The Bear Prince: A BBW Bear Shifter Billionaire Paranormal Romance Novella (Seattle's Billionaire Bears Book 3) (4 page)

“Can we do it?” Crystal asked Damien.

“Of course...but do you want to be in the ball, or do you want to push the ball?” asked Damien.

“Well, you’re stronger, so you can push me,” said Crystal.

“Great, we’ll do it,” said Damien, paying the carnie with some tickets.

The carnie helped Crystal get in the ball. The ball had a large opening she could crawl into, and then it was plugged with another inflatable pieces, with perforations on the side allowing air in. She was positioned at the top of the large hill...and Damien got up behind her, and then, just pushed!

The idea was that Damien would provide momentum and Crystal would direct that momentum into getting a prize. But, physics had something else in store for Crystal. Crystal flipped and flopped in the large ball, and realized that wearing a dress that day might not have been the best idea. She fell forward, and was in theory directing the ball, but in reality, the ball was directing her. It went off course, veering towards a fence. Crystal cringed, but there was no stopping the ball from hitting the fence. She covered her face...

...And the ball bounced off the fence, which acted as a bumper, and back into the arena. By now, the ball had built up lots of energy, and Crystal felt more like a pinball than a bowling ball, given how she was ricocheted back and forth against the fences, until finally, the ball was launched up and into the air after it went off of a ramp...

Crystal could make, out of the corner of her eye, the sight of Damien rushing down the side of the fence, in an enclosed walkway for other players, down to the area with the pins. Crystal waved, and he waved back...but then, the ball hit the fence ceiling

...And the ball came down on the ground, hard, bouncing up and down like a bouncy-ball rather than a bowling ball. Crystal pushed, with all her might, to direct the ball to the right place, and finally, her pushing worked. The ball hit the pins, and not just one, not just two, but all ten pins came down and their lights changed from red to green, the sign they had been knocked out!

Crystal was out of breath as the carnie helped her out of the ball, and more than a bit dizzy. “That was...really something,” said Crystal as she followed Damien and the carnie back up the hill in a little golf cart that was driven down the walkway for extreme cases just like these. “At least we knocked down all ten pins!”

“You did it, Crystal,” said Damien. “It was all you. So what are you going to pick?”

“Is that really a question?” asked Crystal. Ten minutes later, Damien had his answer as Crystal was clutching a giant plush teddy bear that looked more goofy than scary.

“So Crystal...you up for a second date?” asked Damien.

“Of course I am,” said Crystal. “Same time next week?”

“Works for me,” said Damien, putting his hand on the small of Crystal’s back. Just touching the curvy woman who had graced him with her company sent a chill down his spine and made his cock yearn for release. Yes, the carnival was supposed to be his treat to her, but Crystal had really showed him a great time. She was more adventurous, feisty, and downright fun than any other woman he’d ever met.

Damien drove Crystal back to her apartment and dropped her off. At the front door, without saying anything beforehand, Damien kissed her cheek...and just her cheek, before wishing her a goodnight, and leaving, like a gentleman. Crystal waved as he drove away, and then, went upstairs to her apartment to tell Tangie all about the man who had treated her as if he were a prince than the slimy toad she’d assumed he’d be.

T
he next week seemed to pass by quickly, and unlike the week before, Crystal found herself actually excited to see Damien again. She’d filled Tangie in on all the details about the last date they’d gone on, and Tangie had approved of Damien whole-heartedly. This week, Damien told Crystal to wear something nice, cocktail-formal, because he wanted to take her somewhere special.

Just like the Friday before, Damien showed up right on time, greeting her with a warm hug, a kiss on the cheek, and with a fresh bouquet of flowers as well as, of course, another vase, as the old flowers still hadn’t wilted, as Crystal had taken great care of them. Crystal showed Damien around her apartment. The vase of flowers he’d given her the week before was now on an end table in Crystal’s bedroom, watched over by the large goofy stuffed teddy bear that now called her dresser its home. Her sheets were plain, navy blue and forest green and purchased at some big-box store.

“You have a nice place,” said Damien.

“Believe it or not, I’ve had this apartment since I first moved to Seattle,” said Crystal. “I guess I could afford a bigger place, but, I like living alone. What’s your place like?”

