Bearly Consenting: Russet Falls Series (12 page)

It caught her off-guard.

It took her breath away.

It scared the crap out of her.

She took a shaky, deep breath.

“Too much?” Drew asked softly. “Did I scare you?”

“No,” she fibbed.

“Avery,” he laughed quietly, “You were always a terrible
liar.”

He brushed a piece of hair out of her face and handed her
pizza plate back to her before picking up his own. “Enough serious talk. Let’s
eat our pizza.”

Avery was relieved that the conversation was put on hold.
She would have to mull that over and dissect it later. She was grateful that
Drew was so in tune to her feelings and that he knew it was too much for her to
consider, or talk about at the time.

They snuggled on the couch together, eating their pizza and
chatting about Avery’s job. She told Drew about the crazy things her
kindergarteners said and he laughed loudly at her stories.

After they finished their pizza, they watched TV for a bit,
but it quickly turned into another make out session. Luckily, or not so
luckily, Avery’s phone rang and she took the welcomed distraction because she
was getting carried away.

Again.

“Hello?” she answered, not recognizing the number.

“Hi. Is this Avery?”

“Yes.”

“Hi Avery. It’s Jennifer. From the gala the other night.”

It took Avery a minute.

“Oh! Yes! How are you? Are you alright?” Avery thought of
the slight burns Jennifer had suffered.

“Yes, thank you. I’m fine. They were very minor. Doing
better already,” she paused. “And you? Are you okay? It was a very scary
ordeal.”

“Yes, I’m fine, thanks for asking. And yes, it was very
scary. I agree.”

“I’m glad you’re doing well. I hope you don’t think it’s
strange that I called. I’m working on a summer charity event, and since you’re
a teacher and you probably have some free time over the summer, I was wondering
if you would be interested in helping?” She laughed nervously. “And if you’re
not, I won’t be offended at all. I just thought I would reach out to you.”

Avery was surprised. She and Jennifer had gotten along well
at the dinner, even though Jennifer was nearly ten years older than her. “Yes,
I’m flattered. I’d love to.” She glanced over at Drew who was watching her
curiously. “I’m actually in the middle of something, but could we talk more
during the week?”

“Yes! Of course! Forgive me! I completely forgot for a
moment that it was a holiday. I’m sure that I’m interrupting something!”

“No, it’s not a problem at all.”

“How about I call later in the week? Would that work? I can
go over the event and you can decide if it’s something you would be interested
in.”

“Sure. That sounds wonderful. I’m usually free after four to
talk.”

“Okay! Great! Thanks, Avery. I appreciate it.”

They hung up and Avery looked over at Drew.

“Who was that?” he asked. “Who do I owe the great pleasure
of thanking for interrupting us?” he teased.

“That was Jennifer from the gala the other night.”

“Jennifer Sweeting?”

Avery shrugged. “Maybe? I don’t even know her last name?”

“Jack and Jennifer from our table?”

“Yes. She is putting together a charity event this summer
and wanted my help.”

Drew grinned. “That’s great. Jennifer’s events are amazing.
You would be a wonderful asset and I think you would love it.”

“Really? I’m flattered that she called me.”

“She’s very nice,” Drew assured her. “So is Jack.”

Avery nodded thoughtfully. “She seems nice.”

Drew tugged on her hand, pulling her back towards him. “Now,
where were we?” he murmured, burrowing his face in her hair.

Avery sighed, letting Drew kiss her.

She shut her mind off to everything except Drew, his mouth
and the way his hands felt on her skin.

Avery rubbed her eyes and rolled over.

She was so warm and her blankets were so warm.

She snuggled even closer to the source of the warmth.

And then her source of warmth rolled over.

Avery nearly screamed, scrambling to the edge of the bed as
she yanked the covers up over herself.

“Hey. Are you alright?”

Confused, she realized that it was Drew.

She had completely forgotten where she was.

“Oh my god, I’m so embarrassed,” she breathed, relaxing
slightly and peeking under the covers at herself.

She was in her bra and underwear with Drew’s t-shirt thrown
over her.

“Did you forget where you were?” he asked sleepily, tugging
her back down towards him.

“Yes,’’ she answered meekly. “I completely freaked out.”

“Freaked out because you were sorry that you were here or
freaked out because you forgot?” he asked groggily.

Avery relaxed, leaning against Drew.

“Because I forgot where I was. It had nothing to do with
you.”

It had been an amazing night for she and Drew, and Avery was
proud of herself for not sleeping with him.

Even though she had wanted to.

Badly.

But she knew that would only further complicate her feelings
for him, and she truly needed to know where they stood before she could be
physically intimate with him.

