Wolf Desire: 5 Delicious Alpha Wolf Shifter Tales (9 page)

Days peeled off the calendar. Time moves quickly when you like what you do. I was back at my apartment, away from the facility. In front of me was a sketch mold of my structural design. I peered at it, dissecting all the components that would make this structure both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Lost in time absorbed at my model, I was snapped to the present with the buzzing of my cellular phone.

“Hey Jazzy. How you doing girl?” I said as I picked up without my eyes even leaving the model.

“Very good thank you very much Cindee. How’s that project of yours going?”

“It’s going great. I’ll be able to finish it for sure.” I proudly said. This shouldn’t be hard concept to pull-off Japanese-American influenced design. A mishmash of culture.

“Well that’s great. I think you’re going to like what I have to say. I just received an employment fulfillment from none other than the Garden-Parion group. They’re looking for associates. They thumbed through your portfolio and was pleasantly surprised to see one of your works and requested that you work for them immediately. I mean it doesn’t happen very often. Actually it never happened before.”

My eyes widened seeing the trusses of the sloping ceiling beams form together with hard wood floors interlined in granite; it was all part of east meeting west that I was looking for.

“They are looking to start you as an associate due immediately. This is the perfect opportunity for you. This would finally put you in a very good position to conquer the architectural world. And did I tell you? They pay top-notch salaries, the best in the industry really, and the best part is that you’d be based in Paris. I mean for a gal like you nothing would be more perfect.”

Paris. What about the American workers here? I thought to myself as I traced the beams down to the sloping of the temple style roofing.

“Like I said they were pleasantly surprised by your work. I mean this doesn’t happen much. Cindee, I think your stars had aligned perfectly. You, my girl, are on your way to the top!!”

I cleared my throat and sipped on clear Omaha’s finest water spring. This was indeed the coveted position in all of the architectural firm. They are known to be very selective of who they let it. And once you’re in, the sky is the limit.
 

“But what about my current work?” I asked, gulping down the water.

“That dirt hole will be nothing compared to the ornate buildings you’d be designing with the top famous personalities of the architectural world. Don’t worry about that job. I can get a replacement for you in no time.”

I fell silent. There was more work to be done. Not just for me but for Dillard and Hideshi and the rest of the local workforce who were counting on our success. I can’t fail them now.

The silence of the phone drew heavy, “So Cindee. Should we book you in the next Jet out of there? Oh I forget to mention. They have a sign-in bonus that is exceedingly large. Almost half a year worth of salary.”

“I’m not going to take it.” I cleared my throat reaching for the Omaha bourbon that was gifted to me in the barstool.

“I’m sorry, I must have misunderstood you,” said Jazzy.

“I’m declining the offer.” I said as I downed a shot of aged bourbon to steel my nerves.

“You’re declining the offer? But Cindee. A thousand women would die to have an offer such as this. They need an answer as soon as possible. So if you don’t take it, it’s gone forever. Opportunities like these are very hard to come by. They’re once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“I know.” I said as I reeled from the gravity of my decision. “But I need to finish this project. I hope you understand.”

“What a professional! OK Cindee. That is your call. I’ll let them know about it. I just didn’t think you’d find your calling in a cow dung facility.”

“Cow-breeding.” I corrected her. “And they make good beef.”

“Ok Cindee. It’s your call. See ya when I see ya.”

When the call ended, I downed another shot of bourbon to clear my head. I’ve made a life-changing decision. Instead of my brain, I followed my heart.

I crouched down to the model of the events building. I realized there was something wrong with the supplied map sketch and how my own rendering was showing up. There seemed to be a black area of hidden space that seemed to have been left out from the details of my mock-up.

It was well late in the evening, almost midnight. I didn’t care. There was work to be done. I grabbed my keys and off I went back to the facility.

--

On the drive I couldn’t help notice how the huge full moon was. It stood proudly at the center of the freeway, like a sort of bright star pointing me to where I needed to go. The desolate open fields basked in the light bluish glow. It was a magical sight but it also felt eerie. Asides from patrol cars, I seem to be the only car traveling. When I turned into the facilities extension road, I haven’t seen a car or any form of life for miles.

The headlight of my eyes hit the cement parking lot of the lonely office building. Strangely, the lights were still on. Was somebody still working? I entered the office in slow steps. The cubicles were all empty. I plopped my laptop in one of the desk and started looking at the CAD drawing of the building.

Almost 30 minutes had passed after midnight, when I heard pacing footsteps. Surely, the managers would have left by now. But the pacing grew even more pronounced as if it were trying to walk a thousand miles per hour. I slowly inched towards the source. It seems to be coming from the main CEO office of Hideshi. Hideshi was still working! How devoted he is to his work.

