The Alpha Dating Game: An Extremely Sensual BBW Shifter Romance Read online

  The Alpha Dating Game: An Extremely Sensual BBW Shifter Romance

  The Alpha Dating Game: An Extremely Sensual BBW Shifter Romance

  Midpoint

  THE ALPHA DATING GAME:

  An Extremely Sensual BBW Shifter Romance

  By Dawn Steele

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright 2014 by Dawn Steele

  Cover art by Dawn Steele

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Dawn Steele is the New Adult/romance/shifter romance pen name of Aphrodite Hunt.

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  Dawn Steele/Aphrodite Hunt is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her stories have been in the Top 5 of the Amazon overall bestselling charts, the 10 of the Barnes and Nobles overall charts and the No. 1 spot in Amazon's Movers and Shakers. She is a Top 50 Amazon Most Popular author.

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  THE BLIND DATE

  Oh why oh why do I do these things to myself? Jessica groaned as she glanced at her own reflection in the mirror.

  Let’s face it, she was plus-sized. Her double chin was obvious under its cute cleft and she filled out last year’s little black dress (okay, plus-sized little black dress) very copiously. So copiously that her humungous breasts were practically straining at the seams and threatening to burst forth like overripe watermelons.

  Lyla always seemed to envy her breasts.

  “But they are so huge,” she would gush. Lyla was whippet thin and had a boyish, flat chest to match. For best friends, they made quite a pair. Jessica used to joke about how everyone would announce, “Oh look, there’s Number Ten coming”, with her being the big, round ZERO component of the duo.

  “Every time I put on weight,” Jessica said gloomily, “it seems to go right to my tits and ass.”

  “I would pay to lipo-transfer your fat to my tits and ass,” Lyla exclaimed.

  “There’s no such thing.”

  “Honey, they perfected heart transplants. Fat transplants will be the nip and tuck rage before you know it.”

  Somehow, Jessica doubted that. You always craved the things you couldn’t have and Lyla was no exception. Lyla suffered from a thyroid hormone disorder which was not under the best control, and so she could eat as much as she wanted to and never gain an ounce. She also didn’t get much sleep and was hyper-excitable most of the time.

  Still, they were best friends since middle school and they stayed best friends in college. It was great that they got into the same college, even though freshman year was turning out to be brutal for Jessica.

  But now, Jessica was going on a blind date with the cousin of Lyla’s new boyfriend.

  “Did you tell him about me?” Jessica said anxiously. The skirt was short and her thighs were thick slabs. Why did the mirror always put ten pounds on her frame?

  “Of course I did. I told Stuart to tell Jeff about how smart you are, how engaging you are, how generous you are – ”

  “But those are all personality traits,” Jessica interrupted. “Did you . . . you know, tell him about . . . me?”

  “All those things are you!”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Honestly, Jess, you are making a big deal out of nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing! It’s a hundred-and-eighty pounds of me!” And all of it was glaringly obvious too. Maybe she should slip out of the little black dress. It was making her look dreadfully fat.

  “Honestly, Jess, men are not that shallow. You have to give them more credit than you usually do.”

  Yeah, but Jessica had been the brunt of a fat joke too many, and most of the time, she didn’t tell Lyla about the taunts and whispers she heard. Because Lyla always got so heated about it that she would be willing to put up a fight for Jess, and that was always super-embarrassing . . .

  Imagine this exchange:

  “She’s not fat! You take that back or I’ll stomp you into a pancake!”

  “If you call her fat, you’ll have me to answer to and I have a black belt in karate!”

  Things haven’t changed much since middle grade.

  Still, maybe this Jeff was different. There was always hope. But Jessica was always nervous around men and she always felt the need to apologize for the way she looked.

  “I’m sorry I’m not what you’re expecting . . . ”

  “I’m sorry I’m not someone else . . . ”

  Still, the reflection in the mirror showed an overweight girl who was bordering on the mildly obese spectrum of the BMI, who was pretty in a very plump, soft curvy way. Jessica’s hair was a lush brunette and she always held it up with a barrette, even though Lyla considered barrettes a thing of the last millennium.

  “You look great!” Lyla chirped happily, standing next to her best friend in the mirror. She put one arm around Jessica’s ample waist and squeezed it.

  “Thanks.”

  “You ready?”

  No.

  “Yes,” Jessica said in a small voice.

  “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

  *

  The date was to be held at Bergovia, a nice restaurant which served fusion food. It was a little way from their campus. Jessica and Lyla arrived early at their pre-booked table.

  “Where’s Stuart?” Lyla clicked exasperatedly. Her hyperthyroidism also afforded her an impatient disposition. “I’ll call him.”

  “Relax. We’ll wait for fifteen minutes and if he doesn’t show, then you can call him,” Jessica chided her gently. “Remember? We talked about this. You get me through my body image issues and I give you the heads up over your hormonal ones.”

