Chased Mate: Cybermates

by Ayers, Candace

  “Oh! Oh, dear lord! Come here, boy, let me have a look at you.” Susie emerged from the kitchen in a wheelchair, slowly rolling it with arms that were thinner than I’d ever seen them. Her whole body was frail and she looked like she’d aged ten years in the last six months. She waved the younger woman off. “It’s alright Kerrigan.”

  Kerrigan did not look like it was alright. “Uh-uh. You promised. You said that if I brought you in, you’d rest in the back and not wear yourself out trying to micromanage the staff or chit chat with the customers. You’re supposed to be taking it easy. Doctor’s orders.”

  Susie scowled, so Kerrigan turned to me. “She had a stroke several months ago. The doctor says if she follows orders and doesn’t tire herself out too much, she should make a full recovery. But trying to get her to listen is like shoveling snow off Mt. Everest.”

  “I’ve been in bed for too long, besides this is my Flynn. The miracle man who awoke from a six-month coma.”

  I bent down, wrapping my arms around her, and hugged her tight. Then, I smiled and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, Susie.”

  She tried to blink back tears, but one fell down her pale cheek anyway. “I’m so sorry, Flynn.”

  I leaned against the counter and looked her over. She looked like she’d been through hell and it tugged at my heartstrings. My tiger was agitated about her state, too. He had a special fondness for the woman who’d been slipping him cinnamon rolls since he was a cub. “What in the world are you sorry for?”

  She wiped her eyes and I glanced over at Simon, who was alternately grimacing my way and scowling at the table. Let him wait.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t come and see you these last six months. When I heard about the accident, I planned to come up to the medical center and sit with you. Then, I got sicker and ended up there anyway, only it wasn’t for a visit.”

  I bent down and hugged her again. “I was sleeping. What good would it have done? You know I love you, no matter what. Talk to me about what’s going on with you, though.”

  By the time I got over to Simon, he was red in the face and had ripped the paper napkin into about a thousand pieces. He frowned up at me and, when I sat down across from him, seemed to struggle to arrange his face into something vaguely resembling a smile. “I have other things to do, Flynn.”

  I shrugged. “Let’s make this short and sweet, then. What’s the status of the business?”

  With a bitter laugh, he shook his head. “It’s not ours, anymore.”

  A growl escaped my lips as I leaned closer. “What exactly do you mean, it’s not ours?”

  “Oh, don’t worry. Worked out great for you.” He paused while the tiny waitress, Kerrigan, slid a plate of peach cobbler in front of me.

  She smiled at me, and this time the smile was genuine. “On the house.”

  I returned the smile and looked past her to see Susie wave at me from behind the counter. “Tell her she’s going to make me fat.”

  Simon leaned in closer after Kerrigan left. “Before I continue, I want you to understand that the accident almost killed you. We all thought it had killed you and that you were just clinging on stubbornly for an extra few months. The doctors all said—”

  My growl shut him up and he swallowed audibly. “What do you mean it’s not ours?”

  “I, uh…you were holed up in a hospital bed withering away and the business was too much for me to run alone—”

  “What did you do?!” My voice had grown so loud, he flinched.

  “I was approached by a party who showed a serious interest. And with our new distribution deals in place—”

  “I didn’t sign.” I remembered that as being one of the last things that happened before the accident. “I never signed the paperwork for the deal.”

  Simon shifted in his seat. “Well, that’s where things get a little murky. With you being down for the count and all, I figured… I knew that if you had some time to think it over, you’d see the benefit… It was a sweet deal. There was no way you could decline that. So, I, uh….I, uh…”

  “You signed for me?” I’d raised my voice and drew the eyes of people around the diner.

  Simon’s face turned even redder. “You want to scream that a little louder?”

  “Maybe. What else did you do, asshole?”

  He nervously took a gulp of the coffee in front of him and met my eyes. “Well, once the distribution deals were in place, I was—uh, we—we were approached by Lighthouse Beverage out of Atlanta. With a top notch offer—one that was impossible to refuse.”

