into their graphics department. Whenever a new piece of software left their division, it was her logos that adorned them. She was finally making a living doing what she loved after years of full time effort for part time pay. MakeSoft had been her ticket to a better life.

When she met Jackson, she thought she'd found the one. He was adored by everyone at the company, ambitious, and although not as skilled in the bedroom as some of her exes, he made up for it in the attention he poured on her. Day after day she saw the women of the company flirt and tease with him. Night after night, he came home to her.

While they'd had their ups and downs, they'd hadn't split up. Even during that short break they took. He came back to her a few weeks later to tell her for the very first time that he loved her. Yes, her and Jackson were meant to be.

Sure she'd heard the rumors going around. That he was headed to the East Coast Division and that he was sleeping with the boss's barely legal daughter. Most of the people she had heard this from were from the women he turned down, so she always believed Jackson over them.
They are probably scorned from him not choosing to be with them.

It wasn't until they had started an office pool to buy the decorations and the going away cake that she started to take part of the rumor seriously.

"So he's leaving?" Mercy asked Rebecca, the woman who worked their mailroom and organizer of the pool.

"Girl, we've told you that for weeks now. Surely he told you, right?" Rebecca looked at Mercy in disbelief. They'd been dating for quite a while and everyone thought that despite Jackson's slick ways, she'd end up marrying him.

"Oh yea, right, no I was just teasing."

Mercy walked in a haze to her cubicle and pulled out her cell phone.

You're leaving and didn't tell me?
She texted him and waited on his reply. And waited. And waited.

Close to the end of the day, she saw him for a moment leave the boss's office and felt her side pocket vibrate where her cell phone was stored.

Conference. We'll talk tonight,
was his reply.

You're damn straight we'll talk tonight
, she thought.

****

Mercy waited impatiently for Jackson to come through the door. She didn't wait a moment more once his feet crossed the threshold of their apartment. For the first time since they'd been together, dinner was not on the table waiting for him and he could tell he was in trouble from the lack of delicious aromas greeting him at the doorway.

"You couldn't
tell
me you were leaving for New York? You didn't say shit about a promotion that was taking you miles and hours a-fucking-way?"

Jackson chose his words carefully, there were still days before he was leaving, and he needed to make sure everything was still in place. It was only her name on the lease and he really didn't need to be kicked out before his flight, especially when Kimberly still lived at home with her father and he couldn't stay there.

"Honey I was going to tell you! It slipped my mind until this conference and then I was going to tell you straight away."

"I don't buy that crap for a minute." She stood there, seething, tapping her foot against the cold marble tile of the kitchen floor. "Jackson Reed, you give me one good reason why I shouldn't just stop this little charade of a relationship right now."

"Well, because I love you, tulip, and because I took this promotion so that we could have a better life with me earning more. Why one earth would I move so far away if not to better our situation?"
And moving away definitely helps my situation
, he thought.

"You promise that it just slipped your mind?"

"Of course, baby, I even was going to tell you that night at Northend when we were having the steaks, but then you jumped in about the new graphics project and I was so in love with hearing about your work and staring into your eyes that it completely went out of my head. Then I kept thinking I had already told you. It was all my fault baby and you've every right to be mad at me."

Jackson knew exactly how to work Mercy. Her ease of guilt was simple to manipulate. With those few sentences, she'd feel bad the rest of the evening for having doubted him and for overriding the conversation on the night he said he was going to tell her.
Throw in a few more lies and I'll probably even get laid tonight
, he thought.

"Now honey, why don't you sit down here and let me give you a massage to release all that pent up tension. Come over here beside me." Jackson said, as he patted the open spot on the couch beside him.

Chapter Two:
The Going Away Party

Jackson paced nervously while Mercy was getting ready for work. This was it. The last day at MakeSoft Central Division. The last day in Montana. And, if all went well, his last day walking the tightrope between his passive girlfriend Mercy and his hellfire side chick Kimberly.

Sweat beaded on his brow and he developed a twitch in his right eyelid.
Just breathe and remember, it will all be over in a few hours and then you hop that beautiful 747 and fly to New York,
he thought.

