by Sable Sylvan
“That’s the spirit,” said Jasmine. She pressed a button and the limo divider came down. “Niles...are we close?”
The driver, whose name was Niles, replied, “We will be there in a minute or two. I can go around the block if you need some time to...freshen up.”
“Nah, we’re good, we’re ready to go!” said Jasmine. “Ladies, it’s show time.”
Niles let them off right at the front of the strip club. The ladies walked in, Jasmine and Alicia both holding onto Helen’s arms. The strip club’s exterior was resplendent and looked like a billionaire’s Colorado lodge, with large wooden beams and real stone details on the walls. The interior was brightly lit. There was a plush red carpet leading the way to the Main Stage, which was on the left, with a purple carpet leading towards the left, which had a sign reading Runway Stage. There was a large boutique that had Bear Buns branded apparel, accessories, and knick-knacks, selling everything from shirts to visors to custom shot glasses. Helen and the girls walked towards the main stage, where there was a check in table manned by handsome men wearing well fitted black velvet suits.
“Hi, we have a reservation,” said Jasmine. “For a Jasmine Dukakis.”
“Oh, yes, Miss Dukakis, you have a VIP table...follow me,” said one of the men. He pulled up a gift basket and carried it in his arms as he lead them through the main stage’s floor.
There were bars on the left and right of the entrance to the main stage, with the stage itself directly across from the entrance. The girls were seated at the table and the man explained what the various coupons that were inside their basket could be redeemed for. Some were for drinks, others were for dances, and one golden ticket could be redeemed for an hour in one of the cocktail rooms, the Bear Buns equivalent of a champagne room, where male entertainers would focus all their attention on a single lady.
The girls put their jackets and down and walked to one of the bars.
“You like what you’ve seen so far?” asked Jasmine.
“Okay, okay, I have to admit, this is a pretty swanky joint,” said Helen.
“Who cares about the decor, look at all the men!” said Alicia. “Have you ever seen this many attractive men in one place at a time before?”
“I have to admit, I have not,” said Helen. “A girl could get used to this.”
“Who do you think the hottest guy in here is?” asked Jasmine, leaning against the bar as Alicia ordered them three lychee martinis.
Helen scanned the room with Jasmine. All the men were handsome, tall, and burly. There were more shifters in this room than she’d expected. She’d thought that ‘The Twelve Dancing Bears’, the main act that the Bear Buns lodge was known for, would be the only shifters around, but she’d been pleasantly surprised. She’d spotted the armband-like mate marks of a tiger shifter, the voluminous hair of a lion shifter, and of course, more than a few werebears who were wearing deep v-neck shirts that exposed just the tip of their mate marks. The mate mark: it was the magical symbol that shifters had that told them who their fated mate would be. The location and style and other mechanics of the mate mark depended on a lot of things. For instance, most bears in the Pacific Northwest received their mate mark on their eighteenth birthday, and their marks usually were pretty easy to decode. The mate mark was the main tool a shifter used to find their fated mate, the person they were meant to be with, in true love...forever.
True love and fated mates. For a curvy human like Helen, that sort of thing seemed like it belonged in the movies. She had no frikkin’ idea what shifter guys were like, given that are all her dating experience had been with Scumbag Joe. There she was, thinking about him...but she hadn’t thought about him much since entering the club at all. She smiled to herself. Maybe Jasmine and Alicia were onto something with this strip club therapy theory.
Helen nodded her head as she sipped at her lychee martini, looking over the crowd of handsome men. A few men had caught her eye, but when she saw one kiss his slim, tall wife on the cheek, that only left two men on her radar.
“So, girlfriend, who’s caught your eye?” asked Alicia, elbowing Helen jokingly.
“I’m between...that guy over there, in the sexy black V-neck...” started Helen. “And...over there, that guy with the navy blazer? So hot.”
Alicia and Jasmine looked over Helen’s picks and their jaws dropped so hard that they were going to need help picking them up off the floor. Helen might not have been the most experienced in their friend group, but she had an eye for art, the art in question the art of the male form. The men she’d chosen were truly the most handsome men on the floor, no questions asked, and it was hard to tell which one was more handsome than the other.
The first one was tall, muscular and slim, with deep dark brown hair that almost looked black. He was wearing the black V-neck shirt and he looked as if he must be a celebrity going incognito or a filmmaker going undercover to scout a location for a hot dance movie. His thighs bulged against thick black jeans that were gray in their worn spots, and left little to the imagination. His ass pressed against the jeans, hard, and when he turned, the girls caught a glance of what looked like a large salami stuffed down those tight jeans. His jawline was angular and chiseled, with slight scarring that looked like it told a story. His eyes were a dark shade of chocolate brown that seemed to flicked amber in the light of the lodge
The second man was near the first man, in the middle of a large crowd of women who wanted to take selfies with him. He was wearing a navy blue blazer and looked like he must be some millionaire taking his kid sister out for a night on the town. While the other man’s aesthetic screamed “do me”, this guy’s look said “dad me”. He didn’t have dad bod. No, far from it. He had a thick set of abs that rippled under his tailored shirt, with a more barrel chested physique than the first man. However, his physique was fuller because he was more muscular than the first man, although he was shorter than the first man. He had an expensive looking watch on one wrist, a clean shaven jawline, and a smile that could make an angel cry. His hair was a rich medium brown, the color of summer rum and autumn honey, and his eyes were a bright shade of blue that almost looked violet.
