Saint Ives Whelan Chronicles Ch. 09

"These are the sales papers, for now I've put them in your name, but I know it's not for you, so if at some point you need to transfer the car to its rightful owner you have to get that changed at the town hall. This bundle is to finalize the sale, the other one states you are aware of it's non pristine condition, but it states what is working. Just sign off each page and leave your signature on the last one, I'm sure you know the drill," she ended her explanation.

"I'm sure the papers are fine, I'll sign them right away. If something is wrong I have a good, nice reason to come back," he winked.

"Uh, uh, this is work. That will not be part of your little deal. I know how easy it would be for you to drop by then," she stopped him.

"Damn, you got me there, my lady. That means I'll have to be more creative then?"

He saw the little twinkle in her eyes again, proving to him she liked their verbal bantering as much as he did.

"Yes, you'll have to be really lucky then," she answered.

Checking the time he realized he didn't have much time left before he had to have the car in place so, much to his dislike, he turned a bit more serious and grabbed the papers she had laid in front of him and browsed through them. It was a standard contract like many others he had signed before. He signed off each page and planted his signature on the last page. He repeated the same with the other bundle of papers.

Making a neat pile of them he handed them back to Mia, their fingers briefly brushing against each other. That innocent touch move shocked him. As innocent as it was, he felt shivers going up and down his spine. Looking intently at her he was sure she experienced the same because she suddenly appeared very uneasy.

"Here, these should be in order now. Sorry that I have to cut my time a bit short, but I have a little deadline I must make. It has been my utmost pleasure to finally put a beautiful face to the voice that's been haunting my dreams, my lady," he said politely. He would have loved to stay longer, but sadly his promise to his older brother promise prevented him [for - from] pursuing her any further.

Accepting the papers, she placed them in front of her.

"Well, it's been nice doing business with you. 'Till the next time we meet," she answered in the same way.

Reluctantly he reached for the keys she left in front of him, said his goodbyes and turned around to walk outside.

With the doorknob in his hand he just caught the whispered words he was sure weren't meant to reach him, "I do hope we meet again." He was startled for a brief second, a big grin appearing on his face, making him even more determined to meet up with her.

After securing the Mustang on his truck, he gave one last longing look towards the building where he knew Mia was sitting behind her desk. While driving to the family's estate, also the primary address of his brother, he was going over different ways of getting in touch with her again. If need be he'd call in a few favors to get to know more about her, but he was certain he had to see her again. He was already imagining her in his bed, straddled over him, her hands held together behind her by one of his big hands, while his free hand was expertly tormenting her to the brink of ecstasy.

His bed? he thought. That's a first. He normally never took his women to his place, always went to theirs. Admitting to himself, Mia sprawled out on HIS bed would be an appealing picture.

While driving, his mind wandered back to the bohemian looking woman more than he wanted to admit. There was something about her he craved to have, wanted to dominate, wanted to please and enjoy. Just before turning on to the estate's road, he made up his mind. After the weekend he'd put their pack's investigators on her, he just had to find a way to meet her again.

His curiosity was sparked and he needed to know.

He dropped off the Mustang and covered it up with one of the canvas tarps lying about, knowing his brother wanted the car to be a surprise for his future mate. Back at his place he tidied up the papers he had left scattered about before he left. Oddly enough he didn't have any other plans for that afternoon.

Zapping through the TV channels he didn't find a program that sparked his interest. Picking up his phone he dialed his second brother Ed and arranged for them to meet up that night in his club "The Vixen".

Not much later his other brother, Nick, called him asking for something about the car. He asked to join him tonight as well if he wanted to and after hearing about Fran's friends, he extended the invitation to them. He could easily call back Ed and let him reserve them a VIP room for the evening. He was curious about the woman who finally sparked his brother's interest.

~*~*~*~

Mia was trembling from the second Chris had walked inside until he left again. Pinching the top of her nose, she closed her eyes and shook her head. She had to call her mom immediately, she needed her advice right away. Dialing the familiar number, she waited patiently for her mother to pick up the phone.

