by D. J. Heart
But Logan knows that bitterness is pointless. Chad is on his side, and it’s good that they accomplished their goal of at least influencing the vote.
“That’s great,” he says, meaning it. Chad beams.
“So what do we do now?” Chad asks. Logan hands him and Evan a mug each and then sits down at the table.
“That’s what we need to figure out,” he says. He watches Evan, wondering what he thinks about all this. It must be weird, having so much freedom when most omegas have so little.
No one says anything.
“Congratulations on your mating,” Chad says when the silence starts getting awkward. Logan starts, and it occurs to him that Chad and Evan are the first people he’s seen since Merchant claimed him.
Chad does not particularly sound like he means it.
“Thanks,” he says, wondering what Chad is really thinking.
“I was wondering if Merchant was going to be here today,” Chad says. “Are you sure he doesn’t mind me being here?”
Logan grins. “He doesn’t mind. He was the one who suggested I call you when he had to go to work.”
Chad looks up from his mug with a sharp look. “He’s working today? For Peter?”
Logan shrugs. “I guess. He doesn’t talk about his job in detail. Says he’s not allowed to.”
Chad looks troubled. “No, I guess he isn’t. Did he say when he’d be back?”
Logan shakes his head. “No, why?”
Still looking troubled, Chad smiles. “No reason. I’m just trying to think what he could be working on. I thought Peter was just dealing with regular office problems, but if he’s called in Merchant… I don’t know. It’s probably nothing to worry about.”
Logan is unconvinced, but he doesn’t probe.
“So how do you like being mated to an alpha?” Evan asks, obviously trying to break the weird tension in the room.
“It’s great,” Logan says, smiling. “What about you?”
“I love it,” Evan says, and Chad’s face splits into a grin. The alpha takes a sip of his coffee, looking pleased as punch. Evan continues, “Do you like being knotted?”
Chad chokes on his coffee.
“What?” Logan asks, not sure he heard correctly.
“I like it,” Evan says, sounding happy, “but Chad doesn’t like it that much. He still lets Peter do it, though. I was just wondering what it’s like for a beta.”
“Evan! You can’t ask people that!” Chad blurts out, blushing furiously. Logan has no idea what to say. Peter knots Chad? It makes sense, sort of, but he can’t imagine Chad taking a knot.
On second thought, yes he can. Fuck, that’s hot.
“Sorry,” Evan says, not sounding it. Chad is still beet red.
“I guess I like it,” Logan says, deciding to push past his sense of decency. “But it’s uncomfortable, too. Merchant has this special lube with synthetic omega hormones that can trick his knot into thinking that he’s having sex with an omega, but we haven’t tried it yet. I’m a little nervous.”
“He has what?” Chad asks, sounding strangled and looking worried.
“Lube with synthetic omega hormones in it,” Logan says. “Have you tried it?” Chad shakes his head, looking horrified.
“I bet Peter would—”
“If you tell Peter about this I will murder you,” Chad interrupts Evan, glaring at him. Evan doesn’t look at all cowed, his eyes bright and full of glee.
“What’s in it for me?” Evan looks devious.
“Nothing. What do you want?” Chad looks pained.
“I don’t know yet. Let me think about it,” Evan says. Logan laughs and Chad sighs.
“I hate you,” Chad says, glaring at Logan in mock anger. Logan shrugs and grins, spreading his hands as though to say sorry.
Chad sighs and slumps down in his seat. Logan hopes that Peter wouldn’t force Chad into doing something he doesn’t want to do. If Chad doesn’t want to be knotted with special lube, he shouldn’t have to be.
“Peter wouldn’t…” Logan isn’t sure how to ask.
“What?” Chad asks.
“Peter wouldn’t do anything Chad wasn’t okay with,” Evan says, obviously knowing what Logan wanted to ask. “He’s just being a baby because he knows it’s something he wants to try. I’ll bet you ten dollars he goes out and buys a jumbo sized bottle of the stuff for Peter’s birthday.”
Chad still looks confused. “No way am I buying it for Peter’s birthday,” he says, but he sounds very unconvincing. Logan is relieved.
“No more talk about knotting, okay, Evan?” Chad says, sitting up straight and giving Evan a stern look. “Let’s talk strategy.”
Logan nods, and Evan gestures like he’s zipping his mouth.
In the end, they decide to just keep doing what they’re doing. Chad will keep reviewing The Virgin O records from home, and if he finds anything, he and Logan will discuss what to do with it.
Logan, on the other hand, needs to get a job and a computer before he can contribute anything of value.
“Sounds good,” Chad says, standing up and putting on his coat. “I’ll call you if I find anything, and then we can get together again after you start your new job.”
“It’s a plan,” Logan says. He stands up, putting all three of their mugs in the dishwasher. He walks Chad and Evan to the door.
