by Tammy Knight
“Lunch?” Jamie repeated, taking a step closer to the omega. Craig tilted his head, smiling awkwardly and rubbing the back of his neck.
“Yeah, the rush is over, and Adam’s in the back, so I can probably score you a cheeseburger,” Craig said quietly. Jamie seemed taken aback for a moment, as if food had been the last thing on his mind. The omega couldn’t imagine any other reasons why the alpha would have come to his workplace, or more specifically, didn’t want to imagine any alternatives. Jamie had a temper that could rival his father’s, and he looked as if he wanted nothing more than to slap the half- smile off Craig’s face. The omega hummed for a moment, trying to tug Jamie towards the door. “We can talk outside, if you’re upset. I know I deserve whatever you can throw at me, and I’m willing to hear you out. I just don’t want the manager to hear,” Craig muttered.
“What, are you ashamed? Little Craig Lee doing what it is that omegas do--screwing any alpha they can get their hands on and then trying to trap them in a relationship… what do you have to feel ashamed for? I’m the one who almost fell for your little trick,” Jamie said loudly, attracting the attention of the other workers in the diner. Craig shot them an apologetic look, tears pricking at his eyes as he processed Jamie’s words. He was usually so much better equipped to deal with Jamie’s tangents, but he had no idea what the crazed alpha was going on about.
“What are you talking about? Trick? Trap? I wasn’t…I didn’t try to trap you, Jamie. You--,” he paused, realizing his voice was getting louder. He made another attempt to drag the alpha towards the door, but his young friend wasn’t going to be silenced so easily. He yanked his hand out of the omega’s grip, glancing towards the other workers who were looking on in grim fascination.
“You think I care what these people think of you? You took advantage of me… you took advantage of my emotions,” Jamie hissed, raising his voice. “Can you guys believe it? Sweet little Craig taking advantage of his best friend? I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. You saw plenty too, didn’t you Craig?” the alpha said, his voice borderline hysterical. A gasp resonated through the restaurant, and one of Craig’s coworkers spoke up.
“Craig, do I need to get Adam?” the young omega female called out, twisting her own washcloth in her hands. Jamie cackled, giving Craig a shove that was none too gentle.
“What, you’re screwing around with your manager, too? Think he might be jealous? I bet he’s never pounded you as hard as I did, C. It’s bad enough that you’ve been trying to fool me into falling in love with you, but you’re still whoring around like you always have on the side?” Jamie laughed, brushing a hand through his hair. Craig felt as if the Earth were dropping away beneath his feet, his expression twisted with anguish as he tried to make sense of the situation.
“Why are you saying these things? I was drunk! If anything, you were the one to take advantage of me,” the omega male paused, glancing to the one coworker who had dared speak up. “Don’t worry about Adam; he’ll have my ass. Just give me five minutes to deal with him,” he added.
“So, I’m not even worth your time now? How troublesome it must be to waste five minutes of your time to apologize to the only person who has ever cared about you,” Jamie taunted, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.
“Outside, Jamie. I mean it. We can talk, I just don’t want to lose my job because you got wasted and decided that I’m… what? Suddenly trying to tie you down? I could have my pick of any alpha in town; why the hell would I try to trap you of all people?” Craig bit out, giving the alpha a harsh shove as well. The younger man staggered back, catching himself on a table and hesitating for a moment before erupting in a shout. He swept his arm across the table, smashing everything that had been on top to the ground. “Jamie, for the love of God,” Craig cried out, rushing to try and clean up the mess. “Get out. Get out of here!” he demanded, gathering the broken condiment bottles in his arms and trying to dump them in the garbage.
“What are you gonna do? Call the cops? I thought I actually knew you, Craig, but you’re just garbage like Tom said,” Jamie said belligerently. Craig stiffened, standing upright with his clean shirt stained with ketchup, mustard, and any other number of things. He narrowed his eyes, crossing the diner to grab Jamie by the collar of his shirt. Jamie smirked, looking much like the cat who got the canary.
