Page 47 of Feeling the Heat: Part One
His solemn expression gradually melts away as we all sit with the decision. When Ambrose speaks again, his tone is teasing. “But if she breaks my heart, you better be ready to let my alpha treat one of you like you’re my omega, because once he gets a taste of taking care of someone, he won’t be able to stop.”
“Not it,” River blurts.
“Wait, what? No way!” I protest. “You’re his mate!”
“Sorry, we’ve already tried it and it doesn’t work.” River shrugs as I glare at him, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “You better hope that things work out, or get comfortable calling Ambrose ‘Daddy’.”
I’m glad my bond isn’t open all the way right now becauseI’d never be able to live down the surge of bizarre arousal I experience at the thought of Ambrose being my daddy.
I put on an overly dramatic grimace, and the three of us burst out into laughter. It hurts my poor sore abs, but feels so good at the same time.
We’ll make it through this together, no matter what. Hopefully, with Camille along with us.
Damn, I can’t wait to see her again. She’s got to want to see us again, right?
I grin at my packmates. “So… who wants to steal her number from the clinic?”
16
Against all odds,I’m sitting at my desk, reading through the mountain of emails I missed while I was away, and no one knows I’m an omega.
I thought for sure when Mark from HR closed the door to his office behind me, it was to have privacy for firing me. Or that he’d take one look at me and somehow know about my new designation.
When neither of those things happened, I was certain he’d ask me for documentation for my medical emergency. But he didn’t, instead giving the usual sympathetic pleasantries you say to someone who’s been sick. I was so surprised and nervous that I asked him point-blank if he wanted a doctor’s note. Mark waved me off, saying if it were going to be an ongoing issue, he’d need me to get my doctor to fill out short-term medical leave paperwork. However, because I had plenty of sick days to cover my absence and no prior issues with missing work without giving notice, “we don’t need to bother with all that.”
Mark’s desire not to deal with extra paperwork is mysaving grace. I’ll have to remember to include him in my holiday gift list.
Now I just have to deal with my boss.
Technically, he can’t say shit to me since HR signed off on my absence. That doesn’t keep my stomach from lurching when a chat pops up from him an hour into my day.
I close my eyes and give myself a moment to steel myself before I read it. Which is a mistake, because it fills my lungs with Rick’s cloying floral scent.
Apparently, the alpha that shares an office with me doesn’t bother with using a scent neutralizer. Between that and the fluorescent overhead lights, I know I’ll have a migraine by the end of the day.
I exhale and open my eyes back up to read the message.
R. Marlowe: I don’t know if you’ve seen the emails yet, but I covered the press release for Smithfield and will handle their account going forward. So don’t bother trying to catch up on those tasks. Make sure you don’t miss the call with DesigNation at 2. They’ll need you to give them a rundown on the statement they’re making on Friday.
I glare at the monitor as I read the message for a second time. Is he serious?
I’m sure HR has notified him I was out for medical reasons, but there’s no “glad to see you back in the office” or “hope you’re feeling better today.” Just a “fuck you for missing work; I’ve taken away your biggest client as a punishment.” Oh, and now you’re working with one of our most annoying clients, and even though you haven’t interacted with them in months, you better be ready to meet with them the same day you’ve returned from being out for a week.
What an absolute piece of shit.
I shouldn’t have expected anything different.
Mr. Marlowe has been our department head for a little over a year, and I can’t think of a single time when he was nice to me. He’s cold and critical, and I’d be fine with that if he treated everyone that way, but he doesn’t. He’s not the friendliest alpha in general, but at least he acknowledges my coworkers when they’ve done a good job. Meanwhile, it’s crickets when I accomplish things.
Not that I need his praise. I do a good job because I get satisfaction from my work. Still, that doesn’t mean I’m unbothered by his behavior toward me. Especially because before this unexpected absence, I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m great at my job and I get shit done on time, if not early.
When I first noticed his rude, avoidant behavior, I comforted myself with the thought that it was run-of-the-mill misogyny. Turns out that’s not it, because he compliments Lauren’s work, and when Janice moved to our department, he called out her wins, too.
I’ve spent way too much time trying to figure it out, and the best I can come up with is that he doesn’t like fat women or he hates redheads, because those are the only things that set me apart from everyone else in our department.
And now I’ve finally given him a reason to justify his distaste for me.Dammit.
Angry tears burn my eyes, and I glance over my shoulder to make sure Rick is absorbed in his call and won’t notice as I wipe them away. My coworker has three omega daughters and if I start crying at work—a first for me, despite how stressful this job is—he might figure out what’s different about me now.
