Romance: Claimed By The Ape: BBW Shapeshifter Romance Standalone (Spicy Shifters Book 4) (3 page)

BOOK: Romance: Claimed By The Ape: BBW Shapeshifter Romance Standalone (Spicy Shifters Book 4)
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He seemed exactly like what she’d assumed he would be, except when he didn’t. He was one of the most well-known celebrities in the country, and yet sitting across the table from him, Erin couldn’t help but wonder if anyone of them knew him at all.

 

Erin thought that after that first day with Jack Silver, she was done being surprised, but yet again her expectations were thwarted. For the rest of the week, Jack was up and ready to go by the time she arrived, banana smoothie in hand, no one-night stand in sight.

They’d be in rehearsal until late into the evening, Erin either in the corner working and he at center stage accidentally pulling her attention away from work, and after a dinner at some hole in the wall he’d let her choose, they’d both quietly go home.

The easy rhythm was both comforting and disturbing. Erin had never had a client so laidback and relaxed as Jack, and she constantly mistrusted that fact. He couldn’t possibly be as charming and as famous as he was without some catch. She waited on tenterhooks to see the real him come out, to finally see the spoiled, entitled celebrity she expected.

He certainly was a flirt-with his fellow actresses, with their waiters, with his neighbor in the elevator. And yet, it seemed completely uncalculated. He never took advantage, or made any sleazy advanced. If the recipient seemed at all uncomfortable, he backed off immediately.

He was that rare playboy that seemed to get laid not from dubious promises or pick-up lines, but just from the sheer force of his charisma.
Of course, that sly smirk and well-sculpted body didn’t hurt
, Erin smiled to herself.

And to top it all off, Jack was even letting her have the weekend off.

“Are you sure?” She asked incredulously for the tenth time Friday during the mid-morning break. They’d just finished rehearsing the fight scene, and Jack’s thin t-shirt stuck to the carved lines of his chest like a second skin. Erin was doing an excellent job pretending not to notice.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you want to be stuck with me,” Jack took a long drink of water, inadvertently granting Erin the perfect view of his long, lean neck, “
Yes already
, you take the weekend off while I camp up north.”

“But you usually go camping the second weekend of the month. I haven’t arranged anything yet; I’m not sure if there are any camping sites open, or if you need a permit, or…”

“Whoa, lady, deep breath. I know me changing the plans is a huge imposition on you. Believe me, I have no problem flying by the seat of my pants this time. I just… really need to get away sooner.”

“You’re leaving us?” Tanya O’Connor’s musical voice chimed as she stepped up beside Jack. She was his romantic interest in the play, and there was no denying how well they looked together, her strawberry blonde hair and pale complexion complimenting his dark looks.

Erin had noticed that she seemed to take every opportunity to talk to Jack during breaks, slowing inching closer to him with each meeting. Erin could only pray Jack knew to keep any drama strictly on the stage.

“Just for the weekend,” he grinned broadly at Tanya, “Camping up north, getting back to nature, discovering my inner goddess, all that jazz.”

“Oh how fun! Are you going with your buddies?” Tanya asked, almost managing to conceal her intense interest.
Nice digging for info, well played
, Erin noted appreciatively.

“Nope. Just me.”

“Well how are you going to keep warm all by yourself?” Tanya said with a flirtatious flutter of her eyelashes.

“Oh, my assistant here will take care of that,” Jack threw Erin a magnetic smile.

Erin nearly swallowed her own tongue in surprise. “What?” She gasped, completely taken aback by the barely hidden heat of his voice.

“Well, I am assuming you’re going to pack me a sleeping bag at least, right?”

“O-oh, of course,” she stammered, praying the flush wasn’t too obvious on her face. Holy cow, why in the world had she assumed anything
but
that?

Tanya quickly pressed on, “Well then, at least promise me you’ll call me when you get back. Otherwise I’m going to spend the whole weekend worried my costar got eaten by bears or something.”

“What kind of awful co-worker would I be to refuse such a promise?” Jack replied with that trademark smirk of his.

“Excuse me for, um, just a moment,” Erin suddenly interjected, and before either could say anything, dodged between them and nearly ran from the rehearsal room. She paused just outside the door, momentarily stunned at the swift rush of panic that made her heart seem to catch in her throat-what had gotten into her? All she knew was she couldn’t take one more second of watching the gorgeous pair of them flirt.

