Chapter Eight
She gave a slight nod.
Jacques pressed his forearm into the man’s neck. “Catherine is Max’s second. If you disparage her you do the same to Max. Is that what you’re doing?”
“No!” He gasped at the pressure against his throat. “I would never say anything to anger Max.”
“But you don’t care what Catherine thinks, do you?” Jacques kept the pressure up. “Are you one of those men who tried to use her to get close to Max?”
The man opened his mouth then closed it.
“What? Did you think you were so smart no one would figure it out?”
The man’s shoulders slumped.
Jacques pitched his voice so only the man pressed against the wall could hear him. “If I hear you say anything else that I would consider an insult about Catherine I will rip your throat out.”
The man nodded and Jacques released him, then moved back to where Max and Catherine stood.
“Thank you.” Catherine pitched her voice so only Jacques could hear her. “But I should have been the one to do that.”
“I meant no disrespect, but he was being an ass and sometimes it takes another man to make a man realize the error of his ways. But this is your world and if you wish to punish me for overstepping you have that right.”
He was right she could, but Max was also right. Everyone thought she wanted him to face this man just by saying his name. If she were to discipline him she could undermine what he did. She looked at him and smiled. “How about I discipline you later, when it’s just the two of us?”
“Really?” He arched a brow at her. “Before or after I help you let go?”
“We’ll have to work that out later.”
He gave her a smile that took her breath away.
“Are you two done?” asked Max.
“Yes, sir.” Catherine knew he wanted to show Jacques his team as well. She ushered them out of the area and down the hall. Pulling open the set of doors, she waited for Max and Jacques to walk in before she followed suit. The men and women were standing at attention waiting for Max to arrive. “This is the training hall of Max’s private security team.”
“Twenty people?”
“Not all at one time, unless the situation warrants it.”
Catherine spoke to them in Gaelic. In seconds they were attacking Jacques. They caught him off guard, but he rallied quickly and defended himself. He moved quickly, sometimes faster than his attackers. Each time he struck at one of them hard they stopped and backed off.
“Not bad,” James, head of security said. “Is this the young man you were telling me about?”
“Yes,” said Max. “I thought he would be a good replacement for you since you want to retire.”
Catherine looked at Max. He hadn’t said anything about this. Why was he trying to talk Jacques into working as his head of security? Was he doing this for her or to punish her?
“We’ll see. You know I won’t retire until I’m happy with who I pick.” He walked around Jacques. “I don’t know if he has what it takes, but a few tests will give me an idea of his potential.”
“I haven’t even said I wanted to apply for the position,” commented Jacques.
“And I haven’t officially decided that I’m retiring, but Max is the head alpha and he needs the best protection. It could take me years to find someone to fill my shoes. Max sees something in you, so I’ll test you. If you’re it, then you’re it. If not, then we’ll move on.”
“And if I’m it?”
“Then the job is yours whenever you’re ready to take over.”
“And if I don’t want it?”
“Max, are you sure?” James turned to look at Max. “This guy doesn’t even want the job.”
“That’s because he can’t see past his obligation right now. He’s the sheriff of his pack and feels he has some unfinished business to deal with. Test him. I’m curious.”
“Yes, sir.”
Max smiled and turned to leave the room. Catherine did the same thing.
“He’s going to be busy for a few hours at least. This gives you time to do some research.”
“Yes, sir.” She hesitated. “How did you know he had some unfinished business?”
“So I was right.”
“He’s trying to figure out what happened to the girl he was with when he got hurt.”
“I thought it was something like that. I can see it in his eyes. How close do you think he is to finding out?”
“I’m not sure. Sally explained a lot when you and Alicia sat with me in the bar she owns. I have the files on her and the other girls with me. I just haven’t had time to go over them again.”
“Then I’ll let you get to work.”
Catherine had an office in the building. As the head historian for the pack, she needed a place where she could interview members and update information recorded in their computer mainframe. She also did a lot of reading there. She organized the documents, books and files for her staff to work on. It was something she could do along with her professor position at the college. She also loved learning about the differences between packs. The computer in this office had access to everything she needed and could help her get the info she needed quickly.
