It's taken a long time but finally Taming the Beast is here. Hope you've enjoyed reading the entire series and the following short. It's my hope to revise and edit and polish Foreseen to query and submit in 2019. Which means, soon it'll be taken down from Wattpad. Wish me luck. Share your comments and critiques to fix plot holes, characterization, etc. And happy reading! :-D

Alejandro watched the delectable disappearing form of Anders...Keisha gliding away from him. Even agitated she always walked with femininity and grace. There were times he wanted to make her lose it. Have her go wild. What a sight it'd be.

Alejandro licked his lips, his groin hardening at the thought. Definitely a sight to see.

A warm body pressed up against his and for a second he thought his fantasy had just turned reality. That it was Keisha aligning herself chest to chest, hip to hip. For a second.

"Alejandro." He cringed at the syrupy sweetness of Jocelyn's voice. Unbelievable as it was, he much preferred to hear his name saying with the dripping disdain Keisha's voice would take when she was annoyed with him. "Should we find a closet and let me take care of this for you?" she asked as her hands slid down his stomach to his bulge and she purred. Again a different woman doing the same came into his mind. And where he felt nothing with the lovely creature in his arms, his body flared to life imagining her touch. Would she teasingly caress him there? Or would she boldly stroke him up and down? Give it a squeeze?

Damn, he had to stop thinking about her. She wasn't one of the women to be his destined mate. The one he needed to break the curse from taking his humanity. And making him live out the rest of his days in his black jaguar shifter form. And neither was Jocelyn.

That meant the final woman, the lithe ballerina and dead ringer for Lupita Nyongo, was his mate destined to break it. So why did he feel disappointed?

His forehead scrunched in two lines in concentration. Never before had he never gave a woman his full attention. Like a queen. She might not be meant for him but didn't excuse letting his mind wander on another woman. He'd never been so disrespectful in his life.

He quirked his brown, snaked his arm around her to pull her close.The space between them was enough for a basketball to pass through. Jocelyn and Alejandro stared at each other confused.

"Alejandro," she asked, a hurt look on her face.

Never one to panic, he quickly dipped his head, she gasped, and he placed a soft kiss on the corner of her lips. She leaned into him and he breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped back, her arms dropping back to her side.

"Take a rain check babe?

"Wh-"

"Inspiration calling." And with another kiss on her cheek, he scooped his camera, laptop and bag and called it a day.

Swiping his phone on he gpsed Keisha's phone. She was at a restaurant nearby. Was she on a date? The possibility made him feel ill and empty.

Sliding into his car, he decided it was a perfect time to get something to eat. After all creativity required fuel. And the only sustenance he had was some toast, grapefruit and orange juice. As he pulled out of the parking lot and drove the few blocks to a mom and pops diner, he wondered if Keisha and whoever she was with wouldn't increasing their party.

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"Did you find the place okay?" Keisha slid unto the booth and thanked the waitress who zipped to her side with a menu when she sat down.

The three women waiting for her were all beautiful enough to grace magazine covers. But their true beauty was their friendship and loyalty to each other. And what was really unique was that they all had professions others wouldn't consider normal or well paying but have found success in. Layla, her best friend since college, was an entrepreneur. Her specialty were tarot cards. She glanced down at the huge rock on her friend's finger and was positively giddy. Soon they'll be sisters and she couldn't wait. And about time too. If she hadn't goaded her brother to let Layla do a reading of him, they'd never would've gotten together. And he wouldn't have found out the person responsible for messing with his witnesses and damaging his cases.

Bea had her own shop where she read crystal balls and sold handmade magic candles. She was also responsible, with the help of Felicite,' in saving and rejuvenating her community, by finding a piece of lost African-American history. She only had to face her rival turned lover to do it too. Nowadays Keisha made it a habit to stand when she came to Bea's shop. Knowing those two there was no telling which body part touched what piece of furniture.

Jenna teaches yoga and wrote a successful yoga sex guide book under a pen name. In fact the book was inspired by her new man who was attending her classes. Thanks to a jealous co-worker who wished she was half the yoga instructor Jenna was, the secret was out. And she was in huge demand. Her yoga classes, based on the book, have been sold out for months.

"Nope," replied Bea. "Now let's get started with the plan."

Layla rolled her eyes at Bea, leaned to her left and nudged her right shoulder. "So impatient."

"Before we discuss anything, can we eat first?" Jenna turned towards Keisha. "This is a really nice place. How did you find it?"

Keisha answered them all with a resounding yes. Picking up her menu, she scanned the items while wondering if she could get a burger like always. "Don't they say an army can't march on an empty stomach? We can plan after we eat Bea. And I found this place on Groupon."

Bea huffed but picked up the menu. The waitress made several trips back and forth, getting their drinks and their food and soon they had a full table with heaps and platters of food. Taking a bite of her ceasar salad Bea of course started this what Keisha was about to find out wasn't an impromptu meeting. A meeting that was one less mystic sister.

"Where's Felicite'?"

"Good. Straight to the point. That's why we're all here."

"What's this about?"

"You see Felicite' needs our help," Layla explained.

"The bail money we put together wasn't enough?"

"It was," said Jenna as she twirled her fork in the into her spaghetti until a huge ball of the pasta was wrapped around the tines. Keisha always wondered how she could eat so much and not gain a ounce of weight. Talking with her mouth full, she looked to Bea to translate.

"What Jenna's trying to say is yes and no."

"Huh?"

Layla stepped in. "The money helped but only partly. We still have to clear her name."

"Right." Bea banged her fist on the table and shook out the sting from her hand. "So we gotta plan and go over our roles for tomorrow night."

Keisha was confused. "What do you want to do tomorrow night?" And why did that sound so familiar?

She must've had a funny look on her face. Bea stared at her curiously then broke out into a smile. "Same thing we do every night-"

"Pinky and the Brain! Thank you. It was going to drive me crazy." She took a sip of her lemonade and nodded at Bea. "Okay. Continue about tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night we're playing detectives. We're going to catch a thief."

Click.

Oh no. He wouldn't have followed her here. He couldn't be here.

"Did I hear things right? You're going to catch a thief? What mischief are you ladies and my querida up to now?"