Stoking the Fire

Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2021 Megan Slayer

ISBN: 978-0-3695-0443-2

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Jessica Ruth

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

For the Lucky Ducks because you make my writing more fun.

For JPZ and TPZ

STOKING THE FIRE

Men Wanted, 1

Megan Slayer

Copyright © 2021

Prologue

We’ve got another one. Apollo checked the records and looked over the new file. Since starting in the matchmaking business with his sister, he’d helped match twenty-four couples. Making the connections hadn’t been as difficult as he’d expected. Once he figured out the unspoken formula, the pieces fell into place.

How could it not? He was Apollo: harmony, reason, and moderation in the flesh, a perfect blend of physical superiority and moral virtue—or so he’d been told. He knew how to put humans together to make romantic matches, which led to them having good times. Easy, except humans could be unpredictable.

Becoming a matchmaker wasn’t in his nature, but after helping his mother, Leto, find her forever with her now fiancé, Tommy, he decided he’d like to make his new talent work for him. So far, he hadn’t been wrong. Along with his twin sister, Artemis, and Eros, he’d started the business. They worked from Olympus and made the love matches happen.

He pulled up the profile and propped his feet on the oak table. Hey, Artemis? We’ve got one. Here. Christian Foley, thirty-six. Brown hair, blue eyes, lawyer, wants something permanent and is tired of playing the field. He loved working with his twin sister. She might be patron goddess of forests and hills, known to help with military battles and the protection of women, but she had a soft spot for helping him pair up the humans. Not all battles had to be militaristic. Some could be romantic. He and his sister excelled in getting those humans ready for their romantic skirmishes on the way to finding their forever loves.

Artemis joined him at the desk. Ah, but what is his ultimate fantasy?

That was the secret sauce. Find the ultimate fantasy and match it to someone with the same.

Uh … a quiet night watching a movie and having drinks. He claims he’s not into the club scene. So says a lot of them. Then again, he wasn’t big into the scene, either.

And his biggest regret? Artemis sat beside him. She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder, and her rings glittered as she reached for the tablet. Hmm?

He had a guy―no name―he was interested in, but he let him get away because he didn’t mix work and his personal life. Apollo frowned. That sounds familiar. Why?

Because it’s a frequent regret we see, but also because we had another application with almost that exact regret―except the other way around. Artemis swiped through the second profile. See? Where is yours from?

Uh… He checked the file. Mooresville, Ohio. Yours?

Same. Artemis met his gaze. Could be talking about each other.

Should we call in Eros? Apollo pointed to the third part of their business. Eros did the dirty work. He physically put the two people together. Apollo put the tablet down. What do you think, Eros?

Eros strolled into the office and crinkled his nose. His blond ringlets glimmered in the light. He had an almost cherubic look to him and didn’t appear more than twenty-five, despite being thousands of years old. My magic says we all need to get laid. We’re all too tense. He sighed. But this isn’t about us. What do I need to look at? He stood behind Apollo. Already had an attraction, but never acted on it. They were a match.

Should we drop the hammer and put them together now? Apollo swiped to the photos. They’re both cute. They’d make a handsome couple.

Agreed. Artemis folded her arms and crossed her legs. She’d started wearing more modern clothes rather than the baggy, boxy sweaters and jeans. I say we give them to Eros and use the arrow, but it’s up to them to make it work.

Apollo read through the profiles again. When all of them agreed on a couple, then the odds were the pairing would work. He wasn’t big on second-chance romances―he wanted couples to work out the first time around. Maybe it was seeing his father dick women around, but he hated when people had to keep trying to get the relationship to work. He chalked it up to watching his mother try so hard to make his father happy with lousy results. His father, Zeus, slept around and it took a hundred tries before he found his forever. His mother, Leto, finally had her forever man, too―not his father―and that made Apollo happy. At least someone had a good ending.

But these guys weren’t his father dicking people around. They hadn’t actually had a first time.

Well? Do we pull the trigger? Eros asked. What do you think?

Apollo shifted his gaze between his twin sister and his friend. What did these guys have to lose? Let’s do it.

I have a good feeling about this and them, Artemis said. More than usual.

Me, too. Eros rubbed his hands together. I’m ready to shoot my arrows.

Then do it. Apollo leaned back in his chair. He hadn’t been wrong often with his matches, and he had faith this would be another success.

It had to―the business depended on success.

Chapter One

Andrew Duff Wagner watched the traffic on the main drag and contemplated his life. He was forty years old, single, out, and owned his own business. He had bills, but made enough at his consignment shop to live comfortably. According to his friend Mary, he was a catch.

Except he couldn’t keep a relationship going. Guys told him to think bigger or sell his shop to a chain store. He didn’t want to sell out or get bigger. His shop was like the town of Mooresville―just the right size and quaint.

He liked his choices in life, except being single.

He checked his phone again. Choosing to sign up for the Men Wanted matchmaking service wasn’t his idea of fun, but he’d heard good things about it and decided to give them a try. He didn’t have much to lose.

According to the agreement, Men Wanted would set him up with his perfect match―all for a thousand dollars. He’d filled out the application and paid up. Now he had to wait.

An e-mail showed up in his file, and his heart hammered when he saw the subject line.

Men Wanted: Match Made

He opened the e-mail.

Dear Andrew,

He hated being referred to as Andrew. He was Duff, but he hadn’t signed up under his nickname.

A match has been made for you. You will meet the man today at the Mooresville Cafe at noon. Sit at the counter and order a coffee with four creamers. Your match will meet you there and will be wearing a red rose in his lapel. This is your perfect match, but if you aren’t satisfied, then let us know.

Yours,

Men Wanted

He didn’t like the lack of first names, but if the service worked, then he refused to argue. Goodness, they