by Esme Beal
“Come,” he said. “Let’s rest.”
He fell back on his bed. I put my head on his chest and sighed in contentment.
“I could stay like this forever,” I whispered.
“Only for a moment. I’m… I’m hungry. And the dinner you made was delicious. It’d be a shame to eat it cold.”
“I’ll re-warm it. Just let me enjoy this moment with you for a little while longer.”
“Of course, Omega.”
He kissed me on the top of my head and pulled another sigh out of me.
Everything was perfect.
Chapter 18
NOAH
“This was a bad idea.”
“Bad idea? I thought you were hungry?”
“I know. It’s a bad idea for you.”
I smirked at Ashton then turned my attention back to the menu in front of me.
“I’m starving,” I sighed. “I thought the sandwich I had at lunch earlier today would hold me over but it didn’t do much.”
“It looks like our child is already making his presence known.”
Ashton smiled softly and reached forward to put his hand across my stomach. It hadn’t even been a day since it happened but I felt like my pregnancy was already beginning to have an effect on me.
“Maybe it’s just in my head,” I said. “Maybe I really am just hungry.”
“Did you work hard today?”
“Not any harder than usual. The excitement must be getting to me.”
“That must be it. Because I’m a lot hungrier than usual myself.”
“Then that means this was a really bad idea for you. A couple of men starving and you decide to take me to the fanciest restaurant in the city. I hope your wallet can handle it.”
“I’ve got some money in the bank.”
“Some money might not be enough tonight.”
He smiled at me, the look on his face as charming as it always was. Ashton had a way of being so magnanimous yet gentle all at the same time. It was his demeanor that made me feel so comfortable despite what might have been happening all around me.
The other patrons seemed to respect Ashton just the same. And I knew they were aware of who Ashton was. If you lived in Snow Falls long enough, it was inevitable that you learned about the richest man in the city. It all just made me that more fortunate about everything.
The waiter arrived and bowed to us.
“Welcome, Mr. Webb,” he said. “And your guest.”
“My boyfriend,” Ashton said. “Noah.”
“Mr. Noah. It’s a pleasure to have you here. What can I get for you this evening? Some wine to start, perhaps.”
“I…” I stuttered then laughed softly at the suggestion. “I’m not drinking tonight. Something light and sweet will do just fine. Perhaps some lemonade.”
“Lemonade,” the waiter said. “And for you, Mr. Webb?”
“I’ll have the same,” Ashton replied. “And as for the food, just have the chef prepare several servings of his finest courses. Steak. Chicken. Lobster. Some pasta sounds nice as well.”
“Excellent. I’ll have that right out for you shortly.”
The waiter excused himself, leaving me alone with Ashton.
“You know,” I started. “If it wasn’t for how hungry I was, I’d appreciate the atmosphere a little more.”
“Is that right?”
“Candles. Soft music. Quiet conversation all around us. Great company…”
Ashton leaned forward and kissed me softly. Feeling him so close to me, I inhaled a deep breath of his scent. It was like everything about him consumed all of my thoughts.
You wouldn’t have known just how rich he was judging by how he looked now. Sure, his black suit looked just as expensive as always. But he leaned forward across the table, his chin resting in his palm as he looked me up and down. His eyes narrowed and I immediately began to blush.
“What?” I said as I started to laugh. “What is it?”
“Nothing. I was just admiring you.”
“Admiring me… You know, if this were high school, I’d think you were crazy. Now that we’re not in high school any longer, I still think you’re crazy.”
“Ha!”
Ashton leaned back in his seat and chuckled. His smile was just as beaming as it always was, even underneath the dim lights of the restaurant.
“High school was a long time ago,” he said. “You can’t keep holding that standard to either of us now.”
“I know. It’s just… I still remember it. It wasn’t just me. Everybody thought you were the hottest Alpha at the school. Everything about you was perfect.”
“You didn’t know me very well.”
“I didn’t know you at all. That didn’t stop me from…”
“From what?”
The way he raised an eyebrow in curiosity made me reluctant to answer. Ashton always had a way of making me feel embarrassed about him, even with as close as we were now.
“From what, Noah?” he repeated.
“It didn’t stop me from… having a crush on you. God, if I could’ve told myself back then that I would actually be dating you, I never would’ve believed it.”
“You’ve mentioned that before. You’re my Omega, Noah. You’re just going to have to get used to it.”
“I’ll… I’ll try…”
He leaned forward and put his lips on me again. His tongue slid between my teeth. His scent. His taste. His hand slowly creeping up my leg. He clouded my thoughts just enough to almost make me forget that we were in public.
“Stop,” I said as I pulled away.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. I just don’t think you should keep doing that in public. I won’t be able to help myself.”
He sighed a deep breath through his nose and straightened his suit jacket.
“You speak like you’re the only one trying to restrain himself,” he said.
