Bite My Bengal: Paranormal Dating Agency (Heads N' Tails Book 3) Read online

  Bite my Bengal

  A Paranormal Dating Agency Story

  Roxanne Witherell

  For the Love of Fire and Ice

  Paranormal Dating Agency

  Copyright 2018 Roxanne Witherell

  Published by MT Worlds Press, Inc.

  Winter Springs, FL 32708

  http://mtworldspress.com

  Cover art by: Glowing Moon Cover Designs

  Edited by: Liz Wilks

  Formatting by Celtic Formatting

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  http://mtworldspress.com

  How do you love once you’ve lost?

  BJ Elwood, the oldest of a small group of friends, lost the love of her life five years ago. She’s content with being alone, but her friends scheme to set her up for happiness. What are the chances she can find love again? She isn’t a beauty, but maybe, just maybe, Gerri can find her a new love.

  Dare Forrester has been alone since his wife died twenty years ago. He gave up finding love long ago. When he finds it again, will it be to only lose her in the same way? Could he survive another loss?

  Dedication

  For the wonderful BJ in my life. Thank you, Barbara June, for all the faith and love you give.

  Acknowledgment

  I want to send out a special thanks to Milly Taiden for creating the wonderful world of Paranormal Dating Agency. I look forward to writing many more books in the PDA world.

  One

  “Are you sure it’s a good idea for us to go to Heads N’ Tails?” BJ asked Braelynn as they rounded the corner of the tall building.

  “It’ll be fine. Annette’s meeting us at the restaurant.” Braelynn held open the door for BJ to go in.

  “This better be one amazing steak,” BJ said, stepping up to the front desk.

  “Oh, they’re the best,” Braelynn commented as she handed the receptionist her membership card. “Hi, Tyra.”

  “It’s good to see you, Braelynn. Sign here.” Tyra handed her a clipboard.

  Braelynn signed her name and passed the clipboard to BJ. She signed her name beside Braelynn’s as a guest, then handed the clipboard back to Tyra. BJ didn’t see why they needed to sign in just to go to the restaurant. Braelynn assured her it was just for security reasons. If something was to happen then they would be able to look back to see who was there. BJ followed Braelynn into the elevator.

  “I got to admit. I’m kind of excited to see where you girls have been the last few months,” BJ told her.

  “In my defense, I have been inviting y’all forever.”

  “Yeah, I’ll pass on your favorite levels,” BJ laughed. “I’ll stick with our dinner dates.”

  “Have it your way.” Braelynn shrugged.

  The elevator doors opened when they arrived on level eighteen. Soft music played inside the restaurant seeping out into the hallway. Large French doors opened up into a large restaurant. They stopped at the hostess podium. A tall blonde smiled as they approached.

  “Welcome to Heads N’ Tails,” she greeted them. “How many?”

  “We’re joining Annette tonight,” Braelynn told her.

  “She just finished her shift.” She waved them through. “Right this way.”

  The hostess led them through the restaurant. BJ noticed Annette sitting at a table near the rooftop doors. They had a clear view of the beautiful star-filled sky. White cloth linens covered the table tops. Each table was lit up with candles. BJ could easily see this as being one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. Too bad it catered mainly to shifters and other paranormals. BJ wouldn’t even be there if it wasn’t for the fact of Annette falling in love with the owners of Heads N’ Tails. Annette started working at the restaurant so Tony and Brian could open more levels of the club and move employees around to cover those floors.

  “Annette, this place is gorgeous.” BJ gave Annette a hug then sat in the seat next to her. Braelynn sat on the opposite side of Annette.

  “Isn’t it? Things seem to run smoother here than at Pierre’s. I’m glad I made the change,” Annette admitted.

  The waitress came by with their drinks. Annette must have ordered for them before they arrived. Glancing at the tall glass of what BJ assumed was a Fuzzy Navel, she noticed an extra setting at the table. Usually the hostess would grab the extra setting when all the members of the party arrived.

  “Are we expecting someone else?” BJ asked Annette. Braelynn didn’t mention anyone joining them.

  “Well, we wanted to talk about that.” Annette looked down at her watch.

  “What did you do?” BJ looked at them.

  “I think you should give Paranormal Dating Agency a try,” Braelynn said.

  “What?” BJ shook her head. “I’m too damn old for that shit. I’m fine just the way I am.”

  “We know you’re fine, but wouldn’t you like to be happy?” Annette asked.

  “I was happy,” BJ told them. Her late husband, Dave, made her happy. “I had my shot. It was great while it lasted. I’m not as young as you two.”

  “Forty-five isn’t old, either,” Annette pointed out. “You could find happiness again.”

  “Plus, she’s already on her way.” Braelynn grinned.

  “No, you didn’t.” BJ couldn’t believe they had this planned out.

  “We did,” Annette confirmed.

  “I can’t believe you two would do this behind my back,” BJ paused. “You know what? I can believe you two would do this. This is the type of shit that happens when you two get together without supervision. You see this new patch of gray hair right here.” BJ pointed out the noticeable gray right at her part line. “This is from you two. You caused this.”

