Well, at least I kept one good suit for the job interviews I never got.
PRESENT DAY
“Hey, can I talk to you for a minute.” Ethan Prince approached me when I walked to the bar and started refilling my drink.
“Yeah, of course.” I turned to him and nodded.
“I’m taking a chance on you. I did background checks on everyone before I brought them here, and I saw that you recently got arrested.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “I believe in Violet’s algorithm, but if you ever raise a hand to her...”
“No—hell no.” I shook my head back and forth rapidly. “I made a mistake, but it wasn’t hurting the woman I was going to marry. It was believing she was the right person for me in the first place.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He nodded. “So, why didn’t you ever use the Soulmate app? Did you not believe in it?”
“Honestly?” I sighed and sipped my drink. “I thought I had my soulmate—or at least I believed she was. After we split up, there were complications, and I never even considered looking for someone else. I was just trying to keep my head on my shoulders.”
“It’s tough out there.” Ethan smiled and nodded again. “I took care of your problem, by the way.”
“My—problem?” I raised my eyebrows in confusion.
“Yeah, like I said, I did background checks. I had my legal team do a little research and your ex-girlfriend’s lawyer was very quick to mention that you were supposed to be depositing fifty thousand dollars in her account to get your property back.” He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. “I took care of that. Sammy is currently staying a pet resort waiting on you. I have pictures if you’d like to see.”
“You’re serious?” I felt emotions flooding through me and my eyes teared up.
“Yep, here.” He pulled out his phone. “Look how happy he is.”
It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Sammy was running in a large fenced in yard, playing with other dogs, and tearing through an assortment of toys. He was skinnier than he was when Wendy took him, but he looked happy. I felt an enormous weight lift off my chest in an instant. I was so worried that I wouldn’t get the money to Wendy in time that I had been distracted since I walked into the house. I just wanted to take my money and run. Ethan’s generosity was incredible.
“I arranged something special for you tomorrow. Violet wants to spend some time getting to know you, and I arranged for my private jet to take you back to Madison Grove. She’s going with you.” Ethan picked up a bottle and refilled my drink.
“We’re leaving?” I lifted my glass and sipped my whiskey.
“Just for one day. I’m sending one of my bodyguards along for the ride, because as nice as you seem to be, Violet means everything to me. I have to take precautions.” He shrugged and lifted his glass to his lips. “I don’t want you to be distracted with everything that happened before you came here, and I know Violet would love to meet Sammy.”
“This is... more than I ever imagined.” I stared at my glass. “It’s so generous.”
“If you really are one of Violet’s soulmates, then we’re going to be family.” He clasped his hand on my shoulder again. “I would do anything for family.”
I felt true peace when I returned to my chair. I had no idea if Violet really was my soulmate. I wasn’t even sure I believed in love anymore. All I cared about was the shaggy haired dog waiting for me back in Madison Grove. The money Ethan was going to give me for making the trip would get me a nice place with a fenced in yard so that I could give Sammy a good life. That was all that truly mattered. When I retired to my room for the evening, I could hardly sleep. Violet was incredibly beautiful and I definitely wanted to spend time with her, but getting to see Sammy again was at the forefront of my thoughts.
Thank god I never tightened that noose.
Chapter 12: Violet
“I have concerns about Gary.” Ethan sat down on the side of the bed and watched as I got dressed for the day.
“How so?” I slid a t-shirt over my head and turned to face him.
“He’s a lot different than the other guys. I’m not sure he will be on-board with this arrangement.” Ethan shrugged. “I guess six soulmates aren’t bad, right?”
Ethan started to tell me about Gary and I couldn’t help but feel the same concerns he had. Gary sounded nice enough, but after spending the night with Miguel, I wasn’t sure any of the other guys could hold a candle to him in the bedroom. It was a shallow point of view, but I couldn’t help how I felt. Ethan had arranged for Gary and I to have a whole day together because he wanted to make sure I gave everyone a fair shot, even if he had hesitations. I felt like the bodyguard was a bit much, but I understood why Ethan wanted to have someone go with me. I was glad to hear that the charges against him appeared to be bogus, but it didn’t erase the concern.
“YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE Sammy.” Gary grinned with a smile that covered his whole face. “He’ll melt your heart, even if you’re not a dog person.”
“I like dogs.” I smiled and nodded.
Gary definitely seemed more excited about seeing Sammy than spending time with me. It was cute in a way. If he cared about his dog that much, then he had to have a good soul. After the jet took off and we started making small talk, it was almost refreshing to have a conversation with someone who wasn’t laying their seduction game on me from the get-go and staring at me with eyes that let me know they were only thinking about one thing. Still, I had some reservations. Miguel had seemed like a sweet guy at first when we went on our date, but he definitely became a beast once we were behind closed doors. We arrived at a small airport in Madison Grove, where Gary was from, and after a short car ride, I got to meet Sammy for the first time.
“Hi, Sammy.” I knelt down next to the shaggy haired dog after Gary had a lengthy reunion.
“He doesn’t always let strangers pet him, so don’t be offended.” Gary leaned down and patted Sammy on the head.
