by Grace, Aria
Seth and Jason would do anything to help me with this program, and a few others at Omega House might be up for a project, but the creeper vibe I’m getting has me concerned about asking anyone to join in. “I know a few people, but it depends on what they’d have to do.”
He chuckles. “Most college students I know would do just about anything to make a few bucks as a model.”
Now he has my attention. “It’s a paid gig?”
“Two thousand dollars each. Plus, your extra credit, of course. What do you say? Think you can get a group of three or four omegas together for a photoshoot?”
I nod enthusiastically. If I can score a good grade from this project along with some extra cash for me and my friends, I probably would do just about anything. It sounds like a good deal.
Almost too good of a deal.
“What’s the theme of the shoot?” I ask, watching Professor Sinclair’s sickening grin grow wider. He literally moves his hand to the front of his pants and adjusts his growing cock as he looks me dead in the eye.
“Just a simple alpha omega shoot. Nothing to worry about.”
A feeling of unease creeps through my gut, but I ignore the sense of disgust trying to overwhelm me. I need this to get the job I want so I can make it on my own. I’ve worked too hard to let my pride get in the way. Besides, it’s just a photoshoot and my friends will be with me.
I stand up and extend my hand, despite the hesitance I feel as he takes my hand. “I’ll see if my friends can join us. When and where?”
He gives me the details, which I type into my phone’s note app. The shoot is next Thursday, which gives me plenty of time to convince the guys to help me. Once we’re done, I can’t get out of the room fast enough. A full-body chill passes through me and the need to take a shower becomes pressing as I rush to escape from the professor’s creepy presence.
As soon as I step onto the sidewalk, the nervous energy building in my stomach is back in full force. My mind immediately goes to Collin and Gunnar. I’m not exactly sure what this photoshoot will be, but something tells me they aren’t going to be pleased with it…not one bit.
But I can’t worry about that now.
I have to do whatever it takes to get where I want to be in life. And if that involves some sketchy shoot with a pervy professor, that’s not the end of the world. It’s one photoshoot, one time. End of story.
Besides, it’s not like the professor is asking us to have sex or anything. Most likely, it will be some shirtless pics…or maybe even us in our underwear, goofing around. Nothing that we can’t manage. Especially for a few grand each. As soon as he mentioned cash, I knew I wouldn’t have a problem getting the guys to help me out.
Now I just have to get them on board and keep it a secret from Gunnar and Collin.
* * *
“Is he crazy? Why would he pay us so much to take a few pictures? There has to be a catch…” Leave it to my twin to always be the skeptical one.
“He has a client with particular tastes. That’s all I know. Who cares why?”
Jason is sitting on a chair next to us at the table as Seth and I discuss the opportunity I’m presenting. I can tell he wants in but he’s too young. Professor Sinclair didn’t specifically mention that the omegas had to be over eighteen but that seems like it would be the case. Nevertheless, if he wants to come with us and try, I won’t stop him. He could use the money just as much as anyone else.
“That’s a lot of money, Sean.” Jason turns and stares adoringly at the object of his affection. “Think of what you could do with it.”
“Well, it’s not a million dollars, but yeah, it would come in handy.” I turn to Seth too, hoping between Jason and I, we can wear him down. “And I really need the extra credit.”
Seth turns to Jason. “You would do this? You’d ‘model’ for some creepy stranger for a few thousand dollars?”
Jason looks at me and then to my brother. “I will if you do…”
Ugh. This is getting frustrating. “Come on, Seth. I never ask you for anything. Please do this for me.”
“Fine,” my brother says in surrender. “But you still need at least one more guy, right?”
“Yeah.” I rub the back of my neck, trying to think of another guy who will be easy to convince.
Jason leans closer to us and whispers, “I can get Nathan to come. He’s a bit quirky, but he’s usually up for anything.”
“Really? That would be great.” Jason has a pretty good relationship with everyone, so I’m not surprised he has an in with Nathan. I barely talk to the guy, but he seems nice enough.
“Yeah. I’m sure he’ll do it.” Seth looks around the room. Several of the omegas who live here are hanging around, but Nathan isn’t in sight. “I’ll go find him and ask.”
“Thanks, Seth.” I heave out a sigh of relief. If I can just get through this assignment and finish the semester off right, that job is as good as mine.
Jason watches my brother until he leaves. Once Seth is out of earshot, he scoots closer to me so we can talk privately. “So, what kind of pictures do you think they’ll be?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure we’ll have to be shirtless,” I say, waggling my eyebrows in an attempt to make light of what may be a dark situation.
Jason bites his lip and leans back in his chair, looking a bit nervous.
“Don’t stress.” I pat his shoulder. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. He’s my professor, after all. He’s not going to put us in a dangerous situation. And don’t forget the payday.”
A smile crosses his lips. “Yeah. I can finally do something nice for…” He doesn’t finish the sentence, but we both know he wants to find a way to impress my brother. Jason slaps his palms on the table in front of him then stands up. “I’m going to grab some pizza. Want anything?”
“Nah, I’m good. Thanks, though. I’ll just wait here for Seth.”
