by AJ Merlin
“Hire someone else.” I plucked the envelope from his fingers, still trembling with anger. “I’m not coming back.”
As he collected his thoughts, I strode back to the door, wanting more than anything to just get the hell out of here.
“Hey, Alek?” Larry called, sounding for the first time almost concerned.
I paused against my better judgment.
“My cousin gets like this when she’s about to go into heat. Have you considered maybe–“
I didn’t stick around to let him finish. If I did hear how his sentence ended, I’d probably kill him. Already my less civilized instincts were begging me to go back into his small, musty office and bounce his head against the wall a few times until I was happier about the situation.
Who in their right mind said something like that to their employee? Well, ex-employee now. And what gave him the right to even bring up my sex life?
A shudder of revulsion went through me as I pushed past Justin. I wouldn’t miss him either. Sure, he wasn’t a bad guy. He wasn’t even awful to work with. But he always treated Larry like his alpha, and was quick to jump onto our manager’s side about anything.
The glass door opened just as I put my hand out, causing me to slow and look up in surprise.
Right into the face of one of my absolute least favorite customers.
Jack Thomas held the door for me, brown eyes finding mine as his pale blonde brows rose in bemusement. “Good morning, Alek,” he greeted with a flat-lipped smile.
“Good morning.” I offered him a polite smile of my own, reminding myself that I’d never have to see this particular waste of air ever again either.
“Are you not working today? I thought Mondays were your regular shift.” He moved so he blocked half of the door, keeping me from going out unless I was willing to vault through the glass window or punch him.
Honestly, either was beginning to look like a valid solution if it meant a quicker escape from Uptown Grounds.
“I quit, actually,” I told him flatly. So fuck you and your inappropriate remarks. He was one of Larry’s best customers. Him and a small group of older alphas liked to come in during the week and use the coffee shop as their boys’ club. They were polite, as far as people went, and always tipped me very well.
But Jack had walked me out to the bus stop for my ‘safety’ more than once, and those instances of ‘help’ always ended in a hand brushing my thigh and a proposition that he’d laugh off as a joke when I made it clear I wasn’t interested.
“You did?” He looked troubled, and disappointed. “Did something happen? I’d hate to think someone made you quit your job here.”
You. Larry. Your friends. Shall I list the reasons? I wanted to say it, but I held my tongue.
“I found a job closer to my apartment, that’s all.” Forcing my smile to stay plastered to my lips, I silently begged for him to move.
“Oh. That’s reasonable. I know you’ve mentioned how much you dislike the bus.” His smile was tinged with minute sadness that I didn’t buy for a second.
Besides, I was sure Larry would find another stupid omega to work here until she, too, got fed up and found some place better. While I hated to consider the likelihood of that, I also couldn’t do anything about it.
I couldn’t save the world, after all.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Well, I need to leave. Have to start work today, actually. Have a good day, Mr. Thomas.” No matter how many times the older alpha told me that I could call him Jack, I refused to do so.
“I’m sorry-I’m blocking your way, aren’t I?” He gallantly opened the door, bowing like an idiot. “Good luck at your new job.”
“Thanks.” It was difficult, but I kept the bitterness out of my voice with sheer will. Just look polite, Alek, I reminded myself over and over again as Mr. Thomas waved at me and went inside the coffee shop.
Just don’t lose your temper and you can get through the day like a normal person. That was all I needed to do.
Besides, the hard part was over, I reassured myself as I leaned against the covered bus stop with a sigh. I had my check stuffed into my hoodie pocket and I could finally say goodbye to this place forever.
Chapter Nine
Somehow, the planets aligned to deliver me to Prowl twenty minutes before my shift started.
I had no idea how, but I wasn’t going to ask questions.
Especially since I still wasn’t in a good place, mentally. Larry’s comments and the entirety of my visit to Uptown Grounds had put me in a worse mood than I would’ve thought possible.
