Alphas on Top

by Harper Sloan

  There were five messages from Damien, five from Spencer, five from Delilah and four from Dominique. Their messages were progressively frantic as well. The last four were from Dante. There was no build up with Dante’s messages, all of them equally as desperate and frantic.

  The first was short. “Sabrina! Jesus, Sabrina. Where the hell have you gone? Please call one of us. Please.”

  The second message was longer and more frantic. “Oh god… Please. Sabrina. Please be okay. You would never ignore a call from Brooke. Please. Please be okay.”

  The third is angry. “Fuck, Sabrina. FUCK! Why would you leave like this? You should never have left. Why would you do this? If anything has happened to you… Damn you! Why did you go?”

  The last message was almost more than I could take. “Sabrina. Oh god, Rina. This is my fault. If anything has happened to you, it's on me. I did this. You should never have let me touch you. I’m praying that you’re okay, but I've never been so scared.” His last words were particularly hard to deal with. “I’m so fucking sorry baby.” As the message ended, I heard him let out a sob.

  Closing my eyes, I hugged my pillow and succumbed to the tears I’d held in while I listened to their messages. I'd never meant to scare anybody, and it hurt that I did this to them by running away.

  I was still crying when my phone alerted me to the fact that I had a personal email. I was stunned when I pulled up the notifications and saw that it was from Dante. I could hardly believe what I was reading.

  Sabrina,

  I know that you don't want to hear from me, but there are things that need to be said. Thinking that you were hurt, or worse, almost killed me. I fucked up by leaving you that night, and the only excuse that I have is that you terrify me emotionally. You're different, Rina, a completely new experience for me. I realize that you're probably thinking that I'm just saying this because I'm having a reaction to thinking that you were gone, and you're both right and wrong. Thinking that you were hurt made me write this faster than I otherwise would have, but I know that I'd have sent you something like this within a few days, regardless. There are things that you don't know about me, things that make me a less than ideal choice for you. The only way for you to understand what I've come from is to talk to me. I need to tell you things, Sabrina, serious things. If, after that, you feel that you would be willing to have a relationship with me, I'm yours. I'll try my best to be worthy of you, Sabrina, and I will do everything I can to be worthy of you. Please, baby, think this over and get back to me. I miss you so fucking much that I feel like I’m barely living without you.

  - Dante

  I couldn't believe what I'd just read. Dante had voluntarily opened to me, and I was blown away by how much he'd managed to let out. Clearly Damien hadn't shared with him the fact that I already knew about his upbringing, but it still hurt me that he thought that would affect my opinion of him in any way.

  An epiphany hit me like a ton of bricks. I'd come home thinking that I'd need to do a ton of work to get Dante to fall in love with me, but his voicemails and his email told their own story. I didn't need to make Dante fall in love with me anymore. He already was.

  Suddenly it was crystal clear. The signs had been there all along. I wondered how I had managed not to see before. Realizing that he was in love with me was like liquid courage. He was scared and convinced he wasn't worthy, but the biggest part of the battle was already won. I was lodged inside of his heart, just like he was in mine.

  No matter what he said to me, it wouldn't change the way I felt about him. My heart made the choice long before my head did, but the truth is, my head would have chosen him too.

  I needed to make him realize it himself and get him to say it out loud. If he could embrace the feelings and act on them, we could begin a real relationship. We needed to move on from being two halves to being a unit. I couldn't wait to help him discover the strength of true love. It made me sad, but I knew that it was easier for me to grasp the concept than it was for him because of the way we’d been raised. After all, I'd grown up with parents who were living a love that was breathtaking. Dante had grown up with parents who didn't have any love for themselves, much less their children.

  I'd always known that true love was real. My parents were crazy for each other, two halves of a whole. My mother always told Brooke and me that every time she looked at my father, her heart was filled with joy. It tore me up that they were gone, but Brooke and I had agreed long ago that it was not a bad thing that they went together. I don't think that either one of them could have known true happiness without the other. We both believed that if one of them had survived, they'd have bent over backwards to be there for Brooke and me, but the loss of their love would have left the survivor living a half-life.

