The Billionaire Ritual Read online

  But Cameron did not despair. He was crafty, and his father had often said that he wondered if there wasn’t more of his mother, a fox shifter, than wolf in him. All that mattered was that he consummated a marriage in the next five days. If he could do so with Lynn in front of witnesses, it would be done. His father’s objections wouldn’t matter. Nor would anyone else’s.

  Cameron said his goodbyes, being sure not to confirm or deny his interest in Sheila. His father’s eyes had narrowed just before Cameron had turned away. They seemed to say: I know you’re plotting, son. Have a care.

  Cameron’s mind buzzed on the way home. He was grateful that he had chosen a ride in his limo over driving himself. Now he was free to sort things out in peace without having to focus on the road home.

  He had taken his time finding a mate, and now it was costing him. Even after he’d realized he wanted Lynn for his own, he had continued to put things off, wanting everything to happen on his terms and in his time. He knew the deadline was coming, but had never in a million years expected anyone to challenge him - especially not Robert. But, there it was and here he was.

  Cameron had been with enough human women to know that convincing her to mate in front of others was impossible without at least being sexually intimate with her, alone. He had planned for the retreat to be the time for this sort of courting, but the timeline had been moved up. He loosened his tie and pulled out his phone. It was time to make plans.

  When the alarm rang, Lynn groggily considered calling in sick. Today, all those that were going to the retreat had to meet their work deadlines early, not to mention that after her late day she’d have to come home to pack for the next mornings’ trip out to the middle of nowhere. At five a.m. As she dragged herself out of the warm confines of her comforter and sheets, she wondered how in the hell she had gotten dragged into the retreat. She brightened when she remembered that it was at the behest of one Cameron Caine, a man she’d been too shy to utter more than two words to but yearned for desperately. Now there was the faintest sliver of a hope that having his children was not a complete and utter fantasy. Lynn chuckled to herself. She called it being ‘girl crazy’ when she got like this, thinking of having a man’s baby. In her defense she had only experienced it herself twice, now and in the twelve grade with Bobby Stoker. However, she’d seen the phenomenon in her girl friends time and again.

  When she arrived at the office her supervisor, Maxine, was waiting outside her cubicle. Before Lynn could say anything, Maxine explained:

  “The Boss wants to see you in his office immediately,” she said.

  Lynn was stunned. She had never been called in for anything. She checked her watch once more. No, she was on time.

  “What is, Max?” She asked, genuinely afraid.

  “I don’t know. He didn’t seem angry, but that might change if you keep him waiting. Better head over. Good luck, sweetie.”

  Maxine waddled off. Lynn paused a moment, gathering her bearings. Apparently, she’d gone from having babies to getting fired in only a few days. Lynn walked over to the office in a daze. Peering over, a few of her colleagues pretended not to see her. However, she could feel their wary stares on her back as she approached the dragon’s den. She had the right idea, just the wrong animal.

  Taking a moment outside of the door to take a breath, she straightened and knocked. She’d done nothing wrong, and if she was being hung out to dry, she’d just have to find more work. Job hunting was never fun, but at least now she had a solid resume and plenty of references.

  She knocked twice.

  “Come in,” boomed a voice, young but commanding and heavy.

  She opened the door to find Cameron prowling the room moving papers to various stacks. He spoke into a Bluetooth head set.

  “David, I want the orders ready by the middle of next week….Listen, I’ve got to go. And David? No mistakes this time.” He hung up, looking at her and smiling. Normally he was absolutely intimidating. But he was sitting there with a five o’clock shadow and mussed hair. He’d been pulling an all-nighter for some reason.

  “Mr. Caine? You asked for me?”

  “Yes, Lynn. Call me Cameron, by the way,” he said, smiling brightly.

  Okay. So far so good. It doesn’t look like he intends to fire me, anyway.

  “I’m sorry about this mess,” he continued, as if she were some honored guest. “I’ve got to get more work done than I had previously imagined. So my time is open for the retreat,” he said, as if that explained it all.

