by Rene Folsom
Synopsis
Beau Shapiro has spent his whole life being called gorgeous, handsome, sexy… every word imaginable to describe his outer appearance. But despite his popularity, he never once lets it all go to his head. He’s holding out for that one girl that has it all—beauty and personality.
While out searching for his father, Beau meets Karoline—a woman cursed to be a beast. Striking a deal with her to save his father’s life, Beau is taken to Karoline’s home deep in the mountainous woods to live with her. During his stay, he finds that there’s beauty within the beast, and slowly, for the first time in his life, falls in love.
Delve into the story of Beau and Karoline, a modern-day retelling of the classic tale Beauty and the Beast.
Warning: This supernatural romance novella contains adult situations and is meant for ages 18+.
Find out more on Rene’s website at
http://renefolsom.com/trust
Copyright © 2015 Rene Folsom
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission from the authors, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Editing Services Provided by:
Cynthia Shepp - www.CynthiaShepp.com
Cover Created by Phycel Designs
www.Phycel.com
For Michael Loring—
who inspired me to bring the wolves out to play.
Table of Contents
Synopsis
Trust
The Mask
The Escape
The Disappearance
The Search
The Beast
The Hike
The Snooping
The Tension
The Name
The Interrogation
The Passion
The Light of Day
The Tale
The Exception
The Night
The Transformation
The Mob
The Beauty
The End
Books by Rene
About Rene
The Mask
“Hello there, handsome. Haven’t seen you around in a while. How are you?” a seductive, female voice chimed as she saddled up on the stool beside me. The Ivywood Café used to be a place where I could escape the insanity for a few minutes, curling up in a booth to read a good book and enjoy an equally as good cup of joe.
Now… now, I had to deal with the flock following me here, hence the reason Miss Barbie hadn’t seen me show my face recently.
Fighting off a groan, I put on my most gentleman-like smile before lifting my nose from my book and peering over at what’s-her-face. Damned if I could remember her name, though I’d never let her know just how inconsequential her identity was to me.
Flashing my lone dimple at her, I pretended to seem interested and said, “I’m doing just fine. Been busy with the old man. You?”
She returned my mock enthusiasm with a huge smile, unsurprisingly enamored—Christ only knew why. None of these women knew me… I mean, really knew me. They all saw a pretty face and clamored to my side, seemingly hypnotized whenever I smiled or opened my mouth. Most of them were sweet and all, just way too damn clingy for my liking. Unfortunately, I usually didn’t find out about their insane qualities until they got me in bed at least once, and by then, I felt way too sympathetic to just end it.
Most men would probably use their good looks to manipulate women, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I knew I could have any single girl I wanted in town, as pretentious as that sounded, but I didn’t truly find any of them appealing. Attractive, sure, but none of them were beautiful to me. And my definition of beauty meant they were just as good on the inside as they were on the outside. Most of these girls who threw themselves at me lacked a certain quality I needed in a companion—that one particular feature that truly made someone attractive—personality.
Growing up in Ivywood, I’d learned that most of the girls in town just didn’t do it for me.
The pretty, blonde chick started rattling on about how her car had given her trouble on one of her most recent excursions out of town and, I swear, I tried to listen. I really did. Or, at least, I pretended to show interest. Nodding at outwardly acceptable intervals, I looked around for an out—some way to kindly walk away and not hurt her feelings.
“Oh, Beau! I almost forgot to tell you that my mom got me a job over at the movie theater, so we can get in for free if you’d like,” she said with a bubbly tone, inching closer to me and placing her hand on my thigh. I jumped at the contact. I may be able to fake interest in her babbling, but the physical contact always had me wound tighter than a goddamned spring.
One of my buds, Chad, was working the counter and thankfully came up to us at that precise moment, probably noticing my discomfort.
“Would you and your girlfriend like to share a piece of pie today, Beau?” he said, a devious, sinister grin wrinkling his zit-covered cheeks. The son of a bitch definitely noticed my discomfort and decided to make it ten times worse, just like any good friend would do.
“Ooh!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together and nearly bouncing in her stool. “Pie sounds yummy!”
Sighing, I glared at Chad, mentally thinking of all the ways I could return the favor. A nice smack across the skull seemed appropriate. Shaking my head, I closed my book and took out my wallet. “Actually, I have to get going, but go ahead and put her piece of pie on my bill.”
“Do you really have to go?” Blondie asked, her grip tightening on my bicep as I stood. “Maybe we can meet up this weekend for a drink or something?”
“I’m sorry…” I stumbled, searching my brain for her name, feeling flustered when I continued to draw a blank.
“Stacy,” she blurted, a wounded look on her cute little face. She was sweet and all, but I just flat out wasn’t interested. However, I was also way too nice to just shoot her down without throwing a little hope her way. Maybe false hope was crueler than actually telling her the truth, but I just couldn’t find it in my heart to disappoint anyone.
