Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (2 page)

Timo paced up and down the dressing area, which was comprised of the back corner of the hall, roped off with some sheets. His stomach was in a knot of nerves. This was worse than a first date. Way worse. He could hear women laughing and calling to each other in front of the curtains, and every yell delivered a stab of adrenaline to his heart. Connor bounded up to the curtains and peered through the tiny gap in between.

“Ok, boys, looks like they’re ready for us. Are we good to go?” he called. Timo came up behind him and peered through the gap too. What he saw made his stomach lurch. There were women, lots and lots of them, all bursting with anticipation, and watching the stage eagerly.

“I can’t do it, Connor,” he said.

“Hey, it’s ok. We’re all a little nervous,” Connor said, clapping him on the back. “Come on. Let’s have a final pep talk.” He led Timo back to the others. All ten bears got into a huddle, but Timo pulled away.

“I’m serious. I can’t do it. I’m sorry, guys, but you’re going to have to go ahead without me,” he said.

“Timo, you have to,” Connor said in a stern voice. “We’re all nervous, and none of us bears love dancing and stripping off for entertainment. But remember why we’re doing this: we’ve got to raise enough money to save Hope Valley from being bought by corporations. Our whole lives are at stake. Isn’t that worth enduring a little bit of nerves?”

“I know, I know,” Timo said, chastened. “I don’t mean to be a loser. It’s just – I feel kind of paralyzed.”

“It’s ok,” Niall said, speaking more gently than Connor had. “I used to get like that when I was doing dance competitions back in high school. I used to think my legs would stop working, but when you get out there, it just kind of happens. And it’s not like you have to impress some judges. These ladies can’t wait to see you. Just listen to them!” Timo listened. They seemed to have gotten even louder than before, raucously calling for the entertainment to start.

“It’ll be fine, dude,” Connor said. “We’re all in this together. We’ve practiced all these moves
so much
. And even if it all goes wrong, I really don’t think these ladies are going to care. Lauren says that as long as we get naked, they’ll be more than happy. And I’m not about to disagree with my mate.”

Timo cast a last, panicked glance over his shoulder at the curtains.

“Ok,” he murmured. “Let’s do this.” Connor nodded at the DJ, and the first track began to play. All the bears ran toward the stage and stood in formation, but Timo couldn’t move. He was stuck; rooted to the spot.

“Timo! Come on!” Connor called. Timo shrugged helplessly. The music got louder and the women in the audience started clapping. Waves of panic washed over him, and his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.
I can’t do this. I’m going to pass out
, he told himself.

Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Lauren watching him with her wise brown eyes.

“Come on, honey,” she said, taking his hand. “You’re a really handsome bear and a great guy, and the women are going to love you.” She pulled him in the direction of the formation and somehow his legs started moving. The clapping got louder and faster, and the women started chanting something he couldn’t catch. Suddenly the curtains were ripped open, Connor yelled ‘now’ and as one, they all bounded onto the stage.

The reaction was amazing. The women got to their feet and whooped and screamed. All Timo could see was a sea of excited faces. His stage fright dropped several notches. He listened to the music, and his body began to follow the moves that he and the guys had practiced in the forest every day for the past few weeks.

As the bears danced, the women only got more excited, urging them on, begging them to take their clothes off. At the end of the first song, Timo ripped his shirt off in time with the other guys, the Velcro fastenings giving way easily. As the pecs and abs of ten strong, powerfully-built bear shifters were revealed, the audience went wild.

During the next song, they took their belts off, slowly, teasingly, before holding them behind their backs, hands spread wide, and performing a sexy, thrusting dance. At least, Lauren said it was sexy. Timo just felt a little stupid, if he was honest,
but who am I to say what sexy is?
he thought, as he flung the belt across the stage.

