Chapter 45: 3

Gordon woke to the sound of his cellphone ringing. He rolled onto his side, reaching for his phone, which was not on the nightstand next to him. Giving himself a second to become more alert, he sat up on the edge of the bed and looked around. He was still in the hotel room, but he appeared to be alone.

The phone stopped ringing, and Gordon stood up, raking his fingers through his dark tangles as he walked to the bathroom to find it also empty.

Mackenzie must have slipped out while he was sleeping. Walking back into the main suite, he noticed the large mirror over the desk had a message scrolled across it in burgundy lipstick that read: Had to work, call me — followed by lip print kiss as a signature. Gordon smiled. Yeah, he’d had fun too.

Suddenly his phone was ringing again. Gordon searched his jacket and removed the smartphone. He snarled with disgust. Then he saw Melissa’s picture and number. “Nope,” he hit decline, then he went into the settings and blocked her number. With that done, he checked his call history to see he had missed ten calls and fifty text messages. It would seem Melissa had been trying to contact him all morning. Probably pissed off, he hadn’t come back after a few drinks. Oh well, he owed her no explanation. However, he should probably go home. He needed a shower and a fresh set of clothes before he went to work. He had his first appointment at noon, and the clock on his phone said it was well past 8:00 am.

Gordon got dressed and left the hotel. He walked out the doors heading for his bike when he saw a female uniformed officer writing him a ticket. He ran over. “No, I’m here,” he said, reaching her.

“Is your motorcycle, Sir?”

“Yes. Look, I know I parked here overnight, and I wasn’t supposed to, but I had a hell of a night. First, I find out my wife is cheating on me with my friend and then….”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the officer cut him off. “Your wife sounds like a bitch. It’s such a shame when a woman doesn’t know what she’s got,” Gordon was confused. What was going on here? “You know what? I’ll let you off with a warning. You’ve had a bad enough time,” she then took his hand and using the pen she had been using to write him up. She scrawled her phone number across his palm. “You give me a call if you need someone to talk to,” she said, then caressed his face and walked back to her cruiser and went about her day.

Gordon looked down at his hand. Taking hold of his shirt, he lifted the fabric to his nose and sniffed it.

Was he giving off some form of Fuck Me pheromone? Looking at his hand again, Gordon smiled. It seems he was on a hot streak, and it took no time at all. Single life was looking promising. He should have divorced Melissa sooner.

Gordon straddled his bike and revved the engine up. Lifting his feet, he pulled out of the parking lot and into the street. He was heading home to make sure Melissa had packed her stuff and left. It took twenty minutes to reach Feral and another ten to get home. He pulled into the driveway and groaned when he saw Melissa’s little hatchback. He put his bike in park and turned it off. He climbed off his bike and made his way to the door. Once inside, he noticed Melissa. She had been sitting on the couch, and she rose when he walked in. She looked like she had been crying, but it was clear manipulation.

“Where have you been all night?” She demanded.

“At a hotel.”

“Doing what?”

“A twenty-six-year-old.”

He said, walking past her heading upstairs to his room. He needed to get rid of Melissa and get a shower in before he left for work. Melissa followed him; her tears were replaced by anger. “You had sex with another woman?”

“Repeatedly,” he said, reaching his room. He opened the closet and took out a suitcase which he left on the foot of the bed opened.

“Fine, you got it out of your system. I hurt you. You hurt me. We are even.”

Gordon laughed. “We are so far from even. Even is not in the same galaxy,” he said, taking her clothes from the closet and throwing them into the suitcase.

“What are you doing?”

“Packing your stuff.”

“You were serious about throwing me out?”

“Yes.”

“This is my house.”

“No, it’s my house. The deed is in my name, and I am the one that has paid every mortgage payment.

You were just living here, and now you don’t. I can take this to court. “Go ahead, but that will take time, and I don’t think you can afford the lawyer. Melissa had not worked a day in their relationship. She had raised Aster, and after their daughter moved out, she started working as the midwife for the pack, but she never charged.”

