The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 36: Chapter 36

Jessica walked slowly among the aisles of her small boutique. Jessica’s Closet was a dream come true for her. Her first real taste of independence after leaving the Pride House.
Of course, Hunter meant well, but her older brother could not help his dominant personality. He was the Neta. Born to rule. And well, she wasn’t one to take orders so politely.
She loved her little shop. Catering to a small town meant facing a lot of challenges. At first, her brother didn’t think her business would survive, but she’d easily proven him wrong. It was all about knowing your customers.
That and her aptitude for technology had helped her a great deal. She had an online storefront where she got a lot of out-of-town, even international, traffic. The fact was, she provided for a specific clientele.
Plus sized women were unfairly categorized in the fashion world. Larger-sized clothing was deemed unattractive, as were the women who wore it. It often meant older styled clothing, ugly prints, cheap fabrics, and terrible cuts.
But not at Jessica’s Closet.
Being a big girl her entire life meant she’d had two options. Either adjust to the hideous clothes available to her in their small town or look for something better. She chose the latter.
What a wonderful choice that turned out to be! She hummed to herself as she ran the vacuum over the hardwood floor and let her thoughts wander. Combined with the noise the machine made, she didn’t hear the bells over the front door jingle.
“Jessica! There you are. My, this store is just divine,” Uzzi Stregovich walked inside the boutique.
The older man was carrying a few wrapped packages, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked around and his magic seemed to wrap around him like a cozy blanket. He wore a gray wool suit and a yellow scarf with a red rose pinned to his pocket. Of course, appearing out of the blue as he had, the male Witch scared a yelp out of Jessica, who turned off the vacuum with a flick of a switch.
“Uncle Uzzi? What are you doing here?”
“I came to check on you, of course,” he said, handing her a box of delicious smelling pastries from the nearby Cookie Shop.
“Do you have time for tea?”
“Sure, come to the back,” she said, leading the way.
“Tell me, dear, what is going on with the salon next door?” Uzzi asked as he placed his things on the table and took the box of goodies to open.
“Oh, that was Mrs. Bowers' place. She moved to Florida a few months ago, and she’s still looking for someone to take over her lease. I think Elissa’s old roommate might be coming to check it out soon.”
“Ah, that would be Gretchen. Yes, a good plan all in all,” Uncle Uzzi murmured and accepted the cardboard cup of tea Jessica handed him.
“So, how did your date with that giant hunk of a Bear go?”
Uncle Uzzi sipped and grabbed a cookie while rapidly flicking through the pages of a catalogue had been using for inspiration on her website.
He stopped and looked at the ads featuring plus size lingerie, and his eyes flashed to the rack of prototypes made by Kylie. He sure was a strange, quirky man, but he had an honest way about him, and Jessica definitely liked the older Witch.
“Um, it was alright I guess,” Jess replied and shrugged.
“Did you want to order something?” she asked when he stood up to handle some of the lingerie.
“What? Oh no, dear, without my liebling I am afraid my desire for encounters of the flesh has waned. But I have many clients who share a certain body type, and I would love to pass information on your store to them, if I may?”
“That would be wonderful,” Jessica replied.
She slapped on her metaphorical businesswoman’s cap and went about grabbing a bag, loading it with some flyers, business cards, and discount codes for him to give to his clients.
“Thank you, dear,” he said, smiling again.
“I believe all women should feel confident and proud of themselves. I see that you certainly do, Jessica Maverick. I mean you wear clothes so well,” Uncle Uzzi said and eyed Jessica approvingly.
The she-Tiger felt the compliment down to her toes and smiled back. It had taken a little while for her to build her self-esteem to a place where she felt really good about herself, and she appreciated his notice.
“I like clothes and I refuse to be told what I can wear because society would rather see a woman starve herself than be real,” Jessica said honestly.
“Yes, I agree.”
“I mean, I am not advocating unhealthy lifestyles, but for some of us, this is as good as it will get. Why shouldn’t we be comfortable and pretty too? Just because we have curves does not mean we have to dress horribly,” she continued.