If she slept with him first, and then things didn’t work
out, she wasn’t sure if she could recover from that kind of heartbreak.

Drew was playing with her hair, and she sat up on her elbows
to look at him.

“I’m glad you came over,” he told her, tracing his hands
along her arm. He was only wearing boxers, and flashbacks of his body from last
night came to Avery, causing her to feel desire for him all over again.

“Me too,” she said softly.

“Am I still going to see you in Portland?” he asked
playfully.

“I hope so.” And it was true. She did want to see more of
him in Portland. “Maybe you could come over this week and meet my roommates,”
she said shyly. She knew she was going to get an earful from Molly and Lindsay
and she figured that the sooner they met Drew, the sooner they would shut up.

Plus it would make it easier for her to dissect her
relationship with Drew if Molly and Lindsay both met him.

Drew frowned. “I would love to, but I’m going to be gone
most of this week for business.”

Avery felt like a deflated balloon, which she hated.

It made her feel desperate and it made her realize that she
was already thinking of Drew far too often.

She feigned a smile. “It’s fine,” she said a little too
brightly. “Another time.”

“No, don’t be like that,” Drew said in a husky voice. “It’s
not fine. I don’t like it,” he looked closely at her. “And you don’t like it
either.”

She prickled just a bit from Drew telling her what she did
and didn’t like, but he was right, after all.

“So, we do it when you get back.”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Sometimes the demands of my job
take up a lot of my time.” He gave her a pointed look. “Do you understand that?
Is that something you can handle?”

“I can handle it,” she said, feeling herself get defensive.

“Okay,” he said gently. “I just want to make sure. I want to
be upfront with you, and I want you to have a clear idea of what you are getting
into.”

Avery felt herself soften. She had no business getting upset
or hurt by Drew. He was simply being honest and making sure that she was fully
aware of what a relationship with him entailed.

“I’ll keep in touch with you during the week,” he assured her,
“And then once I’m back, we can figure something out.” He kissed her forehead
and slipped out of bed. “I’m going to have to get back to the office now.”

She nodded, watching him get up.

“Will you stay in Russet Falls today?” he asked curiously,
pulling on a pair of jeans and a fresh t-shirt. Avery assumed he would go back
and change at his house before going into the office.

“Yes, I have a substitute today. I’ll probably spend some
time with my mother and then head home.”

He nodded. “Thank you for coming out to Russet Falls with me
this weekend. It meant a lot to have you here while I had to deal with some,”
he paused, “things.”

Avery had hoped so. That had been her goal.

“So, if you teach, does that mean that you have a long
summer vacation?” he asked curiously as he moved into the bathroom.

Avery jumped out of bed, modestly covering herself up and
then pulling her clothes on from last night.

She hadn’t thought to pack an extra change of clothes.

“Yes,” she called to him. “I have one more week with kids,
and then a week of in-service to wrap up the year and then I’m off for nine
weeks.”

Summer vacations for teachers were absolutely glorious. Just
thinking of the approaching summer, made her giddy with excitement.

Drew walked back in, staring at Avery in a way that made her
shiver with excitement, lust and even fear.

“Nine weeks,” he said quietly. “Maybe I can take you
somewhere?”

Avery swallowed nervously. “Maybe.”

The thought of going somewhere alone with Drew was a wild
prospect.

“I’m sorry that I have to leave so quickly this morning,” he
apologized again. “And I’m sorry that I’m not going to see you this week. But I
promise that I will be in touch.”

Avery nodded, feeling breathless and dizzy as Drew pulled
her to him, kissing her softly on the mouth.

She kissed him back, her heart hammering wildly in her
chest.

Drew pulled back and gave her a playful smirk.

“You could hear that, couldn’t you?” she asked embarrassed.

He nodded, trying not to laugh and she swatted at him. “No
fair,” she sulked.

“Don’t worry,” he smiled, “I feel the same way.”

Chapter Seventeen

Drew pulled into the parking lot of his office building and
grabbed his phone. It was times like this where he was grateful that he had
turned the floor above his office into an apartment.

He took the elevator up to the thirty-third floor, and when
the doors slid open he came face to face with the marble lobby to Alexander
Global Industries.

“Good morning, Emme.” He nodded towards his pretty
receptionist and turned the corner towards his office. He owned the entire
thirty-third floor for his business, as well as the thirty-fourth for his
personal use. He was currently in the process of buying the thirty-second floor
to expand.

Seraphina may have gotten him his start in this business,
but he had been the one responsible for the company’s growth.

It infuriated him to think that Seraphina took credit for
all that he had, when he knew full well that much of the success had been his
own.

