Read Mark Henry_Amanda Feral 02 for Free Online

jawline. Her arms clung to her side like logs ending in two tight fists. They resembled a pair of sledgehammers.
    I slid in between the two. “What’s your name, gorgeous?”
    The blonde wolf grinned. “Tanesha Jones.” When she voiced the last “s” she accentuated it with a finger snap. “I don’t need to ask your name, girl. I see you all the time on TV.”
    “Oh stop.” I winked. She could continue for several more minutes, at least, and it wouldn’t bother me a bit.
    “No. Serious. You’re my party girl. Way better than Paris.”
    “But twice as deadly.” I winked and gave her a practiced snarl.
    “I know that’s right.” Tanesha giggled and flipped her hair over her shoulder.
    I mimicked the activity on my end. If I’d learned anything from my mother it was how to manipulate, and this one was nearly on the hook.
    “Are you sure we’re not on that list, Tanesha?”
    “Um.” She wrinkled her muzzle, looked away. “Well—”
    “Yes?”
    “It was on here, both of you were, but—”
    “What do you mean ‘were’?” Wendy had flanked me, her hands on her hips. Had she learned nothing from watching me work? You’d think that some of my skill would rub off, but no. Pesky emotions.
    Tanesha reverted to her seemingly natural bitch state, lips curling for maximum canine exposure. “And why would I tell
you
anything, bitch?”
    I reached for Wendy’s arm and drew her close. “Notanother word. You’re fucking up my shtick. Now, just stand over there and be quiet.”
    “That’s right, you better get ahold of your girl.”
    Wendy stomped a few feet away, and straightened her gown, as much as the puffy frock could be fixed. We were going to have a talk about that dress; I was having a hard time looking at it. I returned my attention to the job at hand.
    “You’re going to have to excuse my friend. She’s had a bad night.” I leaned in close, conspiratorially. “She’s experiencing a little flaking, downstairs, if you know what I mean,” I whispered, winked at Wendy in the distance, and gave her the thumbs up. She eyed me suspiciously.
    “Ooo, girl, I’m glad I’ve still got a heartbeat. The worst I deal with down there is a little yeast.” She eyed me, watching for a response.
    “Don’t you mean head cheese?”
    Tanesha erupted into a deep raucous laughter, shoulders jumping. “You nasty,” she managed to choke out. “And I love it. Now come close. I’m not supposed to tell you this but the owner had us cross your name off the list just an hour ago.”
    “What?”
    “Yep. Mr. Markham called the manager and nixed you from the opening night festivities. Cold, I thought.”
    “Damn. Markham, you say?”
    Tanesha tilted her head like a threat. “Not a word, girl. I can’t afford to lose this job.”
    I looked back at Wendy, the crowd that was going to watch us shuffle away, and the cameras that would be documenting it all. Markham or not, this wasn’t just a dangerous situation, it was quickly becoming a PR nightmare. “Shit, that’s embarrassing.”
    “Mmm hmm. Do you want me to make a scene so you can get out of here without people noticing?”
    “No thanks, Tanesha. I’m a big girl, I can deal.”
    “You’re good people, Amanda. No matter what they say.”
    “Sometimes the news gets it right, girl.” I smirked.
    “You’re bad.” She chuckled in a deeper tone than she’d liked and cut it off instantly. I turned to Wendy and shook my head no.
    As long as I’d been dead—I was going on two years now—I hadn’t missed a single social event. And now, I was blackballed. What the fuck? I can see Markham banning Gil from his club, but me? That’s insane. Could my popularity be waning? I know it seems unlikely.
    “Come on, Wendy. Let’s go.”
    We turned from the velvet rope into a tidal wave of flashbulbs, and enough questions to clog our ears for days.
    “Miss Feral?” Cheshire grin.
    “Wendy?” Wrinkled nose.
    “What’s happening?” Smirky judgment.
    “Not