Alpha in Paris Read online

  Alpha in Paris

  © Brandy Dorsch, 2019

  All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

  Alpha in Paris is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. The Author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademark owners of any and all work marks mentioned in this work of fiction.

  Previously published as Amour, Café, & Beignets

  Original Publisher Brandy Dorsch, 2018

  Published by Brandy Dorsch

  Cover by Taylor Dawn

  Ebook Formatting by Pure Textuality PR

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  RECIPE

  RECIPE

  RECIPE

  The most important thing in the world is family and love.

  - John Wooden

  CHAPTER ONE

  Piper

  Paris, France

  I pushed passed the tourists that lined the streets in front of Arc de Triomphe and made my way toward the entrance to the metro line. I have lived in Paris since moving here from America when I was a little girl. My parents were killed in a car accident when I was six and my aunt Nettie brought me here to live with her. It’s a wonderful city to grow up in, full of rich history and decadent food.

  My Aunt Nettie is a teacher at Le Cordon Bleu. I have been studying at her knee for years and I just finished up my degree to be a pastry chef. One of the first things that I had to do was line up a job that I could practice my newly earned skills on. That’s where my friend Lina Benoit comes in. Her family owns a couple of posh restaurants named after her, Evangaline’s. Her parents started them when she was little and they have been wildly successful in France.

  Lina and I have been friends since I moved to Paris. We met on the playground and it was an instant friendship. No friendship is perfect and we have had our ups and downs over the years. Like when she had to miss my sixteenth birthday party for one of her family’s monthly trips. It broke my heart and we didn’t talk for a week. Her family goes out of the city for a couple of days every month. I had always thought it was the strangest thing but she told me that it was just a family tradition. A few months after that, I had discovered the secret that they had been hiding.

  I shook myself out of my wandering thoughts and stepped off the metro and headed toward Evangaline’s. I was meeting Lina so we could have lunch and I could meet the manager, Natalie and get the details on my job.

  “Piper!” I turned at the sound of my name and smiled when I saw Lina. She was a beautiful woman and there are days when I envy my friend. She was just shy of 5’4 with blonde hair, blue eyes and the temperament of a firecracker. I, on the other hand, stand 5’8 with curves that I have been told are similar to Marilyn Monroe, with emerald green eyes and jet-black hair. When Lina and I are out at the clubs together, she tends to run the show with her fiery personality and I follow her lead.

  I stumbled back when she hugged me. “Guess what, Piper?”

  I pulled away as I started to laugh, “What you goof?”

  “Dash is back in Paris!”

  My heart stopped. Dashiel Benoit was Lina’s brother and the man that I had crushed on since I knew that boys didn’t have cooties. He had been living in America for the past several years and while Lina mentioned him occasionally, she hadn’t told me much about his life.

  “Why did he come back, Lina? I thought he was opening his own restaurant or something in New York.”

  She tucked her blonde hair behind her ears as she linked arms and tugged me down the block toward the front of the restaurant.

  “He was. My dad is sort of retiring and Dash is moving back so he can take over the pa-I mean the company.”

  I pushed open the door and lead the way into the familiar surroundings of the restaurant. Lina and I came here at least once a week to have dinner with her family. Her mom said she loved to have me around but I know that she just likes when I make beignets and bring them to her. My aunt taught me how to make them when I was younger and I have been playing with different recipes for years. Lina’s mom, Eve can’t get enough of my brandied apricot beignets with chocolate sauce. I make them several times a month for her.

  Lina nudged me toward the bar on the side of the restaurant where Natalie was waiting for us. She greeted us both with air kisses to our cheeks.

  “Hello girls. What kind of trouble are the two of you getting into?”

  Lina laughed at her, “I was just telling Piper that Dash is back in Paris. I don’t think she has seen him in a few years.”

  Natalie looked at me with a gleam in her eye, “Really?”

  I hopped up onto the bar stool and opened the menu that the bartender had left for us. “Yes, I think we were sixteen or so when he left so it’s been about six years.”

  After we placed our drink and food orders, Natalie turned to me. “So, I know you wanted some practical experience working in the restaurant and making your recipes. Is that right?”

  I took a deep breath. “Yes. I am going to be opening a bakery on the Rue des Abbesses. Nettie bought the property a year ago and I have been getting the equipment and suppliers lined up while I was finishing my degree. I had talked to Eve and she told me that working here for a while would give me the experience to see how working in the food industry would be and that you might be willing to give me some tips on the management side of it.”

  Natalie appraised me for a moment. “That is actually a brilliant idea. It never hurts to use the connections that you have to help make you a success. I am assuming your beignets will be the star of your bakery?”

  I ducked my head self-consciously. “Yeah. Eve told me I would be a fool if they weren’t the center piece of my business.”

