“Can I get you anything else?” the barista asked.

“No, thank you.”

Ally carried her Frappuccino to her seat and sat down. Okay, so waiting to meet Gerri Wilder of Paranormal Dating Agency was a bit surreal. Ally decided that she should probably not answer challenges and send out an email while under the influence of alcohol and sexual release, ever again. She still wanted to hide under the damn table when she thought of the letter she’d sent.

Dear Gerri,

Since some asshole has decided that I’m in great need of your services, I’d like to reach out. Here’s the deal, I want to be able to document the process on my website Hear Me Roar. No offense to what you do, but I just don’t think it’s possible to find me who I need. For starters, I’d want TWO somebodies, and they have to be hot. I want them to lose their minds at the sight of me, love a good cook who will threaten to pour my famous grits on them if they ever cheat on me, and know how I want to be dominated. They have to worship me the same way I’d worship them. Because that’s the problem in love, isn’t it? One side always loves the other more. I’m tired of loving those around me so much, and left realizing that maybe I’m just not worth loving.

Sincerely,

Ally…The Girl Who Waited

Ally groaned and pressed her forehead to the table. Obscure reference to Doctor Who notwithstanding, the letter started out amazing, and then got real somewhere near the middle. She’d got a response with just a meeting time and place in her inbox this morning.

“Head up, girl. You only assume that position when there is something fun down there.”

Ally sputtered as she lifted her head. A silver fox, her hair cut in a chic bob, stood before her. The woman looked older, but she’d aged gracefully.

“Like what you see?” the woman asked, one eyebrow lifted.

“Yeah, to be honest,” Ally returned, catching her wits about her.

The woman laughed. “I like you. Gerri Wilder, but you can call my Gerri. Any of that Ms. Wilder nonsense and I’ll drop you on your ass.”

A surprise laugh escaped Ally. “Gerri, it is.”

“Good.” Gerri sat down, her classy white pant suit matching her hair, and looking a bit out of place in the college town coffee shop. Ally was sort of jealous. Okay, a lot jealous.

“I read your letter,” Gerri began.

Ally groaned. “About that, look, let’s start again. It was a bunch of nonsense mostly.”

“I don’t believe you,” Gerri returned. A rim of gold brightened in her irises. “Don’t lie to me. I can’t help you if you do that.”

Ally shifted uncomfortably in her seat, a feeling of being properly chastised swelling in her chest. She didn’t want to think about her letter, not really. Fantasy land was one thing, but Gerri wouldn’t be able to find one man, let alone two, who’d want Ally, that was just reality. She knew she was big, and loved herself, but that didn’t mean she expected anyone else to give her the same treatment. The world was cruel to the bigger sisters, even though society was slowly fighting back. And two men? Well, Ally just wasn’t in the market for finding something else for people to stare and belittle her over.

“Tell me what you’re looking for,” Gerri said.

“I don’t think—”

A growl rumbled from Gerri’s chest and Ally stopped cold. “Let’s try that again, shall we?”

Ally sighed. “I don’t know what you’re looking for. I told you in my letter.”

“Yes, you want two men to worship you. Was that true, or were you just saying things thinking that I wouldn’t be able to give it to you?”

Ally shrugged, but stopped the movement when Gerri glared at her. She took a sip of her drink to hide the action. Don’t piss off a shifter, Ally…duh!

“Are you into double penetration, or do you just want the fun of swinging?”

Ally choked and her drink dribbled down her chin.

“Men usually like if you can swallow, you know?” Gerri offered.

And there it went, down the wrong pipe. Ally grabbed a napkin to blot her wasted drink and glanced around the coffee shop. “Say that a little louder, why don’t you?” Gerri opened her mouth wide. “No, no, no. that won’t be necessary,” Ally hurried to say.

“You’re learning. The answers to my questions?”

Ally hadn’t ever really thought about it. In all her fantasies, she’d never gone as far to have both men penetrating her at the same time. But the thought of it made blood pump through her veins and her mouth go dry. How much could she take?

Gerri smiled. “Now we’re getting somewhere. So, you like the idea of double penetration. Two men are a must then. About the domination, how far do you want to go? BDSM?”

“I never have tried it, to be honest. But in life I rule everything, from how I live, the way my site is run, just everything. I’m an aggressive woman, even if our meeting isn’t showing it right now. I’d like to know that when I go into the bedroom I can give up that control.”

Gerri nodded. “I can work with that.”

