Stud Finder
By Lauren Blakely
1001 Dark Nights
Stud Finder
By Lauren Blakely
1001 Dark Nights
Copyright 2017 Lauren Blakely
ISBN: 978-1-945920-22-6
Foreword: Copyright 2014 M. J. Rose
Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.
Book Description
Stud Finder
By Lauren Blakely
Man seeking woman: Hot, rich, smart, witty, self-made multimillionaire Internet genius seeks classy, intelligent, sexy, fun-loving woman who’s interested in settling down and sharing all the good things.
There. Best. Ad. Ever.
I will absolutely find the woman of my dreams, someone who’ll love me for me. Even if my sister thinks I need help dating, I’m confident I can pull this off, courtesy of the great worldwide web.
Let me just hit the upload button right now...
* * * *
No. Just no. As a woman and a professional matchmaker, I can't let Dylan Parker run this ad. He’s the catch of all catches. That’s why his sister has asked me to help her ridiculously good-looking, insanely rich, but socially clueless brother find a woman. As a broker of happily ever afters, I’m known as the Stud Finder since I make a great living pairing wildly successful women with men who won’t fleece them but will adore them. After all, what woman in her right mind wouldn’t fall in love with Dylan?
I mean, besides me. It totally won’t be me.
*Stud Finder is a standalone novella told in dual POV in the style of Lauren Blakely’s series of standalone rom-coms like Big Rock, Mister O and The Sexy One.
About Lauren Blakely
A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 85 times, and she's sold more than 2 million books. She enjoys cake, comedy and cat videos. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter here!
Also From Lauren Blakely
Click to purchase
Standalone Male-POV books
BIG ROCK
Mister O
Well Hung
Full Package
Joy Ride
Hard Wood
One Love Series dual-POV Standalones
The Sexy One
The Only One
The Hot One
Standalones
The Knocked Up Plan
Most Valuable Playboy
Stud Finder
Most Likely to Score (January 2018)
Wanderlust (February 2018)
Come As You Are (April 2018)
The Real Deal (Summer 2018)
Far Too Tempting
21 Stolen Kisses
Playing With Her Heart
Out of Bounds
The Caught Up in Love Series
Caught Up In Us
Pretending He's Mine
Trophy Husband
Stars in Their Eyes
The No Regrets Series
The Thrill of It
The Start of Us
Every Second With You
The Seductive Nights Series
First Night (Julia and Clay, prequel novella)
Night After Night (Julia and Clay, book one)
After This Night (Julia and Clay, book two)
One More Night (Julia and Clay, book three)
A Wildly Seductive Night (Julia and Clay novella, book 3.5)
Nights With Him (A standalone novel about Michelle and Jack)
Forbidden Nights (A standalone novel about Nate and Casey)
Sweet Sinful Nights
Sinful Desire
Sinful Longing
Sinful Love
The Fighting Fire Series
Burn For Me (Smith and Jamie)
Melt for Him (Megan and Becker)
Consumed By You (Travis and Cara)
The Jewel Series
A two-book sexy contemporary romance series
The Sapphire Affair
The Sapphire Heist
Acknowledgments from the Author
I’m grateful to so many people who are bringing this book to you. First and foremost, thank you to Liz Berry and MJ Rose for the amazing opportunity to be part of 1001 Dark Nights. Big thanks to KP Simmon for daily support, strategy, and encouragement. Thank you to Helen Williams for finding the lovely cover images. On the editorial side, I am fortunate to lean on Lauren Clarke, Kim Bias, Dena Marie and Jen McCoy for story guidance, and to Tiffany for eagle eyes. Thank you to Kelley, Candi and Keyanna for the day to day work that is so vital. As always, thank you to readers for making dreams come true.
