Falk Clan Tales - Chapter 42: Chapter 42

“Ms. Casper. How nice to see you, honey. Isn’t it exciting?”
“What’s that, Mrs. Grayson?” Melody Casper looked up from her oversized purse and smiled at the shorter woman. Mrs. Grayson was a fixture at the company watering hole. Well, it was actually an exclusive, organic coffee and pastry shop.
“Well, now that we have addressed all external threats to our accounts with this improved firewall from Draco Fortis and Graves Enterprises, I expect you are sleeping better these days. Oooh, are those cranberry scones, dear?” Mrs. Grayson, a softly rounded woman in her mid-sixties smiled with her sharp little teeth showing as she spoke to Melody.
“yes, ma’am, I think they are,” a management accountant for Merlin Banking Solutions, Melody Casper was responsible for verifying whether or not certain projects were worth the risk to her company.
They’d recently been hacked by a magically enhanced virus that had been downloaded by a fellow management accountant in their Dallas cooperate offices and everyone was shaking in their boots expecting to be fired.
Merlin Banking Solutions was based out of New York City, but they had offices all over the world. They handled professional and personal banking needs for millions of people, mainly those in the supernatural community.
“Yes, Mrs. Grayson, I am very excited about the new firewall and I believe those are cranberry currant scones with cream cheese frosting.”
“Oh my, I think I’ll have to get me some of those.” Half-Sugarplum Fairy, Mrs. Grayson had a bit of a sweet tooth. Melody shared the affliction, though she was a Coyote Shifter herself.
The two had become office friends a year ago when they’d both almost fought over the last salted-caramel brownie in the shop after a particularly trying week. Melody had offered to split it, and they’d hit it off.
“You know, I’d never have believed anyone could pull it off, if I hadn’t seen the improvement in network performance myself,” Melody sighed and inhaled the sweet fragrances coming from the shop. The line was a mile long, but she was not getting off before she had a steaming peppermint latte in her hand.
“Really, dear, well I am glad to hear it. It came at a substantial cost.”
“All good things do, Mrs. Grayson. Even the magical element is a vast improvement than what we had in place before.”
“Yes, well of course it is. Melody dear, you do know the owner of Draco Fortis is an exceedingly rare, very powerful, and I hear very handsome, Dragon Shifter.”
The older woman’s eyes practically glowed in glee at the secret she’d revealed to Melody.
“Really?” She smiled at the older woman with wide-eyed interest. As a Coyote Shifter, Melody knew when others were lying or faking. Thank goodness Mrs. Grayson was not a Shifter of any kind.
It was rumored the older woman, while one-half Sugarplum Fairy, was also half-Sprite, a tricky, gossipy bunch if supes if ever there was one. But it didn’t matter to Melody. Mrs. Grayson was a sweet woman and Melody enjoyed having coffee with her.
“Yes. A real Dragon. Can you believe it? And I hear he is a bit of a hound, if you know what I mean, you know if I were your age, ooh la la,” she practically purred.
Of course, Melody was very aware the owner of Draco Fortis was, in fact, a Dragon. Having heard the whispers and rumors about the formidable and quite brilliant, Nikolai Falk, she was both impressed by his genius as she was in awe of his beast.
Dragon Shifters were rare and uniquely gifted with more magic than any of the other Shifter groups. Melody was a Coyote Shifter herself and relished the ability to change shape into her cunning little animal.
When she was in her human form, she still had many of her supernatural senses like fast healing, heightened senses, and the usual. Coyotes were sort of like Wolf Shifters, or Werewolves as they were commonly called. They lived in smaller Packs or Bands and adhered to a hierarchy based on dominance. Her family was not in the inner circle, but the ruling Alpha of her small band back home was fair enough.
She was too dominant enough to gain notice, but she was no pushover. She couldn’t afford to be. Unlike many of her kind, Melody sported a rounded figure with large breasts, wide hips, and big legs. Chubby as a child she was used to taunts and the meanness of other pups.
Nowadays, she stood five and a half feet tall and had long brown hair with large, natural, honey-colored chunks that fell framing her face. Her hair had always been multi-colored and where she hated it as a child, she loved it now. Not that many believed it was her real hair.
She wondered what they’d say if they knew her hair was honey-colored down below too. Not that she cared what others thought. They could suit themselves or not. Melody liked her body and her hair.
Her best feature, of course, were her fiery amber eyes. Sometimes they gleamed like liquid gold. A true Coyote trait inherited from her father. Of course, he was all muscle and good looks. Like her mom. Both of them still thin and muscular in their late fifties.
Melody sighed. Oh well. She was still pretty, if a little plump, and more so, she was happy. Her size was what it was. She ate healthy and exercised, but yes, she had a sweet tooth, and she did not deny it.