He had one chance to make this work and that chance all rested on Morgan's shoulders.

The drive to the corporation seemed to take forever. He caught every red light and it seemed that everyone on the road didn't need to be anywhere in a hurry. As soon as the car came to a stop, Jackson slammed it into park and jutted out to find him.

He saw him there, propped against a window, while others were bringing in chairs, tables, and other assorted party needs.

"Morgan, man, can we talk?" Jackson whispered before the party began.

Morgan looked around to see how crowded the conference room was, saw that only a few had managed to trickle in, and nodded.

"Let's walk," he said, as he pointed down the hall so no one would be able to hear their conversation.

"Morgan, I need a favor from you. Can you keep an eye on Mercy?"

"Like make sure she's ok? You know she's planning on leaving to come with you right? Quit completely and give up everything to roll the dice on you." Morgan spit the words
on you
out, even as he tried to remain civil.

Jackson looked at him perplexed, blinked slowly, and continued, "No man, I didn't know that actually." He let out a long exhale, "this is precisely what I mean. I need you to kinda... well, flirt with her, try to keep her mind here and let me fade a bit. Show her it's best to stay here."

"You want me to flirt with your girlfriend so that she won't follow you?" Morgan was dumbstruck. He knew Jackson was a prick, but he didn't know how much of one until then.

"Yea, you're cool with that right? I mean, play it good and you could probably totally nail her." To make his point and to help grease Morgan's way to accepting, Jackson slid an envelopr into his palm holding $1,000 to secure his plan.

Jackson could barely hear Morgan tell him, "Sure, whatever, dude, no problem," as he walked away.

****

The party was gearing up by the time the two of them got back to the conference room. Jackson walked in precisely when everyone yelled "Surprise" although it wasn't much of a surprise to anyone. Jackson himself even got the email alerting him to the party.

"Oh you guys, I'm flattered!" Jackson feigned shock and went straight for the table of gifts and treats, something that didn't seem to shock anyone.

Suddenly as he looked at the standard white going-away-party sheet cake and cookies, he remembered something.

"Hey Morgan, you didn't make that tree thingy?"

"It's Baumkuchen, or tree cake, and no I didn't. You know those things take a tremendous amount of work."

"Damn dude, was looking forward to that, too."

Jackson was known around the office for his baking. The more complicated the recipe, the better. It was like he thrived on creating things that didn't want to be created. The Baumkuchen cake Morgan made when their old manager went away six months ago was legend and Jackson was a bit let down that he didn't make one for him.

Poor dude is jealous of me,
Jackson thought.

The door opened and Mercy stood in the doorway, the last to arrive. She went straight up to Jackson and whispered something into his ear before turning around to everyone and exclaiming, "Everyone I put in my notice, you've got two more weeks of me and then I'm jetting to New York to be with Jackson!"

"Surprise, honey!" she said as she nuzzled up to him and kissed him deeply.

A bristle when through Morgan as he turned around and left the room quietly and unnoticed by anyone.
I'm not going to stick around and watch her love on that creep
, he thought.

Jackson tried to mask the horror he felt and held her tighter, hoping that Morgan would save him and his master plan to rid himself of everything that was Montana, including Mercy.

That night, Jackson packed intently trying to stray away from any conversation about the trip. Mercy had been quiet, too quiet, and he went to see where she was hiding. It was there he found her, tied to the bed with a note that read "It's your last night and as a gift I'm giving you the ability to do whatever you want with me."

Not wanting to be in a relationship with her any longer was certainly not going to stop him from taking full advantage of that opportunity. He nearly tripped getting out of those starched khaki cargo pants and into the warm wetness waiting for him.

****

Morgan woke hours too early for work, still reeling from the fitful night's sleep. He toyed with the idea of not going into work at all, but he knew he would. He'd be there just to make sure Mercy was all right. But one thing was for sure, he was definitely going to do as Jackson requested. He'd make sure Mercy stayed. Not for Jackson's benefit, but for her own sake and maybe for his. She deserved better than she was getting.

