Hard and Easy [High-Country Shifters 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (3 page)

“Only the best
boctrilla
burger in town.” Larek lifted his chin as if he’d defy anyone who said otherwise.

Perhaps he’d have most of the article written and she could go over it with him.
Don’t lie to yourself. You think he’s hot.
Brin seemed to alter her body somehow, too.

Larek smiled, and her damned stomach twisted, flipped, and contracted. Though she could ill afford the time, these two intrigued her. “Sure.”

“Noon then.”

To appear even more like a tongue-tied female, she just watched them head out instead of escorting them to the door. Once it clicked closed and their footsteps retreated, Rein led her over to the sofa and sat.

“
Skelak
. Who were they?”

Good question
. “Did you mean the one with the longish blond hair, whose eyes are as clear as the sky above? Or were you referring to the stockier of the two with the perfectly chiseled chin, piercing brown eyes that seemed to see right through you, and thick arms that were meant to hold a woman tight?”

Rein giggled. “You got it bad, girlfriend. I would take either one, but let’s start with the first one.”

“That was Larek, and he owns the
Anterran News
.”

“I’ve seen him around the mall but have never spoken with him.” Her friend’s cheer sobered somewhat. “Did he come about the job stink?”

While she and Rein had become good friends through Sella, Lara’s sister-in-law, Madra hadn’t wanted to talk to anyone about the issue. Even her own mother didn’t know about the possible firing, or so she hoped. Now that the interview was about to be released, she saw no reason not to seek some advice.

“How did you hear about it?”

She shrugged. “People think salesmen are invisible. You wouldn’t believe all the gossip I pick up. Now tell me about the other one.” Her friend practically giggled.

“Brin? He’s an enigma. I couldn’t get a good read on him, perhaps because he’s a public defender.”

“So that’s Brin.”

How come she’d never heard of these guys?
Oh, yeah
. She went from her house to the school, with only a stop at the grocery store once a week. She hadn’t been outside in the real sunshine in weeks. “What do you know about him?”

Rein leaned back and got that dreamy look in her eyes. When Madra’s stomach twisted, she refused to think of it as jealousy. She wasn’t sure she even liked the guy. He was too demanding and sure of himself. A girl would have to watch every word she said for fear he’d ask her to substantiate why she thought the day was nice.

“I heard he will do everything in his power to get his clients off.” She leaned forward. “That is, if they’re innocent. The man has principles.”

She did sense that. “They didn’t come seeking a date. They wanted to hear about my possible firing.”

All cheer left her face. “What are you going to do?”

“Go back to teaching the old way. I don’t really have a choice.”

Rein puckered her face. “That’s taking the easy way out.”

“Redoing my lesson plans won’t be exactly easy.” Okay, she could recycle some of them from last year, but she couldn’t use the same questions. Kids these days had all sorts of methods for sharing test information. “But that’s not the only reason. I can’t leave the kids in the lurch.” They’d had this conversation many times about how much her relationship with her students meant to her. Being a good role model was everything to her.

“You claim to be putting the students’ interest above yours, but I think you’re trying to do what causes the least disruption in
your
life. If you really had the students’ best interests in mind, you’d find a way to teach them what you believe is the truth.”

That allegation was ridiculous. She would have jumped up and shouted, but there was a little part of her that said what Rein said might be true. “You forget. I’m not one to buck the system.”

Rein waved her hand. “You can tell yourself that all you want.” She leaned forward. “Here’s my suggestion. If you want to keep your principles and be able to connect with kids the way you like, start your own school.”

“You are kidding, right? Look around here. I have no room and no money.”

“There are a lot of underprivileged kids who can’t even afford to go to school. I bet they’d be willing to have you teach them aboveground.”

“Not going to happen. I’m going to go back to my old way of teaching. My stomach hasn’t stopped churning since those ugly parents brought up the charges against me.” Besides, she couldn’t imagine the work it would take to start a school. She’d have to collect funds, learn other topics, and convince parents to let her teach their children. “I know this sounds selfish, but if I don’t teach, I can’t pay my rent.” Teachers were highly respected in the community and were paid well, but she hadn’t been in the system long enough to save money.

“There is that.” Rein waved a hand. “Let’s get back to the hot men.”

That made Madra laugh. “Do you ever stop thinking about sex?” Part of her laugh had resulted from relief and the other part was from where Rein’s mind always seemed to head.

“Who said anything about sex? You thinking of taking one of them into your bed?”

“No!” Okay, that came out too fast, and from the way heat raced up her face, Rein would be able to see it was a lie.

Rein crossed her arms in an obviously fake fury then uncrossed them. She tapped her chest. “I have time to find the perfect man, but you don’t. You’re, well, old.”

Her mouth opened. “I’m thirty-two.”

“That limits how long you have. Do you plan on having children? If you do, you better get going and find someone or someones.”

“If I find a mate who wants kids, then yes, I want them. But if I never mate, then I have my students to mother.”

“Assuming you still have a job.”

Precisely
. That was one more reason not to upset any more parents.

Rein stood. “I need a drink.”

“Help yourself.” Having Rein’s probing gaze off her would give her a moment to compose herself. Was she being selfish?
Not in the least
.

Her friend zeroed in on the wine rack that had all of two bottles. “Mind if we break this open?”

One had been a present from her parents four years ago when she’d landed her job at Prep. The other bottle had been given to her by a potential suitor, but she’d kicked him out after he became too grabby. The bottle, fortunately, stayed. “Sure.”