  I'd come home from Vegas determined, but scared. Realizing that he loved me took away all of my fear. I could move mountains for Dante because my love for him made me strong. It was all encompassing and absolute, and I couldn't wait for him to embrace the fact that love wasn't weakness; it was strength.

  I floated out of my house on a cloud, ready to put my plan in motion. I headed out to the mall where I spent the next few hours shopping up a storm. I started by purchasing the sexiest lingerie that I could lay my hands on before I set out to buy all new work clothes. My new skirts and dresses had shorter hemlines. Not too short, but they would definitely draw his attention. Each outfit showcased the legs that I now realized made him crazy with lust. Paired with the beautiful garter belts and stockings I'd purchased, it was guaranteed to blow his mind. I could hardly wait to rock his world.

  After finishing up at the mall, I headed into West Hollywood to The Pleasure Chest. I was kicking this up several notches, but I was eager to try almost anything with Dante. Wandering through the store, I was surprised by how much product caught my eye. Before I knew it, I’d picked out pleasure feathers, silk entangle ties, dirty dice, nipple nibbler cream, lube, honey dust, body paint, body frosting, an eye mask, riding crop, under the bed restraint system, handcuffs, a bullet vibrator, two anal plugs and a variety of erotic movies. Things were about to get even hotter for us in the bedroom, and I couldn’t wait.

  My last stop of the day was Frederick’s of Hollywood. I'd already purchased some fabulous lingerie at the mall, but what I wanted now was some over-the-top, come-fuck-me lingerie.

  They had exactly what I was looking for, and I bought a ton of beautifully sexy lingerie. The first thing I chose was a pearl and chains teddy. It was decadent and totally sinful. After that, I picked out a pleated mesh teddy, a lacy suspender teddy, and a few silky babydoll nightgowns.

  I had everything I needed and then some to make my plan wildly pleasurable for us both. Our relationship was about so much more than sex, but I couldn't deny that when we were joined, it was the most intense feeling I'd ever had. I was so keyed up from shopping and thinking about him that I came within seconds of going to him just so I could take the edge off.

  Luckily, I had more self-control than that. The payoff of waiting was going to be amazing, I just knew it. It hurt me to avoid him, but I knew he needed the time to think. Back in the car again, I was just picking up my phone to make a call when my cell rang. Checking the caller ID, I answered via the hands free once I saw that it was Brooke.

  “Hey Brooke, I was just about to call you! What’s up?”

  “Not much. I was just calling to check in on you. Well… and also to tell you that Dante really begged me last night to tell him where you were. He’s called me four times today asking me to please change my mind and give up the information. Dante is so far up Damien’s ass begging for information that Damien is about to throttle him.”

  I chuckled to myself at that. Now that I understood how much he cared, it couldn’t be more obvious. While it hurt to know that he was upset, it was a necessary part of the plan. He needed to be blasted out of his comfort zone.

  “Brooke, I’m back in LA. Can you meet me at the house tonight? I want to talk to you.”
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  “Wow that was fast! I can totally tell by the sound of your voice that you're up to something. I can be at the house around seven. Want me to bring dinner?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. My sister knew me to well. “Yes, bring some grub. But make sure you don’t tell anyone else that I’m back! I will explain when you get home. I can’t wait to see you.”

  After saying our goodbyes, I drove the rest of the way home with Guns n’ Roses at full blast as I sang along.

  Once at home I made four trips from the car to the house as I carried in all of my new purchases. It took me quite a while to get everything put away and I was just finishing the task when I heard Brooke come through the front door.

  “Rina, get your ass to the table! I’m here with food and I’m starving girl!”

