The Shifter's Gift

by Haley Weir

  The young, blonde receptionist brightly smiled up at her when she walked through the door. “Hello, welcome to Prince Dating Agency. Ms. Prince will help you find your match shortly. May I have your name, please?”

  Olivia walked to the receptionist’s desk and smiled back at her. “Olivia Tyson.”

  The receptionist smiled. “Good to see you, Ms. Tyson. I’m Leslie. We spoke on the phone,” she said. “I’ll let Kimberly know you’re here. She’ll be with you shortly. Feel free to have a coffee or some hot chocolate while you’re waiting. We have a Keurig machine and light snacks in the waiting room.” She waved her hand in the direction of the machine.

  “Thanks. Good to see you too, Leslie,” Olivia replied. She bypassed the light, organic snacks, not wanting to have anything stuck in her teeth when the time came for her meeting with Kimberly. Her gaze descended over the coffee and hot chocolate options, and decided a second cup could not hurt, especially since she was up earlier than usual this morning.

  Her gaze slid over to a man who was walking into the building. He was dressed well, and for a moment, her heart fluttered at how handsome he was. She felt her heartbeat quicken.Letting out a breath, she grabbed a pouch of dark roast coffee before giving the display a final once over to make sure she picked out what she wanted.

  Chapter Four

  After considering his younger brother’s words on Saturday morning, Liam made an appointment for the Prince Dating Agency that afternoon. Because he still lived at home like his other unmated brothers, he made an early morning appointment with the agency before anyone else in his house would be awake to ask questions about his activities.

  He walked into the office after sitting in his sports car for a few minutes. Not long ago, he convinced his brother to try this out and now he was attempting to give himself the same pep talk. What if Cindy was an example of what he’d face in the future?

  The cheery receptionist greeted him as soon as he walked in. “Welcome to Prince Dating Agency. Ms. Prince will help you find your match shortly. May I have your name, please?”

  “Hi,” he said, walking up to the young woman’s desk. “It’s Liam Sinclair. I know I’m a little early.” He flashed her his grin, and he wasn’t surprised when her eyes widened a little and she licked her lower lip. Cindy always said he had grin that melted hearts and panties.

  “R-right, Mr. Sinclair, it’s nice to meet you,” she replied, clearing her throat. “I’ll let Ms. Prince know you’re here. She’ll see you directly. She’s currently in a meeting, but if you’d like to have a cup of coffee or some hot cocoa, there’s a Keurig machine and light snacks in the waiting room.”

  “Thank you.” He tilted his head to her, still smiling, then he walked off toward the Keurig machine she’d mentioned where a woman in a blue dress stood, browsing the different options. “Finding anything good?” he asked.

  She spun around, looking surprised as her gaze slid up his body until it meet his eyes. It took a moment since he was likely a foot taller than her. “Huh? I...” Her eyes widened. Her lips parted for a moment before she closed her mouth. “It’s just the usual selection, I guess. Good variety.”

  “I see. What are you leaning toward?” He glanced down at the K-cup in her hand. A dark roast. “That sounds good. I’ll have one of those too.” He gently took one from the rack and popped open the machine. “So, are you a regular around here?” He looked at the couple of other men and women sitting in the waiting room. Some were reading magazines while they drank their coffee while others looked at their phones.

  “Me? No. It’s my first time. I barely know what I’m doing,” she said as he lifted the coffee from the machine and handed it to her.

  “Funny. Me too. My brother did this not long ago. I actually encouraged him to give it a shot. Little did I know, I’d be here myself trying it out too.” He shook his head. He instantly felt comfortable talking to this woman, without really understanding why.

  Once his coffee was finished brewing, he walked with her to a couple of chairs away from the rest of the crowd in the waiting room. He waited until she sat down before making himself comfortable.

  She sipped her coffee and raised her eyebrows at him. “Your brother came here? How did that work out for him?”

  Liam lifted his own eyebrows with a shrug. “Pretty well I’d say since the two of them moved in together and are expecting their first child.”