  “You can barely notice it. Come on, give it a shot. She’ll be here in time for dessert,” Braelynn said. “Besides, what harm could it do.”

  BJ sighed and picked up the menu in front of her. She opened the menu even though she already knew what she wanted. Instead, she stared blankly at the menu and thought about Dave. She could never replace Dave, nor would she want to. The moment she met Dave, she knew she wanted to marry him. They started dating when she was 16 and got married a few months after high school graduation. They were only married for 22 years when a motorcycle crash took him from her. That was five years ago, and she still hadn’t looked at another. She spent 24 years with the love of her life. You don’t get a second chance after that. Dave was the only one for her. She knew that then just like she knew that now. BJ sighed again as she put down the menu. She missed the warmth of Dave’s embrace.

  “Honey, we didn’t mean to upset you.” Annette placed her hand on BJ’s.

  “It’s fine,” BJ assured her as she fought back the tears that threatened to spill out.

  “We just think you could be happy again. Gerri will find you someone that fits you just right,” Braelynn told her. “Look what she did for us. Have you ever seen us happier than we are now?”

  “No, but you two deserve your happiness,” BJ told her.

  “You deserve to be happy too,” Annette pointed out.
/>
  “Let’s drop the subject for now,” BJ said as the waitress came over to take their orders.

  BJ barely spoke at all through dinner. Her steak was cooked to perfection and she practically moaned with every bite. It’d ruined her from going anywhere else for a steak dinner, that was for sure.

  “This steak is heaven,” BJ commented.

  “Told you.” Braelynn smiled.

  “What else would you expect from a lion shifter? That man knows how to cook meat,” Annette told them.

  “It still blows my mind, all the different shifters in one place,” BJ said.

  “I never knew there were so many,” Braelynn agreed. “Hell, I didn’t know Tony and Bryan were dragon shifters until Ronan told me.”

  “Most of the time, humans won’t know unless they’re witches or have a sense for those things,” Annette said. “There’s a couple I’ve seen around for years and just found out they’re wolves.”

  “Makes you wonder how many shifters you may actually know,” BJ commented.

  “Now that I’m with Ronan, shifters seem more open about it around me. They don’t hide the fact that they’re shifters, but they don’t flaunt the fact that they are, either.” Braelynn picked up her wine glass and took a sip.

  As they finished their meal, the waitress came back with a dessert menu and took their empty plates. BJ looked over the menu; the souffle was practically calling her name. They ordered when the waitress came back around. Annette looked down at her watch for the third time.

  “I guess your matchmaker won’t make it tonight,” BJ stated after the waitress brought their desserts out.

  “Guess again.” An older woman came up behind Annette. “You must be BJ Elwood. I’m Gerri.”

  “I remember you from Braelynn’s wedding,” BJ said shaking Gerri’s hand.

  “I sense you’re not happy to see me.” Gerri sat in the chair next to her.

  “It’s not that I’m not happy to see you. It’s just the way these two went about it.” She glared at Annette and Braelynn.

  “I see,” Gerri nodded. “I assure you they have the best of intentions.”

  “I’m sure they did, but it’s not necessary. I’m not looking for a man in my life or in my bed,” BJ told her.

  “Come on, BJ,” Braelynn pleaded. “You’ll be glad you did.”

  “If you were looking for a man, what would you look for?” Gerri asked.

  “I’d look for Dave,” she said simply. She knew Gerri was just trying to distract her from getting aggravated with her friends, but it didn’t matter.

  “Okay, then tell me about Dave,” Gerri suggested.

  “He was the most amazing man I’d ever met,” BJ closed her eyes. Dave was a topic she could easily talk about. “His eyes were baby blue. They turned gray when he was sick. His hair was longer than mine and he didn’t mind me running my hands through it every chance I got. People would stare at us because of our height difference. Dave was more than a foot taller than me. He was generous to a fault. Never met a person he didn’t want to help. He loved working with his hands. Every year he would make me something for my birthday. He would always put me before himself.”

  “He sounds wonderful,” Gerri commented.

  “He was.” BJ opened her eyes to see everyone at the table staring at her. It was then she realized a tear had fallen down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. “As you can see, I’m not ready to date again.”

  “That’s only because you haven’t met the right person to help you move forward. It’s never too late to find another love. If Dave always put you first then you should realize by now that he wouldn’t want you to be lonely forever.”

  Gerri’s words rang true. BJ knew Dave would want her to be happy, but all she wanted was Dave. There’s no way Gerri could find her someone like Dave. He was one of a kind. BJ sighed and took a bite of her souffle. Thoughts ran through her mind a mile a minute. It did get lonely, especially since all her friends were now married or close enough to it. It would be nice to have companionship.

  “I don’t think there’s anyone out there for me,” BJ said sadly. “But if you think you can find another Dave then more power to you.”

  “You’ll do it?” Braelynn questioned with a smile.