Sammy tilted his head when he walked over to me. He lightly sniffed my jeans, my arm, and then he sat down and started to whine. I held my hand out slowly and I saw his tail wag. He pushed himself up against my hand and turned in a circle. After that, I think we became best friends. He licked my hand, ran to get his ball, and instead of dropping it at Gary’s feet, he brought it straight to me. I threw it as hard as I could and Sammy chased it down. Once again, he brought it straight to me, put it down at my feet, and whined. I threw the ball several times before he finally brought it over to Gary and let him have a turn.
“You must be okay, Violet.” Gary chuckled as he threw the ball across the fenced in yard. “Sammy’s a good judge of character. He hated my ex-girlfriend.”
We played with Sammy for several hours. Gary was a bit older than the other guys I had been matched with, but he looked like a kid when he was sprinting around the yard playing with his dog. I might not have been completely sure about Gary, but I had already fallen in love with Sammy. By the time we left the resort, I was exhausted and a storm appeared to be forming on the horizon. The bodyguard Ethan had sent with us kept looking out the window as we approached the airport. When we got to the terminal, the skies opened up and it started to rain fairly hard. A few seconds later, there was a bolt of lightning immediately followed by thunder. I nearly leapt out of my seat when I heard it.
“Yeah, I’m not a big fan of storms.” I leaned against the window and looked up at the sky.
“The jet won’t be able to fly in this.” The bodyguard reached for the door. “Let me go see how long it’ll be before this clears up.”
I didn’t have a great feeling about the storm and a few minutes later the bodyguard returned to let us know that the jet wasn’t going to leave until morning. It appeared that we were stuck in Madison Grove for the evening. I suggested that Gary show me where he lived and possibly even stay at his place for the night, but he said he didn’t live in a good part of town. I called Ethan, let him know what was going on, and he book
ed us a suite at a local hotel for the night. After spending the day with Gary, I no longer had any real concerns about my safety with him, so I convinced Ethan to dismiss the bodyguard for the evening. A couple of hours later, we had a scenic view of Madison Grove beneath us and a mini-bar that was calling my name.
“Do you want a drink?” I pulled out a small bottle of wine and poured the contents into a glass.
“Yeah, I’ll have a beer.” He walked over and leaned against the counter.
“Coming right up.” I twisted off the top and handed it to him.
“So, you really believe in this soulmate stuff?” Gary took a swig and followed me over to the couch.
“I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t.” I sipped my wine and smiled. “I did write the algorithm, after all.”
“Out of all the matches you found, you were the only one that ended up with more than one soulmate?” He tilted his head to the side. “That seems kind of strange.”
“Well, the algorithm is designed to find the person that matches with you perfectly, in every way. There’s a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that you might not understand.” I shrugged.
“Try me.” He chuckled and sipped his beer again. “I used to be a software developer.”
“Wait? What?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Ethan said you worked construction.”
“Yeah, but that’s not what I went to school for.” Gary shook his head back and forth. “I just ended up there because it was the only work I could find after I got arrested—I’m sure Ethan filled you in on that.”
“Yes.” I nodded. “He said the charges were bogus, though.”
“Not bogus enough to send you on a trip with me without a bodyguard.” Gary chuckled and sipped his beer.
Gary started telling me about how ex-girlfriend, Wendy, and all of the awful things she did to him following their break-up. I hated the woman and I had never even met her. I knew she had him arrested and took his dog, but I had no idea how awful she had truly been. The conversation shifted to his work and then I started telling him about the app. I probably revealed a bit more than Ethan would have liked, considering that Gary actually understood how the algorithm and coding worked. It was easy to talk to Gary. He seemed to match me on an intellectual level and he was incredibly sweet.
“I can’t believe you designed something that complex all by yourself with no experience in the industry. Hell, I’m not sure some of the guys at my old company with twenty years of experience could have created it.” I shook his head in surprise after he heard how I put together the algorithm for the Soulmate app.
“I guess I had the right motivation with prison hanging over my head.” I left out the part about getting extra motivation across Ethan’s knee.
“I’m gonna be honest.” Gary lifted his beer to his lips. “If I met you at a bar or something, this is the part where I’d be asking you out on a date. You’re beautiful, talented, and I like talking with you.”
“Plus your dog likes me.” I smiled wide.
“Yeah, that definitely helps.” Gary chuckled and sipped his beer again. “But, if I’m being completely honest, I’m not sure that a relationship is the best move for me. I don’t have any feelings left for Wendy, but the wound is still fresh.”
“I can understand that.” I nodded and reached for my wine. “Want to watch a movie and talk through the good parts?”
“That sounds perfect.” He reached for the remote and joined me on the couch.
I didn’t feel like I needed to have sex with Gary to know that we had a connection. It went deeper than that. We found a comedy and laughed while pointing out every flaw in the story. That used to annoy the hell out of my friends when we would go to the movies, but Gary seemed to love it. He even picked up flaws that I didn’t see myself. By the end of the movie, we were laughing more at each other than the comedy presented on the screen. Gary put his arm around me and I snuggled close to him. I wanted to take it further, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment we had if he wasn’t ready.
