Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 31591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 158(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 158(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
“Trust me, I’ll never do that again. I just feel…” My friends stared at me as my mind scrambled for an explanation, but found none.
“I think he needs to blow off some tension,” Hunter piped up, filling the silence. I gave him a small smile and he winked before adding, “So I’m taking him to Pride Place after dinner.” Pride Place was one of our businesses; a popular gay club in town. We employed shifters of all types and paid them very well. Our patrons were both shifters and humans alike, though humans were unaware of shifter existence, unless they happened to be mated to one. As far as they knew, it was just a bunch of men having a good time. “Anyone else want to come?”
“I’m in,” Felix and Enzo answered at the same time. Enzo looked at his brother and added with bouncing eyebrows, “Hopefully we can find a sexy little thing to blow off.” Felix smiled brightly as he nodded; the only time those two seemed to agree on anything was when they were prowling for a man.
“How about you guys?” Hunter asked, looking between Grady and Cedric.
“Thanks for the invite,” Cedric smiled, “But Grady and I have big plans for the evening; we’re going to bake cookies and listen to our favorite nature podcast.” Grady lifted up his hand and Cedric giggled as he slapped him five. I wasn’t surprised that the two wouldn’t be joining us; they weren’t fans of the loud music or large groups of the club, and they enjoyed the simple things in life.
“But I hope you find what you need,” Grady offered with a kind smile. Even if we had different interests, we always understood and supported one another. My friends are the fucking best.
*****
Pounding music and flashing lights greeted us when we walked into Pride Place. The dance floor was packed with grinding, sweaty bodies, which we weaved around to make our way to the bar. Well, Hunter and I headed for the bar; Enzo and Felix saw one of their frequent hookups waving to them from across the room and made a beeline for him.
“Hey, guys!” Rowdy called out from behind the bar when we approached. Rowdy was a cougar shifter, and our most popular bartender; he was cute, fun, and flirty, and was known for enjoying drinks with the patrons and delighting them with stripteases on the bar. He admittedly wasn’t the hardest worker in the place, but he brought in a lot of business.
“Hey Rowdy,” Hunter called back. “How’s it going?”
“Can’t complain. What can I get you guys; a couple shots of Dewdrop?” Dewdrop was the Collingswood Cougars’ claim to fame; they’d created the only known substance that could intoxicate a shifter. I had no idea what was in the stuff, as its ingredients were a closely guarded secret. All I knew was that it smelled like piss and tasted like motor oil, but damn if it didn’t get the job done. I’d lost track of more than one night due to the mystery liquid.
When Hunter replied, “Hit us with it,” Rowdy poured two shot glasses full of the icy blue drink. We clinked our cups together and downed the liquid in one gulp.
A shiver rocked through my body at the intense flavor, and at the way my nerves lit up with excited adrenaline. Desperate to feel anything besides the unease that had plagued me all day, I tapped the rim of the glass and requested, “Give me another.”
“Damn, now it’s a party,” Rowdy replied with a wide grin as he filled my cup to the brim again. I gulped it down, and then another as Rowdy cheered me on. Hunter, however, stopped after just one shot; he could probably tell he’d be dragging my ass home. If I remembered who he was later, I’d thank him for looking after me.
When Rowdy filled my glass for the fourth time, a large, warm body was suddenly next to mine. I could smell that the figure was a shifter; a coyote, to be exact. I turned my heavy head to find a tall, fit man with blond hair batting his blue eyes at me as he suggested, “Why don’t you buy me a shot and I’ll join you?”
Because Dewdrop was one of a kind, it wasn’t cheap. In fact, the cougars made so much money off of it that none of them had to work, including Rowdy, but he kept the job because he enjoyed being around people and the party scene. This coyote shifter was watching me down the expensive spirit like water and was surely just making his move to cash in, but I didn’t care.
“Sure, why the fuck not?” I slurred. Shifter man clapped his hands as Rowdy poured a drink for him as well. I’m not sure how much either of us drank, but the increasingly blurry coyote seemed to be having a great time.