by Bonnar King
“By my new segment,” he groaned. “It’s not a walk in the park, you know.”
As if to emphasize his point, he stacked a bunch of papers in front of me with a loud thump. I picked up the first one and read it over, while Leo quietly glared daggers at me.
It was one of the articles I wanted him to write as a test—and reading it now, I shouldn’t have doubted him for a second. Not only was Leo smart, but he had excellent writing skills that I didn’t see in just anyone. He had a way with words, and dear I say it—a gift.
“It’s okay,” I said instead. “Make sure you keep the other articles just as… passable.”
His mouth gaped open. I waited for his sarcastic comment, already anticipating the next coming argument. This was almost like that elevator moment, except it wasn’t, because it was a completely professional one—at least, I was going to keep it that way.
But Leo shut his mouth instead. Then he settled back on his chair and got comfortable.
“Of course, I will,” he muttered. Then he got to reporting.
I tuned out of my amused state and listened, knowing the bumpy start we had still hadn’t ended.
By the beginning of the second month, whatever bumpy start we had finally smoothed over enough for us to stop disagreeing all the time and start agreeing on things, which wasn’t as much fun, but sure was more productive.
It was yet another night of us staying after hours in order to meet our deadlines—the second one for this week, as Walter increasingly became absent in our working together. I knew it was his way of slowly easing out of the company and into retirement, and I was fine with it, because it showed me he had faith in me handling things without him. Leo, of course, was still not used to it and my vastly different style of running things. It seemed that Walter cared more about being liked than actually getting results. I admired his dedication and leadership, but I had to put my stamp on this business if I was to make a difference.
Once Leo and I were on the same page regarding the business, it was surprising to find out that there were, in fact, a lot of things that we agreed on—particularly in our taste in books and literature, and how we wanted it to influence the magazine in the long run.
Leo was the one more surprised by it.
“You said you liked motorcycles and manly alpha stuff,” he accused. Then he shut his mouth when he saw me smiling as I recalled our elevator conversation.
“And you said you knew how to have fun.”
“Not at work,” Leo said. “At work, I work.”
“Then there lies your problem.”
“I don’t have a problem.”
“Having fun at work does not equate to not being productive. You should try it sometime.”
He looked at me in exasperation. I think it spoke of his ease with me already that he was no longer as stiff as before, and could already show his annoyance at me. I didn’t know whether I should be bothered that he wasn’t feeling the sexual tension I was feeling, or relieved.
Relieved. Definitely relieved.
It was so damn inconvenient, too. On the surface, Leo was plain and boring. He was still not my type. So why did I still keep thinking about him?
Because I needed to be inside him in ways that my body knew better than my mind did.
Right.
“I don’t have to loosen up and have fun just to please you,” Leo said. “I can do that whenever I feel like it and—”
Suddenly he stopped talking. I was so surprised that it took me a while to register something else.
He was taking my hand.
And he was leaning very, very close.
I could immediately smell his omega scent. That same fresh lily scent that was unique to him. I could feel the warmth of his body, which was sending signals to my cock until it was swelling uncomfortably in my pants. His eyes locked onto mine, playful and sultry.
No, he wasn’t plain. Far from it. He was a mystery, and one I wanted to solve.
Suddenly, Leo started giggling.
“Oh, stop it! Lucas, you are so funny!”
Okay, something wasn’t right. I narrowed my eyes at Leo. The sultry look in his eye turned to a pleading one, which puzzled me. Then a flash beside the meeting room’s open door caught my eye, and I saw someone pass by. A blond guy.
Everything clicked into place.
A few seconds later, there was the quiet ding of the elevator closing. Leo removed his hand right away and breathed a sigh of relief. I immediately missed the warmth. What the hell?
“Seriously? You’re using me to make your cheating ex jealous?”
He gave me an apologetic look. “You’re the last person I’d have wanted involved in that, but he’s been trying to talk to me for a while now.”
My voice turned hard. “So, he’s been harassing you?”
“No. No. Just… I just don’t want him to keep pestering me, okay? If he thinks there’s something going on between us, he’s not going to blab. And he’s going to leave me alone.”
It was a pretty complicated move, and it made me wonder what was going on in that omega brain of his.
“I don’t do pretend hook-ups, you know,” I finally responded.
“Trust me, it won’t happen again.”
“It better not. You might fall madly in love with me.”
He shot me a look so scandalized, I couldn’t help but grin.
“Trust me, Lucas, that won’t be happening either.”
I leaned back on my chair, satisfied at the cleared air between us. Yes, I was still madly attracted to him. No, I wasn’t going to pursue it—not when his dad would kill me if I did and it was against company policy. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy looking at him or thinking about what I wanted to do with him.
9
Leo
Becoming friendly with the alpha I made out with in a dark elevator was the weirdest thing ever.
For one thing, he was now my boss, despite the fact that I was probably bossier than him by a long shot. He didn’t mind pointing it out, and I also didn’t mind telling him I was going to remain that way so long as it didn’t mess with our business relationship.
