by Aria Grace
The service at this place isn’t particularly fast, so by the time we get our food and eat it, my lunch hour is almost over. I don’t want to be rude to Xander, but I also don’t want to be late getting back. So soon as there’s a brief pause in the conversation, I crumple up my trash in the sandwich wrapper then stand up. “Thanks for letting me crash your lunch today. I don’t know very many people yet, so I had planned to just eat alone.”
“Nonsense. A cool guy like you should never eat alone.” He winks as he stands up and glances at his watch. “Shit, I didn’t realize it was so late. Sorry about that.”
“No worries. I’ll just stay a little late this evening if I need to.” To my surprise, Xander falls into step beside me as we head back across the street.
“Which floor are you on?” he asks as we enter the building.
“I usually work on the sixth floor, but for the next few weeks, I’ll probably be camped out in a conference room on seven.”
“Good, you’re close by. I’m up on eight, so I’ll walk you back then take the stairs to my floor.” He pats his flat belly. “Got to get those steps in, you know.”
My eyes unconsciously drift down his torso to his trim waist. He must have an amazing metabolism if he has a body like that from climbing one flight of stairs per day.
Despite my insistence that it’s not necessary for him to walk me back, Xander follows me all the way to the conference room, telling me about the different amenities found in the building as we go. Matco Electronics only takes up the fifth through ninth floors, but we’re in a fifteen-story building with lots of other companies renting space here.
“There’s even a physical therapist on the second floor who does amazing massage.” We turn into the conference room, and I see Jude already set up at his laptop. His eyes hone in on Xander instantly. If Xander notices Jude, it’s hard to tell because he doesn’t acknowledge the man at all, continuing to ramble. “So if your muscles are ever feeling tight, and you need a good rub down, I can give you his number. I try to get in to see him at least once a week.”
“Thanks, but I don’t know if my insurance covers chiropractor visits. But I’ll keep that in mind.”
Jude clears his throat, forcing us both to look his way. Jude stands up and extends his arm to Xander from across the table. “Hi, I’m Jude. And you are?”
I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but it seems like there’s a hint of hostility in Jude’s voice. Hostility I’ve never heard from him before—not even when I was accusing him of those horrible things.
If Xander heard it, he has an excellent poker face because he just flashes a charming grin and shakes Jude’s hand. “Xander Masters. Head of R&D.”
“Good to meet you, Xander,” Jude says curtly, barely masking the disdain he obviously feels toward this man he just met ten seconds ago.
Xander smirks, and I begin to wonder if maybe Jude’s disdain isn’t well masked after all.
“Same.” Xander turns back to me and reaches for my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze. “Lunch was fun, Andy. Let’s do it again, yeah?”
I smile and give him a quick nod. “Yeah, that would be great.”
9
Jude
An errand? Why would Andy lie to us and say he had an errand if he was meeting up with someone? If he had a lunch date, he should’ve just said so. Maybe he was embarrassed. That Xander guy seems like a total douche. Okay, douche might be a bit strong. Maybe cocky son of a bitch sums him up a little better.
And I don’t usually have a problem with cocky. I’ve been called arrogant and cocky more than once. But there’s something about this particular cocky son of a bitch that rubs me the wrong way. I don’t like the way he looks at Andy, and I definitely don’t like the way he looks at me. As if he knows he wants what I want, and he thinks he’s going to get it.
I try to let it go.
I want to let it go.
But, of course, I can’t let it go.
I only manage to wait about twenty minutes before I ask the question burning a hole in my brain. “So, how were your errands?”
Andy stills his fingers without looking up from his screen. It seems like he was just waiting for me to ask but hoping I wouldn’t.
“Actually, I didn’t get to them. I stopped across the street to get a sandwich first and met Xander. We started chatting when he saw my badge, and then he invited me to eat with him.” Andy gives me a guilty grin. “I guess I’ll have to do them after work or tomorrow.”
“Cool.” Actually, not cool. Apparently, Xander’s invitation was more appealing than Matt’s. I wonder if that had to do with Matt being the big boss, or if it was purely about the people he would have been spending time with.
“Sorry I was late. I’ll stay later tonight to make up for it.” Andy genuinely seems concerned about walking in at a quarter after one.
I look at him like he’s crazy. “I don’t give a shit about your hours. I don’t punch a clock, and I don’t expect you to either.”
Andy shrugs. “Well, I’m technically an hourly employee, so I guess I could just dock my hours by fifteen minutes today.”
“No, don’t do that.” This is exactly why I own my own business. I hated worrying about shit like that.
“Well…” He looks at me and bites his lip. “Since you’re close to Matt and all, I just don’t want him to think I’m slacking off because this job is really important to me.”
Now I feel like a dick. “It’s fine, I promise. Matt doesn’t care about that shit either. He didn’t walk me back to the conference room, so he doesn’t know that you weren’t already back. It’s no big deal.”
“Thanks.” Andy opens his mouth and then closes it quickly before turning back to his laptop.
I can tell there something more he wants to say, so I give him all of one minute to come clean. But when he doesn’t, curiosity gets the best of me and I have to ask. “Was there something else? It looked like you were about to say something.”
