Alphas on Top

by Harper Sloan

  “Corona with lime,” I tell him, debating on whether to take off the minute his back is turned. He must see my intention because he pulls out a stool, picks me up, and sits me on it.

  “Sit here. I’ll be right back.” He looks at his brothers. “Watch her,” he says and they all look at him like he’s gone crazy. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who thinks so.

  “So how did you meet our brother?” Trevor asks, looking across the bar at Asher who has turned around and is watching me.

  “I started working for my dad and—”

  “What?” they all cut me off. “Shit, when do you go on? I'm so gonna be there,” Nico says with a goofy smile on his face. Then I realize what I just said.

  “What?” I shriek. “No, I mean I work for him doing the books,” I say, laughing and shaking my head. “Sorry, no. I'm not a stripper.”

  “Damn, that’s a shame,” Cash says, smiling and I laugh harder.

  “What’s a shame?” Asher asks while walking up to the table with two Coronas. He hands me one.

  “That November is not a stripper,” Cash says and they all laugh. I can feel my face getting red.

  I look at Asher and see his jaw tighten. “Anyway,” I say, cutting in, “your brother thought I was a stripper. He made a big deal about me going to my car without an escort.” Thinking back on it, the whole thing is pretty funny. “He even thought I was sleeping with my dad because I called him ‘Daddy’. I mean, ewww,” I say, scrunching up my nose. “The look on his face was priceless when my dad came over and introduced me as his daughter.” Everyone started laughing, even Asher. “So I work for my dad doing the books for the club. It should take me about a month to get organized and then I won’t even need to be there.”

  “That’s cool,” Trevor says and they all nod their heads in agreement.

  “Do you want to play pool?” Nico asks, looking over at the now empty pool table.

  “Sure.” I shrug and get off the stool. I take off my hoodie and wrap it around my purse. Trevor grabs it and puts it in the booth, then I start walking towards the pool tables with the boys following behind me. I can feel Asher’s hand on my lower back, guiding me through the bar. We’re a few steps from the table when big boobed Barbie steps in front of our group. I step around her and leave them to deal with her.

  “Where are you going?” I hear her whine. Why women do that, I will never know. Do they not know that it’s annoying?

  “We’re gonna play pool,” I hear Asher tell her.

  “What? Wait,” she says. I turn around and see her grabbing on to his arm. “I’ve been waiting all night for you to get here and you’re going to ditch me?”

  “You can’t ditch someone you’re not with,” Cash mumbles from beside me.

  I turn around and start setting up the table. I have no interest in watching her throw herself at him. “Okay, guys. Who’s gonna break?” They all look confused. “Are we gonna play or what?” I ask, looking at each of them.

  “I’ll break,” Nico says, walking to pick a stick from the wall.

  Standing near the table, I feel heat at my back. “You keep walking away from me,” Asher says and I almost laugh because he sounds upset.

  “Oh, I'm sorry. I didn’t realize I was supposed to stand there while you got rid of big-boobed Barbie.”

  “You could have taken me with you when you went.”

  “I’ll try to remember that next time,” I say, shaking my head.

  Nico, standing next to us, starts laughing. “Wow. The first one who is immune. I smell a recipe for disaster brewing,” he says. Asher smiles down at me like he’s happy about something.

  “Whatever.” I give him my most sarcastic smile. Playing pool with the guys is fun. Asher and I are laughing and having a good time. The guys are telling me funny stories about people in town and Asher introduces me to some people who know my dad.

  A ton of people drop by the table, talking to his brothers or just introducing themselves to me. After an hour, I start to notice there are a lot of women gathering around us. Whenever I try to make eye contact with them, they give me a dirty look. It's odd and I have no idea who any of them are. Then, more and more women start coming around the table. There are so many that it's hard to shoot without ramming the stick into one of them.

  Asher is standing near me when a very pretty woman with a perfect body, deep red hair, and milky white skin comes up to us. She is wearing an outfit similar to big-boobed Barbie except her bra is black. I'm starting to wonder if this is some kind of dress code because they aren’t the only two women wearing something similar.