For another thing, it gave me access to the moves he put on the omegas—and he had a lot. Apparently, I’d been friend-zoned, which was fine by me.
At least I got to watch him in action.
His moves were subtle and sly, and I wouldn’t have noticed them if I hadn’t been looking out for them. But I had been, and at first it amused me.
Lucas often started off by maintaining eye contact with the omega who interested him—in particular, one of our new investors, Kenny Williams, who was a famous Broadway actor, who only invested because he wanted his money to go somewhere productive and a healthy return on investment, which he knew he’d get if he worked with Lucas.
Lucas and his omega target began talking, but with flirty undertones that wasn’t really blatant, given I was also in the same room. Of course, I was completely ignored, save for the occasional confirmation as they dealt with the transactions.
Once it was time for a short break, Lucas took the investor to the pantry, hinting that one of our employees made the best brewed coffee in town. But first he took him on a tour around the office area, where the alphas proceeded to gawk at him as he paraded his firm body and big, round ass. My ass was definitely smaller than his, but was more than a handful, too—and at least mine wasn’t fake!
Great. I sounded jealous.
To prove I wasn’t, I stood up from my desk after having returned for only ten minutes, then proceeded to bring my mug with me to the pantry. Lucas and the new investor, Kenny, were there, leaning against each other as Lucas poured him a cup. Kenny was whispering something into Lucas’ ear, and it looked very, very intimate.
Lucas looked up at the sound of the door swinging open, his eyes meeting mine. I raised a brow and smiled.
“I’m just here for the coffee,” I said sweetly.
Smoothly, Lucas finished filling the
coffee cup and steered Kenny toward the coffee table, his hand lightly caressing Kenny’s lower back, mere inches from his ass. There was a twinkle in Kenny’s eyes, which meant he liked the gesture.
I got my coffee and walked away, realizing this was a stupid idea and I wasn’t exactly wanted there. A quick look in their direction as I was at the pantry door determined that they were back to flirting, and the same seduction techniques Lucas used on me were also being used on Kenny.
Bothered, not sure why, I closed the door.
It wasn’t only Kenny. The omegas kept coming, and it wasn’t even Lucas trying to catch their attention—at least, not through showing any intention. The omegas hit on him first, some interest more muted than others—but with plenty of those others that had a crazy obvious gleam in their eyes that indicated only one thing: I want your cock inside me. I want us screwing like bunnies.
Lucas appreciated each one of them. He was polite and entertaining, as well as overtly professional, which only drove them crazier with desire. However, Lucas was professional and didn’t do anything with the flirty omegas, which only helped establish him as a businessman with credibility.
And it was a damn good credibility. A quick research about him determined that he wasn’t only a businessman—he was a highly respected business mogul of the highest accord, up there with all the other billionaires who had a talent for making any business they got their hands-on flourish. Unlike those other billionaires, Lucas liked to roll up his sleeves and get into the nitty-gritty of every business he owned. At least until he had turned it around and it was time for his next project.
There were also pictures online, which showed plenty of omegas in his arm—but not the same one every time. Every hot omega from socialites to famous actors. My suspicions were right, and I was glad nothing beyond kissing happened in that elevator between us. Otherwise, I would have ended up just being another one of his conquests.
I certainly didn’t need that kind of complication in my life.
But another kind of complication arrived: that in the many omegas obsessing over one Lucas in not-so-subtle ways. It got to the point where I found slipped notes inside my folder intended for Lucas, which I usually submitted to him during our meetings.
And they were very graphic.
Scandalized, I dumped the folder on the meeting table, glaring at him. Lucas only smirked, his hand already slipping in to find the notes. Amusement filled his eyes as he read them, and unable to stem my curiosity, I snatched one out of his grasp and devoured the words.
My nose wrinkled. “This one wants to suck your… um.”
“You can say the word, you know. It’s not bad to do so,” he teased.
In response, I sighed and flicked the note back at him.
“You know, I should scold you for being such a bossy employee,” he said.
“I’m one of your best employees,” I replied confidently. “I’m pretty sure you’d recognize that by now, considering we’ve been working together for over a month.”
He leaned forward, taunting.
“So long as you don’t interfere with my… notes, then I think we’re all good.”
Not liking being taunted, wanting to look unaffected, I leaned forward as well. It put our faces inches away from each other.
“So long as it doesn’t interfere with our work… then we’re all good,” I murmured back.
His gaze slid to my mouth, and something darkened in his eyes. Something responded in me, an ache that I didn’t know was there, and it reverberated and formed a ball of heat in my stomach.
I stilled, suddenly realizing it wasn’t a good idea to challenge this alpha. He kept looking at my mouth, and its dryness suddenly made me want to lick my lower lip.
So I did.
His eyes flared. My breath stopped.
Then Lucas was leaning back, casual and calm. The flare that I witnessed in his eyes was gone, and in its place, was a look of amusement.
“Good we have that settled,” he said before returning to reading my report.
