Taming the Beast Read online

  “I changed my mind again, Gabriel,” she said. “Let’s go back inside.”

  Gabriel flashed Sebastian a smug smile and put his hand on Jade’s back. “Whatever you want, cher.”

  “You!” Sebastian stalked towards the other man, slamming his hand on the door.

  “Do I know you?” he asked in heavily-accented English. “Are you one of my neighbors?”

  “No,” he replied and took his phone out of his pocket. He dialed the number that Smith had sent him. “But I bet you know who this is.”

  Gabriel frowned, looking at the screen. Then, his eyes widened in shock when the screen flickered to life.

  “Gabriel?” The blonde woman on the tiny display had a confused look on her face.

  “Sylvie!” he exclaimed. He tried to grab the phone, but Sebastian kept it out of his reach.

  “Gabriel, who is that?” Jade asked as she peered up at the screen.

  “Gabriel!” The woman on the phone screamed and let out a string of French. Both Gabriel and Jade flinched, and Sebastian didn’t need to understand the language to know what she was saying. He tapped the red button on the screen and put his phone away.

  “You asshole!” Jade shoved at Gabriel. “You’re married? That was your wife?”

  “Listen to me, Jade, cher,” the Frenchman pleaded. “Yes, I’m married, but I thought you knew! You were the one who asked me to dinner!”

  “Because you’ve been flirting with me for months!” Jade put her hands up. “And why didn’t you say no when I asked you out.”

  Gabriel gave a shrug.

  “That’s what I thought, wanker!” She hit him on the shoulder with her bag. Turning around, she stormed past Sebastian, stomping angrily towards the elevators.

  “Merde!” Gabriel cursed. “How dare you come in here and—” The Frenchman’s head reeled back as a large fist connected with his jaw. He went straight down, his eyes rolling back and then closing.

  “Fuck you, asshole,” Sebastian said, as he rubbed his fist. It barely even hurt. Giving Gabriel one last disgusted look, Sebastian barreled down the stairs and out the door, chasing Jade down the street. “Stop!”

  “What do you want?” Jade whipped around, raising her clutch at him. “Why won’t you leave me alone!”

  “I’m trying to keep you safe!”

  “You’re only supposed to guard me against the m—” She stopped short, putting her hand over her mouth.

  “From who, Jade?” he asked, gripping her by her upper arms “Tell me who’s trying to kill you!”

  “Stay away from me!” she hissed, wrenching away from him.

  “I’m taking you home,” he said, taking Zac’s keys out of his pocket. He pointed the key fob towards the direction of where he parked the car. “Fuck!” he cursed. A tow truck was pulling away, the Toyota hooked to its back. An old woman stood where the car was, her arms crossed over her chest. She gave Sebastian a dirty look, then flashed him the finger before disappearing into the nearest apartment building.

  “Fucking New Yorkers,” he muttered under his breath. He looked back and saw Jade climbing into a cab. “Shit. Jade!” It was too late. For the second time in a week, Jade Cross had once again run away from him.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Gabriel has a wife?” Meredith exclaimed.

  Jade nodded. “She was on vacation, visiting her parents back in France.” She couldn’t help it. With a little bit of Facebook sleuthing, she found Sylvie Marchand’s profile and confirmed she was, indeed, Gabriel’s wife.

  “Oh, Jade.” Lara shook her head.

  “I think I must be cursed or something,” Jade sat down at her desk, placing her chin in her hands and staring at her computer screen. “First, a wife beater and then an adulterer. Let’s forget the whole thing. I’m obviously going to be a virgin forever.”

  But it wasn’t just that she kept ending up with the wrong men. Something was holding her back. Last night, she could have easily slept with Gabriel, but she couldn’t do it. While they were at his apartment, all signs were pointing to them ending up in his bed. While having their dessert wine and apple tart, they sat on his couch, talking and chatting. He was charming, saying all the right things, making her feel good. Finally, Gabriel put their glasses away and moved in for a kiss. She should have let him, but something didn’t feel right. Pushing him away, she got up and apologized, saying she had an early day, and quickly left his apartment. To her surprise, Sebastian was right outside Gabriel’s door. But he wasn’t waiting or even about to burst through the door. He looked like he was about to leave. Then the whole blowup happened, and, while she was angry, she was also relieved nothing had happened between her and Gabriel.

