The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 32: Chapter 32

“Excuse me, Mr. Stregovich?”
Jessica snuck inside the conference room shortly after leaving the scene in the living room behind.
Whatever it was that had the Pride Beta wanting to strangle Reg was probably something she did not want to know about. Bad enough her she-Cat was ready to climb the big, burly Bear after his macho display.
Eeek!
All those muscles. Who could blame her? Brayden was built like an Olympian god, for fuck’s sake.
To think he’d seen her almost naked moments before had her heart skipping beats. Jessica was all Shifter, but she’d gotten some recessive gene or something that made her curvy and rounded where her peers were svelte and lean.
Embarrassment made her cheeks pink, especially since she’d caught Brayden checking out the Pride’s own personal beyotch gang. Those skinny females gave Shifters a bad name.
She understood why Hunter invited them, he was their Neta. But she would never understand how they could sleep around with every male that whistled at them, then acted like she was the one with a problem.
Jessica did not have any issues with sex. Hell. She wished she was having some right now. And no, she did not play into the old double standard that women were whores and men cool when they slept around. She believed everyone should treat themselves with respect, whether male or female.
Sex was natural, and it was good, but that didn’t mean she intended to pass herself around like a tray of crackers, for fuck’s sake. She had tensed with the arrival of those women, wondering why those females even bothered to get appointment cards to see Uncle Uzzi.
Oh well. To hell with those women. They’d never paid Jessica any mind except to make nasty quips about her size. Even though they frequented her boutique, they still put her down.
Jessica’s Closet was the name of her shop, and it was the best damn one in town. She was fluffy, but she had good taste.
Stylishly sexy with a dash of practicality.
That was her motto. Apparently being a shop owner meant Jessica couldn’t scratch the eyes out of those two-faced she-Cats for all the times they’d hassled her. More’s the pity. But Jessica had learned to grin and bear it.
And she did on the daily.
Sure, she had some money in a trust, but after using some of it as start up cash for her shop, she tucked the rest away, wanting to leave the rest for her future cubs. Cubs she wouldn’t have if she didn’t find a mate. Her Tiger pressed against her skin, the she-Cat eager to claim hers.
Chuff.
Her boutique meant a lot to her, especially since she recently expanded her reach with an online store. Things were looking good, and she was getting more and more orders every day.
Jessica’s Closet was one of the few boutiques that catered to both typical and larger body sizes. She had always been a bigger girl. And no, she didn’t mean big boned.
Jessica was a Shifter. She liked food, and it showed. She had thick thighs, a sizeable ass, and one or three belly rolls. Not to mention big, heavy breasts. She owned it, though.
Fuck yeah, she did. Jess liked her body. No apologies. Why the fuck should she make one? Curvy girls rocked. Everyone knew thick thighs made great earmuffs. At least that was what her pjs said. Being a virgin, it was beyond her realm of expertise.
Anyway, this curvy girl one happened to like pretty things. She wanted clothes that made her feel feminine without shaming her body type. And she offered that to every bigger girl out there.
Jessica’s Closet provided her with an outlet to help other big and small women alike find clothes to make them feel pretty, too.
She used to think her store was all she needed. But she was getting older now, and she wanted a mate. She’d finally realized after humiliating herself by running after Lance for the past few months. Her attempts at vamping him had yielded zero results, and while it had hurt at first, she was glad now.
The slightly younger Tiger was a straight up playa. She was fine with his attitude about little or no stings stress relief sex. Wanted it herself, in fact. But he had too much respect for her brother, the Neta, to mess around with her.
She accepted the letdown gracefully. It wasn’t like she’d offered herself to him, but it had been a near thing. Thankfully, he’d spared her the embarrassment very tactfully.
“You’re not like the other women in the Pride, Jessi-cat. You’re the Neta’s sister. You’re special. Someday, you will meet a great guy who will want nothing better than to kiss you silly for days on end. I just hope he’s worthy of you.”
Lance’s words had resonated with her. Even after he’d patted her shoulder in a brotherly way and walked off.
