Furgotten: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Furocious Lust Shorts Book 2) Read online

  FUR-GOTTEN

  FUR-OCIOUS LUST BOOK 2

  NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  MILLY TAIDEN

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Published By

  Latin Goddess Press

  New York, NY 10456

  http://millytaiden.com

  FUR-GOTTEN

  Copyright © 2015 by Milly Taiden

  Cover by Willsin Rowe

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Property of Milly Taiden 2015

  ONE

  Karina Roma went through every dress in her closet with disgust. She hated dressing up. What she should do was show up at that stupid auction in a pair of sweats and some flip-flops. That would show Dave to stop assuming his employees were willing to do anything for his lazy, annoying ass.

  Her doorbell rang, and she threw a glare at the clothes piled on her bed. There were so many different outfits; she couldn’t see her pretty, purple bedspread.

  She yanked the door open with a lot more force than necessary, the wood thumping loudly against the wall when she let go. It was her sister, Jessie.

  “What’s going on? I got your voicemail, and all I heard was screeching, mumbling, and cussing,” Jessie said, shoving the door open and marching past Kari.

  “Dave, my boss, is an asshole.”

  “I thought we’d come to that conclusion a long time ago? Didn’t he cancel your last day off because he wanted to go golfing and needed you to sit there and entertain some donors?”

  Kari tossed the long strands of hair falling out of her ponytail over her shoulder and stomped toward her bedroom, Jessie following close behind. “He went too far this time. He signed us up for a bachelorette auction.”

  Like Kari, Jessie was a big girl herself, except Jessie was a lot more shy and subdued. Kari was known for speaking her mind. It was the reason she got along so well with her best friends, Julie and Penny. At one point, the three had dated triplets. Even more astounding was the fact they’d never confused the identical men. Kari knew Ash from his brothers every time. He was the one dressed in the suits that impressed and who wore a shorter, spikier haircut. There was always a hint of flirtiness with Ash that his brothers didn’t have. He liked to laugh a lot and do things she’d never considered.

  “Okay, so this auction, it’s worrying you because...”

  “I don’t like people!”

  Jessie chortled. “Yeah, that much is obvious. But why is it really bothering you?”

  “I dislike the idea that he has put us in a position to be seen like leftovers.”

  “Excuse me?” Jessie gasped. “What do you mean leftovers?”

  “Look. I get it. I’m a big girl, and I’m more than fine with that. I’ve lived in this body my whole life, and I’m happy with it. What I don’t appreciate is for him to get seven other sexed-up women and have the three of us follow behind like the ones nobody wants.”

  “Ahhhh…” Jessie shoved clothes to the side so she could make a spot to sit on the bed. “I get it. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You are gorgeous in your own way.”

  “Yes, I know this.” Not that she was full of herself or anything, she just liked to believe her curves rocked. She didn’t want to be skinny or any other way than what she was. “But he put us in the end like we’re his afterthoughts. That’s the part that pisses me off.”

  “Did you want to go first?”

  “Hell no!”

  Jessie laughed again. “You are one confused woman.”

  She wasn’t. She understood herself. When she’d dated Ash, she’d had too many run-ins with the willowy type of women he dealt with in his position at his family’s company. The comments and sneers she’d listened to had pushed her past the ability to be polite. On more than one occasion, she’d found herself having to defend her shape to women who said she was too fat to be with such a handsome man.

  Ash had been great back then. He’d always stepped up to cut down anyone who tried to make her feel low. What ended their relationship was his constant traveling. She’d let a lot of things slide, but when he was not around for weeks, sometimes months, she didn’t see a point in being with him any longer. His schedule took him away from her for crazy lengths of time. He called, but that didn’t feel like enough. Not to her. She’d been ready to move her work hours around to be with him, and seeing him not make the same effort only drove the point home that she needed to cut things off.

  “So why am I here?” Jessie asked, breaking through her memories. “It appears a tornado took hold of your room.” She snickered. “And you say I’m the pig in the family.”

  “You are the pig, Jessie. You don’t clean, you don’t cook, and you don’t do laundry.”

  “Hey, paying other people to do all that doesn’t make me a pig. It just makes it so that I can enjoy my time doing things that I want to do.”

  “Just help me find a dress,” Kari snapped. “And stop smiling. I’m going to make sure your ass is signed up to next year’s auction. See how you like it.”

  “You need to embrace your time on the stage, hermana. Think of it this way: all those men will get a chance to see you dressed up and looking even hotter than usual.”

  Kari rubbed her eye. Stupid contacts were bugging her again. It felt like a bucket of sand had been dropped in her eyes. “Look, pick a dress. I’m going to take a shower and take these contacts off before I look like I smoked something to help me relax.”

  Jessie giggled and tossed her a blue top. “Maybe you do need something to make you relax. Want a glass of wine?”

  “Yeah, and while you’re at it, make yourself something to eat. I’m too nervous to think of food,” she said, heading to the shower.

