Happily Ever Alpha_Until Brandon

by Natasha Madison

  He isn’t wearing a suit today. Instead, he’s wearing jeans and a leather jacket. His muscles look like they are going to bust through. I open my door and step out as he walks over to me. “Good morning.” I smile at him as I reach into the car to grab the backpack from the back. “I didn’t know what I should wear, so I brought a couple of changes.” I look down at my cheap ballerina shoes that I got from the thrift shop.

  “Is this your car?” He looks up and down at it. “It’s a death trap.” He shakes his head, making me feel smaller than I did five minutes ago.

  “It does its job,” I say quietly, walking around him with my head down.

  “Babe, that car is on its last leg; it isn’t safe for you to be driving it. I’m going to call my uncle Nico and see if he has something around.” He pulls out his phone. “I’ll take care of it.” I’m standing here now, my stomach twirling from when he called me babe.

  He turns and walks to the door while I stand here in the middle of the parking lot. I’m still trying to get past the fact he called me babe. Does he call everyone babe? “You okay?” he asks over his shoulder. I nod and follow him as he unlocks the door. He keeps the door open with his foot, allowing me to walk ahead of him. He walks in after me, then locks the door from inside.

  “Why are you locking the door?” The backpack slips from my shoulder.

  “We open at four,” he tells me softly, and my face goes pale.

  “I told you that I can’t work after five.” The joy I had for finding this job is now gone, and in its place is a sinking feeling as I wonder how I’m going to pay rent next month. The tears start pricking at my eyes.

  I pick the bag up, making a backup plan for tomorrow.

  “Come on. I’ll show you what I need done.” He turns, walking through the dimly lit club, and we make our way to the back where the offices are.

  “I don’t understand?” When he flips on the light, I see we are in the same office as yesterday. “You said I had the job? I thought you needed a dancer?”

  “You are never getting on that stage.” His teeth clench. “Fucking ever.”

  “So what did you hire me for?” I look at him now, seeing his beautiful blue eyes shining.

  “You are going to be the new office manager.” He turns, pointing at a desk. “You’ll sit behind that desk.”

  “You don’t even know if I can work a computer,” I tell him, wondering what his answer will be.

  “Then we’ll find something else you can do.” He shrugs off his jacket, and my eyes go straight to his muscular arms. He has no tattoos or at least appears not to, but when his arm moves, I see some ink coming out from under the sleeve.

  “I don’t understand,” I whisper, looking around the office. A big brown L-shaped desk sits in the middle of the room. On the side is a huge MacBook monitor. There is a room to the side I didn’t see yesterday or rather didn’t notice. I see a pool table in the middle of the room with an L-shaped brown couch. The light over the pool table is lit, showing that the wall facing me is all bricks. I turn around in the room, finding him leaning on the desk with his arms crossed over his chest, looking at me.

  “You won’t understand if I tell you, but you will in time.” His voice is gruff. “Follow me; I’ll show you where to put your stuff.”

  He turns, walking into the other room with the pool table. “You can put your stuff on the couch when you come in. The kitchen is around that wall, and you have access to it.”

  I don’t say anything as I follow him through the room. We walk out the side door and enter the stock room. “We need to start doing inventory every day.” He looks at me, and I nod; I follow him, checking out his ass the whole time. He walks through another door, heading into the club. “Every morning, you need to balance the cash from last night.” He grabs a black bag. “Usually, I do this right before I leave for the night, but now, we can do it together in the morning.”

  “Will you be working with me?” I ask, and my stomach flips when he smirks.

  “Every single day,” he says. “If you’re here, I’m here.”

  “But then why do you need me?” I ask him. “Surely, you can do this without me, so why?”

  “Because I can.” He shrugs his shoulders. “Now let’s get started.”

  For the next three hours, we sit in the office as he shows me how to do the simple things. I sit next to him with a notepad taking notes and asking questions. When his phone rings, he answers. “Yeah. Okay, I’m coming.”

  He gets up and walks out of the room, leaving me here. I look around at all the frames on the wall. I get up, walking over to see them up close. My eyes always trailing him in each photo.

