Crossing Paths: A Brooklyn Shifters Romance Book 1

by Daphne Snow

  "I think Alexander would prefer nothing more than for you to bat your eyelashes at him and more." Zelik touched his shoulder indicating it was time for them to leave.

  "I'm sure we will meet again, Miss Bianchi. It was a pleasure. You have my card if you want to venture into other dealings." She nodded back to him unable to find the encouragement to reply.

  Before they left Zelik hung back a second looking at Francesca. He waited for Kaiser to walk out the front door before fully turning to her. His eyes were locked with hers. She expected to find hate and annoyance there but she didn't. His light colored eyes sometimes green and sometimes blue looked sad almost. “Are you okay?”

  His voice was still steely but surprisingly gentle. Bewildered, Fran stuttered a bit. “Y-yea I am.” He nodded his head and looked as if he was going to say more but didn’t. He tore his gaze from hers and then walked out of view towards the front door. What was that about?

  Before Frannie could even comprehend what had just happened the door was closed and locked. Mina was on her like a lion on a zebra. The stew forgotten and her hands clasping Frans in excitement.

  “Meeting! Benson! I need all of them, all of the details!” She squealed in delight. She was gonna have to tell the girl every little detail. After all she had dealt with today she was actually looking forward to it.

  Chapter 7

  Frannie hadn’t heard from her mother since she left two days ago. In some small way, she had hoped her mother would come to her senses and leave Ray. Or at least recognize they both had a problem and needed help. She had tried telling them for years only to be met with backlash and disdain for her existence.

  She finally put her foot down though and that terrified her. She had spent so many years as her mother's keeper. To leave her with that monster had been a decision that was extremely hard for her. She loved her mom but she was enabling her behavior by rescuing her every chance she got. It was a realization she hated but finally accepted.

  She wasn’t doing both of them any favors. If they wanted a better life they had to make that choice she couldn't make it for them anymore. Not that she had really ever, she just took on their burdens.

  Frannie didn't know if there was ever anything else she could do for them. Except of course clear their debt with Mr.Benson. She had been both dreading and excited for it.

  On one hand, he ignited a flame in her that burned so bright she feared she was staring into the sun. Then there is the other irritating hand with the thought that he wasn't serious. That she just didn't know how to keep her attraction under wraps and the man was gonna pull some Carrie at prom bullshit at dinner. Or maybe he wanted a quick fuck.

  Either way, she wasn't going to allow him to toy with her. She had told him from the beginning she wasn't going to sleep with him and she meant it. It didn’t matter that he was her mate or not. Frannie was taking the bull the horns with her life and was done with letting people push her around.

  “I'm telling you girlie, he's gonna be more than just a fling.” For the millionth time, Mina had reminded Francesca of her thoughts on the matter. Mina had basically held her hostage in the kitchen that night till she told her everything.

  Mina was reeling at it all. She kept going on and on about him being her mate. Telling her it was like a story out of one of her romance novels. That they were gonna have some outright love fest on the ‘date’ as she kept calling it.

  Frannie refused to call it that. Among other things, she didn't want to get her hopes up. To her, it was just a meeting. A business dinner perhaps. But that was it at most. It wasn't a date and she would not get her panties in a twist at the thought.

  She also refused to acknowledge the man as her mate. Through with every passing day of him not being near Fey grew more agitated and Frannie more desperate for his touch.

  “It's not gonna be anything. Let's just drop it.” Fran sighed, plopping onto the bed making it jump a little. She detangled her slightly wet hair from the shower unsure what to do with it.

  “Sure, and Batman isn't Bruce Wayne. Besides we can't just drop it, your dates tonight.” She joked. Fucking nerd, Frannie thought. Mina was laid out on her bed reading another one of her obtuse romance novels.

  “Are you ever going to get sick of those things?” Frannie asked not wanting to admit she had swiped a few over the years from Mina’s hiding place under her mattress.

  “Never! I swear they just get better.” The cover of this one in particular had a woman standing there with what appeared to be a blue man or alien in her grasp with a whirling galaxy behind them.

  “It's not realistic Mina, you're setting your standards too high.”

  “At least I have standards.” Frannie gaped at her and Mina just shrugged her shoulders.

  “I've seen the pictures of guys you thought were ‘cute’ over the years, Fran. They don't have anything on my fictional princes, especially not Vektal.” She said exasperated as she gently ran a hand over the book caressing it and holding it close to her chest her eyes closed in thought.

  Frannie couldn't help but laugh at her because she had a point. She hadn't exactly picked the most attractive or intelligent or anything kind of man. They had all been pretty run of the mill boring guys.

  Mostly because she hadn't thought she had a chance but also because she didn't think Fey liked to be submissive. The bear had disliked most men but especially those that acted big and tough. So, Frannie did her best to steer clear. Barely getting in her first kiss at twenty before Fey nearly took the guy's arm off.

  He was not our mate! He was human and smelly. Fey complained defending her actions. Frannie sighed and agreed inwardly.