"Hello, my dear, how can I help you?" she heard when the phone was picked up on the other end. Her mother had the odd thing of always knowing when she called and whether it was for help or just to catch up on things. Over the years she had gotten used to the direct way her mother started conversations over the phone.

"We're in trouble, Mom. Well not really we, but me specially. I've just met my mate. He only didn't pick it up 'cause I was cloaking myself like you taught me. But something tells me even without him knowing what I really am, he'll come back someday. I'm just not sure about what will happen once he does know how things are. I could sense he's a high placed wolf, so I might be in the deep end here. Help?" she ended in a tiny voice.

"Oh, sweetie. You knew that you'd run into your mate one day, today is that day. Hiding yourself from him won't help either of you. Best you can do is tell him straight out and if he makes an issue of it I will talk to him. I'm sure he'll understand then. I know it was our choice not to stay with a pack and be on our own and I know it's only because of that and who I am we were able to stay under the radar for so long. But just follow your wolf, she'll guide and help you," her mom finished.

"He he, if I would have listened to her, she would have mated him on the spot. She was driving me nuts. Couldn't blame her though, he is one fine specimen of a man, very pleasing to the eye, a real charmer. Strange little fact is we talked to each other so many times on the phone, but when he walked in here today. Mom, you know I'm not easily lost for words, but I was today," Mia went on. She could hear her mom trying to hold back her laughter at the revelation.

"My dear, I can't wait to meet him, if he's able to shut you up, he must be quite the man then," Mia's mom replied.

"He is, trust me, he is." Mia let out a little sigh. "I don't know how this will turn out, it's not as if we agreed to meet up again. I even tried my best to avoid it. Yet he managed to make me agree to go out with him if we did meet again."

"Do you know how to get in touch with him?" her mom asked then.

"Yes, he's one of our regular buyers, so getting his phone number isn't a big deal, it's just that I'm not sure if I'm ready for that just yet. I need a bit of time. I know I can't keep fighting my wolf and I won't, but I need to get my head around all this. It could go two ways. You know local packs don't take kindly to pack-less wolves. It's the main reason why you taught dad and me to cloak ourselves."

"Sweetie, if he really is your mate and if it's true that he's of a higher rank in his own pack, he would think twice before harming you. Like I said, trust your wolf and come clean right away. You know if it really comes to it, you can contact me always and I'll be there in a second," her mother reassured her.

"I know, Mom, I know. That doesn't make it any easier though. Well I guess I'll hope for the best then, wish me luck, I believe I'm going to need it," she started to end their conversation.

"You'll be fine, my dear, you are after all a daughter of mine, we don't give up or give in so easily. I'm only a phone call away, so is your dad. He sends his greetings as well. But I'll leave you now, do keep me informed though. Talk to you later, my dear," her mom ended her part of the conversation.

"Thanks mom, give dad a hug and a kiss from me. I'll call in a few days and let you know how things are," Mia said, then put down the phone and let out a loud sigh.

If she could she would give herself a smack upside the head, that's how silly she felt right now. Of all people, HE turned out to be her mate. Chris Whelan. How many times had they talked on the phone? She admitted she loved those calls, even though they were always work related he found an opportunity to try and charm her and try asking her out and she always resisted.

She didn't know much about him really, she knew he had a well running garage and that he bought from them on a regular basis. Not able to hold in her curiosity she google'd his name. Oddly enough there were barely any hits, which only strengthened her belief the pack he was part of was pretty important and wealthy. After trying a few other combinations she gave up, there simply wasn't anything to find about Chris Whelan on the net besides the fact he owned a blooming car business.

Closing her eyes, she pinched the top of her nose, again. And shook her head, again. She knew her mother had said to trust her wolf and come clean the second she saw him again, but she had no clue how she was going to handle that. Let alone how she was supposed to meet with him without rousing his suspicion.

