The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 111: Chapter 111

“Cut It Out, can I help you?” Pamela answered the phone.
It seemed to be ringing off the hook, but that was the holidays for you. She grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen and took down the message before checking the rest of her schedule.
“Gretchen? Your six o’clock canceled,” she called out to her boss.
“Really? Good, I need to get off my feet,” her pregnant boss replied.
She rubbed her swollen tummy and stretched. Her belly was looking quite low. Pam and Marion, the other stylist, and a good friend, exchanged concerned looks. If Marion was worried about her, then that was cause for alarm, since the man was a huge proponent of tough love.
Hmmm. Gretchen needed to rest more, carrying a Shifter cub was not at all easy. Especially since Gretchen was new to the whole Shifter thing, having undergone the Puspa only months ago. All those physical and physiological changes were bound to catch up with her at some point.
“Say, why don’t you go home and put your feet up? Marion and I will stay and take care of things till closing,” Pamela said, and Marion nodded his agreement.
“No, I couldn’t leave you guys here⁠—”
“Boss lady, are you for real? Girrrl, it’s only an hour till closing. Me and girlfriend here got this, besides I have to put some highlights back in Miss Thang’s head after work any who,” he added, and winked at Pamela.
“Really? You decided to put some back after all?” Gretchen asked, and Pam could tell she was excited.
After years of mistreating her hair, Pamela had taken all the bleach out and let her brown locks grow in. But part of her affirmation and growth meant owning who she was, and Pamela loved highlights. She was finished letting the past control her present.
“Yes, Marion said he would do them. I hope that’s okay⁠—”
“Ermagerd, yesss! What? I am so excited for you,” Gretchen said and started tearing up again. Darn pregnancy hormones.
“Woman, get your ass home and tell your man you need a foot rub stat,” Marion demanded, already prepping his station and getting foils out for Pam’s hair.
“Word, I am texting Reg right now,” Gretchen said, then turned to ask one more time. “You sure?”
“Yes,” Pamela and Marion both said together.
They spent the next forty minutes putting highlights in Pamela’s hair, giggling, and making innuendos about how she’s spent the night at the ball.
“Come on, Pamela, Gretchen will be staring at the same dick—no offense honey we know Reg is hot—and I have not seen one in the flesh in ages, now tell us the deets,” Marion snapped.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, Mar,” she said primly.
“That is some serious toro excretio, Miss Thang. And I mean like whopping Cretan Bull-sized shit, er, shiznit—don’t look flabbergasted, read some Homer, peasant,” he said, and sniffed delicately while the girls busted out laughing.
“Look, I don’t kiss and tell, but if you two must know⁠—”
“Damn straight, we do,” Gretch inserted.
“I met someone,” Pamela said, downplaying her encounter with Javier.
The sound of a familiar truck pulled up, and Gretchen lit up like a lightbulb at the sight of her mate. Foils and all, Pamela stood up and practically carried her happily mated—and very, very pregnant—boss outside into the open arms of her man. Reg nodded and scooped up his woman, ready to take her to their new house.
“See ya later, boss lady!”
Pamela waved the couple off and looked up at the pinkish white sky. Looked like they were in for more snow, but that was okay with her. She was a sucker for everything Christmassy, and besides, Paulie loved to play in the fluffy white stuff.
“Okay, Pam, you have ten more minutes, rinse, tone, and condition. Now, come on, Mrs. Jones, let’s go get you settled,” Marion said in a sing-song voice to his client.
Pamela giggled, not even minding that she looked like a nut job with multicolored squares of foil all over her head. She only had one more client, but not until later that evening. Right then, she had to prep the nail stations for the following day. Everyone wanted to get their nails done for the upcoming holidays. They asked for everything from snowmen to Santa hats, candy canes and more.
Gretchen had gone into order mode with triple her usual supplies, but they’d been so busy all week, there’d been no time to set them up. Luckily, the she-Tiger had hired two new nail techs, and Pamela only had to worry about doing hair, which she liked infinitely better than nails.
Marion was telling Mrs. Jones a story that had the older woman blushing, and Pamela giggled. She loved this job. The people were so much fun to work with and Gretchen most of all. She had proven a truly gifted instructor, taking it upon himself to show her the ins and outs of cutting hair.
She still had to take the final test for dying hair to be fully licensed in the state of New Jersey, but she was more than ready. The timer for her hair went off, and Pamela removed the foils, rinsed out the bleach. Then she toned it and added a deep Moroccan oil treatment. By the time her conditioning masque—a necessary step for dyed hair—was finished, she had restocked the nail stations and sanitized all the equipment.
