Chapter 129: Working Under Alpha Was Challenging

Zara

"Zara, it was better than I imagined. But there are still some things we need to work on. We’ll rehearse every day until the event, and you’ll need to rehearse with Mr. Sterling, too," Halima said, a slight smile of relief appearing on her face.

I realized she must have initially assumed I’d need a lot of work, and that I’d only been chosen because I was Alpha’s girlfriend.

"I’ll do my best. I’m a perfectionist," I assured her, and then my gaze fell on Alpha Kane approaching.

Pride clouded his gaze, and my heart calmed at the sight of him.

"Mr. Sterling, I’m glad you’re here. I wish you could both share the stage just once. I need to see how in sync you are so we can work on the missing pieces," Halima said, turning her attention to him.

"Yes, we can walk the runway before I have to go finish the dress," Alpha replied before turning to me. "Come on, Zara." Alpha Kane extended his hand, and I shook it.

He led me back to the runway and whispered, "You were phenomenal on the runway. I can’t wait to walk with you."

I beamed at his praise. He’d come a long way from never praising me to openly showering me with it.

’Why such a subtle change?’ Nova rolled her eyes.

I took his hand.

"Are you comfortable?" Alpha asked, looking at me warmly. The coldness he always projected was gone. His eyes warmed.

I nodded encouragingly, filling my lungs with much-needed oxygen.

Halima’s countdown began.

"3"

"2"

"1"

Maroon 5’s "Moves like Jagger" blasted from the speakers as we stepped onto the glittering platform.

Everything receded as I immersed myself in the feeling of his closeness and the refinement of my gait. Rhythmically, our feet synchronized, and we smoothly transitioned to that stride and moved forward.

A smile slowly formed on my lips as Alpha tried to shift his gaze, as Halima had instructed earlier.

"Try smiling, Mr. Sterling," she called from the side.

What an impossible task for my Iceberg.

"I can always tickle you if your robotic lips can’t stretch and smile," I muttered under my breath, trying to maintain a smile.

"You never said my lips were robotic when you showered you with kisses," Alpha retorted, still unsmiling.

"This isn’t the time to talk about kissing." I tried to maintain my composure.

We were approaching the end of the runway, and Halima ran alongside us, gesturing at Alpha to make him smile.

The woman was trying, and I had to applaud her. Working with Alpha or under his direction was equally challenging.

It wasn’t for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.

I lightly pinched his arm and murmured, "Smile, and maybe you’ll kiss me goodnight."

My words worked like a spell, and to everyone’s surprise, Alpha smiled—a wide smile, crinkling the corners of his eyes.

"That’s exactly what I’m talking about." Halima jumped happily at the sight of his smile.

Ranold gave him a thumbs-up, while the others looked stunned.

Ruthless Alpha Kane Sterling was smiling. What a rare moment. So many phones were flashing and clicking. I’m sure everyone wanted to capture this rare moment, like seeing a comet in the sky.

"Keep your promise, Zara. That smile isn’t for them," Alpha breathed in that heavy voice that always made my knees tremble.

His gaze slowly darted to me, his words smoldering. "It’s for you."

Goddess, help me deal with this asshole Alpha. I’ve definitely turned into a walking cherry blossom. We turned around and walked back.

"I always keep my promises." I stole a glance and regretted it.

Hungry and insatiable, he looked at me as if he could devour me right here on this podium.

"We’ll see," fucking Alpha challenged.

We reached the end of the podium and walked through the wings. I didn’t let go of his hand, and he didn’t seem to mind.

Halima ran up to us, out of breath. Bending over, she let her breathing stabilize before saying, "That was incredible. But you should focus more on the audience, not on Zara. And that smile, please try to keep it."

Embarrassment washed over me; even Halima thought Alpha was distracted by me, or because of me.

"I was just giving her instructions, Halima," Alpha replied, and I let go of his hand, knowing it was time for him to go.

"Sir!"

"Practice with Zara, I need to go and prepare the dress," he told her, pushing his hair back from his forehead.

Turning to face me, Kane spoke, his voice a few notes lower. "Don’t overexert yourself; if you feel tired, just rest. Remember, you’re still recovering."

I nodded encouragingly at him.

"Aha! Aha! Captain." Another faint smile touched his full lips, and my heart sank with the overwhelming emotion. I watched him leave.

I spent the rest of the day mostly I was training hard, and Halima was pleased with my progress.

Alpha came back for me when it was time to go home and made an announcement.

"The theme of our Winter Gala: Winter has arrived with a splash of red."

Everyone cheered when they heard the slogan and theme. Now I understand why his outfit was red. This Winter Gala was going to be epic.

***

Back in the car, I took off my shoes and leaned back in the comfortable seat, ignoring the fact that my boss was sitting next to me. My feet simply ached.

I closed my eyes and simply let myself relax.

"Tired?" Alpha asked next to me, and I just hummed, keeping my eyes closed.

"Bring your feet to me. Put them on my feet." His request made me open my eyes, and I saw him leaning against the car window, pointing to his knees. "Why?" I asked wearily, straightening up.

"So I could give you a foot massage. Why else?" Alpha replied calmly.

***

Kane

Pressing the button, I closed the partition between us and Olfie.

I saw how tired she was and offered to massage her feet.

Why?

Because I didn’t want to see her tired or in pain.

I’d never written about feet to anyone except my mother and grandmother. The two most important women in my life, but now Zara had taken her place.

She gave me an indignant look, as if my offer were a crime. "After all, you’re still my boss. I can’t let you do that."

Really??? Even after we’d slept together, she was already drawing the line.

"Relax, it’s just a massage. Remember, I’m your pretend mate too, and that’s what guys do. Come here, look at your legs," I demanded, pointing at them.

"Are you sure?" she asked reluctantly, but I could see she was tempted by the offer.

"Absolutely," I replied and placed my hand on her thigh. She relaxed even more; her body always accepted and welcomed my touch.

She lifted her tired legs, leaned toward the window, and placed them on my lap. I carefully placed my hands on her feet, my thumbs resting on them and gently pressing.

Zara almost moaned from the pleasure and comfort my actions must have brought her, throwing his head back and opening his mouth slightly.

I loved the way her body always responded to my touch.

My fingers skillfully glided over her smooth skin, the pads of my thumbs digging into the arches of her feet, releasing the tension that had built up in them from walking relentlessly in heels all day.

Zara’s gaze narrowed, and her lips parted even wider. She suppressed another moan as I worked my magic to ease the tension from her lovely feet.

With slow movements, my hands moved from her toes to her ankles and heels, carefully touching every breath of her soft skin.