Kodiak Dating Agency

by Haley Weir

  His heartbeat increased and sweat began to bead on his forehead. It wasn’t the heat from the fire that made his body react, but the heat he saw in her eyes. Dorian could practically feel the lush curves of her body beneath his calloused palms. Hips that a man could grab ahold of, a body built for redemption and sin. His mouth felt dry and he thrusted against the blankets, but he ached to feel the softness of her thighs wrap around his hips.

  Muscles bulged as Dorian gripped the edges of his bunk and fought against the feeling that swept through him. Then she began to sing. Her voice was perfect, flowing, and husky. The sounds took him back in time and urged him to reach out to touch her. But Dorian’s eyes opened to peer at a water-stained grey ceiling, hands grasping at air.

  Instead of ignoring it as he normally would, Dorian picked up his phone and decided to do something about his loneliness. Michael’s sleep-roughened voice came through the other line within seconds. “What the hell do you want?”

  “Is that any way to talk to your best friend?” he snorted.

  “Yes, if he calls me at three in the morning knowing I have to be up in less than two hours,” Michael snapped. Dorian heard a bed creak and took it as a sign to go on with his foolish plan.

  “You know how we all signed up to use your stupid dating agency?”

  “Glad to know you support me and appreciate the work that I do.”

  “I need you to actually put it to some good use. This whole being alone for eternity thing might work for you and Anders, but I’m going crazy. Hell, I’m dreaming about a woman I’ve never met before who might not even exist.”

  “You’re right. You do sound desperate.”

  “Come on, Mikey. Take this seriously.”

  “I am taking it seriously, that’s my job,” his friend replied dryly. “And don’t call me that. We aren’t children anymore. And no more referring to me as “Cupid” in our group chats. It’s humiliating.”

  “So, are you going to help me or not?”

  “Of course I’m going to help you. Just because Anders and I have sort of sworn off romance for ourselves doesn’t mean we don’t want it for you and Brock,” Michael explained. “So, what’s your type? Has it changed since our first meeting?”

  Dorian didn’t even have to think about his preferences. “Full figured, musician or artist, classy, sophisticated, and…red hair.”

  “Red hair? That’s new.”

  “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

  “I’ll make notes and contact you as soon as something lands on my desk,” Michael promised. “But, until then, don’t you dare think of shifting on purpose. Not even in the mountains or the forest.”

  “It’s creepy when you do that. Sometimes I think you can read minds.”

  “I can’t read minds, but I have eyes and ears all over this town.”

  “Again, that’s creepy,” Dorian chuckled. “You really need to get out more.”

  “Coming from the man who spends every waking hour at the fire station or fantasizing about mystical redheads? Yeah, I’ll be sure to take your advice.” Michael’s sarcasm was something he had grown used to over the years. Most people found it tiring or rude, but Dorian always enjoyed their talks. He chatted with Michael for a few more minutes and then responded to emergency calls for the rest of the morning.

  Brock came back around noon and Sapphire White walked in behind him carrying a large container. “Hello, gents! I brought brownies and ice cream to beat the heat,” she announced. The firefighters swarmed around her and dug into the food. Dorian even heard a few marriage proposals flying through the air, but as always, they flew right over Sapphire’s head. The woman was gorgeous and had the fuller figure that Dorian and his friends preferred, but she had a type and she wasn’t afraid to let men know.

  That didn’t stop them from moaning obscenely whenever they took a bite out of her amazing food. No one in Haden Springs could resist Sapphire White’s kitchen adventures. Dorian often found himself knocking on her door to grab leftovers when he didn’t have the time to cook after a long shift. Not to mention, he bubbly personality never failed to brighten the mood at the station even after a rough day. Sapphire was that person everyone went to for a good time and good advice.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Her cell phone began to blare from her nightstand. It was far too early for Jenny to be up. She rarely got out of bed before two o’clock in the afternoon, but her hand fumbled around to find her phone. “Hello?” she mumbled tiredly. She didn’t recognize the number.

  “Miss Owens, this is Lori Stevens with the Kodiak Dating Agency. We would like to set up an appointment for you to come in so that we can do a proper orientation,” said a cheery voice replied. Jenny was a diva at heart and she loved her sleep, so the voice grated against her nerves like sandpaper. “When do you think you will be available?”

  “I actually only signed up to please my friends. I had no intentions of ever using the agency.”

  “We ask that all signups at least attend orientation before they make a decision. If our services are not to your liking, then we can remove your name from the list and sever all communication. But there is a chance that you might be pleasantly surprised.”

  Honestly, Jenny Owens wasn’t pleasantly anything. She was confident for the most part and was so self-assured that the moment people looked at Jenny, they could tell that she would either be their loyal friend or their worst enemy.

  She agreed to go in for the orientation that day to get it over and done with, so she hurried to get dressed up and drove to the largest building in Haden Springs. It was more like a skyscraper than a regular building, but somehow it didn’t stand out in a way that was alarming. KDA was displayed on the front of the building in big black letters while the entire exterior was covered in a warm tone of brown brick to balance the more modern features.

