Page 10 of Bidding on Her Orc Boss

Servers with furry faun legs trot by with champagne flutes. Orc execs in power suits stand clustered, probably plotting corporate takeovers. There are slender dryads that look like they just stepped out of an enchanted forest, and holy hell, is that a centaur? Dude is eye-to-eye with the orcs and trolls. Whoa.

I feel something ignite inside me, seeing this wild mix of folks who are so unapologetically themselves. And I’ll admit, the sheer variety of hotness in this room has me feeling some kind of way. I press my thighs together as a flash of heat races through me.

“Zana, you good?” Diego, one of the few remote peeps I actually know in real life, nudges me gently. “You’re looking a little glazed.”

I blink and shoot him a rueful grin. “Ha, yeah. It’s just...a lot. I feel like an NPC stumbling into the wrong RPG here.”

He chuckles. “For real though. But hey, we made it this far. Might as well enjoy the adventure, right?”

I nod, letting his words bolster me, and take a breath. He’s right. I’m here, I’m awkward, might as well embrace it.

Caro appears at my elbow, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Z, you’ve gotta meet some people. Let’s work the room, babe!”She loops her arm through mine and tugs me into the colorful crowd.

We navigate through the swirl of bodies, Caro pausing every few steps to make an introduction. “This is Zana, our data sorceress! She’s weaving magic remotely for the Avalon Vale expansion.”

I smile and wave, trying to remember names and faces. Finn, the willowy elf from marketing. Greta, a boisterous dwarf heading up construction. And so many more, a dizzying kaleidoscope of Otherkin awesomeness.

Suddenly, we’re face to face with an imposing orc in a perfectly tailored suit. Power radiates from him like a palpable force. “Ah, Ser Urul!” Caro greets him warmly. “Meet Zana, the remote data dynamo I was telling you about.”

“Zana, a pleasure,” Urul rumbles, his handshake firm and confident. “Your work on the expansion has been invaluable.” He gestures to the stunning dryad beside him. “My mate, Poppy de la Cruz. She’s the EVP maestro making Avalon Vale a reality.”

Poppy grins, her long silky hair flowing around her like a curtain as she leans in conspiratorially. “Zana Estrada, right? I think we have a mutual friend—Leilani Santos?”

My eyes widen. “No way! Lei’s my cousin’s best friend!”

“Such a small world!” Poppy laughs. “But that’s the Filipino community for you. Always less than six degrees of separation!”

We’re giggling and swapping stories when a presence looms behind me, heat raising the hairs on the back of my neck. I turn slowly, my breath catching. It’shim. The orc god from the lobby, his eyes blazing into mine like twin suns.

Urul clears his throat. “Zana, meet Xnaurl, our senior project manager for Avalon Vale as well as our timeline menace.”

Xnaurl steps closer, his gaze searing me to my core. He raises my hand to his lips, grazing a kiss across my knuckles. Electricity crackles through me, and I clench my thighs together, desire simmering in my veins.

“Charmed,” he rumbles, his voice dark honey and gravel. “I hope you’re enjoying the festivities?” His eyes flick over me, a hungry appreciation that weakens my knees.

“I-I am,” I stammer, lost in the sheer magnitude of him. “It’s…great.” My mind races to find a word, any word, that could follow up with that.

A ghost of a smile quirks his lip. He leans in, his breath hot against my ear. “Have you eaten? I hear the spread is...mouthwatering.”

A whimper threatens to escape me at his proximity, his innuendo. I shake my head mutely.

“Good.” His fingers tighten on mine. “Let’s rectify that, shall we?”

And before I can breathe, he’s leading me away, cutting through the crowd like an unstoppable force. I call back a “nice to meet you all” to my new acquaintances, and share a glance with Caro, who shoots me a giddy thumbs up.

Chapter Six

Xnaurl

Ten Minutes Ago

1- 2

I’m sulking at the bar, nursing my third whiskey and contemplating how to murder Urul without getting caught. That backstabbing snake volunteered me for this ridiculous auction dinner. As if I don’t have enough on my plate already.

“X, you look like you’re plotting someone’s demise,” a familiar voice chimes in.

I glance up to see Noreeah, my ex-betrothed who still claims me as a friend, grinning at me. Her presence softens my scowl slightly. “What gave it away?”

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