  “She is right. They are amazing and I know she is hoping that you will continue to make them for her.”

  I preened under the compliment. I loved the feeling of joy that I received when someone enjoyed my food. Baking has become a part of who I am and I love to share that with people.

  Natalie took a delicate sip of the robust wine that she had been drinking. “You are familiar with the staff here at the flagship restaurant so I am going to have you working here with Sophie. She knows what you are capable of and is willing to work with you to learn to make your product on a larger scale. Eve has already set aside a budget line for you to buy the ingredients to make your deserts. She did want you to introduce yourself to her vendors and started networking. Also, she wanted to remind you that she has a standing order for your brandied beignets for Sunday family brunch and to make sure you double the order for this weekend.”

  “Thanks, Natalie. That will be fine. I am excited to get started. Sophie is wonderful and I am so glad she doesn’t mind me working with her.”

  Lina snorted, “Piper, please. Sophie thinks you are the next best thing since Betty Crocker.”

  I laughed at her. “No, Sophie just wants to know why my hot chocolate beignets are fluffier than hers.”

  Both women chuckled at my words. Natalie was the first one to settle down.

  “That is a true statement. Every time you ha
ve made those for the company picnics, she has tried to wrangle the recipe from us.”

  Bang!

  All three of us jumped and turned toward the sound of the kitchen door banging against the wall.

  Tall, dark and sexy beyond comprehension. That is how I would describe Dashiel Beniot. I had known him most of my life and the truth is that I have wanted him just as long. Do you know how strange it is to crave someone when you don’t know what craving is? I have always longed to be the one that he turned those gorgeous blue eyes on but alas, he left for America just when I was of an age to begin my pursuit of him. I was heartbroken for a very long time.

  In the six years that he had been gone, I had dated and been romanced by some very attractive men but none of them compared to him.

  Heat pooled in the bottom of stomach as I watched him prowl toward us. At 6’5 and a chest as wide as a doorframe, Dash was a man’s man. I catalogued the changes in the years since I had seen him. He was a little taller, a lot broader and he was oozing a sensuality that was hard to ignore. I could feel the desire for him as it began to flow through my veins. I dropped my gaze and inhaled deeply, attempting to cool down. I was breathing in and out when I noticed the dress shoes that had stopped in my line of sight. Shit.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Dash

  I couldn’t believe that I was back in Paris. When my dad had called me to tell me that it was time to return, I almost wrecked trying to get to the airport. He had forced me to move to America and now he wanted me to come home. I still remembered the conversation that we had had that cold winter day.

  Six years earlier…

  I walked through the country house with determined steps. I was the heir to the Beniot wolf pack and I was on my way to meet the Alpha, my father.

  I knocked on the door and pushed through at the sound of his voice. I bared my throat to him and sat at the chair in front of his desk.

  “Mon fils, what can I do for you today?”

  I took a deep breath. “It’s time, pere. She is at an age when I can claim her and I want my mate.” I had been craving Piper Weston since I noticed her when we were kids. I have spent the last decade watching her grow up and it had gotten to the point where my wolf and I were at constant odds with the need to mark her as ours.

  My father sat back with a weary sigh. “Dash.”

  I sat forward, “No. Don’t tell me that I have to continue to wait. She is mine. She has always been mine.”

  Elias Beniot was a compassionate man and he had known since the beginning that Piper was meant for me. It is very rare for kids to find a mate but I was almost ten years older than Piper. I had never desired her when she was younger; it was more of a protective vibe. My wolf knew she was ours and we made sure she was safe and cared for but never anything inappropriate.

  “Dash, she doesn’t know about us and she just turned sixteen. She is not ready to be a mate yet. I was going to come to you and tell you that we have decided to expand into New York. I am sending you there to get the new restaurant up and running.”

  I flinched at the alpha power that I could hear behind his words. This was not a request but an order.

  “We will take care of her. She is looking forward to studying at Nettie’s school and opening a bakery. She has Lina and she is happy, Dash.”

  My shoulders dropped. “Dad. She is my other half. How is this going to work? What if she meets someone else?”

  I glared up at my dad when he started to laugh.

  “I never knew you were so sensitive, Dash. You know how mates work, mon fils. Her eyes follow you when you are in the room. She turns into you when you are near. She is yours, even if she isn’t ready yet. With you gone, we can bring her into the fold and ease her into pack life. Nettie is aware of us but Piper isn’t and we want to make sure that it is done right.”

  I swallowed at the pain in my throat. I was going to have to leave my mate behind and wait for her again. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep my wolf locked down. “I will go to America, for now. I am telling you this in the most respectful way I can, when you call me back I will be claiming her.”

  He held my gaze for several long moments. I am the only other person who can hold his gaze for this long, as it is an alpha trait. He nodded.