Why do I have to be the one guy in town with an actual heart? I thought morosely.
“I have to work all weekend at the arcade. Maybe you and your friends can swing by and I’ll slip you a few tokens?” I said, sweetening the deal with a wink as I placed my money on the counter and slid my wallet into my back pocket. I noticed her gaze following my movements, her stare lingering on my backside just a bit too long for comfort.
Her face brightened, her voice altering to a more joyful tone as she said, “It’s a date!”
I nodded, smiling kindly in her direction before looking up at Chad and adding, “Thanks a lot, man.” He knew just what that meant, as evident by the sly grin on his face—not to mention the fact revenge was a dish best served when he least expected it… or maybe when he was trying to make nice with a girl. Yeah, my mind was already plotting his demise.
Stepping outside, my eyes immediately squinted against the bright sun. Using my hand as a shield, I jogged across the street toward the bookstore my dad owned, my copy of Dehumanized cradled in my grip. The bell above the door to his shop announced my arrival, and the old crustacean of a man popped up from behind the counter.
“Oh, good, you’re here!” he exclaimed, brush
ing his hands along his shirt and rounding the counter toward me. “I have to run and pick up the latest order. Do you have time to man the store while I’m gone?”
“Sure thing,” I agreed. Our town was so small, Pop often had to go two towns over to pick up new shipments of books, his love for literature being the reason he preferred to drive instead of having them shipped. The old man enjoyed browsing the shelves while he was there. It was something he used to do with my mother every week. Now that she was gone, he still kept their literary dates as a way of remembering her.
“Don’t wait up!” he shouted as he retreated through the door, his hand over his head in a half wave. I chuckled at my father’s eccentricity. The man was like a toddler being promised a new toy whenever he got the chance to go out to larger bookstores in the surrounding towns.
Taking a deep breath, I reveled in the smell of the old novels lining the shelves. The scent of books made me feel whole, complete, like this was my home away from home. Before Pop bought the store, I used to spend hours in the local library, which basically consisted of a small building shared by the county courthouse. Ivywood wasn’t exactly a thriving metropolis, and our town was lucky to have the single flashing stoplight in the center of the valley.
I remember my father announcing his desire to open the bookstore, stating that a town was not complete without one. He and my mom used every last penny of their savings to buy the property, and it didn’t take long for the store to boom. Practically everyone knew everyone in Ivywood, so when the place officially opened, the town flocked to support my parents the best they could. Although the gathering customers had died down over the years, as the bookstore became a common sight, there were still enough starving minds seeking out a good read to keep the business afloat.
This, in my honest opinion, was a godsend. Without the bookstore, I was certain I would’ve lost my mind in this crazy town years ago.
Taking my place in the chair behind the counter, I reopened my book and lost myself to a completely different, more fascinating world of werewolves.
The Escape
Several hours passed without much incident. I spent the time reading my book, putting it down when a stray customer came in to browse the selection of literature on the shelves. Only one or two people actually bought anything, so it was pretty quiet, my book being the only thing saving me from complete boredom. I waited for my father to return, thinking he should’ve been back already, but no sign of him emerged even when the clock struck quarter to four in the afternoon.
“Damn,” I sighed, checking my phone. I had to head in to work at the arcade in fifteen minutes, and my dad wasn’t answering my calls. Where the hell could he be? Even if he were perusing the stacks of books the other bookstores had, he would still shoot me a text to let me know what was going on. But I wasn’t getting a thing.
Without any other choice, I swung the sign to read CLOSED on the door. I needed to hurry, or else risk being late for work… again.
After double-checking to make sure the door was locked, I jogged away from the bookstore in an attempt to reach the arcade before my shift started.
I swear that in a past life, I must’ve been a serial killer, because it felt like the gods were out to torture me. As soon as I made the first turn away from the bookstore and onto the street, I ran into Gabriella.
With long, dark hair and honey-brown eyes, Gabriella was the idealistic vision of beauty… on the outside. After dating her for almost a year, I knew better. She was probably the most shallow, self-absorbed person I’d met, and she didn’t bother hiding it from me either. Her personality made me realize just how ugly of a person she really was, outward looks be damned. When I dumped her several months ago, she was insistent that I’d made a mistake—that no one left Gabriella Reece without living to regret it.
The holier-than-thou attitude was exhausting, and her persistence even more so.
“Beau, darling!” she cheered, holding her arms out for me as I approached her on the sidewalk.
“Gabby,” I said, a curt nod my only response as I dodged her embrace and kept my stride even. Without fail, she turned and walked alongside me, her heels clacking on the sidewalk as she kept up with my pace.
“I haven’t seen you in nearly two weeks. It almost makes me think you’re trying to avoid me,” she said, a disbelieving chuckle leaving her lips at the mere thought that anyone would dare evade her charms.