“It was nice seeing you again, Evan.” Logan shakes Evan’s hand.
“You too,” Evan says.
“See you later,” Chad says, and with that exits the apartment.
On his own again, Logan makes his way to the couch and sits down to watch some TV.
***
Merchant looks from Peter to the body, then back at Peter, and then back at the body. He grins.
“Again?” he asks, crossing his arms. Peter narrows his eyes and says nothing. Merchant holds up his hands in surrender.
“No, no. It’s fine. I’ll clean it up. It’s just… isn’t this why you have me in the first place, so that you won’t have to do this kind of thing yourself?”
“He was making fun of Chad,” Peter says, like that explains anything.
“And so obviously he had to die.” Merchant takes a step forward, examining the body. Aside from the fact that his head is pointing the wrong way, there’s no damage that he can see. That and the fact that Peter’s mouth isn’t dripping blood tells him that this wasn’t quite as an instinctual response as Peter is pretending. Peter planned this, and he was completely cool when he carried out the murder.
“Yes.” Peter nudges the body with the tip of his shoe.
Merchant doesn’t ask what the dead alpha said to piss Peter off so royally, but something tells him Peter has slightly overreacted.
“Well, we can’t leave him here,” Merchant says, looking around the deserted parking garage. He’ll have to work fast. The body is hidden from view by Peter’s car, but they’re still way too exposed.
“I know. Which is why I called you.” Peter’s voice is cold.
“I’m just thinking out loud,” Merchant explains. “Though to be fair, you called me well before you actually killed him.”
Peter doesn’t comment on Merchant’s assumption that the murder was premeditated.
Popping open the back of his SUV and arranging a sheet of plastic tarp on the floor, Merchant bends down and lifts the dead alpha into place. He’s heavy, but Merchant manages the feat with little trouble. He’s also still warm.
Peter timed this perfectly.
“I’m not judging,” he says, pulling another piece of tarp over the body. “You know that I admire your whole uber-alpha ruthless killer thing.”
Peter sighs, and Merchant grins. That’s the sigh that tells him he’s right on the edge of Peter’s patience.
“Make it look like he left town. I don’t think he has any family in the city, so just get into his apartment and clean it out like he left in a hurry.” Peter hands him a wallet, and when he flips it open, Merchant sees the dead guys driver
’s license.
Thomas Price, Merchant reads, making a mental note of the address. He moves back to the body and checks the pockets, and sure enough, finds a key in the left side of the jacket. Hopefully it will get him into Price’s apartment.
“Will do,” he says. He’ll burn the body once the pound shuts down for the night, which gives him plenty of time to clean out the apartment in advance.
“And one more thing,” Peter says, moving closer so that he’s standing next to Merchant and looking down at the body.
“Yes?” Merchant can’t help but feel a little nervous with Peter so close.
“Charles Lovik called me today. He needs someone to replace his current head of Topgrunder’s domestic division. I was wondering if that’s something you’d be interested in?”
Whatever Merchant had expected Peter to say, this was not it.
“You’re asking me if I want to jump ship?” Merchant wonders if this is some kind of loyalty test, but he quickly dismisses that idea. Peter doesn’t play those sorts of mind games.
“I’m asking you if you’d like me to put your name forward. They’re looking for someone from outside the company, and you’d be a good fit.”
Merchant closes the back of the SUV with a slam, feeling thrown.
“Let me think about it?” he asks. Peter nods.
“Get back to me by the end of the week,” he says. Merchant nods, and Peter gets into his sleek little car and drives away.
Merchant gets behind the wheel and turns the key in the ignition, following Peter out of the parking garage.
It’s not like he hasn’t thought of working for Topgrunder, it’s just that he’s never wanted to betray Peter by leaving. But heading up their whole domestic division—with Peter’s blessing—is that something he can say no to?
Merchant doesn’t think so.
***
Logan is still awake when Merchant crawls into bed, and so Merchant is free to wrap his arm over his mate’s waist and pull him close without worrying about waking him up. Burying his nose in Logan’s neck, Merchant breathes in the scent of him.
“How did it go?” Logan asks. He tries to turn, but Merchant holds him tightly and keeps him right where he is.
“Good,” Merchant mumbles, not wanting to think about work. “Easy. How was your day?”
Logan gives up on trying to move, letting Merchant hold him. Merchant grins and pushes his hand down around Logan’s cock while at the same time shifting his hips so that his cock comes to rest on the back of Logan’s thighs. Logan quickly catches on, lifting his leg slightly and letting Merchant slide his cock into the space between his thighs. When Logan relaxes his leg, Merchant’s cock is nestled tight.
“It was good. Chad and his omega came over. I had fun.”
“Good,” Merchant mumbles. He starts thrusting his hips, fucking into the space between Logan’s thighs, the head of his cock bumping into Logan’s balls with each thrust. The friction slows him down at first, but once his cock starts dripping he can start fucking the tight heat for real.