The next song started, and he unfastened the top button of his jeans, and at the same time, he became very aware of the women sitting in the front row, watching him with huge eyes. They were all pretty, curvy girls, especially the one with long, dark hair, sitting a little off center. His attention was snatched away from them again as he spun and marched toward the back of the stage. At the back, the bears performed a double spin, faced front again, and walked forward slowly, gradually unfastening their zippers. Timo saw several jaws drop, and he began to feel good. These women did like watching the bears. They were getting turned on. He picked up a whiff of the intoxicating scent of female arousal in the air. He stood right on the edge of the stage, so he was virtually falling off, and slid his jeans over his hips. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the other bears were doing the same. As the waistband of the jeans reached the bottom edge of his boxers, he held his breath and counted to three. Then he pulled hard. They’d practiced this move more than any other, and it didn’t always go well. But, to his great relief, he was holding his jeans up high in front of him. They had Velcro all down the sides and were designed to come off in one go. He slung them over his right shoulder and continued to dance, in just a pair of white boxers and heavy work boots. The women went crazy, whistling and cheering.

There were three minutes of the act left, and they tossed their jeans aside and performed a variety of acrobatic maneuvers, displaying their bulging muscles to best effect. At last, the song came to an end and they waved to the audience before marching to the back of the stage in single file and disappearing through an exit on the left.

Lauren was beside herself with excitement.

“Oh my god, you guys were amazing!” she exclaimed, jumping up and down. “I can’t believe how much they’re enjoying the show. I think I’d better have a paramedic on call when you do the second act!”

Some of the bears had mates waiting for them backstage, and they embraced them enthusiastically. Timo grinned at the sight of them. There was going to be a lot of mating going on tonight when the show was over, he was sure.

“Great job, Timo,” Lauren said to him, out of earshot of the others.

“Thanks. I guess I finally got over my nerves,” he said with a grin. Dalton, Niall, Frankie, Olsen and Ryzard, the other single guys, came over to join him. There was a special part to the show planned for them. At the start of the next half, they had to jump off the stage, go into the audience and pick a girl, then persuade her to come back up and perform with them.

“Have you picked your girl out, Timo?” Niall said.

“Uh, not really. I was too busy dancing,” he replied.

“Let’s go sneak a look through the curtain.” Eagerly, the six of them ran up the curtains and opened them an inch. Some of the women were standing in groups, others still in their seats, all chatting to each other with enthusiasm as some of Hope Valley’s other shape shifters ran around serving them drinks. As Timo tried to focus on the individual faces, his eyes immediately zeroed in on the dark-haired girl in the front row whom he’d noticed before. There was something about her. She looked lively, but not too boisterous, and she was very pretty, with a deliciously curvy body. His bear purred as he looked her up and down, taking in her large breasts straining against her t-shirt, the generous thighs, encased in brightly-colored pantyhose, and the short skirt that was barely long enough to cover her ass. She was suggestively – almost sluttily – dressed. But so were all those women in the front row. They were all in pink, and each one had a tiara on her head. The one in the middle was wearing pink veil.
She’s getting married, and they are all her bridesmaids,
he realized. He looked for rings on the dark-haired girl’s hand. His keen bear eyesight identified that her fingers were bare.
There’s not going to be some angry husband flipping out when I take her on stage,
he reassured himself.

“I’ll go for the one with long, dark hair in the front row,” he said. Niall whistled.

“She’s hot,” he said.

“And how about you?”

“That one.” Niall pointed out a girl in the second row, and then the other guys picked out one each. 

“Ok, I think we’re good,” Timo said, amazed at how confident he sounded.

“And what if they won’t come?” Dalton said.

“Lauren said to try a girl in the row behind, or the one behind that.”

Just then, Lauren called “five minutes!” from the back of the room, and they joined the others to get dressed in matching imitation firefighters’ uniforms. Like the jeans they’d been wearing earlier, the uniforms were customized with Velcro so they’d come off easily. They’d chosen firefighters as a theme because most of them worked as volunteer firefighters for the Hope Valley Fire Service in their spare time, while Bruno was a full-time fire chief.

