Jenny let out a sad, low whine and then bolted out the door and down the hallway, presumably heading back to her room, half running on all fours. Ms. Adair smiled coldly at me as she pulled the memory card from the now-broken camera.
“What? Not so eager to chase after her now, hmm?” she asked.
“Just..giving her some space is all,” I replied. I was doing my best to avoid seeming confrontational to my boss. One wrong word, one misperceived tone of voice or turn of phrase, and the best case scenario was me losing my job. If I went too far, the Cuco might be let loose on me, or worse yet, Ms. Adair herself.
Ms. Adair allowed herself what appeared to be a genuine smile for a split second. “That's the smartest thing you've said or done all day, Mr. Anderson. Maybe you WILL last awhile.” A loud howl echoed down the hallway and she rubbed her temples and then smirked. “Let me know if you would like separate accommodations for tonight, or if you'll be going home. From the sounds of things, my daughter is in quite a mood.”
I sighed and left the room; there was no point in sticking around. I noticed a handful of women lingering in the halls, glancing curiously in the direction of Jenny's howl. I could only presume they were also shifters of some form. I couldn't help but notice the curious glances they gave me, or the way they dropped their gazes when Ms. Adair strode past me in the hallway.
A hand reached out and lightly grabbed my elbow. I turned in surprise, only to find Chelsea looking at me with a bit of concern, and she gave a slight inclination of her head, indicating I should join her in her room, which I had just passed. Aside from Jenny, she was the only other person I really felt comfortable with upon initially meeting, and so I decided to take her up on the invitation.
The first thing I noticed was how small her room was compared to Jenny's. There wasn't a kitchenette, and her bed was just a queen-sized one. There was a large desk with a gaming-quality computer, however. The second was how girly it was. The bed had a frilly pink duvet cover, and the walls were painted a light pink as well. There were several vases of flowers, and a few posters on the wall of various pop stars, much like a teenager's room might be decorated. The third was the almost shocking amount of sex toys, lotions, and accessories she had on her nightstand, and even one sitting on the desk next to her monitor.
She was dressed very much like a girl who'd planned to stay in her room for the rest of the night, in boy shorts and a semi-transparent string top. I could see she'd decided not to bother with a bra, not that it would have mattered in her case. She had tits that barely would have qualified as A-Cups, though given her thin and long frame, that wasn't shocking. In a different set of circumstances, I'd have probably been hitting on her. Her coppery hair and cute freckled face, along with her long legs definitely were attractive. (Though I had yet to see a woman that wasn't at least “pretty” here, unsurprisingly.)
“You okay, new guy?” she asked. Her voice was soft, and her eyes reflected concern.
“Yeah..” I sighed, “Just a little flustered. The photo shoot got kind of complicated.”
She nodded sympathetically. “Yeah, Ms. Adair sometimes likes to test the new folks.”
“It felt like she was trying to scare me off of being with her daughter. She injected her with a syringe of adrenalin. I think that's what she said it was, at least.”
“Oh shit! That..yeah, that sends the change into overdrive.”
Chelsea's head tilted slightly and she sniffed the air. “I can smell her all over you. Did you get bit?”
I shook my head. “No, nothing like that. She actually got in between me and her mother at one point. Like totally body-blocking Ms. Adair from getting within arm's reach.”
Her eyes widened. “Holy shit,THAT'S surprising. You really must have charmed Jenny. When we get dosed like that..usually Judith is on site to..well..” Chelsea blushed lightly. “Drain us, so that the photographer or anyone else in the room isn't hurt. We get a little...overwhelmed..when we get forced to change. You definitely were in danger.”
I nodded, and was more than a little inwardly concerned that my suspicion was correct. “I suspect that Ms. Adair realized that Jenny and I had..uhh..been intimate last night.”
Chelsea giggled softly. “Ah, broke your fur cherry last night, eh?” she asked, playfully poking me in the ribs with a finger.
I shook my head. “Not..uhh, not really?” I replied awkwardly. “I mean, I guess if you want to get technical, yeah, since she's a lycan. But no, she didn't change. We just had regular..human sex? I got the impression she hadn't really had a guy treat her nicely before.”
Unexpectedly, Chelsea suddenly moved forward and gave me a long hug and a kiss at the corner of my mouth. “You're sweet,” she whispered. She stepped back away, seeming to disregard the stunned look on my face. “Possibly too sweet for this place.” She moved over to her bed and sat on the edge of it, patting the space on the mattress next to her. “We need to talk.”