“Who the hell is Tom? Who have you been spreading all these rumors to?” Craig demanded furiously, barely hearing the door to the manager’s office slam open. He knew he had to deal with this, and deal with it quickly, or he was going to be fired on the spot. “You know what, Jamie? I don’t care. You can think I was trying to hold you back, or you could believe that I was foolish enough to care about you. You go ahead and screw your new little boyfriend, and I’ll pray that you treat him better than you’ve been treating me. Not that anyone else would put up with you for as long as I have,” Craig smirked, pushing Jamie towards the door. The alpha hesitated a moment longer, staring at Craig as if he could not believe what he had just heard.
“Anyone would be better than you. I’d rather die alone than spend my life with you,” Jamie declared, and while Craig knew that to be a blatant lie, he couldn’t help the ache in his chest.
“What the hell is going on out here!?” A familiar voice belted out, and Craig whirled around just in time to see his boss looking over the mess that had been made. Jamie threw up a peace sign, slamming another table’s worth of supplies on the floor before darting out of the diner. “Why didn’t anyone call the cops? Why didn’t anyone call me? Craig, what the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded, stepping toward the younger omega with a sneer. Craig stiffened a bit, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at his feet with determination. He refused to look his boss in the eye, refused to acknowledge just how much he had messed up. It wasn’t just that Jamie had come and torn the diner apart; it was the fact that he had been foolish enough to sleep with the alpha male.
“I’m sorry, Adam,” Craig said quietly, tears brimming in his eyes. He almost couldn’t fathom that Jamie would be so cold to him. Why on Earth would anyone think he had tried to take advantage of Jamie? Why was he beginning to believe it himself, in spite of everything?
“You know that I don’t allow ridiculous relationship drama to take place while you’re supposed to be working. Why would you even spend a moment of your time with that hell spawn? Jamie Briggs is bad news, and it’s bad enough that you’re sleeping around with him. You had to drag him into my diner to wreck the place. I should fire you, right now. I should sue you for damages, and fire you on the spot,” Adam said coldly, forcing Craig to look him in the eye. The omega cried openly, not bothering to hide his despair. What was the point? He was going to lose his job, his home, his friend…
“Please, Adam. I don’t know what came over him, but I can clean this mess up. I can make sure he never comes back, just please don’t fire me. My dad will kill me. Literally kill me,” Craig gasped out. The omega manager stared at him with something akin to disgust in his eyes, and Craig could only sob harder and harder.
“Pull yourself together, Lee,” he bit out, releasing Craig and pushing him away. The younger omega stumbled back, staring balefully at the mess that had been made of his job. His whole life was a mess at this point, all because of Jamie. All because of some stupid plan to get famous and keep Craig under his thumb. Now the alpha male had decided that he didn’t even want his friend, was willing to throw their years of friendship away and effectively ruin him. He should have let the manager call the cops, but he knew Jamie had no means of paying for the damages or a fine, and God knows how long he would be in jail.
Standing upright, Craig faced his boss with what little confidence he could muster. Adam frowned, his expression irate as he seemed to consider what to do about the younger omega. He shook his head, huffing out a sigh and turning to return to his office.
“Clean this mess up, make this place pristine, and I’ll consider letting you keep yo
ur job,” the manager called out, pausing to scrutinize the other workers. “And don’t you dare help him. This is for Craig to deal with,” the older omega said firmly, glancing over his shoulder at Craig once more before disappearing into the back. Craig dropped to his knees, sobs wracking his body as his coworkers just looked on. He felt so foolish. He felt like the most idiotic man in the world for believing that Jamie was worthy of love. How could he have ever imagined that the young alpha could ever feel the same? How could he expect anything to go right with the years of bad karma he’d wrought upon himself?
