Howl for Me

Chapter One

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Taliah read the book title aloud and handed it back to her friend Bethany with a laugh. How can you read this stuff?

What? Bethany tucked the romance novel back in her purse and fidgeted a little in her seat. You know as well as I do this shit is hot.

She thought about all the hairy chests, sexy growls, and various descriptions Beth had gotten her to read over the years.

Yeah, it is, Taliah admitted.

They were the only ones in the theater, which suited Taliah just fine. She and Bethany liked to talk, but since Bethany lived about thirty minutes outside of town and they’d both been busy lately, they hadn’t seen each other in a couple of weeks. They arrived for the movie twenty minutes early, so they took the opportunity to catch up a bit.

Well, I’m not afraid him, Taliah said. I’ve actually gone in search of him.

Beth gave her a funny look. You mean like those television shows where they hunt down supposed monsters? Like Bigfoot or something?

They both laughed. Taliah’s mind was instantly filled with visions of men and women in camouflage, trudging through the woods, knocking on trees.

I don’t have the nerve to actually try to find Bigfoot, even if it was real, she admitted. I do like to watch those shows though.

You’d rather find a werewolf? Bethany asked skeptically.

Taliah shrugged. "I see something like Bigfoot as a monster, a creature. Werewolves are ... I don’t know different in my opinion."

You’ve always been drawn to the wrong sort of man, Bethany said.

That’s all a matter of perspective. I love a man with a hairy chest. And if he can manage one of those deep sexy growls, then he’s speaking my language.

Bethany laughed so hard she nearly snorted popcorn.

I’m serious. I like to tease you about the books you read, but I really find the idea of a wolfman very sexy.

Me too. Pity they aren’t real.

Taliah propped her feet on the seat in front of her. I don’t know, they might be.

Oh please. Did Tyler tell you that?

Tyler was a science professor at a local university and he’d written a book about lycanthropy. Not some hocus pocus, but an actual scientific study. He was also Taliah’s closest friend besides Bethany. Tyler had shared some of his findings with her, and she had to admit the existence of werewolves seemed like a real possibility. But she wasn’t about to share such crazy thoughts with Bethany. Beth would do what she always did when Tyler’s research was mentioned, she’d suggest wearing an aluminum foil hat so the aliens couldn’t read your thoughts. That was her way of saying, You’re nuts.

She waved off her friend’s comment. Tyler’s got nothing to do with it. Have you ever been drawn to someone, a complete stranger? I’m not talking about just lust here, but instantaneous, complete animal attraction. Have you?

Bethany raised a brow. Maybe. Go on.

Well, the first thing you might notice varies according to your own personal taste. But for me, it would be his scent. To breathe his scent is to taste his skin on your tongue. Faint and salty, mingled with the overpowering scent of a man. Your hair stands on end and muscles you forgot you had begin to clench. You breathe faster as your mind leaps at the unspoken possibilities. You flush with arousal and your mouth goes dry. If you have your way, nothing short of an act of God is standing between you and tearing him from his clothes. Yeah, it’s something like that. Taliah paused to take a sip of her drink. So, ever experience anything along those lines?

Fuck me. Bethany took a deep, shaking breath. "What books have you been reading? No, I’ve never experienced anything like that. I don’t think stuff like that actually happens."

The lights dimmed and Taliah lowered her voice to a whisper. Well, my point was that if it felt like that, then maybe you had encountered a werewolf. You know, if they were real and all. That’s what I imagine it would be like.

Bethany laughed. No wonder you keep looking for the Big Bad Wolf. I wish I had your imagination.

Taliah got paid well for her imagination. More accurately, she got paid for her dirty mind and her imagination. She wrote the copy that appeared beside photos in adult magazines. Things like, Candy enjoys shaving her pussy and playing with her dildos. So coming up with such a sexy description of a werewolf encounter was a piece of cake. Taliah enjoyed her job, though most people had no idea what she did for a living. Some folks said she was an artist, others said she was a writer. Only a few family members and Bethany and Tyler knew the truth. She found it very empowering to write something sexy to go along with the photos. But most of the people in her small town would not feel the same way. They did whatever the hell they wanted, but were quick to judge others. That was one of the not-so-great things about small town life.

Her job helped spark her ongoing jokes about Bethany’s reading material. Bethany enjoyed a good romance while Taliah preferred straight-up sex. On the bed, in the shower, on the floor, whatever was convenient. As a matter of fact, she should be getting some new photos any day now. Her editor gave her a general idea what they were looking for and even though they strictly limited her word count, it was unbelievably freeing to speak frankly about sexuality. She was looking forward to the new pictures.

After the movie, she made plans to have lunch with Bethany next week then headed home. Just outside of town, she stopped for gas.

The sun shone brightly