Page 7 of Torn By The Alpha

He called a wolf shifter named Sheila, who he had dated several times and liked really well. They set up a date for the following night.

She was her usual charming self with all kinds of stories about her sweet patients at the nursing home. It was obvious that she really cared about them and was upset that most of them never got any visitors. Sheila didn’t dominate the conversation and asked him about himself, his job, and family. As usual, she was fun to be with.

At the end of the night, though, when she invited him into her apartment, he turned her down. Olivia’s ever-present scent wouldn’t have allowed him to enjoy his time with Sheila, no matter how talented she was in bed.

“I’ve got to figure this out,” he said, frustrated, as he drove home.

3

Olivia

Olivia playfully smacked the hand of a large man who tried to grab her ass. “Sorry, guy, I’m the showroom model. You can look, but not touch.”

Her tone was light and playful, but the look on her face let the man know that she was serious.

He grinned at her and then said, “You’re just no fun. How about a beer, then, and some chili cheese fries?”

“That you can have,” Olivia said.

“Well done,” Sean said. “That is Rory. He tries that with everyone at least once. Jade wasn’t as nice. She pushed his face down into a place of shepherd’s pie and almost broke his pinky finger.”

Jade grinned and said, “He never tried to touch me again, did he?”

“I don’t think he has even looked directly at you.” Sean laughed.

A couple came in and took a seat in Olivia’s section. “I’ll be right with you,” she called.

She dropped off the beers at Rory’s table and headed over to the couple, who had just sat down.

“It took you long enough,” the woman said, pressing her lips together. “We’re hungry and we don’t have all night.”

You literally just sat down, Olivia thought. Instead of speaking her mind, she smiled and said, “I understand hungry. Here are some menus, unless you already know what you want?”

“How could we possibly know what we want? We’re driving through to see my daughter in Albuquerque and we’ve never been here before. We’ve been driving all day, since we are coming from North Carolina.”

The man looked at Olivia apologetically and reached his hand out to his wife. “Denise, no need to be rude. She’s doing her job.”

Olivia shot him a grateful look and said, “While you’re looking at the menus, can I bring you something to drink?”

“Is your tea brewed or instant?” Denise asked.

“Brewed.”

“Sweet iced tea. Real sugar. None of that fake crap.”

“Make that two,” the man said.

Denise was unpleasant during their entire stay. It took too long for the food to be served. The food was cold. It didn’t taste good. Olivia didn’t bring the steak sauce quick enough. There wasn’t enough butter for the baked potato.

I have no idea how this man is still married to her. It’s no wonder her daughter moved so far away from her.

When they were finished, Olivia brought the check. He paid with a credit card. Denise snatched the receipt and put a zero down for the tip with a flourish. Olivia just kept that smile plastered to her lips.

As they left, the man pressed a twenty into Olivia’s hand and put a finger to his lips, walking out behind his wife.

By the end of the night, Olivia’s feet were screaming in pain, and her arms felt like they were going to fall off. She was ready to fall into the shower and then bed.

“You did great, kid,” Sean said, grinning at her. “You took care of Rory and that nightmare woman perfectly. I would have thought that you’ve been doing this your whole life.”

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