Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love by Ariana Hawkes Page A

take a real good look at her. You know I only have eyes for you.”
    “You’re so smooth, Connor,” Lauren said, clicking her tongue, but she couldn’t restrain a grin of delight from creeping across her face. “Did you get any impression of her personality?”
    “Well, let me think. She was a little tipsy. She seemed nice and friendly. And she was acting like she wanted to eat Timo alive. Why are you asking anyway?”
    “Oh, no reason. Just an idea that popped into my mind. It’s probably nothing.”
    “What?”
    “I don’t want to say yet, until I’ve figured a few things out. But I’ll tell you in time, I promise.” She leaned close and fastened her mouth to Connor’s earlobe and gave it a little nip.
    “Okay,” Connor said with a purr of pleasure. “Anything you say.”
     
    Much later that night, when Connor was passed out after several hours of blissful mating, Lauren messaged Tamika, her good friend and the creator of Shiftr – the dating app that matched shape-shifting men with beautiful curvy women.
     
    *
     
    The following afternoon, Lauren invited herself over for coffee at the girls’ cabin. They’d already added some nice touches to make it more homely, and it was starting to have a character of its own. They sat out on the porch together, catching the last of the afternoon sun and breathing in the fragrant summer air. Raven had just finished her first day at the store, and she was buzzing with exhilaration.
    “Lori is so great,” she said. “Today I spent the morning in the store, and then in the afternoon, I researched some new suppliers and purchased a couple of new lines. Lori even said that I could visit suppliers around the country to look at their stock if I want.”
    “I’m so glad to hear that,” Lauren said. “I was pretty sure that you’d be happy there.”
    “What have you been doing today, Lauren?” Caitlyn said.
    “Well, I’ve been testing out some updates to an app that a friend of mine owns. It’s looking good so far.”
    “What does the app do?” Raven asked, immediately curious. She loved apps and new technology.
    “It’s in beta at the moment, but it’s a personality profiler. You enter details about your personal qualities, and what your partner is like, and it’s supposed to give you a very accurate personality profile.”
    “Okay,” Raven said dubiously. It didn’t sound particularly innovative, but maybe there was something she was missing.
    “She’s actually looking for a couple more people to test it out. Would you girls be interested?”
    “Sure,” they both said.
    “Great. She’s looking to complete the testing phase very soon, so if you have a moment to do it now, I know she’d be very grateful.”
    “I’d be happy to. What do I need to do?”
    “Just give me your phone and I’ll install it for you.” Raven handed it over and Lauren tapped away for a couple of minutes.
    “Okay, you need to add a profile photo to start. Is there one in your photo stream that I can use?” Raven picked out her favorite one. It was a close-up, and she was sitting in the sun, the light enhancing the greenness of her eyes. “So, I’ve entered all the things I know about you. I just need you to fill out these sections right here.” Raven took the phone back and frowned in concentration as she filled out her personal qualities.
    “Jeez, I’ve never done anything like this before. Some of these questions are hard!” she muttered.
    “I know. When I did it, I tried to just write the first thing that came into my head. Tamika believes that’s the way to get the truest answers.”
    “Okay.”
    Raven was silent for a while.
    “Now it’s asking me what I look for in a partner. But I’m not looking right now?”
    “It doesn’t matter. Just imagine you were, and add your answers on the basis of that.” Raven raised an eyebrow, but did as Lauren asked.
    “Strong, protective, kind, big-hearted. I kind of have a thing for guys who are a little shy. I