by Viola Grace
Argus brought Olivia a lemonade and kissed her forehead. “You okay, kitten?”
She drank it happily, “Yes. More please.”
He kissed her cheek and then pressed his lips to hers. “Hmm. You did drink it all. Good girl, kitten.”
She blushed, and Ambrose chuckled.
Yemeen got a curious look on his face, and he reached out to touch her chin, steering her face toward his. She saw his parted lips and winced as he kissed her gently, breathing in the scents from her mouth. He pulled back. “Hmm... you did drink it all.”
She blushed hot and put her head down on the table, covering her head with her arms. She could still taste Ambrose’s cum on her tongue, so she knew they could.
Dexter rubbed her back. “Don’t be upset. We are glad that you and Ambrose made up. Will you come home now?”
Ambrose smiled. “She is home. She has come further with a few days with Ford than with weeks at the Omega Centre. They gave her guidance and let her go. When it comes to dealing with Olivia, the pamphlets are useless.”
She sighed and mumbled toward the table, “The counselling helped. The writing helped. Being able to learn how to use the tech that everyone took for granted helped. Even getting a bullshit job from Ford helped.”
“Uh, honey. That job was real. You are really in the video, and I was even able to put in some of the real alpha chase to get the sense of deadly urgency. Leora is pissing herself with excitement, and so is her label. The twelve seconds I have sent them is having them slobbering with glee.”
She looked up. “You are kidding.”
Ford shook his head. “I am not kidding. I am the furthest thing from kidding. You were in a video, and there is a lineup of people who want you to do it again. It might not be what you wanted, but it is an actual job, honey. You actually got paid.”
She frowned and pulled her phone out of her jeans pocket. She pulled up her account and blinked. “What the actual fuck.”
Yemeen appeared stunned at her expression. “That is quite the change.”
She glanced at him. “Sex apparently makes me meek and pliable for a while. When something else distracts me, I get back to my practical self.”
He met her gaze with eyes so brown they were black. “I like the pliable, cuddly you.”
She laughed. “Then, you will have to earn it.”
The guys laughed, Ford laughed, and Yemeen looked around, and a slow grin split his features. Dexter nodded and said, “Don’t worry. If you need her compliant, we can help.”
Argus blinked. “I am out of that. I will take care of her however she comes and with whomever.”
She blushed and gave him a glance. “Thanks, Argus. My hero.”
“Ah, speaking of, I have an invitation to Paul’s engagement party. They issued the invitation to the pride, so everyone here is invited.”
Olivia froze. “You are kidding, right? They... are not going to like my presence there.”
“If they offer insult, we drive back.”
“Are you going to tell them I am coming?”
“Paul and Emily and maybe Uncle Derek. No one else.”
She nodded. “When is it?”
“Next weekend. If you want to skip it, we can.”
“Can I video chat with Emily?”
Argus smiled. “Sure.”
“If she is okay with it, I will go.” She pulled a lock of her hair around. “I am gonna need a trim, though. My split ends have split ends.”
Yemeen smiled. “I may be of assistance there. Before I was a designer, I was a hairstylist. Anyone has any scissors, a spray bottle, and a comb?”
Ford nodded. “Sure.” Ford got up and collected the items and a few other things that he thought might be needed.
The other three looked at each other, but they didn’t say anything. They were serious about allowing Yemeen in. Physical care of the omega was reserved for the pride. They could do it or arrange it, but the omega was in their hands.
She shivered, and when she was seated away from the kitchen table with a smooth towel around her shoulders, she laughed. “My aunt did this once. My mom had to hold me down.”
Argus chuckled. “I volunteer to hold you if you get squirmy.”
“The order is usually reversed. I get squirmy when you are holding me.”
Yemeen brushed, combed, and then started trimming her hair, one piece at a time. She breathed deep, surrounded by sweet almonds.
“When was the last time you had your hair trimmed? There is a weird pattern here.”
“Oh, six months ago. I did it with a kitchen knife.” She snorted. “For some reason, she thought scissors would be too dangerous.”
Argus lifted his head. “How is that going, by the way?”
“She has been charged with unlawful confinement, abuse, negligence, financial abuse, fraud, profiting from human trafficking, and hate crimes. Her lawyer is having seizures to avoid going into court to arraignment. The second that it is formal, the press is going to go insane.” She sighed.
Yemeen frowned. “How did she incur those charges?”
“Me. The way she treated me. She was just following a pattern, so you can guess how much fun my father was. So, this is why the therapy.”
Dexter shuddered. “When I heard about the damage, I puked. So did several of the med team.”
Ambrose growled, and Dexter winced. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine, Dex.”
Yemeen continued working and asked casually, “What damage?”
Ambrose sighed. “It healed, but...”
As he explained, Yemeen kept working until he had to stop and take a break. When he finished, he nodded and got back on his feet, finishing the cut and then massaging her scalp.
She started her heavy purr, and he paused before he chuckled. “I have never heard a woman with a purr so developed.”
She shrugged. “I have had a lot of practice.” She stopped her purr.
He frowned. “Did I do something wrong?”
“I thought you didn’t like it. I know it is primarily a masculine trait.”
“It just startled me. I like it. I like it a lot.” He purred to her while he kept massaging her scalp.
Her purr returned and blended with his. His pitch was different than her other guys.
When he finished rubbing her head, she was limp, and the air smelled like peach nectar.
He tilted her head back and gave her a kiss upside-down, his lips taking her lower lip between them and plucking it gently. She exhaled a whine of need as her sex clenched hard. Nothing turned her on more than careful handling, except rough handling and any handling, really.
She smiled up at him, and her purr still thrummed along. His upside-down grin showed her something that she hadn’t thought was possible. He wants to come to her not out of pity but just because of who and what she was.
At this moment, with her guys, Ford, and now Yemeen around her... she was enough.
Author’s Note
So, this is the first of a series of books about the omegas that are found in places no one has bothered to look. Olivia was my Cinderella. She needed a better ending than her start... so I hope I wrote it.
I expected this book to be over and done in one shot... but that didn’t happen. So, stay tuned for the second instalment, the third book is already written (I wrote them out of order). Hah.
About the Author
Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.
An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around, and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.
In real life, she is now engaged in beekeeping, and her adve
ntures can be found on the YouTube channel, Mystery Bees Apiary. Just look for the cartoon kittens.
