Bears & Beauties - Complete (6 page)

Curvy and calculating, Amber Kelli has been down on her luck for far too long. After a long string of unfortunate events, Amber managed to find a job working for a catering agency. She thought that her troubles were over and that her life was finally back on the right track. That is, until her agency is hired to cater a party thrown by one of Manhattan's most eligible billionaire bachelors. After an embarrassing exchange with the billionaire himself, Amber abandons her post and slinks out into the dark and stormy city where an even worse misfortune lurks nearby.
Bear-shifting billionaire Grayson Days has the whole package. He's driven, talented, and incredibly sexy. What he isn't, though, is complete. Although his inner-bear longs to find his mate, Grayson has all but given up on the search. That is, until the night of his parent's anniversary party where he encounters a curvy and quick-witted beauty who steals his heart the instant he meets her. Before he can get to know her, however, Grayson is pulled away to offer a toast to his loving parents. By the time the toast is over, the woman fated to be Grayson's mate has slipped out of the party and into the storm-ridden city. Giving chase, Grayson tracks the woman down, only to find that something terrible has happened to her, and that time is of the essence if he wants any chance of rescuing her from certain peril.
Kidnapped and taken hostage, Amber does her best to fight back and escape her captors. But will it be enough? Will Grayson, in desperate search of his new found love, track her down in time to rescue her? And in the midst of unfolding chaos, will Fate itself be enough to bind together the bear and the beautiful?

1

Amber Kelli stood with her back to the wall, her emerald eyes gazing out at the gathering crowd. Tuxedos and gowns swirled about and mingled, each one occupied by an individual with the GDP of a small country. Gorgeous women held by chiseled men, each one poised as though Michelangelo himself had carved their features. It was, to be honest, a little more than disheartening.

As a curvy girl from the wrong side of Brooklyn, Amber would never be a part of the swirling and mingling crowd. She’d never fit into one of those size zero gowns, nor would she ever have the money to purchase one to begin with. No, Amber was stuck with her back against the wall, and her front facing one of the many delicacy-filled tables in the large ballroom.

Amber had only been with the catering company for a few months, but already it had become tiring. Every other night, she found herself working some insanely wealthy individual’s party or celebration in Manhattan. The job paid enough to keep her afloat, but she’d never realize her dreams of becoming a world traveler. She’d never backpack through Europe, much less afford the plane ticket necessary to get there. No, if anything, the job only served as a reminder of how little Amber had, and how much harder she’d have to work to get where she wanted.

Breathe
, Amber told herself, straightening her bleached-white uniform as she did. But the breathing came harshly as the room seemed to close in around her. The more she worked these events the more claustrophobic she felt in them. Even amid the towering ceilings and the spacious room, she still felt sandwiched between a rock and a hard place.

It’s temporary
, she reminded herself.

Shaking off the anxiety, Amber went back to work, forcing smiles and exchanging pleasantries with one well-dressed patron after another. They’d comment on how wonderful the parfait tasted, or how undercooked they thought their shrimp must have been. She’d simply reassure them that she’d pass on their concerns to the chef, then move on to the next guest.

That is, until
he
approached her.

He must have been part of one of the other catering companies present at the party because he was dressed down compared to the obviously wealthy folks in attendance. He wore an untucked charcoal colored dress shirt over a broad torso, with the sleeves rolled up to reveal massive forearms, darkened by a natural looking tan, and a gold colored watch. His shirt fell over a pair of black slacks that hugged his body ever-so-perfectly.

“Having a good time?” the man asked, and Amber caught his eyes for the first time. Large and brown, his eyes caught her immediately, drawing her in and leaving her momentarily speechless as she studied his handsome face.

“Oh, you know it,” she said offhandedly, in a tone that surprised her.

The man offered a deep chuckle then flashed her a pair of pearly whites that all but sent her inner goddess into a flurry.

Get it together
, she chided herself.
It’s just a man
.

“Tell me,” the man said, “How do you manage to stay sane back there, tending to all of these snooty miscreants?” He shoved his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing toward the crowd of over-dressed minglers.

“It’s harder than you’d think,” Amber replied, smiling sincerely for the first time of the night. “To think, I’m back here slaving away, tending to the wealthy masses, while some playboy billionaire heir throws his money at parties and shoddy catering services.”

The man snorted, which Amber found oddly endearing. “So, you think this thing is being thrown by some snooty playboy? Gotta hand it to him, though, he knows how to draw a crowd.”

Amber laughed at that. “But is it the kind of crowd any sane person would want? I mean, really, do you think he even knows most of these people?”

“Hell,” the man offered, “I doubt he even knows a quarter of them. You know how the snooty folk are, though. They go where the money is,and this guy is probably loaded.”

“Probably. And we both know how hard it must be to inherit money for a living,” Amber rolled her eyes at that, then shot the man a playful wink.

To her surprise, the man returned the wink, then leaned forward against the table. “So,” he started, “I didn’t catch your name?”

Amber blushed slightly at his forwardness. It had been over a year since her last date, and even it had turned out to be a disaster. Some blind date set up by one of her few friends from a previous job waiting tables. The guy had been a complete ass, though he’d lacked any of the physical features that would have made up for it. Still, she’d almost let him fuck her, just to say she’d been with at least one man in a calendar year. Fate had intervened, though, when the man had tripped and broken his ankle and she’d ended up sitting in the emergency room with him for the rest of the night. The bum hadn’t even bothered to call her the next day.

