Hired for Heat (The Hired Series Book 1)

by Leann Ryans

  Contacting her assistant to cancel all meetings for the next seven days, Sandra cranked the air up in her office and sat, working through a pile of blueprints that needed her attention and wouldn’t be able to wait a week for her to come back. Realizing she should give Ms. Burrie warning that she would be coming in soon, she sent off a message to her before going back to her work. It wasn’t long before she received a message telling her that she still needed to finish the paperwork she had received the week before.

  Groaning, Sandra opened the contract and began to read through it once again. She had skimmed through it before, but apparently had forgotten to complete it and send it back. Filling in her personal information, her heart raced as she officially requested that Austin be the Alpha to tend her. She was still nervous, but the excitement was beginning to block it out.

  Making sure the funds were in her account to cover the payment, she hit send on the contract and sat back in her seat. The Haven wasn’t cheap, it actually cost about half of what she usually paid herself for a month, and she had really debated about whether it was worth the expense or not. There were other places of course, but Sandra wasn’t the type to skimp and get the second best once she decided that she actually wanted something.

  Meeting Austin had cemented that she definitely wanted to try it at least once. If nothing else, it would be a memory to look back on the next time she sat alone in her safe room begging for an Alpha to save her.

  Shaking herself, Sandra went back to working as fast as she could to get everything finished. While she could probably wait until the following night before reaching the point where she had to be locked away, she would prefer to go to The Haven in the morning and spend the day getting comfortable in the room before her heat kicked into high gear. It would be a while before her pheromones reached the point where they would bring Austin in unless she asked for him early.

  Debating on whether that would end up being more awkward for her, Sandra decided to wait and figure it out once she was there and settled in. After finally clearing all of the work she had to finish, she messaged her assistant and let her know that she was heading home and wouldn’t be back until after her heat had passed.

  She was still very restless when she made it to her suite, so after packing her bag and preparing for the morning, she decided to do some deep cleaning for a bit to try and wear herself out. Sandra was sweating and out of breath by the time she quit almost two hours later and made her way to her bathroom. Debating between a bath or a shower, she decided she needed to try to get to bed sooner, rather than later, and opted for a quick shower. Chugging as much water as she could hold once she was out, she crawled into her nest and fell asleep surprisingly fast.

  Sandra had just picked up her bag to head to The Haven when Natashia messaged her the next morning with an urgent matter. Growling to herself, she stopped on her office floor and made her way to her desk, her assistant giving her a wide-eyed stare at seeing her in something other than a full suit.

  Since she had thought she was going straight to her room at The Haven, Sandra had worn a loose grey dress that matched the color of her eyes and swirled around her knees. Dropping her eyes when they met Sandra’s scowl, Natashia gave her the blueprints that had come in that morning and needed her immediate attention. The contractors were in the middle of the build and were waiting on her before they could move forward. It was a delicate construction that no one else had been willing to touch.

  Grumbling under her breath about contractors not reading blueprints correctly and causing messes she had to clean up, it was an hour and a half later before Sandra stomped out of her office and slapped the corrected blueprint on her assistant’s desk. Telling Natashia that anything else would have to wait or be handled by someone else on her team, she turned and stalked away without waiting for a response from the startled woman.

  Standing impatiently in the elevator as it descended through the building, the first cramp hit her, forcing a gasp from her parted lips. Sandra’s heat didn’t usually come on this fast, and as she clutched her lower stomach, she wasn’t looking forward to the long ride out to The Haven.

  Climbing into the back of the AutoCab, she pulled her knees up to her chest and waited for the next wave. It wouldn’t be long before they would come almost constantly, and she would be unable to stand up straight.

  Sending a message to Ms. Burrie so that the woman would be able to help her to her room in case she wasn’t able to make it on her own, Sandra leaned her head back against the headrest and groaned as another cramp tightened her abdomen. Puffing out a breath as the cramp released, she prayed for a quick trip.

  9. Austin

  Austin sat in his little room with a book balanced on his knees, staring at the pages without really seeing them. He had been on his best behavior, keeping his head down and mouth shut, since Sandra had met with him the week before. Not willing to risk losing the chance to tend her, he had avoided almost all contact with the other Alphas, to be sure he wasn’t tempted to do something stupid. The woman who had been with her and served their meal that day had seemed to be watching him closely, and he knew that one little slip would have him sent away before he got his chance.

  As a reward for the good behavior, he had received a few extra items, like the book. Austin was also told that as long as everything went well, he would be allowed to move to the main hall and no longer be considered high risk. That meant a better chance of being picked again by other omegas.

  Giving up on the book, he tossed it onto the bed beside him and climbed to his feet. He had been feeling restless and had been unable to shake off the agitation. Stripping off his shirt, Austin began his usual routine of exercises. He was halfway through when there was a knock on his door that startled him. While one side of the room was a solid window, the opposite side had a door to his private bathroom, and a door to the hall that led back into the common areas for the Alphas. They were encouraged to stay in their rooms during ‘open hours’, but they were technically free to come and go as they wished though the Alphas rarely went to another’s room.