  “Which, legally, you had to refuse without my signature.”

  “Again, after some wheelin’ and dealin’, I knew it was a decision you would’ve made yourself, had you been able-bodied and all.” He cleared his throat and held his hand in front of him. “Before you rip my head off, and I can see that you want to, I got us enough money that we should’ve both retired as millionaires. One of us still will.”

  I grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him closer to me. “What the fuck did you do?”

  “I sold the company, alright. Don’t hurt me! You’re a rich man, Flynn. From rags to riches, literally.” He yanked himself free and stood up. “Three point two million dollars is your share. It’s sittin’ in the company account waiting for you. It’s all there, Flynn, I swear it. Every penny. The felon ends up with millions and I ended up with nothing after a few bad investments. Fucking figures.”

  I took a deep breath and glared at Simon. “I don’t want to see your face around here again. Do you understand? Ever.”

  Simon might have been a bit on the slimy side, but he was no dummy. He got the hell out of there so fast, he knocked over a chair on the way out.

  I sat for a while as my rage slowed from a boil to a simmer and then began to cool. It wasn’t right what he did, selling the business—especially for a measly six and a half million. I’d had plans to turn it into a distributorship worth twice that, but no use crying over spilled beer. Maybe it was blessing in disguise. I had to get the shop back in shape, and I wanted to spend time getting to know my mate.

  I was still stewing when a pint-sized powerhouse with purple hair, tattoos and facial piercings came storming up to my table and sat herself down in the seat opposite me.

  Parker Pettit. I knew her from the Sunkissed Public School system—before I dropped out—and I’d seen her around the island here and there. She’d been a grade behind me at Gasparilla Junior High, and was also a shifter.

  Parker wore the same look of determination she always had, only today it appeared amped up a bit. My hackles really rose when she flashed a syrupy smile.

  “Well, hello Flynn.”

  “Parker. To what do I owe the pleasure?” I wasn’t sure yet whether I could call her plopping her ass in the seat across from me a pleasure, but I figured I’d give her the benefit of the doubt.

  I heard about your accident. Glad to see you’re up and around. You look good, too.

  I raised a brow, then slowly thanked her. “Why do I feel like you have an agenda up your sleeve?”

  “Okay, you got me. I came to sign you up for a deal of a lifetime.”

  “Another offer I can’t refuse. Been a rash of those lately.”

  “How would you like to live the life of your wildest dreams? Your deepest fantasies?”

  “The fuck you talkin ‘bout Parker? Spit it out.” Sheesh the woman sounded like she was trying to sell me a subscription to a porn site.

  “Cybermates.” She held her hands out in a ta-da gesture.

  “Cybermates.”

  “It’s my new online mate-matching service, and you are perfect for it. Only reason I didn’t ask sooner is because… well, you know.”

  “You are definitely out of your mind.”

  “C’mon, Flynn. Don’t you want to meet your mate? Here’s the application packet. Think it over. Fill it out. I’ll stop by your shop and pick it up later in the week.”

  She tossed a stack of papers in front
of me and I slid them right back in front of her.

  “I don’t need an application, and I don’t need to think it over.” What I needed was to win my mate over.

  She slid the papers in front of me again. “At least think about it.”

  I slid them back. “I don’t need to. I already found my mate.”

  Her brow furrowed. “You did?”

  “I did.”

  “Oh.” A smug smile spread over her face as she sat back crossing her arms over her chest. “Damn, I’m good at this.”

  7

  Arden

  I had the weekend off, so I was thinking that maybe I would do a little self-pampering, something that would make me look more put-together for work. It had nothing to do with Flynn Bennett or that kiss. Nothing at all to do with that kiss. I would probably never see Flynn again. I certainly had no reason to. Although…there was the chance I might randomly run into him.