“That feels good,” Logan says when Merchant gently bites his neck. Merchant grins, doing it again. Logan moans.
Logan comes first. Merchant jerks him off through his orgasm, palming the head of his cock and holding him tightly as he starts to twitch and buck when the stimulation becomes too much.
“I hate you,” Logan complains, making Merchant grin. He slides his fingers to the top of Logan’s cock, finding his sensitive frenulum, and pinches.
The resulting yelp is enough to send Merchant over the edge, and he rolls Logan onto his belly and lays himself flat on top of him, fucking into his thighs like a man possessed.
“Squeeze tighter,” he growls, grabbing Logan by the hair and giving him a little shake. Logan tenses his thighs and pushes them together, and Merchant’s rhythm stutters.
It feels amazing. His knot expands to its full width, pushing against Logan’s thighs, and Merchant has an idea. Pushing up on his knees, planting them on either side of Logan’s body, he reaches down and flips Logan onto his back and sits down on his chest. It happens fast, his cock spewing load after load of come, making a mess of Logan and the sheets under him.
“Open your mouth,” Merchant commands, pushing the head of his cock against Logan’s lips. Squeezing his knot and aiming his cock with one hand, Merchant uses the other to hold Logan still with a tight grip on his hair. Logan opens his mouth, taking the head of Merchant’s cock inside of him.
Merchant feels his balls clench, and his orgasm intensifies. He shoots his load into Logan’s mouth, spurt after spurt, and watching his mate struggle to swallow it all is one of the hottest things he’s ever seen.
“Good boy,” he says when he’s milked himself dry. He sits back up on his knees, taking his considerable weight off Logan’s chest, and looks down with a grin on his face. “Are you okay?”
Logan nods, looking dazed. “I feel so fucking full.”
Merchant grins wider. He lies down next to Logan and pulls him into his arms, ignoring the wet patches on the sheets and on Logan’s body. They’ll have to change the sheets and shower before they go to sleep, but for now, Merchant just wants to enjoy holding his mate in his arms.
Chapter 15
Logan’s mother is waiting for him when he comes out of his uncle’s office. He freezes at the sight of her, knowing that he has to tell her that he mated Merchant. He’s let far too much time pass, and every day he drags it out is only going to hurt her feelings more.
“He got the job,” Uncle Eddie says when he sees his sister, giving her an amused smile. She brightens, clasping her hands together and looks proud.
“I’m so proud of you, Logan,” she says, walking forward and hugging him. Logan sighs. The chances of his uncle not giving him the job were basically zero, so it’s not like she has anything to be proud of.
“Thanks, Mom,” he says anyway.
“I’ll see you back here on Monday morning, Logan. I’m excited to have you on board,” his uncle says, clapping him on the back. “Barbara, it’s good to see you. You should come by for dinner some time next week.”
“I’ll call you and we can figure something out, Eddie,” his mom says.
“Well, if you’ll both excuse me, I have to get back to work.” Uncle Eddie nods at them both and steps back into his office. Logan and his mom turn around and walk to the elevator.
“Honey, I’m so happy that you’re going to start working here,” his mother says.
“It’s going to be good,” Logan says. “But Mom, I actually have something I need to talk to you about. Do you mind if we go sit somewhere?”
“That sounds serious,” his mother says. Logan winces, and his mother’s amused expression turns serious. “Is it something bad?” she asks.
Logan winces again. “It’s something good, but I should have told you a lot sooner. I honestly didn’t mean to not tell you. It just… it happened kind of suddenly. Let’s just go sit and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Logan and his mother leave the building, the silence weighing on him. There’s a coffee shop right across the street, and Logan leads his mother inside. They order simple cups of coffee and sit down at a table in the corner.
“So what was it you wanted to tell me?” Logan’s mother has her elbows on the table, and she’s holding her coffee up in both hands. Logan fidgets.
“I met someone,” he says. His mother smiles and puts down her cup, reaching across the table to take his hand.
“You did? That’s great, honey.”
Logan swallows. “He’s an alpha. Peter—Chad’s mate—sent him to look after me right after the bomb went off. His name is Alexander Marchand, but he goes by Merchant. I really like him.”
“Honey, I’ve always known you liked alphas,” his mother says, like she can’t believe he doesn’t know this.
“I know. That’s not what I need to talk to you about.”
“Then what is it?”
Logan steels
himself.
“About two weeks ago I was arrested for industrial espionage,” he says, ignoring his mother’s sharp intake of breath. “You know, because I had those files from the Pritchett Center? It was complete bullshit, but they got a judge to sign the warrant. Basically, I called Merchant after they took me down to the station, and he promised to get me out.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” his mother demands. Logan shrugs.
