Tamed Galley Master (3 page)

Collin chipped in. “And three, in the event you refuse to be our mate, you’ll be sent home at the end of the forty-eight-hour period. You’ll be placed under enchantment to forget about us and everything that ever happened.”

“Why?” she demanded.

“I suppose to ease the transition back into the real world,” Collin offered.

“I mean, why did you go to a witch for matchmaking? Do witches really exist in this day and age?” Danielle edged toward the door. “Are you guys even human?”

Dane and Collin traded gazes.

Collin answered, “No. We are not.”

“Then what are you people?”

“We’re shapeshifter tigers. Weretigers,” said Dane, deadpan.

Danielle tried to wrap that revelation around her head but couldn’t. It was ridiculous. “Weretigers,” she echoed. “Like werewolves, but tigers?”

“I guess wolves are more popular with the mainstream audience, but to be honest, tigers are way cooler than wolves,” said Collin playfully. “We outweigh any canine species by several hundred pounds in muscles and ferocity.”

Danielle gave up.
Where’s the stop button to end this weirdness?
“I’m out of here. I don’t want to be part of this crazy game. Goodbye.”

Before any of the men could stop her, she yanked the door open and found several women had been eavesdropping. They quickly gave her a wide berth for passing. The women were dressed in fancy clothes and were dolled up to the max.

The oldest of them, a woman around sixtyish, glammed in diamonds and enough fur to offend PETA activists called her, “Pardon me, missy, are you really Dane’s chosen mate?”

There it was again, “mate.”
Danielle narrowed her eyes.
What’s wrong with these people?
“I’m nobody’s mate. Excuse me.”

“Danielle, wait,” said Dane.

She didn’t listen. She wanted to get out of this place and go home.
Am I hallucinating? Is all of this even real?

She cut a path in the middle of the party and barged out the front door.

Collin followed her. “It’s useless, what you’re doing. We told you that you’re under enchantment.”

She ignored him as she looked for the elevator. Found one and slammed the down button. The bell dinged and the doors whispered open. She stepped in. Collin didn’t try to stop her. He merely got in and watched with blatant amusement.

Danielle just realized she didn’t have her phone or wallet. How was she going to get home?
Calm, Danielle, one step at a time.
She should call Kate or her mom to wire her money. Then she could buy a plane ticket to Miami.
Oh boy, what a night. Kate won’t believe this.

The elevator opened into the building lobby. She flagged the white-gloved concierge. “Excuse me, can I borrow the phone?”

“Certainly, madam.” He directed her to the reception desk and another polite, smiling man handed her a landline phone.

“You know, you could have asked me if you needed to make a phone call,” Collin commented.

Ignore, ignore.
Danielle grabbed the receiver and started punching Kate’s numbers. Midway, she went blank. What the hell, how come she forgot her best friend’s phone number? Sure, she put Kate on speed dial, but she’d never forgotten it when she called her on landlines at work.

Danielle dialed her mother’s phone. The same weird thing happened. Then she spent five minutes blanked trying to figure out what she was doing here in the first place.

“Can I be of assistance, ma’am?” the front desk guy asked.

“P-please,” Danielle stammered. “I’m trying to reach my friend, but it seems I have forgotten her number.”

“I’d be happy to help you with that. What is this person’s name and where does she live?”

“Her name is Kate…” Suddenly, for the life of her she couldn’t remember Kate’s last name or where they lived. Danielle couldn’t remember her own address in Miami.

Wait. Did they live in Miami or Tampa? But Boca Raton sounded more familiar. Who lived in Boca Raton? Had she ever lived there?

Danielle was so confused.

How am I getting back home?

“Ma’am? Are you all right?” asked the man. “Do you have any form of identification? Driver’s license would be fine.”

“I don’t have my wallet with me. Or phone.”

“Do you need police assistance, ma’am? Are you a guest of this building?”

“No. I mean, I don’t need police help. I just need…” Again, who was she going to call again?

Collin, who had given her some distance, decided to interfere. “She’s with me, Charles.”

“Ah, Mr. Edwards. How are you this evening?”

“Fine, thank you. My girlfriend here just had a little too many. Sorry. She’s such a party girl. I’ll be taking care of her now.”