That image of being kissed silly for days remained after she’d already dismissed the big Tiger. It was etched in her mind, a fantasy she could picture, but not really because, well, like with the rest of her body, her lips had been fairly unused.
Was it possible to receive kisses that could last for days? The idea had both her human and feline sides burning up with curiosity.
Prrrrrrrrrrrrr.
That was exactly what Jessica wanted.
A big, hunky man who desired her above all others. One who wanted to get to know her mind as well as her body. And most of all, who wanted to kiss her silly for days on end.
So yeah, she was technically twenty minutes early for her time slot with Uncle Uzzi. Since it didn’t look like anyone was with the enigmatic Witch, she took a chance and walked into the room with a large dish of honey oatmeal cookies and chocolate caramel brownie bites courtesy of her Nari. Elissa was truly one hell of a cook.
“Come in dear, and please, call me Uncle Uzzi,” the Male Witch smiled at Jessica and held out his hand.
It was warm and surprisingly strong. For a moment, she thought she felt a buzz where their palms had touched.
Uncle Uzzi was an older gentleman, but he was not fragile. He was a supernatural, a Witch, and despite the white beard and the slight crinkling at the corners of his sparkling blue eyes, he was powerful. Flecks of light flickered throughout his gaze, signaling his Magic was joining them for this conversation.
Jessica ignored the little shocks she felt when Uncle Uzzi squeezed for just a moment. Her own Tiger crept forward, sniffing at the Witch before settling down. Her animal more than approved of Uncle Uzzi. The she-Cat was eager to be mated and claimed, and this was her best chance.
Prrrrrrr.
“My dear, you have the most unique teal colored eyes I have ever seen, tell me, does your Tiger have them as well?” Uncle Uzzi asked.
“Yes, actually,” Jessica replied.
She felt herself blushing and sighed in resignation. It was not an attractive look on natural redheads, but she couldn’t help it. Jess just did not get compliments often.
“Marvelous! Now, why are you here?”
“Well, I know it’s not my turn yet-”
“That’s alright. Looks like my first client is a little busy at the moment. So dating has been rough, huh?” he asked, and remarkably, she felt a connection with him.
“You have no idea. I mean, Hunter is a great brother, but he can be a little, well, a little, uh-”
“He’s been pussy-blocking you, right?” Uncle Uzzi nodded knowingly.
“Um, what?” she asked, eyes wide with surprise.
“You are Tigers here? Felines? Pussycats, yes? And your Alpha male brother has been denying you some much needed sexy times, am I right? I believe pussy-blocking is the correct term,” Uncle Uzzi smiled mischievously and bit into a brownie.
“Liebling, only one, I promise,” he said to no one at all.
“It’s my Betty. She looks out for me even in the beyond,” he explained.
“Oh, I am so sorry,” she began.
“Don’t be. We had a wonderful life together, and I look forward to joining her in the next big adventure. Now, these are divine. That Elissa is an amazing chef,” Uncle Uzzi said.
The Witch moaned happily and took another bite of his brownie. He wiped his mouth and hands on a napkin and took a sip of tea.
“Um, yeah, she is. And yes, you are right. No one will date me because of my brother. Even worse, Uncle Uzzi, um, no one will you know,” she mumbled.
“Oh, you mean no one will have sex with you. So then you are a virgin, yes?”
“Shhh! Look, I am not technically a virgin, But I might as well be. Uncle Uzzi, I know I am not like the other women here. I don’t look like the typical Shifter. I’m too tall, I have a big stomach and jiggly thighs, but I’m not hideous or anything, right?”
“Of course not! Did someone say that?” he asked, aghast.
“No, well, some of the other women imply I’m fat when I see them, but I don’t care what they say. The way I see it, those bitches are just hangry! Like eat a brownie and maybe you won’t be such a bitch,” Jessica snarled.
“Ha! That is hilarious,” Uncle Uzzi wiped his eye, and continued.