She stepped into her office and sighed in relief. The smell of her books always filled her with a calm she didn’t get from too many places. She went to her computer and booted it up. While she waited she went to the common area and grabbed a cup of coffee. When she went back to her office her computer was up and ready for her. The first thing she did was search to see if the murders of the three girls had made it into any regular papers. She ran a separate search on the death of Sally’s sister and Jacques’ injury. His father had done a good job of keeping the information within the pack because she found nothing. Her next search was for murders like the three as well as incidents that could mirror what happened with Jacques and the girl. She also set up a search for the doctor and her daughter. She had come from another pack. Perhaps it was from one of the many she had history from. She also did a search on those who couldn’t shift. She did it by those born that way as well as those who had an injury that stop the shifting.
She started an entry for Jacques’ pack. Starting with what she had learned about the members, names, jobs, relationships to each other. Whatever she could remember. As she learned more she would expand the file.
The searches she set up could take days to run. The files she had on other packs were extensive.
She also pulled up the ancient books she had scanned in over the years. A lot of them she had yet to read and categorize in the computer. There were a few she thought had something about murders that came from rituals and she figured now was a good time to start reading.
She was a fast reader and was able to give verbal commands to her computer to mark the books she skimmed through with tags so she would know what she had read when she went back to them. It was time to give it a break when her eyes started to cross.
Catherine opened her door to a quiet corridor. What time was it? She pulled out her phone and realized she got lost in her books again. Everyone else had already left. She found a message on her phone from Max letting her know he had headed back and was going to take Everett running. She headed out the main doors so security knew she had left and could lock up.
Her car was the only one in the garage now. She shook her head. She hadn’t changed that much. It didn’t take her long to pull into Max’s garage. She entered the house to find Jacob waiting for her.
“They’re still out. Jacques is on the back porch.”
“Thanks, Jacob.”
“Are you going to join the others or are you going to stay with Jacques?”
“I’ll stay with Jacques.”
“I’ll bring you a drink.”
“Thank you.” She headed toward the back of the house and opened the door to the back porch. Jacques sat in one of the chairs with his legs stretched out in front of him. “Having fun?”
He turned when he heard her voice. The smile she loved to see filled his face.
“Hey! Max said we might not see you for a while.”
“I do have a tendency to lose track of time when I start researching.”
“Well, I’m glad to see you, cher.” He sat up and patted the arm of his chair.
“They’re still out running?” she sat down.
“Yeah.” He moved so she could have a little more room. “Max wanted Everett to eat before they went out.”
“And he was too excited to do as he was told?”
“Yeah, he’d take two bites and ask if they could go. Max has the patience of a saint. He would smile and say take two more bites and he did that until he was happy with the amount of food Everett had eaten.” He placed a hand on her leg. “Did you find out anything?”
“Not yet. But these searches can take weeks. The amount of information that has been gathered from other packs is vast.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “How did your test go?”
“I have no idea. Brad told me to approach each thing as if I was Max. How would Max handle it. I did the best I could but there were a few times when I had no clue what Max would do so I did what I thought should be done. He never told me if I passed or failed.”
“I’m sure they’ll tell you in a day or two. He probably wants to speak to Max before he says anything.”
“How long do you think they’ll be out there?” Jacques looked out into the wooded area.
“About fifteen minutes or less.”
“And how do you know that?” He looked up at her.
“Jacob is close to having dinner ready and I know Max and Alicia can smell dinner in the air. He is amazing at what he can know.”
“Why thank you.”
Catherine laughed as she looked up. “See what I mean?”
They stood as Max came onto the porch and gave him a slight bow. She noticed that Jacques did it without thinking now. Deep down inside he knew Max was his superior.
“Hey Miss Catherine.”
“Little man.” She smiled as she ruffled his hair. “Did you have fun?”
“It was so fun! Mr. Max showed me some of his favorite hiding places. And look what I found.” He handed her a pretty stone. “Mr. Max says I can keep it.”
“Cool.” She looked at the stone with interest before she handed it back to him. “We can clean it up when you take your bath.”
“Not a bath!” Everett tucked it in a pocket. “Mom always makes me take those after we go running.”
“That’s because she doesn’t want you to track dirt all over the house,” said Jacques. “You can bathe after dinner, but you need to wash your hands now.”
“Okay.” He dropped his head dejectedly. “Will you help me, Uncle Jacques?”
“Of course.” He scooped him up and headed in. “We’ll be back in no time.”
Catherine found herself alone with Max and Alicia. For the first time she felt a little out of sorts. She wished Jacques was still there.
“Your brother and his family will be joining us for dinner.”
“Yay. I get to see my nephew again.” Catherine didn’t try to contain her happiness.