But worse, it wasn’t just anger that I felt. It was disappointment and humiliation that sloshed their way through my body and made me feel all wrong.
I wasn’t ready to go in yet. Not when I was sure Noah would ask me what was wrong the moment he saw me. Not only that, but I needed to put on my best professional face today. Not go in there like a scorned shifter bent on revenge.
Which, for now, was exactly what I felt like.
Leaning against the dark, smooth stone of the building, I slid down to a crouch with my back resting on the coolness behind me. I tipped my head back, eyes closed as I focused on simply breathing.
This wasn’t uncommon, I reminded myself. While the alphas in romance novels and magazines treated their omegas like royalty, that was, sadly, not the definite reality.
Sure, people like that existed.
Roman’s face flashed through my mind and a smile jerked at my mouth as I remembered just how considerate he’d been two nights ago.
It wasn’t like I’d never met an alpha not willing to be nice to me. Really, most of my interactions with other shifters were positive.
But it seemed to be the rule of life that I always remembered the bad before the good. The ones like Larry, who took away the validity of my feelings by saying things like ‘all omegas act out for attention.’ And unforgettably, the ones like Jack Thomas who thought it was fine to ask me over and over again if I wanted to get more acquainted with him, even after I’d said no and made it clear his touches weren’t welcome.
It wasn’t always someone coming up to me like the alphas in the parking lot that cut the deepest or soured my day the most effectively.
“Hey there.”
I inhaled, taking a deep breath of a scent I was starting to wish I had in bottled form and turned to look at the attractive panther shifter that had graced my dreams this morning.
Not that I’d be relaying that information to him.
“Hi,” I replied, opening my eyes and tilting my head so I could see Hades lean against the corner of the building fifteen feet away.
“I’m not trying to spy on you or anything,” he said, his hands lifting in surrender. “I came out here to take a break and here you are.”
“Sorry.” I rose to my feet, hating that I felt distracted when I wanted to be anything but that when he was around.
“For what?” His smile was genuine, and the black haired man pushed his hands back into his pockets. “I don’t own this specific side of the building. You may lean here too.”
Biting my lip, I watched as he took a few steps forward and leaned against the stone wall.
What did I even say to him?
I still hadn’t gotten to watch much of his content, thanks to Miss Murple actually getting stuck in her litter box, so that was a no-go for conversation.
Even though it shouldn’t be possible, he was even more attractive like this, with his careless stance and messy hair. He didn’t need to be naked or sweaty or any of the other things he did in his videos to be sexy, and that seemed like it should’ve been some kind of crime.
“Are you okay?” the panther shifter asked, his eyes surveying my face. “You don’t have to tell me, but you seem like you’re having a difficult morning.”
I didn’t need to tell him. He wouldn’t be interested in my problems, I was sure, and I wasn’t about to burden him with them. This was just like any other conversation, and I needed to
just tell him that I was fine, or tired, or just a bit off today and leave it at that.
“I quit my job last week so I could work here,” my traitor mouth said, completely contradicting my well thought out response. “My ex-boss called me this morning and told me I had to go get my check or I wouldn’t get paid for the past two weeks.”
Hades blinked, his face neutral as he listened.
I licked my lips, considering again that I should just laugh it off and say it wasn’t a big deal. “I went in this morning and he was surprised. He said he didn’t think I was actually quitting. He said…” I trailed off and wrung my fingers together in front of me. “Forget it. It’s just stupid, you know? I got my paycheck and it’s done with.”
“What did he say?” Honest to god, Hades actually sounded interested. Like he cared about my morning. I couldn’t stop the way my muscles seemed to unclench, nor could I stop myself from turning to face him fully.
“That I was just acting out,” I sighed. “That I was just acting like a typical omega looking for attention and I wasn’t really quitting. Especially since his customers are so ‘fond’ of an omega working at the counter.” Particularly this omega, apparently.