His hand slowly started to creep up my leg. I bit my bottom lip, stuck between pushing him away and wanting him to keep going.
“Stop,” I whispered.
“But you don’t want me to stop.”
“Y-yes,” I stuttered. “Ashton, please…”
“Please what? Keep going?”
“S-stop…”
“You’re saying that but your body is telling me something else…”
I trembled more and more from his touch. My cock began to swell inside of my pants. My hands were moving toward his but I wanted to enjoy this for as long as I could.
“Two lemonades.”
The waiter suddenly arrived with our drinks. Ashton quickly jerked his hand away. He eyeballed me with that knowing glare of his while the waiter set our drinks down.
“Your first course will be out shortly,” he said.
“Thank you,” Ashton said, his eyes still on me. “Tell the kitchen staff to take as much time as they need.”
“They’ll do everything they can to get your food to you shortly, Mr. Webb.”
The waiter left. As soon as he was gone, I raised my index finger.
“Don’t even think about it,” I said. “There’s a time and place for that. I’m telling myself that my hunger is more important than whatever desires you’re trying to pull out of me.”
“You can resist. But your walls will come crashing down, Noah.”
I took a sip of my lemonade and smiled at him.
“We’ll see about that.”
Ashton didn’t try embarrassing me any further. Thankfully, the first serving of food came out. Steamed lobster. Expensive cuts of steak grilled to perfection. Chicken that looked good enough to fill me up.
I didn’t waste any time, digging into food and savoring every bite.
“This is amazing,” I said.
“It’s good,” Ashton replied. “I’m sure you’re capable of just the same with the right ingredients. But I can’t have you cooking dinner every night.”
“I won’t argue with that.”
> “Maybe we can have this every night.”
I looked down at the food. There were enough plates to cover the entire table.
“No,” I said as I shook my head. “There’s enough food here to feed so many people at the shelter. And I’m sure with as expensive as it is, it’ll probably feed even more. You should see what Eunice can do. The things she does to stretch a dollar…”
“All the reason for me to invest.”
“I’m not asking you for an investment. You have no obligation to the shelter.”
“I don’t. But WET is a company for the people. I know how tall the Webb Building is. I don’t want people to look at it with disdain. I want them to smile when they look at it, not for it to be an eyesore.”
“I’m sure that anybody who gets to know you will appreciate just what kind of person you really are.”
“And what kind of person am I, Noah?”
“Oh, I don’t know… Kind… Compassionate… Loyal…”
“Mr. Webb!”
A loud, shrill voice interrupted our conversation. I turned and saw the last person I wanted to see.
Queen.
The woman stood there with her bodyguard by her side. She had a smile on her lips, undoubtedly hiding her true motives.
“What a pleasure it is to see you here,” she said. “And you’re with your friend, Noah.”
“What a coincidence…” I muttered.
Ashton shared the lack of enthusiasm that I did.
“Can I help you?” he said.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner,” she replied. “I just thought I’d stop by to say hello.”
“Well, we’re in the middle of dinner,” I said. “We were looking for some time alone.”
“Aren’t we all? It seemed appropriate to say hello. Oh, and there’s one more thing.”
“What is it?” Ashton said.
“I just made a significant investment in WET. Not enough to become a member of the board but I have been invited to the next board meeting.”
Ashton’s eyes widened enough for me to be concerned the same as him.
“You?” Ashton said. “You were invited to the board meeting?”
“That’s right. A Mr. Jon Elder invited me. Oh, but I don’t want to interrupt your meal with all of the details of business. I just wanted to give you a little… notice. You have a good night, you two.”
Queen winked at me before turning around and walking away. Ashton had his eyes locked on her the entire time.
“Ashton? Ashton, are you all right?”
He turned back to me and smiled.
“I’m fine,” he sighed.
“She said she was invited to a board meeting. What does that mean?”
“Investors are always given insight into the shape of the company. Sometimes they have input.”
“Input? Maybe Queen—”
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m the only person who can make decisions unilaterally. She doesn’t have any actual power. She’s one of many investors. If you’re thinking she’s trying to ruin my company, I can assure you that she’s not capable of it.”
Ashton put a hand on my leg. Just his touch was enough to make me forget about the incident with Queen. It helped that the food smelled so good.
“Come along now,” he said. “Before your food gets cold.”
“I’m afraid this will all get cold before I get a chance to eat all of it.”
“Then we should enjoy as much of it as we can.”
Chapter 19
ASHTON
For as long as I could remember, the board of directors was filled with the kind of men you would expect to want the best for the company. A bunch of old, wise, no-nonsense men were just what I needed to make sure that I was making the right decisions to keep the company headed in the right direction.
Though I respected each and every member, I never cared too much for the board meetings themselves. Going over numbers and discussing business was just another unfortunate formality of being the man in charge.
