The Lion’s Mail Order Menage

“My package?  Sh*t, you mean the girls?  They’re here?  I forgot that I gave your address as the place for them to head to.  Are they OK?  Are you freaking out?  I can be there in like fifteen minutes.”

“Not gonna lie to you, Tyler, I’m a little freaked out.  And there’s a problem.”

“Tell me.”

“No,” Caleb said with just a little hint of irony in his voice that Tyler decided to let slide for the time being, “I think I should probably show you instead.  Fifteen minutes, OK?”

He didn’t even wait for a response, just hung up the phone without another word or so much as a how do you do.  Tyler looked at the phone in such surprise that he couldn’t even be mad at the guy.  He had been pretty sure it was never going to happen, but maybe Caleb was finally starting to grow a pair.  It wasn’t the best timing for him to go all rogue, but it was something that needed to happen.

Tyler knew that Caleb needed to start standing up for himself so he ignored that little voice in his head that shouted out that he was the alpha, god damnit.  He fought that voice so that he could wish the best for his friend, which was what he wanted to do.  He wanted to be that kind of friend and he was going to have to figure out how to handle him changing in some ways. 

But not right now.  No, right now what he needed to do was get to Caleb’s place as fast as he possibly could to see what kind of ungodly mess he had brought upon their heads.  He didn’t even bother to tell Geno he was leaving, something he almost always made time for, just headed out the back door into the alleyway, calling loudly for a cab before he even reached the street.

“Caleb!  Yo, Caleb!  I’m standing out here in the hallway, man!  You gonna let me in or what?  What the fu*k is going on in there?”

Tyler, feeling like the fool Geno has said he was even as he did it, put his ear up to the door and listened intently, trying to decide if there was something going on in there that he needed to be worried about.  If so, he had absolutely no problem kicking down the door and shifting into his lion self, but he didn’t want to do a thing like that unless he was absolutely sure.  He had a feeling that Caleb wouldn’t be too happy with him destroying the property and things were already weird enough between them as it was.

“Caleb!  Count of three man, and then I’m busting this fu*ker open.”

“Hold on!  Jesus Christ, it’s like you’re a five year old or something.”

Well, at least he knew he was alive in there, that was a good start.  He had actually started getting visions of his friend tied up and gagged or something equally ridiculous.  It just seemed like something that would happen to them, with the kind of luck the two of them had.  It was just that if one of them was going to be punished for this rash and arguably idiotic decision, he wanted it to be him, not Caleb. 

But he was in there, alive and well apparently, and cursing to himself under his breath as he undid the multiple locks he had on his big steel door.  When he finally got it open, he had such an annoyed look on his face that it was comical, like something off of a sitcom.  With great effort, Tyler managed not to laugh.  He could see that Caleb didn’t think any of this was funny and he had a feeling laughing was only going to make things a whole lot worse for everyone involved. 

So he stayed quiet and stood still where he was, not wanting to just barge in the way he usually would.  Things weren’t the same as they had been the last time he had come over.  He wanted Caleb to see that he respected him enough to honor that change.  It seemed like the least he could do.

“What the hell are you doing, Tyler?” Caleb practically shouted in a strained voice. “What are you doing just standing there with that stupid look on your face?  Get in here.”

Tyler took a steadying breath and shut his eyes just long enough to remind himself that he was here for his friend and that his friend was all amped up because of something he had done.  That was going to be important to remember, too, if Tyler was going to be able to keep from kicking his ass.  So he followed him inside, completely unsure of who he was going to find.  It was only at this moment that he realized the site he had ordered these girls from didn’t even give their names.  It hadn’t even pretended that they were real people.

“OK, you wanna tell me what’s going on now?  What was that phone call?  What is it that I needed to see for myself?”

“It’s right there.  Take a look.”

Tyler glanced around, starting to get annoyed by how cryptic Caleb was being.  As far as he could see, there was nothing out of the ordinary.  Hell, he didn’t even see the girl.  Had all of this been some kind of a fu*ked up prank?  Some stupid way to get him back for the thing he had pretty much coerced Caleb into doing?  But then, as he forced himself to calm down and really rely on his senses, he smelled something that was most definitely female.

It was intoxicating, unlike any girl he had smelled before, all spice and florals and something else, something he was pretty sure was her fear.  Once he smelled it, he could not unsmell it, and it seemed impossible that he hadn’t seen her there in the first place.  She was right there in front of his face, sitting in almost the exact spot he had occupied the last time he had been in this place.

She was small, delicate in a way none of the women in the neighborhood were, and he felt like he would never be able to take his eyes off her.  She turned to look at him, hesitation and fear in her face, and the face was extraordinary, as well.  Her skin was perfect, an unblemished alabaster with a slight pink flush that extended down the length of her neck.  She had wide blue eyes that looked so clear they were almost like stone, and black hair piled up loosely on top of her head.