by Bonnar King
Still, there was no denying that I was missing just traveling whenever I wanted and doing stunts that gave me a thrill, without having to look over my shoulder. Sam hadn’t refrained me from doing so, but there was still my promise to Tom, which was connected to Sam. I didn’t think Sam would be as willing to fly in a plane if it meant jumping out of it as I was.
Because of my boredom, I still did what I could to stop being cooped up in my apartment for too long. We visited some bars sometimes, but we often sat beside each other and just talked about business and events I was to attend, giving me an idea of him personality behind the cheerful but no-nonsense persona. While the cheerfulness was genuine, there was something deeper there. Sam was very smart and able to volley my sarcasm to a tee, and it made me enjoy teasing him all the more. He was also very serious in his job, to the point of staying up late at night just to make sure every planned activity went smoothly for me.
It made me realize that as an alpha, I had it so much easier. If I wanted to do something, I just did it and nobody really ever gave me much resistance. I just got whatever I wanted and I always expected to get my way. However, Sam had to work twice as hard, if not more, in order to pull things off and be heard by others. I saw the way people interacted with him—they didn’t take him seriously and often just thought he was nothing more than just eye-candy. I had no idea how frustrating it must be to work so hard and then just be looked at like you were a kid wearing your dad’s pants and trying to act like a gown up. Perhaps this was why I was paying him more attention and respecting him. Sam deserved my respect.
I began to take notice of what Sam liked. It was refreshing focusing on somebody else for a change. He liked ice cream—a lot. And that habit had even begun to rub off onto me. In fact, I had to bulk order and stock my freezer until my stomach was practically sick of Rocky road ice cream.
Sam liked movies—something we shared, and we’d end up sitting on the couch on opposite ends and watch together with his ice cream and my popcorn. I found it fascinating that with Sam’s sweet tooth, he had such a tight and firm body. It was too bad he was off-limits to me because I’d have loved to explore that omega’s body.
There were so many facets to Sam, and it made me uneasy to discover each and every one of them. At the same time, I couldn’t get enough. I didn’t have many omega friends—okay, I had none—and he was perhaps the first omega I didn’t try to seduce out of his pants. Hell, he’d probably scratch my eyes out if I tried. But there was something surprisingly refreshing about that, and I found myself wanting to discover everything about him: what made his eyes flare in passion, what he disliked, what pissed him off more than anything else. What scared him. What made him happy.
Nobody was more surprised than me. I actually wanted to get to know an omega in a non-sexual way. Who would have thought a meathead alpha like me was capable of such things?
Somewhere along the line, he became my friend. By the time the fourth week rolled, I realized that he was the first person I looked for whenever I needed an honest opinion about anything, and the first person I wanted to announce any good news to. He didn’t take advantage of it, either—he treated me like a friend himself and not trying to take advantage of me financially the way others had in the past. I always had to keep my guard up when I had other people around me, but not with Sam. It made being around him easier and pretty natural, and I found my filter much looser—I was able to say what I wanted about things and I knew Sam would give me an honest reaction if I stepped out of line. He also got my sense of humor, so knew when I was joking about something, so I never had to explain my jokes or apologize for saying them.
By his fifth week staying with me, I was pretty much depending on Sam for my schedule, and I could practically hear Tom gloating in my head at how things were working out. He’d always been confident he could keep me in line.
He was right.
“I have a promotion trip in London tomorrow,” I announced when I walked back in my suite after one of my morning jogs, tossing a brochure at Sam.
Sam blinked sleepily from his spot on the kitchen island, his hands on a cup of coffee. The smell wafted in the air, and I poured a cup for myself and sat on the space opposite him.
“Good morning,” I greeted in amusement. He hadn’t responded to my announcement, which meant he wasn’t really awake yet. Sam was a late riser, and he was always grumpy when he had to wake up early. It was pretty damn cute.
“Morning,” he said, yawning. He took another sip of coffee, trying not to close his eyes.
Five minutes later, he finally began firing on all cylinders. Then his eyes widened as he stared at me.
“What?” he blurted out.
I smirked. “London. Tomorrow. A trip to meet an investor and a promotional visit. There’s a site there the company wants to acquire.”
“I didn’t know about this,” Sam said, accusingly.
“It was last-minute. The investor just contacted me.”
“Oh.”
“You in?”
I watched him take another sip of his coffee, then bob his head. His red hair gleamed in the sunlight streaming through, emphasizing his creamy skin all the more. I watched as his lips pursed, momentarily distracting me as I focused on them.
I watched the excitement enter those green eyes, turning them sparkling.
Sam stopped pressing his lips together and finally grinned at me.
“I’ve never been to London,” he admitted.
“Then you’re in for a treat,” I said.
He stood up. Then he was hurrying to his room, talking a mile a minute about how he needed to pack as soon as possible because this was goddamn London.
I laughed from my spot and kept drinking my coffee.
I was going to make this a trip to remember.
Perhaps we would even be able to mix business with pleasure.
8
Sam
Justin owned a private jet.
