Scrooge's Bear (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales) (reformatted) Read online

  Being a corporate nomad didn’t sit well with her.

  “Yes. I need release. Nothing long and drawn out. Once I’ve had enough it is over.” She felt she needed to be clear with him. “There are rules.”

  “I’m sure.” One corner of his mouth curled up.

  “Are you laughing at me?” she bristled. Did he see her as some hopeless thirty-four year old that couldn’t cut it in the real dating world? Maybe that was partly true, she was hopeless when it came to a date, but that was only because her career had come to mean everything to her. Now she was ass out.

  “I’d never laugh at a beautiful woman who’s honest about her sexual needs.” This time a smile stretched all the way across his mouth but there was warmth in his eyes, damping the heat just a little.

  She hadn’t missed that he’d called her beautiful. Men in her life before hadn’t given her compliments like that, too afraid of sexual harassment. Not to mention she hadn’t been interested in what they thought of her looks but her ability to do a damn good job.

  “Tell me. How does a sexy, drop dead gorgeous woman find herself alone for the holiday and in need of paid companionship?”

  Clearing her throat, she pushed away the hum of joy at his approval. “Christmas, Easter, Groundhog Day…all just another day on the calendar to me.” It was the truth. In her life holidays came around just to remind those less fortunate of what they were truly missing out on. Bah Humbug. “Furthermore, there will be no need of flattery. We both know this is a short business arrangement.”

  “Okay.” He nodded. “What are your other rules?”

  “No kissing. No trying to restrain me, I prefer to be on top. No naughty, wild antics or kinky stuff. I just want it done. I’d like to climax once…twice if you can manage it.” She doubted she’d get in more than one. No man had ever made her come more than once in an encounter.

  Stoic for more than a minute, he sat there staring at her without breaking eye contact. She found it hard to read his thoughts, know how he felt about all that she said.

  Finally, he broke his silence. “When do we start?” His voice seemed rough, like claws dragged along the side of a tree—rich, rough, and scratchy.

  The visual image that accompanied the thought made her spine tingle and a bead of sweat roll between her breasts. How did something like that turn me on?

  Tightening her hand around the glass, she lifted it again and drank, giving herself some time. This was the moment where the snow stuck. She had to decide unequivocally to take the plunge.

  “Now.”

  He rose. She never would have figured as squished as he’d appeared in the booth that he would be able to move with such speed and be standing beside her once again with his hand held out to her.

  With him standing so close, her body reacted. Every hair on her body stood up on ends. The sensation was unexpected and odd, making her skin feel foreign and alive. The urge to find a tree and rub up against it arrested it. Grabbing her glass instead of his hand, she finished off the water and wished she had ordered something stronger.

  Shoving out of the seat she circumvented his hand, not sure if she was ready to let him touch her yet, then headed toward the door. “This way.” She spoke to him over her shoulder, but didn’t pause in stride to see if he followed her.

  I’m in charge. I’m in charge.

  Even as she repeated those words to herself, she didn’t feel in charge. Maybe when she boldly completed the request form or when she spoke to Lady Salista on the phone and told her what she wanted. However, once big, tall and fierce stepped up to her table with his dark, intense, liquid gold gaze...control evaded her grasp. But, she would be damned if she allowed herself to exhibit that to him. No way. She was a virtuoso at commanding people to do what she wanted. It was how she’d succeeded so well in business at such a young age. At thirty she had become the youngest deputy CEO at her old company. And wherever she ended up next she’d do greater things.

  Right now, she was going to take her pleasure from a bear of a man and then walk away.

  Chapter Two

  Dainton watched her sashay away. He wasn’t in the least put off by her prickly exterior. He’d met porcupines in the woods that were more approachable than Ebony. However, it was her hard as a frozen Lake Michigan persona that made him desire her more—want to see her melt in his arms.

  He’s sensitive ears had picked up on the exchange of conversation between her and another woman who spoke to her as if she were a sister or best friend.

  Ebony Scrooge was a woman with a story. One he doubted she would be willing to share with him. A man she considered her one night stand. Correction, her male escort. That thought brought a frown to his face as he followed her hasty steps through the crowd partying in the bar toward the door.

  What would make a hot as hell woman need to hire someone to have sex with her? Sex, for sure. If Ebony had not been forthcoming with anything else about this night it was that she had paid some service for his, no some unfortunate bastard’s, company and she was going to top that off by paying the man directly for sexual services rendered. What in the hell?

  He was stumped.

  Now that she was out of the booth, he could take in the full beauty of her body. Full figured, with curves so prominent and thick they could make a man’s mouth water. Shit, what the hell did he care about any other man? He’d been salivating heavily practically the entire time he sat across from her listening to her run on about her rules. List of don’ts was more like it.

  When all he’d wanted to do was pull her over the tabletop and have her straddle him as he acquainted himself with her ample form. He was a Were. His kind came big. He preferred women that could hold up to the fierceness of his love making. A slip of a woman scared him. Sex was a pretty intense affair and he always had to keep his sexual exploits to human women of the thicker variety. A beautiful figure with large breasts, narrow waist and wide, round hips and ample thighs to cradle his hips and take the power of his thrusts. Ebony, in her perfectly tailored green suit, was that kind of woman.

