Authors: Kate Kent
Bears' Babe: BBW Paranormal Menage Shape Shifter Romance (Confessions of a Mail Order Bride Book 2)
Copyright © 2015 by Kate Kent
All Rights Reserved: No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed, or given away in any form without the prior written consent of the author/publisher or the terms relayed to you herein.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination, or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to organizations, actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.
No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner, except as allowable under “fair use,” without the express written permission of the author.
Published by: Lil Black Dress Press
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Yes, I know my employees have called me an uptight bitch behind my back. I admit, I can be demanding. But the company pays me well to get the best possible performance out of them. I expect a lot from them, and even more from myself. When I was a kid, I suffered terrible burns on my abdomen from a bonfire. As I recovered I was unable to do much of anything but dream. So, I dreamed of my future—a future where I would have a highly successful professional and personal life. And with my career, I’ve succeeded beyond expectations. I’m the head accountant with a top notch marketing firm.
But sadly, that has not been the case with my personal life. I’ve been divorced twice. The men were not perfect, but I admit, my expectations were pretty high—higher than most. But why shouldn’t I expect a lot? I have a lot to give. If a man wants my love he needs to be ambitious, powerful, and in control…and hot. The man of my dreams is beyond hot. He’s tall, dark and handsome—twisted steel and sex appeal. I’m not physically perfect with the scars on my belly, but I don’t let them bother me. People tell me I’m beautiful, that they love my green eyes and red hair, and I feel pretty good about my looks. I’m a naturally big, curvy woman, and I want a man that can handle my size and keep up with me. If I ever find that man, I swear we’ll make a powerful couple. My name is Judith Banks and this is my story…my confession…
~ * ~
‘Very nice!’ I thought to myself. That was a huge compliment coming from me. I had to admit, the shifter guys on the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies Marriage Mates’ site were sexy and hot. It was hard not to drool over them. The office had been buzzing about the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies’ website ever since it opened. The buzz only grew more after one of our former co-workers, Sherry Cole, had found her forever mate on the site. I knew I shouldn’t be looking. It was a big distraction from work, but I couldn’t help myself.
I glanced around to make sure no one was near my office. Then, for the zillionth time, I looked at the shifter profiles on the site again. Damn, it was exciting to look at them. I knew my co-workers thought of me as a stiff, stuck up prude. They would be shocked at how much the men turned me on. The thought of an emotional and physical relationship with one of these men—that was exciting. And I’d heard shifters stayed mated for a lifetime. With two divorces under my belt, I really liked the idea of a forever love. I licked my lips as I studied the photos on the page.
Even though there were four profiles per page and several pages of men to look through, the ones on page two really caught my eye—especially the second to last one. The first profile on the page was of a tiger shifter named Dirk Matthews. He was an older man; beefy, with a thick neck and muscles to match. It was no surprise to read his profile and see that he was a sheriff. Profile two was of a wiry leopard shifter with tats, a scraggly beard, and a guitar in his hands—Randy Ayres. The bio said he was in a rock band. He looked like he could play more than just the guitar.
But the third profile on the page, profile three—yeah, that was the one that got me. It was of a very sexy wolf shifter, Brad Stanford. He was the ultimate in tall, dark and handsome. He was 6’4”, with jet-black hair, a Roman nose, strong jawline, and bluer than blue eyes. Plus, he was very successful. According to his profile, he owned Stanford Home Realty, a real estate agency in Shifter Villages that did millions of dollars in business in and around the area every year. I liked that. The man was obviously driven, which I found very stimulating. With his ambition, good looks and style, I knew he was the perfect match for me.
With the success Sherry had in finding a mate at ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies,’ I’d decided to try it too. I posted my profile on the site and waited. But nothing happened. I didn’t hear from any of the shifters.
There were only a few profiles of females looking for shifters to mate with on the site, so it was easy to see mine. Why didn’t any of the men write me? And more specifically, why didn’t Brad write me? Brad was looking for his match, so he had to be scrolling through the few female profiles the site had, hoping to find his potential mate. And with my bio, he had to have realized we were probably perfect for one another. But I didn’t hear from him.
Yes, I’d been brutally honest in my bio, admitting I was a bit of a control freak and that I had been married twice before. But even so, I’d thought I’d hear from at least one of the men, particularly Brad. It was obvious from my profile that we’d be a match. I was ambitious and determined, just like him. I knew I was attractive, with my red hair and green eyes, and a lot of men loved my curves. So why was there no contact?
After a couple of days, I decided to be proactive. My mother had always told me to go after what I wanted. Her advice had done well for me throughout the years. I hadn’t become head accountant for the firm I worked for by sitting back and doing nothing. Since he hadn’t contacted me, it was obvious that if I wanted to meet my dream man I would have to take action.