Just then, the music started up again, and they retrieved their genuine fire fighter’s helmets and got into formation. Timo’s nerves had gone altogether, and a different sensation was coursing through his veins. His bear very keen for him to get his hands on the girl he’d chosen, and it was whining and pawing at his insides. He shushed it up, adamant that it wouldn’t distract him from his performance.

The curtains snapped wide open and Raven whistled and cheered as the eight insanely-hot strippers bounded onto the stage again. She’d gotten so heated watching them dance that she’d had to ask the sexy waiter for a glass of cold water during the intermission. The men all had the kind of bodies that she loved. They were tall and well built, with hair on their chests and a little meat on their bones. Some had dark hair, some light brown; some had dark eyes while others had blue or green, and most of them had at least a smattering of sexy facial hair. The girls had been talking about which one they liked best, and for Raven, there was no contest. The one with the messy, golden-brown hair and deep brown eyes had caught her attention the moment she laid eyes on him, and had held it all the way through the first half. As he came back on stage, he flashed a sexy smile and her tummy fluttered as she felt like he was smiling right at her. This time, the strippers were dressed as firefighters, in blue overalls and yellow helmets. She fantasized about her guy rescuing her from a high window. He looked like he could throw her over his shoulder and carry her without breaking into a sweat. They danced energetically, using props like wooden beams and fire extinguishers, and at the end of the first song, they pulled the top half of their uniforms down to the waist. As Raven clapped and cheered, she feasted her eyes on his bulging shoulder muscles and amazing pecs.
Damn, he looks good enough to eat,
she thought, tingling all over. She had an overwhelming urge to leap up on stage and lick him all over. 

At the end of the second song, the strippers pulled their uniforms off altogether, to a chorus of whistles. Now they were each dressed in their boots, helmet, and a tiny pair of white shorts, displaying their strong, muscular thighs. Four of the guys took a step back to the rear of the stage, while the other six came right to the edge of the stage and started tugging at their shorts. They teased the audience, easing them lower and lower while gyrating their hips, and Raven was about ready to faint as more and more of her guy’s smoking body came into view.

And then they stopped, and the girls let out a collective groan. But then, they leapt down from the stage, landing in perfect synchrony, and ran out into the crowd.
What are they doing?
Raven held her breath. Her guy was coming right up to her. As he got close, she saw that his eyes were even more beautiful than she’d imagined. They were so deep and intense, but had a kind look too. He stretched out his hand for hers and her tummy flipped.

“Come on stage with me,” he said in a deep, rumbling voice. She looked at him, over at the stage, and her gaze involuntarily flickered over the bulge in that tight, white underwear. Of its own accord, her hand slipped into his. His hand was huge and callused.
Why does a stripper have such rough hands?
she wondered, transfixed by the sensation of touching him. It felt safe and exciting at the same time, and she got giddy and lightheaded.

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” he pressed her, as she was too tongue-tied to speak.

“I – I –” She stared at the stage in a panic.
I can’t get up there in front of all those people. And what is he planning to do with me anyway?

“You should take the bachelorette up instead,” she said at last, and indicated Amber. She thought she saw disappointment flash across his eyes, but Amber didn’t need to be asked twice. With a squeal of delight, she took the stripper’s hand and allowed him to lead her up the steps and onto the stage. Raven let out a long breath as she watched his perfectly-formed ass retreating from her.
What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I be more confident, like Amber?
As she watched him lead Amber onto the middle of the stage and stand right behind her, his hands on her hips, she burned with envy. She would’ve given anything to take Amber’s place. Why had she thrown away that opportunity? Suddenly something appeared on her right side. One of the strippers. The one with black hair and green eyes. He was gorgeous too, but not as gorgeous as her guy.

