The limousine pulled up in front of a giant grey building. I was closest to the window, so I rolled it down to stare in awe. There was no way anything here was affordable.
Someone opened the door before I could recover. I grabbed my purse and stepped out. Becca exited through the other door. Her arm hung around my shoulders as she came to stand beside me. Her sequin dress stopped below her knee. The air was a bit chilly, but she was dressed summer style.
“Alright, girls,” Becca murmured when Fumi stopped beside her. She threw her other arm around our friend’s shoulders, nudging three of us forward. “Let’s get shopping.”
Her excitement was contagious. They were only tagging along, and I might end up with a dent in my account balance, but I couldn’t help giggling. A man pulled the door open for us. None of them appeared fazed by that. Younger Beth wouldn’t have batted an eye, but the older me, that had to take on more responsibilities than I bargained for, always did.
The place was warm, almost like we had stepped into another dimension. The dimension of the rich and shiny. I rubbed my palms against my work dress, my eyes bulging as I took in the wristwatches on display. I told Becca something durable and affordable, maybe with fancy leather. Leather wristwatches would cost less.
A lady walked over to us, but Becca shooed her. We continued further into the store. At the corner were stairs leading somewhere else, probably to more expensive jewelry pieces. Becca led the way to a display glass and pointed at one made of complete silver. Ian would shit his pants. Thirty was a significant age, and I wanted to go all out this time.
The lady behind the glass placed it on top. My fingertips moved over the stones on the inside of the wristwatch. I didn’t need to ask for the price. I just knew it cost a fortune.
“How much?” Becca asked.
Fumi had walked off to inspect the place, probably to select something for Dave. Fumi Davies, socialite, and trophy wife. She didn’t like to be called that to her face, but we all knew what it was. Her husband was away more time than he was at home. Hence, she was constantly spending all her time with us and living vicariously through Becca.
The attendant removed the wristwatch from its box and placed it on her palm. Who asked her to do that?
“Ten grand.”
I choked. Literally. Becca hit my back a few times. I forced air into my burning lungs. It was my fault for trusting Becca with this.
Fumi waddled back to us. Her V-cut dress revealed more cleavage than I felt was appropriate for a married woman. She was the shortest in the group but carried herself like the tallest, maybe because she was in terms of finances and boobs. I had great boobs, but Fumi had the greatest rack.
“See something you like?” she asked.
“No, I don’t like this one,” I murmured.
The attendant’s face fell. I cared more about my wallet than her feelings. Buying it would set me back. Becca and Fumi shared a glance.
“You could check upstairs. There are better designs there,” the attendant offered.
She had to mean more expensive brands. My friends didn’t seem to get that memo. They slid an arm around my elbow and nearly dragged me towards the staircase.
“I’m not looking for anything over the top,” I said, my eyes fleeting to the art décor on the wall above the staircase. “Something nice.”
“We think Ian’s going to propose. Even if he won’t, the gift might motivate him to do so,” Becca murmured. Ever since she attained the engaged status, the pressure for me to join the club had worsened. “We could even get married on the same day, Beth. Please.”
Her outdoor wedding was fixed for the second weekend of January; next year. The thought of sharing my big day with her scared me. She would draw all the attention to her, not like I would mind. I preferred being left alone, except it was Ian doing the talking or my kid sister, Lynn. Those two, I could tolerate.
Fumi placed a hand on the railing, and we stopped. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, okay? But he asked about your ring size. That’s huge.” My lips puckered, and my heart raced faster. He did? We discussed our future a lot, but I tried not to act too forward. “I—no, we think this could be it, Beth. Your engagement party. Spend the fucking money, girl. See it as a pre-engagement gift to him.”
“What did you get Dave after he proposed?” I asked, turning my head to Becca so she knew the question was also directed at her.
“A trip to the Bahamas,” Fumi replied.
“I gave him the best fucking night of his life,” Becca supplied with a wink. I believed her. “Mike still talks about it to this day.”
“Noted,” I said, relenting. “Maybe we can get something a bit higher. Maybe five grand?”
“I could chip in,” Fumi volunteered.
“Me too,” Becca added.
Arguing with both of them was pointless. If they were sure Ian would propose and they wanted to spend their money, I would be damned if I said no. Plus, Ian was obsessed with growing his wristwatch collection. What better way to celebrate his thirtieth birthday than with a proposal to his long-term girlfriend? I almost squealed at the thought.
“Okay.”
They clapped, too excited at the thought of spending money on things that didn’t benefit them. As we bundled upstairs, the tension left my joints. We were on the top floor when a phone vibrated against my hip.
Fumi’s.
