Curves for the Werewolf Cowboy (Paranormal BBW Erotic Romance, Alpha Wolf Mate) Read Free Page A

light. I was speeding like crazy, not because I was late, but because I was so worked up. I liked driving fast; there was something about it that eased the tension.
    Luckily enough, I found a parking garage right near the restaurant. It would only be about a two block walk from my car to the front door, which was a blessing given that I had on four inch heels. Was I perhaps overdoing it? I didn’t know. I had no idea what Clay liked. But I thought I looked good, that was all that mattered.
    I walked into the steakhouse and past the maître d’s podium.
    “Can I help you, ma’am?” asked the maître d’.
    “I’m here to meet someone at eight-thirty, but I think I’ll have a drink while I wait.”
    “As you wish,” said the man, pointing me toward the bar.
    My heels clicked on the marble floors as I walked to the bar. I saw a tall man in a dark grey suit seated at the near side of the bar. I couldn’t see the man’s face, but I immediately knew who it was. How could I mistake him? That dark hair, and his tall and imposing figure. He had this aura about him, a sort of presence that was hard to state the meaning of. My heart beat double-time. Just then Clay turned and looked toward me, flashing a grin more playful than anything I’d seen from him so far.
    That smile, wow. He needed to show it more. I didn’t know why I’d been so intimidated by him. He seemed like a nice guy. Maybe I was reading too much into things before. I knew I had a tendency to drama sometimes. I needed to just take it easy and tonight would probably go just fine. I still needed that drink, though. I was still nervous as all get out.
    “Well, I’ll be damned. You’re even more gorgeous than I anticipated.”
    I blushed. “Thank you,” I said.
    “You want to go be seated?”
    “Sure, but could we maybe have a drink here at the bar first? I’ll be honest, I feel pretty nervous right now.”
    “Of course, order whatever you want. There’s no rush. We’ve got the whole night.”
    “I’ll have a gin and tonic,” I said to the bartender.
    “What kind of gin?”
    “I’ll take Tanqueray,” I said, shooting a sideways glance at Clay.
    “You’ve got great taste,” he said with a wink. “That’s my gin of choice, too.”
    “Oh yeah? I thought you only drank bourbon, Woodford Reserve if my mind serves me well.”
    “Indeed,” said Clay, tapping his fingers on the tumbler in front of him.
    The bartender brought out my gin and tonic and I took a nice, deep drink of the cool clear liquid in front of me. Almost immediately, I felt myself loosen up. There were times like this where one needed to be grateful. Here I was with a handsome man on a nice date. What was there really to be worried about? If worse comes to worst, I’ll at least get a nice meal out of it, something far ritzier than I could normally afford with my tips from the bar. I decided to relax and just take it easy.
    After I’d finished my drink, Clay asked the bartender if he could have someone seat us. They had a table prepared near the front of the restaurant, next to the window that gave a view out to the city street, all sorts of lights and colors blazing in the night as traffic streamed by. It was crazy to me how even on a Sunday, Houston was still bustling and busier than ever. Then a strange idea came to my mind.
    “You said you had a meeting today? You really work on Sundays?”
    “Not usually. But this was important and pretty time-sensitive.”
    “What’s that all about?”
    “We’ve got a big deal going. A merger between two companies.”
    “Yeah? And what’s your role in all this?”
    “I own one of the companies.”
    My jaw dropped. I was so shocked I almost spilled the new drink the waiter had just placed in front of me. I thought I’d calmed down, but my nerves roared right back. I knew there was something different about Clay, but I didn’t know he was this much of a big shot. Suddenly, I was feeling insignificant and insecure,