Hunting

[cautiousswitch]

Matthew was in the farmer’s market as usual.  It happened every month.  Gina and he met at the crafts fair, got separated by different interests, and wound up meeting again at the market.  They would then argue about what to make for dinner, eventually wind up back at one of their apartments, eat, and wind up in bed.

He had some fresh salmon in his refrigerator but she had recently bought a bottle of red wine, they eventually agreed on a pasta dish – but that’s not the part of the story anyone is interested in.

He worked for a corporation had a partnership with.  They had met over a year ago when they collaborated on a project and had hit it off.  He had an alpha personality but, unlike a lot of alpha want-to-bes, saw the advantage in respecting leadership qualities in other alphas.  Especially, if the other alpha was as competent as Gina.  Their relationship had thrived on bickering negotiations and playful one-upmanship.

“You always want to run off and watch the blacksmiths,” she said leading him to his bedroom.  “I suppose you think it’s such a big macho activity.”  She paused at the door to give him a kiss.  “You probably see yourself as one who shapes the metal, but you are the malleable one.”

“Big talk.  We both knew where tonight was going.  I’m just letting you think you’re leading me.”  He let her take his hand but pulled it away after they had passed through the door.  “We both know that you’ll be putty in my hands,” he unbuttoned his top shirt button, “once I do my seductive strip tease.”  Another button went.

Gina laughed.  “If all it took to control someone was a strip tease then I- Ooooo, what’s that?”

Matthew didn’t normally wear jewelry but had revealed a necklace as he opened his shirt.  “I got it at the fair,” he said holding up the silver wolf’s head that was on the chain around his neck.  “The guy at the booth said t was my spirit *** and it looked pretty cool…”

“Kisses!” While he was speaking, Gina had unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse and pulled out a similar looking piece of silver.  She clinked it to his totem as she called out.

A chill went down her spine as the two pieces touched.  Matthew’s bearing had changed, as had her perception of him.  He was still desirable but also dangerous.  He made a grab at her wrist, and she pulled away taking a step back at the same time.  He paused to undo his pants, a move that thrilled her and yet she saw it as some sort of a trap.  She tried to run past him, but he caught her in one arm and scooped her over onto his bed.

Her heart was racing.  She wanted him now more than she ever had before, but every instinct told her to run.  The conflicting thoughts were like a double dose of adrenaline, but she didn’t know what to do with it.  She scratched at him feebly but it only seemed to make him want her more.  He nuzzled her neck making a low growling noise and then bit lightly.

“Oh my god, he’s going to eat me!” she thought.  She scratched at his rib cage and shoved him back as hard as she could with her other hand.  Catching him by surprise, she was able to back part way out from under him on her elbows, but he grabbed her leg just above the knee and pulled her back towards him.  When she was closer, his other hand grabbed the waistband of her skirt also getting into her underwear.  He pulled now not to bring her towards him but to undress her.  Her clothing rubbed roughly as it was ***d over her hips.  She renewed her struggles but still didn’t protest because deep down she knew that this was the way she wanted it.

And when she was exposed Matthew lunged forward pinning her with his body.  She felt his cock rub against her and new her end was near.  As he penetrated her she let out the strangled cry of a small *** being killed.  Then she sighed.  She took hold of his hips to guide him as he thrust into her.  His attitude changed too.  As they made love he became less savage.  When it was finally over he held her gently and she felt safe.

They weren’t really dating.  Since they had first met they had been getting together two or three nights a week and it had all been very casual.  This had all changed since that night.  Now they met every night and every night was similar to that one.  It was confusing to Gina.  She wanted to be with him but was apprehensive when they got together.  When they were alone apprehension turned to ***.  And then there was the duality of wanting to escape and wanting to be caught.  She briefly considered seeing a therapist about the contradiction, but there was always the mind-blowing sex and happy ending that made her know that the nights weren’t a bad thing.

Her days were something else altogether.  Less than a week after they had started the new routine she botched a major negotiation with such a rookie mistake that there was office chatter about it throughout the building.  Shortly thereafter an intern proofreading a contract Gina had drafted noticed that an important clause had been omitted.  She started to get assigned projects of less importance and after a few weeks of errors wasn’t being assigned the lead of the projects she was on.

-----

“The fox,” the old Indian at the crafts fair said at the end of the month.  “Clever ***.  Knows its strengths.  Knows its weaknesses.  Knows how to work its way around its weaknesses rather than futilely running at them headfirst.”  He hung the necklace he had been holding back on the stand.  “I remember that it seemed fitting but now I think I was mistaken.”

“You said it was my spirit guide,” Gina said, “but I bought something else.”  She clutched at the rabbit totem around her neck, not quite sure why she still wore it.  “I want the fox now.”

“But the fox no longer wants you.”

-----

Three month’s later and Gina had lost her job and was managing a retail shop.  Even this wasn’t going well.  She was still an intelligent woman but seemed to make bad choices.  She wouldn’t be fired but probably demoted to salesclerk.  Her bunny brain accepted this.  Rabbits don’t control their lives; they just run to where they are chased.

Her phone buzzed and she had a text message from Matthew.  “Marino’s at 7”.

She typed a reply.  “No but I’ll be near there – find me if you can”.

The only bit of control she had left in her life was the hunt.  That is, she could initiate the hunt.  She was doomed to always be caught, she thought with a smile.  She considered her past boyfriends.  None of them would have accepted such a message from her more than once.  Fortunately, the wolf liked the hunt too.