“No, not really.” He gives me a quick glance before that rosy tint is back in his cheeks. “Well…it’s not any of my business.”
Now I’m really curious. I lean back in the chair and fold my arms over my chest. “What’s none of your business?”
He finally looks me right in the eye again. “I was just wondering if Matt is…you know?”
Now I’m the one with a cocky grin. “No, my what?”
Andy senses that I’m messing with him and rolls his eyes. “I don’t know. Your boyfriend or whatever…”
“No, Matt is not my boyfriend or whatever. We’ve been friends since we were kids, and I’m just here to help him with this project.”
“Oh, I heard someone talking about the boss’s mate, so I wasn’t sure...”
That’s quite a leap, especially since he’s been to my modest home. But I guess it’s not impossible…if Matt and I had the slightest bit of interest in each other. Which we definitely don’t. “No, Matt has a cute little omega with the attitude of a ten-foot-tall alpha.”
Andy raises an eyebrow. “You don’t like him?”
I raise a hand to squelch that rumor before it gets started. “I never said that. Troy is a good guy, I guess. I just don’t know him very well. He likes to keep Matt all to himself, so the only time I ever see him is when we have lunch here.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense.” Andy doesn’t seem at all bothered by that. Again, it’s an interesting thing to note.
Since he was the one to open that door, I take the opportunity to step through it. “I’m sure you can understand that. You’ve probably had some possessive alphas in your past. Or are you usually the needy one?”
“Neither.” Andy actually laughs. “I don’t have much of a past, but I can imagine wanting to keep my alpha close to home…if I had one.”
His eyes lock to mine before he turns back to the screen. I don’t know what to say so I turn back to my computer too.
A moment later, he quietly murmurs, “And as you’
ve witnessed, I’m not a very good judge of them.”
Gunnar shows up at my doorstep just in time for the Warriors game. We don’t make official plans but whenever the Warriors are playing, we tend to gravitate to each other. We went to school together in California and became fans, so watching the games together is kind of a given.
“You’re just in time.” I usher him inside, relieving him of the twelve pack in his arms. “I was about to order a pizza.”
“Damn, then I’m early.” He stops me long enough to pull two bottles from the box before I take it to the kitchen. “I was hoping it would already be delivered and paid for when I got here.”
“No such luck, cheapass.” I put the beers in the fridge and open up the delivery app in my phone. “Large Meatlovers sound good?”
He laughs as if I’ve said something funny. “Fine by me. I love large or small meat.”
Gunnar is one of my few friends who dates alphas and omegas equally. I have a feeling he’ll end up with one of each. At least, I think that’s what he’s hoping to find someday.
As soon as the food is ordered, I turn on the game I’ve already started recording. The Warriors have been on a winning streak so we’re both excited to see it continue.
Gunnar takes a long drag from his bottle. “So, you still working on that project for Matt?”
“Yeah, it’s coming along. I’ve probably got another few months there.” I fast forward through the boring intro to get to the game.
“There? Aren’t you working at home?” Gunnar knows Matt too and was with me when Matt first approached me about the job.
“I was…” I’m not sure how much to say. Really, there isn’t much to say, but I did mention to him the incident at O-Ring the night we went out. Although, I don’t think it’s my place to connect Andy who works at Matco to Andrew who was raped at the club. “I’m actually working with one of Matt’s interns so I’ve been going in every day. It’s just easier that way.”
“Is it?” He seems skeptical. “You hate working in an office every day.”
“It’s not so bad.” I try to keep the slight smile out of my voice and off my face, but Gunnar doesn’t miss it.
“Oh, shit.” He grabs the remote from my hand and pauses the game. “You’re pulling a Clinton?”
“No, it’s not like that.” Yet. But I hope it is like that some day. “Nothing’s going on with us.”
“But…you like him?” Gunnar is like a teenage girl when it comes to other people’s love lives.
I shrug and take another drink to buy myself a few more seconds. “He’s cool. And really smart.”
“Here we go.” Gunnar just shakes his head. “You better be careful if you’re this guy’s boss. You don’t want to get Matt involved in some sexual harassment suit.”
Shit, I didn’t even think about that. “He’s probably not interested in me so it doesn’t matter, but yeah, if anything does happen, I’ll wait until the project is over.”
“You said a few more months, right?” Gunnar laughs. “Good luck with that, man. You haven’t been laid in forever. I’m impressed you’ve kept your knot in your pants for this long.”
Yeah, me too. “Well, some people are worth the wait.”
10
Andy
It’s been three weeks since I started working with Jude and the tension between us is at an all-time high. I don’t know if it’s just because he’s an alpha and I’m an omega and we’ve been locked together in a room all day every day for weeks…but something’s got to give soon. I’m due to start a heat cycle and the suppressants I’ve been taking for a year aren’t working like they usually do. Most of the time, I barely notice my cycle. I might wake up sticky from dirty dreams about faceless alphas or need to double-up on my anti-pheromone deodorant for a few days, but this is ridiculous.