  “I’ll let Gerri try.” BJ shrugged. “I doubt much will come of it.”

  “Oh, don’t be so negative.” Annette patted her arm. “I swear, Gerri has a magical touch to these things.”

  “It may take some time to find the right man for you,” Gerri told her.

  “Now don’t go all crazy like you did with Annette,” BJ laughed. “I don’t need two men. One will be plenty.”

  “Oh, I had no intention of finding you two,” Gerri admitted.

  “Good.” BJ didn’t even need one man, so she damn well didn’t need two.

  Two

  “How much longer do you think it will take?” Bryan asked as he came around the bar.

  “On this piece?” Dare carved a sliver of wood away from the side of the bar. “It will be done by Saturday. The columns won’t take as long since the detailing isn’t small. A couple of weeks and you’ll be ready to open. As long as you can keep Tony from coming up with something new.”

  “Last time he came down with Annette, they added a week’s worth of work. I told him they weren’t allowed back down here,” Bryan said.

  “I can’t see Tony following that rule.” Dare laughed.

  “One can only hope.” Bryan shrugged. “Tony has enough on his plate shuffling employees around so we can open this level. There’s a lot of switching up going around. Some people just can’t work with others. Tony will have his hands full for another two weeks.”

  “We should be able to finish by then.” Dare blew on the bar carving, sending wood scrapings flying.

  “Excellent.” Bryan grabbed the lights off the bar and went back to work.

  Dare went back to his carving. The bar carving may go a little faster than he thought. He only had another foot to go on this side. Then all that was left was sanding and staining. The detail had taken longer than expected. Turning the bar into a forest scene hadn’t been easy. Once it was all sanded, he’d go back over it with his torch to add depth in some areas.

  “We got a lot done today.” Bryan finished lining the shelves with LED lights. “I say we call it a night.”

  “I’m almost to a stopping point.” Dare wiped over the freshly sanded carving.

  “When you going to take us up on our offer and come have a drink upstairs?” Bryan stepped off the step ladder.

  “After Tony hounded me last week, I came prepared.” Dare pointed to the duffle bag beside his tool bag. “I just need a place to wash up.”

  “I can help you with that,” Bryan offered.

  Dare narrowed his eyes at Bryan, giving him a suspicious look.

  “Not like that.” Bryan laughed. He pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll give Tyra a call and she can get you all set up.”

  “Thanks.” Dare went back to his carving while Bryan was on the phone.

  In all the weeks that Dare has been working at Heads N’ Tails, he hadn’t gone to any of the levels other than what was going through renovations. He was contracted to do the woodwork. Once that was done, he’d move on to the next project. He never thought to hang out for a drink. By the time his work was done for the day, he was ready to go home and relax. When he got home, he didn’t feel like going out again. He lived to the north of the city, on the edge of the state park. He felt at ease living close to the wooded area.

  “You’re good to go.” Bryan set his phone on the bar top. “Just go to room 413 on the fourth level when you’re done here. There will be a beer waiting for you on the ninth level when you’re ready.”

  “I’ll wrap things up here and be down in a bit.” Dare set down his chisel, picked up his rag and wiped down the area he was working on.

  “I’m heading out.” Bryan closed up his toolbox. “See you in a little while.” />
  “See ya.” Dare wiped down the side of the bar, looking over his work.

  Dare started his clean up once Bryan left. Wood shavings littered the floor where he had been sitting. He gathered his tools and dropped them in his tool bag. He swept up the mess on the floor, always leaving the room how he found it. Once everything was back in proper order, he grabbed his overnight bag and headed out.

  His membership card now allowed him access to the fourth and ninth floors. Dare had no intention of spending the night in one of the rooms. A quick shower is all he needed to wash away the smell of wood. The elevator ride to the fourth floor only took a minute. He’d make good time, and if he was lucky, he’d be home by midnight.

  ****

  Dare made his way up to the ninth floor. He didn’t know what to expect since all the floors were different even though it was part of the same club. As the elevator door slid open, music sounded down the hall. At least he liked the music. He made his way down the hall to the double doors that led into the club. The space was just as large as the one he was working on. Although the layout was different, he was still able to find his way around. There was two serving bars on this level. Dare spotted Tony mixing drinks at the main bar. He made his way over, taking a seat on one of the bar stools.

  “I didn’t think I’d ever see you down here,” Tony gasped dramatically.

  “Bryan didn’t tell you I was coming?” Dare asked.

  “Nah, I haven’t talked to him since lunch. Annette’s with her friends tonight so Bryan is coming down after he cleans up.” Tony looked past Dare and smiled. “Speaking of my love.”

  “Speaking of me?” Bryan walked up behind Dare, clapping him on the back with a nod. He walked around the end of the bar and kissed Tony’s cheek.

  “Yeah, I was just saying that you didn’t tell me Dare was coming down from the twelfth level to enjoy the living.” Tony smacked Bryan’s ass as he went by to grab a drink.