Indecisively for a moment, she finally turned towards the dressing rooms. Jack had a decently sized one all to himself, and she’d begun retreating there whenever she needed peace and quiet to conquer her seemingly endless task list.

The further she got from the rehearsal room, the sillier she felt. She’d been watching him flirt his way through half of downtown at this point; why should it suddenly bother her now? And Tanya was certainly a nice person, friendly, and never seemed to judge people like Erin, who stuck out among the theater crowd like a thistle bush among roses. So why was Erin filled with such an irrational, immediate, and visceral dislike of the actress?

“Hey!” A voice called behind her. She turned to see Jack dashing towards her, easily covering the distance with his long strides.

“What are you doing? They’re gonna start back up any second-don’t be late!” She scolded him, happy to see that she’d returned back to her brisk, slightly schoolmarm self.

“Just wanted to make sure you’re okay. You dashed out of there like someone was threatening you with an actually fashionable wardrobe.”

“Oh, I just-realized I left your banana chips down in your dressing room.”

Jack cocked his head to one size, crystal eyes full of apprehension, as if he was trying to peer right into her skull. “So, I didn’t upset you?”

“Upset? Holy cow, no. Besides, even if you did, that’s my thing to deal with,” she asserted briskly, “I’m a big girl, Jack, I can handle myself.”

“I know you’re more than capable of that, I just…” he hesitated for a moment, his expression taking on an intensity that made her heart slide into her stomach, “You don’t-have to, you know. You can talk to me. You don’t have to… hide yourself, from me.”

“Hide myself?” She repeated nervously. If anything, she felt the opposite, as if Jack could see right through, as if he could draw out every invisible corner of her personality, even those she reserved only for the people she trusted most.

She’d always prided herself on being cool and demure under her pressure, and yet he constantly brought out her blunt and no-nonsense tongue. That the whole thing hadn’t yet blown up in her face yet was a miracle. She shook her head; she frankly needed to hide herself more, not less. “Jack…”

“Just let me finish, I’m on a roll,” He leaned against the wall beside her, hands stuffed deep into his pockets, “You seem like the type of person who, I don’t have to watch my back around. That’s a big deal to me.”

“Really? It seems like everyone likes you,” she flashed him a small, teasing smile.

He chuckled. “They do, but… it’s not always for me. Trust is a hard thing to come by in this line of work. I learned that the hard way.”

“Hard to come by even outside of work,” Erin muttered, “My last cheating ex can attest to that.”

“I’m sorry,” he nodded sympathetically, “Never been cheated on, but I’ve also never given anyone the chance. Can’t afford the risk. There are some things about me that if folks knew, well… can’t say that everyone would still like me after.” He trailed off, staring down at the floor, face awash in melancholy thought.

He looked so vulnerable, so lost, that Erin had to fight down the urge to wrap her arms around him in comfort, as if she could shield him from his own dark musings. She would never have guessed that a person who seemed to be always surrounded by admirers could look as alone as he did in that long, echoing hallway.

“But...” he continued softly, glancing at her from only the corner of his eye, “You seem different. Like, maybe we could…”

“Jack!” The assistant director appeared around the corner, franticly waving their arms, “There you are! We’re resetting for Scene 3!”

The forlorn expression immediately vanished, replaced instantly by Jack’s usual grin as he turned towards the assistant director. “Coming!” He called cheerfully, then glanced at Erin, “You too?”

“After I get your snacks,” she said, still lost in contemplation of his words.

He nodded, and with a wink, turned and trolled back towards the rehearsal room.

Erin sighed, and shook her head as she ventured deeper into the basement towards the dressing rooms. Maybe she’d never figure out who was the real Jack Silver behind that winning smile.

 
 
 
 
 
~3~

 

Despite Jack’s insistence, Erin knew that even a weekend “off” wasn’t exactly a weekend with no work. She let herself indulge in a rom-com marathon with Amanda Friday night, but Saturday morning made sure to check her emails and turn the volume on her phone to high in case he called. It actually felt a little unnerving, she mused as she cleaned the entire apartment from top to bottom before ten am, having a boss who was so laid-back.

She’d had clients before who insisted they were easy-going, only to throw tantrums if their coffee didn’t have the exact amount of milk they thought it should have. Hell, she’d even dated a few guys like that, guys who thought money meant the world owed them every scrap of whatever they wanted.

