“I think you know what I meant. Don’t be coy.”
Annie decided not to beat around the bush. “OK, you got me, Gerri. And no, I don’t have a date.”
“Oh, but you could. Bill arrived in town yesterday. I think he would suit you nicely,” came her quick and sultry reply.
Annie had to laugh at the implication the woman was making. “You are a persistent one, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t be as successful as I am if I gave up so easily. And you shouldn’t give up either on finding your perfect mate. Bill could be the one.”
“Touché,” Annie replied.
“So I gather, from your hesitancy and demeanor that you did check out my website and you have gone bashful on me.”
Again, Annie laughed. No one had ever called her bashful before. So she decided to be blunt. “Actually I did. Yes. And although I don’t disdain anyone from pursuing pleasure in whatever way pleases them, I don’t think I’m ready for . . . um, a relationship with a . . . person of a paranormal persuasion.” She hoped her explanation wasn’t taken as sarcasm. The woman had been kind to her and seemed sincere, although she was a tad peculiar.
“Oh, sweetheart. It would just be a date. I did not take you for the gun shy kind. And you did say you wanted an animal in your bed.” Her tone was teasing.
This time Annie laughed hard. She actually snorted. “I wasn’t quite thinking about that kind of animal.”
“You’ll never know what you like until you try it. And you don’t strike me as the type of woman who turns down new experiences.”
And she wasn’t. Andreas had taught her a few things. Maybe the fluffy thing would be interesting. The anniversary dinner was three days away. She definitely didn’t want to go stag. One of her co-workers whom she had briefly dated and ended it with would be there, and she didn’t want to fight off his flirtations all night. Plus, the photographs on Gerri’s website had some amazing specimens of the male species. “No, I don’t usually shy away from those. Oh, what the hell!” Annie threw up her hands. “You only live once.”
Gerri’s eyes lit up at Annie’s capitulation. “The man I have in mind for you is fantastic. As I said, his name is Bill and . . .”
“Wait? How much do you charge?” Annie’s budget was fairly fixed. She didn’t know if the woman was going to charge her an exorbitant amount of money for stud service.
“Like the password, satisfaction is guaranteed. I have fees, but there is no need to discuss them at all. Bill is technically my client, and he has already paid my fee.”
Well, shits and giggles. A freebie! Annie was glad to hear Gerri wasn’t going to double dip and charge them both. “Fine. That sounds even better. So tell me more about this Bill. Will he be um . . . discreet? And what kind of animal does he like to dress up as?”
The laugh that emitted from Gerri got the attention of several of the clients in the shop that Annie liked to visit. “Well, that is incredibly funny. But let me assure you,” she continued to laugh as she spoke. “Bill Armbruster is a man that appreciates discretion, but when he shifts he becomes a wolf. And not just an ordinary wolf. He is a dire wolf.”
Annie had heard of dire wolves. Her current night time passion other than using her special toys was chilling on the sofa and watching Game of Thrones. “Oh, so he is bigger than most,” Annie exclaimed. She did enjoy a fully endowed man. No small penis for her. Those who said that it wasn’t the sword, but how you used it were full of shit.
“Yes. Dire wolves are much larger than their gray wolf cousins.”
Annie just shook her head at the woman’s continued use of the gimmick her agency used to promote their business. Heck, she was a saleswoman, too, and knew that a turn of phrase could get you the deal. She wouldn’t hold that against a woman. Business was business.
“Okay, set me up then. When do I get to meet this Bill of yours?”
Gerri smiled broadly. “Oh, Annie, I’m going to do much better than that. Bill has just moved here from Cazenovia which is in Central New York, up in the mountains. He needs a place to live. He would like something on the beach. I’ll have him come see you tomorrow at your place of business. May I have your card?”