As soon as Jason is gone, I pull out my phone, checking a few emails and killing time on Instagram before Seth walks back into the room with Nathan in tow. “He’s in.”
Nathan is all smiles as he steps up from behind my brother. “Are we really getting paid?”
“We are,” I assure him. “We just need to be across town at two on Thursday afternoon.”
I stand up and point my finger at Seth. “And don’t mention this in front of Collin or Gunnar. I want the money to be a surprise for them…so keep it on the DL.”
Seth narrows his eyes, knowing I’m bullshitting him. “I hope you know what you’re getting us into, Sean. If this goes badly, you could be messing up a really good thing you have with them.”
I roll my eyes. “It won’t go badly. We’ll be in a group, we’ll do the stupid photos, and we’ll get our money. It’s no big deal.”
And as I walk up to my room to grab a change of clothes to take to Gunnar’s, I keep repeating those words to myself, hoping I’d eventually start to believe them.
64
Gunnar
Waiting for Collin and Sean to come over after work is always the hardest part of my day. A tiny part of me keeps wondering if I’ll start to get bored with the domestication of our relationship, but those thoughts are instantly squashed by the sheer happiness I feel every time I see or even think about my men.
For the past few weeks, we’ve been together nonstop, and it’s been wonderful. But tomorrow, I fly to Dallas for a conference with some of my biggest clients. If there were any way to get out of going, I would have tried, but this is the one obligation to my clients I have each year and I can’t miss it.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but just thinking about spending time away from Collin and Sean makes me nauseous. Collin will be at work and Sean plans to do some projects around Omega House when he’s not at school, so they probably won’t even miss me.
But I’ll be missing them.
Anytime I’m away from them, I think about what they might be doing and if they’re okay. I hate the idea of being so far away in case so
mething happens and they need me.
I’m sitting on the couch with a cup of tea when Collin and Sean walk inside. I smile and stand to greet them, but they must sense my melancholy because Collin rushes to me with Sean close on his heels.
“What’s wrong, babe?” Collin cups my cheek with his palm, looking me right in the eye. “Are you feeling okay?
Sean places the back of his hand against my forehead. “You don’t feel warm, Gun. But you look a little pale.”
“I’m fine.” I lean forward and kiss Collin hard and deep before turning to Sean and giving him the same loving greeting. “I just missed you guys. I don’t want to leave.” Pulling them both into my arms, I hold them tightly, never wanting to let them go.
Sean slumps against me, clinging to my back while Collin stands even straighter, holding us both up in his strong arms. “We’ll be fine, babe. We’ll finally do some laundry at our own places and then we’ll all be back together before you know it.”
“You guys should live here,” I blurt out before I can stop myself. I wasn’t planning to broach the topic this way, but there’s no sense in putting it off any longer.
Sean’s body tenses against me but he doesn’t say a word.
Collin takes a step back, moving his thumb across my cheek. “What do you mean?”
“While I’m gone…and forever.” I smile and hope I’m not screwing this up. “This house is empty without you guys, and I don’t want you to be apart just because I am out of town.”
Sean pulls back far enough to look me in the eye, leaning against Collin as I speak to both of them.
“You don’t have to decide right now, but I want you to live with me. And while I’m gone, you should stay here together.” I look each of them in the eye, making sure they see my sincerity, then pull their hips together so we’re all connected at the waist. “I know it’s soon…and probably crazy.” I chuckle and wait for my men to smile, but they both seem to be holding back their emotions until I finish what I have to say. “But I love you guys. And as crazy as it sounds, I already know that I want to spend my life with you both. Just thinking about two nights away from you makes me sick to my stomach. Please, stay here together while I’m gone.”
Collin opens his mouth as if he’s going to say something, but I lean forward and quiet him with a kiss. “I love you, Collin. I want you to move in with me tonight, or tomorrow, or whenever you’re ready.”
I turn to Sean and kiss the one tear slowly trickling down his cheek. “And you, our sweet omega… I love you, Sean and I hope you’ll consider moving in here and making this your home too. Think about it but the offer starts tonight and doesn’t have an expiration date.”
Sean hiccups back a sob and then throws his arms around my neck. “I love you too, Gunnar. I didn’t think I should say it first because I didn’t want you guys to think I was needy or clingy but…” He turns to Collin while resting his head on my shoulder. “I love you both so damn much.”
Collin’s shock turns to joy as his shoulders relax and he flashes that gorgeous smile at us. “Well, you’re not doing this without me.” He slips his hands into the back of my hair and fists Sean’s hair in the same way. “I was lost in you two the minute I saw you guys huddled together under that solar blanket. I knew there was something special between you and I had to be a part of it. I can’t just abandon Austin, but hell yeah, I want to live here. With both of you. I can’t stand being at my place alone. This has felt like home since very first night.”
We all lean forward in a messy kiss. It starts off sweet and gentle but quickly escalates into a desperate passion that results in clothes on the floor and cocks in holes.
I’m not going to like being alone for the next two nights but at least I’ll have the memories of one of the greatest nights of my life to hold me over until I’m back with my alpha and my omega in my arms again…in our home, together.