  “I guess preparing for a vacation can be stressful,” she said, smiling. He laughed a little too loudly, but with genuine mirth.

  “Ha! It can. Listen, I think this evening I could do with a vacation from my vacation prep. Any chance you’d like to join me for a few cocktails?”

  Lynn froze. Never mind how odd it was to be asked out by her boss, she was being asked during work hours.

  “I know this is inappropriate, but I thought it was even less appropriate to call you out of the blue.”

  There was another pause while Lynn stared at him, wide eyed. Have I miscalculated her interest?

  “Uh…If you’re not interested, we could pretend like this never happened. I just --“

  “Yes!” Lynn blurted out, a little embarrassed at how quickly and enthusiastically she had accepted - even in the current circumstances. Cameron seemed to relax immediately.

  “Good. Good. I’ll call you this evening. Don’t worry, I’ll clean up first,” he said, smiling. Lynn smiled back.

  Later that evening the two met at a cocktail bar downtown for drinks. Lynn wore a simple pink evening gown, and Cameron dressed in a suit and bowtie. He normally wore ties, so it was nice to see him change it up a little. He had picked her up from her house, and the two had settled into talking casually surprisingly naturally. Cameron was a completely different person outside of work, she found. Although, she supposed, it was possible that she just didn’t really know him at all and had made many assumptions.

  The bar was an upscale affair at the top of some building or another. Lynn was unsurprised to find that she’d never heard of it. After leaving his car with the valet, they took the elevator to the bar.

  Lynn tried not to seem like a bumpkin, but couldn’t help smiling at the view as they entered the bar. It was a beautiful wooden affair with track lighting and glass doors leading out onto a wide patio with an open view of the city. Opting to sit outside, Lynn leaned onto the rail and watched the sun set as Cameron went to get their drinks.

  They sipped their cocktails. Cameron had told her the name of hers, but she didn’t remember it. When she did go out, it was usually one of the same few drinks she ordered - or beer. Frankly, with the way her work schedule was, she rarely felt like doing anything but resting on weekends. After the night had passed on, and they had each gotten a few drinks into them, Cameron said:

  “So I have to admit, there was a reason I asked you out Lynn?”

  “Oh really?” Lynn asked playfully, genuinely curious.

  “Yes, really,” Cameron said, smiling intently. He waited, letting the silence draw out as he stared into her eyes. When she couldn’t take the tension anymore, she looked away.

  “And what might that be,” she asked, forcing herself to look back at him. Scared and exhilarated at the same time.

  “I’ve noticed you looking at me in the office,” he said.

  A jolt ran through her. There it was again. That animal gleam, as if he saw and read her every detail.

  “Well, you are the boss. Everyone is looking when you walk in,” she said, wondering if he would believe her. Hoping he didn’t. Cameron merely chuckled.

  “You would think that was the case, but mostly it’s just the opposite. People pretend not to notice me. They sneak one initial glance, and then pretend like they’ve been caught working. But not you. This may sound presumptuous, but I know that you aren’t the only female in the office to desire me,” he said, teasingly.

  She blushed, em
barrassed. He might be her boss, but just who did he think he was?

  “And who says I like you?” she said, defiantly. Cameron’s smile faded slightly.

  “I apologize. Don’t get me wrong, I’m interested too. I said that only to explain part of the reason why,” he said. She was dizzy a moment, and it wasn’t just the alcohol. But never mind that. What was the reason?”

  “Alright, I’ll bite,” she said, trying to seem mildly intrigued. “Why?”

  “Aside from being a stunning woman, you are physically honest. That’s what caught my eye about you,” he said, smiling at her with intent as he let a hand graze her bare shoulder. Tingles ran up her arm, making everything seem and feel fuzzy. Cameron knew better than to talk about how she wore very little perfume, letting her natural scent shine through, or about her walk, or about how when she was goofing around with colleagues her expressions were somehow fresh yet sensual. No, it was too early for any of that. Then again, he only had the better part of the day. He tried not to think of what would happen if they consummated and she was not interested in marriage. He knew what he wanted, and wasn’t going to settle because it was reasonable. He’d been reasonable his whole life. Now, he was going to do something for himself for once.