“I have no income. What am I supposed to do? How do I provide for myself? Where do I go?”

I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care,” he said, closing the suitcase. “Now, are you going to walk out, or am I going to have to throw you out literally?”

“This isn’t fair.”

“Fair!” He yelled, his eyes glowing with rage. “You want to talk about fair?” He said, picking up the suitcase and advancing on Melissa, which made her back out of the room and down the stairs as he came at her slowly. “For decades, I took your abuse. I cleaned up after you. I provided for you. I bent over backwards to keep you happy, and all you ever did was shit on me and cheat. Today is my Independence Day. I’m not a petty man. I won’t exile you from the pack, but you will get the fuck out of my house.”

Reaching the door, he opened and shoved Melissa out the door and threw her suitcase at her. Angry, she narrowed her eyes at him and got that nasty, vindictive look she always had. “So, you’re just going to run around town hitting on young girls like some filthy old man?”

Gordon grinned, not letting her nasty mood phase him. “For the record, they hit on me. Besides, I thought a little youth would be a nice change,” that offended look on her face was priceless, and Gordon slammed the door in her face. He paused and then opened the door to see her still standing there. She had just taken out her keys to get into her car, and he snatched her keys right out of her hand. He quickly removed the house key and threw the others back at her and shut the door, and locked it. He tossed the spare key up in the air and caught it with a smile. Yup, things were looking up.

***

Mackenzie pulled into the parking lot just out front of the Blood Moon Studio. She pushed open the door to her car and stepped out with a six-pack of beer, and shut the door by bumping it with her hip.

She adjusted the red skirt because it had ridden up her thighs while driving. She had on an off-white blouse with a decorative red silk scarf and matching pumps. She had swept her long heavy blond curls up in a loose, sloppy bun that gave her a flashy look. Her heels clicked on the concrete of the sidewalk as she reached for the door and went inside.

The door chimed as she walked in and over to the service counter. “Come on back,” she heard Gordon call to her. He probably would have called to anyone since he was the only employee and was likely with a client. She rounded the counter and went into the back. Gordon glanced up, and he smiled at her. “Well, if it isn’t my favourite drinking buddy,” he said, wiping off the chest of the man he had been tattooing and rose to his feet.

“I brought you a little something,” Mackenzie said, offering him the six-pack.

Gordon accepted the beer and smiled at her. “Thanks. Most bring coffee, but I like this better.”

“I thought you would.”

“What brings you by? We don’t have an appointment right now,” she moved closer and toyed with the collar of his shirt.

“I was hoping to book another after-hours appointment with you.”

He grinned with pride. “A repeat of last night?”

“I certainly hope so.”

Gordon laughed. “I think we can arrange something. Why don’t you come to my place tonight? I’ll make you dinner, and we can… chill.”

“That sounds perfect,” she accepted.

Gordon grabbed a sticky note off his counter and wrote something on it, then offered it to Mackenzie.

“That’s my address. Say seven?”

“Seven it is,” she leaned in and placed a feather-light kiss to his cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

“I will be waiting.”

As Mackenzie headed for the door, Gordon sat back down and picked up his tattoo machine. “She is hot,” she heard the client say.

“Yes, she is,” Gordon replied.

***

Mackenzie pulled her car into the parking lot next to a motorcycle she assumed belonged to Gordon.

Gordon lived a few minutes away from the small town of Feral, where his tattoo shop was located. He must have done some good business because his two-level mountain cabin was very nice, at least from the outside. The cabin was on the side of a small lake. The exterior looked like it was made of logs with tall windows. There was a curving wooden staircase that went up to the front door.

Mackenzie went up the stairs and rang the doorbell. It took a moment before the door opened, and when it did, she was face to face with Gordon and his sinful smile. He had changed from work. He had put on a clean pair of jeans with no tears in the knee and a black cotton button-up dress shirt, which he left unbuttoned at the neck and untucked at the waist. He had tied his dark hair back in, and he had trimmed his beard, so he looked less shabby.

