by Merel Pierce
Did you find a hottie to play with? I did!
Are you ignoring me?!
Some asshole just kicked us out! Said I violated club rules.
Wtf?? I’m out front, where are you?
Seriously you need to answer your phone.
I am going home, guess you got a ride already.
See you tomorrow.
She held the phone aloft when she fell backwards on the bed, pouting at the stream of messages. The Alpha—Daniel—had been right. Cami was a shitty friend. In fact, looking back, Meghan couldn’t help wondering if the only reason Cami volunteered to help out with rides was so she could use Meghan to get her into the club. She hated to think the worst of people, but the idea still stung. She wanted to ignore Cami, but that seemed childish. Reluctantly, she thumbed a quick message.
I made it home.
I’ll bring your dress and shoes tomorrow.
Almost immediately, three little dots showed up on the screen beneath her message, signaling that Cami was typing. A few seconds later—
Okay. Talk to you later.
Chapter Nine
Meghan tossed the phone aside, toying with her hair as she stared up at the ceiling. Tomorrow would be awkward, no doubt. Cami hadn’t volunteered to give her a ride, either. That fact helped her steel herself against hurt feelings and only reaffirmed the likelihood that Cami had been using her.
She thought she and Cami were friends, but they obviously weren’t. Being relatively new to the city, the prospect of having someone to spend time with had Meghan feeling a little less lonely, a little more optimistic. She had finally started to think she might be able to have a social life. But Cami had ruined that for her. Omegas didn’t get to have normal relationships like everyone else.
“You should have known better,” she chastised herself. She rolled onto her side with a sigh, curling into the fetal position as she gave way to feeling sorry for herself.
Just inches in front of her face, the innocuous cream-colored business card stood out against the dark comforter where she’d discarded it a few minutes before. Still pouting, she retrieved the little slip of paper. When he’d handed it to her, she hadn’t taken the time to read it. She’d been too busy watching the handsome male through the tinted window as he vanished from sight. Now, she studied it more closely.
Daniel Thomas
Thomas Financial Holdings
Chief Operating Officer
1-(444)555-0605
Meghan snorted. “Oh, of course you’re rich.” She accused, “It’s always the rich guys that are into kink.” She rolled her eyes, flicking the little card back and forth like a fan in front of her. “This would make a great movie. ‘Poor introvert Omega meets a rich Alpha in an accidental encounter at a sex club, immediately falls in love with his Alpha charm and his… money’.” She giggled at the ridiculousness of her own statement, though the sound was cut short when the faintest hint of a familiar scent wafted into her sinuses. Licking her lips, she brought the paper beneath her nose and inhaled again.
Her eyes nearly rolled back as the teasing remnants of his scent invaded her olfactory cavity, reminding her of the man himself. Hard muscle, masculine spice, explosive chemistry. How could something as insignificant as a kiss seem so mind-shatteringly monumental?
“It’s only because you haven’t been with a man for so long.”
While it was a perfectly logical assumption, Meghan knew it wasn’t true. For her, what happened tonight was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.
It was hard to have relationships when you were an Omega, but it wasn’t impossible. She had some experience with the opposite sex, even if she could count all the partners she’d had on one hand with a finger to spare. But never, even with another Alpha, had she felt the way she did when Daniel Thomas was kissing her tonight.
Usually, acts of intimacy inspired only cautious participation from her. Even if she thought she loved the man and wanted to be with him, it was hard to let go. When you were of the lowest dynamic, your naturally submissive leanings made you vulnerable. People liked to take advantage. After all, if your body says yes, can your mind really say no? At least, that’s what a lot of people seemed to think. It took a long time to feel comfortable enough with a man to make sex a part of their relationship equation, and they usually lost interest long before then. Men frequently assumed that because she was Omega, she’d be a nymphomaniac. Most were sorely disappointed. When they left her because she wouldn’t put out, so was she.
But tonight, she’d not only willingly allowed an Alpha to take control, she’d enjoyed it. In fact, she’d been frustrated when he’d kept his word and didn’t let things progress past a kiss. She even growled at him for stopping. When he pressed her nose to his throat so gently and threatened to spank her for being greedy, she had been so caught up in him that she didn’t even care. It was embarrassing and confusing. But it was also exhilarating.
“Don’t, Meghan,” she warned herself softly. “He’s out of your league.”
She flicked the card away before shuffling under the blankets and plumping her pillow. It was late, and she had work in the morning. Thinking about sexy Alphas she couldn’t have wasn’t going to help her get to sleep.
With a groan, she pulled a pillow over her head and growled her frustration into the stuffing.
She woke up two hours early, making sure to get ready in time to catch the 6 a.m. bus at the corner of her block. She’d get to work almost forty-five minutes before her shift, but the benefit of hardly anyone being on the first bus of the day outweighed the inconvenience of waiting in the lobby for her office to open. At least the marketing firm’s building was secure. Cameras and a guard at the front desk not twelve feet away from the modern chairs in the lounge where she’d wait were more than enough to make her feel safe.