I sent a note through the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies’ site to Brad expressing my interest—not once, but three times. The first time I didn’t hear back I assumed the email might have gotten lost. I sent it again a second and third time just to be sure he got it. Every day I checked my email, but I still hadn’t heard anything.
“Judith, I have those reports,” a voice called out.
I pulled down the top of my computer so it was almost closed. I was supposed to be working, not spending my day dreaming about getting mated. But I couldn’t help but think about it. Sherry was going to be marrying her sexy lion shifter mate Adrian Landen, a man she’d met on the site, this weekend. She seemed blissfully happy. I wanted that too. With two failed marriages to “regular” guys behind me, I craved the happily ever after a committed shifter could provide.
“Thanks, Jill,” I said, taking the folders from her. “Is everything going well with Marilyn?”
“Yeah, she’s working out great. I’m glad you hired her.”
“Glad to hear it,” I smiled. “It had been rough for awhile.” One of the employees, Roxanne Falcon, had been creating trouble in the office and had accessed and used information in the office’s personnel files she shouldn’t have. I had fired her and hired Marilyn to take her place.
“Are you excited about the wedding this weekend?” Jill asked.
“I’m sure it will be lovely,” I replied casually. Actually, I was beyond excited. I couldn’t wait to get to the town and hopefully meet the man of my dreams. “I know Sherry will make a beautiful bride, and it will be fun to check out Shifter Villages. I’ve never been there. Have you?”
Jill shook her head. “No, I hear it can get a little rowdy though. But with all of that testosterone, it’s no wonder.”
“Yeah,” I swallowed. Testosterone—bring it on! The fact that it might get a little rowdy didn’t really bother me. It would be good to be around some men for a change. During the workweek I was surrounded by my co-workers and almost all of them were female. I usually worked so many hours I had very little time to socialize and meet men. I didn’t tell Jill I was interested in the men the town had to offer. She was my employee, and I had to stay professional.
“The Big Bull Inn looks like a really nice place to stay,” Jill said.
“Yep, and that’s a good thing. Sherry said it was the only hotel in town. I’m glad we were able to get reservations.”
“Sherry told me that the guy that owns the hotel, Vic, I think his name is, started the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies Marriage Mates’ site—the website she met Adrian on.”
“Oh, interesting,” I replied smoothly. I was not about to tell Jill I’d been drooling over the men on the site, one in particular, for the past hour or so.
“Anyway, I’d better get back to work,” Jill said. “I’m glad I finished those reports, but I still have some work to do on the Beall account.”
“Ok, well, thanks for getting these to me,” I motioned towards the paperwork she’d just handed to me.
Jill waved her hand. “Of course, and hey, do you want to ride together to Shifter Villages this weekend?”
“Sounds good, I’ll drive.”
Jill smiled. “I knew you’d want to drive, but I’ll pitch in for gas.”
Jill knew me well. I didn’t like to give up control, even when it came to driving. “I’ll touch base with you to arrange a time later.” As Jill left, I heard the sound of several incoming emails and flipped the lid back open on my computer. I knew it was highly unlikely as it had already been several days, but maybe just maybe, it was a response from Brad.
My eyes lit up when I tapped the screen. There were several pieces of incoming mail from ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies’. I clicked on the first one and quickly scanned the letter.
“Dear Judith, We apologize, but due to technical difficulties our site has not been matching up potential mates as it should have been. The emails mates sent out to one another were not delivered. We have corrected this glitch and our service is back to normal. In order to save time, we are sending you the profile of the match we feel is the best fit for you. Please see the attachment for your best fit. In addition, you may feel free to contact the potential mates of your choice.”
Ahh… a sigh of relief washed over me. So that was it. Brad had never gotten my emails. I scanned my inbox…and then I saw it. An email from Brad Stanford, sent through the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies’ site! I knew it! With trembling fingers, I clicked to open the email.
“
Dear Judith, I’ve been emailing you through the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies’ site for several days now and was disappointed to not get a response. I just found out the site had a glitch and my mail was not getting through to you. I read your profile and I think we would be a great match. Would you be interested in getting to know one another more? If so, please email me privately at the email address below instead of through the site. I don’t want to miss any of your messages. I look forward to hearing from you.”
Yes, oh yes! I couldn’t wait to write Brad and let him know I’d been emailing him too. A wave of excitement rushed over me as I scrolled to the bottom to get Brad’s email address. But as I moved my cursor to the bottom of my screen, I was stunned to see the hearts that rimmed the base of the page.
The ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies Marriage Mates’ website was set up so that when you clicked on a profile or emailed someone through the site, empty hearts would fill up with red. The number of filled hearts indicated how good of a match you would make with that partner. This was determined by several factors, including personality tests that you took when you set up your profile. The ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies’ site recommended you stick to matches that were at least six hearts or more. My former co-worker Sherry and her lion shifter, Adrian, had been a ten-heart match, which was the best you could get.
My heart dropped as I looked at the heart match for Brad and me—only three hearts were filled with red!