Style for Jessica meant comfort, quality, and cuteness! Today she wore a pair of dark, tight jeans with strategic rips across her knees and one right under her left butt cheek. She paired the butter soft denim with an off the shoulder ivory sweater that showed just the right amount of her ample cleavage without being too slutty to wear at work.
Rather than take away from her, the pale color flattered her fiery mane, which she wore brushed over one side and held in place by a pretty rhinestone clip. A pair of shearling lined flats completed the ensemble.
“I completely agree. Besides, you do know that most Shifter males prefer women with curves. I have been told they are the perfect foil for all the hardness of the males of the species. A little cushioning for all that pushing,” he said, and she laughed.
“Am I saying that right?” Uncle Uzzi queried.
“Uh, close enough.”
Jessica’s face flamed as she tried to come up with a reply.
“These sets of undergarments are lovely. Kisses by Kylie? Who is this Kylie? I believe I am going to have to give your address to a few more clients than I expected,” he remarked.
“Thank you so much. She is a member of the Pride.”
“Mated?”
“No,” Jessica said with a grin.
“I see. Well, I am quite serious about knowing people who would love what you’ve done here.”
“Thank you so much,” Jessica said, snapping out of her daze.
“Kylie is a new member of our Pride. She moved here from North Carolina and was actually really shy about meeting you.”
“Oh, well, no worries. When she is ready, you can send her my information.”
“I will. She’s a terrific person. She lives just upstairs, and seriously, her designs are great. I am wearing one of the strapless bras and matching panties right now. I swear, Uncle Uzzi, it feels like I’m naked under my clothes,” Jessica whispered conspiratorially.
“Ha ha. Good, yes. I love that you are able to chat with me like I am family, yes?”
“I’m sorry, is that too much info?”
“Not at all, dear. I am, after all, Uncle Uzzi. Plus, it is a great selling point. Every well-endowed woman wants her under garments to fit comfortably. I think between that, and of course the added sex appeal, make these designs amazing. You know, I think I will take a few more cards. Thank you. Now, tell me the truth about your date.”
“Oh, Uncle Uzzi.”
Jessica’s face fell even as she loaded a few more cards, flyers, and postcards into Uncle Uzzi’s bag.
“Look, I know you are good at your job, but maybe you made a mistake.”
“It has happened, though rarely. But why do you think so, my dear?” Uncle Uzzi asked, his blue eyes twinkling with magic.
“It’s no secret, I am into Brayden, but he is obviously not interested in me. It’s been two days, and I haven’t heard from him.”
“Two days? Hmm. Well, I know from your brother they have been dealing with new projects and preparing for the trial with the Council of Shifters for that miserable wretch, Blake. Perhaps the Bear had been tied up in meetings? I think maybe you might give him some time, Jessica. But not too much,” he replied, a teasing grin spread across his face at the last.
“Alright,” she said.
“I guess I should follow your advice, but really, I understand if I am not what he wants in a mate.”
“Listen to me now, Jessica Maverick,” Uncle Uzzi said, his voice thick with what sounded like Eastern Europe in his accent.
“Sometimes a woman has to take the bull, or in this case, the Bear, by the horns. Look deep inside of yourself and decide if he is the one for you. DO not wait for him, because if he is your mate, then he is worth the risk. You think about that,” Uncle Uzzi replied.
The old Witch squeezed her hand then stood up with his bag full of Jessica’s cards and flyers. He dropped an air kiss beside her cheek and patted her arm before turning one last time.
“Now, I must go. My driver waits to take me back to the Pride House, but you can depend on my clients reaching out soon. Oh, look at the time. I am late already for my meeting with the Neta,” Uncle Uzzi said, and huffed out a breath.
His magic sparked, and he gave Jess a small wink before he headed out the door. He’d moved so quickly, the Tiger Shifter could not even reply.
Jessica’s head was spinning. She picked up a business card that must have dropped from the pile she’d given the Witch, and shivers of magic shot through her arm. Shaking the teal paper, she shook off the brush with Uzzi’s magic and returned it to the pile on the counter.