  “Really? That’s great,” she smiled at him, and a genuine warmth and sincerity radiated from her. “I bet they’re so excited!And you’ll be the proud uncle, huh?”

  “Really. They are thrilled. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my brother this happy. He wasn’t interested dating because he was such a workaholic.I helped convince him that he should go for it.”

  That was only half of the story, but he could not very well tell her that the real reason for using dating agency was their father’s ultimatum that Mason find a mate or lose his position as the CEO of their family’s business and his rank of alpha. More importantly, it would ruin his relationship with their father. It had not been easy for him, but it provided the push he needed to go beyond his comfort zone. Now Mason’s life was better than ever.

  Liam felt drawn to this mystery woman. His bear could feel it too since he wanted Liam to get much closer, but crowding the woman wouldn’t be polite. He barely knew her, and the last thing he wanted was to drive her away.

  “So, why did you decide to follow in your brother’s footsteps?” She sipped on her coffee, but she kept her gaze on his. The tone was conversational, but Liam sensed her curiosity.

  “It’s a long story, but I think it’s worth a shot if I could find the right girl. Maybe I could be as happy as my brother is, you know?” He looked away for a moment, feeling a little uncomfortable, but his bear followed it’s instincts. Looking away was a sign of weakness and submission. He would become his brother’s second-in-command in their pack. He wasn’t a submissive, so he met her eyes again. “How about you? What brings you here?”

  Her face fell when he asked, and he wished he could take the words back the second he said them. “Like you said, it’s a long story. I’m here to see what things are like,” she explained. “Check out the process and maybe sign-up. But I saw a commercial on television. It seemed different, so I figured why not give it a try. Surely it’s better than meeting someone in a bar or wherever people are supposed to meet these days.” She chuckled, but it didn’t sound entirely happy.

  “I know how you feel. That’s one reason why I’m doing this too. I’m a busy guy with meetings, a company to help run, and then there’s my family. I don’t want the stress of trying to meet someone on my plate as well. And I know how well it worked out for my brother, so I guess there’s that too.” Just from talking with this woman, the whole trip felt worth it to him. He was no longer wondering if Mason’s success was a fluke. If the women here were anything like her, then he made the right decision.

  “A businessman?” she smiled at him and glanced down at his suit and tie. “I guess you’re not just dressed up for this meeting, then?”

  Liam flashed a grin at her. “You could say that. I do clean up pretty well though, or so I’ve been told.” He shrugged a shoulder, deciding that sounded like he was talking about other women. He pivoted. “Then again, my mom always says the nicest things.”

  She choked a little on her sip of coffee before giving him a bright smile. “Moms tend to be biased, but your mom isn’t lying. You look pretty good in a suit.” A pretty pink blush ran up her neck toward her cheeks after she said that, and he could feel any nervousness toward his upcoming meeting with the matchmaker fade away. “That was probably a little forward. Sorry.”

  “No need to apologize. I’ll gladly accept a compliment from a woman as beautiful as you are. That’s a stunning dress.” He looked down at it before making eye contact once more. “It goes well with your eyes, too.”

  The blush intensified and she lowered her gaze, but he knew she was
looking at him through her long lashes. “That’s one of the reasons I bought it. It’s good for all sorts of occasions. I’m headed to work after this, and from the front, it’s modest enough.” She picked up her sweater that laid across her lap. “That’s one reason why I have this with me. And office buildings are usually on the cool side. So what do you do—”

  “Miss Olivia Tyson?” a female voice cut in. When Olivia looked up to make eye contact with the woman, she smiled and continued talking. “Hello, I’m Kimberly Smith. I’ll be meeting with you today to discuss our process here at Prince Dating Agency, and hopefully get you all set up.” She looked between the two of them. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

  Olivia Tyson? That was a lovely name, just like the woman it belonged to.