Rein didn’t need to ask the location of the corkscrew or where to find the glasses. She’d been here often enough with her own bottle of wine. She struggled a bit to get the cork out but eventually opened it. “This is one of many reasons why you need a man around.”

She chuckled. “If I had a man around, trust me, I wouldn’t have invited you in.”

Rein grinned. “Good point. Which one of the men turned you on the most? Or are you willing to entertain two men at a time?”

“Rein!”

“What? Women have needs. Don’t you?”

Coming home to an empty house each night wasn’t her idea of the perfect life, but she rarely made herself available to find someone. “I suppose I like—”
Hmm
. Which one would she pick if they were interested in her? Larek seemed the obvious choice as he didn’t make her uncomfortable, but Brin did something to her insides. “How about both? That way if one turned out to be a jerk, I’d still have one left.”

Rein handed her a full glass. “I like the way you think. So how are you going to entice them?”

She sipped from her glass. “I’m thinking you’re the one who’s interested in them. Feel free to go after the men.”

“Nope. They both seemed a little too alpha for me.”

“Yes, they have strong personalities, but you could handle them.”

She shook her head. “Uh-uh. My perfect man, or men as the case may be, would be sensitive and caring. They would want to explore the world with me and would treat me like a princess.”

“Maybe you should try Earth. Perhaps their men are like that.”

“Maybe.” Rein polished off her glass. “What are you going to wear for your lunch date tomorrow?”

“Like it matters? Besides, it’s not a date, and in case you haven’t noticed, I own seven skirts, one for each day of the week, and five tops. I don’t have many options, nor do I care.”

“You are such a terrible liar. I can see where Brin would eat you alive if you didn’t tell the truth.”

He already seemed to be able to see right through her. “All the more reason not to go out with him.”

“How about if you do your eye makeup at least? You have such beautiful deep blue eyes.”

“I appreciate the compliment, but I’m not into looking false, and as I said, this isn’t a date.”

Rein laughed. “Tell me that after you have lunch with them.”

* * * *

Madra pulled on a baggy shirt and smoothed down her skirt. If her breasts hadn’t been so large and had been perkier, she might have considered going bare breasted.
Who are you kidding?
Her ass sagged and her waist hadn’t seen
tiny
in years. She wanted to cover up and not show her flaws.

Rein’s words came back to her. Did Larek and Brin think of this as a date? Or did they really want to get more information? She hadn’t answered Larek’s last question, but she wasn’t sure there was much more she could offer him. From the way Brin seemed relieved to get out of her house, he’d only come because Larek had asked him.

What did it matter now? She’d said she’d go, so go she would. She inhaled. “Let’s get this over with.”

Part of her was thrilled to see them again, but the other part wasn’t ready for the inquisition. While it saddened her to perpetuate the myth that wolves were scum-sucking vermin, she didn’t want to be tossed out of her job.

She stepped out of her house and then looked down at the sandaled heels Rein had convinced her to wear. Damn things made her a giant. She’d considered walking to the restaurant, but she feared she’d be late. Besides, she bet her feet would be swollen by the time she arrived.

“The tram it is.”

She walked to the station. Since heels weren’t her usual apparel, she had to be careful not to twist an ankle. It was a ten-minute wait before the tram arrived, and a lot of people had gathered. She was thankful she even got a seat. She just wished her stupid palms would stop sweating. Being around sexy, powerful men always jumbled her nerves, and these two had an extra dose of sexiness each, which made it worse.

They are here to help you.
She repeated the hopefully true mantra until her stop. The mall was crowded, which comforted her somewhat. As she headed toward the bar, no one seemed to take notice of her. At least all of Anterra hadn’t learned of her possible job loss.

The Wild Cat Bar sat in a nook across the mall center and looked a bit dingy. The letter
C
wasn’t lit on the sign and a piece of the fencing bordering the entrance was missing. At least the front was well lit and the flower bins at the front made it kind of inviting. She’d heard a few skirmishes had happened there over the years, but they’d occurred mostly at night when the clientele had too much to drink. That didn’t surprise her. Anytime a bunch of shifters got together, it was like waving a match near something inflammable.

At lunchtime, she suspected the place would be calm—or at least calmer.

Go.

As soon as she stepped inside, she had to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. The musty smell of beer and sweat seemed to have been covered up with a cleaning agent, but it still made her wrinkle her nose. Waving hands caught her attention. Larek and Brin were sitting in the corner, as if they wanted to keep their conversation private. She appreciated their sensitivity. Shouting to the world that people found what she did offensive wasn’t how she wanted to start the day.

She carefully wove her way past mostly full tables. Her step faltered.
Skelak
. Clarin’s dad was on the other side of the restaurant, but she pretended she didn’t see him even though he had looked up and clearly spotted her. As soon as she got to the table, both Larek and Brin stood.

“Glad you could make it.” Larek handed her a menu.

Their formality made her uncomfortable, so she slipped into the chair and glanced at the menu instead of making small talk. Being near them unraveled her cool. Even though all the men in Anterra only wore loincloths, it was a bit disconcerting to have a conversation when every time they spoke their chest muscles flexed.

She returned her focus to the menu. Everything looked good, but to keep this date short, she decided on the recommended
boctrilla
burger. She certainly wouldn’t be ordering any alcohol. The last thing she needed was to cloud her brain.

Madra decided to keep this professional. “What else did you need to ask me?”

Brin laughed. “It was a ruse to get you to come to lunch.”

Her chest caved. “Seriously?” That came out wrong. She should have been flattered. “Why?”