“Absolutely.” This was better than great. Not only did she have a prospective date, he was a prospective client who she could run a background check on. Plus, she might also get a sale out of it, too. Beachfront property always gave her a great commission. “If you could have him come by the office around 10AM, Gerri, that would be great. I’ll have a bunch of properties lined up to show him. We could stop for lunch. Any idea what his price range is? The number of bedrooms he would like?”
“I know he said that he needed at least two bedrooms if not three or an office. He wants something that is secluded, but has beachfront access as well. And not just access he prefers to be directly on the beach.”
“Those don’t come cheap.” Her eyebrows tilted up.
“Bill is a businessman and does very well. He will not quibble over price. If you show him property on the beach that has two bedrooms and an office, or three bedrooms, and all the modern conveniences, at the very least if you don’t like him, you will still get a sale.” But Gerri knew, Annie was it. There was no ‘at the very least.’ She would be his perfect match.
“Thank you, Gerri.” Annie was all smiles. A handsome man, a date for the stupid anniversary dinner, a big commission, and maybe some hanky panky with a dude that liked to dress up. This was a good day.
“You are quite welcome, Annie. But, I must be off after I pick up that hat. I have arrangements to make.” She gave Annie a big mischievous grin. “I will call Bill and let him know about the arrangements we have made. I have already told him about you and he is quite interested.”
“You already told him about me?” Gerri just smiled and nodded and picked up a hat without looking at it. Annie just shook her head as she watched the woman march over to the cashier. “Okay, well, I’ll be off to try on my dress. Happy hat hunting.”
From the register she heard the woman once more. “Oh, and I’d love to have you up to my hotel suite one night this week. We can chat about Bill and I can answer any other questions you may have after you meet him. If you don’t think he suits you, though I am sure he will, we can discuss perhaps another option for you.”
Oh my God, Annie thought as she quickly ducked into a changing room. She didn’t know what she was getting into, but if she could sell a house on the beach and get laid out of the deal, she’d call it a win.
Chapter 4
Egads! Her morning was starting out badly. Buddy had an accident before she could take him out which had made her late in getting ready for work. Then, the outfit she carefully chose to wear that morning had been ruined by a brake checker on the highway. And the hot coffee she had gotten at Dunkin had spilled all over her jacket and blouse. Thankfully her skirt had been saved from the spill, but she didn’t have time to go home and change. Her boss had called for a staff meeting that started promptly at eight. The only thing she had in her office was a white blouse that hinted at the black bra she wore beneath. She had not done laundry, and could not find a beige one. She hadn’t planned to take off her jacket, but now with this situation, she looked like the hooker the man at Gerri’s hotel thought she was. It was just her luck that she would be meeting Bill wearing a practically see through blouse with a black lacy bra underneath.
Talk about in your face. The man would think she was a floozy. She had hoped to be able to run out and buy a new blouse quickly before Bill showed up but that hadn’t worked out either. The worst part was that her outfit wasn’t ideal for her office meeting, but it would have to do.
Her most recent ex, David, worked for the same real estate company. When he’d seen her white blouse with the deep V-neck, the black lace bra underneath, he’d stared at her for the duration of the entire meeting, drooling on the table. She always wondered why most men had difficulty making eye contact. Was it because breasts didn’t have eyes? She gave
him a piercing glare but he never noticed, too busy was he with his imagination.
Right after the meeting let out she had gone to her office, but David had been hard on her heels. “I hear you’re showing some beachfront properties again today.” He was trying to make small talk while still staring at her chest. Apparently the nearly two hour meeting hadn’t been enough time to stare at her endowments. She didn’t want to call him out on it though as her door was open and she was trying to keep it amicable between the two of them in the workplace though he hadn’t taken well to her ending it. And she had ended it because he had been a selfish lover and a lousy conversationalist. He got what he wanted and then rolled over. Sadly, he hadn’t been the first relationship she had ended for that same reason. Time and time again she asked herself why it was so hard to find a caring, sensitive and good-looking boyfriend. But that answer, too, was obvious. Those kinds of men were already taken . . . by other guys.