  “You’ll never get some with that attitude,” Meredith said, trying to cheer Jade up. “We’ll vet the guys you go out with. All I need is a computer, and I can run all kinds of background checks.”

  “The legal or illegal kind?”

  “Which one do you want?”

  Jade rolled her eyes. “Well, that takes care of one problem, but how about the other one?”

  “And what is that?” Lara asked.

  “Not what. Who,” Jade said, scowling. “As long as I have my bodyguards, I’ll never have any privacy.”

  “Sounds to me like someone wants to invade your lady cave,” Meredith said casually.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, it’s obvious,” Meredith said matter-of-factly. “Sebastian Creed is staking his claim. He’s driving away all his rivals and making sure he’s the only one sniffing around. He might as well pee all over you to mark his territory.”

  “Gross!” Lara tossed a balled-up piece of paper at the Lycan.

  Jade shook her head. “Nuh uh. No way.”

  “Why is that so impossible to believe, Jade?” Meredith sat on the scientist’s desk, dragging her hands away from the keyboard. “He’s following you around, finding ways to get rid of all those guys. He wants you for himself, obviously.”

  “He does not!” Jade stood up so quickly she nearly knocked Meredith down.

  “Yes, he does!”

  “Then why didn’t he have sex with me at the reception!” Jade suddenly shut her mouth when she realized what she said. Oh, Merlin’s pants.

  “Jade!” Lara exclaimed.

  “So that’s where you were when you disappeared? You naughty girl,” Meredith said, her eyes going as big as saucers.

  “I…I…” Jade sank back down into her chair.

  Walking over to Jade, Lara put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Jade, hon, what happened?”

  Jade took a deep breath and told them everything. All the humiliating events of the night of the wedding reception and how she offered herself to Sebastian, but he rejected her.

  “And then he just left?” Meredith asked.

  “Yes,” Jade answered, her eyes dropping to the floor.

  “That asshole!” This time, it was Lara who got mad. “How dare he! He should be proud you were going to give him your virginity.”

  “I don’t want to talk about that night anymore,” Jade said somberly. Even though she completely trusted her two friends, the memory of the mortification was crushing her. Sebastian’s rejection was making something in her middle ache. “I just want to get on with my life. And get him to stop cock-blocking me!”

  “I believe the term, in this case, would be beaver damming.” Meredith corrected.

  “Or clam jamming,” Lara offered.

  “Or running clitorference?”

  “Whatever,” Jade shrugged. “While he’s around, my cave won’t be seeing any invaders.”

  “So,” Meredith began as she stood up and paced back and forth. “We need to get Creed to back off so you can get down to the business of getting some!”

  “Oh my God, Mer,” Lara said. “What have you got planned?”

  The Lycan’s eyes glinted. “Just leave it up to me. Jade, I need your phone.”

  Chapter Twelve

&n
bsp; “This is stupid.”

  “Shut up. It’ll work.”

  “No, I mean this outfit is stupid!” Enzo Moretti whipped the bowtie from his neck and threw it on the ground. He was wearing khaki pants, a checkered shirt, and suspenders. “Matt does not dress up like some hipster douche!” He also tossed the fake glasses aside. “And he only wears glasses when he’s working.”

  “Fine!” Meredith said. “But you better start acting like your brother.”

  Enzo rolled his eyes. “I don’t even know why you think Matt is a better candidate for this. Besides, if you wanted him, why ask me?”

  “Because Matt is too honest,” Jade said from across the room. “He would never pretend to date me.” And she didn’t want the other man’s feelings hurt, either. It was much easier to ask Enzo to play Matt.

  “And what’s wrong with being Enzo Moretti?” he asked indignantly.

  “Aside from the fact that Creed has met you,” Meredith began. “You’ve got at least three arrests on your record. We need someone who Creed can’t object to.”

