by Sable Sylvan
“What would be more difficult?” asked Jet.
“Dating two shifters,” said Ashley. “Aren’t shifters known for being, well, possessive? Jealous?”
“Trust me, I get jealous,” said Onyx.
“You do?” asked Ashley.
“I’m the hothead,” said Onyx. “There are times I want you all to myself, but…”
“But what?” asked Ashley.
“But whenever I sense that, I smack some sense into him,” said Jet.
“And you don’t get jealous?” asked Ashley. “I’m not sure whether or not that means I’m special, or whether that means I’m not special enough.”
“You’re special,” said Jet. “And don’t make me repeat that. But…I’d rather share a mate than not have one at all.”
“I don’t feel special tonight,” said Ashley.
“Why not?” asked Onyx, laying Ashley’s head onto his lap and stroking her hair.
“Because you two look so much better than me,” said Ashley.
“You know we love your curves,” said Jet, grabbing onto Ashley’s thick thighs, which made his shaft engorge.
Before things could get hot and heavy, the limo stopped. Jet had half a mind to ask the driver to go around the blocks a few times, but Onyx was already opening the door, and Ashley was straightening out her skirt. No matter.
For their date, Jet had selected a high-end American cuisine restaurant with a two-week long reservation wait list. It was one of the hottest spots in Seattle, with simple food made with high-quality fresh ingredients, with generous portions, which Jet, Onyx, and Ashley would need for the night they had planned. This was only the first stop on what was going to be an epic date.
Onyx held the door open for Ashley as she walked in, and Onyx and Jet both took her by the waist while they waited for a hostess to come to seat them. Instead of a hostess in a black dress and heels, they were greeted by a woman in a white shirt, black tie, black apron, and black pants and sneakers. It didn’t matter to the trio as long as they got seated.
Jet looked at the woman in front of them. She had mousy brown hair, green eyes, and a petite form. Nothing about her stood out, but he felt as if he should recognize her from somewhere…and if Jet knew one thing, it was that when his bear had something to say, he should definitely listen. So why was his panda telling him that this woman meant trouble?
“I’m sorry, do I recognize you from somewhere?” Jet asked the waitress as she walked them to their table.
“Me? No way,” said the waitress. “I’m just a waitress.”
“You’ve never seen us perform?” asked Jet.
“No, I think I’d remember you two,” said the waitress. “Right this way, please.”
The waitress seated the trio and explained the specials and Jet ordered a bottle of red wine for the table while Onyx and Ashley went over the menu.
As soon as the waitress was out of earshot, Onyx looked at Jet with a grin.
“What’s the smile about?” asked Jet.
“That waitress was totally checking us out,” said Onyx.
“I know,” said Ashley. “Could she be any more into you two?”
“You’re not jealous?” asked Onyx.
“Me? No frikkin’ way,” said Ashley. “I get to keep you two. I might as well let the others fantasize about you. There’s no harm in fantasizing, right?”
“Right,” said Jet, although he found himself not believing it for some reason. What was going on with him? Why was his panda being so darn irrational? Jet knew that there was nothing wrong with a little fantasy. After all, that’s how Jet and Onyx made their money. So why was his inner animal roaring, as if Jet was standing on the edge of a cliff?
“I still can’t believe that I’m with the two of you,” said Ashley. “It’s like…well, it’s like something out of a fairy tale.”
“Only because you’re a princess,” said Onyx. “So, princess…what on the menu catches your eye?”
“I think I’d like to try the fresh seafood platter,” said Ashley. “I loved the food we had in Cali, but nothing beats Seattle seafood. What about you two?”
“They don’t have bamboo here, so I guess that a steak will do,” said Jet. “I’ve gotta watch my weight.”
“You look fine to me,” said Ashley. “You packed on a few pounds from all the boba and sushi burritos we had in SoCal?”
“The opposite,” said Onyx. “He lost weight. And pandas, well…we burn a lot of energy and fast. That’s why Jet likes to play it safe and have some extra meat on his bones.”