The man in front of her now, though, seemed to be a different sort of specimen than the asshole from a year ago. For one thing, this guy was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, and he had enough swagger about him to show that he knew it. That confidence, however, didn’t seem to bolster over into arrogance, which was something that Amber absolutely disdained above all else. It’s one thing to be confident, it’s something else entirely to be a walking dick.

“Ma’am?” The guy started, bringing Amber out of her brief mental lapse.

“Sorry!” Amber offered quickly. “It’s Amber. Amber Kelli. And you are?”

“Grayson,” the man smiled, offering his hand.

Amber took his hand and shook it, her body igniting at the sensation of his touch. Despite the man’s more rugged and haughty appearance, his hands were soft like an infant's. Almost as if the flesh beneath the skin was brand new. Grayson’s grip was tight, though, a sure sign of the strength he carried in his broad shoulders, and Amber felt her legs grow weaker the longer they remained in physical contact. Finally, reluctantly, she motioned to pull her hand back, and with an apparent sigh, Grayson did the same.

They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment and, for whatever reason, Amber felt a strange connection to the stranger she’d just met. Amber liked to think that such a thing as Fate existed and, at that moment, she almost knew her suspicions were confirmed. There was something about the easiness of their conversation and the electricity in their touch that told her that something more was at work here.

Someone turned on a microphone somewhere in the room and Grayson’s gaze pulled from Amber’s, cutting off the strange connection that the two had briefly experienced.

“That’s my cue,” Grayson said, smiling back at Amber before darting toward the center of the room and climbing atop a stool. Someone handed him the microphone and Amber felt her jaw drop as Grayson began to speak.

“I want to thank you all for coming here today. My friends, my family, and especially those of you who gave up your evening to make this event absolutely phenomenal,” he winked in Amber’s direction and she felt her stomach sink as realization dawned.

That man, Grayson, was the billionaire playboy who’d thrown the party. He was the one she’d just been mocking, openly, to him. He was the one that she’d been griping about and throwing shade at. A wave of nausea worked its way over Amber, and she fell back toward the wall, doing her best to steady herself.

You idiot
, she told herself.
You stood there and openly mocked the man who hired your employer. You’re as good as fired.

As Amber leaned against the wall, she listened to Grayson continue his speech.

“This night is a wonderful celebration. It’s a celebration of life, of happiness, and, more importantly, of love. This evening marks the fortieth anniversary of my wonderful parents, Mark and Melinda Days.” Grayson motioned toward an older couple near the head of the room, his face beaming with both pride and excitement. “Without their encouragement, without their affection, and without - at times - their steady kick in the rear, I would not be who I am today. It was at my father’s bidding that I went into business for myself, stuck to my guns during the best and worst days, and built my company from the ground up. It was at my mother’s bidding that I treated my friends and employees with the utmost respect and importance. Without these two - without these happy lovers - I would not be who I am today, and nothing you see before you would even exist. Congratulations, Mom and Dad!”

By the time Grayson finished, Amber was already making her way toward her manager. She had to get out of there before Grayson got down and sought her out. It was one thing to be fired, but something else entirely to watch a billionaire tear into your boss about your disrespectful attitude right in front of you.

Amber caught up with her manager, pulled her aside and told her that she was feeling sick. Amber’s manager waved her off, told her to go home and get some rest, then went back to overseeing the rest of the crew.

Just as Amber reached the exit, she saw Grayson Days approaching the manager she’d just left behind.

Amber’s head was swimming as she strode out into the city lights.

2

Grayson Days made his way through the gathering crowd, all but ignoring the cheers and applause from his friends and co-workers, as he strode toward the woman he’d just seen Amber talking to. He’d watched Amber approach the woman, then hurriedly leave the party while he gave his speech. The moment he saw her leave, his heart sank. Something was obviously wrong and it more than concerned him. The moment Grayson had met Amber, he’d known, right then and there, that she was his fated mate. In fact, his bear had all but urged him to claim her as his own immediately upon taking in her scent.

Even dressed in her catering attire, Grayson couldn’t help but be drawn to the ever-so-luscious curves that Amber’s body had presented. That, coupled with her gorgeous emerald eyes and her naturally snarky personality, and it was all he could do to keep from tearing her clothes off. If not for his dedication to his parents and the speech he’d have to give, he’d have stayed by Amber’s side all night and continued their conversation, even if it was at his own expense.

Instead, though, she’d left. The one woman who he
knew
would make him feel whole had left, gone, abandoned him just as he’d begun to know her. It was a desperate feeling, and Grayson felt his soul wrenching from his body the longer he was apart from her. Between that and the fury his bear was presenting toward him at leaving her, it was all Grayson could do to put together a few sentences as he finally reached the woman who he finally recognized as Catherine, the owner and manager of the catering company he’d hired.

“That woman,” Grayson stammered. “The one you just spoke to, where is she going?”

Catherine arched an eyebrow at Grayson, one hand perched against her hip in defiance. “Look, Mr. Days, I apologize for her departure, but it won’t leave us short-staffed.”

Grayson waved her off, “No, it’s not that. Is she all right? She looked upset, or even ill…”

Catherine nodded, relief seeming to take over where false-defiance had poised only moments ago. “Oh, yes. She said she wasn’t feeling well, so I sent her home for the night to rest. We’ve got a packed schedule the rest of this week and the last thing I need is an employee falling out in a client’s floor.”

“I see,” Grayson said, running a series of thoughts and options through his head. He had to find a way to see Amber again. He had to find a way to get a message to her, or track her down. The pounding in his chest told him that his very existence might depend on it. “Is there any way I can get her contact information?”