“I’ve just been busy.” Noticing my head was bowed, the submissive stance almost automatic around this woman, I lifted my head up high, making sure she was well aware that I wouldn’t be subconsciously bullied by her. “Sorry to rush off on you, but I have to get to work.”
“Still working at that stupid arcade? Figured you’d get a grown-up job by now. With your looks, you could easily make more money on tips alone tending bar at the saloon.” Her voice rattled around in my head like an annoying pixie. It irked me to no end that she thought a job as a bartender was more grown up than working at the arcade. I’d much rather surround myself with kids out to have fun, than drunks who only wanted to get laid or cause shit.
“I’m sorry you disapprove. But as I’ve said a thousand times, I love my job,” I said while pulling her against my side to dodge a little guy on a skateboard, the forced kindness an involuntary trait of mine.
In response to my touch, Gabriella wrapped one arm around my bicep, flicking my book with her other hand. “Still have your nose stuck in a book, huh?”
With the gentlest reaction I could muster, I peeled her fingers from their death grip on my arm and bit down the snide words that were bubbling up in the back of my throat. I wanted so badly to tell her that the literary worlds I loved so much were a hundred times more interesting than she would ever be.
But I was a gentleman. And gentlemen kept their mouths shut. I had to remind myself that she wasn’t even worth the words.
“I’m sorry, Gabby. I really do have to run before I’m late again.” Without waiting for her response, I began to jog the last two blocks to the arcade.
With the doors closing behind me, I puffed out a sigh of relief as the sounds of the games assaulted my ears. Thank Christ Gabriella wouldn’t be caught dead in this place. The arcade was my sanctuary when it came to that woman.
Setting my book down behind the counter, I made quick work of clocking in, realizing it was already one minute past four.
“Oh, cool! You’re finally reading it,” Barry exclaimed, leaning on the counter with his elbows as he took my book in his hands. The dude had been my best friend since before we could walk and had been begging me to read this particular novel for months now. “Considering you’ve already devoured over half of it, I’d say you’re enjoying it? I could definitely relate to some of the shit this guy went through, not to mention the new cover kicks werewolf ass.”
His enthusiasm had me chuckling as I yanked the paperback from his hands. “Yeah, you have decent taste in books. It’s probably the one trait you have going for you.”
“Bullshit. I’m awesome and you know it.” His toothy grin was contagious.
“Yeah, yeah. So, has it been this dead all day?” I asked, looking around and seeing only two kids in the rather large sea of game cabinets. The one thing I really loved about this place was the slew of vintage arcade games the owner managed to collect over the years. It was a fresh breath compared to the ever-changing, expensive world of console gaming.
“Pretty much. But we do have that two-for-one token deal going on tonight, so I’m sure things will pick up pretty quickly in about an hour or so,” he explained as he made his way around the counter to face me. “In the meantime, wanna play?”
I grinned. I wouldn’t be Beau Shapiro if I dared to turn down a gaming challenge.
The Disappearance
Barry and I spent a good hour competing in every game available to us. From GRID to Street Fighter, we played to see who was the best. Of course, he kicked my ass in almost every one. Except Galaga. Nobody could’v
e beaten my high score in that game.
Unfortunately, we had to stop our friendly competition once the crowd started coming in. Barry wasn’t lying when he said things would pick up quickly. Once the children were done with their homework, they swarmed into the arcade to play the plethora of classic video games that were only available at our humble little gaming area. It warmed my heart to see so many little tikes clamoring to play classic Mortal Kombat and Mrs. Pac-Man. There was hope for the next generation yet.
My shift lasted until around nine. After clocking out and waving good-bye to my best friend, I made my way back toward the bookstore to check in on my pop. I knew that there was no way he could spend all day out of town… at least when he had a business to run. On a vacation day, he could’ve spent forever in other bookstores—although the same could’ve been said about me—but since he had no choice but to return to work, I figured he’d be back.
I was expecting to find him locking up the shop when I turned the corner, but instead, all I found was a dark, empty street. Frowning, I made my way to the entrance to find the sign in the same position I’d left it in before heading to the arcade. The store was pitch black inside, no signs of life within.
Something odd was going on. I tried to ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach, the sense of urgency coursing through me in waves of panic. There had to be a sane explanation for his odd behavior.
Did he close up early today? I wondered as I pulled out my phone and hit the speed dial button. My stomach dropped as I listened to my father’s voicemail chiming in my ear.
“Hey, where are you?” I said after the beep, my voice shaking with adrenaline. “I’m at the store, and I don’t see you around. Call me back and let me know what’s up.”
I hit the end button and placed the phone back in my pocket, scanning the street one more time before turning and making my way home, kneading my thumb against the spine of my book the whole way.