  “Physically honest?” She said, genuinely confused. “You’re going to have to explain that one, Cameron,” she said, relishing the sound of his first name on her lips.

  “I prefer it when people communicate non-verbally, that’s all,” he said, smiling as if he knew some secret.

  Later, after they finished their drinks, Cameron settled the tab and they headed back to his car.

  “So, could I interest you in a night cap at my place? I’ll call a cab for you, after,” Cameron said in as gentlemanly a manner as possible. Suddenly, Lynn burst into laughter. They were standing outside Cameron’s car, and Cameron held the passenger door open for her, looking more than a little confused.

  As Lynn got in, she said:

  “Cameron, you know very well that you have no intention of me leaving your place, tonight,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

  A playful, devilish, wolf grin slid across Cameron’s face. The combination of alcohol and company with this straightforward woman was melting his guard.

  Now that all question about what was happening that evening had been addressed, Cameron drove them to a nearby five-star hotel rather than making the long trek home (where no doubt some of his father’s wolves would be keeping an eye on him).

  They got a room with a full bar and every accoutrement imaginable, and sipped the night away on a bottle of champagne. Later that evening, when the bottle was finished, Cameron came in close to Lynn, smelling her neck. Lynn craned her head and enjoyed the sensation, pulling his head and giggling as she kicked a leg up.

  Cameron pulled back, gazing deeply into Lynn’s eyes.

  “Hello beautiful,” he said.

  “Hey there, handsome,” she replied.

  “How about a dance,” he said, walking over to a stereo system and pushing a few buttons. After a few moments, eighties dance music filled the room and Cameron began to dance. It was a free but intense shuffle, weird but on beat and strangely appealing. He looked at her intensely, raising a confident eyebrow. Lynn laughed. It was, she realized, a sort of mating dance. Joining him, they continued to dance for the rest of the song, slowly touching each other more and more, their caresses tingling up and down their bodies.

  By the end of the song, they were in a full embrace kissing deeply. They fell onto the soft comforters of the hotel bed. Cameron had already loosened his tie, and pulled it off now, unbuttoning his shirt. Lynn helped him, starting from the bottom and pulling loose his belt when she met him in the middle. They work in turns, tossing their clothing this way and that and kissing into each other as much as they could.

  When they were both naked they laughed for joy, kissing each other’s bodies. Cameron had to struggle to keep the wolf inside, fully contained. He wanted her so bad it ached.

  Cameron moved down her chest, between her breasts and around them, taking his time to reach her nipples. When he did he suckled slowly, enjoying the cadence of her sighs.

  When both nipples were rock hard and Lynn’s eyes were closed in pleasure, focusing on every touch of his hands or caress of his lips, Cameron moved lower, down her chest and past her belly button in a track of light kisses. He could smell the light scent of her arousal when he reached her mound, and it made his mouth water in anticipation.

  Drinking her scent in deeply, he nuzzled just above her left, taking a moment to admire it. Her eyes open lazily in awareness of his breath on her secret spot. Cameron’s heart beat fast as he saw her wetness, desiring her immensely. He lapped at her cleft, going wild as she began to writhe intensely. He stayed focused, enjoying her, pinning her hips down for better access, drinking in her scent and taste.

  “Oh god, just fuck me now,” she pleaded in heavy breaths. But Cameron was not finished yet. First, he turned out the light in case, as had been known to happen with wolf shifters in the heat of passion, some of his wolf shone through. When the room was dark, he leapt onto Lynn with renewed gusto, getting drunk on her scent and taste. After neither she nor he could tell how many orgasms she’d had, he readied his member outside her trembling, full lips, finding them with his night vision in the dark.

  Lynn laid a hand on his member, exploring her lover. He was big, bigger than she’d ever had. And there was something else…almost like although he was already aroused, the size and shape of it undulated slightly. Before she could explore further, he put himself into her mouth, her lips giving the barest resistance out of surprise more than anything else.