I shouldn’t have been surprised, really—except I still was, because said jet had a freaking bathtub and one of the most luxurious bedrooms I had ever seen. I spent the entire ride embarrassingly excited as I explored every nook and cranny, not even caring that he was amused at my ignorance. Those athletes and movie stars I had represented before? They had nothing on this alpha when it came to luxury, and he didn’t even try. Maybe he’d gotten used to it after having it for so long. The food and wine we had on the jet was good enough for a Michelin star restaurant. How could anyone ever get bored with this?
Once we arrived in London and I was still not over the plane ride, Justin then took me to a limousine—one that was customized, with its own huge flat screen television inside, as well as a mini fridge that held all sorts of delicacies like imported chocolates and expensive champagne. Being overwhelmed kept me from eating, and I was practically giddy as we passed by famous landmarks that I’d only seen in pictures and movies before. Then it was over too quickly, and we were in a fancy five-star hotel and checking in. The penthouse suite was fully booked, and Justin’s secretary booked another room for us, where the bellboy ushered us in and showed us around. It was smaller than Justin’s place, but definitely bigger than my apartment.
But there was something wrong: the room only had one bedroom…and one bed.
Justin clarified this, and what followed was a horrible misunderstanding as Justin’s secretary thought the good for two Justin specified was for him and his omega lover. Naturally, he only booked one room for this.
Unfortunately, all the other rooms were already booked, as well as those in other nearby areas.
Instead of flaring up and making a scene like some wealthy people would, Justin was understanding as he tipped the bellboy a huge amount. He then proceeded to turn to me, his words definite.
“I’ll take the couch.”
I blinked. Now that was just wrong. Why would he take the couch when he was my boss? I began to argue his decision by telling him that I was the one who should be taki
ng the couch, and he could have the bedroom all to himself. But Justin was adamant about it, and a little smirk appeared on his mouth when he promised that he wasn’t going to barge in on me while I was naked or anything like that.
Damn. The man knew how to turn everything into an innuendo.
And my heart pitter-pattered too much at it.
I scolded myself. Then I reluctantly agreed and took my things in. By the time I was done, it was time to move again, and we found ourselves in the limousine and headed to meet the investor, who had a tower building right in the center of London. The investor was a good-looking blond alpha who was charismatic and knew the right words to say, and they got into their discussion right away, with me sitting in and listening. This showed me yet another brilliant side of Justin as he discussed terms and strategies, never losing his patience and always listening to the other side of the fence. He was considerate, but he was also firm, and I watched as the investor slowly began to show respect for him. The man probably hadn’t expected for Justin to be more than just a rich playboy, and I realized that the scandals also caused that kind of impression.
After an agreement was reached, they shook on it. Then the investor, Jay, invited us out to dinner, telling us how he would love to show us around. Despite his obvious charisma, there was something in his gaze when he looked at me that made me uncomfortable, but I was going to bear it if it meant a better deal and kept Justin out of trouble.
To my surprise, Justin declined, telling Jay that he and I would rather be adventurous and explore the city ourselves. Curiosity got the best of me by the time we were back in the limousine, and I found myself unable to resist asking.
“Why did you decline the dinner invitation?”
Justin shrugged. “You didn’t seem comfortable. And…I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.”
I thought I hid it well, but apparently, Justin noticed. I shook my head, about to tell him that it wasn’t supposed to matter. But he shot me a look before I could speak, as if he was already reading my mind.
“It matters. We’re a team now. And I want to be as considerate to you as you are to me. If Jay wants the deal so bad, missing dinner shouldn’t stop him.”
Something in my heart fluttered at the words. I couldn’t help it. I told myself that he was doing this as a friend and nothing else. I had to remind myself repeatedly so I could come down from my high. Wherever my emotion was heading? It was dangerous territory, and it was one I shouldn’t be entertaining.
This could be attraction. This could be something else. I wasn’t going to analyze it. Justin was off-limits, and that was that.
When we got back to the hotel, Justin had business meetings over the phone to attend to, and I amused myself by strolling around the hotel and watching the view from the rooftop. He called me back on my phone after a few hours, and I could detect the tension in his voice.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Justin sighed. “Nothing. Just some arguments with the board. Now they think I’m being invisible from the public and I need to go out more and…promote myself.”
I wanted to tell the board that I was doing my best and Justin wasn’t their clay to mold like some play-thing, but I bit my tongue. Staring at the city view from my rooftop spot, I thought it over. “Well…do you know any party scene around here? We can always go and get that scene they want. As long as you behave, then things will be fine.”
“What kind of behavior are you entailing?” Justin teased.
“As in no hooking-up with strangers.”
“I hadn’t hooked up with anyone since that omega in the bar,” he said. “Remember?”
“Right.”
“And even that wasn’t a real hook-up, because of my issue.”
My cheeks turned hot as the mere sentence had me remembering the scene again and the tension between us that night. Then I remembered the omega’s dirty words, and images flashed in my head all over again. Darn it.
“Right. I remember it,” I said, keeping my voice casual.