  Olivia glanced over at Kimberly. “Hello Kimberly, thank you. I’ll be there in just a moment,” she said, and looked back at Liam. “It was very nice talking with you.” She paused for a moment before standing up. “I know you will find a great partner like your brother did.” Her hand brushed against his, igniting something inside him, and drawing his bear toward the surface of his skin.

  Every instinct within him wanted to take her hand and lead her out of this waiting room. He wished that he could take her somewhere to get to know her better, and eventually make her his mate. Work and other responsibilities be damned. But he knew that was impossible. “It was great talking with you too. I hope you find someone as well.” He had to let her go. At least he was in the right place to find the right woman. It happened with his brother here, and now believed it was possible for him. Meeting Olivia proved that. He watched her walk away with Kimberly. They talked as they walked, but he smiled when Olivia glanced back at him before disappearing down a hallway. Maybe he wasn’t the only one feeling optimistic.

  Leslie the receptionist came over to him. “I’m sorry for the delay, Mr. Sinclair. Ms. Prince will just be a little while longer,” her tone was sincerely apologetic.

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.” Liam wasn’t concerned. He had plenty of time before he needed to get back to the office. .

  Leslie let out a relieved sigh. “She will be with you shortly.” He went back to checking his schedule and scanning the news while he waited. His senses were on alert, waiting for a chance to see Olivia again. The thought of missing her made him tense.

  Not long after the receptionist checked on him, a professional woman with a skirt that showcased her long legs came to the entrance of the waiting room. “Mr. Sinclair? It’s a pleasure to meet you, especially after helping your brother. Follow me. I’ll personally assist you with finding your perfect match.”

  “Ms. Prince, thank you for taking the time to meet with me,” he replied. He rose to his feet and shook her extended hand, feeling a momentary spark that felt like static electricity. The hardwood floors wouldn’t have generated that.

  A small smirk curved her lips. “You’re welcome. Shall we? I believe I have a good idea of what type of woman you’re looking for.”

  Liam’s eyebrows drew together. Something about the way she spoke and her words put him a little on edge, but she seemed incredibly unique. His bear sensed it too. However, it was a risk he was willing to take.

  Chapter Five

  Olivia licked her lips, unable to help the nervousness that twisted in her stomach. Talking with Kimberly was great, but it was hard to keep the conversation with that mystery man far from her mind. Walking back through the waiting room after her appointment, she was disappointed he was no longer there. She did not even get to ask him his name!

  He was funny and easy to talk to. He did not make her feel self conscious or nervous when she stumbled over her thoughts, which was the opposite of her relationship with Jared. When Kimberly signed her up, she told her it typically took a few days for people to get a match. But she would be notified when the information came through. She wished that she could focus on her work rather than wondering who she might be paired with, but she could not stop obsessing.

  During the meeting, she gave Kimberly some of her likes and dislikes in men. When she thought about her answers later on, most of the dislikes described traits of Jared, which shocked her. Had he scarred her that badly? Was she holding onto a grudge from the terrible date? Or maybe it was her subconscious helping her avoid another disastrous situation. If so, she greatly appreciated it.

  Olivia leaned back in her office chair and she rubbed her eyes again. She wasn’t sure why, but nothing seemed to help her concentrate on the pile of emails that sat in her inbox. Her mind went back to the man she met at Prince Dating Agency. She needed to relax and stop fixating on him, because it was likely that he would not be her perfect match If she kept thinking about him and he wasn’t her match, she ran the risk of being disappointed. She would be setting herself up for failure with her actual match. But his tall stature and muscular body made her want to run her hands over him. She thought about how handsome he looked in his tailored suit, and couldn’t believe she actually had the nerve to compliment him. Who was this domineering woman, and where had she been hiding for the past couple years?

  Everytime her phone buzzed, she jumped, thinking it could be the dating agency getting back to her with the results. The next few days were going to be intense if she kept up this kind of behavior. She needed something to distract her, and she knew just who she needed to come clean to about this fiasco. She called Sophie.