65
Sean
Saying goodbye to Gunnar this morning was hard. I worked myself up to the point of almost vomiting as he was driving away. Thankfully, Collin was there to rub my back and whisper reassurances that our alpha would be home to us soon and he would protect me and be there for me for anything I needed.
Which is why keeping this secret from them is so much harder than I thought it’d be.
Now that we’ve opened up about how much we love each other and are taking steps to start our lives together in one home, keeping anything from my alphas feels like a betrayal. I mentioned doing some extra credit for my professor and told them I was spending the day with Seth and some friends from Omega House so I haven’t lied to Gunnar and Collin.
I won’t lie to them. Ever.
But I haven’t told them the full truth. It’s stupid but I know they wouldn’t approve of me doing anything as sleazy as taking shirtless photos for some eccentric weirdo…especially without them there to supervise. And I just couldn’t do anything so humiliating in front of either of them.
So, after the shoot is over and I have the grade that I need to pass the program, I’ll casually mention the photoshoot and deal with their disappointment at that point. I’m not looking forward to seeing any kind of disgust in their eyes, but maybe I’ll wait until I’ve got a knot locked inside me so they can’t walk away.
After checking my outfit in the mirror one more time, I know I can’t put this off any longer.
“Guys…” I pop my head into Jason’s room where Seth and he are both sitting on the bed. “Let’s go. We’re gonna be late.”
They both look up at me with startled expressions. “Oh, sorry. We didn’t realize it was time.”
Jason hops off the bed and grabs a cap from the top of his dresser. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Of course, you are.” I roll my eyes at how easy it is for him. Jason’s one of those guys who’s naturally good-looking. He doesn’t have to spend much time trying to get ready. I, on the other hand, am a nervous wreck, having spent half my morning trying to figure out the best way to style my hair.
Since I don’t know what the photoshoot will entail, I decided on a classic look that is easy to change depending on what Professor Sinclair needs.
The two men follow me back into the hallway where Nathan is waiting for us near the stairs. His shoulder-length blond hair and strong jawline make him the perfect candidate for this. With the van keys in hand the four of us head to the destination the professor provided. The place is about fifteen minutes outside of town.
By the time we exit the city limits, the nervous energy in my gut is screaming to release into the rest of my body, but I refuse to let my nerves get the best of me. My friends and I will be together, so there’s nothing we need to worry about.
Everything will be fine.
But as the scenery changes to a more disheveled neighborhood, I have to force a fake smile to assure the guys that everything is as I expected… Despite the half-demolished buildings and homes that are falling in on themselves that we continue to pass.
When the GPS says our destination is ahead on the left, I spot an old warehouse with metal doors across the front and a small entry door on the left side. “This is it.” I turn into the gravel parking lot that looks more like an abandoned mechanic’s shop. The metal doors appear to open up to various loading bays, but they don’t look like they’ve been used in some time. The windows are caked in dirt, and I’d be surprised if any light could get through.
A car is already parked near the entrance, so I pull in beside it, and the four of us hop out. Our steps crunch through the gravel as we make our way to the small concrete pad in front of the door. Just as I’m about to open it, Seth’s phone rings.
He takes it from his pocket and answers. “Hello.” We all stand silently as he listens intently to the person on the other end of the line. “Yeah. Let me call him. Bye.” When he hangs up, I reach for the door handle again.
“That was Rex. Brayden is having another meltdown, and Rex doesn’t know what to do.”
I
sigh, knowing all too well the drama that plays out in the Rex and Brayden show. It’s not often that two omegas get together, but somehow these two did. And despite the fact that everyone can tell they love each other, they are constantly getting into fights. When that happens, Brayden gets depressed and is sometimes suicidal. “I need to call and check on him. You guys go ahead. I’ll sit in the van for a little while and see if I can talk him down.”
I nod and toss Seth the keys. “I’ll let Professor Sinclair know that you’ll be in soon.”
Once Jason, Nathan, and I are inside, our eyes take a moment to adjust to the dim lighting.
“Gentlemen.” Professor Sinclair’s voice startles us as he calls from deeper inside the room.
“Professor Sinclair. This is Jason and Nathan.”
The professor walks toward us, extending his hand to the guys. “It’s lovely to meet you guys. Thank you for coming.”
I slip my hands into my pockets, not sure what else to do. “My brother had to make a call, but he should be here soon.”
“No worries at all. We can go ahead and get started and he can join in later.” Sinclair raises an eyebrow, making his words seem mischievous. I’m not sure what he has planned, but I just hope we can get this over with quickly. “Follow me.”
He guides us through a door that leads to the main warehouse. The place is empty, except for a table sitting off to the side of what looks to be our photoshoot setup.
There’s an old, brass bed sitting toward the back wall of the warehouse. A tingle shoots up my spine as the stupidity of what we’re doing starts to sink in. I sniff the air, getting a whiff of alpha pheromones.
Turning my head quickly, I catch the figures of two men coming out of the offices from where we just were. I take a deep breath to try to calm my nerves. Obviously, if the professor was asking for omegas, he would be shooting with alphas too. That shouldn’t set off any red flags.