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One
Click here to explore
FOREVER WICKED by Shayla Black
CRIMSON TWILIGHT by Heather Graham
CAPTURED IN SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
SILENT BITE: A SCANGUARDS WEDDING by Tina Folsom
DUNGEON GAMES by Lexi Blake
AZAGOTH by Larissa Ione
NEED YOU NOW by Lisa Renee Jones
SHOW ME, BABY by Cherise Sinclair
ROPED IN by Lorelei James
TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
CARESS OF DARKNESS by Julie Kenner
Also from 1001 Dark Nights
TAME ME by J. Kenner
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two
Click here to explore
WICKED WOLF by Carrie Ann Ryan
WHEN IRISH EYES ARE HAUNTING by Heather Graham
EASY WITH YOU by Kristen Proby
MASTER OF FREEDOM by Cherise Sinclair
CARESS OF PLEASURE by Julie Kenner
ADORED by Lexi Blake
HADES by Larissa Ione
RAVAGED by Elisabeth Naughton
DREAM OF YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout
STRIPPED DOWN by Lorelei James
RAGE/KILLIAN by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
DRAGON KING by Donna Grant
PURE WICKED by Shayla Black
HARD AS STEEL by Laura Kaye
STROKE OF MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham
KISS THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
DARING HER LOVE by Melissa Foster
TEASED by Rebecca Zanetti
THE PROMISE OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
Also from 1001 Dark Nights
THE SURRENDER GATE By Christopher Rice
SERVICING THE TARGET By Cherise Sinclair
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three
Click here to explore
HIDDEN INK by Carrie Ann Ryan
BLOOD ON THE BAYOU by Heather Graham
SEARCHING FOR MINE by Jennifer Probst
DANCE OF DESIRE by Christopher Rice
ROUGH RHYTHM by Tessa Bailey
DEVOTED by Lexi Blake
Z by Larissa Ione
FALLING UNDER YOU by La
urelin Paige
EASY FOR KEEPS by Kristen Proby
HARD TO SERVE by Laura Kaye
DRAGON FEVER by Donna Grant
KAYDEN/SIMON by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
STRUNG UP by Lorelei James
MIDNIGHT UNTAMED by Lara Adrian
TRICKED by Rebecca Zanetti
DIRTY WICKED by Shayla Black
THE ONLY ONE by Lauren Blakely
SWEET SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
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1001 Dark Nights story
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Table of Contents
Book Description
About Lauren Blakely
Also From Lauren Blakely
Acknowledgments from the Author
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three
Foreword
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Interlude
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Another Epilogue
Big Rock Character Connections
Big Rock Series Character Connections
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Four
Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights
Discover More Lauren Blakely
An excerpt from Hard Wood by Lauren Blakely
Special Thanks
One Thousand and One Dark Nights
Once upon a time, in the future…
I was a student fascinated with stories and learning.
I studied philosophy, poetry, history, the occult, and
the art and science of love and magic. I had a vast
library at my father’s home and collected thousands
of volumes of fantastic tales.
I learned all about ancient races and bygone
times. About myths and legends and dreams of all
people through the millennium. And the more I read
the stronger my imagination grew until I discovered
that I was able to travel into the stories... to actually
become part of them.
I wish I could say that I listened to my teacher
and respected my gift, as I ought to have. If I had, I
would not be telling you this tale now.
But I was foolhardy and confused, showing off
with bravery.
One afternoon, curious about the myth of the
Arabian Nights, I traveled back to ancient Persia to
see for myself if it was true that every day Shahryar
(Persian: شهريار, “king”) married a new virgin, and then
sent yesterday's wife to be beheaded. It was written
and I had read, that by the time he met Scheherazade,
the vizier's daughter, he’d killed one thousand
women.
Something went wrong with my efforts. I arrived
in the midst of the story and somehow exchanged
places with Scheherazade – a phenomena that had
never occurred before and that still to this day, I
cannot explain.
Now I am trapped in that ancient past. I have
taken on Scheherazade’s life and the only way I can
protect myself and stay alive is to do what she did to
protect herself and stay alive.
Every night the King calls for me and listens as I spin tales.
And when the evening ends and dawn breaks, I stop at a
point that leaves him breathless and yearning for more.
And so the King spares my life for one more day, so that
he might hear the rest of my dark tale.
As soon as I finish a story... I begin a new
one... like the one that you, dear reader, have before
you now.
