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She parked her car in her designated spot, watching as animal control scoured the sidewalk and roads for more animal corpses. She spotted a few splatters of blood on the concrete of the building and did her best to keep the acid from rising in her gut.
It was a rare and peculiar event. That was all there was to it. She had just come off a hot night of ecstasy. She wanted to ride that cloud nine until it dissolved into eternity.
The moment the elevator door dinged open, Rhi was greeted by her coworker and good friend, Ellyn. They were in similar positions at the firm and were considered powerful forces not to be trifled with.
“What is all that commotion with the animals down there?” Ellyn asked as Rhi made her way to the office.
Rhi shrugged, not wanting to get into it.
“No clue. I just saw animal control myself.”
Rhi swung the door to her office open and placed her purse down along with the file folders required for the day's meeting. She was fingering through them when she glanced up, noticing that Ellyn hadn’t left but was leaning against the doorframe.
Rhi gave her an impatient scowl.
“What are you doing?” she inquired.
“What areyoudoing?” Ellyn quipped, sliding her jaw back and forth. “Don’t act like you're not glowing like a lighthouse from that post-coital bliss.”
Rhi felt her face bloom with blush, and she began to smirk without any control over it. She returned her attention to the files as Ellyn closed the door of the office, gleefully drumming against the desk.
“So,” she said, enthused, “how the hell was he?”
Rhi stood and sighed, remembering every second of their entanglement. It was unlike any sexual experience she’d ever had. She wasn’t sure she could truly pinpoint it with mere words.
“Bewitching,” she said. “Let me tell you, Ellyn … I haven’t had an orgasm like that since … since I first figured out what my clit was.”
Ellyn laughed a deep belly guffaw. Then Rhi did, giving herself a rare moment of enjoyment with her coworker, hooting like she was in grade school. It was something of a gift that Mars had given to her without knowing it … the gift of freedom to be, to indulge, and to enjoy, all without any consideration of judgment.
It made her feel even more empowered as she went into her meeting, the thought about the animal attack having moved to the back of her mind.
TWELVE
MARS
Mars was stuck on a loop of eternal fantasizing the entire week after going to bed with Rhi. He did what he could to focus on his work but found himself zoning out during phone calls and meetings, transporting himself back to his bed, tracing his fingers along her hidden valleys and wonders.
Of course, it was easy to indulge because he was the head of the organization and could quite literally afford to daydream. So instead of doing his usual routine of working himself to the bone, he made plans in his mind and used his assistant to help him set up something devastatingly romantic for the weekend with his mate.
He knew that flowers were a no-go, so he planned something that still, on the surface, seemed typical but would take them both out of their workaholic comfort zones. He wanted it all to be away from the cityscape and away from the hustle and bustle of the pressures of her crucial position as a pro bono lawyer. Mars admired Rhi greatly because of her inclination to help those in need.
But even the caregivers needed to be taken care of sometimes. He figured there would be resistance … he’d already felt it a bit in their first handful of interactions … but he was aware and ready for it.
He sent her a text on Friday morning, not wanting to intrude on her workday and make any assumptions that her weekend would be open and free. He also wasn’t going to assume that she didn’t have any self-care behaviors in place. She was a modern, mindful woman, of course.
Good morning, gorgeous,he said, taking a risk in the cliche good morning text.I was curious to see if you had any plans this weekend, and if not, would you like to accompany me on a boat ride across the river?
He was sitting at the desk in his home office when he sent the message, his heart running like a horse when the gun went off. Mars placed the phone down, attempting to return his attention to a few stray emails he hadn’t replied to, but found himself feeling abundantly nervous.
Mars knew all about the mate concept. It was difficult to grow up as a shifter andnotknow about it. But he had never let himself hope for it the way others had, whimsically falling into a trance of romantic and idealized bliss. But after meeting Rhi and feeling that switch being flipped inside him, he understood why the other shifters in his life had fallen so deeply and so quickly for their beloveds.
That wasn’t something Rhi knew about, as humans tend to have more of a choice when it comes to who they fall in love with. It was far less mysterious and mystical, so he had to tread carefully.
He couldn’t scare her away. The sheer idea of that made his chest want to cave in.
A few minutes later, Rhi replied to him. His phone buzzed triumphantly, and he snatched it up, feeling a bit foolish for his lovelorn nerves.
As a matter of fact, good sir, my calendar is clear. I would love to accompany you on a boat ride across the river. :)