“Oh, it’s...it’s nothing special,” said Damien. Remembering to keep the lie up was hard, but, Damien still hadn’t found the right time to tell Crystal the truth about who he was. Technically, his room in the manor wasn’t anything special, it was just like the rooms his cousins and brothers had, but, compared to Crystal’s small one-bedroom apartment, his bedroom was a mansion. Her entire apartment was smaller than his walk-in closet. “Are you excited to go out tonight?”

“Very, it’s been a while since I went somewhere fancy,” said Crystal. “Is my outfit going to be fancy enough? Or is it too much?” She motioned over her outfit.

“Do a turn,” said Damien, twisting his finger around.

Crystal spun. She was wearing a navy blue dress with lace details on the neckline and hemline, with a black faux-fur bolero. She’d chosen plain silver jewelry, dotted with faux-sapphires, which glistened in shades of not only blue, but also, green and purple, as the glass fake gems had a special coating that made them shine in all the colors of a peacock’s feathers. She was wearing plain opaque black tights, which were warm enough for the windy, cloudy Seattle night, and a pair of matching navy blue quilted leather flats with black patent leather round toes.

The view, from Damien’s perspective, was breathtaking. Last week’s outfit was casual, slightly dressy, but cute. This outfit was sophisticated, and Crystal looked like a real, grown-up woman in her ensemble.

“You look great,” said Damien, feeling his cock throb against the bounds of his briefs.

“You don’t look half bad yourself,” said Crystal, looking over Damien. Damien was wearing a grey suit, with black leather shoes, a black leather belt, and a cream shirt, with a dark grey tie. She’d only ever seen him in casual clothes before, but the suit was well-fitted and if Crystal didn’t know Damien was a gardener, she would’ve assumed he had purchased a custom tailored designer suit. “Are we driving to the event, or walking, or what?”

“There’s a car waiting outside for us,” said Damien.

“Wait, right now?” asked Crystal.

“Yes, right now,” said Damien.

“Then we better hurry,” said Crystal, grabbing her black cross body purse off the counter and turning off the lights before shutting and locking the door before her and Damien.

“Hey, slow down,” said Damien. “The car’s not going anywhere.”

“I don’t want to waste your money,” said Crystal, as the elevator took them down to the first floor of her apartment, to a hallway that could barely be called a lobby. She followed Damien, who opened the door for her before holding her hand and helping her down the steps.

Crystal held Damien’s hand as they walked to a car that was longer, blacker, and fancier than she expected. “No frikkin’ way...” said Crystal. “Did you really get...a limo?”

“Yes, because you deserve the best,” said Damien, opening the limo door for Crystal. The inside of the limo had a cold bright blue lighting. The limo was nice and warm, but not too humid or too dry, and there were chilled beverages in a fridge. “May I serve you a refreshment?”

“I should probably just have water,” said Crystal.

“Whatever you say,” said Damien, opening a sparkling French mineral water and pouring a glass for Crystal.

Crystal sipped at the fancy beverage and looked out the tinted windows at the city. “I’ve never been in a limo before,” said Crystal, turning back to Damien, who refilled her glass.

“Really?” asked Damien.

“What, this is a normal Friday for you or something?” joked Crystal.

Crystal had no idea just how right she was. Damien looked over her. Crystal had been not only the most fun and adventurous woman he’d had the pleasure of meeting, but her gratitude made her really special. The enjoyability of every experience with her was amplified by the fact that he was able to show her activities she’d never had the pleasure of trying before. “Well, I have a whole evening planned,” said Damien. “Dinner, of course, and then...”

“Shh,” said Crystal, putting a finger to Damien’s lips. “Let me be surprised.”

“Your wish, my command,” said Damien.

The car pulled up to a curb, and the partition between the driver and the passenger side of the car was lowered. “We’re here, Damien,” said the driver.

“Thanks, Niles,” said Damien. Damien helped Crystal out of the car and Niles drove off.

“You knew the driver’s name...is he a friend of yours?” asked Crystal.

“Yeah, Niles is an old family friend,” said Damien.

“Then no wonder you had the hook-up for a limo service,” said Crystal. She read the restaurant sign. “
Ne Savez Pas Jacques
...a French restaurant?”