It was always the same story; an “easy-going” boss who turned out to be a jerk, and a guy who said they loved her boldness, only to dump her when she dared have an opinion of her own. She wasn’t going to let herself be surprised when Jack called and suddenly demanded some impossible task be done by Monday.

So it was strange that by Saturday night, he still hadn’t called.

“It’s like you want to work on the weekend,” Amanda commented in exasperation as she watched Erin re-organize the soups in the pantry for the third time.

“I don’t. I just know what to expect,” Erin shrugged, trying to decide if she wanted to organize the soups alphabetically or by brand.

“Well, clearly you’ve been wrong so far about him.
Unless
...” Amanda smiled a little knowingly, “Of course, why didn’t I see it before? You’re not worried about work, you’re worried about
him
. You want him to call you, and not so you can run his errands.”

Erin rolled her eyes. “I don’t know how many times I have to say it. I’ve sworn off dating, and I’ve certainly sworn off dating playboy rich guys
who I am working for
.”

Amanda stretched lazily. “Whatever you say, hot stuff. All I know is you’ve checked your phone more times in the last hour than you ever did for any of your awful exes. Then again, if you say he’s as shallow and ridiculous as they were…”

“No, he’s really not,” Erin cut in anxiously, only just realizing her week’s worth of complaining about Jack’s flirtatious nature, “He really is a sweetheart, deep down. I mean, like you said, so far he hasn’t contacted me-it seems he was serious about me having the weekend off. Yeah, he’s a playboy, but most of the women he flirts with seem to know it. Only an idiot would fall hard for him.”

And I’m no idiot
, she added firmly to herself. Her sudden flash of jealousy had been a fluke; besides, it was her job to make sure he didn’t get too entangled in drama that could earn him any bad press related to the project. She had to watch out for him, especially since he was too charming and smooth by half to watch out for himself. That’s why she was so concerned; she was protective, nothing more.

By Sunday morning, she still hadn’t heard from him, though he’d mentioned he’d be back sometime in the afternoon. She grabbed a bus downtown and spent the morning sorting his mail, making sure his apartment was in order and, on a whim, bought a large bunch of bananas from the local grocery, just because she’d smiled at the reminder of him.

It was strange how used to him she’d gotten in such a small amount of time. She’d even started to miss his silly banter and flashes of sudden depth; life didn’t seem empty without him, but it sure felt a lot more boring.

Finally deciding to take Jack at his word, Erin rode the bus back to her modest apartment and decided to treat herself to a long soak in the tub and a good French classic. She’d just settled down when there was an urgent knocking at the bathroom door.

“Erin? You in there?” Amanda called.

“Yeah, just having a bath.”

“Well, you might want to postpone it. You
have
to come and see this.”

“Amanda, I’ve gone practically on my clothes off.”

“Then put them back on! Or don’t, whatever. Just come outside. Trust me, you won’t be sorry.”     

Baffled and intrigued, Erin shrugged back on her clothes and jacket, and followed her roommate out into the hallway and down to the landing. A man in business-casual attire with a clipboard stood waiting, turning expectantly as Erin and Amanda pushed open the glass entrance door.

“Are you Ms. Hughes?”

“Yes…” Erin said uncertainly.

“Could you please sign here?”

“I’m not expecting any packages,” she said, taking the clipboard automatically.

“Oh, it’s not a package,” the man corrected her blithely,” It’s a car.”

“A what?” Erin squeaked, staring past him. Parked along the curb was a brand-new black Subaru. She tried to shove the clipboard back towards the man. “I’m sorry, you must have the wrong address.”

He double-checked the clipboard, “Right address, right name, right description.”

“Description…? I’m sorry, but I can’t pay for this-”

“Already paid for,” the man insisted.

“And no need to pay taxes, since it’s a gift,” Amanda spoke up, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement.

“Gift?” Erin glanced between them in alarm.

“Oh yeah, sorry, was supposed to deliver this as well,” the man dug in his jacket and pulled out a simple white index card. It read:

 

So you won’t miss any more of those opportunities. -Jack

 

BOOK: Romance: Claimed By The Ape: BBW Shapeshifter Romance Standalone (Spicy Shifters Book 4)
13.03Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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