  The little bear had been a bit more talkative today thankfully. She’d been excited to know they would be seeing their mate again tonight. No, not there mate he wasn’t theirs. Yes he is.

  Frannie ignored her persistence. There wasn’t much she could do about it anyways. It's not like she could get rid of Fey. Still though the shred of possibility that he was truly hers and that this wasn’t some game to him had her body thrumming with need. The man was huge; he could just pin her hand to the side like it was nothing. The idea of losing control with a man like him was too tempting.

  Remembering how he ground against her core in his office sent her off kilter. The man was handsome, no he was gorgeous. As much as she didn't want to admit it. She wanted him, she wanted all of him, his mind, body and soul.

  Her breasts ached and her pussy throbbed, images of him fucking her clear in her mind. She squeezed her thighs together to try to stop herself but the slight friction just drove her aching need higher.

  “Ok, why don't you save all that for your date.” Mina wrinkled her nose at her, eyes still glued to the alien romance.

  Fey raked at the surface forcing a change in Frannies nails to claws and then back as they fought for control. The beast was getting harder to control as the days went on. She desperately needed to go for a run. But that would have to wait. Frannie didn’t know how Mina did it, living here with no place to let out her leopard.

  “Look I'm sure you'll deal with the same shit once you found a man hot enough to compete with your Vektal or Raahosh.” Frannie started pointing at the novel in Mina's hands and remembering other names the woman had gushed over.

  She hadn't wanted to say mate because that would acknowledge that Benson was her true mate and she still didn't want to accept it. At least not until she knew his intentions which she had a sneaking suspicion were not good ones. Mina just rolled her eyes at her.

  “All I know is once I meet my mate I wont keep trying to deny it at every turn.” Mina huffed out and Frannie felt the jab of her words.

  If she knew anything about mates she knew you couldn't keep them apart for long, not without dire consequences. Which just fueled her idea that Benson wasn't hers. They hadn’t seen each other in days. They had texted a little here and there, mostly consisting of if Frannie had slept well or eaten.

  There was also the matt
er anytime she had tried to leave the house over the last two days there had been a driver waiting out front. Mina had been so excited about it and Frannie just shook her head annoyed. Even if she waved the man off he followed their car anyway insisting on being the one to drive her.

  She had promptly text Alexander letting him know she was less than thrilled at being followed; he simply told her it was a just in case measure.

  However that was it. He wasn’t breaking down doors to get to her and though she was achy and needy for him she wasn’t writhing in pain to see him. And there were no insanely flirty texts or actual conversation. Shouldn’t they be fighting to be with each other?

  We are patient Axl and I. More patient than we should be. Fey sighed, happily. His human is barely holding on, he tells me. Which got her wondering how the two bears had been communicating this whole time.

  Though Alexander did try to call her once at three in the morning. Frannie being Frannie, was too scared to pick it up. So she let it ring and ring, hoping he’d get the hint and assume she was sleeping.

  When it finally stopped ringing though he had left a voicemail which she promptly picked up her phone and ran to the bathroom with it. As she had sat on the toilet with shaking hands she opened it and his husky sensual voice came out in little breaths like he was running or something.

  “You have no idea how badly I.... I can’t wait to see you, my Francesca.” Those words had her shiver and goosebumps running up and down her spine. She wouldn’t deny she had listened to it a million and half times over after that.

  “So whatcha gonna wear?” Mina asked looking up from her novel curiously, interrupting Frannie's impeding thoughts. Frannie had gone through her entire suitcase and had come up empty. She didn't think she’d be going on a date anytime soon. No, no, a meeting she meant it's not a date. Not a date. She reminded herself.

  “I don't actually know.” She confessed chewing slightly on her bottom lip. She should have taken the man's card and taught him a lesson. Money meant very little to Frannie but she didn’t like the way he just carelessly tossed it around.

  Mina dogeared her book, which made Fran cringe, and stretched. She may not be the biggest fan of the novels but she hadn't thought Mina so horrid as to desecrate a book by dogearing it.

  "You monster." She whispered at her. Mina cocked an eyebrow and then proceeded to unnecessarily dog ear another page. They stared at each other intensely for a moment before breaking out in laughter. They had tears in their eyes once they finally stopped.

  “Anyways I think I have just the thing.” She said excitedly and jumped up over to her closet. The thing was like a landmine and Frannie hadn't ever dared go in there. Afraid she would never see the light of day again

  “I got it for my cousin Al's wedding but didn't even end up going.” She told Fran, her voice slightly muffled as she dug through the closet.

  “You mean Al from Greenwich? The one who was gonna marry that one girl with the blonde hair.” Remembering how up in arms Mina's family had been. The woman had not been her cousin's mate and on top of that had appeared to appreciate Al's money more than Al himself.

  “Yeah, that's the one. No one really went, only some of their friends I think. Okay, what about this?” She asked pulling out a peach body con dress that looked too tight for Frannie's taste.

  “No way! I could ne-”

  “I don't wanna hear it Fran, you don't have anything else. Also, you're so super sexy and we are almost the same size, it's not like you'll be falling out of it. You think Zelik would let me outta the house in something that revealing. At least try it. For me?” Mina pulled her bottom lip forward in a pout and opened her eyes largely like a puppy wanting a treat.