  Jenny prided herself on being observant and snorted a little when she noticed the name on the building. Was Sapphire aware that her mortal enemy was the CEO of Kodiak Dating Agency? She thought to herself. The same woman she spoke to on the phone came to greet her.

  “Miss Owens, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Lori Stevens was tall and blond with an athletic body wrapped in a female Armani suit. “Shall we go on a tour, or would you like to get on with the process?”

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have very low expectations coming into this,” Jenny admitted. “So, if we could just get it over with, I would be grateful.”

  After a brief overview of what the service included, which were text message alerts letting the signups know when a match had been created and a date was available, romantic spa days or personal pampering, etiquette classes, hobby exploration, and a course on self-improvement. The entire agency specialized in making each individual the ideal match whether they possessed the qualities naturally or not. Michael Adair’s motto was, “Love can be learned if one is willing to put in the effort.”

  “I can honestly say that I’m intrigued. I expected a real-life version of a dating app or something, but it’s much more sophisticated than I thought initially,” Jenny confessed. “I like the fact that the company focuses on self-love before romantic relationships. It speaks volumes of the man in charge.”

  “Mr. Adair and I are partners in the company, actually. He thought that having a female perspective on love would help better the goals of the company and reinforce our mission statement without any biases,” said Lori Stevens. “So, what do you say? Would you like to take your name off the list or move forward with what we have to offer?”

  “You know what? I think I’ll test the waters a bit. What comes next, then?”

  “There is a survey. The more detailed you are, the better the matches will be and the sooner we can pair you with someone compatible.”

  “Sounds simple enough.”

  Lori’s cheeky bit of laughter at that should have warned Jenny that she was in over her head. The survey, in fact, turned out to be one of the most difficult things she ha
d done in her life. Compared to her Political Science exams, she felt three-times the amount of pressure. It made Jenny realize that she had impossible standards for herself and her perfect match. She didn’t like to think of herself as being high-maintenance, but what was the point in settling for less when she knew she wouldn’t be happy?

  After her relationship with Zach, Jenny’s happiness was her main priority. Anything else that came along with it was just a bonus, but it wouldn’t cloud her vision on what she wanted. And Jenny Owens wanted a good life here in Haden Springs. She finished up her orientation and phoned Destiny.

  “You won’t believe where I’ve just come from.”

  “Where?”

  “The KDA building. I had my orientation and took the survey.”

  After a long moment of exhaustingly overenthusiastic noises, Destiny managed to compose herself. “I am so happy you decided to go through with it. I thought you would totally just blow the entire thing off.”

  “We don’t even know if anything will come of it. No need to get excited just yet, but I think it might actually work. There seems to be something…unusual about the place. It’s different than I expected.”

  “If they called you in for orientation already, they probably have someone in mind.”

  “I doubt it. But I found something out that Saph would be furious to know.”

  “Don’t keep me in suspense!”

  Jenny hesitated briefly. “Michael Adair is the CEO of KDA.”

  “She’s going to freak out. How about we don’t tell her and let her figure it out on her own so that she doesn’t just give up before getting started?”

  “I don’t know how comfortable I would be about lying to one of our friends, Destiny. We don’t do that to each other,” Jenny argued.

  “But imagine the damage she would cause. You know how she gets.”

  ***

  The screen of Dorian’s cell phone lit up that very night. He rolled over in his bunk and cracked open an eyelid to peer down at the phone. It took a moment for his vision to adjust, but when it did, he nearly threw his phone across the room. It was a text message from Kodiak Dating Agency.

  DORIAN, after careful deliberation, we think that JENNY is the perfect match for you. If she agrees to the date, the two of you will enjoy a wonderful evening at the BLUE VELVET ROOM tomorrow night. Reply ‘YES’ to this message if you would like to go on a date with the match we’ve chosen for you.

  His fingers hovered over the touchscreen keypad. Just that morning he had expressed his interest in looking for love and Michael and his team of cupids already found him a match? It seemed too good to be true. But curiosity got the better of him and Dorian replied to the text.

  YES.

  Perfect! Head to the BLUE VELVET ROOM tomorrow night at 8PM dressed in your best 1920s attire. If she agrees, your date will be waiting for you in a red dress.

  Dorian jumped out of bed and threw on his running gear. He needed to clear his head and running always seemed to help. His heart felt like it was on fire even though nothing was sure yet. The idea of just connecting with someone was breathtaking, but he wanted the real thing. He trusted Michael’s judgment and hoped that the woman he chose for Dorian’s match was enough to banished the red-haired beauty from his dreams. The movement in the bunkroom awakened Brock, who chucked a pillow at Dorian’s head.

  “What are you doing up?”

  “I’ve got a match,” he stated plainly.

  “A match?”

  “The agency contacted me and set up a date. If she accepts, then we’re meeting up tomorrow. I honestly don’t know how to feel right now.”

  “Why? Is the dream girl setting high standards?” Brock laughed.

  “Laugh all you want, but it's true. I feel like if I believed in soulmates, she would be it. There’s nothing I have to go off of besides the feeling in my heart every night when I go to sleep and the aching in my chest when I wake up and realize she isn’t there.”