  “Hi, Asher,” she purrs, placing herself between me and him while pressing her boobs into his chest.

  “Jen,” he replies without really looking at her.

  She stage whispers in his ear so that we can all hear, “Are you coming to my house tonight?”

  “Why would you ask that shit? I haven’t been to your house for over a year,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. She is almost as tall as him. I realize they would make a beautiful couple and would give Miss Alice amazing looking grandbabies. That’s when I know I need to leave.

  Yeah, he's hot but it's clear that he's a player. Not only that, but I would say we don’t fit at all. I'm cute but not beautiful. I'm also not skinny. I have a tummy, big boobs, and a bigger butt; on top of all that, I'm short. It will never work. Not when I can see the women he normally goes after. They all are perfectly skinny women who look like models.

  I keep telling myself that this isn’t a date and I don’t want him like that, but honestly, no woman in their right mind would look at a guy like him and not get their hopes up. And, after hanging out with him and getting to know him a little, I find out that he's kind of sweet and really funny. But now I'm done. Date or not, having women come up and rub themselves all over him with looks that say they know exactly what to expect if he takes one of them home is too much. I know I need to bounce as in B-O-U-N-C-E on out of here.

  I don’t want to make it obvious that I'm leaving because of the women that are hanging around, so I'm biding my time and talking to Nico. Then some girl named Becky comes over and I've had enough. I can’t hold it in any longer and I know if I don’t leave, I'm going to ask all the women standing around how the hell they made it into the girl’s club. I'm pretty sure there is a rule against acting desperate written on the first page.

  “Okay, guys,” I say, looking at my watch, or where I would have one if I ever wore a watch. “I gotta go. I need to take my dog for a walk before it gets too late.” All the guys turn to look at me.

  “You’re leaving to walk your dog?” Cash asks in a tone that says he doesn’t believe me. But I don’t care anymore. I just need to leave quickly.

  “Yeah, I walk him every night. So, I guess I’ll see you guys around sometime. It was nice meeting you all.”

  I walk to the booth that has all of our coats and dig mine out from the bottom of the pile, along with my purse. Turning around, I bump into a solid wall.

  “Sorry!” I say.

  Asher is glaring down at me with a look of disbelief and what appears to be anger on his very handsome face. I want to laugh. What does he really expect? He brought me to a place where every five minutes, he’s getting hit on. It was totally rude! He has so many females vying for his attention, I am sure he won’t even notice I was gone. Plus, I’ve lived with a woman who had to be the center of attention and I refuse to date someone who has the same problem. Not that this is a date…I'm just saying; I won’t do that to myself.

  “Excuse me,” I say, trying to walk around him. He grabs my hand and starts pulling me out the door behind him.

  “Later, November.” I hear from behind me along with a lot of laughter.

  “Yeah, later, guys,” I yell back, trying to pull my hand free without making a scene.

  “Can you slow down, buddy? Your legs are a lot longer than mine,” I say to Asher’s back. He doesn’t say anything but he does slow
down. Whatever. I just need to get home and forget this day ever happened. Once I’m at my car, I pull my hand free and start searching for my keys.

  “Well, thanks for the beer,” I say, looking in my bag. “It was um…fun. Ah…there you are, you sneaky little buggers,” I say when I find my keys. I go to unlock my door and my keys are snatched out of my hand.

  “Hey, I need those,” I yell, trying to reach for the keys that are now in Asher’s hand.

  “You can have them back after you tell me why the fuck you’re leaving.”

  “What? I already told you I have to walk Beast. He’s looking forward to it,” I say, and his lips go into a flat line.

  “Yeah, you said that about your dog. But I know that’s not the real reason, so tell me why the fuck you’re really leaving.”

  I put my hands on my hips, realizing I'm pissed off once again. “Listen, buddy, I have to go walk my dog. I’ve told you three times now.” I show him three fingers just to make sure my point is made.