I didn’t want to bother him in his work. I know I should have said hi and hello. It’s been years, but I just didn’t feel it was the proper time. Besides, I’ll surely have the chance to give him a proper hello during the opening event. He’ll be there inside my creation. I’m really looking forward to it.

Looking attentively at the CAD layout of the site-map, which is the horizontal map showing all the structures and sub-structures, I finally pin-pointed that blank spot which was mysteriously not included in the submitted designs of the whole facility work. I would have left this area as an unsolved mystery, except one of my pipes were to run directly beneath it. I needed to see it.

I grabbed my jacket and headed out to the crisp air. A gentle breeze gave a warm feeling as the expanse of the countryside’s soft wind hummed a melodious tune that blew my hair to its side.

“It’s rather late now ma’m,” said a familiar voice with a familiar face.

“Dillon!!” I said happy to see him out here. He wasn’t wearing his overalls, instead he was wearing a farmer’s outfit.

“Night duty ma’m. I saw you pulled in and stood guard for you ma’m. I know you a hardworking woman. And that’s why I’ll be accompanying you. Have no fear ma’m you’d be safe with me.” He said with a sweet gentleness in his expression as he tilted his head proudly hinting at the gun that was strapped on his shoulders, a mark of his authority in this place.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I said as I clutched a sheet from my pocket and showed it to Dillon, “I need your help Dillon. I’m trying to find this one spot in the facility.” I pointed at the spot. Dillon face crinkled trying to make sense of the site-map.

“Yeah, I know where that is. It’s right by the veterinary. Where feeders are located just prior to their vaccinations. We have an animal friendly place going around here.” He said with an eager smile in his face.

“Ok, the Buiatrics, bovine veterinary structure. Would you show that place to me please.”

“Of course. I see that you’re wearing your boots. Good to know that. Let’s go ma’m.”

That biuatrics facility was responsible for keeping the cows in a healthy state. Kobe beef, a little known fact, can only be produced if the cattle themselves are kept in a stress-free condition. Efforts to replicate it was largely unsuccessful. Except with Hideshi’s cattle. He took the elements of the
wagyu
cattle breeding stock and cross-bred it with the all American Angus bred. A mish-mash of cultures.

The area was the realm of engineers, animal scientists, rangers, and laborers. I would have expected a cow building facility to be rougher looking. Except this was not. It was aesthetically pleasing visual open aired environment with high ceilings and great ventilation. I thought it would have smelled bad, but apparently fresh grass smell is piped in.

It was night time and cows were asleep. They usually fall asleep after grazing out the whole day as was explained to me.

“This way.” I trotted along with my guide, uncertain how this would end. Cute little cows lay silently sleeping amidst the open aired barn.

Right adjacent to barn was another structure. I looked at it with inquisitive eyes. It appeared to be just another barn. It looked like a supply shack.

“Here. What’s in there?” I asked pointing at the structure.

“That ma’m is the fridge. It’s supposedly a very controlled environment, and only a select few have access to it. I’ve never been inside I’m afraid, so that’s all I can say.”

A fridge? He probably meant cold-storage. From the looks of it seemed rather crude looking for such an important aspect of operation. I double checked the area just to make sure, but found that sure enough this was the location where one of my pipes would tunnel through. Why would they leave a crucial piece of infrastructure such as a cold storage unit out of the sketches? It made no sense. I double checked my sketch to mark the exact dimension of the structure. Bringing out my laser ruler I could triangulate the physical dimension on a horizontal plane. It was a two person job, with each person holding the laser measuring device.

“Dillon. Here, take this.” I gave a piece of the laser device to Dillon. “Now, I’m going around the building to do some measurements. I need your help. Is that ok with you?”

Dillon gave an eager nod. I smiled back.

“When I go around the barn. I’m going to send a signal to your device. This right here will turn blue. When it does I need you to press this button to confirm.” I pulled the trigger as unseen laser shot through the air and back to the device. Dillons device led light turned blue. “Now if you see it blue like that I need you to press.”

Dillon pressed it. And I confirmed that I saw the blue light that indicated that mine too was properly calibrated.

“Great. Now I’m going to be taking three measurements ok. So I’ll need you stand right here until you see the blue light turn on then press the button to confirm. Sounds simple enough right?”

Dillon gave me a nod. This area wasn’t very well illuminated but the full moon washed over the sky enough so that I was able to see the ground. I just needed to make three measurements from the other side. I walked all the way to the other side. I pressed the button on my laser, waiting for Dillon to press his. Ok, a blue light indicated that he pressed it. Done. Now on the next. I walked to the middle of the back and pressed the button again. Dillon pressed it again, so it was done. Easy enough. Then I went to the outermost edge of the structure, pressed the button and waited for Dillon to press back.

A few moments passed and my light still has not turned blue. I started to wonder if there was a glitch on the machine. I shouted, “Dillon!”

But there was no reply.