“Yes, I am. And if you’ll excuse me I need to print out some material for my client.” Her attempt at a dismissal didn’t work. David didn’t budge. Instead one leg swung over the arm of the chair giving her a view of his hard on. She ignored it.
“Oh, Annie. Why are you trying to give me the brush off? I thought we were friends.” His tone suggested that they were friends on a much deeper level. They only dated for a month and when she ended it she explained that she didn’t think an office romance would work. But right now she was sorely tempted to tell him the truth. He was a lousy lay with a small penis.
“We’re coworkers, David,” she lowered her voice before continuing. “And that’s all we’re ever going to be from now on.”
The man started swinging his leg. If anything he was making himself more comfortable. And he was making an obvious show of it, too. He was letting her know that he wasn’t going anywhere and that irked her beyond measure. “But Annie, you and I were so good together and I’d love to take you to the little soirée on Friday night. Afterward, we can go back to my place and get our freak on, if you know what I mean.”
She almost vomited in her mouth a little. His suggestion was absolutely absurd. The man was a total dud in the sack. A ‘freak on’ to him, was her on top doing all the work and snoring five seconds after he came. “Listen David,” she lowered her voice to a menacing whisper, “I’ve been trying to be nice about this, but if you can’t take a hint then I’m definitely happy to clobber you over the head with it. You’re an attractive guy, but this, me and you, isn’t going to happen ever again. I’ve already got a date for Friday and in fact, he is also the client that is going to show up in about five minutes. So skedaddle. Scram. Sayonara Sucker. You and I are through.” Annie sat down in her big office chair, hoping the message would finally sink in. She pulled her monitor over to get a better view of the files she needed to find before Bill showed up as she tried very hard to ignore the look of shock that crossed David’s face. She didn’t want things to be difficult in the office, but his persistence was getting out of hand.
She also regretted saying that she had a date because she still didn’t know if she did or not. What if this Wolf man character was a kook? And what if he didn’t keep his preferences for playing dress-up a secret in mixed company? But now she had no choice but to bring him along. She’d have to take him just to keep David away, she thought, as she watched him slink out of her office with his tail between his legs. He would probably tell half the staff before lunchtime that she had a new beau. That had been something else about David that bothered her. He was quite a Chatty Cathy.
Annie tried to focus on what she needed to do in the next five minutes, but she was still angry. She wouldn’t have time to run across the street and buy a new blouse. That much was impossible. But thankfully she had saved the specs on beachfront homes Mr. Sanchez looked at last week. She just needed to print them out before Bill Armbruster got there. She sucked in a breath. She couldn’t believe how nervous she was. She had been around the block a time or two, but for some reason meeting someone through a matchmaker was making her even more nervous.
She opened the saved file on her computer and selected print all. Immediately, the printer began to print out the eight property specs she had shown Mr. Sanchez. They were in full-color. Each page contained the information on one beachfront home along with the physical address and a picture of the home.
She quickly sorted through the ones that would be most appealing to Bill and put them on top. Then, using her phone, she mapped out the route they would take using Google maps.
Just as she was about to get up, she noticed one hell of a hunk standing in her doorway. Her jaw dropped. He was dressed business casual, but the first thought that came to mind was that he must look absolutely incredible naked. The Adonis before her had golden brown hair, like sand, and she wanted to run her fingers through it. His eyes lit up the room and were as blue as the sky on a sunny day, but brighter and lighter. Like ice. From his shoulders, she could tell the man was powerfully built. They stretched two feet across. Hot damn. She pictured those shoulders between her thighs. Underneath his business casual must be eight chiseled abs, and just like an athlete, his chest tapered down to his tight waist and narrow hips. Despite her better judgment, her eyes traveled lower and appreciated the bulge she saw in the well-tailored pants he wore. Gerri Wilder had hit a home run with this match. And even though she had just met the man, she was picturing him rounding all the bases and taking her home.
Annie licked her lips. Ooo, doggy. He was a hot one. She wouldn’t mind in the least if he gave her a bone.