  Lyla was contrite. “You’re right. I get so worked up at times.”

  “Stuart is a saint.”

  “I’m not so sure about him yet. It’s still early days and it’s still all about sex.”

  Jessica wished she could be so cavalier about sex. But she believed in giving it up only to someone she truly loved, which was her Big Hang Up Number Two. Only Lyla knew she was still a virgin. And of course, her Mom, who thought that all unmarried daughters should be eternal virgins.

  “Oh look, there they are.” Lyla gave a little wave.

  Jessica looked over to the direction of the door. She recognized Stuart, of course, who was a short, bespectacled youth who looked like he was always squinting into the near distance. But he was nice enough to Lyla and he all was right in Jessica’s book. Stuart was accompanied by a taller chestnut-haired youth whose eyes were darting all around.

  Jessica felt faint. He’s probably looking for me.
r />   “Let me get him,” Lyla said. She stood up and waved cheerily, attracting the attention of the diners around them. “Hey, Stuart, over here!”

  Jessica winced and felt like sinking under the table. That was rather loud, she thought. But then Lyla was always a little boisterous. They were almost exact opposites, which was why they got along like bread and butter. Everyone stared at them, some a little crossly.

  Stuart’s cousin, Jeff, swiveled his head. His gaze swept across the diners and landed on her face. Jessica couldn’t be certain but she thought she saw dismay come over his rather pleasant features. Stuart nudged him and gestured towards their table. They made their way to it; Jeff somewhat reluctantly. Or was she reading everything wrong?

  Jessica wasn’t sure about anything. Her self-confidence was usually at ground zero and worrying about stuff only made her depressed, which in turn made her eat a whole lot more for comfort.

  The guys arrived.

  “You made it,” Lyla said happily. She got up and hugged Stuart. Jessica wished she could have that easy-going camaraderie with someone who didn’t possess estrogen.

  Stuart said, “Hi, Jess.” He was always polite and friendly with her. “This is my cousin, Jeff.”

  Jessica got up awkwardly, almost tipping over her water glass. She held out her hand.

  “Hi.”

  Jeff was still staring at her.

  “Hi,” he said, shaking her hand.

  Why is he staring at my double chin? Jessica thought with dread. Oh wait. His eyes had dipped down to her breasts and her very pronounced cleavage. The ample fat padding her waist. Her thighs. Damn those thighs. She now wished she had worn something longer. But long skirts made her look short and squat.

  “Shall we?” Stuart said, waving Jeff to the seat beside Jessica’s.

  They all sat down with scrapes of their chairs, causing the diners to once again give them murderous glares.

  “Shall we order?” Lyla said.

  The waiter brought four menus.

  “I’ll let you look at our appetizers and entrees first,” he said. “Then I’ll be right with you. Today’s specials are on the menu card inside. I recommend the three cheese baked pasta. It’s particularly good with the house wine.”

  He left with a bounce. He was obviously a college kid moonlighting for his tuition. Jessica wished she could be that confident and carefree.

  “Boy oh boy, these look good,” Lyla said. Her fingers danced over the menu. “I’ll have the cauliflower and broccoli soup, followed by . . . hmmmm, the pumpkin risotto, I think. What do you think, loverboy?”

  She leaned over to give Stuart a peck on the cheek.

  “Anything you want, sugar plum,” he said, his glasses slipping off his nose.

  “What will you have?” Jeff said to Jessica. His eyes were watchful and he appeared rather ill at ease.

  She was just as nervous. I’m not big on looks and I’m not big on personality either. Oh wait, scratch that.

  “Mmmmm, I think I’ll have the three cheese baked pasta,” she said. “And the cream of wild mushroom soup.”

  He hesitated, and then plowed on. “You sure you want to order that?”

  Stuart and Lyla were laughing over something, and so they weren’t listening.

  “I’m sorry?” Jessica said.

  Jeff cleared his throat. “I said are you sure you want to order that?”

  She thought she knew where he was heading.

  “Um, why not?” she said. A flush came to her cheeks.

  “Creamed soups have far more calories than consommés, and three cheese baked pasta has to contain a whole of refined carbs. That can’t be good.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yes.” He seemed earnest. “You should be eating clear soups and salads. Carrying all that weight around can’t be good for you. If you’re this heavy at nineteen, think of what you’ll be at thirty-two.”

  Ohhhh. Her spirits sank to her black heels.

  Lyla was telling Stuart the story of how Professor Jenkins was caught digging his nose and eating his own booger pellet today in his office when he thought no one was looking.

  “Trust me,” Jeff said kindly, “eating less carbs is good for your health in the long run.”

  Ah, right. Of course she knew that losing weight was probably for the better for her in the long run, but to be told so blatantly by a guy she had just known for five minutes was nothing short of mortifying.

