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  Chapter Two

  Caid

  I peered into the hotel conference room at my mixer. A dozen familiar females I had hoped never to see again congregated in small groups, talking to one another, occasionally sipping beverages. They wore slinky tunics that bared most of their bosom and legs, but my horns didn’t so much as twitch. The only person I wanted to mix with was Jessie. I’d agreed to this because she’d promised she’d attend, too. I scanned the room, and finally spotted her leaning on the bar, clutching a tall, skinny glass.

  My horns throbbed. Unlike the stick females in the slinky tunics, Jessie blossomed with luscious curves, full breasts, bountiful buttocks, and generous hips. Her enticing plump form beckoned a man to share her kels, unlike the other females whose bony limbs and sharp angles could put your eye out if you accidentally rolled the wrong way in the middle of the night.

  Taking her drink, Jessie wandered through the room, wobbling slightly, due to her footwear, which added several inches to her petite height. A blue tunic of the same color as her eyes swished around her knees.

  Smiling, she stopped to converse with a group of chattering females. She almost never smiled at me—she frowned, scowled, and often flushed pink. Sometimes it seemed like the harder I tried to impress her, the more ground I lost. I wasn’t giving up, though. I would win her affections. The Fates were testing me, that was all.

  Jessie sipped her drink then lifted her gaze and surveyed the room. Before she spotted me, I ducked out of sight. In an alcove along the corridor, I pulled out my study guide, Best of the Worst: 1001 Pickup Lines to Nail a Chick. It was all about how to woo your female with sweet words.

  I’d been fortunate to find the tome in an antique store. Since my arrival on Earth six months ago, I’d been taking classes to read English, which was one of the predominant languages. A translator embedded behind my ear allowed me to understand and speak Terran, but reading and writing had to be learned the hard way.

  I thumbed through the pages, quickly memorizing a few passages so I could speak to Jessie. Some of the advice didn’t make sense, but I chalked it up to my unfamiliarity with Earth languages and customs. I snapped the tome shut then tucked it into my pocket. Taking a big breath, I strode back to the conference room.

  Jessie saw me right away and rushed over. My eyes found pleasure in watching her move; she jiggled in all the right places, but my heart lodged in my throat when the spike on her footwear caught in the floor covering, and she almost tripped.

  Then she was standing before me, bosom heaving, but unharmed. “I’m glad you’re here. I was afraid you might not show up.”

  “Of course, I’m here, doll,” I said, using one of the suggested endearments from my study guide. Since she wore uncomfortable-looking footwear and seemed a little breathless, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to try a recommended icebreaker. “Are your legs tired? Because you can sit on my face and rest.”

  Her jaw dropped, and color flooded her face, not just pink, but red. For a moment, I thought she was going to throw her drink in my face—or slap me. “That is so inappropriate. What is wrong with you?” She gasped.

  That wasn’t the reaction I’d been hoping for. “What did I say?”

  Hungry-eyed females fidgeted at their tables. “It will be just another moment longer, ladies,” Jessie called. “I need to speak to Caid alone for a sec.”

  She grabbed my arm and dragged me into the hall. “Don’t you dare say anything like that to anybody tonight, do you hear me? These women were willing to give you a second chance, and you’d better not screw it up,” she hissed. “My job is on the line because of you, but if you don’t treat those women with the respect and courtesy they deserve, I’ll call this whole thing off, and I’ll quit right now. Do you understand?”

  “What do you mean your job is on the line?” That sounded ominous.

  “It means, I have ten days left to find you an acceptable woman or I’m fired.”

  “You won’t be at the Intergalactic Dating Agency anymore?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Then how would I see you?”

  “You won’t.”

  This was terrible. How could I convince her she was my female if I couldn’t see her? On Dakon, a couple bonded as life partners when the man asked the woman to be his mate, and she said yes. I needed more time with Jessie because she wasn’t ready to say yes. “So I have to date one of those females in there?” That was the last thing I wanted to do.

