Alpha Unmasked: BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Greenwood Shifters Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

biting come back for whatever backhanded compliment he gave her, but nothing came to mind. Michael glanced at her, but he didn’t seem to recognize her at all.
    “Thank you. Enjoy your night.” Dirk took Rachel by the arm and tried to brush past Michael.
    “Oh, man. You guys go all out, don’t you?” Michael pressed his hand against Dirk’s chest to keep him from leaving. “This place is amazing. How do you even book a place like this?”
    “I don’t,” Dirk said, a sneer on his lips. “We hire someone to.”
    “Yeah, I hear you. That’s the thing about Los Angeles,” Michael dropped his hand back to his side. “Whenever you want to do something, all of the good places are booked. I’ve got a buddy over in West Hollywood that’s been trying to start a comedy show, but can’t find a spot for love or money.”
    “So you’re a comedian?” As he spoke, Dirk hooked an arm around Rachel’s waist and angled their bodies toward the door, but away from Michael. The warmth of his hand radiated up her side and she found herself fighting not to rest her head against his chest.
    “I’m a producer, actually. I’m looking at doing a feature next year.” Michael slid two fingers into the waist of his costume and produced a business card. “If you’re looking to get into entertainment, give me a call.”
    Rachel had to cover her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter. Leave it to Michael to network with someone far above his pay grade. His social climbing tendencies hadn’t been the only issue in their relationship, just the one that made her most expendable.
    Dirk snatched the card. “Thank you. If you’ll excuse me, I’m needed somewhere.”
    He pivoted around Michael’s date and headed for the door, pulling Rachel with him. Dirk was gorgeous, smooth, and completely out of her league. Rachel didn’t warrant notice from a man who’d seen her naked body for two years. It stung more than it should have and far more than she cared to admit.
    Maybe there weren’t worse places she could be.
    She let Dirk set their walking speed as they moved through the deserted ballroom. Something about the ornately decorated room struck Rachel as sad. None of the decorations were out of place, but there were no glamorous patrons there to enjoy them. At least the warmth of Dirk’s hand provided some comfort. He didn’t move his hand from her side until they were in the hallway.
    “Are you all right?” His voice was warm, as if he could tell that the encounter with Michael had rattled her.
    Rachel nodded and brought her trembling hands up to her face. “That was my ex-boyfriend and the woman he left me for. I wish he wouldn’t fawn all over me like that. I’ve heard of carrying a torch, but have some dignity.” Under normal circumstances, a bit of sarcasm helped Rachel cope with distasteful situations. These were not normal circumstances.
    “He’s really charming. I especially liked the business pitch. I can honestly say I’ve never had a centurion pitch a film venture to me.” Dirk dumped the card into a nearby trashcan.
    “I wish I could call that a new low for him.” She sighed and clasped her hands together, anything to hide the shaking. “I really should be more charitable. It wasn’t all bad.”
    “Maybe, or you could try hiding less. People like him always notice the biggest target in the room. The guy whose father has enough money to put this thing together? That’s a big target. Most people are happy enough to let everyone else hide.”
    “You’re an expert on people and Greek mythology?”
    He laughed. The sound poured over Rachel like warm honey and melted away the last bit of chill she felt from the run-in with Michael.
    “Only Callisto. It was one of my mother’s favorite bedtime stories. I’ve actually never told that story to anybody else. Nobody wants to talk about Greek mythology when there’s so much networking to be done.”
    “I’ll bet it comes with the territory, what with you