“Craig, come on. Don’t worry about Briggs; he’s an ass. You can do so much better. It’s not like you’re carrying his pups,” another coworker said casually, busying himself behind the counter. Craig’s mouth fell agape, and once more, he felt as if the world was crashing down all around him. It could still be okay. He had to force himself to have confidence in that. As long as he wasn’t carrying Jamie’s child, as long as he still had the opportunity to free himself from the alpha’s grip…he could survive this whole ordeal. It was clear he was no longer wanted anyway.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Breathing a sigh, Jamie flipped through the text messages on his phone. His eyes narrowed as he came to the last message from Craig: the one the omega had sent two months prior to that moment. His heart ached, but he couldn’t prove himself some sort of weakling. If he came crawling back to the omega, it would be obvious who was really in charge. As much as Jamie wanted to tell himself that it didn’t matter who was in charge, his instincts roared against that theory. Being an alpha, living on the edge, being tied down to no one… that was what he lived for. It was what he had thought Craig liked so much about him, in a way. The omega had just needed a bit of pushing to see that the good boy routine wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Had he pushed too hard? Had he been too cruel, or too callous?
He was shaken from his reverie when his phone vibrated in his hand. He blinked slowly, swiping the screen to unlock it; it had gone dark from the long moments he’d simply been ruminating. Jamie knew he should have smiled upon seeing a message from his favorite bartender, but he only managed to feel vaguely empty inside. Tom had been spending a lot of time in his apartment, and it was quite obvious what the older alpha wanted. The problem was Jamie’s hesitation in giving in to Tom’s desires. Jamie wasn’t a prude by any means, and sex with an alpha could be an exciting new experience for him… just the same, every time he considered dialing up the bartender and telling him he was ready, he was reminded of the slender omega who had monopolized his thoughts for so long. It was pathetic, but he couldn’t get Craig out of his mind-- to the point that he’d forgotten that he had even received a message. Another swipe of his thumb, and his eyes scanned the message. His lips curled slightly, though it was a rather bitter smile. Of course, Tom wanted to come over. That’s all the older alpha wanted to do on his days off. It wasn’t enough to just smoke a joint and knock back some tequila shots-- no, that was never enough. He idly typed out a message, realizing how submissive he was being after he’d already sent the text.
“Yes, Tom. Of course, Tom. Anything for you,” he muttered mockingly under his breath, tucking his phone back in his pocket. He might have gotten a shower or brushed his hair if he actually cared all that much what Tom thought about him, but he was content to let the bartender see him at his worst. Maybe it would dissuade the older alpha from trying to get in his pants. It was an unlikely theory, but it was all Jamie had to work with for the time being.
Being apart from Craig for so long had stoked a change to the fire inside of him. His mind was, shockingly, not wrapped around getting laid all the time. He just wanted someone to spend some time with. He longed for a friend; after all, he’d thrown away the only one he had. The whole plot he’d been forming had been for nothing. He was an idiot, and regret settled as a deep weight in his gut any time he thought about his last meeting with Craig in that stupid diner. A large part of his mind wanted to stalk the omega, lurk around his place of work, look through his window at night just to see him sleeping… just the same, a larger part demanded that he retain some sort of dignity. Thusly, he’d been avoiding any of the old haunts they used to roam together. He just spent all his time outside his apartment at that damn bar that Tom worked at. He could usually bum a few free drinks, which made it worth his time to an extent.
Rising from his bed, he rummaged through his stash and lit up a tightly rolled blunt. He inhaled a deep breath, holding the smoke in his lungs for several long moments before releasing it in a deep sigh. The haze would take over his mind soon enough, and maybe it would be enough to finally get the omega he so loved out of his mind. Love seemed such a fickle notion. He knew Craig could never love someone like him, and he almost didn’t want Craig to love him. He wanted to possess the omega in a sense, but not be permanently tied down. Perhaps that had been his downfall.
A harsh knocking at the door prompted Jamie to stub out his joint, though he didn’t bother to clear the air of the scent. He rose clumsily to his feet, approaching the door where the obnoxious older alpha continued to beat on the wood.
“Hold on a minute, asshole,” Jamie muttered, forcing a fake smile as he threw open his apartment door. Tom grinned toothily as the door was opened to him, waving a bottle of some pretentious looking wine as he winked salaciously at Jamie.