  * * *

  TWO

  Kari entered the nicest hotel in the city with a pep to her step. She looked damn good, and she knew it. Her sapphire-blue dress made her mocha skin shine. Jessie had helped her blow dry and curl her hair into long, fluffy curls that fell around her shoulders. Even her makeup had come out like it had been expertly applied. She had to admit she felt sexy.

  Her golden sandals clicked on the marble floor in the lobby, drawing everyone’s attention. A few men stopped to stare, and she grinned and winked. What the hell? She felt good. The auction was part of the annual ball for her job. She knew that it would only be a few minutes of her time onstage, but she’d sure as hell make them count. A new wave of self-assurance swept through her.

  The ballroom was crowded with women in all kinds of gowns and men wearing tuxes. She searched the area for her two friends. Julie, in a gorgeous, body-hugging silver gown waved as she strode her way.

  “Oooh, Kari, you look hot.”

  “Um, have you looked in a mirror lately? That dress is stunning.”

  Julie glanced down at her dress with a cheeky grin. “I had nothing to wear, so I ended up going shopping. Can I just say, I have enough ball gowns to go to all the proms in the city if the need arises.”

  Kari shook her head, grinning at Julie’s lack of control when it came to shopping. She loved to buy things. That was her biggest weakness. When it came to shoes, dresses, and bags,
Julie had a collection neither Kari nor Penny could compete with.

  “Hey, guys,” Penny said, walking up to them.

  “Hey, yourself, stranger.” Kari grinned. “Looking hot, Ms. Medina.”

  “Yeah,” Penny snorted. “Tell that to these heels. They’re killing my feet.”

  “That’s why I went with these.” Kari lifted the hem of her dress and showed off her two-and-a-half-inch sandals. “There’s going to be no limping for me tonight with sky-high heels.” She glanced at Julie’s peeking toes. “How many inches are you wearing tonight?”

  Julie lifted the hem of her dress, and her spiked sandals came into view. “Only three inches.”

  “Those look bigger than three inches,” Kari said.

  “They might be. Unlike men, I don’t estimate up,” Julie said, as she accepted the champagne flute the waiter passing by handed her.

  “You are so bad.” Penny laughed. “Ah shit. The stupid auction is starting. I wish someone would just donate a shit ton of money and make this all be over with.”

  “Hey, you never know,” Kari mused. “Maybe one of us will get the highest bid. Wouldn’t that just beat all?”

  Julie blew a raspberry. “And pigs can fly.”

  * * *

  Kari stared as Penny marched stiffly off to meet her young date. She’d just gotten the highest bid of the night. She wasn’t expecting a fifty-thousand-dollar bid for her time, but she’d be happy to get a good donation for the company.

  She marched up to the stage and waited until her name was called out.

  “Next up is Ms. Karina Roma. Ms. Roma loves to bake. Her specialty is a chocolate cake that will make a man drop to his knees and beg.”

  The smile she’d pasted on her face as she walked onto the stage faltered for a second. Who told him she liked to bake? Nobody knew that but Jessie. Not even Julie and Penny knew she baked. It was something she did when she was stressed—a way to relax and eat her favorite food: chocolate.

  “Ms. Roma enjoys doing exhilarating sports, like bungee jumping and sky diving.”

  Say what? Okay, that they could have gotten from her friends, but why would he mention it?

  She stopped in the center of the stage and tried to keep the frown pushing its way to her face at bay. She glanced around the tables, looking for Penny’s assistant, Charlie. He waved at her from the left side of the bar, and she relaxed. Everything was going to be fine. She’d given up her last month’s paycheck to ensure she got ‘bought’ at a decent price. She wasn’t rich, but she could afford it. She was careful with her money and didn’t lead an extravagant lifestyle, so it was okay to do this one time.

  “Do I hear five hundred dollars for Ms. Roma?”

  Charlie raised his number. “Five hundred and fifty.”

  Then, out of nowhere, a second person on the other side of the bar raised his number. No! What the hell was that guy doing?

  “Six hundred dollars,” said the guy she didn’t know.

  “Eight hundred dollars,” Charlie countered.

  “One thousand dollars,” the man replied.

  “Looks like Ms. Roma is one hot candidate.” The director chuckled. “Do I hear one thousand two hundred?”

  “Fifteen hundred dollars,” Charlie yelled.

  “Three thousand dollars,” said the stranger.

  Kari’s gaze jerked back and forth between both men as if she were watching a ping-pong match.

  “Five thousand dollars,” Charlie said. That was it. He’d reached her highest bid. That was a full month’s pay and some of her savings. All so she wouldn’t be sold at the lowest bid.

  The room held still in utter silence.

  “Do I hear six thousand?”

  Silence.

  “I have five thousand dollars going once…going twice,” the director said, and just as she started letting out an anxious breath, the other man raised his number, and she knew she’d been outbid.

  “One hundred thousand dollars.”

  A wave of gasps sounded all around Kari. She froze, her limbs stiff and unmoving. Why in the world would that man give up one hundred thousand dollars to have dinner with her? It wasn’t normal. He had to be a serial killer or something. Maybe even a deranged man looking to lock her up in his basement and turn her into his slave. Normal people did not give up that kind of money for a date. At least, none of the people she knew.