I’ve had to run to the bathroom twice to clean up when my body went into overdrive, producing slick lubricant to take a knot. Jude is a gentlemen and doing his best to ignore the symptoms, but I know he’s noticed them. As soon as I walk into a room, his entire demeanor changes. He goes from relaxed to completely stiff in a flash. It’s embarrassing as hell and not fair to him because I know he’s not getting any work done.
I inhale deeply, getting Jude’s attention. Although I’m pretty sure I’ve had it for a few days. “I think I should work from home for the next few days.”
Jude is breathing through his mouth. “Will you be more comfortable there?”
I shrug. “I guess. And you’ll definitely be more comfortable with me there.”
Jude’s eyes soften and he exhales the breath he’s obviously been holding. “Sorry, I’m not doing a very good job of playing it cool.”
His guilty admission makes me smile…and wet. Dammit. “Well, the feeling’s mutual. I’ve never had my suppressants fail this miserably but I probably need to hole up at home and wait it out.”
Jude nods. “If you think that’s best, I’ll give you a ride.”
What? Why would he offer that? “That’s not necessary. I have my car. I’ll be fine.”
Just when I think Jude is about to acquiesce, Xander steps into the room, taking a deep breath as he does. His eyes lock on mine and his pupils visibly enlarge…as does the bulge in his slacks. “Andy?”
Awesome. Now two co-workers have witnessed my humiliation. “Hey, Xander. How’s it going?”
He takes a step forward, closing his eyes as he inhales my scent again. “Just wanted to invite you out. Um, to lunch. Are you ready?”
A low growl from my left catches my attention and I turn to Jude. He’s shooting daggers at Xander with just his eyes, but a nervous glance to Xander proves he hasn’t even noticed. He hasn’t looked away from me since he walked in.
“Thanks, Xander, but I’m heading home. Maybe next week would be better.”
Jude’s shoulders drop an inch or two but he doesn’t look away from Xander.
“I’ll take you home.” Xander takes another step toward me with his arm extended.
Jude stands up at the same time, blocking me from Xander’s approach in two lightning steps. “He’s got a ride. He’ll talk to you next week.”
Xander finally looks at Jude as if just realizing he’s there and the lust in his eyes turns to rage. “And who the fuck are you to decide when I can talk to him?”
Jude actually fists his hand and slightly cocks his arm back as if he’s gonna take a swing at Xander when Matt pops in. And my trifecta of mortification is complete. I slump lower in my chair, wishing I could melt into it so I’d never have to face any of these men again.
“What the hell—” Matt steps between Jude and Xander, pushing his friend back into the conference room. And then he smells it. Me. And he almost sways on his feet. He turns to me and instantly understands what’s going on. “Oh, shit. Are you okay, Andy?”
I nod. “Sorry about this. I’ll go home until it passes.” I save the files I have open and begin to gather my stuff.
“I’m about to take him home,” Jude says to both Matt and Xander but his eyes haven’t strayed from Xander’s.
Matt turns to me. “Is that alright with you? I can ask one of the omegas to give you a lift.”
“I have my car.” I close the lid to my laptop. “I’ll be fine.”
Jude growls again and finally looks at me. “You’re not safe alone like that. I’ll take you home.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and clench my ass, hoping to hold in the new shot of slick threatening to seep out. “Um, yeah, okay.”
Matt takes a few steps toward Xander, forcing him out of the conference room. “Sounds like we’ve got everything under control, Xan. I’ll see ya later.”
Xander flashes a furious look at Jude before turning and walking down the hallway toward the elevator. That’s good because there’s no way I can risk stinking up a little elevator car. I’ll definitely be taking the stairs down.
“A word, Jude?” Matt takes Jude out into the hall while I finish gathering
my crap for the day.
I can’t hear what they’re saying but I can tell that it’s an intense conversation by the way they’re looking at each other and back at me through the glass wall. After waiting awkwardly for a minute, I open the door and step out. “I should be fine. I’ll go straight home.”
Jude gives Matt a firm look before turning back to me. “I’ll see you home. I can go in your car with you and Uber back here for mine. Or I can follow behind you in my car. It’s no trouble either way.”
Matt keeps his eyes on Jude for another moment before turning back to me with a smile. “You’re in good hands, Andy. Take as much time as you need.”
“Thanks.” I tuck my chin to my chest, so embarrassed to be having this conversation. “And I’m so sorry about this. It’s never happened before but I’ll get a new prescription and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Nonsense.” Matt pats my shoulder as he steps back to leave. “I know how those can mess with your cycle. It you want to just work at home whenever this comes up, you’re welcome to. I’d rather you keep yourself healthy than worrying about making the rest of us comfortable.”
“Thanks, Matt. I really appreciate it.”
“Well, Jude says you’re doing a great job. I want you to be comfortable here so just let us know if there’s anything else you need.” He turns down the hall. “Take care.”
As soon as we’re alone, Jude turns to me with his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry about that,” he says quietly.
“About what?”
“Being such an ass to your friend, but I just don’t trust him with you.”
Something about that makes my stomach flutter in a good way…and my dick harden in a bad way. “No problem, but I do need to get going.”
“Yeah, of course.” Jude rushes to get packed up. Before his computer is fully in his bag, he stops and looks me in the eye. “Are you comfortable with me knowing where you live?”