  “Oh yeah,” Enzo said, shaking his head. “I forgot about those. Alright, then, let’s get this show on the road.”

  Meredith’s grand plan was for Jade to pretend she was dating someone so perfect and boring, Sebastian couldn’t possibly object. If Jade had a fake boyfriend, she could get Creed to back off enough so she could find an actual boyfriend (or one night stand, as Jade continued to protest that she didn’t need or want a relationship). Jade and Lara thought it was a half-baked plan, but went along with it anyway because Meredith had the personality of a steamroller. They called up Enzo Moretti, explained they needed his help, and told him to meet them at Lara and Liam’s suite at The Plaza Hotel. The young man was intrigued by their plan and was happy to help.

  Meredith handed Enzo a small black device. “Here’s your comm unit.”

  “What the fuck is this for?” Enzo eyed the small earpiece.

  “It’s so I can communicate with you,” Meredith said matter-of-factly.

  “Are you supposed to be using the comms this way?” Lara asked. “How did you get this, anyway?”

  “Pshaw, details, details,” the blonde said. “Okay, let’s review Operation: Unjam the Clam. First, you guys will be center stage, and Lara and I will be in the booth across the room.” She looked at Enzo. “Did you remember to book the right tables?”

  “It’s my restaurant, of course I did.” The plan also involved staging the date at Muccino’s, which had an extra layer of security so they could control most of the variables. And Meredith believed in having control of as many variables as possible to reduce risk in any plan.

  “Good, good,” Meredith cackled, rubbing her hands together like a movie villain. “Now you’re ready. Go and get your car from the garage and pretend to pick Jade up here, okay? She’s got a tail on her, the black Tesla Roadster. It’s been following us since we left Fenrir.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Enzo said, putting the comm unit in his ear. “Hey babe, I got you in my ear!”

  Meredith rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatevs. Just make sure you listen to me, okay?”

  “Aye, aye, Captain!” he said with a jaunty salute as he left the suite.

  “Now,” she turned to Jade and Lara. “How’s it going on your end?”

  “Just great, I’m almost done!” the witch said. She brushed some powder on Jade’s face and then made the Lycan stand up.

  “Perfect!” she said.

  “Do I really need to be this dressed up?” Jade asked as she twirled around. Lara had picked out a beautiful tulle dress in a light powder blue color. It had a bustier top and a short skirt that ended just above the knee. Lara had pulled back her long brown locks into a high ponytail. It covered her back tattoo, but one swish of her head and the artwork was exposed. She felt self-conscious, having never shown her ink and scars before, but Lara and Meredith assured her it was beautiful.

  “It’s a special night, you need to look your best,” Meredith said. “Now, Lara and I will go ahead to Muccino’s. You give us a fifteen-minute head start, and then go down and meet Enzo in the lobby. Got it?”

  “Yes, yes, I know,” Jade assured them. “Go ahead.”

  The two women bid her goodbye before leaving the suite. Jade flopped down on the couch, counting the minutes until she had to go downstairs.

  This was insane. But she knew one thing for sure: her friends loved her. They loved her so much that they would do anything for her, even come up with harebrained plans just to get her laid. God, she hoped this would work. She had to drive Sebastian away before she became a complete nutter.

  After the fifteen minutes had passed, she stood up, left the suite, and headed down to the lobby.

  “My lady,” Enzo said as he stepped out of the bright yellow Dodge Challenger. He walked to the passenger side and opened the door for her.

  “Enzo, why didn’t you switch cars with Matt?’ Jade asked. “This isn’t going to work. Sebastian will run the plates and figure out who you are.”

  “Oh, ye of little faith,” Enzo said in an exasperated voice. “This is Matt’s car. On paper anyway.” He helped Jade in and then walked over to the driver’s side, sliding into the leather seat. “You think I can get a car like this with my record? Shit, no. Matt had to put his name on the deed, and well, we’re twins and all, so it’s not that hard to pretend to be each other. We’ve been doing it for years.”

  “What does Matt drive?” she asked.

