Chapter 15
15
B rett’s eyes flipped open the following morning, bright sunshine pouring into their bedroom. Spooned together, Pierce was nearly on top of him. One substantial calf and a muscled arm draped over his body, trapping him in place. A thick erection pressed against his bottom, as well. It sent tendrils of desire cascading through him. He smiled and stretched as far as he could, all while contemplating rolling his alpha over and climbing on top to start their morning quite like they’d ended the night before.
But it suddenly registered that he’d set the alarm for before sunrise—not after. The clock on the nightstand read ten-o-five. Shit.
“Pierce?” Brett muttered, trying to move out from under those warm, heavy limbs, made harder by the fact he didn’t want to leave.
“Hmm?”
“We overslept.”
Pierce didn’t reply. He dragged Brett closer and nuzzled against his neck instead.
“I need to get down to the office,” Brett said, fighting a smile.
Pierce rubbed his erection against Brett’s bottom in response.
Brett tried to ignore the need growing in his belly—and the slick spreading between his cheeks. He’d felt slick during his heat, but he’d been so foggy during that period that he’d not focused on the sensation too much. After years of lubing it up himself, it would take a while before it felt normal to have natural lubrication appear whenever he grew lusty.
“We’ve already lost a week,” Brett half-heartedly argued. “We need to go down. I should’ve already been there hours ago.”
Pierce kissed and nipped at his throat while a hand slipped over his hip and traveled closer to his thickening cock.
“Pierce,” Brett snapped. It had been meant to be an admonishment, but the breathiness of it made it sound more like a plea to continue.
“Must you fight me at every turn?” Pierce asked, his lips still against Brett’s throat.
Brett shivered. The raspy, early morning timbre of Pierce’s voice sounded like sin itself. He fought the need spiraling in his belly. “You know I’m right.”
Pierce growled. Brett was rolled under his alpha in a flash. Pierce’s thick cock pressed against his hard shaft. “Right is relative. We have all day to worry about work.”
“Why do I sound like the rational, reasonable one here?” Brett asked, staring up at Pierce.
“No idea,” Pierce murmured before leaning down to capture Brett’s lips.
He snagged several quick kisses in succession before pressing his tongue against the seam of Brett’s mouth, forcing his way in for a deeper taste. In a matter of seconds, Brett lost all desire to leave their bed. The only thing he wanted was Pierce inside him.
Pierce entered him, stretching him open wide. He gasped, that first penetration his favorite sensation. His alpha’s cock was a thick, hot brand inside him. The fullness made his toes curl, and the insides of his thighs shake.
His toes continued to curl, and thighs shook like an earthquake as Pierce used his body, playing it like a professional, world-renowned musician. Brett clung to his alpha, never having experienced the multi-orgasmic states that Pierce wrought from his flesh.
He’d lost count of how many times he’d come when Pierce shoved deep and knotted him.
An odd look crossed Pierce’s face, a frown mixed with something else. Confusion?
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” Pierce whispered.
“Liar,” Brett whispered back.
Pierce grinned. “Stop arguing with me, brat.”
Brett chuckled. “Oh, you haven’t seen the brat out yet.”
“I think I’ve seen him enough over the years,” Pierce murmured. He lowered his head and captured a kiss that lasted until the knot faded.
“That one was quick,” Brett said while Pierce withdrew.
“You’re no longer in heat.”
“True. I kinda liked being locked with you. It was intimate.”
Pierce caressed his face. “We can be just as intimate after.”
“Then tell me what that look was about.”
Pierce rolled his eyes… and rolled out of bed. He grabbed his phone and checked it. “Shit.”
“What?”
“Hawkins and Company sent us fifteen cases of that shitty mineral water again. Max called them, and they’re refusing to take it back because it was signed for,” Pierce said. “I’ll have to load it up and take it over myself. Make an ass of myself.”
“Ohhh… let me do it. I like making an ass of myself. Especially with permission.”
Pierce rose and spun to face him. “You’re not the owner. Only myself or my potential mate could handle this situation.”
Brett narrowed his eyes. “Boo.”
“I need a shower first. Wanna conserve a little water with me?” Pierce offered his hand.
Brett gladly took it. “I suppose sharing a shower will have to be my consolation prize.”
After they showered—which ended up taking three times as long with their kisses and exploration, conserving nothing—he pulled some clothes out of the bags he’d tossed in a corner the night before, too exhausted to figure out where his things would live while he was there. Pierce dressed quickly. Pierce raced down to handle the water situation after a quick kiss on the way out. Brett took his time getting dressed, wanting a bit of time to pass between their appearances. He slowly walked down the stairs, taking his time with as sore as his body still was, and then exited the outer apartment door, into the alley.