  Casually strutting behind her fast, long strides through the lobby, he allowed himself to think on something else—the strength of his desire and attraction for her. He hadn’t missed the electric heat that coursed through his arm when he’d laid his hand over hers. It felt as if he’d tried to hold on to a live wire—his blood sizzled. The hot flash of pleasure swirled through his body and landed dead center in his lap. His cock had been rock hard the entire time he sat across from her. Even now, it was semi-erect hidden behind the lower end of his suit jacket.

  If the long-lasting erection hadn’t been enough of a response to jar him in the gut, the fact that his gums had been itching in four specific places had the hair on his arms raised. He couldn’t figure out why he was responding to her in such a way—this strange woman.

  As her pace slowed, she drew closer to the elevators, he allowed himself to close the gap some so that he could take in another direct dose of her scent. Cloves and apricot—there was something about it. Something he couldn’t put his finger on. Like a vapor, the clarity of who this woman was eluded his grasp.

  He intentionally kept his distance from Were-females in his county and found a reason to be far away from town during the First Frost Moon. Finding a life-long mate wasn’t on his agenda. There were too many favorite flavors of women in the world he’d yet to taste to find himself in the same bed night after night for the rest of his life. No thank you. Yeah, he felt the pull the week prior like all other men, but he hightailed it quickly beyond Den County’s limits. Usually, he locked himself in a hotel room for a few days until the intensity to mate wore off enough that he could trust himself to find a willing human woman and slack his lust.

  So, why he was willing to trail behind their aphrodisiac delight and risk the warning connection was beyond him. What he should do was confess the truth and tell her he wasn’t the man she’d been waiting for—the one she’d paid to service her.

  But
his bear growled and urged him forward.

  ~YH~

  When she arrived at the bank of elevators at the back of the lobby, she could feel the heat of his body behind her letting her know he had followed her from the bar. He wasn’t close enough that their bodies connected, but it didn’t seem to matter. Her breasts felt heavy and the urge to cup them herself assailed her.

  Finally, the doors parted and she stepped in and moved as close to the panel as possible.

  Her shadow flowed in next.

  Cutting her eyes toward him, she was arrested by his direct gaze. He stood against the opposite wall, giving her space. She was grateful for that. However, the way he was looking at her, as if she was his favorite treat that he wanted to consume, made her hands shake.

  For a moment she paused with her finger on the button for the floor where her rented suite was located. The protracted stare was doing a number on her. If a man had ever viewed her with such intensity before, she couldn’t recall.

  Maybe I should just end this. Take the loss of the money I paid and send him away.

  The car began to ding, letting her know the doors needed to close and it was awaiting her selection.

  Her mind told her having sex with him could be dangerous. Her loins told her it would be worth it. Her heart had yet to voice an opinion other than the firm, steady beat that pulsed through her eardrums.

  “I think I’ve chan—”

  “Hold the elevator!” A man came slipping through as the doors started to slide shut. “Phew. Thanks.” Out of breath the intoxicated man slumped against the back wall.

  “Hey pretty lady.” The drunk wobbled closer to her and with a hand stretched toward her. “How about joining me in my room for some holiday che-ee-r?”

  A growl pierced the elevator car before the man had completed his offer.

  Ebony and the balding drunk both snapped their heads in the direction of the big, silent man in the corner.

  She could have sworn that she felt the steel box shake beneath her feet.

  Dainton took one step that brought him to the center of the enclosed space as he focused his gaze on the inebriated man. “Don’t touch her.”

  His voice that was already heavy and rough, in a sexy way, now was menacing and sounded more like two rocks being ground against each other—grating. She also noticed instantly that those intense gorgeous eyes of his that were making her melt across the table now almost seemed reddish in color as they held the intoxicated man pinned to the spot.

  Mr. Drunkard, seeing the hard look, swallowed once then twice. He rubbed his hand down the front of his face swiping away the river of sweat that began to pour down from his bare scalp.

  The big man that was her date made her a little nervous at the moment, even though his ire was raised by her and he wasn’t giving her the cold glare. Would he hurt this man?

  She’d never had a man step forward so protective of her before. It had always been something she’d had to do for herself. Unsure of how she felt about her body guard for the night, she surely didn’t want him to hurt this man.

  “Umm…ugh…haha…umm…” The man shuffled back more.

  The beast of a man, her date, took two steps and had the man backed into a far corner away from her. Dainton looked so fierce it almost seemed as if the expanse of his shoulders was swelling bigger.

  Impossible.

  She knew better than to jump between two grown men that were squaring off, but she had to do something to stop them. “Dainton.”

  If she hadn’t witnessed it with her own eyes, she would not have believed it when she saw his body actually shiver when she called his name.

  He turned and fixed his gorgeous eyes onto her. The longer he stared at her the more it appeared the ruby tint faded and those golden flecks began to take over.

  She was truly becoming fond of that metallic color.