“Let’s go, they should be arriving any minute.”
***
Jacques walked into the dining room to find more people than he expected. Catherine’s brother and his mate were joining them. That poor baby might not ever walk with all the pampering he was getting. Alicia held him at the moment, but Catherine was looking over her shoulder and speaking quietly to the baby.
“What do you see in my sister?” Patrick came up beside him and handed him a beer. “Max says this is your favorite.”
“Thank you. It is.” He took a swig before answering Patrick’s question. “Your sister is an amazing woman.”
“Are you sure we’re talking about the same person?”
Catherine looked up and stuck her tongue out at her brother.
“See?” Patrick said as he pointed. “She’s a pain.”
“She’s family, sweetheart,” said Stacey as she stepped up to his side. “She’s also one of my best friends.”
“I know and that means you’re going to be on her side.” He wrapped an arm around Stacey’s waist. “I’m running out of people to complain about her to.”
“And you thought to enlist Jacques?” She looked at him like he had lost his mind. “Are you crazy?”
“Why? Because they’re sleeping with each other?”
“Because it’s your sister, geez, you can be hardheaded.”
“You two aren’t arguing, are you?” asked Alicia as she joined the group.
“No.” Stacey laughed. “My mate is trying to find someone to lament about his sister with.”
“And he’s trying to recruit Jacques?” Alicia started laughing. “That is rich.”
“Dinner is ready,” said Jacob.
“Thank goodness. This could get ugly a little too quick.” Alicia led the small group to the table Jacob had set for them.
Catherine brought the baby to the table. Stacey took her son and placed him in a portable pram. It was something her mom bought when she was a baby and had hung onto it for her grandbabies. It allowed her son to stretch out and sleep in comfort.
Jacob brought everyone a plate. “Since our guest is from Louisiana I thought I’d try my hand at a few dishes from New Orleans. We’re starting off with red beans and rice.”
Everette was happy and dove right in.
“Hmmm, this is great. What’s next?” He looked at Jacob.
“How about shrimp and grits?”
Everett looked a little crest fallen.
“Mushrooms and grits?”
He nodded at that and gave Jacob a bright smile.
Catherine sat next to Jacques. She knew what her brother, Stacey and Alicia were hinting at. They were trying to find out how strong their relationship was. It wasn’t fair to corner Jacques and she wanted to slap all of them. Aiming her voice at her brother she said one word. “Jerk.”
He looked at her and smiled. “Spoiled.”
“True,” she replied.
“Do you love him?”
She wasn’t about to answer that. Instead she took a bite of her food and just stared at her brother.
“You two done?” asked Jacques.
“What?” She turned to look at him.
“You and your brother are pitching your voices at each other so I’m assuming I’m the topic of conversation.”
“My brother is just being himself. You should be glad he didn’t include you or you might be lunging across the table to hit him.”
“Was he insulting you?” He turned to glare at Patrick.
“No, like I said he was just being himself.” She placed a hand on his arm. “I’m used to it and have my ways of getting even.”
That seem to mollify him.
She looked back at her brother and saw him smile. A big toothy one that made her nervous.
“What?”
He kept that smile as he shook his head.
***
“So what was going on at dinner?” Jacques asked once they were back in their room.
“With my brother? He was just sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong.”
“He wanted to know how serious we are.”
She nodded, knowing lying to him wouldn’t float. “I didn’t even answer him.”
“I’m a little jealous. These people love you. I’m not saying my family doesn’t love me, but they don’t care so much they will get all up in my life the way your family does.”
“Except for Sally.”
“Yeah,” he laughed. “Sally has always been in my corner so to speak. But my father? My brother? They don’t behave the way your friends and family do.”
“I find it annoying at times.”
“I get that but know you’re lucky, cher. I also know if I hurt you, I’d be in deep trouble from your brother, his mate, Max and Alicia.”
“Don’t let them frighten you.”
“I won’t.” He brushed his fingers along her jawline. “I made a promise to you and have everything I need to fulfill that promise.”
“Really?” She gave him a toothy smile. “What do I need to do?”
“First, get undressed, then climb onto the bed and get comfortable in the middle.”
“Okay.” Excitement filled her. She stripped and did as he asked. Once she was settled he handed her a bit of cloth. “A blindfold?”
“Yes.” He set a few things on the bed.
“And handcuffs?” She picked one up and grinned at the fur surrounding the metal. “Really?”
