Page 12 of Tilly

Tilly

Iwaitedoutsidethe Hanson Group offices for my nerves to settle before I went inside the building. It was a modern, high-rise of thirty-five floors, with metal and glass covering the outside of the structure.

It was raining again, a light drizzle that dampened me, but the small droplets always caused my hair to frizz and I pushed my umbrella up and listened for a while as the rain pattered on the material.

I took a sip of my hot coffee and stood back as a commuter burst his way down the pavement and almost took me out.

“Sorry,” he said. He wasn’t. It was typical of the city.

Peggy, the company receptionist, arrived at the office. She was wearing a long beige trench coat with the belt knotted rather than buckled. She glanced toward me as though she knew I was there and I lowered my head and the umbrella to stop her enquiring gaze.

Finally, I finished my coffee and threw the empty cup in the bin and strode over the road like I owned it.

Thirty minutes later, and my nerves were wearing down watching Sandy present in front of a large screen. She was every bit as polished and perfect as she looked, striding in front of the screen and speaking without faltering. Unlike me, because I was sweating like an omega caught in an alpha’s apartment.

Oh yes, just like last night.

But this felt worse, Sandy, a female alpha and my two new alpha bosses staring at her as she made her presentation.

And I knew they wouldn’t eat me. Yes, I’d heard they were brutal in bed with savage sex that included biting. That’s why I avoided them, the fear of them, the fear that I knew alphas could hunt an omega by her perfume, I knew far too well. And I knew my new boss Luca would be like that, his nose in the air as he prowled toward his prey. One slow foot in front of the other, but not taking away his gaze.

I could smell his delicious scent, regardless of my suppressants.

I could smell the two of them as they focused their eyes on me, not on what Sandy was saying. It was almost like they saw me. What was beneath the facade? The two handsome and gorgeous smelling men in the seats in front of Sandy were my new bosses. Replacing the retiring alpha, who I admired.

Taking a deep breath and blinking hard, I opened my eyes and caught the eye of the blond-haired guy once more. I glanced away and picked up my presentation.

This was so hard.

“This is the last slide,” Sandy said.

She was talking, and I needed to focus. I wouldn’t be in such a fluster if my attention was on her and not on the men.

Sandy was tall, Amazonian-like, a stunning woman. Her make-up looked like it was professionally done and her blonde hair pinned in a neat chignon updo, which contrasted beautifully against her deep honey-coloured skin.

She gave brief glances to the men sat in front of her and I wondered if she was nervous, rather than the flirty she appeared.

She pushed her hand into her low-cut blouse and that’s when I noticed how flushed her skin was. She turned away and clicked on the button, pushing her knee-high fitted skirt over her thighs, showing off her perfectly rounded arse.

That’s when I realised she wasn’t nervous, but they aroused her.

Oh fuck!

Did they have magical abilities, or was she, like me, hiding her true designation?

No, she fancies one of them.

I mean, who wouldn’t? Both of them were gorgeous, but they were different. Sandy was interested.

She could act on it... I couldn’t.

Well, I had... with one... I hoped he didn’t recognise me. I looked different. Today’s make-up was more subdued. My outfit was far removed from the sexy dress of last night. My hair was in its natural state, wavy and flowing down my back, and since my hair last night was poker straight, I could get away with pretending I didn’t know him.

“Oh yes, finances,” Sandy said as she pressed a button on her remote and the next project was up on the screen.

But I’d stopped listening, stopped watching. I could only pace around on my high-heeled stilettos, wishing I wore flats today.

Get a fucking grip, Tilly.

I was acting very non beta-like and I needed to change. Plunging my hands in the pockets of my high waisted black pants and rummaging around for something to do. The trousers were wide legged, with nothing to draw attraction to me, no tight little skirts and low-cut blouses. I teamed the trousers with a black-and-white striped top which flared in pleats from top to bottom. Again, nothing that should arouse, only showing my face and bare arms.

Nothing that would make an alpha purr and emit his scent. I always made sure of that.

But why was I struggling with their scents?

His scent.

I touched my face. My makeup was gentle, almost invisible. Again, I preferred a muted, or as my friend called it, dull tone. Yes, Sandy was flawless, with her scarlet lips and perfectly made-up face, which showed off her amazing high cheekbones.

Me, I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself—I couldn’t let myself.

She smiled, looking at the two alphas sat in front of her, then she turned her attention to me.

Nausea snaked up my body.

You’re a beta, Tilly. You’re a beta.

I gave her a nod, rolled my shoulders back, and strode to her. As I took the remote from her, I turned my head away.

“I work in marketing, internal and external, but today I’ll update you on the external marketing plan,” I said, and chewed my lip for a second. Be a beta. “And if you don’t mind, ideas on how to take the company forward in the social media arena.”

Like a stupid, shy omega. I waited for the nod and started my talk. I walked around throughout my presentation, trying not to take in their masculine scents, but as much as I took these drugs to stop me from emitting my scent, my actions were pure fucking omega.

Remember to give eye contact and smile. Be like Sandy.

Sandy is an alpha.

I glanced at my notes, pretending to make eye contact as much as I could, but glancing away as soon as I did. I turned and gave a smile to Sandy. Alpha women didn’t scare me, unlike the men.

“Thank you, Tilly, your work is good,” Sandy said. She leaned forward and took the remote from my shaking hands. Her eyes lingered on my face for a second. “You should have brought these ideas to me first.”

“Sorry,” I said. “I was worried I didn’t have a long enough presentation and panicked.”

And I was trying to save my job.

She spun to the two alphas, and I turned and did the same.

Both tall men, Luca, wore a charcoal suit, leaner and had the darkest of brown hair, like burnt sugar, and his skin was dusky and I assumed he had a Mediterranean heritage. His pink lips twitched when I glanced at him and I peeped at the other man. And knew straight away I shouldn’t have done that.

I swallowed, trying to look at his clothes rather than his face. He dressed casually, as though this meeting had taken him away from something much more interesting. Muscular legs that were wrapped in a pair of black jeans and his wide body donned a cashmere jumper that he’d pushed up the sleeves to show his fantastic forearms. Tattoos covered those forearms from his elbows to his fingers.

Fingers that had got me off once before, lips that had been on my nether lips.

It was dark. He probably doesn’t remember you.

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