Amelia didn’t know how to react. She was surrounded, and her roommates were messing with her hair and pulling at the clothes she had taken hours to smooth down to perfect, irreproachable lines. Confused and a bit shocked, she simply spread her arms to her sides and let them do whatever they pleased. What did it matter anyway? Miss Jones hadn’t called or sent for her. The interview wasn’t happening.
“The pumps can stay,” said Delyse. “But you’re wearing a dress, missy.”
“One of my dresses,” added Claudia. They both knew Amelia’s dresses and skirts were all black and went way below her knees. Claudia ran to her closet and pulled out a cute, almond dress with thin straps and delicate lace on the chest, around the waist, and on the hem of the skirt.
“I’m not wearing that!”
“Yes, you are!” chirped Claudia. “The color is perfect! It makes your brown hair and eyes look even warmer. And it tones down those sharp edges the eyeliner and that lipstick create.” She shuddered, as if only the sole mention of black, winged eyeliner and red lipstick sent a chill right to her core.
“Come on,” pleaded Delyse. “Do things our way. Just this time.”
Amelia bit the inside of her lip and eyed the dress wearily. She had never been a fan of pale colors. “Oh well… I guess it won’t hurt,” she eventually gave in. She took off her shirt and trousers, then pulled the dress down her head and shoulders, cringing at how much it messed up her hair. Claudia zipped it up and Delyse started rearranging her wide curls, making them look more natural.
“See? This isn’t so bad,” said the blonde.
Amelia took a deep breath and stepped in front of the mirror. Her brows furrowed when she saw how the dress stopped right above her knees, and how the cleavage revealed almost the entire upper half of her breasts. “I don’t feel comfortable.”
“Relax. You look gorgeous!” Claudia encouraged her.
“Now, don’t you dare adopt that businesslike attitu
de of yours during the interview. It doesn’t go well with your outfit,” Delyse advised.
“There won’t be an interview,” Amelia sighed. She turned around, her eyes searching for her phone. She had left it on one of the beds when the girls had started undressing her. There was no use in checking the time or her call log again. Her eyes turned back to Delyse and Claudia. She couldn’t help offering them a small, grateful smile. Even though the dress made her feel exposed, and she was constantly tempted to pull at her skirt to make sure her panties didn’t show, she knew they had meant well. “Thank you.” Two simple words. They were more of a whisper, but she did say them.
“You’re welcome.” Delyse smiled widely, thinking of how much the dress and slightly messy hair changed Amelia’s entire appearance.
“And don’t worry,” said Claudia. “If this foxy guy came all the way from Alaska to find the perfect bride for his Alpha, he will go through the entire House Vulpes catalog.”
Amelia was just getting ready to contradict her when her phone started vibrating furiously on the bed. It took her two wide steps to reach it, and Claudia and Delyse made sure to move out of her way.
“It’s Miss Jones.”
***
Amelia had never been so nervous in her life. Miss Jones had told her she had fifteen minutes to get downstairs, and apologized for rushing her. She knew the girls needed some time to prepare for the interviews, but Seth of Clan Sylfur had made up his mind at the last moment. He had gone through the entire House Vulpes catalog, deliberately skipping Amelia while he interviewed all the other girls, then asked for her when he reached the letter Z. Zoe was still in the office when Amelia stopped in front of Miss Jones’ desk.
“I’m so sorry sweetie,” said the secretary. “The young gentleman is so fussy. I swear to God we’ve never had such a difficult client before. He didn’t even fill out the forms with the names of the brides he wanted to see. It took him five minutes to scan the catalog and tell us he wanted to see all the Vulpes girls, except for you.” The woman searched Amelia’s face for the girl’s reaction. She didn’t want to upset her, but she believed it was better to be honest and tell her exactly what to expect. She rather liked Amelia with her cold, calculated attitude. She deserved to know what she was getting herself into before entering the office.
Amelia clenched her jaw. “So, what you’re saying is that I’m more of a last option for him. An afterthought.”
“Make of it what you can. I just thought you should know. Clan Sylfur might be the most powerful and respected fox clan in the world, but that doesn’t mean they can treat shifter-brides like this. I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit.”
“I can handle it,” she whispered as Zoe came out of the office.
“Oh, you’re here,” said the girl when she saw Amelia. “He’s ready for you.”
“How did it go?”
“Ugh… don’t ask.” Zoe scrunched her nose, then went past Amelia without as much as a “good luck”. Apparently, she just wanted to get out of there and put everything behind her.
“Oh, wow. Now I’m nervous,” Amelia thought. She walked to the office door, stopped for a second do gather her thoughts, then opened the door in a swift motion, determined to show the man waiting behind it that she would not be intimidated. She closed the door, took a couple of steps, suddenly afraid she might trip on her high heels and make a fool of herself, then raised her eyes to meet the man who had had her Vulpes colleagues run for their lives. “Oh shit. I am intimidated.”
Seth, Yako of Inari Roman Sylfur, was one panty-melting handsome piece of work. His dark, furrowed eyebrows were in strong contrast with his blond, almost white hair. His purple eyes, the trademark color of werefoxes, were rimmed with long, dark eyelashes and were currently studying Amelia shamelessly, lingering on her long legs, generous cleavage, and red lips. He was leaning against the desk, his arms crossed over his strong, bulky chest.
Amelia straightened her back and decided she might as well check him out just as he was checking her out. He didn’t say anything for a long minute, and she refused to greet him first. It was quite obvious he was a cocky one. His full, yet frowny lips, sharp features and square jaw indicated he was a man of few words. He wore a plain black T-shirt and tight leather pants, messily tucked in tall, sturdy mountain boots. His style was right up her alley. But he was only a Beta. If she did come out of this interview alive and he bought her, she’d end up with his Alpha.
“Amelia,” he finally said instead of a greeting. “Thank you for coming.”