  “What the fuck? We were having a good time then all of a sudden, your face looked like someone stole your ice cream and you had to leave.”

  “You’re so annoying! Can’t I just want to go home to my dog?” I ask.

  “I know there were a lot of people in there and—”

  “A lot of people in there?” I ask, completely shocked. Did he not notice the harem of women gathered around us? Yes, his brothers were there and they are just as hot as him, but they didn’t ask me to come here. Asher did.

  “I just thought you would like to meet some people. I know you’re new to town.”

  Well, at least now I know for sure that this was in no way a date. He just wants to be nice and introduce me to people. Wow, I'm such a loser. Now, I’m pissed off that I made myself believe that maybe he liked me. And I’m even more pissed off that most of the people he introduced me to, are women that he has slept with. I mean, really. Is he recruiting?

  “Well, buddy, I did have a good time. Maybe when we do it again, you can tell all the chicks that you’re sleeping with, or have slept with, to come by and we’ll all hang out. They seemed so excited to meet me. How does that sound to you?” His mouth is hanging open and he looks shocked. “Can I have my keys now?” I ask, holding out my hand. I feel like an idiot for saying it, but I know there is no way to shove the words back down my throat.

  “It’s been a long time since I slept with any of them.”

  “I'm sure!” I say, holding out my hand. “Now, my keys?”

  “It’s the truth,” he says and I see a tic in his jaw.

  “Okay,” I say, not believing for one second the crap that’s coming out of his mouth. “Can I have my keys?”

  “No. We’re taking my jeep.”

  “What?” I can actually feel my eyes popping out of my head like I'm some crazy cartoon character.

  “We’re taking my jeep to get your dog and take him for a walk.”

  “No, we’re not doing anything. I'm getting in my car and going home to walk my dog,” I say, pointing at myself. By myself. You can do whatever it is that you do.”

  Why the hell am I sitting in his car? Oh yeah, I remember; he picked me up and carried me—kicking and screaming—over his shoulder to his jeep. Then, he dropped me in the driver’s side and forced me over to the passenger’s seat while holding my hand so I couldn't escape.

  “You’re a jerk, you. Know that, right?” I say with my arms crossed over my chest.

  “You already said that, babe.” I swear, I can see a smile on his face. “But if you would have just agreed to get in my jeep, we wouldn't be having this conversation.”

  “Why do you even want to come?” I ask in a huff.

  “I'm not ready to have you out of my sight.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I'm interested.”

  “I'm sure.” I roll my eyes. “So if you’re interested, then why not ask me out like a normal guy instead of basically kidnapping me?”

  “Why? If I asked you out, you would have blown me off and avoided me. This way, you don't have a choice. I have your keys and your phone.”

  “You have my phone?” I screech, opening my bag to see if he’s telling the truth. “How did you get my phone? Oh my God, you’re insane. I’m driving down a dark road with an insane person who's kidnapped me.”

  I hear him laughing and I look over to make sure I'm not imagining things. He has a really great laugh. Ugh...Why can’t he have a crappy laugh? I shake my head in disgust.

  “Relax, I just want to spend more time with you. Your dad trusts me, so you’re safe. Tell me about your mom,” he says, completely ignoring my question about my phone and the fact that he kidnapped me.

  Geez…

  “We're not talking about my mom. And my dad might like you but he doesn’t trust you. He says you’re a player. And after the performance I saw tonight, I’m agreeing with him.”

  “I'm no saint, but I have been honest with every woman who has hit my sheets. They know the score before anything goes down.” As much as it makes my stomach knot to think about him with all those women, I have no right to judge him.

  “You’re right. I'm sorry,” I whisper. I hear him let out a breath and I swear I feel his whole body relax from across the cab of his jeep.

  “So, tell me about your mom.”

  “We’re not talking about my mom.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because my mom stresses me out. Talking about her gets me upset, even when she's thousands of miles away.”

