Hot Fur Stripes: Tiger Shifter Paranormal Romance (Striped Passions Book 1) Read online

  Hot Fur Stripes

  by

  D. B. Shayne

  Book 1 in the Striped Passions Series

  Hot Fur Stripes © 2017 by D.B. Shayne

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, locations and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Chapter 1

  “I’m sorry you want me to interview who?” Jasmine leaned forward in the chair, regarding her boss with shock and unease. Annie Johnson’s eyebrows lifted high as she tapped the rubber end of a pencil on the mahogany surface of her office desk.

  “Is there a problem Ms. Moore?”

  “Well, not really, no, it’s just, well, he’s a tiger shifter,” she replied weakly. Yep, it is truly a Monday morning.

  “Jasmine, the city of Durham is renowned for its cultural diversity. You’ve been here almost a year and I have to say I’m quite surprised by your reaction.”

  “I know, I know. This is the best city in Carleynes,” Jasmine said, referring to the metropolis of the nation. “And I have no problem with the tigers, wolves and the like Ms. Johnson, it’s just they can be so possessive.”

  “That’s common knowledge. Aren’t regular humans, for want of a better word, guilty of the same thing?” Jasmine settled back in the chair and released a long soft sigh, running her hands through her dark brown, shoulder length hair. Her gently rounded face tightened in apprehension. She was deeply curious as to why a seasoned journalist was not selected for the task but was not going to question her boss’ delegation.

  “I feel like I’m missing something here. You’ve interviewed lycans, lions and several others.”

  “I, it’s just this would be the first time I’m interviewing a tiger shifter.” Ms. Johnson grew increasingly confused at Jasmine’s behaviour which made absolutely no sense to her.

  “This is a great assignment Jasmine. We have been after Terrence for months to do a personal interview and he’s turned us down every time-we’re lucky he changed his mind and the story will undoubtedly bolster our image and reputation.” Annie’s eyes brightened as she imagined the front cover of the next edition for Durham Financial Times. Terrence Devereux had only participated in one interview, and that was when he commenced his leadership of Devereux Industries.

  “I know Ms. Johnson but shifters can be relentless when they’ve set eyes on a woman they want to be a mate.

  “Jasmine, the man is not going to throw you to the floor and have his way with you-at least not without your consent.” Jasmine’s cinnamon skin tightened at the statement. Annie’s mouth pulled into a smile. “I won’t send you to do something that would endanger you Jasmine.”

  “I know, I know. I wonder why he changed his mind though.” Jasmine’s hazel eyes narrowed as her thoughts went into overdrive. The assignment would be like a gold nugget on her résumé and undoubtedly garner a glowing recommendation. And most important, cement the position she applied for at Nation Daily Business Journal in the neighbouring country of Whittenbey which hinged entirely on said recommendation. The editor fully supported her decision of not becoming stagnant by latching on to one place for very long periods but broadening her experience and skills wherever the opportunity presented itself.

  Jasmine began working at Durham Financial Times, which focused on investments and personal financial advice, as soon as she left college almost ten months ago. She had studied journalism and minored in finance, working for two years to save up money before she could even being studying.

  The craziness began a few months after she moved to Durham City when Jasmine had been hotly pursued by a few shifters and she’d given in after turning down countless requests to date her; despite partying countless times with shifters, Jasmine had never dated any of them. Eventually she went out with a lion shifter a few times and things got uncomfortable for her after he seemed to think she belonged to him after they had shared a few steamy kisses. Jasmine broke things off before they spun out of control. That didn’t stop him from showing up at her hang out spots and calling her incessantly. It was too much drama for her twenty-four year old blood, so she’d resigned from any personal involvement with shifters.

  “Mr. Devereux has made it clear he would make himself available for however long it takes but I want the story ready in a couple days.”

  “Okay.” Jasmine sighed and slowly got to her feet.

  “Jasmine, if anyone can get this in the bag it’s you. I am depending on you to get this done, Mr. Devereux has never participated in anything of this nature before so this exclusive is paramount for us, and for you.”

  “I’m sorry Annie, of course I’ll do it and don’t get me wrong I am grateful for the opportunity. So, when is the first meeting?” Ms. Johnson grinned at Jasmine and cleared her throat softly.

  “Tonight at seven ‘o’ clock.” Jasmine fought the urge to roll her eyes, knowing she had fully entered the realm of classic Monday morning blues syndrome.

  “But of course.” Annie handed Jasmine a plum coloured sticky note.

  “Here is his address and phone numbers. And one more thing, he wants you to personally deliver a copy of the magazine when the feature is published.”

  “I’ll do my best Annie, you can count on me.”

  “I know I can my dear.” Jasmine strolled out of the office peering at the purple sticky note the editor gave her. Annie picked up her cell from off the desk when Jasmine was out of sight and made a call. She hesitated when the line was answered.

  “Hi, yes, everything is in place as you requested.”