“I am going to have to remember that one, dear. So tell me, how do you feel about sex?”
“Oh, Uncle Uzzi, I know nothing about it really. The first and only time I ever had sex was with some skinny little normal when I was away on a retreat in college. It lasted all of fifteen minutes, and it was pretty damn embarrassing. We hardly even kissed.”
“That is unfortunate,” he replied, concern in his sapphire gaze.
“I don’t even remember the last time I’ve been on a real date,” Jessica moaned.
She knew her face was on fire with humiliation, but she just couldn’t hold back. Once she opened up, it was a flood of emotions and disappointments that just had to come out.
“Oh, my dear, that truly sucks. Now, I know we can do better than that for you. So, let me just get everything straight. You want a mate, but one with a high sex drive, right?”
Jessica knew she should be embarrassed, but her gaze narrowed. She felt herself nodding. It was true. She wanted sex. It was only natural, right? Why should she deny it then?
“Okay, so good sex is a must. I understand, any flesh and blood being would. But am I also right in guessing you want a mate to match your mind and heart to go with all the hot and sticky times?” Uncle Uzzi’s eyes flashed as he gauged Jessica’s answer.
“Yeah,” Jessica said, exhaling deeply.
Suddenly, she knew sex for the sake of sex wouldn’t be enough for her. She needed more than just a roll in the hay. She deserved more.
“Yes,” she answered again, with more feeling this time.
“I want sex. I want soul-searing, passionate, dirty, messy, heart-stopping sex. But I want more than that, Uncle Uzzi. I want to be kissed.”
“Now I know that man you took to bed in college didn’t know what he was doing, because kisses usually do occur before and during sex.”
“I know, Uncle Uzzi, and he tried,” she said with a snort.
“But I want real kisses,” she emphasized.
“Deep, long, passionate kisses that make me breathless and last for days on end. Kisses that touch me inside, and leave my toes permanently curled.”
“Wow. My dear, it sounds like you’ve given that a lot of thought,” Uncle Uzzi replied gently.
“I have, and I know what I want.”
“What do you want, Jessica?”
“I want to feel special. To be loved in every way. I want to be kissed, Uncle Uzzi, like the way I described, by a man who wants to be with me. I think you are right, I want a mate.”
“Excellent,” purred Uncle Uzzi, but his attention was behind Jessica’s head.
Tingles danced up and down her spine. Eyes wide, Jessica turned to see what, or rather, who the older Witch was staring at.
No. Fucking. Way.
Jessica could have died right then and there. Turned out, her private conversation with Uncle Uzzi was not so private. In fact, it had attracted an unexpected pair of ears.
Very big, very sexy ears.
Fuck me.
She froze.
“Ah, Brayden Smith,” called Uncle Uzzi.
“Why don’t you stop hovering near the door and come on in here? Take a seat next to our lovely Jessica.”
Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Grrrrroooooowwwllllll.
The Black Bear who’d always lived inside of Brayden seemed to grow larger in that metaphysical plane where he waited to be called. So intense was the feeling running through the beast that Brayden could hardly move.
The second he’d heard Jessica’s voice, he knew he should have turned around to leave. Her pull was rivaling gravity, and it was all he could do not to run inside and scoop her up in his arms.
Hell.
Turn, walk, run, but he remained frozen in place. Something powerful, indescribable, kept him rooted to the spot. Without any other recourse, and much like an eavesdropping dickhead, he’d stayed, and he’d listened.
Fuck, how he listened.
Comprehension still eluded him as the seductive tone of her voice wrapped around Brayden’s body like an invisible lead, tugging him forward. At first, it was just mild curiosity, but the more she spoke, the worse it got.
His Bear pushed and scratched against his skin, urging him to move in closer to the sexy as hell woman who was becoming more and more important to his animal.
The mention of a former lover had his Bear near to bursting free. A wave of pure jealousy flowed over him so fast it left him short of breath. If not for the explanation that followed, he might’ve done some serious damage to the room at large. As it was, he’d only managed to crush the doorknob in his hand.