“Got it,” I said. Preston will hate all of that.
Surprisingly, talking with Jessica felt very therapeutic. She was the first non-dancer person I'd connected with, and our personalities meshed well together. It was very satisfying to joke and talk with her about life, even about something that would normally embarrass the hell out of me, like pack sex. Our time in the store dragged on a bit longerthan needed, but it was so refreshing to joke with another woman who was neither mad nor idolizing me.
As we laughed together for the third time, a pang in my heart grew, thinking about how she must just view interacting with me as part of her job. "You're really good at what you do," I said, flashing her a smile that had a hint of sadness to it. "I've really enjoyed hanging out with you and talking."
"Same!” she replied, shooting a smile at me. “You seem fun, and you’re not hitting on me. I usually find most clients annoying to deal with. Also, your story is crazy, and it sounds like you've been through a lot of changes recently." Jessica leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "I've written my phone number down on this pamphlet if you just need someone to hang out with now and then."
I beamed, feeling so much joy at the potential of a new friend. "Thank you!" I whispered. "We'll hang out soon!"
We continued walking around the store as she questioned me about any sexual preferences in the pack. Not quite knowing anymore about my boy's preferences, we both agreed that we should keep the nest simple for now.
After we finished looping the store, I smiled as I turned back to Jessica. “Thank you so much. You’ve been a wonderful help today. I feel so much better after coming in here.”
“Of course, I’m happy to help. I’ve got your list of goodies all jotted down right here. Shall we get you all rung up?” Jessica asked.
I gestured to Demetrius to join us, and we quickly purchased everything on the list. With a final wave goodbye to Jessica, the five of us made our way out of the store, joking about the fun things the boys had played with inside.
“We don’t need any dildos,” Isaac said. “You’ve got a full pack, eager to please you.”
“Damn, I just bought ten mega thrusters,” I joked back, earning a laugh from Preston.
“I can't wait to see what you got!” Lukas said, walking behind me as he kissed the back of my neck.
Preston squeezed my hand tighter as he walked by my side. “I’ll just need a few blankets and pillows to kiss you on.”
“Ivy, you came well under budget today,” Demetrius chimed in. “We should find something else to buy for you.”
“I’m starting to think you being in charge of our finances is a bad thing now that you’ve found me,” I teased him.
“I…uh…shit, you’re probably right,” Demetrius laughed, reaching for my other free hand.
As we walked through the mall, I saw several beta girls sending me weird looks. I didn’t even care; I was with my pack, and we were planning for my heat. They made melaugh, and each one of them was arm candy for me. I couldn’t be happier to show them off.
Chapter twenty-four
Interference
Lukas
“Whoa, I don’t get summoned to the big man’s office very often,” Tracey joked as she shut the door to Dem’s office. “Am I in trouble?”
“Please sit,” Dem said, gesturing to the chair across from his desk. I leaned off to the side against the edge of a bookcase, watching to see what Tracey’s reaction would be.
Dem lifted up his phone and scrolled over to the picture of the rock, then held it up for Tracey. Tracey’s eyes grew wide as her face paled a bit.
“This looks an awful lot like your handwriting,” Dem said. I could feel the restraint in his voice.
“Look, I put the rock there, but not the glass,” she quickly stammered, standing up out of her chair. “I had nothing to do with it.”
“We found the container of glass inside your boyfriend’s locker,” I added, walking up next to Dem.
“You found glass in Henry’s locker?” she asked, looking at us, perplexed.
Dem and I shared a glance before he continued. “No, we found it in Christian’s locker—he said he was seeing you.”
“Oh,” she replied, sitting down in her chair as her voice grew quiet. “Christian’s…just a side thing. Few people know…” She looked up at Dem, then over to me with a defeated look on her face. “She’s so dumb.”
“Who?” I asked.