  “Fine, but I swear if one cheek is hanging out the bottom I’m not wearing it.” Mina winked and Frannie grabbed the dress from her hands in a flash. She dawned it quickly wanting to get the shame and embarrassment over with. But when she opened her eyes looking into the mirror hung on the back of the closet door she was shocked to find she liked the way she looked.

  The spaghetti straps weren’t tight and the peach color against her tanned skin from the California sun looked beautiful. Frannie had to admit though it would have looked better in contrast to Minas darker skin. The material was soft and slinky. It made her feel sexy. She was more than a little surprised at this. Most of the tight clothes she had were still a little frumpy comparatively. Mina came up behind her and hugged her.

  “If he doesn't grab you up I sure will.” She laughed and then twirled her finger in a 360 motion. Frannie spun for her and Mina nodded her head approvingly.

  “Va Va Voom baby you look amazing. And no cheeks hanging out though I'm sure he wouldn't complain if there were.” Frannie looked again and had to agree. Now she normally strayed away from wearing tight-fitting clothes afraid it would showcase her pug stomach as she called it. But the sheer ruching on it really showed off her curvaceous body. It all felt like silky heaven on her skin.

  “Okay, all we need is some heels and a little bit of glamour my dear.” They had spent the next hour with Mina dolling Frannie up in the best she could find. Settling on some simple crystal jewelry from Ya-Ya some earrings and a bracelet, and black heels.

  Frannie chose to wear her hair down as she liked the feel of it cascading over her shoulders. She wondered how Benson would react when he saw her. Would he love it?

  Would he be disgusted, as the man had never seen her in anything so tight fitting. Would it really just be a business meeting like she kept telling herself? A little hanky panky wouldn't kill her though. Unless it was really good she thought. Her mind was running rampant with anxious thoughts going between the best possible outcome and the worst.

  At one point she considered calling it all off and getting into some sweats and grabbing a pint of ice cream. That sounded better than the potential embarrassment she was about to face. It was too little too late though when a heavy knock came upon Minas front door. We will be fine. He is our mate.

  “Who is it?”Zelik shouted from the top stairs, his head peering over the railing.

  “Calm down, it's just Frannie's date. Ya shouting for what? Goodness!” Mina rushed to the door with a huge smile dawning on her face. Frannie was hot on her trail.

  With heavy steps Zelik came halfway down the stairs, his gaze meeting Frannies as she grabbed her jacket. His eyes were blazing flashing from green to blue and back. His normally neat hair was shaken and messy. “You’re going on a date?” His tone was low and something about it seemed pained.

  Fran couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. “It’s a business meeting.” His face didn’t change, he just clenched his jaw harder and looked her up and down glaring. She looked at him confused. Did she really look that bad? “Yea sure looks like it.” He snapped

  Before Frannie could retort he turned stomping back up the stairs.

  “What's crawled up his ass?” Mina asked and Fran just shrugged her shoulders. Then a loud crash and clatter echoed through the house. “He better not be touching the fucking china. I swear Ya-Ya will kill him.” Mina gritted out before heading back to the front door as a knock came again.

  Before Frannie couldn't even attempt to do anything Mina swung open the door and to Frannie's relief and disappointment it was Carl who stood there. A single rose in his hand, a sweet loving smile matching it.

  The worked up nerves she was hoarding slowly released as she realized Benson was nowhere to be seen.

  “Where's the hunk gramps?” Minas asked, disappointment in her tone.

  “Mr.Benson regrets to inform you he wouldn't be able to pick you up due to some last minute pressing business…” Frannie's heart dropped; he didn't even want the date or meeting or whatever with her anymore. Man must've come to his senses. “But he will be at the restaurant once you arrive.” Carl said his voice chipper.

  Frannie breathed relieved she was kinda looking forward to it. And you say he is not our mate. Fey said, annoyed.

  “Ah c
ome on I wanted to see the look on his face when he gets a look at her.” She pouted harder and rolled her eyes.

  “I must say Miss Bianchi you do look exquisite this evening. Making this old man blush is rather hard.” He chuckled making Fran smile.

  “Thanks, you guys. I will make sure to tell you everything when I get back.” She hugged Mina and headed out the door her coat and little purse in hand.

  “Don't wait up.” Frannie called back as the sweatpants clad women stood in the doorway. Wind and little bits of snow swirled around the entrance. She pulled her hair into a curly knot atop her head before responding.

  “I promise I won't. I don't think I have the capacity to stay up for the next twenty-four hours when you finally decide to leave his bed anyways.” Frannie scowled and Carl chuckled, opening the back seat door for Frannie to step in.

  She got comfortable making sure her jacket was buttoned up tight. It wasn’t just the cold she was shielding herself from. She was becoming more and more nervous and now that she was in the car she couldn't go back and change her clothes or her mind. Frannie thought of all the things he could possibly say about her outfit both flattering and hurtful.