“You clean up nice,” she purred as he stepped aside and invited her in.

“Thank you,” he said, shutting the door. “You caught me off guard last night, but tonight I had time to get ready. So I dressed appropriately.”

“Oh, I don’t mind the ripped jeans and studded leather. The whole bad boy thing you got going on is sexy,” she said, pressing herself fully against him as her lips teased her.

“Dinner is almost ready. I hope you are hungry.”

“Famished.”

Mackenzie looked around the foyer. There was a staircase in front of them that went upstairs. To the right was a large living room and to the left a dining room. She followed Gordon through the dining room to the kitchen at the back of the house. It was a quaint little kitchen. There were doors that opened out onto a large deck that overlooked the small lake outside. It was a nice view.

The kitchen smelled fabulous. She took a seat on the barstool at the island as she watched Gordon open the oven and take dinner out. He placed the roasting pan on the stovetop. “It smells great. What did you make?

“Wrack of lamb.”

Mackenzie gasped and stood up, walking over to the stove to look a the beautifully cooked lamb. “I love lamb.”

“So do I.”

“You surprise me at every turn. You never disappoint,” she looked at one of the pots. “What else did you make?”

“Caramelized acorn squash and wild rice.”

“Look at you. A dynamite lay and a good cook. You never fail to impress.”

He chuckled. “I think you are easily impressed.”

“What is for dessert?” She asked, smiling seductively up at him.

Gordon leaned over and whispered in her ear. “You.”

Her grin grew. “Looking forward to it.”

“First, I feed your belly. Then I satisfy your lust,” he said as he began to plate. Once he was done, he offered Mackenzie a bottle of wine, two glasses, and cutlery. He then picked up both plates, and they took their dinner to the dining room. They both sat at the end of the table kitty-corner to each other, so they were able to sit close and talk while they enjoyed this magnificent meal.

“Have you been living in Aspen long?” Gordon asked as he cut his lamb.

“About six years.”

“Where are you from?”

“California.”

“Why would you move from California to Colorado?” He laughed. “As an event planner, wouldn’t you make more money planning celebrity weddings in LA?”

“Probably. I like it here. It’s a nice touristy town, so I still do fairly good business. Have you always lived in Colorado?”

“All my life.”

“Your house is impressive. I had no idea tattooing paid this well.”

“Well, it pays well enough, but I also invest money in various businesses that turn me a tidy profit.”

“So you are clever and financially stable. A bad boy who has his shit together. There is an oddity.”

“I had my wilder days when I was younger, but I smartened up quickly when I became responsible for the lives and welfare of others.”

Mackenzie did not understand what that meant. “Who are you responsible for?”

For a moment, he took on that deer in the headlights look as if he had shared something with her. He had not meant to.

“I have kids… well, I have one child that is biological and a few I sort of fostered. They are all grown up now.”

“How do you sort of foster someone?”

“It is hard to explain. I don’t feel like getting into it right now,” fair enough. There were things she did not wish to discuss at this point, either.

“Is your biological child a boy or a girl?”

“Girl.”

“How old is your daughter?”

“Twenty-three.”

Mackenzie was only a few years older than Gordon’s adult daughter. “How does she feel about you messing around with younger women?”

“I have no reason to tell her. Besides, she’s dealing with her mother and me breaking up. I see no reason to add to her stress right now,” she supposed that was fair too. At the moment, they were just two consenting adults engaging in casual sex. Why would he tell his daughter about Mackenzie? “I have to admit I’m still kind of thrown that you are into me. I’m old enough to be your father.”

She smiled and reached her hand out, tracing her fingers along his stubbled jaw. The hint of grey in his beard only added to his appeal. Sure, he was older but sexy as hell. “It’s hard not to be attracted to a silver fox.”

Gordon laughed. “Is that what I am?”

