The Feline Gaze

Then again, maybe you can’t advertise for mixers designed to help people find hookups.

I’m not really sure.

“I suppose I am,” I say, looking around the room. The party, or whatever it is, seems to be in full swing now. Lots of people are paired off with others. Some shifters are even mingling in groups of three or four. Shifters sharing mates isn’t unheard of, but it’s still not as common as shifters who mate with just a single partner. There’s still a bit of a stigma about it, especially in Tigress. “What about you?” I ask.

“Better, now that you’re here,” he says, looking down at me from his standing position.

“Ha,” I sip my drink. I’m not sure what happened, but somehow, my glass is totally empty now. Fuck. So much for keeping tonight light and breezy. I catch the bartender’s eye, but she’s one step ahead of me and slides a drink into place. I take it, sipping it, and feel my body start to warm from my buzz.

Is there something wrong with me?

Because I was under the impression that dating was supposed to be easier than this. I thought that it was supposed to be relaxing and fun. At the very least, I thought dating was supposed to be something I could sink into.

I didn’t think it would feel almost repulsive, but that’s what I’m experiencing.

Lester is Melanie’s relative. Melanie is marrying my relative. It’s weird she wants me to hook up with him and honestly, it’s weird that he’s still trying. We’ve dealt with shared business interests before, but those days are long gone and to be honest, I’m tired of even trying to be around Lester.

I don’t want to date him.

I don’t want anyone.

Well, except maybe the tall, dark, and handsome shifter over at the table by the door. Lester starts talking to me, and I kind of nod along, but I’m not really listening to him as I look at the guy across the bar. He looks familiar, but I can’t quite place him. He’s obviously caught up in whatever the tiny redhead across from him is saying. She’s a fox, if I had to guess, but that’s all right. We all deserve to be happy, right? Apparently, I was a little too late for that guy, but I eye the way he’s interacting with the girl.

They’re both leaning forward, eagerly chatting with one another. It’s like they can’t get enough of each other, and I realize that’s what I’m missing tonight. Lester and I can totally, absolutely get enough of each other, and perhaps that’s our problem. Neither one of us wants more from the other one. He’s...well, he’s Lester.

And I’m totally not into him.

“So, it’s settled then,” Lester’s words draw me back into the conversation.

“What?”

“Dinner tomorrow night,” he says with a toothy smile.

“Who’s having dinner tomorrow night?”

“We are.”

“No,” I shake my head. “We are not.”

“But you agreed.”

“No, you agreed,” I look at him. “Lester, I’ve told you before that I’m not interested in dating you.”

He cocks his head and considers me the same way a parent would look at a petulant child.

“Now, Cassidy,” he says. “Have you forgotten your manners again? You’re being pretty rude.”

“And you aren’t taking no for an answer.”

Lester looks shocked, as though I’ve slapped him in the face. With a growl, I realize that tonight has definitely, totally bombed. The guy I was scoping out just minutes before is standing and heading outside with the redhead in the tiny black dress. Good. At least someone is getting somewhere tonight.

It’s not me, though.

I stand, turning back to the bartender. I catch her attention.

“Hey, I’d like to close my tab,” I tell her. She takes one look at Lester, who is obviously pissed at being turned down yet again, and she motions for me to come closer to her.

“You all right with this clown?” She asks.