  Laughing, I made my way through the house into the kitchen. After giving her a massive hug, I got out dishes and cutlery while Brooke unloaded the food. She’d brought lemon chicken with pasta and cheesecake for dessert. Pouring us each a glass of wine, I sat down next to her, and we dug in. We were largely silent for a few minutes as we ate, but as we both started filling up we slowed down a bit.

  Gesturing to me, Brooke demanded, “Alright, spill it. You were gone for less than twenty-four hours, which tells me you have decided... something. Tell me what the deal is. I know you, and I can tell by how keyed up you are that you've got a plan.”

  Nodding my head, I laughed. “You totally know how my mind works. You’re right; I’m up to something. I came home because I realized I never even tried to fight for Dante. I chickened out right away and ran. And that’s not me."

  Pausing, I took a sip of my wine before going on. “Once I came home, I found my phone. Listening to the messages from Dante blew me away, and then I got an email from him. Brooke… he’s in love with me too. It isn’t one sided. Now I need to make him realize it. I’m not giving up on us.”

  Nodding her head in agreement, Brooke smiled at me. “I’m so glad you realized it on your own! I thought I was going to have to convince you that he is. You’re so stubborn I was sure that it was going to take forever.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her in shock. “Wait. What? You just found out yesterday that he and I even had anything going on. How do you know how he feels?”

  Giving me her best ‘I know everything’ smirk she filled me in. “Well, clearly I didn’t know anything before yesterday. But when all that craziness happened last night, I saw up close and personal how he feels. When he got to the apartment, it was clear he had been crying. He knew by the time he got there that you were fine, but he was still a wreck.”

  “I might have thought he was just upset that you had been missing, but he flipped out when I hung up with you. He was desperate to speak to you, even though he already knew you were okay. He was so sad. It was impossible to miss. I talked to him for a few minutes, asked him how he would feel if you got married and had children with another man. That was rough, because I actually thought he was going to be ill. I knew right then that he was in love with you. There is no way he would have looked like that if he weren’t. It was pretty apparent to everyone. After he left, Spencer, Dominique and Delilah immediately ganged up on me and Damien and got as much detail as they could out of us. They couldn't have missed that something was going on once they had seen Dante.”

  Nodding, I pondered all that she had said. “I’m glad they all know. I never wanted to keep secrets from any of you. And it will help that they know as my plan goes forward. I’m not hiding this anymore. I’m going to change the way he sees relationships.”

  “Good for you, Rina! The only way Dante will know this is real is if you show him how positive the feeling can be. What’s your plan?”

  Wiggling my eyebrows at her and giggling, I started filling her in. “I’m going to assault his senses and put him on overload. I started by hitting the mall and buying new work clothes. My skirts and dresses are a little shorter now. I bought some beautiful new lingerie, including some garter belts and stockings, which are about to become my new favorite thing.”

  “Ooh, Sabrina! I love how you think. Go on.”

  Smiling at her, I continued, “That was a terrific start, but I sure wasn’t finished. I went into West Hollywood and hit up The Pleasure Chest. I bought a ton of super fun things that are guaranteed to blow his mind. And then to round it all out, I went to Frederick’s of Hollywood and got some crazy sexy lingerie. Tomorrow I’m going to have a spa day, the works. I don't want to leave him alone with his thoughts indefinitely, so my plan is to show up at work on Tuesday morning and go from there. I'm making that man admit what the rest of us already know; he's in love with me.”

  She was laughing hard when I finished. “Jesus, Sabrina. You’re deadly. I love that you’ve got this all worked out. He has no idea what’s coming his way.”

  We spent the next half hour finishing dinner and talking some more. Brooke seemed a little off to me still, and I worried that I had really done damage when I went missing.

  Once the meal was over, she wanted to see everything I’d bought, so I showed her all the clothes and lingerie. After that, I set out all the toys on my dresser and giggled at the look on her face. I loved that we had the type of relationship that allowed us to talk about anything. Our mother had raised us to understand that having sex and experimenting with someone you loved and felt safe and secure with was the most natural thing in the world, and that you should embrace your sexuality and celebrate it.