  I hear voices getting louder, and turning, I see him walk back in with a bigger guy behind him. His hair in a Mohawk, his tattoos on full display. “Babe, where are your car keys?” he asks while the man behind him smirks.

  “What?” I ask, confused.

  “Hi, I’m Nico.” He puts his hand out to introduce himself, then turns to shove Brandon. “Got the boom.”

  “Babe,” he says, “keys.” I walk to the couch in the other room and grab my car keys.

  “I don’t understand. Do I need to move my car?” I hold my keys just a bit tighter than normal.

  “Nope. Nico is swapping your car for his.” He puts his hand out for me to hand him the keys.

  “What? Why?” I look at them, watching Nico cross his hands over his chest as he smirks and turns to see what Brandon is going to say.

  “Because it’s not safe.” He comes to me, and his big hands rub my arms up and down.

  “But I can’t afford work on my car right now,” I tell him. My heart pounds thinking of the bill, or the pounding is just his hands on me. This close to him, I see the blue in his eyes, the little speckle of dark blue deep inside.

  “It’s all good,” Nico tells me. “I know a guy who is interning to be a mechanic, so it’ll be free.”

  “Is that safe?” I ask them as Nico puts his hand in front of his mouth to block his smile. “I mean, they are interning as a mechanic, so does that mean they passed the course?”

  “Yes,” Nico says. “Trust me, there is no way I would let anyone I don’t trust touch our cars.”

  “I promise it’s okay,” Brandon whispers as I nod at him and turn to hand Nico my keys. Nico hands me the set of keys for his car.

  “Do you need my number to tell me what is wrong with the car?” I ask Nico, who just nods at Brandon.

  “I’ll get it from Brandon,” he says to us while he chin ups Brandon and then walks out. I watch him walk out, and my stomach groans out loud.

  I look at Brandon, who smiles at me. “Let’s go get lunch.” He grabs my hand and pulls me into the other room, sitting me on a stool at the counter. “What do you want to eat?” he asks. He opens the fridge but finds it empty. “Okay, so plan B.” He claps his hands together while I throw my head back and actually laugh.

  I haven’t laughed like this in a long time, way too long. He leans on the other side of the counter. “You should do that more often.”

  “What is that?” I ask him.

  “Laugh. You’re beautiful when you aren’t laughing, but you’re fucking stunning when you do,” he tells me, his grin growing from a smirk to a full-blown smile.

  “You think I’m beautiful?” I look down at my hands, and then look back up at this man and his blue eyes, scruffy beard, and crooked smile.

  “I think you’re more than beautiful.” His voice comes out soft. “Now, let’s get some food in you.” I nod my head at him and follow him out.

  “Want to hit up the diner down the street?” he asks. I nod, thinking I could use five dollars from savings and then replace it with my next paycheck.

  I follow him down the street and step into the diner, the smell of food hitting my senses. Brandon places his hand on my lower back while he ushers me to a booth in the back. I scoot in on one side while Brandon squeezes in on his side. The waitress comes to the table carrying
a coffeepot. “Hey, Brandon, nice seeing you out so early. I was afraid you were a vampire.” She laughs, making me smile.

  “What can I get you two?” she asks as I try to find a menu somewhere written on the wall or something.

  “We will have two cheeseburgers with bacon, make mine a double. Fries, and I’ll have a soda.” He looks at me. “Babe, what do you want to drink?”

  “Um,” I stumble. “Um. I don’t.” I look at him and then the waitress, who just looks at me with one of her eyebrows up.

  “Two Cokes.” He smiles at the waitress, who just nods and walks away.

  “You just ordered for me.” I cross my hands over my chest. “Why would you order for me?”

  “Did you want something else?” He looks at me. I just watch the waitress who didn’t even wait to see if I had something to say. When I don’t answer, he folds his hands in front of him. “So tell me, Aurora, where are you from?”

  I’m about to answer him when the waitress comes back and puts our Cokes on the table. I grab mine, sipping the cold soft drink. “I grew up near here, but now I live in Nashville.”