Justin chuckled on the other line, and the sound brought tingles up my spine. I straightened said spine as he started talking again. “There’s this place in the city that’s owned by a friend of mine. A club. It’s exclusive, but it’s really nice. None of those haughty types. Want to check it out?”
Did I want to go out dressed up and witness a party scene? Normally my answer would have been no, because that wasn’t usually my scene—I preferred staying home with a cup of tea or coffee and a good book or movie, which was what Justin and I had been doing for weeks. Maybe I needed to try something new out, to discover if it wasn’t as bad as I initially thought.
Maybe it was time to open myself up to what else was out there.
“I’m in. But I don’t have any nice outfits to wear for a club night. Would you mind if I shopped a bit before we went?”
“No need. Come on. I’m taking you to the best clothing stores here, in Harrods.”
I turned around when I heard his voice behind me. Justin put the phone down and grinned at me, and I raised a brow at him as he walked over. We both watched the view for a while before I finally responded.
Then it hit me. Harrods was a world-famous department store in London, which was where the rich and famous did their shopping. I was neither rich, nor famous.
“Your taste is too expensive,” I said. “And I don’t have much to money to shop at Harrods.”
“I’ll pay for it.”
“But Justin—”
“Sam,” he murmured, turning his attention to me. “You’ve been nothing but good to me. You’re the best damn PR rep I’ve ever had. You have never taken advantage of my wealth and our friendship, despite the fact that you had plenty of times to do so. And you’ve always declined any suggestion I have for you to order whatever you liked online back in New York. Can you at least accept this gesture and take it as a gift?”
I blinked. Then I burst out laughing. “I didn’t realize you were taking notes on these things.”
Justin’s blue eyes twinkled. “I’m always masking notes on everything. So, are you in?”
“Well…”
“There’s plenty of ice cream. The owner’s got it customized to suit customer needs,” Justin said, with a sly smile.
My heart gave a little leap of joy at the word ice cream. I pretended to think it over when in reality, there was only one possible answer. “Well…since you’re so insistent…”
Justin chuckled at that, then took my wrist and tugged me toward the elevator. His touch was warm, and I pulled my hand away as casually as I could while we talked about the sites here that we both should definitely visit before heading home. Despite being one of the richest men in the world, Justin was as humble as they came. Most of the time he liked the simple things when he was in private and never pretended to be someone he wasn’t, and our unexpected friendship made me discover that behind all that cocky arrogance was actually a nice alpha. Sure, he could be pretty selfish, but his thoughtfulness balanced it out.
I realized that his selfishness and behavior was simply a self-preservation instinct he developed due to their being so many vultures wanting a piece of his company and even a piece of him. Justin truly wasn’t the alpha-hole I thought he was when we first met.
If I wasn’t careful, I was going to fall in love.
And I couldn’t have that happening.
9
Justin
The first thing I did when we were fully dressed and ready was get a car instead of the limousine. We drove around the area for a little bit in my newest Tesla, which hadn’t even released to the public yet—one of the perks of being good friends with billionaire, Elon Musk.
I watched in amusement as Sam got giddier as the minutes passed by. Finally, I parked the car in the club’s parking lot and we entered without having to wait in line. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I ever waited in line. Once inside, I met my friend, Dan, who directed us to a VIP table. It had a s
pot-on view of the people streaming in from the door, as well as the multicolored dance floor, which seemed very retro. Must have been a disco theme tonight.
Without needing to order, Dan had food and drinks sent to our table, where we chatted for a while. I could sense his curiosity about Sam, who I hadn’t introduced as my PR rep, but just a friend that I was showing around. As far as Dan was concerned, I didn’t have omega friends, and from the way he looked at Sam, he gave me a wink, as to say ‘well done on the hot piece of ass’. Soon after we were settled in, Dan left us as he had matters to attend to and told us to enjoy, leaving the two of us alone.
Sam ate the food with gusto, which was an array of mini gourmet burgers, house fries, and the promised ice cream. Rocky road— Sam’s favorite. His eyes lit up when he finally tasted the ice cream, and I teased him about his passionate love affair with it.
I wasn’t ashamed in feeling jealous toward the ice cream, wishing Sam made those same passionate noises when tasting me. I had to think about something else to distract me from the sexy thoughts.
“Ice cream is not a joke,” Sam confirmed, without blinking or taking his eyes away from the spoon. “It’s the only food I can eat forever and never get sick of.”
“It’s unhealthy,” I quipped.
“So is alcohol,” Sam shot back. He got me there. “I don’t care how unhealthy or fattening it makes me look. I don’t care if I gain weight because of it. It’s the best thing created on this planet.”
“Whoever said you were fat or unhealthy is an idiot,” I interjected.
It was true. While Sam didn’t like waking early, he made up for his ice cream gorging by eating lots of vegetables and being as active as possible throughout the day. He wasn’t like those skinny models I knew, who were tall and slim and didn’t have an ounce of fat on them, but Sam’s physique was tight and fit. He also had an ass on him for days.