  The phone rang a few times before her best friend answered. “Hey, girl. What’s going on? Usually I don’t hear from you during business hours.” Her friend was an web developer who owned her own business, so Olivia wasn’t bothering her by calling now. In fact, it was probably a welcomed break for both of them, who stared at their computers all day.

  “I kinda did something this morning...” Olivia licked her dry lips again, letting the suspense hang in the air between them for a moment while she tried to decide how to say this.

  “Please don’t tell me you called him! Please!” Sophie groaned.

  Olivia’s eyes widened when she realized how her preamble sounded. “Oh, god, no! Of course not!” She took a deep breath. “I did something else, actually. There was this dating agency advertisement on television, and I signed up with them.”

  The line was quiet for a few moments as her friend processed this new information. Was she about to get scolded for taking such a silly step? “You signed up with a dating agency?” Sophie sounded surprised, rather than disappointed or angry. “Wow, that’s a little sudden, don’t you think?” She cleared her throat. “But hey, I think this is good. If you feel confident that you are ready to get back out there, then I hope it goes well! Maybe if you meet a nice guy, you can tell me if he has a cute brother,” she giggled.

  “Hmm... darn! That’s what I forgot to tell the woman I met with this morning. The man of my dreams must have a cute brother for my best friend. I was sure I was forgetting something.” Olivia couldn’t help but grin. “But I’d totally let you know. I’d make sure he was single first, too.” She meant that last part as a joke, but it sounded a little sad.

  Sophie clicked her tongue. “You do know that we’re going to have to meet up so you can tell me all about this, right? I’m not going to be content with a brief phone call just saying you signed up.”

  Olivia leaned forward in her chair to put her elbows on her desk. “I was hoping you’d say that. When are you calling it quits today? Maybe we can meet at six o’clock for dinner and drinks?”

  “For you, girl? Always. I’ll have to hustle to get a few things done, but I’ll make it work. Let’s meet at Oscar’s for mojitos?”

  Olivia grinned, feeling refreshed and much more calm than when she first picked up the phone. “Oscar’s it is! I could totally go for a mojito too. I’ll see you there, Soph. Thanks for being such a good friend.”

  “You’re my best friend. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend a Monday night than hanging out with you. Bye, girl.”

  * * *


  Oscar’s was pulsing with its usual fun, exciting atmosphere, complete with hot music, fantastic food, and great drinks. A dance floor was situated to one side of the building in its nightclub area, but Olivia and Sophie could watch people dancing from their table as they ate. It was always fun seeing people getting down on the dance floor. She danced with her friends on special nights, but tonight, Olivia sat in a booth across from Sophie with a big smile on her face. This was exactly what she’d needed: to spend time with her best friend and chat about what happened at the dating agency. She even told Sophie about the cute guy she met in the waiting room.

  “The mojitos are strong tonight, girl,” Sophie shouted over the loud music. “Should I have one more?” she smirked before shaking her head. “Probably wouldn’t be a good idea, since I have another project to work on tomorrow. I doubt my client wants a hung over web developer working for him. Rum hits me hard.” The grin on her face faded when she looked over Olivia’s shoulder.

  Olivia didn’t know what to make of that expression. She started to turn and look, but Sophie grabbed her hand from across the table. “What is it? Sophie?”

  “Don’t look over there.” She returned her gaze to Olivia. “It’s Jared. He’s sitting at a table in the corner with some blonde woman. It’s not worth it.”

  The happy, warm excitement Olivia felt melted away when she heard his name and the description of the woman he was with. She did not want to, but she needed to know if it was the woman she’d met, or another innocent woman who fell into his trap..

  As discreetly as she could, Olivia over her shoulder to take a peek. He was with his wife, Missy. They looked happy together. He was holding her hands, and they were looking into each others eyes.

  On second thought, maybe they were both just happy drunks. There were two empty bottles of wine on their table. Part of her thought about going over there and exacting some revenge, but she decided she would not stoop to their level. Neither of them were worth her time. She wasn’t going to let pettiness take over and ruin the great day she’d had.