“No wonder you two like a gal with a little something extra,” said Ashley.
“A little is right,” said Onyx. “We’re gonna have to make sure to take you out more, make sure we put some more meat on your bones. Don’t go getting skinny on us.”
“After all, you know we love those curves,” said Jet. “Maybe stop drinking water at work, and start drinking milkshakes.”
“Oh, stop it, you two,” said Ashley. “If anything, I must’ve gained some weight from all the rich food we ate.”
“Uh-huh, because you don’t burn it off within hours of eating it,” said Onyx.
“What do you mean?” said Ashley.
“Do you want us to spell it out?” asked Jet, running a hand up Ashley’s thighs from under the white tablecloth.
“Oh my,” said Ashley. “I guess I don’t need you to spell it out…but why do I have a feeling you want to anyway?”
“Let me put it this way,” said Jet. “We don’t just need more cushion for the pushin’, as they say. We need more cushion for when you’ve gotta do some pushin’.”
“You mean…” started Ashley.
“That’s right,” said Onyx. “Shifter babies. They need a momma who’s got junk in the trunk, who has wide hips to carry them to full term, who has a large bosom to nourish them. With the two of us, well…trust us. Panda bears might be endangered, but panda shifters won’t ever be if you know what I mean.”
“I think I get it,” said Ashley. “But of course…”
Before Ashley could finish her sentence, the waitress came over to take their order. Both the guys order steaks with baked potatoes, while Ashley ordered the seafood special. Jet looked at the waitress. She was familiar, but he still couldn’t place where he recognized her from.
“Guess the waitress isn’t the only one checking people out tonight,” said Ashley as the waitress walked away.
“Huh? I wasn’t checking her out,” said Jet.
“Uh-huh,” teased Ashley. “Hey, you can look, but you can’t touch.”
“Seriously, not checking her out,” said Jet. “Onyx, do you…”
“…Recognize her from somewhere?” asked Onyx. “Yeah. I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“I don’t know where I know her from,” said Jet.
“Neither do I,” said Onyx. “But whoever she is, my bear…”
“…Doesn’t like her?” said Jet. “Same.”
“Should we leave?” asked Ashley. “Or ask for another waitress?”
“It’s probably nothing,” said Onyx. “Maybe she has a sister, or maybe she just looks like someone suspicious. Maybe our bears are just nervous.”
“Why would your shifts be nervous?” asked Ashley.
Onyx looked to Jet. Even though they had pandas inside them, they also were filled with butterflies…in their stomaches.
“It’s nothing,” said Jet. “It just sometimes happens.”
Jet changed the topic, and the waitress came back out with their food. Ashley tried Onyx’s steak and found it to be mouthwateringly delicious so, as much as she craved seafood, she just had to switch plates with him.
“This food is so good…although it’s not as delicious as you two. Thank you guys, so much. This has been a magical evening,” said Ashley. “It’s just a shame you two are so nervous.”
“Haven’t you ever felt nervous for a reason you can’t explain?” asked Onyx.
“Y
ou mean like tonight? Don’t get me wrong, I’m having a great time, but…it would be even better if I didn’t feel so underdressed,” said Ashley.
“You look gorgeous,” said Onyx. “You always do. If you looked any fancier, you’d make all the other women feel embarrassed because you’d have their date’s heads turning.”
“Really?” said Ashley. “I don’t know…maybe a pair of earrings or a necklace would’ve made me look a little fancier.”
Onyx exchanged a look with Jet. Jet nodded. He knew exactly what Onyx was thinking. This was fate telling them that this was the exact right moment to do what they’d been waiting to do.
“It’s funny you mention jewelry,” started Onyx.
Before Jet could say his part, the waitress came back over with a pitcher of ice water. She started to refill Onyx’s cup when she noticed that he had a different entree in front of him than the one he’d ordered.
“How’s your food?” asked the waitress. “Is everything to your liking?”
“Yes, it’s great,” said Ashley.
“Are you sure? If anything isn’t to your liking, I can take it back to the kitchen,” said the waitress. “I noticed you switched entrees.”