Stunned, I leaned back, too. The heat in my stomach was still there, and accompanying it was a fluttering I my heart and a hardening of my dick, which I knew meant only one dreaded thing.
I was more attracted to my alpha boss than ever before.
My attraction for Lucas was easy to handle in theory. I just had to keep busy and leave him alone with the omegas antics at the office, blocking my mind from having anymore sexy thoughts about wanting to be bent over and fucked by him on his desk.
What he did with the other omegas should be none of my business, but in practice, I hated seeing those other omegas flirt with him. It made my blood boil.
Things were relatively manageable, up until I got a call from Los Angeles that was meant for my dad, but had to be redirected to me in his absence.
Five minutes later, I was urgently knocking on Lucas’ office door and reporting the news to him.
“We’ve got a printing problem in our factory in Los Angeles. I need to fly there as soon as possible.”
“What problem?” he asked.
“Some strike going on. Usually my dad handles it, but he’s on vacation right now. I don’t want to disturb him, and I don’t want him to think I can’t handle situations like this without his help.”
“Don’t disturb him. Let him enjoy his vacation. We got this,” Lucas confirmed.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good. I’m coming with you.”
“okay. Go home and get your stuff. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”
“But the work—”
“Everyone has their assignments and the managers are well aware of their tasks. They’ll be fine.”
“The tickets—”
“I’ll take care of the tickets. Just go home and get your things,” Lucas ordered.
I frowned at him before reluctantly following his orders. I didn’t have much time, anyway. Strikes were few and far between, but they could be very intense. I wondered if I could handle it just as good as my dad usually did or if it would be a disaster.
Only one way to find out.
An hour later, Lucas picked me up at my apartment in the vehicle I least expected he’d pick me up in—a Harley motorcycle. My eyes widened. I wasn’t really familiar with models and such, but I could tell it was well taken care of and expensive. I was surprised to find him dressed down in jeans and a plain white T-shirt, reminding me of the sexy alpha I’d seen in the bar. His tattoos were clearly visible, and those muscular arms seemed more pronounced than ever.
If there was any type of award for having the best arms, Lucas would win it. Hands down.
How would those solid arms feel wrapped around me?
You already know, Leo.
“Hop in,” Lucas said, unaware of my thoughts as he handed over the helmet.
This was a bad idea.
But there was no choice. Arguing would delay the trip, and we needed to get there as soon as possible. Reluctantly, I slid behind him and tried to place my hands somewhere they could cling to, like the steel handle digging into my butt.
“Hold on to me,” Lucas said. “You’ll fall off if you don’t.”
I glared at his broad back. Then I nervously did as he asked. His torso was as solid steel as the rest of him, and he smelled so masculine and his alpha musk had placed me almost in a hypnotic trance. It was intoxicating. God. Why did he have to feel and smell so good?
My arms tightened around his waist and my chest pressed against his warm back as he rode fast through the city until the streets were a blur. I was scared, my throat running dry—but at the same time, a rush of adrenaline surged through me, and excitement skittered in my bones. I’d never done anything like this before, and the new feeling was amazing. Lucas was right in that aspect. I should learn to have more fun—this kind of fun.
Twenty minutes later, we were already at the airport—but not the main one. I gasped as Lucas drove through the runway before stopping right in fron
t of a plane. Not just any plane.
It was a private jet.
His own goddamn private jet. A Gulfstream 650!
And across the front was the name Hiddleston Flying Inc.
10
Lucas
I could tell Leo didn’t like small planes.
Maybe he didn’t even want to be here with me right now.
I wanted to see how it panned out and see if we made it through the trip without fighting like cats and dogs. I didn’t taunt him and didn’t tease, instead observing him in silence as he sat stiffly on the plane beside me.
When the stiffness and the silence on his end lasted too long already, soon turning to his face becoming pale, I began to grow worried and decided to throw my own silence out the window.
“So other than dark elevators, you’re also scared of planes?”
Leo shook his head slowly as if afraid to move. The pilot had already taken off, and we were flying across a body of water where we had a fantastic view. But his gaze was trained on the wall in front of us.
“I’m not a big fan of heights,” he finally admitted. “And tiny planes.”
I figured that. I was just surprised that even with his so-called fear, he still boarded the plane with me and didn’t even so much as a protest. It spoke volumes of his determination and work ethic.
“Talk to me,” I said. “I’ll help you forget you’re up in the air.”
“Why does this conversation sound familiar?”
I laughed, though I hadn’t realized it until now. I also realized that I had the habit of trying to ease him into things, which didn’t escape his notice. This little omega was observant as hell.
And still decidedly nervous.
“If you don’t like planes, how did you manage situations like this before?” I asked.
Leo shrugged. The move emphasized his slender shoulders, which were visible due to his tight tank top—the first time I’d seen them since our first meeting in the hotel. He was always wearing suits in the office, boring outfits that didn’t show off that tight omega body he was hiding beneath. Now I got a better look at his body due to him leaving in a rush and not having time to get suited and booted.