  The elevator dinged announcing its arrival onto a floor; too early to be the one she rented for the night. When the doors were barely open the drunk hustled past Dainton quickly and shot through the slowly widening gap, stammering his apologizes the whole time. Most likely, hoping to stave off any beating that may still be coming his way.

  Dainton only shifted so that he was resting his shoulder against the shiny metal side of the elevator, appearing all too cocky.

  She folded her arms and pinned him with a look. “I don’t care for violence.”

  “You don’t think a man should stand up and protect his woman?”

  “I’m not your woman. I don’t need a man to go all Neanderthal on my behalf.”

  A single corner of his mouth curled up. “I think you do.”

  “And I think you need to step back.” Oh, hell what was wrong with her? Why didn’t she just tell the man to get off on the next floor and keep away from her? “What are you, some kind of bully?”

  “Never to you, love.”

  Finally, the elevator signaled it had arrived at the twenty-third floor where her suite was located.

  “I’m not your love. I’m your client. Since I’m paying a hell of a lot, think of me as your boss.” She liked that term. It was something she was familiar with, a way more comfortable for her to deal with such an overpowering man. She’d have him firmly in his place before he slid inside of her.

  That thought caused warmth to spread through her thighs and made her clit press into the seat of her panties.

  Stepping from the elevator, she led them down the hall. Before her door, she paused with the keycard in hand. For a moment she wondered if she was making the right choice. Not because she’d paid for sex. Hell, she was a modern woman and took control of her own life. More because of this man, a man that seemed so virile, so untamed.

  Glancing over her shoulder she looked at him.

  “Have you changed your mind?” His question came out in a low timbre and for a moment his gaze became less intense and warmth more than fire filled his eyes.

  Was he concerned about my feelings?

  She shook that away. This man didn’t know her well enough to have such a concern. He was probably more worried about not getting his tip after services rendered.

  “No. Of course not. You know the rules…I expect you to stick to them.” With that she opened the door and stepped in first.

  A soft rumble was the only response she heard.

  The suite door closed behind them.

  “One thing about rules…I’ve never been good at following them.”

  Before she could respond, he had her pressed to the wall beside the open bathroom door his mouth covering hers. Breaking rule number one, doing what she told him to do and only that. No kissing was the first thing she expressed she didn’t want.

  Why aren’t you pushing him away? Her mind taunted.

  However, her body disregarded the question and gave in. She never recalled being kissed so well—it stole her senses.

  His lips were firm but gentle. They felt like silk moving over hers. He didn’t press his body against her, but kept a small amount of distance so that she barely felt his chest brushing her breasts.

  As if reaching for him, her nipples were drawn tight, stretching forward.

  The kiss deepened as he slid his tongue into her mouth causing electric currents to shoot into the tips of her breasts and her fingers. She needed to touch more of him. Raising her hands, she placed them on his sides and resisted the urge to pull him closer.

  She sighed and yielded to his oral guidance.

  He glided his tongue over hers then curled it so that every time he drew it away the tip of it grazed the roof of her mouth. She shivered and moaned in response.

  Over and over again he claimed her mouth, turned her core to jelly and made her mind spin. She needed more. More kissing. More of this man.

  “Rrrrrrr…”

  Did he just growl? Even as the question came into her mind, her body acted on its own to the sound. She arched her back, pressing her breasts to his solid chest. She moved her lips back and whispered, “
Touch me. I want to feel your hands on me.”

  He stared down at her, his eyes were definitely more metallic, the ebony color now flecks in the golden pool, barely noticeable.

  If she wasn’t half out of her mind with desire she may have stopped them and inquired about the shifting in his gaze she kept seeing. However, with the blood rushing through her veins—hot and fast—she couldn’t drag herself to do anything but wait anxiously for his touch.

  Smiling, he leaned closer and glided his tongue over her bottom lip as his hands palmed her breasts. Large breasts that most men in the past had struggled with handling. Not Dainton.

  He cupped them through her suit jacket as he resumed kissing her.

  Her fingers flexed at his waist and felt the hard muscles concealed beneath his clothes. For a moment she felt hesitant about having her body bared before this sculpted man. She was fit. She worked hard daily on the treadmill, but sometimes no matter how hard someone dieted and went to the fitness center they couldn’t fight genetics. Her curves were thick and prominent.

  In her experience, men liked slimmer woman. They were all over Hollywood and plastered across billboards and the covers of magazines. Even in the corporate field when she first got started she was passed over a few times for lead positions for the thin, athletic type, until she proved time and again how much of a go-getter she was and how well she could produce above expectation results. Then the men in charge couldn’t overlook her. Would this man be disappointed in what he saw revealed before him?

  She wanted to not care. Wanted to take the haughty road and recall she wasn’t paying him for his opinion but his performance.

  However, even as a strong, confident and business-minded person in her core, there was still a sliver of the young woman that wanted favorable attention, love, and for someone to see her as beautiful—the things that had been denied to her in her life.

  Pulling back, she pressed her hands on his chest, needed a bit of space. Catch her breath. Her head was spinning.

  “Ah,” she cried out at the sharp sting. She reached up and placed two fingers on her bottom lip.