“It will help you to relax. When you can’t take control the way you normally do you will realize that this time you have to let me be in control. The only thing I want from you is to lie back and enjoy this. I want to see how high I can bring you.”
“You do that already.”
“I try.” He snapped one of the handcuffs around her wrist. “But you keep taking control.”
“And you want to stop that.” She took the other handcuff and snapped it around her other wrist.
“For at least one night.” He put another around her left ankle.
“At least one night?” She lay down as he put on the last cuff and put on her blindfold.
“I’m hoping you enjoy this enough we can do it again.” He attached her arms to the headboard and ankles to the footboard. “I was told we needed a safe word.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want you to be become uncomfortable. If at any time you need to be released all you have to say is our safe word and I’ll free you.”
“What should we use?”
“Anything you want.”
“How about your name?”
“The one you call out a lot when we’re making love? Don’t think that’s a good idea. I might hear it and think you’re enjoying yourself instead of needing help.”
She laughed. She could hear him moving around. “What are you doing?”
“You need to have a little patience.” He was quiet as he climbed on the bed with her. “How about we use the word patience?”
“You really think I need one?”
“I think you talk too much.” He brushed his hands across her stomach.
Catherine sucked in her breath.
“Didn’t expect that, did you?” He removed his hands and climbed back off the bed for a few moments.
“No, but I can’t see so everything is a surprise.”
“Exactly. You can’t anticipate what you can’t see.” He seemed to be puttering around. Her sharp hearing picked up the soft sound of him placing a few more things on the bed before she felt his weight on the bed once more. “Now, I have a few toys or items that I’m going to use. They are to bring joy so you need to tell me if you don’t like them.”
“What are they?”
“That’s what I want you to tell me.” He settled between her legs. “Here comes the first one.”
She felt something soft brush against her skin. It’s feather like touch made her smile. “That’s a feather.”
“Very good.” He started moving it around her body.
Catherine felt it brush against the underside of a breast, the side of her hip, the inside of her thigh. Each stroke heightened her need for him. It didn’t take long before she was squirming on the bed, trying hard not to pull on her restraints.
Jacques ran his hands down her sides. The softness of whatever he had on his hands made her nipples harden. He continued down her body, brushing the soft material all the way down to her feet.
“Are you wearing fur mitts?”
“Gloves actually.” He used his fingers to brush the fur across the tips of her nipples.
A soft moan escaped her. Her breath stopped for a second when she felt the heat of his mouth replace the glove. The gloves continued to caress her, but the pull of his mouth had all her attention. She wished she could hold his head in place, especially when he lifted his head. She felt his breath flow across her wet nipple and moaned again. Then he turned his attention to her other breast.
She was in bliss. He could spend as much time as he wanted on her breasts. He knew what she liked and knew how to take her breath away as he worked his magic. His hands continued to move across her body in those fur gloves. The soft brush of the fur felt wonderful and when he hit one of those spots he knew would help with her arousal she heard herself moan again. Catherine definitely loved the gloves. “I want to use those on you next.”
“The gloves?” He pressed a kiss between her breasts before he worked his way down her body. “Not a problem.”
Those gloves slid around her hipbone and down to caress the inside of her thighs. Her body started to shake, knowing where he was headed. She cried out when he latched onto her. His tongue was magic and she could feel her orgasm getting closer.
Jacques deftly released her ankles before he climbed up her body. His lips claimed hers as he drove into her.
She screamed into his mouth. Her body already exploding and all he did was enter her. The attention he paid to her body culminated in a powerful orgasm.
“You okay?” He brushed his fingers against her cheek.
“Oh yes. That was phenomenal.”
“Just wait,” he whispered in her ear. Jacques started to move, slow at first, then he started moving faster as she started to keep up with him.
Catherine shifted her hips, giving him better access. Each time he filled her, took her breath away. Her body gave him the perfect vise to move through. She heard him groan.
“If I release your hands do you promise not to take over?”
“I promise.” Her words came out soft. She felt him releasing her hands, which she wrapped around his back. Each thrust pushed her closer. True to her word she didn’t try to do anything more than feel. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a precipice so close to another release, but it hadn’t washed over her yet. Then like a rollercoaster she suddenly felt her stomach dip and her release took her breath away.
Jacques howled as he hit his. He shifted his weight so they could curl around each other.
“Okay, you made your point.” She sighed as she rested her head on his chest. “And I want that glove to use on you.”