“Well, the steak looked so scrumptious that I couldn’t resist,” said Ashley.
“I can take it back to the kitchen and get you a fresh one,” said the waitress.
“No, it’s fine,” said Ashley.
“No, trust me, I’ll just take your seafood dish back to the kitchen, get you a fresh steak, and you can both have the meals you want,” said the waitress.
“There’s nothing wrong with the food,” said Jet. He looked at the waitress, and that’s when it hit him. That’s when he realized where he’d seen her.
Jet looked to Onyx and Onyx watched as Jet’s eyes, filled with fire went between Onyx, Ashley, and the waitress. Onyx looked at the waitress and realized what had given Jet such a start.
“What did you do to the food?” asked Jet.
“What?” said the waitress. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Ashley put down her fork. She looked over the food. Had it really been tampered with?
“You’re lying,” sad Jet. “I can tell. Why are you so dead-set on our date having her original plate?”
“I swear, I have no clue what you are talking about,” said the waitress. “I’m just a waitress.”
“Jet, stay with her, and don’t let her leave,” said Onyx. “I’m getting a manager.”
Ashley sat there awkwardly. What the heck was going on? It was obvious Onyx and Jet knew something that she didn’t. Never before had she felt so helpless around them…not when they’d first met at Bear Buns, and she’d knocked into Jet with her plate of food. Not when, during the show, she’d been trapped in the bamboo cage and reliant on their help. Not even when Arnold had shifted into a being stronger than she could ever hope to be.
Onyx came back minutes later with the manager.
“What’s going on?” said the manager. “Is what this man said true?”
“I swear, I have no clue what they’re talking about,” said the waitress. “They just started accusing me out of nowhere, saying I had poisoned the food.”
“Nobody said anything about poison,” said Jet. “Just tampering. What did you do to the food? Why are you so insistent on having her eat a certain dish?”
“I just want to make sure that everyone has the meal that they want,” said the waitress. “After all, the food here is so expensive, so we pride ourselves on good customer service.”
Ashley looked at the seafood. There was a lobster tail, some shrimp, and some oysters and clams on the half shell. If the food was tampered with, shouldn’t there be some sign? Ashley picked up the lobster tail, put it on her plate, and used her fork to dissect it.
“Don’t eat that,” said Jet.
“I’m not,” said Ashley. “Trust me.”
Ashley didn’t find anything in the lobster tail, so she put the shrimp on her plate and tore them apart. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Finally, she put the oysters and clams on her plate and carefully examined each one. Inside one of the oysters was something small and round…not a pearl, but a pill.
“This oyster has a pill in it,” said Ashley. “Look!”
Jet quickly took out his phone and took a video of what was going on, focusing on the pill in the oyster first, and then on the manager and waitress.
“Explain where that came from, demanded Jet. “And yes, you’re being filmed. Refill my water.”
“I don’t have to explain anything,” said the waitress, using her pitcher of water to refill Jet’s cup. “One of the chefs must have put it in there. I just carry the food.”
“Then explain why you were seen at both the Bear Buns strip club, and at the theater where we are actors, pulling fire alarms,” said Onyx.
“What?” said Ashley.
“We have video tape of a petite figure pulling the fire alarm at both the club and the theater,” explained Jet. “The figure was in a black hoodie, face covered…but they forgot one thing.”
“And what would that be?” asked Ashley.
“They’re left-handed,” said Jet.
“You have no proof that it’s me,” said the waitress. “And so what if the person who pulled the alarm is left-handed? I’m right-handed.”
“No, you’re not,” said Jet. “I just caught you on video refilling my cup with your left hand. If you’re lying about that, what else would you lie about…and why?”
“Tell the truth,” said the manager. “Or do we need to get the police involved?”
“How long have you even worked at this restaurant?” asked Jet.
The waitress looked at the manager and knew she couldn’t lie. “Two weeks,” said the waitress.
“We made the reservation for this restaurant two weeks ago,” said Jet. “It just seems like an odd coincidence that you’d happen to be working here and serving us and our mate, doesn’t it?”