  “And what if she isn’t real? Is every other woman who has her heart set on you going to fall short to a woman you aren’t even sure exists?” Brock hopped down from his bunk and stared Dorian in the eyes. “I’m not saying these things to bring you down, man. I just want you to keep an open mind.”

  “I am. I promise that I am.”

  “Good. Now, stop pacing and go for your run.”

  Dorian took the forest path and ended up running into Sapphire White. She wasn’t out jogging or running like most people who were found on the trails. In fact, Dorian could not tell if she was even fully awake. “Are you alright?” he asked, reaching out a hand to shake her a bit. Sapphire startled and screamed until she realized who had grabbed her.

  “Holy crap! You scared me,” she hissed. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Running to clear my head. What are you doing out here?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like things are changing around here. Part of me wanted to walk through the forest one last time.”

  Sapphire White was often cryptic, but something about her words made Dorian’s stomach drop. “Why would you say that?”

  “It’s all going to go away, isn’t it?”

  “Seriously, what’s with you tonight?” he asked. “You have to admit that this is weird even for you.”

  “I know you think I’m being weird, but I keep thinking about what you and Brock have been saying about the fires. Do you really suspect that someone is setting them on purpose?”

  “Unless there’s a camper out there as clumsy as you, then it’s the only explanation. They aren’t like regular forest fires, but I can’t prove it until…”

  “Until what?”

  “Never mind. Come on,” Dorian said. “Let me walk you back home. I know the town is safe for the most part, but I don’t like the thought of you wandering off in one of your dazes.”

  “I don’t do that! Destiny is the scatterbrain, but who can blame her. The woman has a perfect memory and it’s filled with thousands of books. It’s a wonder how she even functions half the time.”

  He listened to Sapphire’s rambling all the way to her house and then waited until the door was securely locked behind her. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the citizens of Haden Springs, but Dorian knew that they didn’t take too kindly to newcomers. And Sapphire had made more than a single splash when she came to town. Then her friends arrived one after the other and it put people on edge.

  Not necessarily for the sake of the town itself, but because the people of Haden Springs wanted Dorian and his friends to be safe from prying eyes.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Steady hands painted liquid black upon Jenny’s upper eyelids. She brushed on a bit of blush and applied her favorite red lipstick in preparation for her date. Jenny didn’t know anything about Dorian. All she could rely on was the word of an agency she had only agreed to use the day before. It was all moving rather quickly, in her opinion, and Jenny wasn’t sure she was ready to start actively dating. People often said that these sorts of things took a few months to get lined up, but apparently not here.

  Jenny used a makeup remover wipe to cleanse her hands and then pulled on black satin opera gloves that reached high above her elbows. Though she preferred more of the rockabilly style in her wardrobe, she was happy to dress in the roaring 20s garb for the evening. Jenny chose a red flapper dress with elegant black fringe and a lace overlay. She styled it with tight curls in her hair and an authentic French ostrich feather boa.

  After one final glance at herself in the mirror, she was off. The nerves didn’t kick in until she was in the club setting up for her performance. A gentleman at the bar bought her a glass of champagne and for a moment, she thought it was a pity he wasn’t her type. The room darkened and the candles were lit one by one, filling the room with an intimate glow. Jazz began to flow through the space as a man partially shielded by the shadow sat in the chair intended for her date. Jenny caught a flash of his eyes and held his gaze, letting the no
tes slip from between her lips naturally.

  If she hadn’t been required to sing, Jenny would have been tempted to hold her breath, for just the glimmer of the man’s eyes in the candlelight was enough to cause a shiver to run down her spine. He leaned closer to the candle at the center of the table and flashed a gorgeous smile that made her think of old Hollywood movies, bubble baths, and back massages. Jenny had never reacted to someone so intensely before, so she closed her eyes and allowed her breathless rendition of the current song enchant the room.

  She could feel his eyes on her, trailing over her figure and it empowered her rather than making her want to dress like a nun. Jenny knew her curves were on full display in the tighter dress and the ever-present corset made them even more pronounced. When her eyes fluttered open, she caught sight of him biting his lower lip and loosening the buttons at the neck of his dress shirt.

  Dorian removed his jacket and she quirked a finely arched eyebrow at the quality vest beneath it. He draped the jacket with care over the back of his chair and rolled up his sleeves, giving him a more disheveled appearance. Glacier blue eyes and a bone structure that would make the heavens weep held her captive. His lips were pouty and sensual that softened his chiseled features.

  Jenny couldn’t tear her gaze away even as one song melted into another. Her hands reached up to clasp the microphone and felt the temperature rise in the room. Dorian’s body shifted in his chair, giving her the impression that he was all muscle; all power. It was the body of a man capable of handling her supple curves if he was daring enough to take her for a ride. Her cheeks had managed to flush brighter than the blush on her cheeks.

  His gaze dropped to her mouth as she brought her performance to an end. The music slowed to a stop and Jenny was forced with the reality that she was about to begin her date with the glorious man sitting at the front table. Dorian climbed to his feet and offered a hand as she descended the stairs, the actions of a true gentleman. He led her to a table near the back of the lounge and pulled the chair out for her. Jenny settled into her seat.