Page 24 of First Comes Orc, Second Comes Baby
Matchmaker chuckled. “Not so fast, Mr. Stonefist. I'll speak with Charlotte and if she concurs, I will close out her file. And yours. Have a good day.”
The chuckle faded as she pursed her lips into a grim line, dialing Charlotte Trainor. She wanted to hear what the girl had to say for herself. Maybe she should reconsider Fredricks’s suggestion to outfit the Orcs with chastity belts.
“Hello?”
The forced cheer in Charlotte’s voice was about what Matchmaker had expected. She removed her spectacles and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Ms. Trainor! How is your day going? This is Matchmaker.”
“Oh! I know who this is. My day is going great so far. And yours? How are you doing?”
It was almost as if someone—not Brahnt Stonefist—had at least a rudimentary grasp of basic social emotional intelligence.
She lied. “My day is satisfactory so far. So tell me all about it! How did it go?”
Matchmaker wasn’t quite Human, but she'd spent so much time around Humans, both in her family and in her business, she’d learned to mirror enough of their energy to put them at ease.
Charlotte answered. “The day went really well. I don't think I've ever been on a better date.”
Truth.
“Mr. Stonefist said she prepared you dinner at home. How intimate.”
She injected warmth in her voice, rather than the irritation at havingthatrule broken too. The Orcs weren’t supposed to engage in bonding rituals during the first three months! There was a good reason for that, damnit!
Charlotte's voice brightened. “He did. He's a talented chef.” She laughed. “I burn boiled eggs, so I guess we're a perfect match in that sense. He cooks, I eat.”
Matchmaker matched the chuckle. “Please tell me Mr. Stonefist was a gentleman? You know I'm strict with my Orcs. I tolerate no misbehavior.” She kept her voice light, warm. “We are firm on our rules that require our Orcs treat the Humans with the utmost care and respect. You deserve it, after all.”
“Oh, I appreciate that, and Brahnt was an absolute gentleman.” Charlotte cleared her throat. “Very, um, gentle.”
And now the unicorn poop was about to come out. Orc males and their bullshit, Human women and their unicorn poop.
“Tell me more about it. If I may be so bold as to inquire, did the date end on a first kiss? We highly encourage that, you know. It's good to explore a healthy physical connection right away. . .as long as it doesn't go too far.”
Matchmaker pulled back the thread of a growl that entered her voice. Yes, she was protective of her Humans.
“Oh. . .no. Not far at all. Yeah, everything went great.”
“And will you be seeing him on a second date?” It was a good thing the Human couldn't see Matchmaker’s gritted teeth. She hated when they lied. It insulted her intelligence.
Silence on the other end of the line.
Matchmaker waited.
Charlotte cleared her throat. “Oh my god, well, the funny thing is, I wanted to treat Brahnt this time, so I'll be making the arrangements. I'm going to contact him.”
“Charlotte. You would tell me if Mr. Stonefist made you uncomfortable in any way, wouldn't you? We rely on our girls to give us honest feedback about our Orcs. We don't allow predators in our agency.”
“Oh no, Brahnt's not like that.” Charlotte sounded genuinely shocked. “He's a bit, um, forward. And assertive. And, well, he doesn't waste time, does he?”
Matchmaker was going to strangle that Orc.
“When do you plan on contacting Mr. Stonefist to arrange your second date?”
* * *
Charlotte tried not to squirm in her kitchen chair, Snowkiss curled in her arms, as Matchmaker’s calm tone unraveled. Caro was glaring at her, slumped in a chair on the opposite side of the table, the lid of her laptop half closed.