“Come on stage,” he said in a soft voice. “I promise not to embarrass you.” He gave her a nice, encouraging smile. Something inside her snapped. She’d let life pass her by for too long, sitting on the sidelines while other people had fun. She reached out, took the hand he was offering and got to her feet. His hand didn’t have the same effect on her as the other guy’s, she noticed dazedly as he led her over to the stage.

“Go, Raven!” the other girls yelled.

“Your name’s Raven?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Hi, Raven. I’m Dalton.”

He lined her up next to Amber and two other women who’d been picked as well. Her tummy jumped with nerves, but she forced herself to smile at the audience and enjoy the experience of this sexy man’s hands on her shoulders.

“Just stay right where you are, and I’ll do all the work,” he whispered in her ear, and he began to dance around her. When she felt his hands gripping her waist tightly, she tried to stay relaxed. “Jump,” he whispered, and as she obeyed, he lifted her right off the ground and spun her around. There was a huge cheer from the audience, and her cheeks heated from self-consciousness and pleasure. He put her down again, and the six strippers danced energetically between the women. Then the guys moved behind her line of sight again and she couldn’t see Dalton anymore. She felt his presence right behind her, but when his hands landed on her bare forearms, they felt different. More like the first guy’s hands. She couldn’t resist turning her head and trying to see him. It was him. Adrenaline fluttered in her chest.

“Hi,” he said, with the sexiest smile she’d seen in her life. “I hope you’re not too shocked, but I had to dance with you somehow. I’m Timo.”

“Raven,” she said, too stunned to say anything else. His hands moved from her arms to her waist, and she had to restrain a sigh. It felt so, unbelievably good to be held by him. And then he stepped close, his pecs pressing against the back of her head and his crotch nudging at the small of her back. She let out a little gasp and the heat of his body seemed to burn her skin, even through layers of clothing. He moved her from side to side a little, making her sway as he danced. He was a really good dancer – strong and athletic, and she wasn’t surprised that he’d chosen stripping as a career.

The song ended and a slower, romantic number began. Raven had lost all sense that there was an audience right in front of her. All she was aware of was the feeling of this scorching-hot man’s body pressing against hers, his breath warm on the side of her face, and the incredible, masculine smell of him, that seemed to awaken some primal urge buried deep inside her. 

“In a moment I’m going to tip you right back and pretend to kiss you. Just relax in my arms,” he whispered, his voice sending shivers down her spine. She gulped.

“Ok,” she croaked.

As the chorus of the song began, he did just that, gently pulling her waist to one side so she lost her balance and her weight fell into his arms, and then he tipped her right back, until she was looking up into his face. He smiled at her encouragingly.

“Trust me,” he whispered. And somehow, although he was a complete stranger she did. She sensed that he had a good heart, and that he wouldn’t hurt her. He dipped his head toward her, moving slowly, achingly slowly, and time seemed to stand still. She watched his mouth, his full, firm masculine lips, aiming right for hers.
When’s he going to stop?
she wondered. But he didn’t. His face swum out of focus and his lips pressed right against her own. They were so soft and his kiss was strong, confident. Unconsciously, she parted her lips and he kissed her more deeply, the tip of his tongue seeking out her own. Dimly, she was aware of gasps and whoops from the audience, but she didn’t care. She kept kissing him and kissing him, certain that he was going to break off the kiss at any moment.

At last, he drew away from her.

“You’re gorgeous,” he murmured as he tipped her back on her feet again, and she saw stars. He turned her in his arms and enveloped her in a hug. His scent was intoxicating, as was the feeling of his strong, muscular arms around her. Then, he led her to the steps, where one of the waiters was waiting to help her down.

Raven stumbled back to her seat and collapsed into it. All her friends were shouting to her and slapping her on the back, but all she could do was watch Timo dance – the man who had just given her the most exciting, sensual, hot kiss of her life. Her lips still tingled with it, as did the sensitive place between her thighs.