“Of course, Mr. Edwards.”

Collin leaned to her ear and whispered, “It’s the enchantment at work. You won’t be able to remember anything about home for forty-eight hours.”

“So, I’m stuck here for two days?”

Collin took her arm and steered her toward the door. “Yes, you’ll be stuck here two days. The question is, what are you going to do about it? Will you continue to freak out for the duration of the matchmaking, or will you take this as an advantage to enjoy it to the fullest? Why did you sign up with the weaver in the first place? The weaver wouldn’t have chosen you if she didn’t think you are our perfect match. You’re looking for a mate, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t sign up willy-nilly,” Danielle retorted. Her tone heated. “My friend used my phone and entered my information in it. Before I knew it, I was here.”

“You avoided the real question.”

Danielle threw her hands up. “Fine! We were on double dates and it didn’t go well. We ditched them along the way.”

“I have a feeling there’s more to the story.”

The doorman opened the door for them.

“Come with me,” said Collin.

Danielle hesitated.

“Do you still want to test the enchantment placed upon you? You can. Walk three blocks from here and ask anyone you see on the street. You won’t remember anything about home.”

What the hell.
She was already in New York City and she might as well enjoy it. The last time she was here she was in third grade during Christmastime. She went with her mom and dad, grandma and grandpa. It was a nice family vacation.

She walked toward Collin.

“That’s my girl.” Collin offered his arm.

Danielle took it.

“Where are we going? Don’t you live here?” she asked.

“I do. But there’s a party at the moment in our apartment. It’s our aunt’s doing. Remember the old crone who asked you if you were Dane’s mate?”

“That’s so cruel.”

“She’s Aunt Titania. Dane was born one minute early, so he was shackled with many expectations from our family. One of them is to choose a mate before he takes over as our clan Prima. Aunt Titania organized that party so Dane can have his pick over the blossoming flowers from various families in our clan and allies. Dane would love for you to go back to the apartment, but I figure you wouldn’t want to be interrogated by our nosy aunt.”

“Ah. You’re right. I’m sorry I’m ruining your party.”

“You kidding? Aunt Titania is the one who ruined our party. Dane and I already had an engagement with the weaver first.”

A red Lamborghini pulled up into the curb. A valet driver got out and handed the key to Collin.

“Thank you,” said Collin. “Let’s go.”

“Where’re we going?”

“I’ll show you a little scenery of New York.”

It was eleven p.m. in New York, and Collin drove her around to see the night scene. They toured Central Park, headed west to ABC Studios, Grand Millennium, Broadway, then turned right to the American Museum of Natural History before back toward Midtown. Collin concluded his tour by pulling into the Plaza hotel.

“Hey, I remember this,” said Danielle. “I stayed here a few nights with my family when I was nine.”

“How was it?”

“It was the best vacation ever. It was Christmas too. Everything was decorated beautifully.”

“I’m glad to hear it. How about we relive a part of your childhood while Dane deals with Aunt Titania and her war maidens?”

“War maidens?”

“Those women my aunt brought with her. God, they’re really pushy. All they see is dollar signs on our foreheads. You don’t know how many times I considered pulling the fire alarm just to clear them out.” Collin made a gesture with his thumb and forefinger. “This close.”

Danielle chuckled. “You’re funny.”

He checked in with the Edwardian suite and asked the manager to open the hotel’s in-house boutique since Danielle needed new clothes and essentials. While the purchase was delivered to their suite, Collin decided to take her to the Rose Club for drinks and
tête-à-tête
. He ordered cognac for himself and a Shirley Temple for Danielle. After finding out she had a sweet tooth, he couldn’t resist ordering desserts. Collin was a fan of sugary stuff while Dane hated it.

“May I suggest Lady M Mille Crepe cake?” he said. “From the many places I frequented, the Plaza has the best mille crepe cake in the city. It is to die for.”

“That sounds divine. I guess I can cheat once in a while.”

“Hmm? Don’t tell me you’re on a diet?” Collin took one cursory glance at her. “You don’t need any of that. You’re perfect the way you are.” Too perfect, in fact. Her curves were lush, temptation clad in flesh. From her voluptuous breasts, generous hips, and rounded ass. The thought alone made his cock hard.