  “When you return I will allow you to pursue her. However, you will have to win her on your own. I will not be telling her of the mate bond between you both. I do want you to allow her to grow up some more. Allow her to experience life a bit before she becomes a mate. You found her when she was so young and that is an anomaly. Bonding her at this age can lead to problems in the future.”

  I heard the words that my father was telling me but the truth is that I didn’t want to hear it. I wanted to take my mate but I knew he was right. I would wait for Piper. She was the only thing that mattered.

  “Okay, Alpha. I will follow your command. When do I need to leave?”

  Elias Benoit was not an alpha that liked to procrastinate so I wasn’t too surprised when he told me that he had already bought my ticket for that weekend. I listened as he outlined the timeframe he had set up for the construction process, the property details and my living arrangements and account information. When we were done, I gathered up the documents and told him that I was going to head back to the city to make arrangements for my move.

  I made it back to the city and headed to the family home. When I opened the front door, I inhaled the scent that haunted my dreams, chocolate and cinnamon. It was a compelling scent and it belonged to my mate. Piper was here.

  I watched as Lina and Piper ran down the stairs and skidded to a stop in front of me. I braced myself as Lina launched herself into my arms.

  “Dash! Piper and I both got invitations to the dance this weekend!”

  I held back the growl that began to rumble up my throat. Lina’s eyes widened and she pulled back. She glanced at Piper and noticed that her eyes were focused on the floor and not us. Her eyes flicked back and forth between Piper and I and they begin to widen. I shook my head at her. She nodded and let it go.

  “That is wonderful, sis. I am excited for you both. I will be leaving this weekend.”

  Piper’s eyes flashed to mine and I almost howled at the pain in their depths. She wasn’t immune to me. Thank God. I had never dared to look too far into those mesmerizing orbs. I was afraid that I wouldn’t see what I longed to and that would hurt my wolf and I.

  Her soft sweet voice rolled over me, “Where are you going, Dash?”

  I held her gaze, “New York. My father is wanting to expand the restaurant and he is sending me to oversea the setup and construction.”

  Tears pooled in her crystal blue eyes and I was a second away from taking her in my arms. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, they had cleared.

  “How exciting for you. I know your dad has a lot of faith in you. Do you know how long you will be gone?”

  I shook my head at her, “It has not been decided on when I will be returning.”

  She wrapped her hand in Lina’s and straightened her shoulders, “Then I wish you a safe and successful journey, Dash. Make sure you keep in touch with us.”

  Piper tugged Lina away and they disappeared into the depths of the house. I watched as the woman who owned my soul walked away. I don’t know what I did but I felt like I was being punished.

  I pushed the past to the back of my mind. I was back and Piper was going to be mine. I had kept up with her over the years. Lina had confronted me that last night in Paris. She realized that Piper was my mate and had made a promise to keep me apprised of her life. She sent me pictures over the years. She wrote me letters and emails detailing their exploits and it was both a relief and torture to see her life through the years. I was able to see how much joy she took in life and she grew to be a wonderful woman. She flourished at Le Cordon Bleu. I loved seeing the pictures Lina would send of her baking in the kitchen. They were some of my favorites.

  Lina had emailed me when my dad made t
he decision to tell Piper about the pack. Wolves shift for the first time as teenagers. It is usually between the ages of 15-21 but it depends on the wolf. They brought her into the pack not long after Lina had her first shift. Just like everything, Piper took it all in stride.

  I walked through the back door of Evangaline’s. Lina had texted to let me know that she and Piper were meeting Natalie. Piper was going to be opening her own bakery and she wanted to gain some experience first. Mom had been talking nonstop about Piper’s deserts. She went a little crazy over some special ones that Piper made for her. I got the impression that it was something that she made often for my mom’s brunches. I was kind of excited to try something that my little mate had made.

  I could smell the delicious scent that was all Piper as I moved through the kitchen. I waved and nodded to the staff that was prepping for the dinner crowd. I followed her scent and pushed the kitchen door open a little harder than I intended.

  My mate.

  I could smell her arousal and I longed to pull her to her feet, pick her up and disappear. I would take her back to my place and would keep her in my bed until I had managed to sink my scent into her pores.

  I took another deep breath of her unique flavor and narrowed my eyes when she dropped her gaze to the floor. I never wanted to see my mate hide like that. I stopped in front of her and with a gentle hand; I tugged her chin up until she met my gaze.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Piper

  I held my breath when Dash raised my chin. I had spent my entire life wanting to feel his hands on my body and this was the first time he had ever touched me in a way that could be seen as intimate.

  “Don’t hide those gorgeous eyes from me, Piper. I have missed you.”

  I swallowed deeply, “I missed you too, Dash. I am so glad you are back in Paris.”