  Chapter 2

  Jasmine walked into the living room of her small, Deacon’s Court apartment and sat on the sofa to quickly scan her notes. She had been very careful in choosing her attire for the interview. She didn’t want to wear anything provocative to stir a tiger’s heat but didn’t want to appear too casual either; she still needed to maintain an air of professionalism. Jasmine had opted for a short-sleeved wine coloured dress which fell to just above her knees; it was close fitting but not tight as not to draw attention to her curves. Small gold studs adorned her ears and a fine golden chain circled her neck. Makeup was minimal, pink lip gloss, no eyeshadow, a little foundation. A pair of black, low-heeled pumps completed her outfit.

  After leaving work she had made her way straight home and dived into research on Terrence Devereux to see how much she could discover, in the hopes that the more answers she could come up with on her own, the less time she would have to spend with the tiger shifter. But those efforts were practically fruitless as just about everything she uncovered was business related; the information that would give the interview a heart and soul, was not to be found. It was common knowledge who Terrence Devereux was in regards to his standing in the community and business wise. At twenty-five he was the youngest billionaire in Durham City and had two siblings; Trent and Tyler who held places on the board but were not as involved in the main business operations as Terrence.
Trent was frequently seen in many papers and magazines with a lady on his arm and owned a very successful business of selling and renting sports cars and luxury utility vehicles. Tyler lived in the country side and was a bestselling mystery writer, he usually kept himself out of the limelight. Their father, Theodore Devereux had passed away after suffering a stroke over four years ago and Terrence, being the oldest, was thrust promptly into leadership of Devereux Industries. Devereux Industries was founded in Durham by Varick Devereux in the early 1900’s and comprised of numerous enterprises from canneries and meat processing plants to distribution agencies and medical laboratories. The family was well known not only for their burgeoning success but philanthropic commitments. Jasmine possessed great admiration for Terrence especially, who made time to volunteer at animal shelters and serve meals at the Salvation Army. The eldest Devereux brother had studied economics and finance at Cave Hill University.

  A special news report appeared on the screen of her fourteen inch television and Jasmine picked up the remote next to her and raised the volume. The news anchor, Selma Huttinton, delivered the latest with enviable fluency.

  “…police reported that this is the fifth murder of a shifter in the past week with the victim being killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest and preliminary ballistic tests indicate that the murders were committed with the same weapon. Chief of Police, Ivor Dentin said at a news conference today that they are not labelling the murders as those of a serial killer at this time but a special investigation is underway and is asking civilians not to panic…”

  A knock on the front door startled Jasmine out of her thoughts.

  “Hey Jaz, it’s me Aleesha.” Jasmine sprang from the sofa and headed for the door. Her friend had difficulty in calling before dropping by. Aleesha, who was slightly shorter than Jasmine, sailed into the apartment when the door was pulled open. Aleesha was dressed in a tight, dark jeans and a sleeveless blue blouse. Her hair, a flaming red, framed her face in a voluminous bob. The bold hair colour was a stark contrast to her milky skin.

  “You sounded quite upset when I talked to you a little while ago.” Aleesha walked over to the sofa and dropped onto it.

  “And I told you that I was fine.”

  “Damned liar,” Aleesha countered.

  “Have you been following the story with the string of shifter murders?”

  “Off and on-now don’t digress. You may be older and wiser but you can’t fool me Jaz.” Jasmine sighed and walked over to the centre table to gather up her notes which were in a pile next to her black handbag.

  “I am fine Aleesha, I am. It’s just this assignment is bringing up bad memories about Calvin.” Aleesha studied her friend with intense green eyes and crossed her arms over her breasts.

  “Jaz, you are just going to interview the man not sleep with him. I don’t understand what is going on with you. You have friends who are shifters, good friends I might add. Am I missing something?” Jasmine shook her head vigorously.

  “Yes, I know Aleesha. Please, don’t you have places to go, people to see, men to do. Last I heard you were dating that lycan, James, or did you ditch him for that vampire I saw you flirting with at the mall last week?” She sent a sly grin her friend’s way.

  “Oh, so we’re going over to nasty town now because I am trying to understand why you’re so worked up over this assignment. If I didn’t know that you two have never met before, I would think you have the hots for him.” Jasmine gave Aleesha a pointed look and stuffed her recorder, notes, pens and other needed items into her handbag. She teased Aleesha frequently about rarely being without a date and her short term relationships but the truth was she was a bit envious. Aleesha wasn’t afraid to take chances, although it seemed that no matter how hard and long she searched, the discovery of real love constantly eluded her.

  “Jasmine, Calvin Simmons was a psychopathic idiot. Don’t let the one time you stepped out of your comfort zone ruin your chances of finding happiness.”

  “My comfort zone?” Jasmine repeated. “Look Aleesha, just because I prefer men who rate about minus ten on your excitement meter, doesn’t mean they are boring.” Jasmine hooked her hands on her hips, the bag swinging around her wrist by its strap.

  “I have never, ever called your men boring. What I meant was, you pick safe men and maybe that’s the problem. You probably desire a little more excitement than you think you do.” Jasmine groaned in frustration.

  “And speaking of safe,” Jasmine began on a lighter note, “Serena should also get this speech-she’s dated what, two accountants and a science lecturer?” Aleesha sighed and rolled her eyes.