He slowly pulled himself from the comfort of his down bed and sauntered into the shower to try to think of ways to keep her in Montana, a tricky thing since she'd already quit her job.

Do I try to seduce her away from Jackson,
he wondered,
or do I just tell her the truth?
Knowing Mercy, telling her the truth would do more damage than the lie of seduction. She'd cast Morgan as a liar and go straight to Jackson early, and who knows what or who she'd find Jackson doing if that happened.

****

It was hours before he saw her; hours that felt like days. He was getting worried before she walked out of the conference room, arms full of papers and her hair falling all around her face. She even had on these new black framed glasses that made her look sexy-geeky. He adjusted himself, feeling that old familiar tightening in his pants.

She waved as she descended the stairs, straight next to his cubicle in the tight workspace below. Morgan returned the wave, turning to fake like he was deeply absorbed in work items. By the time he looked up to see if she was still coming this way, he saw her turn the corner to go to her own office.

Just not ready to do anything here
, he thought.
I need to get her in a more neutral location.

He then opened his computer and sent her an inter-office message:

"Know you're probably going to be lonely today, how about a pick-me-up dinner on me? St. Angelo's? I could come get you about 8:00. Just let me know."

St. Angelo's was the local Italian place, filled with great wine and better food. Morgan also knew it was her favorite after overhearing her talk to Jackson one night the three of them were out someplace. Jackson had never taken her there, but Morgan had paid attention, much like he did whenever she spoke.

It took a few minutes before a reply was returned, much longer than Morgan had anticipated. He had nearly given up on her answering when this came across his screen:

"Sounds lovely! It's a date."

He knew what she meant, it was her way of speaking, still the thought of Mercy going on a date with him was enough to warm him to his very toes. The thought of her tied to a chair in his basement, however, warmed much more than his toes.

The day lingered and it seemed to drag twice as slow as it did normally. By the time 6:00 did get there, Morgan logged out in record time and went straight for the car. His SUV was as much of a stand out in the parking lot sea of Volvos and BMWs as he was in the office. Large, black, and foreboding, he felt wrapped in armor when he drove it, protecting him from harm. If only he could find something in life that made him feel the same way.

Home in record time, he did a quick shower, changed into his best suit and tie, and was back out the door by 7. He'd have just enough time to make it across town to pick up Mercy and get to the restaurant before 8, and this was one meal he didn't want to miss.

****

St. Angelo's was crowded and there was more of a wait than he had first thought, so they decided to wait at the bar for their seat to come up.

"So Mercy, how are you holding up?" Morgan asked her as he gazed at the hip-hugging black dress she had wrapped around her pale, soft flesh. Her eyes held a fire in them and he couldn't understand how Jackson described her as "average". Every time he was near her his bear roared to life and the human side of him couldn't catch his breath. There was something about her that captivated him.

"I'm doing okay I suppose, thanks for asking. I'm trying to find something in New York so I won't be unemployed when I get there."

"I'm sure you're pretty worried about that." Morgan patted her head as he spoke while his mind added,
while you should be worried about who Jackson might be fucking tonight in your absence.

"It's stressful, especially because..." she began, before stopping.

"Because?"

A long sigh escaped her. "Because I keep feeling that once I leave all this I'll never get it back again. Silly, huh? Just my father always told me I wasn't good enough and Jackson..." Again, a pause.

"And Jackson what?" Morgan asked through gritted teeth. His pulse raced and he could feel his pressure rise.
So help me God, if he told Mercy she wasn't good enough to her face I'll rip his throat out. I won't even have to touch him I'll just shift and clamp down.

"Jackson always has these women falling over him and I keep thinking that if I'm not at my very best he'll replace me."

"Mercy, you could be poorly substituted for but never replaced, I assure you. At least, to anyone who can see your worth." He cradled her hand now and for a moment, she looked at him the way he'd always wanted.

And then, in an instant, she removed her hand and started making small talk.
Got a little real there for a moment. Maybe I can actually get her to see that Jackson may not be the one for her before anything drastic happens.