Jessica’s Closet was done entirely in shades of teal and silver. It was her own little homage to the Maverick family sigil, taken from the color of their eyes.
The unique teal was passed down from generation to generation. A strong trait the Mavericks were proud of. It was her best feature if she said so herself.
Looking around, she sighed wistfully. This place was her dream, her passion, and it was doing very well.
But just lately, she wanted more. Especially since big brother had found his fated mate in Elissa. The Nari was just amazing, and Jess could not be happier for her brother. He deserved that kind of fairytale love, the happily ever after, no holds barred, soul searing, passion that she had dreamed about since she was a cub.
The thing of it was Jessica wanted that too.
Home, family, mate, cubs.
It was a mantra her Tiger kept repeating in her mind. And what’s more, she wanted a kiss. And not just any kiss. She wanted the kiss.
The perfect kiss.
A kiss that makes my Tiger purr.
The question was, was the big Bear the man to do it?
There was no denying the way her she-Cat stood at the ready whenever Brayden was near. The animal inside of her was definitely interested in the sexy Black Bear. The woman, however, always seemed to turn shy whenever she was within ten feet of him.
Until lunch the other day, the Cat reminded her.
True. At lunch she’d been poised, refined even. She told stories and a joke or two. Heck, she had even coaxed a smile from the typically solemn Beta.
Then there was the physical evidence. Her stomach flipped over, and her heart raced in his presence. When his fingers had grazed hers after she’d asked for a napkin, her entire body shuddered.
Moisture pooled between her thighs, and Jessica could hardly breathe. His rugged good looks and incredible over the top muscles made her mouth water. There wasn’t a damn thing wrong with the man. Well, except for one thing, and she might be nit-picking here, but it was a pretty big deal to her.
Brayden seemed all too able to resist her.
Sad chuff.
Maybe she should do something to entice him?
Like what?
She dismissed the idea as quickly as it entered her head. Jessica was not going to play games. If Brayden thought she was his mate, then he needed to let her know.
She walked to the backroom as Kylie came in to start her shift.
“Hey girl, I’m gonna sit in the front and work on designs between customers.”
“Sounds good,” she replied.
“Yay. My favorite kind of day,” the she-Cat drawled pleasantly.
Next week, it would be different. Last-minute shoppers for the holidays would be cruising every store in town for little knickknacks and gifts.
After her first year in the business, she had an idea what most folks were searching for, and had prepared by ordering plenty of scented lotions, bath bombs, hair clips, silk scarves, candles, and the like.
She’d even gotten a few local romance authors to allow her to sell some of their books. Jessica always was a sucker for a good steamy romance novel.
And for the adventurous male shopper who dared stepped into the predominantly female boutique, Jessica prepped several gift bags to make shopping easier on them.
She took lingerie sets from her Kisses by Kylie collection and matched them with candles, massage oils, lotions, CDs, books, and other doohickeys. Then Jessica wrapped them in tissue paper in special silver foil boxes and topped them with teal bows and ribbons. On the outside of each box was a label with a picture of the inside and the size information.
The idea was to give the customer a way to buy their girlfriends, wives, or mates an exciting gift they might actually like instead of a toaster or, gods forbid, an exercise bike, this holiday season.
Some males seriously had a death wish, she mused after hearing horror stories of what some men bought their significant others. Pots and pans were great, but sometimes a gift needed to be personal. Jessica walked to the backroom and saw the packages Uzzi had come in with earlier sitting on the table.
Uh oh.
“Kylie? I’m going to the Pride House to deliver these to Uncle Uzzi while he is still there,” she said, waving to Kylie.
“Sure thing, boss,” the pretty She-Cat returned.
Jess nodded at her and headed out to her little white four-wheel drive. It was cold, but she was fine in just her sweater and jeans.
With any luck she’d run into her Bear at the Pride House. Maybe then she could get a read on him. See if he was really what she thought he was.