Page 19 of Last Shot at Love

Perhaps it wouldn’t be the worst thing to be matched.

Resting my chin on my hand, I stared unseeing out at the ocean. What would it be like to come home to a house where the lights were on? What would it be like to come home from a long day of work, crawl into a warm bed, and have a strong set of arms wrap around me?

I could sign checks for millions of dollars without so much as a heart flutter, but the thought of falling in love terrified me. But maybe I didn’t need to fall in love for this to work… maybe I could just fall in like.

Flipping open my laptop, I typed in the URL written on the invitation. It led to a password-protected page. My fingers trembled as I entered the password written in the invitation.

P-Harmony’s mate matching agreement loaded. Now, I was back in my element, and my nerves eased as I combed carefully through every word of the contract. Everything was straightforward, and I liked that they took care of everything.

Reaching the end of the document, I found the line where I needed to sign. I worried my lip between my teeth, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.

The logical choice would be to make a decision like this when I wasn’t tired, stressed, and frustrated. But tonight was the last dinner party I wanted to attend as a single woman.

The agency promised most matches took place within two weeks, which meant I’d be mated before the big closing happened. There were typically several parties I had to attend after the large acquisitions, so getting this taken care of sooner rather than later worked for me.

Frankly, I didn’t have the time or the interest in navigating the dating world, which made this the best option.

Not giving myself time to second guess my decision, I quickly typed in my information and signed the agreement.

Wedding bells chimed on the website, and digital confetti rained down on the laptop’s screen.

It was one more thing I could check off my to-do list.

For better or for worse, my days as a single woman are numbered.

Fumbling with my room key, I pushed open the door and pulled my rolling suitcase in behind me. My eyes scanned the room, taking in the stunning decor.

It was as though the resort had specifically designed this room with social media travel influencers in mind. Heck, I’d traveled to countless incredible hotels for various business meetings, but this one definitely ranked in the top five.

The floor was made of smooth stones in various shades of sandy brown, charcoal, red, and black. An artist must have spent hours arranging the stones to create the mosaic that curled around the sprawling room.

Heavy glass and polished oak doors opened out onto the patio and a large infinity pool with the ocean behind it; this setup gave the illusion that the pool poured directly into the ocean. The patio’s courtyard had tall walls and large, perfectly manicured shrubbery to give it privacy from the neighboring rooms.

Reminded that there were other couples being matched at the hotel, my gaze focused back on the open floor room. I really hoped the resort had added soundproofing insulation inside the walls.

I had no interest in listening to a newly mated couple bang all night long. Because that is what most newly-mateds did, wasn’t it?

After signing the contract, I spent the week that followed studying everything on P-Harmony’s website. I still hadn’t figured out what the P stood for, though.

Paranormal Harmony?

Penis Harmony?

I snickered. Yes, it was probably the latter, and I wouldn’t hear otherwise.

The password-protected website featured countless testimonials where the happily matched couples extolled the agency’s incredible skill at pairing mates. They spoke of things like love at first sight, instantly falling head over heels, and most had alluded to a first night filled with a wild passion like nothing they’d ever experienced.

I’d rolled my eyes so many times while reading the reviews I’d grown dizzy.

There was no denying that those were the types of things you’d want to hear if you were starved for love and desperate for a mate.

But for those of us who viewed this as a business arrangement, it sounded horrible. The last thing I wanted was to be pounded all night so I could wake up exhausted and with a pounding headache.

I was here to close on a mutually beneficial partnership agreement. And yes, I understood that my partner and I would have biological urges that would need to be met now and then.

But I didn’t see why that would need to take up an extended length of time. I wasn’t high maintenance, so I figured we could easily consummate the bond within thirty minutes.

That would leave plenty of time to get a good night’s sleep so I could get an early start the next morning on my emails and text messages. In fact, I could probably even squeeze in a Zoom call with my assistant if she needed me.

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