“Do you like French food? If not, we can pick something else—” started Damien.

Crystal put a finger to Damien’s lips again and looked up into his big brown eyes. “Damien. Don’t worry so much. And of course I love French food, what romantic girl doesn’t?” She took Damien’s hand into hers and looked back up into his warm eyes, the eyes that she couldn’t keep her own eyes off of, and they walked into the restaurant.

Damien walked straight to the podium, where a tall, blonde woman in a fitted black bandage dress was standing. “I have a reservation, Damien Michaels, for two, for eight,” said Damien.

“Of course, Mr....Michaels,” said the woman, “Right this way.”

Damien pressed his hand against the small of Crystal’s back as the pair followed the waitress, who led them to a private pair of chairs in a back room. Well, at least, that’s what Crystal thought it was at first. She soon realized it was a private garden area room, a patio area meant for just a single couple. There was a single table, with two chairs, a candle, and iced water already being filled. Around the wooden deck area, there were gorgeous flowers in bloom, in shades of white and pink and yellow, and above them, there were thin layers of matching fabric with beautiful lights. It was much like the scene at the carnival, except the flowers at the restaurant were real and not made of cotton candy, and the layers of fabric were fluffier and there wasn’t a protective canopy in case of rain. The lights weren’t in large glass bulbs, but were small and resembled fireflies, due to their size, hue, and the way they flickered.

“Oh, Damien,” said Crystal, looking up at her handsome date. “This is perfect.”

Damien pulled out the seat for Crystal. “I’m glad you like it, I called ahead to make sure everything would be perfect,” said Damien.

“I guess everyone in Seattle must owe you a favor!” joked Crystal, although she had no clue just how true that statement was.

A tall waiter came over. He had a large bottle in one hand, and against his waist, there seemed to be...a large, curved sword. Crystal caught a peak at his hands. He had the marks, the marks of a shifter, although without looking closely, she couldn’t tell what kind of shifter he was. From his shock of wavy blonde hair, she had half a mind to guess that he was a part-time lion.

“Your first appetizers will be coming out shortly, so sorry for the delay,” said the waiter. “In the meantime, we have your first beverage of the evening available.”

The man stood back from the table, aimed the bottle...but instead of popping the cork, he used the saber at his side, aligning it against the neck of the bottle and then, in one smooth motion along the body and neck of the bottle, pushing hard, causing the top of the bottle to come off entirely! A waterfall of champagne flowed, and the waiter deftly filled both of their glasses with the golden bubbly fluid.

“Wow!” said Crystal. “Damien, did you see that? It was amazing!”

“Ah, you like swords?” asked Damien.

“Swords, knights in shining armor with white horses, damsels in distress, you name it,” said Crystal.

“I guess you are a romantic after all,” said Damien. He lifted his glass. “To romance?”

“To romance,” agreed Crystal, clinking her glass against Damien’s before sipping at her beverage. “Delicious.”

“It’s real champagne, from France,” explained Damien. “While that method of opening the bottle, known as
sabrage
as it includes the usage of a saber, is not exactly typical, neither is finding genuine champagne at many restaurants. You’ll often see cava or prosecco sold as a champagne, and as much as I love California...California ‘champagne’ doesn’t hold a candle to the real thing.”

“It really beats wine in a box,” said Crystal.

The waiter came back out with a tray of appetizers which he laid out on the wide table. There were all kinds of goodies, and by the time the entrees came out, Crystal and Damien had tried goat cheese and peach savory tarts, berries with bacon, cheese puffs filled with herbal brie, and a bleu cheese and walnut spread on baguette slices. For both Crystal and Damien, there were
filets mignons
, small cuts of steak which were exceedingly tender. Although the portions of the steak were small, the appetizers had really filled them up, and it left them with enough room for dessert, the dessert just as exciting as the serving of the champagne, as a cart with two pots of crème brûlée was wheeled out and the waiter used a miniature blowtorch to scorch and caramelize the top of the puddings, before garnishing them with fresh raspberries.

“Swords, champagne, and fire,” said Crystal. “Those are truly the three most awesome elements for a second date ever.”

“The evening’s only just getting started,” said Damien, feeding Crystal the top of his dessert, so that she could have some extra berries and caramelized deliciousness melting in her mouth.