It in no way affected her happiness with her shape. Something her ex-husband could not understand. Thomas had tried in so many ways to change her, to her utter mortification and eventual heartbreak. But she was at peace with it now.
Their marriage had ended three years ago, and she was better off without him. Still, that didn’t mean she was an option for the Dragon playboy. But she smiled and listened to the rumors Mrs. Grayson had gathered all week about the elusive techie millionaire.
Melody knew a lot about Nikolai Falk, including his amazing portfolio. Apparently, the wiz didn’t just develop software, he was also a genius at investments. He’d been in charge of his brothers’ portfolios for a long time. She’d been able to trace his work back to about two hundred years or so.
Records got tricky any further back than that. He even kept some of his money with Merlin Banking. And from what her boss had told her that morning, they wanted more.
She’d been put to work assessing the risks and benefits of using the Draco Fortis firewall weeks ago and had voted in favor of the change much to her boss’ approval. He’d wanted to do business with the Dragon very badly.
“Dear, did you hear me?” The lilting voice of her companion brought her back to reality.
“I apologize, Mrs. Grayson, what did you say? My mind just wandered a bit there,” she smiled apologetically.
“That’s alright, Melody dear, I said I ordered your latte.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, you were far away in thought I gather. You know you do remind me of myself when I was younger,” the older woman smiled, and Melody returned it.
“Nah, I’m much too shy to be like you.”
“Nonsense. I know what you need, a nice shopping trip. Go on and get yourself something sexy and new for the World Banks Charity Ball.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he’ll be there. He’s the VIP, you know.”
“Oh, Mrs. Grayson, I doubt someone like Nikolai Falk will even notice I’m there,” she began.
“He sure won’t if you don’t make an effort. Melody dear, life is passing you by. You work eighty hours a week-”
“How did you know that?”
“Honey, I’m in human and supernaturals resources, it is my job to know. Now, everyone there will be vying for the man’s attentions. You have to stick out, dear. My daughter-in-law runs an up-and-coming little boutique down on West 37th Street, just tell Carol I sent you.”
Melody didn’t have the heart to tell her that the boutique was unlikely to offer anything that would flatter her fuller figure, but she listened silently. After a lengthy monologue by her colleague and some nudging, she eventually promised to go and check it out herself before taking what would amount to two buses and a train ride back to the small apartment she rented in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Damn my commute. She said her goodbyes, promising to stop by Mrs. Grayson’s daughter-in-law’s shop, Skin Deep, before she headed home that night. She stood and threw away her used cup and napkin before heading back to her desk. What have I gotten myself into? She groaned.
Melody had genuinely loved working in the city at first, but she’d hated living there immediately. She’d frequented the one-square-mile town of Hoboken to partake of its restaurants and bars, as well as the frequent festivals the place offered. It had small-town charm, with the convenience of being close to her place of employment. Of course, after ten years the shine had worn off.
She longed to just slow down. Work had become her life when all she really wanted was a family of her own. She had no one left here. No siblings or cousins. Her parents had moved down to Florida the second she was old enough to move out. Melody visited once a year, but even that was strained and awkward. Close, they were not.
Life was supposed to turn out differently, she growled. She’d married the first man who’d asked her out of sheer joy that someone had wanted her. Her parents and peers had told her often enough she’d never find a mate. Ugh.
Thomas was handsome and funny at first. A Coyote Shifter like her, but unlike her he had a gambling habit and no ability to hold down a job. Yeah. He was a real winner.
His teasing had quickly turned ugly. The comments about her weight grew frequent and nastier over time. Thomas Newton had battered her fragile ego until she couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him.
He’d wanted her to lose about forty pounds and wasn’t shy about saying it loudly and in public. She stuck by him for five years, trying every fad diet she heard of to make him happy. All that time together and with truly little to show for it, she’d finally had enough, and said goodbye.
That was three years ago, and she hadn’t looked back. The thing was, she hadn’t looked forward either. Mrs. Grayson is right, Melody, you need to start living. Working eighteen hours a day was hardly that.
If she were being honest, she’d admit what she really wanted was a real home. Children. But at thirty-five years old how likely was that to happen? Anger threatened to cloud her vision as she felt herself slide into old patterns.
No. I don’t need a man to make me happy ever after. Fuck that. That was true enough, but Mrs. Grayson hadn’t suggested she needed a member of the opposite sex to find happiness. She’d said a night of wild sex and fun. Hmmm. The idea had merit after all.
Maybe a new dress was called for. Hell, maybe after I splurge on something sexy for this godforsaken party, I will have me some wild sex with a hot as hell Dragon too. Hell, to the yeah. Melody Casper was single and free. She could do anything she damn well pleased.
Melody straightened her shoulders and went back to her office, her new plan in tow. Operation Get Me Some was under way.