She excused herself as we continued down the hallway. Becca got distracted soon. A door opened, and voices filled the empty hall. Fumi was by the window at the other end, her lips downturned in a frown. Becca typed on her phone, not once looking up.
“Go in,” Becca said, “we will join you.”
I walked through the open double doors and smacked right into a wall. The voices ceased, and I stumbled back, almost falling flat on my butt before a strong pair of arms wrapped around my wrist, righting me up. My front pressed to a firm chest, and an unusual load of current exploded through me. I jumped back, this time landing on my butt. The man didn’t try to help. My eyes trailed the shiny black shoes up to the face of the owner, and my breath caught in my throat.
He quirked a brow, his head cocking to the side. My mouth watered. I drank in the sight of his delicious body, the expensive suit fitted to his frame, and my eyes drifted back up to his lips. He had an earring in one ear. Was that a real diamond? Thick beards covered his jaw, and my fingers curled from the urge to reach up and touch them.
Wait, what the fuck? I had a boyfriend.
I shuffled to my feet, my unusual attraction for him turning into anger. What kind of man lets a lady sit on the floor? He could have helped instead of eyeing me like I was some strange creature he didn’t understand.
“Malik? Come check this.” someone called behind him, and those piercing gray eyes turned away from me. I breathed easily, backing away from him before I did something silly.
Footsteps pounded behind me, and a sharp whistle cut through my thoughts. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Becca. Looking ahead, I saw what caught her attention—the two handsome young men in front. Becca had dated all sorts in the past, but I doubt Malik, the tall ray of sunshine, was her type. She had only dated a handful of black men.
Malik was more my type. Wow, I had to slow down. Ian was the love of my life, my type.
“Is it me, or did the room suddenly grow hot?” Becca whispered into my ear. I cut her a glare, but she wasn’t the only one affected by their presence. Fumi had shaken her hair out of its loose bun. God help me survive this catastrophe with my best friends. “Those wristwatches won’t buy themselves, Beth.”
The men stepped out of the way before she reached them. Malik’s companion looked as disinterested as his friend in talking to us. He had the same skin tone as Malik and looked very much like the vice-president of the rich fuckboys association. Malik looked like the president with that bad-boy aura and stern frown that constantly drew my eyes to his lips. He wasn’t a snack. He was the whole buffet.
Once Becca got closer to them, they left for the door. I couldn’t tell what possessed me to look back, but I did. Malik hesitated momentarily at the door, and his eyes flashed a different color for a second. It turned green. I grabbed the wrist of the person closest to me.
“Did you guys see that?” I asked. Looking down, I saw I was holding onto Fumi’s wrist.
All three of us were staring at the door now.
“See those tall, handsome gentlemen?” Becca asked. Before anyone replied, she added, “I did. We should have asked for their numbers.”
My eyes landed on Fumi’s open chest. When did she pull it down? I tugged the top of the dress to cover the cleavage she was gladly showing off, and she slapped my hand.
“Stop acting like a prude,” she chided.
“A prude? You’re married, Fumi.”
“He’s not here,” she replied dryly.
“Doesn’t mean a thing.”
We returned to the main business at hand, noticing for the first time that we weren’t alone. The three attendants hardly looked affected by our interaction. They must have a lot of crazies coming in here all the time.
“Did you guys see his eyes?” I asked when we were at a glass. This place was bigger and had some watches on the wall shelves.
The female attendant watched us as we went from one display glass to another without picking out anything. I wasn’t really looking. I trusted Becca’s taste more than mine, and since they were contributing to his gift, I wanted to give them the liberty to go wild.
“Why look at his eyes when you could look at other places?” Becca said. Fumi snorted, and they shared a high-five. In our group of three, they were their own group of two. A group in a group. “But his body, damn. I need to sign up at whatever gym he frequents.”
“You’re engaged,” I muttered.
Did no one here care about protecting their relationship anymore? I was not a prude for worrying about these things. If I wasn’t with Ian, I wanted to believe he wasn’t out there lusting after a hot stranger because looking wasn’t considered cheating.
“I know that, Beth. You’ve reminded me every chance you got. Being engaged doesn’t stop you from admiring other men.” Maybe. But sometimes, attraction could lead to something else. It was better not to put yourself into certain situations. My fingers tingled at the reminder of that brief contact with Malik. That was so weird. “Anyway, we came here for something. Let’s get to it.”
“Yeah,” I agreed with a nod. “No more talks about boys. It’s all about wristwatches now.”
My best friends were behind me, but I didn’t need anyone to tell me they were rolling their eyes as they chorused, “It’s all about wristwatches now.”