  “Yes.” She gulped the entire contents of her glass and scowled at me.

  “B-but you’re my mate.”

  “Stop saying that!” She stomped her foot. “Listen to me. I. Am. Not. Your. Mate. You’re not really interested in me. I’m just the first woman you got to know when you came here.”

  That wasn’t true. Well, she was the first female I’d gotten to know, but upon meeting her, I’d immediately recognized her as my Fated mate so I didn’t need to meet any others. Joy had swelled my chest as hot need burned through my veins, causing my horns and loins to throb. An urge to protect her, coddle her, claim her, had pulsed in my blood.

  She was intended for me. I thought if I spent time with her, she would realize it, too. So I agreed to as many matches as I could get, because afterward Jessie and I would discuss them. Those were the dates I looked forward to.

  Sometimes, I thought I was making progress, and Jessie was softening toward me. I’d catch her looking at me with longing and desire, but then her face would shutter, and she’d be right back to trying to pair me off with somebody.

  I didn’t want to date those females—not when I already had Jessie. I desired only her. It didn’t matter she hadn’t yet accepted she was my mate, I had no feelings for the others. But, I couldn’t let her lose her job—I’d never see her again. What was I going to do?

  I couldn’t imagine waking every day with the knowledge I’d never see her sweet dotted face, her orange hair, or her startling, beautiful blue eyes. On my planet, everyone had dark hair, eyes, and skin. To see such diversity of coloring among Earth people had come as a shock. And although blue eyes weren’t rare here, I hadn’t gotten used to seeing them.

  Jessie amazed me. She was so pale you could see the purple veins beneath her skin. Her musical voice was soft and sweet, even in anger, like now. I still wasn’t sure what I had said to annoy her. Why would the study guide recommend certain words if they made a female angry? Maybe I hadn’t said them correctly. Was my pronunciation off?

  “Now, I want you to listen, because this is the way it’s going to be.” Jessie jabbed my chest with her finger. “You’re going to march in there”—she pointed at the conference room—“and you’re going to talk to every single woman at the mixer.

  “You’re going to be nice”—jab—“you’re going to keep your stupid pickup lines to yourself”—jab— “you’re going to address the women by their names and not sweetie or honeypie or angel face”—jab—“and at the end of the evening, you’re going to pick one!” She poked me extra hard.

  I grabbed her hand and held it against my heart. With my thumb, I caressed her palm. A fleeting emotion flickered in her expression before she banked it, and her defiant gaze met mine.

  “Is that what you really want?” I asked quietly.

  Until I’d met Jessie, I used to believe when the Fates finally led me to my female, love would come naturally. For me, it had, but contrarily, I’d been challenged at every turn. It had been said that nothing worth having came easy.

  She lifted her chin. “Yes.”

  Staring into her eyes, I brushed my mouth against her hand. Her pupils dilated in a flash of longing before she yanked away, made a fist with the hand I’d kissed, and pressed her lips together.

  Then it hit me—she didn’t want me to pick a female. She didn’t want that at all.

  Suddenly I had a plan for wooing her.

  Employing another technique recommended by my study guide, I swatt
ed her ample buttocks. “All right, sweet cheeks!”

  * * * *

  How to lose an alien in fourteen days

  Matchmaker Jessie Hancock has a perfect record helping others find their Mr. or Ms. Right through the Intergalactic Dating Agency until Caid arrives. The sinfully handsome, smooth-talking alien is everything she’s dreamed of—but can’t have. Even if he was interested in a curvy, freckle-faced redheaded wallflower, it’s forbidden for employees to date clients, so she works hard to find him a woman. But when none of the dates meet with his approval, her boss gives her an ultimatum—find Caid a match or else! With her heart breaking and her job on the line, she launches a plan to introduce Caid to a woman he’ll find irresistible.