  Opening the door, he was greeted with the sight of the beta woman that had been watching him for the past week.

  “I am Ms. Burrie. You have officially been selected to tend a client through her estrous. She has informed us that symptoms have begun, and she plans to come in tomorrow morning. As you are aware, there is no way to know when exactly she will need your services, but you should be prepared to be taken to her within the next forty-eight hours. Your injection and fitting are scheduled for first thing in the morning,” she said crisply.

  Grinning, Austin gave her a nod and said, “I understand.”

  Turning on her heel, she walked down the hall towards the exit into the public areas. The next time he saw her, he would be following her to Sandra.

  Imagining the omega writhing on a bed, begging for his cock, Austin’s grin grew along with his erection.

  Abandoning his exercises, he quickly showered and headed for the cafeteria. Once he entered the room with her and his rut took over, he wouldn’t think about food for days, so now was the time to eat and drink as much as he could to prepare. His body would be sustaining them both through the majority of her cycle and he couldn’t do that if he forgot to load up ahead of time.

  Piling his tray high, he sat at an empty table and focused on the food before him. Now that it was after hours, more Alphas began to trickle in to have their own meals. Austin kept his head down, ignoring the men around him as he imagined all the different things he wanted to do to Sandra.

  He was so lost in his own world he didn’t notice the other Alphas coming up behind him.

  “So, you were finally chosen, were you?”

  Austin looked up to see Jake, the Alpha that he had already had issues with, standing across from him. Raising an eyebrow at the other man, he continued to eat as he held the Alpha’s dark gaze.

  “Nothing to say, Newbie? Don’t want to ask for tips on how to make her fal
l in love with you?” Jake mocked.

  Snorting out a laugh, Austin pushed his tray away and finally answered.

  “Now why would I want to make her fall in love with me? Unlike you, I’m okay with my place, and simply want to enjoy as much omega pussy as I can before moving on to do my part. I actually payed attention in school and learned something useful.”

  Giving him an incredulous look, the Alpha said, “You can’t mean that you don’t want to get out of here. To be free.”

  Shrugging, Austin sat back in his chair, throwing an arm casually over the back of the one next to him.

  “How free would you really be if you’re bonded to some omega you barely know, in a society that will always look at you sideways expecting you to turn into a mindless beast at any minute? I’m just here to have a little fun. I have no desire to be out there,” he responded with a flick of his fingers at the wall, “dealing with all that shit.”

  Jake gaped after him as he stood, giving a stiff nod to the others before making his way back to his room. Austin meant what he said, he wasn’t looking to bond some omega to get out of The Haven. He had no issue with manual labor, he had done it most of his life, and he already had a plan in place to work his way up at whichever camp he went to until he was the one in charge. He had honed his skills and continued to study even as he spent his time here so that when the time came, he could get the job he wanted.

  Throwing himself onto his bed, Austin closed his eyes and forced his breathing to slow, using the calming techniques he had learned as a teenager to put himself to sleep so that he didn’t spend the rest of the night pacing with the excitement coursing through his blood.

  It was early the next morning when the alarm went through the building to wake the Alphas. Groaning, Austin rolled from bed and rubbed his neck. The bed wasn’t quite large enough for him and he always seemed to end up in an awkward position that left him stiff in the morning.

  Deciding to head to the cafeteria now, before the others made it there, Austin forged his way through another large meal. When he couldn’t take another bite, he returned to his room to shower and wait for someone to come get him. His hair was still dripping when the knock came from the same nurse that had examined him when he first arrived.

  Following the man to the on-site clinic, Austin was directed to sit on the table as the nurse prepared his injection. He had already received one a few weeks before, but they liked to give it again right before tending an omega to be on the safe side. Unless the omega had contracted to be bred anyway. Some chose to use a stud instead of bonding and taking a partner to get a child.

  Pulling up his sleeve, Austin barely noticed as the needle pierced his skin, though the thick medication inside the syringe burned as it entered his arm.

  Directing him to lay back on the table, the nurse then began the process of fitting Austin’s teeth-guards. Every Alpha had a set made as soon as they came to The Haven and were required to wear them anytime they tended an omega, but this was the first time he was using them, and it took a little more work to get them on. They were made out of rubber and were anchored to the teeth so that they couldn’t fall out or be removed by the Alpha. Teeth-guards had removed the risk of an unwanted bond for omegas and made using a stud much safer. Before their invention it was rare that an omega would risk herself by spending her heat with an Alpha.

  While Alphas and omegas could have sex with betas, betas couldn’t form a bond. Only an Alpha-omega pair could have the almost psychic connection between mates that formed when the pair bit each other during the omega’s heat, exchanging blood. It didn’t allow them to read each other’s thoughts, but they could tell how their other half was feeling and some learned to communicate through the bond using that. It was unbreakable once it formed, outside of the death of one of the pair, and one of the reasons Alphas were put in the position they were in now was because many had bitten an omega during her heat and forced a bond on them to claim the female as theirs whether the woman wanted it or not. The teeth-guard prevented the bite, and therefore, the bond, leaving the omega free to use other Alphas in the future if she wished.