  “One hundred thousand going once. Twice. Sold to number thirty for one hundred thousand dollars,” the director said with a laugh. “Please meet Ms. Roma at the payment area. I have to tell you folks, these last two bids have been enough to help us keep our wild bear institute running for a few more years without worrying about funds. You are amazing!”

  The crowd stood and clapped. Kari descended the stairs, and Julie stood there with a frown. “This is so weird. Both you and Penny have gotten the highest bids by men neither of you know. Something strange is going on here.”

  Yeah, like the possibility that Kari was about to go off to live in some psycho’s basement. She swallowed at the lump in her throat and tried to smile at Julie who was the next one up for bid. “I have to go, but for all we know, you’re going to end up getting a few million when you get up there.”

  Julie rolled her eyes. “Only if whoever buys me is insane.”

  “I’m starting to feel like whoever just bought me has to be crazy.” She started walking away and waved at Julie. “Good luck!”

  The man at the payment area wasn’t familiar. “Hi, I’m Kari. You bid for some time with me?”

  The guy grinned. “Hello, Kari. I’m Darren. Do you mind if our date is a bit off the beaten path?”

  She shrugged. “You paid one hundred thousand dollars. If you feel like mud-wrestling with the hours we have left, I would accommodate you after giving up such a generous donation.”

  He was only an inch or two taller than her, which helped her feel a little better and less paranoid.

  “Don’t worry, nothing that crazy.”

  “You’re not taking me to your home, are you?” The basement warning flashed in her mind.

  “No, there’s a restaurant a friend of mine owns not too far from here, and I had hoped you’d enjoy it. It’s not in the city though. It’s closer to the edge of the forest, and I thought you might like that.”

  She nodded and followed him out of the hotel to an awaiting limo. “Okay, but before we get in this car, I have to warn you, I have pepper spray and a Taser, and I know how to use both.”

  He chuckled and opened her door. “This should be fun.”

  After a short fifteen-minute ride, during which Darren made idle chit chat with her, he opened the door and helped her out of the car in front of what appeared to be a closed restaurant. She turned to face him with a frown. “It looks like they’re closed for the night.”

  He laughed. “It is for everyone else. This is a great friend, and he’s letting me use it to take a lovely lady out for the evening.”

  She wasn’t sure if she should be happy or worried, but since her instinct wasn’t screaming for her to get the hell out of there, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

  “Go on in. I’m just going to send the limo driver on his way,” Darren said.

  She strolled up the wooden steps and entered the restaurant. “Hello?”

  The sound of tires on gravel told her the limo was gone. She turned around to the front door, waiting for Darren to enter, but he didn’t.

  “Kari.”

  She swirled on her heels and almost fainted when she saw Ash standing there, looking amazing in a tux and boldly gazing at her with an open hunger she’d come to know long ago.

  “What are you doing here?” She walked backward toward the door. “I don’t know what sick plan this is, but you and I broke up a year ago.”

  “No. You decided you couldn’t cope with my schedule and left.”

  She stopped, her anger simmering in her veins. “You have got to be kidding me. I was the only one in the re
lationship.”

  He marched toward her, and she made a move to leave, but he reached her and flipped her around to face him. “No. Don’t run now. You know I speak the truth.”

  “As you see it. How very fucking convenient.” She tried to pull out of his hold, but he’d maneuvered around so she couldn’t do anything with her back against the glass wall and his body pinning her.

  “It’s not how I see it. It’s how it happened.”

  “Give me a fucking break,” she snapped. “Why am I even here? When I broke up with you, I had to do it over the phone, because you weren’t around, Ash. If that doesn’t tell you how little you cared, then maybe this will: I will not be in a relationship by myself.”

  “You were never in a relationship by yourself. The company was taking off at a faster pace than I expected. I took on more than I could handle when I should have been delegating.”

  “I was an afterthought for you.” She glanced away from his too-tempting face and wiggled, trying to escape his hold. “This isn’t funny, Ash. You spent all that money on the auction. All you had to do was pay attention to me when you had me, and we wouldn’t be here now.”

  “I didn’t realize you felt forgotten,” he said, curling his hand on her jaw, his warm fingers sending shivers down her spine.

  THREE

  Ash sensed the hurt Kari felt and wanted to kick his own ass. He’d done that to the one person he swore he wouldn’t hurt.

  “It doesn’t matter now,” she said, the waver in her voice jerking his bear into a frenzy.

  “It does matter. For the past year I’ve been half-living without you.”

  She gave a bitter laugh. “Really? I’m sorry it’s been so hard on you. But you can’t really think I care when I spent countless nights alone after you’d promised you’d be back but weren’t.”

  He hated that she was right. He’d allowed his job to consume him. It wasn’t that he needed the money. It was that he wanted to prove he could do what he set out to do. She’d given him a lot more than he’d ever expected from a mate. But in his search for validation, he’d ignored the one person who mattered: her.