Promising herself she would give it some serious thought later that day, she tried to focus on the paperwork piled upon her desk. Realizing going out the night before hadn't been the best idea, but her friends wanted her along, one of them was celebrating her new job. Her friends didn't know that "The Vixen", even though a popular club, was also often frequented by other werewolves.

She had been wary at first going in, but once inside she relaxed. She felt her cloaking spell was strong enough not to be picked up and she relaxed with her friends. On the dance floor they got pushed over and if it wasn't for a huge man stepping in, her celebrating friend, Fran, would have fallen to the ground. She stiffened initially, the man smelled of wolf and of Alpha. She quickly eyed him up and down and her gaze got fixed on how he looked at Fran.

Right away she knew her friend was in for the time of her life. She wasn't part of a pack but she did recognize when a wolf got happy, finding that one precious thing that would make him happy. He looked rugged with his long black hair, dressed completely in black, but it suited him. But the way he held Fran was as if she was the most valuable and precious thing in the world to him. She knew she couldn't step in without revealing herself, even her own wolf told her to stay out of it and she agreed. Fran was in good hands. Reassuring her other friend, Lis, she nodded towards Fran in approval, grabbed Lis and went back to their booth.

When the pair joined them in the booth it was pretty clear Fran was at ease with the tall dark man. By lack of space he had let her sit on his lap while he politely joined in their conversation without being too nosy. She noticed Fran growing more tired and Nick, she now at least knew his name after exchanging greetings, was holding her possessively.

Cunningly Mia made it clear she wasn't ready to go home yet and would love to stay a bit longer. Knowing they all came here in just one car, it was the perfect opportunity for Nick to step in, which he did, and Fran agreed to let Nick drive her home.

She and Lis spent part of the night dancing away or chatting to their more shy friend Bron, who never left the booth once, acting as the trusted guardian of their purses. They stayed pretty late and with only a few hours of sleep, she had managed to drag herself to her first day of work again. A Saturday even!

Thankful for the fact she'd be done in half an hour. Giving up on getting through the papers in front of her, she resorted to cleaning up her desk slowly, hoping she'd fill the time until her work shift was over. They were only open during the morning. The afternoon and Sunday they were closed.

Her mind kept drifting back to what a the tall handsome man Chris was. She liked the curly black hair and she loved that no matter how obvious it was he tried to restrain his locks, a few always escaped, giving him a leisurely look about him. He dressed casually, but it couldn't hide his muscular frame, his broad shoulders tapering down to a slim waist. When he had walked away and stopped for a brief second before stepping outside, she could only applaud the fact his back side looked as yummy as did his front.

Looking at the clock a last time, she was relieved to find it was closing time. Picking up her bag, she closed down for the day and went home. Her mind bristled with ideas of what she could whip up for lunch, knowing it was one of the ways she used when she needed to think about things. She stopped on her way home to get a few ingredients and once in her kitchen she placed them on her counter.

She had kicked off her shoes the minute she walked into her hallway, her bag dropped carelessly next to them. Her tummy protested very loudly, demanding food. It didn't take her long to put together a nice, big lunch. She grinned lightly, thinking the stores thought she had a large family, considering the large amount of meat she bought there regularly.

She had managed to escape her whirling mind for a little while, but once the kitchen was tidied up again, one image sneaked into her mind again. Feeling her cheeks get warmer, she wanted to curse at herself. Knowing it was a hard situation that would arise sometime soon, she wasn't one for acting all girly. She was a blunt, to the point, no bullshit kind of woman.

Now she stood here, drooling like a teenager over the image that had nestled itself in her mind. Reaching her room, she decided to take a little nap, hoping some of the fatigue of last night's excesses would disappear. Removing her clothes, she then slipped under the covers of her bed, shut her eyes and willed herself to sleep. It was one of the perks of having a mixed heritage, she wasn't 'just' a wolf, she was a wolf with extra abilities thanks to her mom being a druid.

Apart from the cloaking spell she used almost 24/7, she didn't use much of her "extra" powers, just this little one she loved. Within seconds she was sleeping like a baby with the knowledge she would wake up in an hour or two. Sadly it didn't work for longer sleep but she was glad she could use it to take a little nap now and again and feel refreshed afterward.