He paused beside the back door, taking a deep breath. He wasn’t used to being anxious about what other people thought of him, but things had flipped upside down the minute he’d become Pierce’s. The opinions of his co-workers suddenly mattered more. After another deep breath, he waltzed in as if it were any other afternoon, pretending not to have a care in the world.
The first set of eyes he locked on? Fucking Maurice’s. The guy’s evil smile turned Brett’s stomach.
“The screamer’s finally returned.”
Brett stopped midstride, his face instantly hot.
“Oooooh, is little Brett embarrassed that everyone heard him begging and whining for Pierce’s big alpha cock?”
Brett glanced around at the kitchen staff, the knots in his stomach growing larger. At least the rest of them looked as uncomfortable as he did.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brett said, pushing past Maurice toward the office. “Afternoon, everyone. I’m feeling much better, thanks.”
His hands shook as he searched his ring for his office’s key. Before he could get his door unlocked, the sounds of moans reached his ears. When he spun, he found Maurice holding his cell phone aloft. The keys slid from Brett’s hand and hit the floor. He stood under the proverbial spotlight, listening to the sounds of him and Pierce fucking upstairs.
Brett’s knees almost gave way.
Had it been him with anyone else, he’d have brushed it off and made a joke. That was the sounds of him and his alpha. Intimate sounds of them sharing his heat.
“We could all hear it. All week long. You’re such a fucking whore, Brett, but then, I don’t think any of us doubted that,” Maurice said, grinning wickedly.
T-Bone and Chef walked out of the walk-in, mid-conversation, but both froze and looked around.
Maurice still had the sound on. Brett’s screams of pleasure filled the quiet kitchen.
Brett wanted to fall into a hole and disappear forever.
“Man, shut that shit off,” T-Bone snapped at Maurice. He eyed Brett, sympathy in his eyes.
When Maurice made no move to turn it off, T-Bone lunged forward, trying to take the phone from Maurice.
“Maurice!” Chef roared. “That has no place in my kitchen! Turn it off. Now!”
Maurice ignored them both, his gaze locked on Brett. “You punched too high above your weight class, asshole. No way an alpha like him would want a piece of trash like you for anything but a few nights of fun, which are almost over. He’ll soon get bored, and there’s no way he’s keeping you around. When he lets you go, I’ll finally be rid of you. Only a matter of time.”
Fine tremors shook all over Brett. He and Pierce had known the kitchen had potentially heard, but the stark truth mixed with the humiliation of the recording was too much. He wanted to cry, but he lifted his chin and attempted to look unfazed instead. He knew he wasn’t pulling it off, but he tried his best not to completely lose it. “Five years later and you’re still hard up after I rejected you. It’s so sad. But then, what did I expect from a pathetic loser like you?”
Before Maurice could reply, a blur passed Brett. Pierce had one hand on Maurice’s throat, shoved against the outer walk-in wall.
“Delete it!” Pierce roared.
Maurice’s face was white as a sheet. His hands shook as he lifted his phone. The sounds stopped seconds later… and then Maurice lifted the phone seconds after that.
“It’s gone, Pierce. I’m sorry.”
“Your godsdamned right you’re sorry. Get your fucking shit and get the fuck out of my restaurant. You’re fired!” He let Maurice go and stepped back, but it was clear he wanted to do damage.
Brett walked closer, grabbing ahold of Pierce’s arm. He sensed he wouldn’t be enough to stop Pierce from beating the hell out of Maurice, but he’d try his best to stop it. Not for Maurice’s sake, but Pierce’s. He didn’t want to have to visit his alpha in prison.
“We all had to listen to you two upstairs, day after day, assaulting our ears—and I get fired when I complain about it?”
“You weren’t complaining,” T-Bone snapped. “You were trying to embarrass Brett because he embarrassed you years ago.”
“Maybe there was a bit of retribution there, especially after he lied and said I assaulted him.” Maurice turned to glare at Brett. “When I did no such thing.”
“You don’t call shoving me against a wall, grabbing my ass, and forcing a kiss assault? I do,” Brett barked, livid.
As soon as the words were out of his lips, Brett realized his mistake. He’d waved that red flag in his alpha’s face. Pierce took an aggressive step toward Maurice, murderous contempt in his eyes. Brett shoved himself between the pair, pressing against his alpha. “Don’t. He’s not worth it,” he whispered hotly, forcing Pierce to look down at him with a stroke to the cheek.