Both the men had the kind of physique that gave away their species. Tall. Ripped. With great brown hair to boot. They had to be bears. Yes, bears were a dime a dozen in the Pacific Northwest, but that didn’t stop women from lusting after them like a new collection of designer shoes at an outlet store. These men were surrounded by women who were chatting to them. They had to be celebrities or something...but when they turned, and caught Helen staring at them, Helen couldn’t look away. Was it a trick of the light or were these guys...getting closer to her?
“Oh my gosh, Helen, they’re coming this way!” squealed Alicia.
“Play it cool, ladies,” said Jasmine, primping her hair. “It looks like Helen’s our lucky charm for the night!”
As the men walked towards her, it was as if no other women existed between them and her, as they separated the sea of women like Moses fleeing the pharaoh. While the women were noticeably disappointed, they stepped aside, their instincts sensing that these were alpha men, men who could have whatever women they wanted, and it was clear to everyone in that lodge that what these men wanted...was the same woman, a curvy girl whose cheeks were as pink as her hair was blonde.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” said the first bear shifter.
“You must not come here often,” said the second bear shifter. “There’s no frikkin’ way we could forget a face like yours.”
“I’m Helen, this is my first time coming to Bear Buns,” said Helen. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She extended a hand. The men both took her hand at the same time. An electric shock seemed to run through her hands. Had the men meant to do that? There was no way two alpha males were going to be okay with having competition for a girl. She had to admit, being approached by two different handsome shifters on the same night was a real ego boost. Alicia and Jasmine moved to give the men space next to
their friend. They couldn’t help but smile like goofballs about the scene that was unfolding.
“The name’s Ryan,” said the first bear shifter. Up close and personal, he looked even more rugged than he had from afar. His shirt was worn, and he looked like he must be a roadie or something. His biceps bulged under the sleeves of the shirt. His muscles were nice, but, compared to preppy Owen’s, they really couldn’t compete...and how a prepster who had probably never done a day of hard work in his life had muscles that were thicker than Ryan’s, she couldn’t start to guess...but that didn’t mean that the image of them flexing, shirtless, wasn’t already running through her imagination...
“Owen,” said the other bear shifter. His smile was even warmer up close, and she smelled something that smelled spicy and floral at the same time...an expensive cologne, matched to hair products. Up close, Helen could tell that Owen’s hair was much more properly coiffed than Ryan’s, although that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. While Owen had the good boy look down pat, Ryan’s hair was the kind of bedhead mess that she found herself wanting to mess up even more, the only question being, at his place, or hers...
“So how do you two know each other?” asked Helen.
Owen and Ryan exchanged a look. This chick really had no frikkin’ idea who they were, even though she must’ve seen their faces plastered over posters as she’d come into the venue. “We...work together,” said Ryan.
“Really? No kidding, I used to work with my friend Alicia, and she and I were college roommates,” said Helen. “Alicia, these guys work together too!”
Alicia turned and looked over the men. “Nice to meet you,” said Alicia, shaking their hands. Jasmine came to Helen’s other side and introduced herself to the hunky men as well.
“Well, this calls for drinks, shots?” asked Helen. “It’s on me.”
“Perfect,” said Ryan. He waved down a handsome man who was wearing a tray around his neck filled with shot glasses. He picked out two blue shots for the boys and three pink shots for the girls. “To...new friendships. And coincidences.”
“To coincidences and new friendships!” agreed Helen, and they lifted their shots before they downed them.
Helen pulled four of her drink coupons out, but before she could pay the shots guy, Ryan was settling the bill. “Hey, that was supposed to be my treat to you guys,” said Helen.
“Maybe we’ll let you get the next round, Miss Helen,” said Ryan.
The lights flashed up and down and music started. “That’s the sign the show is about to start...well, we better get to our seats,” said Owen.
“Catch you after the show,” said Helen.
“I have a feeling you’ll see us before the show ends,” said Ryan with a wink.
About The Author
I’m Sable Sylvan, and the only thing I love more than reading hot paranormal romances is writing down my fantasies and sharing them with readers like you. My heroes are strong alpha male shifters who can be grizzly and gruff at times...but when it comes to their mates, they turn into absolute teddy bears. The curvy heroines in my stories are strong, sassy women, and that’s why the bear shifter men who love them will do anything for their fated mates.
My books are available exclusively on Amazon, so check out my author page at www.amazon.com/author/SableSylvan to check out my full catalog anywhere, anytime. All my books are available for FREE under the Kindle Unlimited borrowing program (it’s like Netflix, but for books). If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review on its page!
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Bear-y Spicy Fairy Tales
Goldilocks And The Three Bear Shifters
Little Red Riding Bears
Three Grizzlies Gruff
The Shifter Princes
Shifterella And The Billionaire Bear
Beauty And The Billionaire Bear
Sleeping BBW And The Billionaire Bear
Rapunzel And The Billionaire Bear
Seattle’s Billionaire Bears
Rumpled Bear Skin
Blue Bear
The Bear Prince
The Little Bear Maid
The Twelve Dancing Bears
Grizzly Bear Buns (coming out October 14!)
Polar Bear Buns (coming soon!)
Black Bear Buns (coming soon!)
Cinnamon Bear Buns (coming soon!)
Panda Bear Buns (coming soon!)
Koala Bear Buns (coming soon!)