  “Do you live with your parents?” he asks, and I shake my head.

  “They passed away almost two years ago. It’s just me and Cassie.” I look at him. “What about you? Do you live with your parents?”

  He laughs. “No, baby, I live by myself.”

  “Why do you do that?” I ask him, watching his face to see if he even knows what I’m asking. “Why do you call me baby?”

  “Do you not like it?” he counters right away, and I’m about to tell him that I do like it, but the waitress brings our burgers out. The plate is the size of my head, and his double is even bigger. “I’m starving.” He picks up his double burger, biting into it. “Eat.” He points at my plate while he chews.

  “You’re bossy,” I murmur under my breath, grabbing the cheeseburger and biting into it. The juices hit my tongue first, making me close my eyes and moan.

  “It’s so good,” I say with my mouth full, watching Brandon’s eyes narrow, and I see them dilate.

  “You are never eating a burger in public again,” he growls as he looks around. “That fucking sound.”

  “Sorry,” I say, biting off another piece, “it’s just so good.” I don’t moan again, but I finish all my food. French fries and all. “I don’t think I can move,” I say when he scoots off his side of the booth. I grab my purse, scooting my way out of the booth. His hand grabs mine as we walk out the door. I’m too stunned at my hand in his to notice that we are now on the sidewalk walking back to the club.

  “I didn’t pay,” I tell him while he unlocks the door.

  “It’s on my tab. Perks of the job.” He ushers me inside while I stand here in the dark entrance as he closes the door behind him. The soft glow from the club gives me just enough light to see his eyes turn to me. Looking me up and down, he grabs a strand of my hair laying on my arm and twirls it around his finger. He’s about to say something, about to lean in, and my heart is beating so hard in my chest I’m sure he hears it, but a knock stops him in his tracks. “Only a matter of time,” he whispers, his chest coming close to me as my body moves back against the wall. My hands go to his chest, and my heart skips a beat as I stop breathing, thinking he is going to kiss me, but another knock on the door stops him. “I’m going to kill whoever is at that door,” he hisses, turning and leaving me weak at the knees. And he didn’t even kiss me yet.

  Chapter Three

  Brandon

  Twirling her hair on my finger was like touching silk. When she moaned in the restaurant, my cock went to a full salute. I don’t think I’ve ever been that hard in my life. But then the knock on the door, the fucking knock not just once but fucking twice. I open the door, the lock echoing in the quiet.

  I unlock the door, pushing it open to see Rebecca standing there with her makeup already on for the day. Caked on is a better word. “Hey.” She smiles at me. “I thought that was you.” She walks in past me and sees Aurora standing with her back against the wall. “Are you auditioning new girls to take Mikki’s place?”

  “Actually, Aurora is the new office manager.” I stand here with my hands in my pockets. Looking at Aurora, I see the flicker of question flash in her eyes.

  “Oh,” Rebecca says, coming closer to me and smiling while she puts her hand on my chest. “I would have helped you if I knew you needed help.”

  Looking down from Rebecca’s hand on my chest, I see Aurora look down at the floor and say, “I’m going to go and start clearing out the email.”

  I step back from Rebecca’s touch. “Is there something you wanted?”

  “No”—she laughs—“I just thought maybe we could do lunch. We never get a chance to sit down and talk.”

  “Rebecca”—I shake my head—“I don’t get involved with people who work for me. You know this; this isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation.”

  She swats her hands in the air. “I know that, Brandon, but we can be friends, can’t we?”

  I nod my head at her as I roll my lips. “If you will excuse me, I still have to show Aurora some things before she leaves.”

  “Oh.” She looks almost hurt as she smiles. “Sure, go ahead. I’ll see you in a couple of hours anyway.”

  She turns and walks out the door. I lock it after her and go in search of my office. I walk in, seeing something that fills my chest. Behind the desk sits Aurora, and her fingers are flying over the keyboard. “Hey.”