“Pierce, he’s got you twisted around his finger after giving up a little ass to a starving man. You’re going to believe anything he says,” Maurice snapped, eyes shining with rage. “But I never touched Brett.”
“Bullshit,” one of the line cooks said. “I witnessed it. Brett’s telling the truth.”
One of the servers, Aidan, had arrived early. He stepped forward. “Maurice did the same thing to me before he did it to Brett.”
“Sounds like reason enough to fire you,” Pierce seethed, shoving closer to Maurice as if Brett wasn’t even there.
“Lies! They’re all fucking lying because they hate me!”
“And why do they hate you?” T-Bone asked, sidling up on Pierce’s other side. “Because you’re a piece of shit. We all know it. No one else but me and Brett had the nerve to call you on your shit.”
“Fuck all of you,” Maurice roared as he backed away from Pierce. He snatched his knife kit, put the one he’d been working with in, and stalked toward the door.
After he was gone, the silence inside the kitchen was palpable. No one seemed to know what to say. Brett sure as hell didn’t. He glanced up and noticed Pierce’s nostrils flared as he breathed roughly. Brett rubbed his arm, trying to calm his alpha down.
“We need to tell them,” Pierce whispered to Brett.
Brett hedged. Without having the appointment, he was leery of saying too much. But it was clear they already knew more than they should.
“They have to know what you are to me, so this never happens again,” Pierce whispered.
Brett met Pierce’s gaze and knew then his alpha was right. He nodded. He pressed his face against Pierce’s chest for a moment before slowly turning to face everyone.
Pierce took a deep breath, staring at the cooks and chefs assembled there, wrapping an arm around Brett. “I’m sorry you all had to witness that. For those of you who’ve been here a while, you know I’m not a violent man—but when my omega is attacked, I won’t let it slide.”
“Omega?” T-Bone asked, frowning. His gaze flipped to Brett’s.
The others in the kitchen looked just as shocked.
“You’re hiding it like Abe?” T-Bone asked.
“I wasn’t hiding it,” Brett said, his face burning. “It was hiding from me.”
“We believe Brett is what’s called a latent omega,” Pierce murmured. “He was classed as a beta and had no idea he was anything else until… he…” Pierce paused, searching for the words. “Until his omega side came out. I’m sorry you might have heard parts of what happened after that change. We had no idea you could, and we’re both deeply embarrassed that you have. It wasn’t our intention to make you feel uncomfortable. It was unprofessional, and we’re going to ensure you don’t hear it again.”
“It’s all good. Not like we didn’t know it was going to happen eventually,” T-Bone said before a few of the other cooks chuckled in agreement. “Not the omega part, but you know.”
“Yes, it seems you did know. We just learned of the pool you all had going,” Pierce said, lifting a brow. “Sorry we didn’t make it in the year you anticipated.”
The entire back of the house team looked sufficiently ashamed they’d been caught. Brett doubted there would be an apology, but he’d take their regret and move on.
“I knew Abe couldn’t keep his mouth shut,” T-Bone muttered.
“His name is Avery,” Brett corrected.
T-Bone sighed. “Avery couldn’t keep his mouth shut.”
“We don’t know for sure that Brett’s a latent omega yet, but he is mine,” Pierce said to the staff. “Hopefully, we’ll get confirmation tomorrow with a latency specialist. The reason we’re telling you before we have all the answers is only because of what you just witnessed. As his alpha, my usual control can be stretched thin if pushed too hard. My instinct is to protect him at any cost, as most of you well know. When I saw Maurice humiliating my omega, I snapped. I’m sorry.”
Brett gazed up at Pierce, hating that they’d been forced into a position where his alpha had to beg for their forgiveness. It was all his fault.
“I also saw fear in some of your eyes. I don’t want you to fear me. I care about you all too much for that to happen,” Pierce added.
“It’s my fault,” Brett said. The idea that he’d diminished their respect for Pierce hurt. “Maurice hated me because I made sure everyone knew what he did. I should’ve reported him to Pierce instead and had it handled properly. Maybe he wouldn’t have felt the need to embarrass me if I’d gone about it the right way instead of what I did. Don’t blame Pierce. Blame me.”
“No,” Aidan said. “Don’t blame yourself for Maurice’s bad behavior. I’m glad you protected everyone from that asshole. If I hadn’t been too scared to say something, he wouldn’t have done it to you, Brett. I’m sorry.”