However, she didn’t seem convinced that his compliment was sincere. Her smile almost sad. “Yeah, sure,” she said.

“So.” Collin leaned on the table. Intrigued. “Want to tell me who he is?”

“Who’s who?” She clearly feigned her answer.

Collin lifted his hands. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. His loss is our gain.”

Danielle stared at him. Hard. “I don’t understand. Why do you keep saying
ours
? Who am I supposed to date? You or your brother?”

“Both.”

“And I’m supposed to choose one of you at the end of this… courtship, like that reality dating TV show?”

Collin laughed. “Silly girl. You get both. Me and Dane.”

Her eyes widened as if she just realized their intention all along. “You mean, like three-way?” Her voice lowered into a hush. “Is that even legal?”

“No.” Collin explained the dynamic within the clan and how they conducted themselves in human society. He also told her about their unusually close bond that compelled them into seeking the same mate and Dane’s need for a bride in order to inherit the clan’s Prima status.

“Whoa,” she said, faltering. “That’s a lot to absorb. I’m not sure I’m up to it. I’ve never been so adventurous and—”

“I’m not asking you to agree to anything at this point, Danielle. I just want you to get to know us and we want to get to know you. Closely. Intimately.”

That made her blush profusely. “I-I don’t know, Collin. I don’t think I’m ready. You see—”

Collin cut her off again with a wave of his hand. He wasn’t going to be brushed away that easily. “Whoever he is, one thing I promise you: before this weekend’s over, Dane and I are going to fill your head so much that you won’t have time to think about anybody else but us.”

Two seconds passed before she finally answered. “I, uhm, don’t know what to say. How did you know?”

“Your eyes tell everything I need to know. I’m good at reading women’s moods.”

“Means you’re a player?”

“No, I just dated a lot of women in the past, but I’ve never played with their hearts nor have I been unfaithful.”

She stared at him, then opened her mouth—

“And no, Dane isn’t like me. Even though we’re identical, Dane is the exact opposite of me. Dane is intense, forward, and doesn’t like to dally with any woman if he didn’t mean it. Our family once suspected he was gay because he was lacking of girlfriends.”

That got her to smile.

“Anyway,” he continued, “I want to let you in on a little secret about my brother.” He wiggled his finger, beckoning her.

She leaned over the table.

“Closer.”

She did it without suspicion.

Collin waited her to get close enough and kissed her on the lips. His cock jumped under his designer pants. Her lips were soft and inviting and he wished he could do more than just a brief kiss.

Tonight. He would make her his.
Theirs.

She looked so surprised, she blushed prettily. He laughed, not expecting her to be so naïve. He liked her already. It wasn’t just about physical attraction; Collin always had a soft spot for “wounded” women. He liked the challenge of nurturing his past lovers to gain their strength and confidence back.

The waiter came with their order.

“Have a taste,” he said. “I’d like to know your verdict about the mille crepe cake.”

They went to their suite after finishing their dessert. Danielle thanked him for the clothes and went to freshen up. Collin relaxed on the sofa. Dane called him on his cellphone and asked about Danielle. He finally cleared the apartment of the women but Aunt Titania stubbornly stuck around, asking him many things. Dane told him to bring Danielle the next day for lunch. Collin agreed.

Danielle returned half an hour later with damp hair and wrapped in a hotel robe. She drank expensive bottled water and joined him in the sofa.

“Dane asked about you,” said Collin. “He wants to have an early lunch with you at the apartment. Eleven sound okay?”

Danielle nodded. “Does he cook?”

“Surprisingly well.”

“He doesn’t peg me like someone who’d like to slave over hot stoves.” She studied him with curiosity. “You said you and your brother are weretigers. Can I see some proof?”

Collin smiled. “You want to see my tail and my claws?”

She bit her lower lip, nodding. “Do you eat people, too?”

“I heard they taste like chicken,” he joked.

“Come on, seriously.”

“I’ve never eaten human and neither has Dane or anyone in my clan. Weretiger doesn’t make a habit of eating human, especially when our kind can make children with them.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Are the children able to shape shift too?”