  She nodded her approval at everything I’d shown her. “If you don’t give him a heart attack first, he’s in for the time of his life… for the rest of his life! You should be classified as a lethal weapon! I wonder if this plan would work for me.”

  Gaping at her, I raised my eyebrows. "I knew it! You've been acting differently lately. You like someone. Who is this guy?"

  Shaking her head, she looked away. "No, it’s no one in particular. I just mean… Oh, you know. I'm a little old to still be a virgin, don't you think?"

  I didn't believe what she had said about there being no one specific, but I chose not to call her on it. Who was I to give her shit for keeping a secret about her love life? In that way my sister and I were too alike, and I knew that if she didn’t want to tell me, she wouldn’t. Instead of pestering her, I told her the truth. "No, I don’t think you are too old to be a virgin. I wish I'd listened to mom and stayed a virgin until I met my true love. Now there will always be the disappointment that was sex before I was with Dante and the explosion of feelings and emotions that overtook me when he made love to me. It's totally different when you are in love, like night and day."

  Sighing sadly, she shook her head. "I stayed a virgin all this time because of everything mom said. But some guys don't like the virginity thing… I kind of wish I wasn’t a virgin anymore."

  I stared at her as I tried to figure out what to say, but she grabbed one of the anal plugs and hit me with it, causing both of us to start laughing. I knew she had done it to ensure that I'd stop asking questions, but I also knew my sister well enough to know that if she wasn't ready to talk, she wouldn't. Once we stopped laughing we spent another hour or so talking about the rest of my plan. Not long after that, Brooke and I traded keys to our cars again and then she headed back to her apartment, after first making me promise to keep her in the loop on my progress.

  I spent the entire next day being pampered. My legs were waxed, I got a Brazilian wax, my eyebrows were waxed, my hair was highlighted and trimmed, and then I had a pedicure, a manicure and a massage to round out the day. Normally I went for light colors or French manicures, but today I went all out and got a beautiful plum wine color on my nails and toes.

  By the time I left the salon I was smooth, buffed, polished… and ready to blow the lid off Dante’s brain.

  I was up and in the shower by seven, beyond excited to start the day. I’d missed Dante so much in the last few days that I couldn’t believe I'd thought I could stay away for weeks. In retrospect,
that was an extremely shortsighted plan.

  I spent extra time massaging lotion all over my body, making sure that I was soft from head to toe. After I'd finished doing that, I sat at my vanity and blew my hair out. I’d decided to wear my hair down, and I was immensely happy with the result. A touch of mascara and some lip-gloss and I was finished with hair and make-up. Heading into my closet, I chose my outfit for the day before putting on a new super push up bra and a matching garter belt and stockings. Once I had the garter belt and stockings in place, I pulled on the matching panties and surveyed myself in the mirror and smiled. The look was exactly what I'd been going for.

  Next I pulled on my new gray pencil skirt. Unlike my old pencil skirts, this one ended above the knee, about two inches above to be exact. Slipping on a red sleeveless blouse and my favorite pair of hoop earrings, I sprayed myself with J’Adore and then put on my Louboutin stilettos. The look was complete, and I knew it was a home run. I wandered to the kitchen, ate a breakfast bar and drank a glass of milk before getting into the car and heading off to work.

  I was walking into the office by eight thirty, and I tried to calm the butterflies in my stomach while I was in the elevator on my way to the top floor. Crossing the threshold into our office suite, I took a deep breath. Day one of the plan to break down Dante’s defenses had officially begun.

  I had a job to do, so I checked the messages and my emails first. I couldn't believe that of all the times for there to be a serious problem at work now had to be that time. I spent half an hour taking notes before I headed down the hallway to Dante’s office. I got a feeling of déjà vu as I stood quietly in the doorway and stared at him. It was like being transported back in time to the first day I'd stood in that same spot taking him in for the first time.