“We’re not going to meet our projections but profit margins are at a five-year high. We’ll have a surplus. Do you want to keep funds allocated as they are?”
“What is your suggestion?” I asked.
Jon looked at the other board members then back to me.
“The choice is up to you, of course,” he said. “We’ve been busy with manufacturing but we should be able to meet demands for the next quarter. R&D seems like a safe investment. Our engineers will be happy to have the extra funding.”
I looked out the window of the office. The view never changed from all of the times I’d seen it before. The difference was now I could actually see what was out there. The Southern Block wasn’t just some dark part of the city in the distance. It was a place I’d been to. It was a place I was comfortable in. It was a place I could do something about.
“I have another suggestion,” I said. “What are we doing in terms of charity?”
“We’re meeting the appropriate minimums for write-offs—”
“We can do more than that. There are a number of shelters. Particularly in the Southern Block. Perhaps we can do something there.”
Jon blinked his eyes at me like he was unsure of what I just said but I wasn’t about to back off.
“Are you certain?” he asked.
“I’m certain. You’re always talking about good public relations for this company. What better PR is there if the people see that we’re donating our money to those who need it most?”
It was good PR. There was no question about that. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t doing this mostly for Noah. It was an easy decision to make regardless.
Jon and the other members of the board all looked at one another. Jon, as head of the board, made most of the final decisions when they came to a consensus.
“We’ll consider it,” Jon said.
“That’s all I ask.”
I got up from my seat and looked out the window, my hands behind my back.
“If that will be all, gentlemen—”
“Actually, there is one other thing. One of our newer investors would like to meet with you.”
Queen…
I was so distracted by the board meeting that I forgot about Queen’s harmless threat from the night before.
I turned back around and gave a nod.
“Let them in,” I said.
The board member opened up the door to the office and Queen sauntered in with the usual confidence she had. Expensive suit. A ton of makeup to cover up what she actually looked like. Her nose in the air like she was better than everybody else.
“Queen Mitchell,” Jon announced her.
“Thank you all for having me,” Queen said. “It’s a pleasure to be an investor in the company.”
“It’s a pleasure to have you on-board,” Jon replied. “We’re always looking for those willing to make substantial financial contributions to the company. It allows for maximum growth.
“Indeed… It’s also a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Webb.”
I bowed my head to her. I kept my eyes locked on her, watching her every move as she slowly walked around the large conference table.
What is she up to?
I figured I had to play along until I found out why she was really here.
“We were just going over the financial details of the company,” I said. “This fiscal year should be one of our most profitable. You can rest assured that you’ll see a return on whatever it is you’ve invested.”
“I’m glad. However, you won’t mind if I’m eager to make the most out of my investment. WET is a successful company but success is measured in so many different ways. There’s so much room for growth, especially in a city like Snow Falls.”
“We’re always eager to hear suggestions,” Jon said. “Though we can’t make you privy to the specific details of how your investment is made, rest assured the company is doing everything it can
to maximize its assets.”
“I’m sure of it. But you’ll allow me to make a suggestion.”
“Of course.”
Queen slowly walked toward me. The smirk on her lips made me uncomfortable in a way I didn’t want to admit.
What kind of game is she playing?
“The people of Snow Falls look up to this company,” she said. “Not because WET provides us with so much of the capital that other businesses run but because of how it reflects on the entire city to the rest of the world. Everybody looks up to WET. Everybody looks up to you, Mr. Webb.”
“I try to set the best example for the company that I can,” I said.
“I’m glad we’re in agreement.”
She turned toward the conference table. Everybody in the room had their eyes on her.
“However, you’ll have to forgive me for being so blunt but I heard a rumor,” she said.
“A rumor?” Jon said.
“A rumor that the CEO of this company was dating someone.”
“That’s not a rumor,” I said. “I’m more than willing to admit that I’m in a relationship with someone. I have nothing to hide.”
“Is that true? Then why are you hiding the truth from the public? Why are you hiding the truth from this board?”
“I’m not hiding anything. I’m in a committed relationship to a man—”
“Not just any man. A convicted felon. A criminal.”
What?
I tried to hold back my surprise. But when she saw how silent I was, Queen’s smirk started to grow even more.
“That’s right,” she said. “The CEO of this company is with an ex-convict. Now… I don’t know as much about running a big company like WET as much as the people in this room but I don’t think the people will look too fondly on a CEO dating a criminal.”
I walked up to Queen and whispered into her ear.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Oh… He hasn’t told you, has he?”
She narrowed her eyes at me.
“No… He’s kept his secret from you this whole time,” she whispered.
She turned back to the board and raised her voice.
“It’s true,” she said. “You’ll understand if I’m a bit concerned about my money. But I trust that the board will do what’s best for this company. The man in charge isn’t immune to making mistakes. I trust those mistakes will be rectified.”