AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I paused in front of the mirror, staring at myself. There were dark circles under my eyes, but I could tell that I tried to mask them with makeup at least. Otherwise, I looked perfect—strong, confident, ready to do this.
“You can do this,” I told myself in a whisper before heading for the door. When I pulled it open, Theo and Jordan were waiting in front of it. I didn’t say anything as I locked the door, but I could feel their eyes on me as I did. They followed dutifully behind as I made my way outside to the parking lot, pausing then to turn around.
“Well, which one’s yours?” I questioned.
Jordan held up the keys and clicked a button on the fob. A Tahoe beeped next to me; it looked brand new, sleek and black.
“I swear you guys pretend you’re the Secret Service,” I muttered as I climbed into the backseat. Theo started to protest, but I’d already closed my door and started buckling up, while Jordan just got in the driver’s seat.
“Where are we going?” Jordan asked. I gave him the address, and Theo typed it into the GPS, letting it do the talking for us as Jordan drove out of town.
Another interview in Lancaster that I knew was going to end in failure. My phone went off in my lap, and I glanced down, smiling to myself, the words of encouragement rolling in.
Shaye: Good luck today. You’ve got this!
Warren: Keep calm and charm them. You’re going to be amazing.
Felix: Don’t forget to smile! I always forget that when I interview.
I felt eyes on me again and glanced up to see Theo studying me. A ghost of a smile was on his face, but it dropped when he saw me looking. He turned quickly, but I saw the longing there.
For a group that demanded we keep this professional, that acted like I wasn’t a scent match at all, he seemed to be wishing I was.
I think it was the fact that I felt so conflicted, knowing they were my mates and didn’t want me, that had me moving forward with Warren. Maybe ‘moving forward’ is a bit of a stretch, but we were on talking terms, and that was something.
The drive was quick between the guys softly chatting and my text messages coming in. But the moment we pulled up outside Guardian Suites, my anxiety was at full force.
“We’ll be waiting right out here,” Jordan said.
“Good luck, Tori,” Theo offered as he got out and opened my door for me, helping me out. I felt their eyes on me the entire way to the front door, but I didn’t bother to turn around.
A young beta was working behind the desk as I walked up, and he gave me his best customer-service smile. His suit was tailored to fit and expensive, his haircut and manicure only adding to that aesthetic.
“Hello, ma’am, welcome to Guardian Suites. Are you checking in?”
“Actually, I have an interview with Sasha.”
His smile fell immediately.
“I’ll go get her for you.” There was a look of pity on his face as he said that, and it only had my nerves rolling in my stomach to the point I felt like I might vomit. That wouldn’t exactly make the impression I was going for.
The click of heels had me glancing up to see a tall Omega with a sleek, black ponytail and an almost identical outfit as mine. Though, she looked much better in it.
“Victoria Winters?” she asked, trying to force her lips into a smile, but it looked more like a grimace to me.
“Yes, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I offered her my hand, but she just looked down her nose at it before turning on her heels.
“Follow me.”
I swallowed down my annoyance at the order and glanced at the guy who just looked away, shaking his head.
Why was he working here if she was such a bitch that he needed to offer pity to everyone?
“I’m going to be getting a promotion to District Manager. I’ll be overseeing the Guardian Suites all around the state,” she said in a haughty tone.
“Oh, congratulations, that’s great.”
“What experience do you have as a manager?” she questioned. One eyebrow raised as she studied me, expecting me to stumble over my words.