  “Well, my mom is awesome. She works for me and my brothers doing office work at our construction company. She bakes us cookies at least a couple times a week and makes sure we eat lunch.”

  I start giggling, thinking about him and his brothers, who are all built like redwood trees, having their mom bake them cookies and reminding them to eat lunch.

  “She sounds sweet,” I say, laughing, because it really is nice. I hope one day I can be that kind of mom to my kids. “What does your dad do?” I ask.

  “Dad’s the sheriff. He’s been a cop forever. Mom never worked till we graduated high school.”

  “You’re really lucky. My mom was never really around,” I say, leaning my head back against the seat and closing my eyes. I can actually feel the sadness in my own words. He reaches over and squeezes my knee. I can’t deal with anyone feeling sorry for me, especially not him, so I change the subject.

  “So your brothers work construction with you? And you work for my dad?” I ask, confused.

  “We all work together. I started the business after I got out of the Marine Corps. Then, when each of them graduated from college, they bought into the company. I don’t work for your dad. My cousin owns a business that supplies security and bodyguards to businesses like your dad’s. Every once in a while, he’ll call me in and ask me to check on one of his men.”

  “It’s great that you get to work with your family” I say, thinking its’ good that he doesn’t work at the strip club. I don’t know how I would feel about dating a guy in that line of work. Not that we’re dating, I remind myself. “Your family seems really nice. Well, your grandma and brothers, do anyway.”

  “We're all close. It’s not always easy working together but at the end of the day, we know that we’re family. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “No. My mom had bigger dreams than having a family,” I say as we pull up in front of my house.

  The house is completely dark. The only light around is coming from the headlights of Asher’s jeep. “What the hell?” I mumble, starting to feel nervous about going inside. Not because Asher is with me and we’re alone and I don’t know him no, this is more the feeling, you have when you wake from a bad dream and the fright stays stuck to you for a while after you wake up.

  “Why didn't Mike leave a light on for you?” Asher asks, looking over at me.

  “Uh…I don't know. I'm always home way before he leaves. Maybe he just forgot,” I say, starting to get ou
t of the jeep. I stop when he opens the glove box and pulls out a gun. “What are you doing?” I ask in shock.

  “Safety.” That’s all he says before he opens his door. I follow his lead and open mine. Before I even make it to the front of his jeep, he’s next to me, grabbing my hand. The warmth from his touch is soothing, and I swear I can feel him rubbing his thumb back and forth against my skin.

  We start to walk up the porch when he stops. “Is there another way to get in the house?” he asks, turning towards me.

  “My apartment is in the basement and has its own entrance,” I tell him, looking around.

  “Stay close,” he says softly. I hold on to the back of his shirt, walking so close that I don’t think you can slip a piece of paper between us. I can hardly see in the darkness. The only source of light is coming from the moon, which cutting through the clouds. Walking around the side of the house, my heart starts pounding. It feels like it’s going to jump out of my chest. My breathing starts to pick up when I think about what happened the last time I went home after dark.

  The night that I was attacked, I had been walking to my apartment from the subway. I passed the alley next to my building and a guy grabbed me from behind, covered my mouth then dragged me down into the shadows next to a dumpster. That’s where he proceeded to beat me. I fought as much as I could and was feeling dizzy by the time he stood over me, grabbing my head. I knew he was going to bash my head into the concrete so I closed my eyes and started to pray. Then, he was gone and I could vaguely see Beast attacking him.

  Asher must notice me shaking because he stops and pulls me into his big, warm body. His arms go around me and I feel his lips touch my hair. He smells like spicy, warm man and it makes me want to crawl into his skin. He pulls my face out of his chest and brings his face towards mine.

  “It’s okay, baby,” he whispers, putting his forehead to mine. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I want you to breathe deeply for me, okay?” I am so caught up in how close he is that I can’t think about anything but leaning in and touching my mouth to his. I shake my head to clear it and take a deep breath. I wonder if he can read my mind because even in the darkness, I can see the white of his smile.