  “You two suck!” Aleesha exclaimed, reflecting on the countless times she had to drag Jasmine and Serena to parties, so their brains and eyes could have a well-deserved break from textbooks.

  “Aleesha I know I’m giving you a hard time but I do appreciate your candidness, it’s food for thought, really.” Aleesha got up and approached Jasmine to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “It’s alright. And you must know I am the last woman to judge books or men by their cover. I went out with this English professor once, girl, he wore me out and-

  “Aleesha for god’s sake, you know sometimes I wish you lived over an hour away like Serena instead of twenty minutes.” Aleesha snorted in laughter.

  “That’s why I’m keeping my Bayville address,” Aleesha said wagging a finger in the air. Jasmine spotted a book sticking out of her friends hand bag.

  “What’s that you’re reading?” Aleesha smiled a mile wide.

  “It’s about the history and rituals of shifters and the like. I can’t put it down.” Aleesha pulled out the paperback and held it up for Jasmine to see. “There’s actually a part in here about a centuries old mating ceremony, some of the tiger shifters still perform-it’s like the equivalent of getting married and it’s pretty hot. The woman wears this transparent white gown and the first time they have sex it’s supposed to be like how animals really do it-the woman on all fours and the man-”

  “Aleesha King, get out of my apartment,” Jasmine laughed, shooing her out the door which she locked promptly behind her. “You are such a pervert!” Aleesha joined Jasmine in laughter as they walked out of the blue painted apartment building, into the balmy June air and the hustle and bustle of Durham City. Pedestrians hurried by, traffic was heavy and noise, business centres, restaurants and shopping malls sprouted from every conceivable space.

  “Hey did you hear from Serena lately?” Jasmine asked, pausing by the side walk.

  “Yes, a few days ago. She’s miserable at her new job. Apparently the boss is only giving her the bottom of the barrel assignments and she’s feeling a bit down.”

  “I really wish I could do something to help her. How is yours going redhead?”

  “Things aren’t that great for me either-the editor is on my ass because my blog audience numbers are going down and she wants new material. If I don’t come up with something soon, my hard work for the past three months will end in epic failure.” A worried expression settled over Jasmine’s features as she considered her friends’ situation. Aleesha was working at a popular tabloid and Serena was posted at a lifestyles magazine. The three young women who were months apart in age, were from Providence and had attended Kensington College, where they had first met. Jasmine and Aleesha had hightailed to Durham to look for employment as soon as they graduated but Serena had moved to Buxton City where she had landed a job.

  “Damn sweetie, I’m sorry to hear that.” A worried look settled on Jasmine’s face.

  “Something will work out Jaz. Don’t worry about us hun.” Jasmine put an arm around Aleesha and squeezed affectionately. She had yet to tell Aleesha about her plans to leave Durham and head off to Whittenbey, it was going to be a very hard, and sad conversation to have.

  “I’ll talk to you later Aleesha,” Jasmine said as they went to their respective cars parked at the side of the street.

  “Alright Jaz.” Aleesha c
alled out. They pulled away from the curb in their tiny ancient Toyotas.

  As Jasmine navigated the sea of vehicles she was overcome with a small wave of guilt. Aleesha was partially correct in her assessment of her reaction to the situation. She had never met Terrence but she had seen him at a few functions. They had never even made eye contact but Jasmine had developed a monumental crush on him. And that crush intensified each time she saw his picture in a publication or watched him in a news clip, cutting a ribbon at an opening ceremony. So how the hell was she going to manage being in a room with him. Alone?

  Chapter 3

  The elevator doors to Terrence Devereux’s luxurious condominium slid open and Jasmine stepped into the shifter’s marina residence at Port Charleston. The living room was painted in shades of eggshell and plum, and modern furniture outfitted the sprawling space. Terrence appeared promptly before her; the olive-skinned shifter easily topped six feet. Under a white shirt, tiers of pure muscle pressed boldly against the fabric, and powerful thighs were highly visible under a pair of dark slacks. Beautiful, intense grey eyes, made to get lost in, travelled up and down her form. Although she’d seen his unbelievably handsome face before, meeting him face to face was very, very different. A delicious unexpected warmth crept through her as the intoxicating masculinity he exuded overwhelmed her senses. Terrence possessed a mature and commanding aura despite his young age of twenty-five but Jasmine concluded that would be the expected result of being at the helm of an expansive family business from the tender age of twenty-one. She also concluded that her assignment was going to be much, much more difficult than predicted.

  “Is there something wrong?” Terrence asked, watching her closely.

  “N-no,” Jasmine replied. .

  “Please come in.” Terrence waved her inside. As she walked past him he deeply inhaled her scent-it was debilitating and familiar and inflicted sweet torture on him since the first day he saw her at a benefit event five days ago. That scent had changed his life. He wanted to peel her clothes away and indulge in every beautiful inch, confident that the taste of her would be so much sweeter than he dreamed it would. On the glass-topped coffee table was a small platter of finger foods and a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino wine stood next to it with two shining wine glasses at its side.