“Want me to dry you while Mrs. Jones' dye is still working its magic?” Marion asked.
“Nah, I’ll be fine. I have to run these to the dumpster.”
“Alrighty,” Marion replied.
It was warm in the store, and Pam had been wearing a sporty little skort and a long-sleeved crop top to work, and a pair of comfy Converse on her feet. She was humming to herself when she stepped outside, but the sound stopped as she shivered against the sudden blast of wintry wind.
It wasn’t the cold that had her back up, it was the scent that had accompanied said breeze. Dank and musty, not at all pleasant. Pamela turned to see a familiar, and unwelcomed face standing beside the dumpster where she was just about to place the plastic bag in her hand.
“‘Bout time you got your fat ass out here,” the Hyena barked. “Say you put on some weight, didn’t you? Oh well, Alpha is looking to party. Let’s go.”
“What did you say to me?” she asked, stunned at this jerk’s audacity.
“Look, bitch. Blake promised us easy access to his harem, and you were the prize most coveted. I am calling in the favors we did for that asshole. Now, let’s go.”
“I don’t think so⁠—”
The Hyena snarled, spitting on the floor as he stalked her until she almost had to back up a step to avoid his touch.
“Don’t you dare touch me,” she hissed, not liking how he was crowding her.
She did not want to take that step backwards, but his rank breath and creepy grin brought back horrible memories. Then suddenly, Pamela did not have to move at all—the Hyena male was making gurgling noises. His whole body hovered in the air. His choking was replaced by the sound of a deep, rumbling growl that filled the entire alley behind Cut It Out.
Pamela gasped. Stunned, she looked around the Hyena, who was choking and fighting against a huge hand the skinny fucker had no hope of removing. In fact, he was turning an unhealthy shade of blue, but Pamela was not concerned for his lack of oxygen. She wanted to see who her rescuer was.
“Javi!” She gasped. “What are you⁠—”
The words died on her lips as she took in the expression of pure fury on Javier Auberon’s handsome face. His eyes had bled to the glittering black of his Bear and fur dusted his cheeks as he barely held on to his skin. Her body reacted predictably to his dominant display, and she shivered uncontrollably against another blast of cold wind.
Javier was the one man she didn’t expect to run in to in the alley behind her job. Even though Uncle Uzzi said to expect them today, but Pamela didn’t know he meant like today today.
“Do you know this man?” he asked, his voice thick with his Bear and showing more traces of his heritage.
She’d been texting Uncle Uzzi all day, and the man had shared some photos of young Javi and his brother, Gabriel. He was born in Quito, Ecuador, and his brother still lived there, having taken over the role of Alpha in their small family unit. It was all so new to her, and she enjoyed the hints she’d gleaned off the old Witch of Javi’s life. The best would be revealed to her by the man himself.
Maybe. If he stuck around after this. And if I do.
“Unfortunately, I do,” she muttered. “But he is not welcome here. Go tell your Alpha that if he is looking to cash in on some debt from Blake, he’ll have to follow that jerk to Hell to get it.”
“And if you come looking for Pamela again, know that she has friends now, mutt. You heard her. Get lost, and forget this town,” growled Javier, before tossing him halfway down the alley with one shove.
Pamela had to admit, that felt damn good. Telling off that creep, having Javi at her back, standing her ground, and letting him know she would not be pushed around. Yeah, it felt really good. She waited while the Hyena scrambled to run away, and she bit back a laugh as he skidded on some ice and yelped when he heard Javi snarl angrily.
“Move faster,” he told the terrified Hyena.
“That was awesome,” Pamela whispered, and Javi turned his head to look at her.
“Hello, Pamela,” he said, his Bearish growl rumbling through her.
Christ, he was sexy. Pamela raked him with her gaze, and her body warmed with the memory of how well he’d loved her the night before. What was she going to do about him? His smoldering good looks were red carpet worthy, and here she was looking like some sort of cheerleader reject with frozen hair.
“So are you gonna show me where you work?” he asked in that same, deep, husky voice that had whispered the most deliciously naughty things in her ears just the night before.
“Um, yep, sure. Oh, um, hi,” she replied, turning her back on him and hurrying into the salon through the back door. “So, what are you doing here? Where is Uncle Uzzi?”
“He had an appointment, and I thought maybe we could talk alone. Is that alright? Will you talk with me?” he asked, and his black eyes twinkled mischievously.
“I can’t. I’m working. Actually, I have an appointment with a new client who should be here any minute⁠—”
“Actually, he is here now.” Javi smiled, and yep, there went her panties.
Jingle all the way.