“Most of us experienced Maurice crossing a line, but he was number two in the kitchen,” Hayes, one of the other cooks, said. “We were afraid to say anything. Brett wasn’t afraid and after he let everyone know to watch out, Maurice stopped doing it.”
“I wish you’d all come to me or Chef,” Pierce said, frowning. “I would’ve fired him a long time ago if I’d known what he was doing.”
“I assumed you both knew,” Hayes said to Pierce.
A few others nodded in agreement.
“I had no idea,” Pierce said. “Brett just told me about his experience before his heat and I worried it had happened to others. I’d planned to investigate it, but I was sidetracked this week. I’m not a mind reader. You need to tell me when there’s a problem like this so I can handle it. There’s no reason why any of you should’ve had to work in that kind of environment.”
Pierce’s gaze flipped to Chef. “I’d asked Chef about it already. He said he didn’t know anything either.”
“I’d heard rumors,” Chef said. “I asked Maurice, and I asked a few of you guys. You all told me it was nothing. I took you at your word.” He eyed Brett. “I even asked you what was going on and you told me to stay out of it. So I did.”
“I should’ve told you and Pierce,” Brett told Chef. “I’ve learned my lesson.”
Pierce eyed the team. “I don’t want that kind of trash in my restaurant. No more Maurices. Got me?”
Everyone nodded.
“You’ll come to me if something like that ever happens again, right?” Pierce asked them.
Everyone nodded again.
“Chef,” Pierce said, turning to the older man. “Are we going to be okay tonight without a number two?”
Chef didn’t answer immediately. He scanned the kitchen a moment.
“I can stick around for a few hours after my shift’s over. At least until the early rush is over,” T-Bone offered. “It’s been a while since I’ve worked the line, but it’s like riding a horse. I can jump back on.”
Another prep cook offered to stay a few extra hours, too.
Chef smiled. “That would be a great help, guys.” He turned to Pierce. “I think we’ll manage. We might be a little slower, so I’ll let the front of the house know to be patient.”
“I’ll let Max know,” Pierce replied.
“Max is right here. He knows,” Max said behind them.
Brett spun. Max and a few servers who’d arrived early stood near the swinging doors to the dining room, adding to Brett’s shame.
“I can handle the set-up meeting tonight with the front of the house, too,” Max said, eying them both. “I know you two have some catching up to do in the office, so I’ll handle things out here.”
“That would be great,” Pierce murmured. “If you’ve got a minute, I’d like to talk with you in private, too. Just give me a second to wrap up.”
Max nodded.
Pierce eyed the kitchen team. “You guys are rock stars, and you know it. The dead weight’s gone now. Let’s have a great service.”
“Yes, Pierce,” the cooks all said in unison, mimicking their usual ‘Yes, Chef’ with broad grins on their faces.
“Huddle up,” Chef called out to his team, clapping his hands. “We’ve got to make a few adjustments tonight before we review the menu with the front of the house.”
Pierce gazed down at Brett. “Want to join Max and me?”
“You two have worked together for over a decade. I think this is something the two of you should discuss without me,” Brett said.
“It was your suggestion,” Pierce said.
“For something you’d already asked. Go,” Brett said. “I’ve still got a ton of invoices to go through.”
Pierce leaned down for a kiss. He scooped up Brett’s keys and handed them over before he and Max disappeared into his office.
Brett opened his office door. Before he entered, a gentle tap on his arm stopped him. He turned and saw Aidan behind him.
“I really am sorry I never spoke up. I was afraid to,” Aidan said. “But if I had, he wouldn’t have had a ch?—”
Brett lifted a hand. “Just as you said. You’re not responsible for his bad behavior. I get being afraid. It’s not easy to speak up when something like that happens.”
Aidan’s eyes shone with tears. “No. It’s not.”
“Was it more than what he did to me?” Brett asked.
Aidan nodded. “Yeah. Not much worse, but bad enough.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” Brett murmured. “If you need an ear, I’m in the office full-time, now. No idea what I’m going to spend all my time doing yet.”
“You’re not serving anymore?”
Brett chuckled. “Boss’s rules. He doesn’t want me out there.”
“Well, he usually glared at all of your customers anyway, particularly the ones who seemed interested in you. Probably for the best you’re back here instead,” Aidan said. “Now that you’re an omega.”
Brett scoffed. How had he not noticed that—when everyone else seemed to know. “Yeah, so it seems.”
