Page 34 of Knotty New Year

“Sorry. I’ll try to stop thinking about it.”

She craned her neck back. “I’m just jealous. Lucky bitch.”

I sighed. “I know I’m lucky. I just wish we were together.”

“He’d better pull his head out of his ass, soon. He doesn’t have time to waste, what with his advanced old age.”

“He’s about to turn forty, Rain,” I snapped back. “Not four hundred.”

“You say potato, I say tomato. You’re his true mate. He should be on you like white on rice.”

“I’ll go back to his place tonight, and maybe we can talk it out.”

“I have a better idea,” she said, an evil smile curling her lips. “Let’s go to a club. Send him a few pics of you looking like… well, you. If he doesn’t come running, I’ll owe you a Bestie Favor.”

“You’re on.” I laughed as she held up a dress that was pretty much eighteen square inches of gold sequins held together with mesh and happy thoughts. “What if he doesn’t, Rain?”

“Then, I’m telling ya, I will take steps to make sure he never hurts my bestie again. Pig steps.” She went back to packing, muttering something that sounded like, “They even eat the bones. Thebones.”

I ignored her and took a deep breath, counting for a long moment.

And then I put on the damned sequins.

Chapter15

Candy

“This is amazing!” I shouted to one of the Omega League women dancing next to me. We’d somehow skipped the entire line at $lick, the hottest club in all of Georgetown. Getting in here took either a two-month wait, or a lot of money, or fame, or all three. We’d just walked in, after Trina had tapped the bouncer on the shoulder, then spoken privately to the club manager. He’d escorted us inside, but not until he’d taken some pics of all five of us: me, Rain, Trina, and two of Trina’s friends.

Trina wasn’t a friend, exactly. But she always knew where the best parties were, and lived a “more the merrier” philosophy, on the streets and in the sheets, if rumors were to be believed.

And by rumors, I meant the pictures on her phone she’d proudly displayed to all of us an hour before of her with three alphas at once. It had kind of turned my stomach, but Rain had seemed intrigued.

Rain had texted Pax a picture of us outside the club, and I knew he’d be here any minute. But I was going to enjoy myself before he got here.

And then maybe I’d get another spanking tonight.

“Trina, I can’t believe we got in here. How did you manage that?” I shouted over the deafening beat.

The flashing lights on the dance floor painted Trina’s face red, blue, yellow, and purple, but the green of envy shone clearly through when she shouted back, “Are you kidding? Of course we got in. You’re wearing Nicholas Paxson’s marks on your neck. That’s all Marco needed to hear.”

“Marco?”

“Yeah, that’s my neighbor, the club manager. He popped a pic up on the club socials, hope that was okay!” I gave a blurry thumbs up. I’d had a little too many of a new cocktail the beta bartender had called “Sweet and Numb,” but for the first time in days, my mate mark wasn’t itching or burning, and my mind was blissfully empty.

I closed my eyes and lifted my hands in the air, knowing my sequin dress was centimeters away from showing off the tiny thong underwear I’d put on. Every once in a while, a hand slid over my skin, but I danced away. I was only here for one alpha.

The best thing about this club was the high-powered air filtration system. I took a deep breath in, amazed that I could be surrounded by so many others, including alphas, and not be overwhelmed by the scents. “I love this place!” Behind my closed lids, the lights flashed over and over, almost like a strobe.

“Fuck.” Rain’s shouted curse had me opening my eyes. She stood with her hands up in front of my face, like she was trying to stop something from hitting me. None of the other omegas were around, though the dance floor was more crowded than ever, so for all I knew they were nearby.

That’s when I saw the cameras. Cameras? Why were there a dozen gross-looking guys with cameras all over the dance floor? And one down on his knees, angling a shot up at my… “Pervert!” I yelled, kicking him over with one of my heels. His camera went sliding across the dance floor.

“Paparazzi,” Rain yelled in my ear, her hands pulling me away from the dance floor. “Trina is such a bitch.”

“Trina?” I asked, though it was really hard to say her name. “She called the paps? Why?” Rain’s face went yellow, blue, red, purple, then pale, as she stared at something behind me.

“Because you’re my mate, Candace.”

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