  Growing up on the island hadn’t meant for me what it had for the other locals. I hadn’t attended the local public schools. I’d been driven mainland to Fuller Academy, an exclusive private school. I didn’t know a lot of other locals my age, unless of course, they’d given birth at Sunkissed Key Medical Center in the last five years.

  My parents’ were of the opinion that Sunkissed Key was where we lived, not where we played, and my mother had always taken us girls to a high priced salon in Miami. As an adult, I’d just continued going where I’d always gone. Which was why, although I’d passed Jammie’s Salon countless times, I’d never set foot inside.

  As I stepped into the salon for the first time, I was momentarily taken aback. The décor was fun and frolicky and much of the staff seemed to be comprised of older women with brightly colored hair. A woman with hot pink hair approached wearing a friendly smile. “Well, hello there. How can we help you?”

  “Hi. I’m Arden Richardson. I have an appointment with Laila.”

  She nodded and pointed to a gorgeous woman with white-blonde hair and killer shoes, Manolo Blahniks if I wasn’t mistaken. “Right over there, honey. I think she’s all ready for you.”

  As I approached Laila, I knew I’d seen her somewhere before, but it took me a few minutes to place where. When she turned, I remembered. She was a friend of Parker Pettit’s. She’d visited in the maternity ward when Parker gave birth. I didn’t know if she remembered me.

  As soon as she saw me, though, a look of recognition came over her face. “Arden!”

  I nodded. “You remembered.”

  “You helped deliver my goddaughter, Stella! Of course, I remember.”

  She motioned me over to sit in her chair, and draped a cape over the front of me.

  A younger woman next to us, with black hair that was color coordinated to match her black lipstick and black nail polish, laughed. “Where is Parker today? She’s usually in here once or twice a day ever since she quit working at the B&B. Let me guess, she’s off wheeling and dealing, recruiting members for that site of hers?”

  “No, she’s shopping in Miami. It’s date night with Maxim tonight and she wanted to hit up Bernadette’s Boudoir for some lingerie.”

  I was wondering what she meant by “that site” of Parker’s, when Laila turned my chair so it faced the mirror and caught my eye through it. “Parker has an online dating site. She’s a little obsessed, but she’s made some good matches. Me, for one.”

  “Sure, she matched you and Fern, but she hasn’t matched me yet and I keep asking. She just screws up her face at me in a weird way when I ask.”

  “Because you’re too young, October.” Laila held up a firm hand to cut off the objection she seemed to know was coming. “You are. You’re barely twenty. You have a whole life to live before you settle down.”

  “You’re starting to sound like Jammie and the other golden girls around here.”

  “Who you calling golden girls, October?” The hot-pink-haired woman wagged her finger. “I’m just reaching my prime.”

  One of the other seven-somethings, the one with a blue streak through her spiky white hair, barked a laugh. “Prime, ha! When she was a girl, the dead sea was only sick.”

  “Oh, that’s hilarious, Margie. Ba-dum-tss. She’s here all week, folks. Don’t forget to tip your waiters. And try the veal.”

  October wasn’t deterred. “All I’m saying is Parker could easily set me up with someone. No extreme kinks, weird fetishes, or pump-and-dumps. Just someone with a cute butt.” October glanced in the mirror at her client, a tiny old woman with a sparse, wispy white cloud of hair. “Am I right, Lucille?”

  Lucille nodded emphatically. “Oh yes, dear. I love a tight butt.”

  Laila laughed and met my eyes in the mirror, shaking her head. “Ignore these crazies.”

  I enjoyed the interactions of the women. “Seems like a fun place to work.”

  “Do you know what you want?” Laila ran her hand through my hair feeling the texture and finger combing it. “If not, I can suggest a couple things that I think would look nice.”

  I twisted my lips to the side, considering her question. “I… I want something different. Better.”

  “I do different and I do better.” Laila grinned. “How ‘bout color? Any change, because I would suggest shorter with blonde highlights.”

  “How much shorter?”

  Laila leaned down at held my nervous gaze. “I promise you that I won’t do anything drastic.”

