Chapter 70: Chapter 70 Cold Nights and Power Plays
Elara
To deal with the awkward situation, Dominic volunteered to sleep on the floor.
I felt guilty about it, but what choice did we have? I found some extra blankets in the closet and made him a makeshift bed on the carpet.
"This should be okay," I said, trying not to feel like a terrible person. "Get some sleep."
In the middle of the night, coughing woke me up.
I opened my eyes and looked down. Dominic was curled up on the floor, shivering.
I looked at the thermostat. The air conditioning had shut off. The room was freezing, maybe 40 degrees.
I felt guilty looking at his thin blanket.
[What if he gets sick? Will that be my fault?]
"Hey, Dominic," I touched his shoulder.
His amber eyes opened right away. "What?"
"You should sleep on the bed. I don’t want you getting sick."
Dominic stared at me. "Weren’t you afraid I’d try something?"
I bit my lip. "Just stay on your side. We won’t have problems."
Dominic almost smiled. "Fine, but don’t you try anything on me either. I’ll be very upset."
I almost rolled my eyes.
We got on opposite sides of the bed. I was so tired from the photo shoot that I fell asleep fast.
Maybe because of Hannah’s call, I kept dreaming about Zack chasing me.
I ran through endless hallways with doors everywhere. Every door I opened showed Zack’s cold face.
I ran all night in my dreams until I was exhausted.
Suddenly, soft lips touched mine. Then they became more demanding.
My breathing got faster. Something stirred in my chest. My body responded without permission.
Finally I realized something was wrong. I opened my eyes.
That face was inches from mine again. Even closer this time. Our noses were almost touching.
Dominic was taking advantage of me again!
I was furious. I lifted my foot and kicked him hard in the stomach. He fell to the floor with a loud thud.
Dominic groaned and looked up at me with dark eyes. "You called out his name."
I froze. "What?"
"Zack. You were dreaming about him and calling his name." His voice was cold and bitter.
Heat rushed to my face. Had I really said Zack’s name out loud?
"That doesn’t give you the right to kiss me!"
"Dominic, our deal didn’t include using my body as a substitute. Even between married people, there has to be consent!" My voice shook.
Dominic’s amber eyes flashed with something I couldn’t read - hurt? Anger?
"You invited me onto the bed last night. And you move around a lot when you sleep. You were practically all over me. I’m a normal guy, Elara."
"But hearing you call another man’s name... it pissed me off."
I stared at him. "So you kissed me because you were jealous?"
He didn’t answer, just grabbed his clothes and walked out.
I sat there feeling terrible.
Just when things were going okay, everything went wrong again.
Wait. Hadn’t the door been locked last night? How was it open this morning?
And Dominic said he wasn’t trying anything?
Something didn’t make sense.
After we got home, Dominic and I stopped talking to each other.
Author
Meanwhile, Alpha Zack and Selina had finished their photoshoot, but Selina noticed that Alpha Zack looked miserable in every single picture. After they got back, he barely called her, saying he was too busy.
The truth was, Alpha Zack was desperately trying to figure out how to create a chance to see Elara.
Mark walked up to Elara with a contract. "Elara, the Blackwood Group wants to work with us. Will you come to the dinner meeting tonight?"
Elara looked at it and knew exactly what was happening. Alpha Zack was obviously coming after her again. If she didn’t show up, who knew what kind of trouble he’d cause.
Today was Friday, the day of the Wolfe family dinner.
She texted Dominic: [Have a business thing tonight. Can’t come see Hunter.]
He didn’t reply, which she figured meant he was okay with it.
--
Mark and Elara arrived at the restaurant together.
Sure enough, Alpha Zack himself was sitting at the head of the private dining room.
Mark stepped forward, putting on a fake smile."Alpha Zack, what an honor to see you."
Alpha Zack ’s face stayed neutral, though his eyebrow lifted slightly when he looked at Elara.
"Sit down, Mark."
Mark had deliberately brought two employees who could handle their alcohol, which was exactly why Elara had agreed to come.
Elara tried to keep a low profile, but some people wouldn’t let her.
Several Blackwood employees recognized her as Alpha Zack ’s former secretary.
One raised his glass. "Elara, who would’ve thought? You used to be just a secretary at Blackwood, and now you’re a director."
Elara raised her glass of juice with a small smile. "Just lucky, I guess."
Alpha Zack drummed his fingers on the table. "Don’t tell me you’re too good for a drink, Elara. Cairo doesn’t seem to have a problem with it."
Everyone could feel the challenge in his words.
Elara pulled her hand back, and Mark quickly tried to defuse the situation. "Actually, Elara’s not feeling great today. How about I drink with Cairo instead?"
Cairo didn’t give a damn about corporate drama, but since his Alpha had put him on the spot, he couldn’t back down now.
Alpha Zack stayed cocky. "Mark, this isn’t something you can handle for her."
"Since we’re about to ink this deal, we need to show some mutual respect. Share a drink."
Elara could handle her liquor just fine.
Alpha Zack wanted to watch her cave, but she grabbed the shot glass and knocked it back in one go. "There’s your respect, Alpha Zack ."
"I’m dead serious about this partnership. Question is - would Alpha Zack be interested in extending our contract terms?"
She wasn’t about to walk away from good money. Especially from this jackass. She’d milk every dollar she could get.
Zack flashed her a cold smile and slid another shot her way. "Long-term deals are definitely on the table. Just depends on how... dedicated Elara really is."
Her eyes turned to ice.
"Excuse me," a voice cut through the tension from behind them. "Alpha Zack, Alpha Dominic is in the VIP room next door. He’s requesting your company for drinks."
Alpha Dominic? Again?
Alpha Zack ’s confident expression flickered for just a second.
In the supernatural business world, you didn’t ignore an invitation from Alpha King. Ever.
"Tell Alpha Dominic I’ll be right there," Alpha Zack said, his tone suddenly more respectful.