“Oh?” His brows rose and he looked into the parking lot as if expecting someone to pull in. “Are the cops on their way?”
The question caught me off guard. “What?”
“Well, I assume you killed him, right? That definitely seems like an offense that warrants murder.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed, louder than I would’ve liked and surprising myself. I covered my mouth, though I couldn’t help the way my lips were turned up in a genuine grin.
Hades returned my smile with one of his own, the smile warming his features and lighting up his spring green eyes. “I’ll help with an alibi,” the alpha went on. “I can say you’ve been here with me all morning if you did leave a body. We can work out cleanup later.”
“I didn’t kill him,” I giggled, still stifling the noise. “I thought about it for a few seconds, or about bouncing his head against the wall until he said sorry.”
“Sounds like it would’ve been faster to just shift and kill him. Unless…” He leaned forward. “What’s your animal, Alek? Are you actually a fluffy bunny? Is that why you didn’t kill him? Because it would’ve taken too long to gnaw his throat out with your little bunny teeth?”
Again I grinned, though I dropped my hand from my mouth and instead pushed both hands into the pocket of my hoodie. “I’m a maned wolf,” I explained. “Which, no one’s ever heard of. It’s a–“
“I know what a maned wolf is,” he interrupted. “Jeez, no wonder you’re so tall. I bet everyone thinks you’re a fox on stilts when you shift, huh?”
“Everyone was surprised when I shifted for the first time,” I agreed. “Since my parents weren’t around to be asked, no one knew. And maned wolves aren’t exactly common in North America.”
I glanced at my phone, a thrill of anxiety and excitement going through me. “Thank you,” I told him, meaning the words.
“For what?” He tilted his head to the side curiously. “I didn’t do anything particularly chivalrous yet today.”
“For talking to me. You didn’t have to, but I feel a lot better.” For a moment I wildly considered telling him what his scent did to me. I considered bringing up the night at Sadie’s house, and how his looks and his gestures made me feel.
He’s just being nice, I told myself, not saying a word of what I was thinking. And he probably does that to everyone. Hadn’t I learned that when my own scent was strong he was uncomfortable being near me?
Remembering that was like throwing a bucket of cold water on myself.
“I liked it,” he said. “You’re fun to talk to.”
I walked past him, heading towards the doors of Prowl and making sure to give him a bubble of space.
“Hey, Alek?” He called when I was halfway to the door.
I paused, glancing over my shoulder with raised brows.
Hades opened his mouth, then closed it again and shook his head. “Never mind. I forgot what I was going to say.” His grin grew wide again. “Don’t let Rita overwork you on your first day.”
“I’ll try,” I laughed, willing to do just that if it meant a better time than my shifts at Uptown Grounds.
“I’m assuming you know what all of these are and you aren’t going to start praying over the butt plugs like my last assistant?” Rita asked dryly, dropping a box of branded vibrators down in front of me on the small table.
“Praying? “ I repeated, surprised at that. “What-are they possessed?”
The owner of Prowl snorted out a laugh. “I see you’re going to do fine. We do giveaways to subscribers every month, and for some reason, mini vibrators are our most popular prizes.”
Seemed a bit weird to me to have a Prowl vibrator in your purse, but who was I to judge?
“How do people win them?” I asked, picking up a sealed plastic bag and surveying the toy inside through the clear material.
“Being active. Leaving comments. Posting about their favorite performers. Why? Are you looking to take one home as a souvenir?”
I put the vibrator carefully back into the box. “I’ll be okay without,” I promised.
“If you change your mind, you’re free to take one. I buy them in bulk,” Rita said, waving me away from the box. “Anyway, that won’t be your job normally. I just need them sorted today and unfortunately, the guy who usually does it is sick. But you can do it later.”
“What exactly is my job?” I asked, still not completely clear on the duties she’d hired me for.