“Defiantly,” she said, rising from her chair and slipping onto Gordon’s lap, wedging herself between him and the table at her back. Her skirt slid up her thighs as she straddled him drawing his gaze down to her bare legs. Gordon’s hands went to her legs, caressing her thighs as they slowly slid up, slipping beneath her skirt. “Every time I’m around you, all I can think of is riding that huge cock of yours,” he said, reaching down between them and rubbing him through his jeans, feeling him grow in her hand.

“Why wait?” He said, kissing her mouth hard.

“Who the fuck are you?” A woman’s shrill voice hit the couple like a bucket of ice water.

Mackenzie looked over to the foyer, where a middle-aged blond stood with a key in one hand and a nasty scowl on her face. Mackenzie was confused by this woman’s presence. “Who the fuck are you?”

She retorted.

“I’m his wife.”

“Ex,” Gordon stressed.

“Not yet.”

“I will rectify that,” Gordon placed both hands on Mackenzie’s hips and lifted her out of his lap, sitting her on the edge of the table so he could rise. Once standing, Gordon had to adjust his jeans to accommodate the erection he was trying to fight. He turned to face his ex-wife. “How did you even get in, Melissa?”

Melissa held up the key in her hand. “The spare key we keep in the planter outside.”

Gordon snatched the key from her hands. “That’s it. I’m changing the locks.”

“This is my home too.”

“Not anymore.”

“Where do you expect me to stay?”

“I don’t give a shit.”

“I get it. You are mad.”

“No, I’m indifferent.”

“No, you are mad, and you are trying to punish me,” Melissa snarled. “Look, go ahead, fuck the tart.

Get it out of your system. I’m going to bed,” she said, heading for the stairs.

Gordon grabbed Melissa by the arm, stopping her from going upstairs. “You don’t seem to get this. You don’t live here. You have no right to be in this house.”

“I’ve had enough of your shit!” Melissa growled, then she swung and smacked Gordon so hard across the face he let her go and stumbled back a few feet. Mackenzie yelped from the shock covering her mouth with both hands. That woman had struck him so hard. She heard what sounded like a low animalistic growl rumble from deep inside him as Gordon stood up straight and glared at his wife.

“What are you going to do about it?” Melissa challenged him with a cocky smile. “Do it, Gordon, get angry, show her what you really are,” Melissa moved closer and sneered. “Do you think she would still want you after she sees your true face?”

Mackenzie jumped off the table and made her way over. She pushed her way in between Gordon and his wife. “You need to leave,” she told Melissa.

“Who the fuck do you think you are to tell me I have to leave?”

“Leave, or I will throw you out,” Mackenzie threatened.

“Are you threatening me?”

“He might not hit you, but I sure as hell will.”

Melissa gasped mockingly. “And break a nail, princess?”

Mackenzie smiled sweetly as she squared off against Melissa. “I may look like Hollywood Boulevard, but I’m still ghetto enough to beat your ass, and I’ll do it in stilettos.”

Melissa scoffed and looked at Gordon. “Are you going to let this little girl fight your battles? You always were pathetic.”

Gordon pointed to the door. “Get out, Melissa, or I will let her kick your ass.”

Melissa snarled and then walked to the door. “This is far from over. Your little slut isn’t always going to be around.”

Gordon walked over to Melissa and leaned in to whisper something in her ear. Suddenly Melissa looked horrified. Then she quietly walked out the door, closing it behind her.

“What did you say to her?” Mackenzie was curious about what changed the Queen Bitch into a cowering kitten.

“None of your business,” he said. He was now in a bad mood. The fun, carefree, playful man she knew him to be had been replaced by someone cold and distant. “Date is over,” he said, walking back to the table to clean up from dinner.

“Do you want me to help you clean up?” She offered.

“No,” he said, his back still to her.

“I could stay, and we could just talk if you want,” she felt like maybe he needed an ear to vent to.

“No.”

“What if I just stay and…”

“No!” He barked, raising his voice and slamming both hands on the table. Mackenzie jumped nearly out of her skin and took a few steps back. It only took a moment for Gordon to calm down, but he still would not look at her. “Please leave.”

Respecting his wishes, Mackenzie left the house.