He entered his office and put his things down on his desk, ignoring
the files that were sitting at his board table. He pulled open the door in the
back of the room, which looked like a non-descript closet. Instead, it housed a
three-foot space and another door that could only be accessed by a swipe card.

Drew pulled the card out of his wallet, swiped it and the
door slid open smoothly. The stairway to his apartment appeared, and he took
the steps two at a time.

The apartment was filled with light—the benefit of being on
the top floor of the building, and he strode across the modern chrome kitchen
and directly to the bedroom. He didn’t have time for a shower, but he needed to
take one anyway. He stepped into the bathroom, pulled open the glass door and
switched the nozzle on.

He stepped out of his clothes, dumping them in the laundry
basket in the bathroom. He showered quickly, trying to remember the last time
he had slept in the apartment. He mainly used it for times like this when he
needed to change clothes or take a quick shower, or refresh before an evening
meeting. However, he did sleep there a few times a month, particularly when he
was working late.

The apartment was more room then he needed, but it made no
sense to buy the top floor and not utilize the entire space. It boasted full
views of Portland, and he had floor to ceiling windows installed throughout the
entire apartment. He had a master bedroom, along with a spare bedroom. It also
had a fully equipped eat-in kitchen, small dining area space, and a spacious
living room.

The biggest draw of the apartment was the home gym he had
installed. Half of the apartment was the living space, and the other half was a
full gym with every machine and weight lifting contraption Drew could ever
desire to use. He also had a full gym at his house, but if there was a lull in
his day, he could slip upstairs and get in a workout.

He stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his
waist and thought of Avery. He had slept with his fair share of women. Leaving
Avery seven years ago had left a void in him, and he had worked on filling it
by sleeping with pretty women.

However, he had a strict rule of not mixing business with
pleasure, therefore no one else had set foot in the apartment aside from his
personal assistant, Ricky, and Yarelli, his housekeeper, who kindly made the
trek into his office building twice a month to clean the apartment. 

Avery was different though. He wanted to show her where he
lived, show her all the different facets of his life, including the little
apartment and gym that he kept above his office.

Drew’s phone went off and he cursed, hurrying down the steps
to his office, and making sure the door slid shut. He walked out of his office
and made his way to the boardroom for his meeting.

The day passed quickly and Drew found himself running late
for his evening flight to Chicago.

He yanked out his phone and called Ricky.

“I’m not going to have time to make it back to the house to
get clothes for the week. Would you have time to do that for me?”

“Already ahead of you,” Ricky said, his voice bright. “I
thought you might be running late so I took the liberty to pack you a bag this
morning.”

Drew closed his eyes and felt his body relax. “Ricky, you’re
a lifesaver.”

“Thanks,” he said. “The bag will be in your car when it
comes to pick you up,” he paused, “And that should be there in a half hour.”

Drew nodded, checking the clock. It was just after six and
his flight was at eight. He wouldn’t need to rush now.

“Thanks again, Ricky.”

“No problem. I hope the trip goes well. And I got your
itinerary, so I’ll take care of things on my end.”

“Thanks, Ricky.”

Drew hung up and took his time finishing in the office. He
had found Ricky almost by accident. He had been working on a design project for
one of Drew’s clients and Drew could tell that Ricky had a knack for
multi-tasking and organization.

Since becoming Drew’s assistant two years ago, he had done
almost everything from pick up his laundry to taking minutes during meetings.
Drew had begun to rely on him much more than he had planned.

He finished up in the office, and he started to stew when he
thought of the business he needed to do for Seraphina in Chicago.  If he
weren’t so damn busy, he would try to look for a way to stop Seraphina from
controlling him.

A sick thought crossed his mind, and one he had been having
more often than not. Seraphina had forced him to take the lives of others on
more than one occasion. But what if Drew eliminated Seraphina?

He hated whom Seraphina had turned him into.

A monster.

He was despicable, and he was ashamed when he thought of
what Avery would think of him.

If only there was a way he could get Ricky to research how
to get rid of evil witches who had control over a supernatural shifter.

Right.

He made his way downstairs, consumed with thoughts of Avery.

His car to the airport was waiting for him, and he slipped
in the back.

He took out his phone and called Avery.

“Hi,” she answered on the second ring. “I’m surprised to
hear from you.”

“Really? I was thinking about you so I thought I would
call.”

“I just meant that I knew you were busy and traveling, so I
didn’t think you would have time to call.”

“I always want to make time for you.”

There was a pause and Drew could just imagine Avery’s face
as she tried to figure out his words and think of a way to sort through her
feelings. That was one of the things about Avery. She had to categorize
everything in her mind. Everything had to be filed away and make sense.