  She looks at me. “I am just reading most of the emails. I’ve decided to color code them, so we know what is what. I wrote the colors on this Post-it.” She shows me.

  “That’s good, baby.” My voice comes out husky.

  “And if you can please stop calling me that.” Her throat moves as she swallows. I don’t know if she is swallowing tears or her nervousness.

  “No.” One word, one word that comes out stronger than I meant it to. “I like it.”

  “I don’t.” She folds her arms over her chest. “And it’s disrespectful to me and your girlfriend.”

  “I don’t have a girlfriend.” My hands go to my hips because I want to charge her, grab her, and finally taste her. Consume her, claim her.

  “Well, whatever you want to call her.” She points at the door.

  “I’m going to call her Rebecca because that is her name. I’m also going to set the record straight that I don’t get involved with people who work for me.”

  Her mouth opens and then closes, no sound coming out. “And since we are setting the record straight; you don’t work for me, you work for Mike.”

  “What do you mean I work for Mike? Who is Mike?”

  “Mike is my father, and he takes care of the office work. So me and you”—I point at us—“aren’t in that category.”

  “And what category is that?”

  “Not one I can share with you right now. I need to ease you into it. Need to tread lightly.”

  “I can’t get involved with anyone.” She wrings her hands together.

  “Do you have a man?” I ask her, anger filling me.

  “No.” She shakes her head. “I just have a sister who requires all my attention. So I don’t date.”

  “Good,” I tell her, “because I want to do a lot more than date you.” She doesn’t answer; instead, her cell phone rings.

  She snatches it. “Hello,” she says, and I don’t know who is on the other line, but all of a sudden, her face pales. “What do you mean fell?” She rushes to her purse while talking. “I’m on my way.” Her hands are shaking.

  “I have to go.” She shakes harder. “My sister was taken to the hospital. She fell and hit her head.” She fumbles with her jacket and tries to pull out the keys. I reach out, holding her hands in mine.

  “You can’t drive.” The tears are now running down her face. “Baby.” I advance to her, wiping the tears off her face with my thumb. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “She’s all I have,” sh
e whispers, her voice shaking. “After everything she has done to me, she is still all I have left.” I don’t tell her that she has me now because she isn’t ready for this.

  “Where are they taking her?” Grabbing her hand, I walk out to my truck. I put her in, then jog to my side.

  “Mercy Hospital.” She fastens her seat belt, her tears still rolling down her cheeks.

  She looks out the window while I zigzag through traffic to get her there in record time. She is out and running before I even take the key out of the ignition. I run with her, following the signs to the emergency room.

  Stopping at the nurses’ station, she says, “Sorry, excuse me. I’m here for my sister, Cassie Morgan. She was brought in by ambulance.”

  “Yes.” The nurse looks up. “She’s in room two.”

  Aurora doesn’t listen to anything else; instead, she turns and looks around for the signs to room two. She rushes in with me at her heels. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting a sixteen-year-old blonde bombshell. She rushes to her side while she talks to her. “Are you okay?” The girl rolls her eyes at her. “I’m here.”

  “Yeah, I fell down in gym class, but it was nothing. I barely hit my head. This is all a waste of everyone’s time. I’m fine,” the girl says while trying to brush Aurora’s hands off of her.

  Aurora looks around the room, seeing me standing at the door. Her eyes go over my shoulder to a man standing there. “Mr. Boris.” She smiles at him. I turn to look at the guy behind me.

  He’s dressed in slacks and a jacket with his hands tucked in his pockets. “I’m so sorry, Aurora.” He walks past me, going to her.

  “It isn’t your fault, Mr. Boris.” She smiles at him “You’re the principal, not the phys ed teacher.”

  “Please, call me Richard.” He smiles at her, and I want to throat punch him. “Did you rush here?”

  “I brought her.” I finally talk, walking to the side of her and wrapping my hand around her shoulder. “She couldn’t drive.”

  “Hello, folks,” the doctor says, walking in. “I’m Dr. Chester. What do we have today?” he asks, walking to Cassie’s side while he reads the chart.