She visited with the older Beta security guard until about ten minutes before time to open. By then, he had unlocked the elevators for her, and she rode up to the third-floor office where she worked. Being the first one there, she made the opening rounds. Normally, she and Cami turned all the lights and equipment on together. For the first time in weeks, she did it alone. On her last pass through the office she deposited the brown paper bag holding the borrowed dress and shoes under Cami’s desk, swallowing hurt feelings as she retreated to her own cubicle to start the day.
The morning passed quickly. Being a customer service representative, her days were always full of flashing phone lines and dozens of messages and emails. Despite the distraction of her work, she still managed to rehearse numerous indignant and hurt responses to Cami’s behavior the night before, promising herself she wouldn’t let someone walk all over her again. However, when Cami appeared just before lunch, the bluster of her practiced fighting words wilted.
The taller woman leaned over the half-wall of Meghan’s cubicle, drumming manicured nails against the plastic side.
“So, what happened to you last night?”
Meghan bristled at Cami’s almost accusatory tone, but bit her tongue against the negativity that pooled there. Determined to be the bigger person, she blew out a breath and flipped the page in her planner casually.
“Well, after I lost you, I just kind of wandered around for a while. Then I caught a cab home.”
“Why didn’t you just call me? Or, you know, answer my texts?”
Meghan shrugged, keeping her shoulders loose. “I guess my phone was on silent. I was so nervous I forgot I had it. I didn’t even see your messages until I got home.”
The other girl rolled her eyes. “Oh.” With an exaggerated sigh, she folded her hands atop the wall and dropped her chin down on top of them. “I don’t guess you really missed much. I met a hot guy, but then we got kicked out before we could have any real fun.” Meghan’s ears perked with interest.
“You got kicked out? Why?”
Cami snorted. “I don’t know, something about violating disclosure policies for new members or something? He didn’t really
make it very clear, just said he’d been told to escort us out and that I wasn’t allowed back.”
“Wow,” Meghan muttered with an appropriate amount of surprise. “That’s weird.” After how clear her Alpha acquaintance had made it that he disapproved of her being left unattended, she had to wonder if he’d somehow been responsible. After all, she’d mentioned Cami’s name. It wouldn’t have been hard to find her.
“Yeah. Oh well, if they are that stuck-up, I doubt it would be much fun anyway.”
“For sure.”
“So, who is this Alpha that left his scent all over my clothes?”
Meghan’s eyes widened, her cheeks reddening at the mere mention of her knight in shining armor from the evening before. Cami grinned, slow and smug.
“Yeah, caught a cab home my ass. Spill, sister!”
“It’s not like that.” Meghan rushed to explain, embarrassed. “There was this Alpha giving me a hard time. This other Alpha intervened.”
“Oh, two men fighting over you? How exciting!”
“No, not really. It was kind of scary, actually.”
“Uh huh. So, who is this guy? Your hero, I mean?”
“I don’t know, Cami. It wasn’t like we spent the night together, you know?”
“Mmm.” The other girl narrowed her eyes, a smirk quirking the corner of her mouth. “Okay. Keep your secrets.” She slid off the wall, backing away a few steps before she threw up a hand. “Oh, by the way, I’m not going to be able to give you a ride for a while. My cousin has to borrow my car. Sorry.”
Inwardly, Meghan felt a twinge of pain at the realization that she’d been right after all. Cami had only been using her. Now that she’d been banned from the club, she didn’t need Meghan anymore. “Oh, ok. Thanks for letting me know.” She turned back to her work, annoyed when she had to blink away the threat of rising tears.
“Omegas don’t get to have friends,” she reminded herself under her breath. “It’s your own fault.” She allowed herself one bitter moment to remember the awful night she’d learned that lesson, seven months before. A refresher, since she obviously needed one.
It hadn’t been the first time a man cheated on her. But the fact that it was her best friend, and the first Alpha she’d dared to let herself fall for? Something in her had shattered. Normally mild mannered and sweet, she’d become enraged when her boyfriend attempted to stop her from leaving his apartment after she’d caught them together in bed. When she’d gone after her former friend instead, he’d intercepted her. She’d wailed and screeched, scratching and clawing at anything that came near her. She’d left him battered and bloody when she finally threw back the door and fled his apartment.
Afterward, it became evident that most of her friends and even some of her extended family knew about the affair. They claimed they didn’t tell her because they hadn’t wanted to hurt her. People said that with him being Alpha and she Omega, there was no way the fling with her Beta friend would last. Most thought he’d come to his senses before it was an issue. Meghan had never felt so betrayed or alone.
Her parents weren’t much comfort. They came from an era when Omegas were commonly force-bonded to Alpha’s without being given a choice. While they were loving parents to their only daughter, it was clearer than ever that they were from another generation. Her father’s only advice had been hurtful, despite his good intentions.