  The instant Caid from planet Dakon lays eyes on Jessie with the beautiful orange hair, he knows the Fates have chosen her for him. To get closer to her, he goes along with her attempts to “match” him with someone else while doing his best to charm her and convince her they’re meant for each other. Despite his efforts, she continues to insist she can’t be his mate. Now, time is running out, and if he can’t up his game, he’ll lose her forever.

  Caid: Dakonian Alien Mail Order Brides #3 (Intergalactic Dating Agency) is available from your preferred online bookseller.

  About the series

  The Dakonian Alien Mail Order Bride series is a spinoff of the Alien Mate series. In the Dakonian series, the aliens come to Earth through the Intergalactic Dating Agency to find their mates. In the Alien Mate series, the Earth women travel to planet Dakon through the Terra Dakon Goodwill Exchange Program to meet their alien hunks. Same alien hotties, different locales and romantic adventures. For more alien mail order bride romances, check out the Alien Mate series: Alien Mate (Book 1), Alien Attraction (Book 2), Alien Intention (Book 3).

  Intergalactic Dating Agency

  Looking for love that’s out of this world? Strong, smart, sexy aliens are seeking mates from the Milky Way. Just hop on board with your local Intergalactic Dating Agency and become an alien mail order bride! Join thirteen authors as we explore the friendly skies and beyond with trilogies of astral adventure and otherworldly lovers. Warning: abductions may or may not be involved.

  Meet your alien hunk here: Romancing the Alien.

  Titles by Cara Bristol

  Alien Mate series

  Alien Mate (Book 1)

  Alien Attraction (Book 2)

  Alien Intention (Book 3)

  Dakonian Alien Mail-Order Brides

  Intergalactic Dating Agency

  Darak

  Aton

  Caid

  Cy-Ops Sci-fi Romance series

  Stranded with the Cyborg (Book 1)

  Married to the Cyborg (Book 1.5)

  Mated with the Cyborg (Book 2)

  Captured by the Cyborg (Book 3)

  Trapped with the Cyborg (Book 4)

  Claimed by the Cyborg (Book 5)

  Rescued by the Cyborg (Book 5.5)

  Hunted by the Cyborg (Cy-Ops Sci-fi Romance 6)

  Breeder sci-fi romance series

  Breeder (Book 1)

  Terran (Book 2)

  Warrior (Book 3)

  Other titles

  Destiny’s Chance

  Goddess’s Curse

  Longing

  Naughty Words for Nice Writers (A Romance Novel Thesaurus)

  Anthologies

  Portals

  Body Talk

  Audiobooks

  Stranded with the Cyborg

  Mated with the Cyborg

  Books in Print

  Alien Mate

  Captured by the Cyborg

  Claimed by the Cyborg

  Goddess’s Curse

  Naughty Words for Nice Writers

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  Sign up here: http://carabristol.com/get-your-free-book/

  About the Author

  Cara Bristol writes character-driven science fiction romance with humor, heart, and heat. She loves introducing new readers to science fiction romance and likes to say she writes sci-fi for readers who don’t like sci-fi. She’s been a number one bestseller in multiple book categories and has hit the USA Today bestseller list twice! When she’s not writing (ha ha ha – she’s almost always writing) she enjoys traveling to exotic destinations and chillaxin’ with her favorite reality TV shows. Cara lives in Missouri with her own alpha hero, her husband.

  Cara’s Website: http://carabristol.com/

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cara.bristol.3

  Reader Newsletter: http://carabristol.com/get-your-free-book/

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  Twitter: @CaraBristol https://twitter.com/CaraBristol

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carabristol/

  Acknowledgments

  As always, many people were involved in putting out this book. I’d like to thank my editors, Kate Richards, Nan Sipe, and Celeste Jones; my faithful beta reader Lisa Medley; and cover designer Croco Designs. To my street team, I owe a big thanks for all they do for every book I write, and to you, dear reader, for choosing my books to read out of all the choices available.