“Hey, babe. Just thought I’d come and set the mood a bit. I don’t have any candles, but if you’re into the whole wax thing, I can always run back out,” Tom said with a smirk. Jamie fought the desire to roll his eyes, instead pulling the other alpha in for a bruising kiss. He got no satisfaction from the embrace, beyond the satisfaction of shutting the older male up for a moment. Tom hummed into the kiss, pressing Jamie into the apartment and shutting the door behind him. He didn’t break the kiss with the movement, instead curling a hand in Jamie’s hair and pulling him closer. The younger alpha grumbled, tensing his claws in the flesh of Tom’s hips. “Someone is happy to see me, it seems,” the bartender purred, sliding his hand down to caress Jamie’s neck.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Jamie mumbled, past the point of caring if the older male heard. He rolled his eyes as Tom’s eyes hardened, not resisting as he was pulled into another harsh kiss.
“I’m starting to have enough of your yammering when you could be doing much better things with your mouth,” the bartender gritted out against his lips. The younger alpha snorted, drawing away and grabbing the bottle of wine from his guest’s hand.
“Like drinking this swill you brought me,” he said casually, popping the cork with a sly grin and downing half of the bottle in one go. Tom grimaced, his expression faintly disgusted--not that Jamie could bring himself to care. Truth be told, he was disgusted enough with himself--he didn’t need some other alpha’s opinion.
“I was hoping to loosen you up in more ways than one,” Tom said coolly, stepping forward to grip Jamie’s ass in his hand. Jamie swished the wine in his mouth before swallowing and belching in the bartender’s face.
“It’s a nice little fantasy world you’re living in, isn’t it?” The younger alpha mused aloud, breaking away from Tom’s grip and slinking towards his room. He hoped the bartender would take the hint and leave. He felt he was making it obvious enough that the other male’s company wasn’t wanted. However, Tom had a way of never leaving well enough alone.
“You know, runt, I’ve been really patient with you. I thought you’d be aching for a good lay since your dry spell. I’m starting to think you’ve caught feelings for that bitch omega of yours,” Tom said icily, and Jamie wheeled around with a snarl.
“Craig isn’t a bitch,” he bit out, defending his old friend without really giving it a second thought. They may have been on bad terms, but he wasn’t about to let some deadbeat put down the omega he loved. Tom’s lips quirked in a cruel smile, and he gave Jamie a shove towards his bedroom. The younger alpha resisted, narrowing his eyes and pushing back. “If anything, I’d say you’r
e being a bitch. What the hell is your problem? Are you jealous that an omega could get laid and you can’t?” Jamie demanded.
“I just think it’s funny that a guy who seemed pretty cool would fall in love with the first omega whose womb he managed to spill his load in,” Tom said with a grim smile. Jamie flinched, obviously somewhat taken aback by the choice of words.
“What are you implying?” He demanded harshly, shoving the older alpha away. Tom stared incredulously at him for a moment, his brow raised and his expression looking as if he couldn’t believe the words spilling from Jamie’s mouth.
“Have you not seen Craig around town?” Tom demanded in turn, crossing his arms over his chest. Jamie rolled his eyes, huffing melodramatically.
“I’ve made a point of not seeing Craig’s comings and goings, actually,” he said casually. Tom continued to look at him as if he’d grown a second head, and Jamie could only wonder what he’d said that was so strange. ” Why? Are you stalking him because you’re a jealous little bitch?” Jamie pressed, hoping to get a bit more information. The bartender laughed derisively, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Oh, Jesus Christ. You’re going to be in for a shock when you get up to speed. I almost feel sorry for you. I can only pray there’s some hope left for you, little punk. In the meantime, you just go ahead and moon over an omega who could care less about your existence. If you decide you want to move on with your life and actually get some action, you know where to find me. In the meantime, you just keep on keeping on with your pathetic little life,” the older alpha prattled on, and Jamie resisted the desire to roll his eyes. He wanted to press the bartender for more information now that it was clear he had some measure of information, but he also didn’t want to seem desperate.