  As her lips sealed tight over his shaft, his knob safely inside, she felt wonderfully overwhelmed by its scent. She felt herself get hornier; almost feeling as though her orgasm compulsion was a compulsion. She drank him further, tasting his unique flavors as his cock undulated and changed shape in her mouth. She loved it, but was also stalling. Would it fit?

  As if sensing her tension, her caution, Cameron laid a hand on her head, moving her hair back as she pleasured him enthusiastically. He caressed a cheek even as a little of himself dribbled down it out of her mouth, his first finish. It was so much she could barely contain it.

  “Swallow me, my love,” Cameron said simply, in a breathy animal whisper. She obeyed, wanting to please him completely.

  Cameron pulled himself from her mouth with a little resistance, her head straining forward an inch to keep him in as his hand rested on either side of her head, gently holding her back. Pulling his cock further down, breaking the spittle and cum mix connecting to her lips like a sloppy lovers’ kiss, he positioned himself over her tight, steaming hot, wet pussy, and gently shoved in.

  She moaned as she separated for him, feeling him slide into her. Cameron rolled his eyes in pleasure as he felt the wolf vie for freedom. Hair sprouted on his arms and hands, and had to stop a moment to suppress it once more.

  Lynn loved it. She felt his dick continue to undulate inside of her, and though she really knew she should be caring about what was happening, every time she drank in his scent again, her worries faded, even has his piece began to settle into the larger form. She ran her hands through the hair on his back, letting all of her questions melt into pleasure. Vaguely, somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized that what was happening was odd, as his moans became more guttural and animal. All she could feel was the pleasure of his deep fur, of him deep within him, of his hot and heavy breath as he thrust into her more deeply and roughly than she’d ever known she could take.

  Cameron held onto the last vestiges of his human side, the wolf having taken over more than he’d wanted, though he was not full were-wolf yet. He was grateful when he felt the build toward finish, as the human side would not hold back the wolf for much longer.

  Lynn felt herself fill up with his seed, and when she could hold no more it spilled out of her. Exhausted, lying in each other’s arm
s, Cameron shifted back to his human form, spent.

  The next morning, Lynn woke up first. She wasn’t sure whether to run screaming from the house, or rose Cameron for a sleuth of questions. I suppose it’s a little late to go running now, she thought. Besides, I might not ever get answers if I do.

  Was it possible that the alcohol they’d had the night before had hallucinogenic properties? She’d heard of liquors that do that - though champagne that did was a bit of a stretch. What then? The answer circled in her brain, her mind keeping it at bay by searching for another explanation, any explanation.

  But it was no use. The spontaneous sprouting of hair, the animal groans, and the changing shape of his….but she tried not to think too hard about that. No, there was no denying it. Werewolf. It was either that or something altogether more alien and, perhaps, frightening.

  Which was why, to Cameron’s surprise, Lynn reacted rather well when he confirmed her belief.

  “Yes, I am a werewolf, also known as lycanthrope. No, you can’t be turned into one by a scratch or bite, though it does happen with a full blood transfusion. No we don’t lose control and kill everything in sight during a full moon; in fact we’ve stayed a secret by gaining a very good control over our emotions. Anything else?”

  Lynn was stunned. It was if he had been planning to give this speech his whole life. That or he had given it to different girls a million times.

  “How many others know?” She asked, getting out of bed slowly enough not to alarm him, but never taking her eyes off of him.

  “Just my family. Never a woman I’ve been with.”

  There was another pause while she bent down to gather her clothing, still not taking her eyes off of him.

  “So, why me?” She asked.

  “Because I like you,” he said simply. He knew it wasn’t the complete truth, but she was being very reasonable and he hated to ruin it. So far, this was going better than he had hoped. She came in close, sitting on the bed next to him. She eyed him closely looking for the wolf she had seen only the day before. She could find nothing, save for the sense she had always had about him. The sense that he was dangerous.