He knew she was struggling with their re-connection. She was
having a hard time making sense of it and filing it neatly away inside her
little brain.

“So where are you now?” she asked curiously.

“I’m in a car heading to the airport. I fly out to Chicago
tonight.”

“Nice,” she said.  “Have you been to Chicago before?”

“Yes. It’s okay.” Honestly, it wasn’t his favorite city. He
much preferred New York when it came to busy cities. He changed topics. “Are
you back in Portland?”

“Yes, I got in a little while ago. I’m just getting some
things together for my lesson plans tomorrow.”

“You know, I’m really looking forward to meeting your
roommates when I get back,” he told her.

“Really?”

He could hear her smile through the phone.

“Of course. I want to meet the people who are lucky enough
to get to spend that much time with you.”

Avery laughed. “Well, we’ll see if you still feel that way
after you eat my cooking.”

Drew laughed.

It felt good.

“Well how about after our meal with your friends, our next
date can be me taking you out to dinner?” He already had an idea.

“Our next date?’ she teased.

“If you still want to spend time with me,” he said formally.

“Of course I do,” she told him. “I just want to make sure
that you want to spend time with me.”

“I wouldn’t be calling you if I didn’t want to.”

He was approaching the airport, and he knew he would need to
hang up.

“I need to go now Avery, but I want you to know that I’m
thinking about you.”

His bear, whom had been lying dormant, roared his approval,
and Drew felt desire flood every cell in his body.

“All the time,” he promised her.

~

After attending to business he had set up to make his
Chicago trip not a total waste of time, Drew headed to a shoddy part of town to
take care of Seraphina’s business. He wasn’t sure what this man named Trevor
had done to piss her off, but he wanted to take care of things as quickly as
possible.

He pulled his baseball bat tighter over his face, and found
the run-down club where Trevor supposedly conducted business.

How the hell did Seraphina find these people? Were they
witches like herself or some other strange supernatural like Drew?

He entered the club and saw scantily clad women gyrating on
poles.

He looked away.

It felt wrong being here and the women weren’t even remotely
attractive.

“Can I help you?” a deep voice asked, and Drew looked over
to see an enormous and bulky man standing behind him. He had a shaved head and
his muscles were bulging out of his black t-shirt.

“Yes, I’m looking for Trevor.” Drew said, standing taller.

The man eyed him suspiciously. “What business do you have
with Trevor?”

Drew rolled his eyes, remembering what Seraphina had told
him. “What business do you think I have?” he asked, trying to sound as annoyed
as possible.

“You looking for a woman?” the man asked.

“Obviously.”

The man still was watching him closely.

For fuck’s sake!

“Who sent you?” he demanded.

“Mikey,” Drew responded. Somehow Seraphina always had the
correct information.

The man seemed satisfied now. “Fine. Follow me.”

He led Drew past the dancers and down a hallway with closed
doors. One of the doors open, and an older man with greasy hair and a paunchy
stomach emerged, his face flushed as he zippered his pants.

Drew was repulsed.

A woman followed him out, giggling. Her face had too much
makeup and her mascara had started to run. At first glance, Drew thought she
might be in her twenties, but upon close inspection, she was probably pushing
forty. Under all the caked on makeup, she looked worn.

“This way,” the man barked, and Drew followed around the
corner to a door with a pin code. The man pushed in a code and the door
unlocked. He held it open for Drew, and Drew stepped in.

The room was filled with smoke, and he could barely see.

“Who are you?” a voice asked, and then a man appeared in the
haze. It must be Trevor based on the tattoo on his face, which Seraphina had
described.

“Doesn’t matter,” Drew said arrogantly. “Mikey told me you
could get a good girl for me.”

Trevor leaned back in his chair, gazing at him with a sleazy
grin. Drew already didn’t like him, which would make this easier.

Trevor nodded and beckoned for Drew to sit. Drew quickly
described what kind of girl he wanted, and gave Trevor a bogus address for the
girl to show up to on the following night.

Trevor nodded, and Drew slid the so-called deposit across
the table, which Trevor greedily took.

“Oh, and Mikey told me you like cigars,” Drew said,
carefully taking out the cigar. “He said this was a thank you for setting me
up.”

Trevor took it, rolling it between his fingers and smelling
it. “A Cuban,” he breathed. “This is a good one.”

Drew stood up to leave.

“It’s special,” he agreed about the cigar.

Trevor smiled, getting his lighter out.

Drew needed to go. The poison was laced in the cigar and it
would enter his system within ten minutes of consuming.