Page 4 of The Alpha's Honor

Mercy nodded. “Yep. It’s called Tails. Isn’t that awesome? Anyway, my client was telling me that they have a great house band, and Fridays are Ladies Nights, so we can get a couple of free drinks, and maybe get felt up by some shifter guys. How does that sound?”

“Like you’re hoping to get laid.”

“Aren’t you? When’s the last time someone cleared the bats out of the attic for you?”

A blush heated her cheeks. “Merc,” she said, her voice dropping to a warning tone.

Mercy waved her hand dismissively. “You really need to get over yourself. Just because you picked a couple of losers, doesn’t mean that the next guy you find will also be one.”

“I’m not looking for anything right now.”

Which was true, but also not true. Ree would love to be in a relationship, but she had a hard time trusting any guys. Maybe because their dad ran off on them when she was in elementary school, and their mom had never really gotten over her broken heart. Or maybe it was because her last boyfriend had waited until she went to work, snuck into her apartment, and sold all her electronics. The one before that had cheated on her, and then blamed her for his actions.

She shook her head. “No. I don’t want to go out to a bar tomorrow.”

“Don’t make me call in thefavor.”

Ree’s eyes narrowed. Thefavor, as it had come to be known, was the one thing that the sisters would do for each other, no matter what. They’d both promised to give each other one such favor. Ree had cashed in hers when she’d asked Mercy to move across the hall so she could have some privacy. She’d lived with her sister from the time they were little, and when they moved away from home and into the same apartment, Ree had felt stifled. She liked having Mercy close, just not sharing a bathroom.

“Really? That’s what you want to waste your favor on? You could ask me for anything and you’re asking me to go out for a drink.”

The corner of Mercy’s mouth quirked up. “I think it will be good for you. And I know for dang sure you wouldn’t let me go to a shifter bar all by my lonesome.”

Of course, her sister was right. Ree would never let her go to a bar by herself, let alone a shifter bar. She’d never actually been to a shifter bar, but she’d heard stories from her coworkers, who always talked about shifters being more aggressive than humans. Not that Mercy couldn’t handle herself, but that didn’t mean that Ree wouldn’t be there just in case.

Knowing that Mercy wouldn’t let this one go, she gave up fighting. “Okay. But I’m driving, you don’t bring home any strange men, and when I’m ready to go, you leave with me without any complaint.”

Judging by the triumphant glint in her baby blues, Mercy knew she’d won. “I’ll be over after work tomorrow to pick out your outfit. And you’ll let me do your hair, of course.”

“Fine. Nothing too crazy, though.”

She tilted her head. “Would I ever do anything crazy to your hair?”

“You once melted a chunk of my hair off when you got distracted while you were straightening it!”

Sniffing, Mercy said, “Yeah, but I fixed it by giving you that cute, short cut.”

It had taken ages for Ree’s hair to grow back to the length she loved, which was well past her shoulders.

“Nothing. Crazy.”

Mercy put one hand over her heart. “Promise.”

* * *

Ree studied herself in the bathroom mirror. Mercy had been waiting at her door when she got home from work at six, her arms laden with clothing, shoes, and a bag of hair implements. Although she’d hoped that her sister had changed her mind about going to Tails, it hadn’t surprised her that she’d been grinning like an idiot and practically bouncing on her feet.

The outfit that Mercy had chosen was simple and, dare she say, sexy – a pretty black lace dress with a flowing skirt, and a cropped jean jacket. The black, strappy sandals had a wedge heel which brought her five-four height closer to five-six. Understated makeup, and a curling iron that had turned her straight hair into a glorious mass of curls.

“Well?” Mercy asked from the doorway. Ree glanced at her sister’s outfit, a much more daring short jean skirt, paired with a fitted tank.

Turning her attention back to the mirror, Ree said, “It’s perfect.”

“I know.”

“You’re so arrogant,” she said with a chuckle. “How are we even related?”

“I’m just awesome. There’s nothing wrong with knowing you’re good at something and flaunting that knowledge toeveryone. I think you’re going to break some hearts tonight.”

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