“So, who’s sleeping on the couch tonight?” I looked up at him and smiled.
“Am I being friend zoned?” He chuckled and traced my arm with his fingers.
“No, I’d love to share the bed with you, even if nothing happens. I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” I sighed and leaned up from his embrace. “It’s totally up to you.”
“I don’t think I could be uncomfortable with you. Maybe I spoke too soon when I said I wasn’t ready. You’re incredible.” He leaned forward and put his hand on the back of my head before leaning in for a kiss.
I was beginning to wonder if it was possible for me to actually kiss someone and not feel an explosion. Gary didn’t have the same passion or roughness that the others hand. It was a sweet, gentle kiss that started off slow before building to a bang. Instead of feeling horny and wanting to immediately get his clothes off, I felt like I could just kiss him forever and stay trapped in that moment. He pushed me back towards the couch slowly, never breaking the seal that our lips formed. He put his hand on my hip, slightly underneath my t-shirt where I could feel his fingers on my skin, and continued to kiss me. When he finally pulled his lips from mine, I was seeing stars.
“Okay, so this is the part of the movie where they faded to black, so I’m not sure what happens now. The credits are rolling.” His lip twisted into a half-smile.
“Yeah, but we’re a little overdressed for the credits.” I pulled on his shirt.
Our clothes came off slowly, kissing for long periods of time between each piece of clothing that hit the floor beside the couch. I really liked Gary’s gentleness. He was the kind of guy I could have an incredible date with and make love to. I started to wonder if perhaps that was his role as my soulmate. I didn’t have that with Ethan. He was so busy that it was rather explosive when it finally happened. Boyd was rough, but satisfied with just a little bit of pleasure while he chased a quick release. Miguel was an unhinged beast that wanted to destroy what he fucked. I couldn’t imagine Gary being the type to spank me, pull my hair, or consider trying to fuck me in the ass. There were times when I needed something like that, and I definitely needed it after Miguel wrecked my whole body the night before.
“God, how could anyone treat you badly?” I drew quick breaths after our lips parted. “I can’t imagine someone being that cruel.”
“That’s what happens to nice guys in this world.” He shrugged and sighed.
“Not in my world.” I pulled him closer and smiled when he started to slide between my thighs.
Gary entered me slowly and leaned forward for a kiss once his hips started to grind. It was sensual, methodical, and it turned me on in a way that I hadn’t felt with any of the other guys. I didn’t ask him to go faster or harder, the pace was absolutely perfect. It was exactly what I needed in that moment. Our bodies moved together in harmony, like sweet passion building to bliss. His cock was a tease against my g-spot, and it heightened the pleasure in a way I never imagined. I moaned, but it wasn’t the kind that felt like it was being ripped from my throat. It was gentle and pleasant.
“You don’t even know how amazing this feels.” I looked into his eyes and sighed with a smile on my face.
“I like to savor the moment.” His face tightened as he went deep.
It was nearly two hours of absolute bliss before I felt the pressure building towards my first orgasm. I had gotten close several times, but his methodical thrusts weren’t enough to push me over the edge. When I felt it finally starting to happen, I realized that the constant teasing had created something powerful inside me. When I finally did start to orgasm, it was like my entire body became absorbed in his embrace. I felt my pussy start to squeeze his cock and the spasms were more intense than they had been before. They sent Gary over the edge as well and I heard him gasp for the first time as his cock pulsated. He started to cum and it was like a geyser. He ejaculated longer than anyone I had been with up to that point. He filled my pussy with
so much cum that it couldn’t even hold his load. My entire labia was covered in his seed before he was finally done.
“Wow...” I stared up at the ceiling and shook my head. “That was one hell of a build-up, but it was more than worth it.”
“I like the journey more than the destination.” He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “Most women don’t like it that slow.”
“This woman does.” I smiled and nodded. “I like it a lot.”
I felt more connected to Gary than I had been to Boyd or Miguel when we finally crawled into bed and I started to drift off to sleep in his arms. I felt like he needed me. His unique bedroom desires were the polar opposite of what I was used to, but they were an amazing contrast. When we woke up the next day, we were in no hurry to get to the airport. We lay in bed together and talked for a while before I found myself craving him one more time before we left. It lasted nearly as long as our time together the night before, and it was the same sensual build towards bliss. It was noon before we finally finished and showered so we could go to the airport.
This is one trip I’ll never forget.
Chapter 13: Kurt
Two years ago
“Come on Kurt, you’re up.” A man motioned for me to walk out onto the stage.
Here we go. America’s Top Talent. One song can change everything.
I stepped out into the light with my guitar over my shoulder and heard the crowd cheer. They weren’t really cheering for me—not yet, at least. They were just cheering because a new contestant was making their way out. I had made it through the preliminary stage of the talent competition with a Beatles cover, but that wasn’t going to be enough to win it. I had watched the show enough to know that the only way to get the finals was with an original song. I had one ready and I hoped it would be enough to dazzle the judges.
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