“I was hoping you’d be a bit more hands-on than my sorting guy,” the woman explained, making her way down one of the red-carpeted hallways and stopping to open an already ajar door. “A lot of the actors need help setting up their spaces before a shoot, and it can take a bit to get everything together.”
A white-haired girl glanced up, her lavender eyes startled. “Not even a knock, Rita?” she asked in a soft, huskier tone. The woman looked to be about my age, and had a similar body shape to my own.
The main difference was in our clothing, and our heights. She wore a t-shirt and skirt, with no shoes on, and stood perhaps a few inches over five feet.
“I could’ve been naked,” she went on. “And I don’t give away this show for free.”
Rita rolled her eyes. “I’d hope that you’d close the door if you were undressed,” the woman said matter-of-factly. “This is Alek, our new assistant. Alek, this is Ryann.”
“How’d she get you?” Ryann asked solemnly, approaching me to shake my hand quickly. “Was it the donuts? It was the donuts for me.”
“She didn’t even eat a donut before agreeing to work here, thank you very much,” Rita explained. “Anyway, could you help Ryann set up? After that, I’ve got you scheduled to help out in another room while Noah sets up. Later you can sort the vibrators.”
She was trusting me to go off on my own? Just like that? I blinked away my surprise and nodded.
“I can do that,” I said, with more confidence than I felt.
Ryann leaned against me comfortingly, her sweet, beta scent not at all overwhelming. “I’ll train her,” she told Rita gravely. “No problem, boss. I’ll take Alek under my wing and she’ll emerge as the most professional assistant you’ve ever seen.”
“Don’t lose her,” Rita replied, eyes on her phone.
“Lose me?” I repeated, trading a look with Ryann. “Is that a possibility?”
“She lost an assistant once at the store.”
“Because I didn’t like him,” Ryann pointed out. “And I told you he wasn’t going to last, didn’t I?”
Rita rolled her eyes, sparing both of us one last look. “Don’t let her push you around,” she told me, then turned on her heel and left the room.
“Wow,” I said, blinking away my surprise.
“She’s like that. Could you help me with this?” Ryann lef
t my side to go to the wall with the laptop and camera. At her gesturing, I picked up the laptop so that she could maneuver some cords around. “But if she hired you, then she likes you. Where’d you apply at?”
“I didn’t,” I admitted. “I was here to help my friend, Noah, and she offered me a job.”
Ryann paused, giving me a quizzical look. “Just like that?”
“Yeah. I was surprised too.”
The woman pondered it, then shrugged. “I wouldn’t think about it much. Rita’s really good at just knowing who’d be a good fit or not. And if you’re a friend of Noah’s, it makes sense that she’d trust you. Hand me that?” She reached out for the laptop and I took the power cord still in her hand.
“I’m surprised she didn’t offer you work on camera.” I followed her to the wall, plugging in the cord that I still held at her urging.
Fairy lights lit the room, and I turned for the first time to take in the small feminine ‘bedroom’ she was in.
“That’s not really my thing,” I admitted, then rushed to amend my statement. “Not that I think it’s a bad thing. It’s actually really cool and I admire you and Noah for being so confident like that.”
“It’s not hard. And you have the looks for it,” Ryann assured me.
I wasn’t so certain of that, but I didn’t argue. Sure, the white-haired girl and I had the same body type and she was probably in her early twenties like me, but the similarities ended there.
Tattoos peeked out from her sleeves, and two lip rings gleamed on Ryann's lower lip. Her eyes were heavily made up, emphasizing their unusual color, and she radiated confidence. She was gorgeous and feminine and a bit strange all at once.
I could never do that on camera or for an audience.
“You could subscribe to my Prowl, if you wanted,” Ryann went on. “Just to see that it’s not so scary. And if you ever did want to be on camera, I could help you. Oh…” she paused. “Do you have a Prowl account?”
“I do,” I assured her a bit too quickly.
She raised a brow, a small smile on her lips. “Who do you subscribe to?”