  The guards felt a little strange in his mouth as Austin moved his jaw around, running his tongue along the inside of them. He could talk and even eat like normal with them in. Grinning at what he planned to do with his mouth soon, he thanked the nurse and headed back to his room to wait for Sandra to be ready for him.

  10. Sandra

  Sandra stumbled from the car, barely remembering at the last minute to grab her bag as Ms. Burrie moved forward to take her arm. She felt a little silly as she was helped into the wheelchair, but another cramp struck and convinced her that it was probably the best option to get her to her room quickly.

  Panting once the cramp released her, she leaned back in the wheelchair and sat her bag in her lap, wiping sweat from her brow.

  “Thank you,” she said as she was wheeled through the side entrance that led straight to the rooms.

  “Oh, it’s no problem dear, this happens all the time. I have everything you requested in your room, so we can get you settled, and I’ll get out of your hair. If anything is missing, or you think of something else you need, hit the call button.”

  Nodding, Sandra barely paid attention to her surroundings as they made their way to the room she would be spending the next four to six days in. Once there, Ms. Burrie took her bag and helped her out of the wheelchair.

  “Here you go, this will help with the cramps for a little while, so you have time to put your things away,” she said, handing Sandra a pill and a bottle of water. “They’re strong and I can only give you one.”

  Quickly swallowing it down, Sandra sat on the edge of the bed and looked around. Purple was her favorite color, so she had requested all of the blankets and things be in shades of violet, and she had to admit that she loved the way it looked with the grey walls and carpeting.

  When her eyes returned to Ms. Burrie, she was holding out a small black object.

  “This is your emergency button. Place it on your smallest finger, with the button on the inside, that way you will be able to push it with one hand,” she told Sandra. “You hold your thumb on it for three seconds and we will be alerted to check on you and send security if needed.”

  Nodding, Sandra accepted it and slipped it on. Testing the comfort and making sure she could reach it, everything seemed to be as it should be.

  Feeling significantly better, she stood and pulled her bag up onto the bed to open it.

  “Your stud has had his injection and his teeth-guards attached already, so he is ready whenever you want him. I’ll go ahead and leave you now, but call if there is anything you need, or if you decide that you want us to bring him to you early,” Ms. Burrie said.

  Sandra thanked her and then focused on getting her things arranged the way she wanted them. She had only brought one change of clothes, knowing she wouldn’t need them for the majority of the time she spent here, but she had packed her favorite blanket and a couple of her favorite pillows, as well as some candles and things that would help make the room feel more like home.

  Emptying the bag, she threw it into the closet in the bathroom as she set some of her candles around the tub and on the counter. Pulling out a pair of towels and a soap she liked the scent of, she sat them next to the tub where they would be easy to reach when they were needed.

  Heading back into the main room, she began to create her nest. Saving her favorite blanket and pillows for last, she took the ones provided for her and began to arrange them the way her instincts instructed. This was something she had done many times in her years alone in her safe room, but this was the first time she was making one large enough for an Alpha to fit in it with her.

  Laying the blanket she had brought from home on top of all of the others, she lay down for a moment to rest. The pill had helped for a short period, but she could already feel her temperature rising again, her skin flushing and a sheen of sweat covering her limbs. She forced her
self to drink two glasses of water as she relaxed on the bed before she couldn’t lay still any longer.

  Agitation rising, Sandra carefully climbed from the nest and began to walk around the room. Checking out everything that Ms. Burrie had told her of, she made her way around until she ended up back in the bathroom. She decided that a cool bath sounded good, so she ran the water as she stripped off her dress. Leaving it in a pile on the floor, she stepped down into the sunken tub and relaxed back on the reclined seat, reveling in the feel of the cool water lapping at her skin.

  She managed to doze off for a little while before the cramps began again. Sitting up in the tub, Sandra figured there was no reason to torture herself when she had an Alpha waiting to tend her, so she hit the call button. Ms. Burrie answered promptly.

  “Is there anything I forgot?”

  “No,” Sandra responded. “I think I’m ready for you to bring the Alpha.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. I’ll get him right away.”

  Sandra let out a gasp as another cramp ripped through her core, causing her to pull her knees up to her chin, grunting as the wave passed from her belly to the muscles of her back. They were coming closer together and becoming more intense. She was sure that had she not been in the tub, she would have been wet from the slick pouring from her core. Even diluted in the tub she could pick up the sweet scent of it in the air around her.

  Sandra lost track of time as she waited, simply trying to breathe between each wave of cramps. Eventually she thought she heard the outer door open, and she raised her head to watch the doorway with pitch black eyes. It wasn’t long until Austin’s broad shoulders filled the space and his eyes caught hers. Nostrils flaring as he scented the room, his eyes darkened as he was hit with her pheromones and the scent of omega slick.