  When the waiter came and everyone ordered, she said, “Um, I’ll have a chicken soup, please. And a Caesar salad. Minus the croutons.”

  Jeff nodded happily.

  He said in a low voice, “Keep eating like this and you’ll be down to normal size in no time.”

  Normal size? Uh, define normal.

  The conversation that ensured was dominated by Lyla, who was the life of any social gathering. This was why Jessica liked to be with her – Lyla talked enough for the two of them. And Lyla was interesting. She had interesting stories to tell, interesting things she had done (like going to the Niagara Falls and rafting there), interesting anecdotes she always managed to fashion into a punchline.

  The food came, but Jessica barely had any appetite. She was so afraid of what Jeff might think if she gulped her soup and salad down.

  Lyla gazed at Jessica’s entrée.

  “Salad?” she said knowingly.

  “I’m, uh, trying to cut down on carbs.”

  “I know a gym near campus,” Jeff said helpfully. “It’s amazing what forty-five minutes a day on a treadmill will do.”

  Lyla froze. Uh oh, Jessica thought.

  “What did you say?” Lyla demanded.

  “Lyla, he was just trying to be helpful,” Stuart put in hurriedly.

  “Lyla, it’s OK,” Jessica begged.

  “I was just suggesting to Jessica here that she should cut down on her food intake and increase her exercise.”

  Lyla bridled. “You’ve barely met her and already you’re telling her what to do with her life?”

  “Uh, Lyla,” Stuart said again.

  Lyla ignored him. “You have a lot of nerve, buddy,” she said to the bewildered Jeff. “Jessica here has been worried sick all day about what you’d think about her body size and she has been going all out to make an effort for you.”

  The diners at the other tables turned, listening to Lyla’s rather loud diatribe with interest. OK, I can officially vanish now, Jessica thought. She sank down in her seat.

  “But what do you do? You waltz in here and criticize her the first chance you get. Do this, eat that, don’t do this, don’t eat that. Do you realize what that does to a person? You don’t even know her, buddy. You don’t know that she’s the kindest, sweetest thing to ever come out of Brocton, Mississippi. You don’t know that she can make the best red velvet cake outside The Plaza in New York City and play three different musical instruments.”

  Actually it was one, Jessica thought faintly.

  “I’m sorry,” Jeff said in a small voice. He eyed Jessica. “I’m sorry,” he squeaked again. “I was just trying to help. All that padding you’re carrying can’t be good for your Framington Score index.”

  “Jeff’s in pre-med,” Stuart put in.

  “I don’t care if he’s in after-med!” Lyla stormed. “He either treats my best friend right or we both walk out.”

  “Hold on,” Stuart said desperately, “that’s kind of drastic.”

  A funny look came over Jeff’s face. He threw down his napkin and stood up. He glared at Stuart. “You know, I don’t have to take this from your girlfriend. I came here today because you begged me to. And you know what? She’s not the type of girl I’d date. No offence, but I believe that anyone who doesn’t try to lose weight when she’s still in her teens has no self-control. And I don’t want to date someone like that.”

  He stalked off.

  Jessica’s cheeks burned.

  “Uh, Jeff?” Stuart glanced at Lyla and then scurried after his cousin.

 
“Fine, go after him,” Lyla remarked. “You don’t need someone like that, Jess. You’re fine the way you are and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If you’re going to lose weight, you’re going to do it on your own terms and not someone else’s. Got that?”

  THE WEBSITE

  Oh yeah, that went well, Jessica thought. Particularly when everyone else in the restaurant was staring at them and smirking.

  She was holed up in the room she shared with Lyla. She had totally refused to go out since the disastrous blind date. Because that was what it was – an epic scale disaster. OK, maybe not that epic like in a typhoon sort of way, but it made her feel like creeping into the closet and hiding behind her oversized winter clothing and never coming out till the semester was over.

  Was she happy with the way she was? Did she want to do something about it? That was the question, wasn’t it? It was so hard to control her diet and exercise just gave her heartburn.

  If only . . . if only someone with romantic inclinations on his mind would just accept her for the way she was. Someone who wouldn’t judge her. Someone who would listen to what she had to say and not be mentally assessing her physical state all the time. Someone who would stay long enough with her to get to second base – and by that, she didn’t mean making out.

  If only a guy like that existed.

  Maybe if the guy was just as overweight himself . . .

  That’s right! She should only date like-sized people, and then they wouldn’t have body image expectations. From now on, she was only going to date people with a BMI of over 26.

  If there was going to be a next time.

  There came the sound of a key being inserted into the door. Lyla was back. Jessica buried her head under her blanket and pretended to be asleep. The lights were off anyway. As much as she loved Lyla, she didn’t feel like talking about it.