Chapter 5
The scent of this woman was amazing. He could smell her all the way down the hallway when the secretary pointed him towards her open door. Gerri was right. He would know instantly if she were the woman meant to be his mate. He’d heard the stories. Even his father told him he would know by scent alone. He was terrified that when he saw her for the first time her beauty would not appeal to him. But he couldn’t have been more wrong.
Her scent was exotic like amber oil, tiger lilies, and vanilla bean. It was driving him wild. That, along with the city slickness of her, made his inner wolf want to howl and come charging out. Her essence was primal. He could tell she was aroused by the sight of him as well by the way her eyes roamed over his body as he stood framed by the door to her small office. And she wasn’t being discreet in her perusal, though he doubted she realized she was doing it. She was too caught up in the moment of meeting him for the first time. She sensed the attraction between them, but she could not scent her mate the way he could. She was a human and did not have that ability to sniff out foe and friend. For his kind it was par for the course. And his mate, well to say that her scent was driving him wild would be a gross understatement.
He was going to have to woo this woman and that was going to be fun. It would be his absolute pleasure to make this woman scream his name. He planned to do just that. Over and over again.
* * *
“So, what do you think?” Annie asked as they made their way back into the large open kitchen and living room combination. She felt his eyes roam her backside for the hundredth time that day. It had her feeling giddy. She tried to focus on her job. She pointed to the wall of sheer glass. The view of the beach from the wall of floor to ceiling windows on the western side of the house was spectacular. The waves crashed softly on to the shore just thirty yards away from the back deck of the current home she was showing him. She would love to live on the beach. This home in particular was stunning. The breezes coming off of the Gulf kept the worst of the humidity at bay, unlike in her downtown third-floor condo.
When she showed this three-bedroom bungalow just last week, she knew it was out of that client’s league. But Bill Armbruster was different. He exuded confidence, sophistication, and power. Not to mention he was sexy as hell. His body was something else. The way he kept looking at her had her senses reeling. He’d hardly even looked at the last home she had shown him, but had spent his time watching her an
d her reactions. Even in this house, which would be ideal for him, he had spent most of his time staring at her. She would’ve been uncomfortable if it didn’t turn her on so much. Even right now she could feel his eyes on her backside.
When he still hadn’t answered her question, she turned to him. She saw the flare of his nostrils before his eyes move up her body to take in her face. “I’m sorry, Annie,” he confessed with a smile that made a dimple appear in his right cheek. “I’ve been caught staring. I just can’t believe how beautiful you are. Gerri made the right choice in selecting you. You are most definitely my type.”
His words reached into her heart and held. She knew she had just met the man and he was obviously trying to impress her, but it was something about the way he said it that made her feel he sincerely found her attractive. She knew her body wasn’t perfect. Her boobs way too large, she’d always felt, her eyes too far apart. “That’s Ok. And I . . . um, want to let you know that I find you attractive as well. For a matchmaker, Gerri did her job well in that department.” Annie wanted to let him know she found him equally attractive, but didn’t want to come on too strong either. This was something new for her and she didn’t want to rush it, well, maybe the sex part she wouldn’t mind jumping into.
He cleared his throat and came closer to where she stood by the windows. “She is very good. She even set my parents up over 35 years ago.”
Annie was pleased he was talking about his past. She didn’t like it that men were so closed mouthed about their backgrounds. For Annie that was a sure sign of someone having something to hide. “Oh my goodness. She’s been in this business a lot longer than I thought.”
He laughed and took another step closer. He could feel the heat emanating off of her body. He could sense her arousal. He stopped when he was about a foot away. She was so darn tempting.
Annie saw it again, the flare of his nostrils. It was strange, like he was smelling her and she found that strangely disconcerting but titillating at the same time. She hoped her deodorant hadn’t run out.
Paranormal Dating Agency: In Dire Straits (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Cazenovia Pack Book 1) Page 3