  “Yeah, but how much shorter?”

  Holding up a strand of my hair, she folded it and held the much shorter piece next to my face. It fell to just under my jaw, almost long enough to graze the top of my shoulders.

  I blew out a breath and shrugged. “I did say different.”

  After a few more questions, she spun the chair away from the mirror and got to work.

  October, Laila and the other ladies carried on a riotous exchange that at times was a lot like verbal sparring. They had a comradery that was comfortable and put me at ease.

  But then it happened.

  “Did y’all hear about that guy who woke up from a long coma?” The question was posed almost offhandedly by Jammie’s client, a middle aged woman leafing through a people magazine.

  I felt my cheeks heat and glanced towards the door, like I expected Flynn to come walking in. I waited to see if anyone had anything interesting to say about him.

  “Flynn Bennett.” October let out a breathy sigh. “Hottie with a body. He can look under my hood—”

  “October! He’s too old for you.” Laila rolled her eyes. “God, I sound stuffy. Flynn is too old for you, though. He was a year or two older than Parker and me in school. And he was in prison after that.”

  “Gotta love those bad boys.” October fanned herself. “Bet he’d do some filthy things in bed. Things that would make a girl’s toes curl. He can talk dirty to me any day or night.”

  If October knew what was good for her, she’d shut her trap. I was about ready to rip a bitch’s head off.

  “I guess he woke up after being out for six months.” Laila wrapped a piece of foil around a strand of my hair. “If anyone could wake up after a six month coma, it would be Flynn. He’s a survivor.”

  I didn’t want to seem too eager for info, but I had to know. “What do you mean?”

  “Rough childhood, from what I remember. I don’t really know much, but I do remember he dropped out of school and I think I heard he was on the street for a time.

  A black woman with short, copper curls nodded. “Mm-hm. He was always getting into trouble as a boy. October’s right, though. He is hot as a bonfire in July. Wonder if Parker will get her hands on him for that website of hers.”

  Laila turned the chair and picked up another foil. “Oh, I don’t think he’s single.”

  My jaw dropped and I felt a rush of blood to my head. “You don’t? What makes you think that? Just curious.”

  “Parker said something about trying to hit him up the other day but he told her he’s already got someone. Of course, Parker
takes full credit for the match.”

  Suddenly, my discomfort had nothing to do with October drooling over Flynn and everything to do with the gossip that had just come out of Laila’s mouth. Flynn wasn’t single?

  Laila seemed oblivious to my sudden mood swing. “Alright. I’ve got the color on. Now, I’m going to sit you under the dryer for a time while we wait for it to set.”

  I sat under the dryer worrying my lip and working my hands together under the cape. Maybe Flynn just told Parker that to get her off his back. And maybe it’s none of my business. I blew out a sharp breath.

  I was still avoiding Martin, but I supposed I really needed to give more consideration to another date with him. It could serve a dual purpose—to get my mother off my back, and to get Flynn off my mind.

  8

  Flynn

  I was in the shop replacing a leaky valve cover when I pulled my head out from under the hood of my ’67 Mustang. There was something…

  I took a deep breath and snapped my head in the direction of the business catty-corner to my shop on Main St. My feet followed the scent and I stepped out of the garage to see Arden emerging from Jammie’s Salon.

  My breath hitched and my face broke out in an enormous grin. I shoved the rag I’d been wiping my greasy hands on into my back pocket and watched her walk the few feet to where her car was parked at the curb. She stood on the sidewalk digging through her purse. Her hair fell into her eyes and she hastily tucked it behind her ears. Goddamn, she made me feel like a teenage boy unable to get control of my dick. But, who could blame Little Flynn for standing at attention? She was fucking beautiful.

  I hadn’t gotten the full picture before. When I first saw her in the hospital room, I could barely focus my eyes, and then in the parking lot of the medical center, she was there and gone before I could get my fill. Hell, I’d never get my fill. I could stare at her all day, every day, 24/7—forever.