“Oh my god,” she whispered.
He kissed me.
That gorgeous man on the stage just kissed me.
He’d said he was going to pretend to kiss me, right?
And it had felt like so much more than an act. His eyes had been full of desire – it was unmistakable.
And he said I was gorgeous. But why would he like me? He could have anyone
.
I’m just a chubby girl from Russellville.
It didn’t make any sense to her.

As she watched in a daze, all eight strippers came to the front of the stage. They stood, hands on hips, staring at the audience, all with sexy smirks lighting their faces. Then they took hold of their underwear, bent over and pulled it all the way down to the ground. They paused as whispers went around the room, and they stood up again. Completely stark naked.

“Fuck me!” Amber exclaimed loudly. Raven’s mouth hung open as she zeroed in on Timo’s naked body. His cock was really big, and the sight of it turned the tingle between her thighs into a throb.

“Shame you’re not on stage now, hun!” Amber said to her with a dirty laugh. Raven’s face got even hotter. In truth, she’d been thinking exactly the same thing. What would it be like to have sex with him? To see that cock big and hard, and to feel it pushing its way inside her.
Damn.
She could feel herself getting wet.

The strippers kept standing there, for a full minute, displaying their bodies to the excited audience.

“I think they’re going to have to carry me out of here on a stretcher,” Caitlyn said, fanning her face with her hand.

At last, the strippers all waved at the audience, and Raven had the distinct impression that Timo was looking right at her. Then they casually picked up their underwear, slung it over their shoulders, and walked off the stage in single file, still gloriously naked.

The girls turned to each other excitedly.

“Wow!”

“That was unbelievable.”

“It was the hottest night of my life,” somebody quipped.

“Great work, Jen. You’re even dirtier than I realized!”

“I didn’t know they were going to get fully naked!” Jennifer exclaimed. “I’m still in shock.”

“Me too. But I’m not complaining!”

“I’m just jealous of you girls that got up on stage.”

“How was it Raven? What was it like when he was kissing you?” Caitlyn said.

“It was real nice,” she said with a grin.

“You’re so lucky.”

“Did he kiss you properly? With tongues and everything?”

“A little bit,” she admitted, getting more and more embarrassed.

The lights went up, signifying that it was time to clear out of the hall.

“So what do we do now?”

“We go out and have fun in Hope Valley. And hope all the men there are as hot as the strippers!” Jennifer said happily.

“Are you ready, Raven?”

“Uh, I guess so,” she said, looking around the room wildly, trying to catch sight of Timo. He couldn’t kiss her
like that
, and then just disappear. She had to see him, or speak to him, one last time.

“I’ll just go to the restroom,” she said.

She got to her feet and started to ease her way through the crowds of excitable women leaving the venue. She was amused to see that she wasn’t the only one looking around the room, hoping for one more glimpse of the sexy strippers. She reached the stage and stopped, resting her hands on it. What now? The curtains were closed and she couldn’t hear anyone moving around behind them. She peered into the darkness at the side of the stage. There was a door there, partly obscured by another curtain. As if she was being driven by some force out of her control, she walked toward it. She grasped the door handle and tried it. It opened, revealing a dark hallway with an open door at the other end. As she walked along the hallway, trailing a hand along the wall for balance, she realized that it wasn’t only her heels that were making her wobble. They’d had four or five cocktails while they were watching the show, but she’d been so focused on the guys – on Timo – that they’d slipped down like water.
Am I too drunk to be doing this?
she asked herself.
No, I’m just doing something I’d want to do when I was sober, but would be too scared to go through with it.
Her nostrils flared at the scent of wood smoke, coming from the other end. There seemed to be a fire or something creating an orange glow out there. Just then, the light was blotted out by something large, filling the doorway. There was a man walking toward her.

“Raven!” Timo said in his warm, sexy voice. “Are you lost?” He seemed to have a better view of her than she had of him. She could only make out the merest outline of his handsome features.

“No –” she faltered. She didn’t even know herself what she was doing there, never mind being able to communicate it to him. At last, she said the first thing that came into her head.