When she woke up later that afternoon, she found a text on her cell phone. Lis let her know they would be going to "The Vixen" again tonight, but they would be having a VIP room. Lis also added it was thanks to Fran they were able to go again.

Groaning loudly, she dropped back into her crumpled sheets. Thank god she had taken the little nap then. Going out two days in a row would normally not tire her so much, but in her own defense, she had just spent two weeks partying at the other side of the world and had to go back to work immediately two days after she had gotten home again.

Having enough time left to get ready for later, she closed her eyes and focused on her personal predicament once more. Not wanting to linger too long, she made up her mind. First thing she would do when she got back to work on Monday was get his details and phone him. No time like the present to come clean. Feeling smug she made up her mind so fast, she tried to push it to the back of her mind and focus on the evening, wondering what it would have in store for her this time.

~*~*~*~

Chris sat at the bar, a bottle of beer cradled in his hands. The club wasn't crowed yet so he didn't mind staying on the ground floor for a little while. Ed, his brother, had told him Adam would be joining them as well. When he had stopped at his place for dinner Ed made the mistake of mentioning Fran and Nick were most likely to come to the club that evening. He had a hard time convincing Adam not to join, but he wouldn't budge. Ed didn't mind really, Adam was like their fourth brother, even though he was a lot younger than them and wasn't part of their pack.

Chris smiled a little smile, he knew Adam was a nosy son of a bitch, but he meant well. Before Adam had started his little tavern in town, the two of them hung out regularly and if he admitted it to himself, he missed those times. For once he cheered at Adam's persistence to join them tonight, it had been too long since they had all been together.

And well, truth be told, they all wanted to check out the lady that finally put Nick at ease. Ed was in for a surprise though, he hadn't told his brother what was really was going on between those two, it even caught him off guard when Nick told him in the middle of the night. He couldn't wait to see how they would be together. Nick being their Alpha was taller than all of them and certainly had no "mainstream" looks with his long raven black hair and rugged biker air around him.

Despite the looks he was a fair leader, who leaned heavily on his two brothers when it came to their own pack. Which was understandable since he also acted as Alpha Alpha for their part of the world. It meant, next to his own pack, he also had control of all other packs in that particular area. But he was fair. In other areas it was common for the Alpha Alpha to act like a true dominant over the others as well, but not Nick. He ruled his own pack and overlooked the others, having regular meetings with the other Alpha's. Nothing happened they didn't know about or couldn't get on top off straight away.

Nick was well respected amongst their kind and with good reason, Chris could only applaud the fact after all these decades he had finally found his mate. Maybe now he would take some time off and relax a bit more instead of being buried in work almost 24/7.

Chris snapped out of his reverie when a big hand landed on his shoulder.

"Good evening, mate, it's been too long. How have you been?" said the tall broad bundle of muscles behind him.

Turning around, he returned his welcome and slapped him hard on the shoulder as well.

"I've been good, Adam. And yourself? Still wooing the ladies with the wonderful cooking you do?" he replied.

"Of course, mate. They just love it, have to beat them off me," Adam joked.

"Hmm, if that is so then where has that trail of lovely women disappeared to?" he teased the gruff looking man.

"I let the bouncers deal with them, I'm sure they love all the attention," he grinned in response.

Chris help up his bottle towards the bar keeper and held up two fingers, making clear he wanted another round for Adam and himself.

Grabbing their beers Chris motioned to the stairway, indicating to go up to the VIP area. More people were arriving and even though he didn't mind crowds, he preferred a little bit of quietness when having a conversation with a friend. It was agreed with Ed that he would escort Fran's friends up to the VIP lounge when they arrived. Chris was sure that right now he was looking at several TV screens monitoring the in and outside of the club meticulously.

The two men sat down in the lounge and continued their bantering and digging up past occurrences. Not much later Chris turned when he heard the door open up. The first one to enter was a petite redhead, she looked pretty yet demure, she looked at them shyly.