Ally sighed. Sure, Gerri could work with the BDSM interest, and maybe even the two guys. Ally had researched into the agency and knew there had been triads put together before, and Ally couldn’t deny the thought made her pant. But she was realistic, too. Most men wanted a woman a third of her size. Big tits and ass were a plus, but a pudgy stomach on top of that? Not so much. Ally had learned long ago that wasn’t what men looked for. She didn’t want a man in love with her despite her curves.

“Tell me what you’re thinking about, right now. I can see the wheels turning, and that’s the sort of stuff I need to know.”

Ally looked at Gerri, really looked at her. The woman watched her with an open, unbiased stare that made her feel comfortable, despite the topic. Maybe, Ally thought, her heart pounding, Gerri could help her. She took a deep breath, feeling like she was about to go off the deep end. But if Gerri could give her what she dreamed, then Ally was willing to try. Hell, the followers on her website would expect Ally to give her all to this and write about it. “I’m afraid,” Ally finally forced out.

“Of what?”

“The last relationship I was, in my boyfriend told me that he loved me, even though I was big, but I should want to lose weight. If he was going to go to the gym and take care of himself for me, I should do the same for him.”

Gerri growled again, her eyes glowing. “I hope you handed him his dick after that.”

Ally laughed. “No, I balled up into the fetal position and cried my eyes out. My mother had just died, and I was battling with an eating disorder. Four weeks later I was in the hospital with an irregular heartbeat and low blood pressure. He told me when I was ready to live healthy, come find him, and left me there. I fought for my life, alone, and came up with Hear Me Roar when I made it out. I haven’t dated since then.”

“I’m sorry. If you give me his address, I’ll send a few boys after him. That’ll teach him.”

Ally laughed through the tears clogging her throat. “I’m over it.”

“But you aren’t,” Gerri argued, placing a hand over Ally’s. “It’s still there. In every word you write. In the fear that someone won’t love you for you. Have you even, really, given love a chance? Is it what you want?”

Was it? Did she want love, or did she search for situations to show her how unrealistic her wants were? Ally never lied to herself, at least she tried not to. More importantly, she didn’t lie to the women who found her blog and needed support. She looked into Gerri’s eyes and let the tears flow. “I want to love. I have so much inside of me, and I need to share it. Can you help me?”

Gerri picked up another napkin and scooted her chair next to Ally. She wrapped one strong arm around Ally’s shoulders and pulled her into her chest as she pushed the napkin into Ally’s hands.

“You know, my husband and I never had children. We couldn’t. I raised a boy, Noah, and he was just as lost and lonely as you. I can’t turn away from a child in need.” Her soft hands patted Ally’s shoulder, and she swore she felt her mother there, too, a warm scent of sofrito and tortillas wrapped around them. Gerri took a deep breath, sniffing the air. “And I don’t think I’m alone in wanting to help you either,” she said.

After a few moments, Ally sat up and nodded her head. “I don’t think so either.”

“You’ll have to travel a bit, for your date. It’ll be a month stay. I figured, with your job, you could do that easy, and take your laptop with you,” Gerri said.

“Who am I meeting?”

Gerri shook her head. “I don’t want you going into this with any information. Just trust me to give you want you need. Have an open heart and mind, and you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

“When do I leave?”

Gerri laughed. “Atta girl. I will make the arrangements and contact you when they are ready. Don’t worry about a thing. Just pack your bags, grab your laptop, and be ready to go. Wouldn’t want a negative review on your website, now would I?”

“Is it okay for me to document everything?”

“As long as you aren’t sharing personal information. Sharing your feelings and experiences are okay. But there are people in the world that are afraid of shifters still, or discriminate against them. I won’t have my business connected to anything like that.”

“I’d never do that.”

“Of course not. You think I don’t research my clients? I spent time reviewing your site and what you wrote about. If I had a feeling that you’d try to sabotage my business, your email would have gone unanswered. I don’t care how beautiful you are.”

Ally swallowed. She’d never been called beautiful by anyone other than her mother.

Gerri looked at her incredulously. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how gorgeous you are?”

“It doesn’t normally come up in conversation.”

“You are beautiful, from your head down to your toes. I swear, maybe there needs to be more shifter blood in the world. We know when we’ve met our match, and appreciate the body in all of its glory.”

“There are douches in the shifter world, I’m sure,” Ally said.

“There are bad apples everywhere. But our issues usually stem from our animal instincts, not from our human sides. There’s a significant difference.”

“What a wonderful way to live.”

“If things go right, chica, you will have an inside view like you wouldn’t believe.”

Ally felt more excited than she ever had in her life. Maybe, just maybe, this had been the best decision ever. Thank you Anonymous, whoever you are.