Alpha Unmasked: BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Greenwood Shifters Book 1) Read Free

blubbering and homeless mess, Megan had taken her in without question. And Megan was still the only person Rachel could bring herself to share her hopes with.
    “You should stay at the Masquerade after you finish setting up,” Megan had said. “Find a hot guy to dance with.”
    “How will I know if they’re hot? It’s a masked ball.”
    “Puh-lease, you can tell if man is hot without seeing his face. It’s all in the shoulders.”
    Rachel chuckled to herself as she set the serving trays onto a nearby table. A man in glasses carrying a black leather binder came up to her. His hair was slicked back. He wore a waistcoat, breeches, and shoes so shiny that Rachel could see her reflection in them.
    “I’m looking for Miss Simmons?”
    Rachel looked over her shoulder and nodded. “I’m Rachel Simmons.”
    “I’m Louis, Mr. Greenwood’s assistant.” He looked her up and down and frowned. “No, no. Your outfit won’t do at all. It’s far too plain.”
    Rachel looked down at herself and frowned. “For setting out trays?”
    Louis pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “For serving, Miss Simmons. Everyone has to be in costume, even the service staff.”
    “It’s Rachel. And I’m not service staff. Just the caterer.”
    “Yes, and your contract clearly states that you are to provide and serve the agreed upon pastries.” He looked over the tray and frowned again. “Is this all of them?”
    Rachel’s mouth fell open before she could cover her shock. “There must be some mistake.”
    Louis squared his shoulders and tugged at the ends of his elaborate vest. “Miss Simmons, we discussed all of this, at length, when I brought the contracts to your office.”
    “Now I know there’s been a mistake. We’ve never met.”
    “It’s all right here, Miss Simmons.” He opened the leather binder and held it out for Rachel to see.
    There were two signatures, hers and Michael’s. Sure enough, there was a clause saying they were to attend in costumes or formal attire and serve the guests.
    Rachel rubbed her forehead in frustration. She would never agree to a contract that required her to serve. Flour, eggs, and sugar she could handle, but she was horrible with demanding customers. It must have been another little detail Michael forgot to share with her. Like their empty checking account or the lease that only had his name on it.
    Her mind whirled. There wasn’t time to call in a favor from anyone she knew, and she couldn’t afford to hire a server for the night. Any hope she had of seeing the ball vanished as did her hopes for having the van repainted. She’d just handed Louis an easy way not to pay what he owed, but keep all her product.
    “You’ll have to go downstairs to costuming. They’ll have something that fits you. And best do it quickly, Miss Simmons. The service staff is expected to attend the opening ceremony with the guests.”
    With that, Louis clapped the binder closed and scampered off in the opposite direction.
    Rachel took a moment to calm her ragged nerves. “Bastard could have warned me that it wasn’t a standard contract.”
    Even as she said it, part of her was glad he hadn’t. She’d have blown her budget on a server, or refused the contract if she’d known ahead of time. Her bank account couldn’t afford either. Her little business wouldn’t survive if word got around that she’d blown a contract for Callisto’s Masquerade.
    Rachel made sure the plastic wrap on the trays was secure and made her way down to costuming. At least she’d get to see the costumes. The rest just wasn’t meant to be.

2
    D irk sipped his glass of champagne and watched his mother joke politely with Alexandra Tenwick. The younger woman twirled, and the light made her gold gown sparkle. Her mask matched her gown perfectly. Cass Tenwick stood close enough to the large mirror in the backstage area to check his costume without being noticed. Marlow Tenwick and Cyrus were outside, each enjoying a cigar and