Page 17 of OutFoxed

They laughed, and she sighed. No one ever believed her, but they would.

* * * *

Merry got a glass of pineapple juice with some fruit and a little umbrella. The dance floor down below was full of writhing, glittering bodies, and it made her a little jealous. She loved dancing. Today was not for her.

She sat in the protected space and sipped at her juice while watching the other patrons of the VIP area. There were a few extra spaces between her and the others, so she was comfortable in her people-watching.

Ula was finally with her people. It was going to be a relief. It wasn’t a burden, but it was a worry. It took more effort to keep a bunny safe than she had imagined.

She had been settled in the shadowed corner for five minutes when her stomach turned to clammy jelly. The three men from earlier were settling into a new VIP area and having an earnest conversation.

Merry felt sick but relieved when female servers came up to the men and started to crawl all over them. She sipped at her juice and sighed. It sucked to have a prudish beta brain with omega impulses. If her guys were playing with other women in a public space, they weren’t hers.

She finished her juice, and the waitress got her another. “Thank you.”

The woman in the tight black dress smiled and said, “You are welcome. Are you having a nice time?”

“Yup. Just waiting for your boss to finish his meeting with my friends so we can get out of here. Killing time with pineapple juice is not too bad.”

The server blinked and nodded. “I will keep you topped up.” She took the empty glass away.

Merry sipped at the second pineapple juice, and when she finished it, she decided to hit the restroom. The path took her past the collection of men and women on the larger couch, but they weren’t looking at her.

She used the restroom and washed her hands while glaring at herself in the mirror. Her weird eyes were her most striking feature. Ula’s eyes had turned wide and liquid. Merry had seen her own face go cold while her hair rippled and waved down her back. She breathed slowly, and when she returned to her seat, she started looking up laser tattoo removal.

The next festive glass of juice was delivered, and she continued shopping for a way to get rid of the mark her beast had put on her. She hadn’t wanted to tell Ula about it, but her beast had been pulling the strings for most of the last six months. She was a puppet in her own body.

She watched the dancers below and then turned her head to watch the dancers in the VIP dance area. It wasn’t the most stimulating of evenings, but she was enjoying what she could see. Looking toward the laughing women on the other couch was not going to happen.

* * * *

Giovanni pried the slender arms from around his neck. “Thank you for the attention. You may want to return to the dance floor. My companions and I need to discuss something.”

The girl pouted, and he winced and then gave a threatening growl. “Now!”

She jumped off his lap, and she and her friends left the VIP area looking angry.

Thomas and Richard turned to him. “What the hell, man?”

He glanced over at the raven-haired goddess that was studiously not looking their way. “Gentlemen, I know your sense of smell sucks, but an omega just walked past us. That omega.”

They all looked toward the omega, and Giovanni cracked a smile when she deliberately lifted the hand wrapped around her phone and flipped them off, all without looking at them.

He rose to his feet, straightened his suit jacket and cuffs, and went to speak with the omega. It was rare to see them out without guards, so he wanted to do some investigation before he made plans to sweep her off to determine whether those curves were her or created. He suddenly really wanted to know.

Chapter Four

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Merry looked at the three men who were approaching her. Their beasts were glowing over their features. Seeing the beasts had come with her alteration.

She got to her feet, and the big cat was surprised. “What?”

She put her phone in her purse and slung it over her shoulder. Her beast was scrabbling and trying to get into his arms. Merry held her back.

He blinked and smiled. “Are you here on your own, omega?”

“No. I have a friend and her mates nearby. They are making indecent proposals to Walter.”

His nostrils were flaring as he inhaled her scent. “They left you alone?”

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