Prologue
Once upon a time, in a wonderfully romantic land known as Manhattan, there was a woman who possessed a particular skill. She had the uncanny ability to match—clothes and colors, food and wine, and most importantly, people. She was so skilled that she was sought out far and wide across the city by those seeking to find their true soul mate.
At the same time, there was a most handsome man who was brilliant, funny, and, let’s call a spade a spade, a wee bit socially clueless.
Fine. More than a bit. Perhaps, a lot. But he was a hot nerd, and his brain worked quite well for everything else, and he was in demand as a mate.
He was also ready to settle down, and because he had learned to depend on machines, he was certain a machine would find his true love for him.
When the woman heard of such an insane notion, she could simply not abide by it. She made him an offer to show him how to find a match in real life, without relying on an algorithm. Because he was a natural risk-taker, he gave her three chances to prove what she could do.
Determined to help find him true love, she took on this challenging assignment. Even though she found him handsome, and even though, for the first time ever, she felt the faintest stir of attraction for a client, she bore no risk of that admiration turning into something else. Both online and in the real world, the man and woman could agree that opposites didn’t attract at all. And who could ever fall for someone with such a vastly different view of life and love?
But things are not always what they seem…
Chapter One
Dylan
The Internet and I are best friends. We’ve done everything together. We’ve grown up together. We’ve downloaded music, we’ve ordered food, we’ve learned new languages, we’ve discovered women, and we’ve made millions.
As I turn toward the entrance for Chelsea Piers on a Friday afternoon, my phone in my hand, I see no reason why I can't find a woman here.
Not Chelsea Piers.
Please.
Who meets people in person anymore?
That’s crazy talk.
I mean here. On this fantastic device I’m holding. This is where everyone finds love these days. Swiping left, swiping right. Hitting this button. Liking that button. Okay fine, maybe they're finding other things. But I'm determined to discover happiness the same way I've discovered everything else. Online.
“This ad is a winner.” I brandish my phone at Mia, one of my closest friends, and my teammate on my laser tag team when she’s in town. “Any second now, I will be this much closer to finding Mrs. Right, don’t you think?”
Her hazel eyes stare intently at the screen, and her answer comes in the form of a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Wow. That’s pretty much on the nose.”
I reach the door and yank it open, a blast of cool air conditioning greeting us. “Isn’t it best for me to go all in? Why fuck around?”
She laughs. “I suppose because perhaps not revealing all your cards at once can be a good thing when it comes to dating.”
I scoff. “No need to hold back. I’m ready for the real thing.” I push my glasses higher up on the bridge of my nose. “Besides, don’t you know me by now? Do I do anything half-baked?”
“You’re usually fully roasted
.” She places a hand on my arm. “But don’t you honestly want to try a softer touch? Maybe hold a little something back?”
As we stride to the check-in counter, ready to tackle all forms of entrepreneur enemies in our weekly CEO club game, I shake my head. “Look, the great thing about the Internet is you can be completely direct. You can say exactly what you want. It’s not like when you meet somebody in person and have to worry about following the right protocol, saying the right thing, discussing or not discussing the right topic. When you find someone online, you can 100 percent be yourself and speak the truth. So that’s what I do.”
Besides, this is The. Best. Ad. Ever.
Man seeks woman:
Hot, rich, smart, witty, self-made multimillionaire Internet genius seeks classy, intelligent, sexy, fun-loving woman who’s interested in new experiences and sharing all the good things, from eating out, to movies, to softball, to savoring the adventure of this amazing world together.
Who wouldn’t answer that ad?
“Let me get this straight,” Mia says as the attendant hands us our weapons and we head into the laser tag arena, ready to save Gotham from the bad guys. “Do you think everyone is speaking the truth online?”
I laugh as I take off my Yankees ball cap and set it in a locker. I turn off my phone and tuck it in the hat. “That’s not what I’m saying. What I am saying is there is no empirical evidence that meeting someone IRL”—I stop to sketch air quotes—“improves your chances at love.”
“Nor is there evidence that meeting someone online improves your chances.”