“Megs, if you wouldn’t make them wait so long, this wouldn’t happen,” he’d chastised gently when he’d found her crying on her mother’s shoulder. “Alphas aren’t designed like that, honey. A young buck like him? It’s a wonder it didn’t happen sooner.”
Her mother hadn’t been much better. She wanted her daughter to be happy, but her child’s introverted nature had always worried her. For her mother, this only proved that Meghan was taking too long to choose a mate. It was a fear she openly shared with her devastated daughter, which only made her misery worse.
That was when Meghan realized she needed to leave. The shame and embarrassment of knowing everyone around her thought her failed relationships were her fault was too much. Especially when they’d known and hadn’t told her.
Despite her parents’ pleas for her to reconsider, Meghan had packed up her whole life and moved across the state, fleeing over twelve hours away from all those horrible memories. It was the furthest she could afford to go.
Now, it seemed it hadn’t been far enough. Meghan felt like a fool, letting Cami use her like she did. She was already making the same mistakes she had back home, falling back into the same patterns, trusting people she shouldn’t trust. Meghan had promised herself she wouldn’t be taken advantage of or made vulnerable like that again. Needless to say, Cami wasn’t the only one she was disappointed in.
Chapter Ten
The rest of the day went by slowly, as did the rest of the week. She took the bus to work early every day, and in the evenings on the way home she sat just behind the driver. Being Omega, it was safer that way. For the most part, people left her alone. It didn’t take long to fall back into a pattern.
She spent her days trying to immerse herself in her work and avoid Cami. The girl made it easy enough. Cami didn’t have much time for her now that she’d served her purpose, it seemed.
Usually, Meghan enjoyed her quiet nights at home. This week, she didn’t. She felt restless and frustrated, unable to sit still. To her annoyance, her thoughts were continually drawn back to the handsome man whose business card had taken up residence on her coffee table. She paced, she grumbled, she ate whole pizzas by herself, and she masturbated. Nothing helped. By the time Friday night rolled around, she was feeling a bit like a caged animal.
She told herself it was only hormones that had her snatching up his card and retreating to the bathroom with her phone. She closed the door, tiptoeing over to sit down on the edge of the tub as she stared down at his number. Why she felt like she needed to hide when she called him was beyond her. There was no one to see, after all. But here she was, locked away in the bathroom like a teenager who wanted to call a boy her parents didn’t approve of.
Embarrassed by her own guilty response, she almost lost her nerve. “Suck it up, Meghan,” she chided herself. “Yeah, you’re probably making a stupid decision. Just… Own it.” She took a deep breath and dialed his number.
She brought the phone to her ear, heart racing as she listened to the line ring. Once, twice, three times, and she almost hung up in a panic.
***
“Daniel Thomas speaking.”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
“Hello? Anyone there?”
“Uh… Hi.” A familiar feminine voice murmured self-consciously. “Um, it’s Meghan… From the club?”
“Well, what a pleasant surprise.” The tenor of his voice changed as pleasure washed over him, the implied intimacy of his tone evident even to him. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t call.”
“I almost didn’t.”
He chuckled, amused by her honesty. “Oh? Well, I’m glad you changed your mind.” Daniel sat aside the papers he’d been sifting through, devoting the whole of his attention to the somewhat awkward phone call.
“Yeah, um, about what you said. You know, wanting to get to know me better?”
“I remember.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“You are very direct, aren’t you?”
“Is that a problem?” He could practically feel her apprehension vibrating through the phone. Daniel tsked.
“No, it’s quite refreshing.”
“Ok, so…” She cleared her throat, and he found himself smiling as he realized she was trying to bolster her courage. “I met you in a sex club, so I mean, is that what you’re looking for? A playmate or something?”
“I wasn’t looking, no,” he replied, amusement tainting his words. “After having met you, though, I’ve been reconsidering my stance on having an official partner.”
“What about Sheila? How do I know
you won’t drop me like you dropped her, if I agreed to do this?”
“Sheila was never my partner, Meghan. At the most, she was a friend with benefits. When we first started spending time together, I made it very clear I wasn’t looking for an official submissive or a girlfriend. While she was fine with it then, of late she has been pressing for more than I was willing to give. The other night was a blessing in disguise.”
“Wow. Do you talk about all your ex-playmates like that?”
“Why don’t we talk about this face to face?” he suggested evenly, not letting the snark in her voice ruin his mood. “A lot can be lost in translation when you aren’t able to look at the person you are speaking to.”
“I don’t want to be tied up and fucked in front of a bunch of people.” The words were out before she could stop them. He could swear he heard a muffled groan, as if she were annoyed her mouth seemed to be running without her permission. But she tried to salvage it, adding a stern, “There isn’t any point talking about it if that’s what you’re looking for.”