  “A Kia,” Enzo said as he jammed his foot on the gas, making the engine roar to life. He looked in the rearview mirror. “Now, since I’m not getting paid for this, how about we have some fun? Let’s see if we can lose that glorified Prius your bodyguard is driving.”

  “Enzo!” Jade exclaimed as the car lurched forward. She clung onto the grab handles and seriously began to question her life choices.

  ***

  “Looks like Operation: Unjam the Clam has begun,” Meredith whispered into the comms.

  Jade and Enzo strode into Muccino’s, her arm on his. To his credit, Enzo did seem to transform into Matt, putting on the quieter persona of his twin. It was a big change from the time they were inside the car, as he gleefully wove in and out of New York traffic, trying to lose Sebastian. For a while, they thought they got away, though Enzo slowed down enough so the other man could catch up. Losing him wasn’t the point of the plan, after all.

  “Jade? Enzo? What the hell are you doing, dressed up like that?” Frankie Anderson exclaimed as she approached the couple.

  “Shhh!” Enzo whispered to his sister. “I’m Matt, not Enzo!”

  “No, you’re not!” Frankie said, which made Enzo reach over and cover her mouth. She brushed him off. “What is going on?”

  “Lupa!” Meredith said as she approached the trio. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were working tonight or I would have explained. This is a secret op. We’re calling it Unjam the Clam.” The younger Lycan quickly told Frankie about their plan.

  The Lupa let out a rich laugh. “You think Jade pretending to date Matt will drive away Sebastian Creed?”

  “It’s a perfectly reasonable assumption,” Jade added.

  Frankie shook her head. “Oh no, you’re going to achieve the exact opposite. He’s gonna go insane with jealousy, and then he’ll never leave you alone. But, then, that might not be a bad thing?” The Lupa’s blue-green eyes sparkled.

  “Trust me, Lupa,” Jade said. “That man won’t be jealous.” He probably didn’t even feel any emotion, she thought bitterly.

  “And they roped you into this hair-brained plan?” Frankie eyed her brother.

  “Just go with it, Sis,” Enzo urged.

  “Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Frankie said as she walked away.

  Enzo led Jade to the table in the middle of the dining room, taking her seat out and then sitting across from her. Lara and Meredith were in a booth in the corner where they could see the couple, as well as most of the dining area.<
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  Their waiter came to their table, and Enzo ordered for them since he already knew the menu forward and backward. He wasn’t just part owner of Muccino’s after all, but also the head host.

  “The clam has entered the building!” Meredith whispered into their ears.

  “The what?” Jade asked. “What are you talking about?”

  “Wait, isn’t Jade the clam?” Enzo quipped. “I mean…you know…”

  Jade turned red as Enzo motioned to her lap.

  “Fine. The jam is here. On your six, Jade.”

  Jade swung around. Her heart thudded as she saw Sebastian enter Muccino’s, a scowl on his face as he lumbered towards them. God, he looked handsome, like he had stepped out of a magazine ad. He was dressed casually tonight, wearing a leather jacket and jeans, his hair spiked up into a faux hawk. His employee, Zac, was right behind him.

  “You must think you’re some kind of smart ass,” Sebastian said as they stopped in front of their table. “Dr. Cross, kindly tell Mr. Moretti we’re supposed to be keeping you safe, and he will not pull a stunt like that again.”

  “I—”

  Before Jade could protest, Frankie came and put on her best surprised face. “Mr. Creed! How nice to see you again!” She looked meaningfully at Zac. “Will you and your…er…date be having dinner here? I’m sure I could find you a free table, especially if it’s a special occasion. We’re very inclusive here, I assure you.”

  Meredith laughed so hard Jade nearly went deaf, though she herself could barely contain her own giggles. She was glad the Lupa was on her side.

  “I’m not…he’s not my…wait, what are you doing here, Mrs. Anderson?” Sebastian looked genuinely confused.

  “This is my restaurant, of course. I mean, it’s the newest branch of my family’s original restaurant. Muccino is my maiden name,” she explained. “And how do you know my brother, Matt?” Frankie emphasized the name.

  “Wait…your restaurant? Your brother?” Now he looked really confused.