The word mate made the waitress visibly flinch.
“That’s right…she’s our mate, our fated mate, and you know how we must know that…so why does that bother you?” asked Jet. “Admit it. You’re our stalker, the one who has been causing a string of problems at both Bear Buns and the theater.”
“Fine,” hissed the waitress. “You want me to admit it? Yes. It’s me. It was all me! I’ve tried to get your attention, so many times. I went to so many shows, and you never picked me to go on stage. You even signed autographs for me at the theater, but you never even remembered my name. You don’t even remember it now. I though that the only thing that was between you two and me was her, and with that pill, well…you’d finally notice me, once she was taken away by the ambulances, and you were left alone with me. Finally, you’d realize that I was special, that I was the one you were meant to be with. But I guess that you two are too stupid to know when somebody loves you when fate is bringing together three people that are meant to be together.”
“You’re crazy,” said the manager. “Holy shit. You’re insane.”
“Good thing being crazy’s not a crime,” said the waitress.
“But stalking, harassment, and attempted murder are,” said Onyx.
Before the waitress could run, cops came through the front door and the kitchen, cuffs ready. The waitress tried to punch a cop but was pushed to the ground, read her rights, and cuffed.
The trio gave their statements to the police, and of course, the restaurant comped their meal, but after all that, the last thing they wanted was to have food there. There was no telling what other antics the waitress had pulled, so the three went to a local diner instead. Onyx went outside to make calls to the rest of the Bear Buns guys to explain what had happened while Jet stayed inside the diner with Ashley. After about thirty minutes, Onyx came back in, not because he was done with making calls, but because he couldn’t stand being apart from Ashley, especially after what had just happened.
Two pandas a
nd a BBW, in formal clothes and a nice dress, were sipping coffee and eating stacks of pancakes with marionberry and maple syrup. It sounded like the start of a bad joke, but it was the end of a great love story.
“You haven’t touched your pancakes,” said Jet, who was on his second stack.
“Do you want something else?” asked Onyx.
Ashley pushed her plate away and looked out the window. It would be easier for her to say what she had to say next if she didn’t have to look Jet and Onyx in the eyes.
“I thought I could do this,” said Ashley. “But…”
“Don’t do this, Ash,” said Jet. “Please.”
Even though she had been staring at the street, Ashley’s eyes reflexively started to focus on the reflections in the glass instead, and she saw Jet’s face watching her reflection in the glass. Neither of them could look at each other directly. Ashley had never seen her strong rock of a panda beg before…which made doing what she knew she had to do even more difficult.
“I’m sorry, Jet…Onyx…but I can’t do this,” said Ashley. “I thought I was stronger than I was, but…I’m not. I can’t be with you two.”
“Why not?” asked Onyx. “The only danger to this relationship, a danger we didn’t even know was a threat to our relationship until tonight is behind bars.”
“It’s not her,” said Ashley. “It’s something else, something that I thought wouldn’t be a problem if I ignored it.”
“Just tell us what it is,” said Jet. “Is it someone else?”
“No, it’s nobody else, how could it be anyone else? You two are perfect,” said Ashley.
“Then what is it? Whatever it is…we can get through it together,” said Onyx. “Our love is strong enough to survive anything.”
“If I tell you what it is, you two will just convince me that it’s nothing, but then, in another three weeks, three months, or three years, it’ll emerge again,” said Ashley. “You two have these two wonderful things inside of you…but this thing, inside me? It’s not something awesome, like a panda. It’s…a monster.”
“Ashley, you could never, ever be a monster,” said Jet.
“That’s just the thing, you don’t know me well enough to say that with certainty,” said Ashley. “We’ve only been together for three weeks. We’ve spent half our time in bed together. So what if we have marks that link us? Skin doesn’t mean anything. Fate…that might be real, for shifters, but there’s no way it’s true for me. Fate hates me. If you knew about my past, you’d know why, but…if you knew about my past, you’d hate me too. So I need to end this.”