Hi everyone! I finally got a title for book three, and it is: LUNA TO THE ALPHAS. The story starts immediately after Beth blacks out, and no, it won't be continued here on Goodnovel. To know what happens with Beth, you can become an explorer or enthusiast at Maraville. Since I've been getting a few questions about joining, I decided to answer them here for new and old readers. Q: How can I become part of the Maraville? A: Since Goodnovel won't allow me to post línks within chapters, the best place to find details about the Maraville community is on my Instâgram (maramartha.author) or Facébook page (Maramartha). Q: Do you need to pay per chapter? A: No. You pay once a month and that gives you access to everything I've written for that month. You also get to read other books in that tier. Q: What is Maraville? A: It's a community for my readers to connect and a place for me to share my works at a weekly rate with readers paying only once a month. Q: Why do I love Maraville more
The door shut after Malik, and I switched off the lights. Sleeping was futile. I tossed and turned until I fell into a fitful sleep. The following day, I was still cranky. I splashed water on my face and made my way into his room. He was seated on the bed. But I ignored him as I walked past to the bathroom to get the spare toothbrush. I finished brushing and returned to meet him in that same position. He looked exhausted. What was I even doing here in his room? I had a toothbrush in the guest room. I was supposed to be ignoring my mate, but worry gnawed at my chest. Folding my arms on my chest, I tapped my foot on the floor, and he slowly lifted his head to meet my gaze. Sad, gray eyes connected with mine. My insides tingled, but I scowled. “Are you okay?” I almost barked. “No.” His reply floored me. The softness of his voice made my arms drop to my sides. Did he transition at night? Except from the tiredness in his eyes, he looked okay. “C
No, no, no. This was not my Malik, even if they looked alike and my body liked him. One, he was acting weird and more aggressive. His eyes constantly flicked between green and gray like he was contesting with his wolf. My thighs throbbed, not only from being in his presence but because they had been forced open while his fingers assaulted my pussy. I needed him so badly that as he ignored my plea to stop and continued thrusting into my wetness, part of me wanted him to keep going until my orgasm. But I also needed to put my foot down. If I could punish Waylen, I could punish Malik too. “Malik,” I called out, my voice louder. My body reacted in all the ways it should, and he continued to use that to his advantage. “What?” he barked, an unusual chill in his voice. He retracted his fingers to suck them clean. His eyes were different colors. One gray, one green. I didn’t know who was in charge. “Wolf got your tongue? Can’t talk anymore?
MALIKThe weekend passed, and we were still not on talking terms. Elizabeth was back to the office. Except for passing vital information when necessary, she wouldn’t talk or look at me. I loved my mate, I needed her, but if she wasn’t sure how she felt about me anymore, maybe some space would be good for her. Staying in the guestroom hadn’t improved her mood. It was worse. I parked in the garage, and as usual, Elizabeth stepped out of the car without waiting for me to open her door. That didn’t bother me as much as knowing she would head into the guestroom and I wouldn’t see her until tomorrow morning. The council was a part of me. I had separated myself enough from them by refusing to be a part of the table. But I couldn’t cut ties with them. Not right now. Governor Kane raised me. I still reported to him. I followed after my mate without trying to make conversation. It was futile. Nothing I said would be good enough. After a quick shower, I turned
My head was reeling. I was baffled. He lied. Malik lied to me. I walked back to the guestroom door to be sure it was locked. God, I wanted to leave this place. But the only option was with Waylen. He would gloat. I fell back to the bed with a sob, my hands covering my face as I let it all out. Fumi could have died. What was the point? To endear himself to me? That was unlike him. Puffing out a breath, I kicked off my shoes and tucked myself in bed without changing out of my dress. I fell into a fitful sleep and woke up feeling even more awful. My eyes were bloodshot red. My mind and body were exhausted. I tried to forget the conversation from yesterday, but it rolled back in too slowly to be ignored. Slumping into the seat in front of the mirror, I patted my cheeks and forced a smile to my lips. Thinking that I still had to go to work today made me want to return to bed and cry myself to sleep again. I defended Malik against Waylen so many t
MALIKElizabeth and Waylen looked perfect with her seated on his lap. I was almost hesitant to call their attention to me, but it only took a few seconds for Waylen to notice me. My hand raised in a wave that never happened. There was something different about him, not anything callous but relaxing. I slipped onto the couch opposite them as Elizabeth smiled. I knew how to tackle angry Waylen, but this version was something else. Scary. “Malik,” Elizabeth said. I noticed his arm on her waist. Instead of creating any more awkwardness by having her come to hug or kiss me, I stretched out my hand to her, and she placed hers over it. I dropped a kiss on her knuckles, and she chuckled. She was happy, the happiest I had seen her in a while. I couldn’t say if Waylen saw it, but this was what I meant when I always said, her happiness depended on both of us. “Did you have any trouble locating the place?” “No. It was pretty easy, love.” Waylen was