A Wolf's Desire (A BBW Paranormal Romance): The Holiday Ball by Marie Mason Page B

was striding away.
    She wobbled as he let her go to take off after the blonde who had caused the near disaster. From the woman’s small statue, hair color, and sequined dress, Daphne would bet a dollar to a donut she was a pixie. And appeared to have a very interested wolf hot on her tail.
    Daphne cursed her lack of a fairy godmother again.
    She knew it had been a wolf who had rescued her because of his intense natural scent. Rain, wind, and earth. She’d known several wolf shifters in her lifetime and they always carried the scent of the forest.
    Then she forgot everything else as she saw the catering manager walk out of the kitchen. The waiter who had taken the tray strode over to speak to her and within minutes was pointing in Daphne’s direction. No doubt she was about to be severely reprimanded. Or maybe even let go early. Thankfully, there was no mess to clean up, everything had miraculously stayed on the tray thanks to her tall, dark, and handsome rescuer, but she knew some of the crystal had broken. She’d heard the ominous tinkle of breaking glass.
    She watched as the back of the wolf disappeared into the crowd and sighed. Why, oh, why, just once, couldn’t she have been the damsel in distress? Then the big, bad wolf would have stayed by her side and fallen deeply in love with her after they’d dealt with the wicked witch of the catering world. No, wait. That title was already taken by the woman she usually worked for. This woman had given her this lovely pair of shoes so she couldn’t be that bad. Again, she looked at the shiny black surfaces.
    A wolf rescuing a woman was a happy ending that never happened. Not even in fairy tales. There the wolf usually ate the woman.
    Now didn’t that conjure up some dirty scenarios? Being eaten by a wolf.
    Stop it, Daphne chided herself. Now was not the time for an erotic daydream.
    Seeing the look on the woman’s face as she spoke with the waiter, Daphne had no doubt she was about to be fired. She sniffed trying to stave off the sudden tears. She was so tired of trying to do everything on her own. Oh, what she wouldn’t give for a pair of strong shoulders to lean on. Some place safe where she could lay down her defenses.
    Tears gathered in her eyes and before she could stop them, started to fall.
    Her parents had died six years ago in an automobile accident just as Daphne had been starting college. Now it was just Daphne and her sister Lucy. Even before her parents’ deaths, money had always been tight in the Harrison household. They hadn’t been the richest family, nor had they been the poorest. She could almost guarantee they’d been the happiest. She’d been counting on the money she’d earn tonight to buy a few much needed things for Lucy. She couldn’t afford to buy them before the holiday, but the Harrison girls were experts at finding bargains at the after-Christmas sales.
    But nope, she’d blown the chance of giving her sister any type of holiday fun. And all because of a pair of shiny black shoes. She looked down at them again, holding one out and twisting it in the low light. They really were shiny, she thought, almost mesmerized by the black leather. Or maybe it was just her tears.
    She didn’t bother to look up when she heard someone approach. She’d heard the words ‘you’re fired’ before. Just as she expected, another pair of black shiny shoes came into view. She started. These were big and definitely belonged to a man.
    “Look at me.”
    She stiffened at the sound of the man’s voice. She blinked rapidly, hoping to clear away the tears. When that didn’t work, she lifted her hand and wiped at her eyes and cheeks. Thankfully, she hadn’t been wearing any make-up so she wouldn’t wind up looking like a wet raccoon.
    A large finger beneath her chin forced her head up. Oh, my, she thought, realizing suddenly that the man touching her was an alpha. No wonder he was giving off such yummy vibes. Too bad he wasn’t giving them in her