“A cousin of mine is a latent omega,” Aidan said. “It happened a couple of years ago. For a long time, he wouldn’t open up about it, but he finally told me about just how bad it was a few months ago. His account of what happened sounded terrifying.”
Brett nodded. “It was. Particularly at first.” Before Pierce had arrived and made him feel safer.
“At least you had Pierce there with you,” Aidan said, smiling. “My cousin had some random alpha snatch him off the street. Now they’re unhappily mated—forced by my uncles after it all went down.”
Brett gasped inwardly at the mention of being snatched. He frowned, feeling compassion for Aidan’s cousin. “I can’t imagine what he’s gone through.”
“It hasn’t been easy on him and seems to keep getting worse. Now all the beta cousins are freaking out that they might be, too. Me included.” Aidan moved a half step closer. “Pierce mentioned you were seeing a specialist… if there’s any way you could ask if it runs in family lines, I’d really appreciate it. I’ve heard rumors it does, but I can’t seem to find anything online that backs that up.”
“I’d be happy to ask. As long as I remember. I anticipate my head spinning after I’m in there a few minutes.”
Aidan smiled softly. “Yeah, I bet.”
“If I learn anything, I’ll let you know,” Brett murmured.
“Thanks, Brett,” Aidan said before heading out to the dining room.
Brett sighed and entered his office to sort through the piles of invoices and write checks. His mind kept going back to what Aidan had said about his cousin. It wasn’t the first time someone had called him lucky to have spent his heat with Pierce. They were absolutely right. He had been.
After an hour with little focus, he slipped from his office and knocked on Pierce’s door.
“Come,” Pierce called.
He peeked inside and found Pierce on the phone, barking at one of their vendors. He waved Brett in. “I had to drive out to your warehouse and swap the boxes out because of that terrible delivery driver of yours. I’m getting sick of his constant mistakes that we’re left fixing—and you’re not doing a godsdamned thing about it! Not only that, you told my new GM that you wouldn’t accept them back. I had to go make an ass of myself to get them to accept them.”
Pierce eyed Brett, smiling as he listened to whoever was on the other end.
Brett closed the door and stood in front of the knob. He locked the door and strolled closer.
“Yes, a different driver sounds like a good start. Add in a discount on my next order to cover the loss of my time fixing your mistakes and maybe we’ll be good again,” Pierce barked as Brett slid onto his lap.
“I’m glad we could come to an agreement. I look forward to meeting our new guy next week,” Pierce said before he hung up. He smiled down at Brett. “Hi.”
Brett captured his face and planted a kiss on Pierce’s lips.
“What did I do to deserve that?”
Brett grinned. “Can’t I simply be happy and want a kiss?”
“You can… but if I did something that got me that kiss, I want to know what it is so I can keep doing it,” Pierce said, grinning. “Over and over again.”
“Just keep being wonderful and you’ll get all my kisses.”
Pierce smiled and frowned at the same time. “I was wonderful? When?”
“When you swooped in and saved the day. You seem to have a habit of doing that,” Brett murmured.
“I heard that recording and I saw red, Brett. It scared me a little. I hope that didn’t scare you.”
Brett shook his head. “It didn’t. You were trying to protect me, and that meant a lot. No one has ever stood up for me like that.”
“Not even Avery?”
Brett grinned. “He probably would, but he’s never had a situation where he needed to jump in, so the jury’s still out.” He caressed the side of Pierce’s cheek, loving the way the beard hairs were both soft and scratchy against his palm. It reminded him of the way they were together. Soft and scratchy. “You’re the only one. And it wasn’t just today that you saved me.”
Pierce turned his face and kissed Brett’s palm. He frowned. “I don’t remember anything else. What are we talking about?”
“Being there with me through my heat. I was utterly terrified… until you appeared. Even in a fog, I knew it was you somehow. As soon as you walked into that room, I wasn’t as afraid anymore.” He gently kissed Pierce’s lips. “I know it might not have sounded that way immediately after that first wave, but trust me, you made it infinitely better.”
“I don’t know if I can take credit for simply walking into the room,” Pierce said.
“It wasn’t just walking in. It was your kindness. You took care of me, just like you promised. We read the news article about that poor latent omega who was claimed on the street—and I just learned of another who was snatched by a passing alpha and forced to mate him by the family. I was lucky that it was you.”
“I wish I could control luck, but I think we have to credit fate for this one.”
“Nope,” Brett said. “If you hadn’t pushed me to go to the hospital, and then worried about me so much that you made me stay here instead of going home like I planned, who might’ve snatched me, Pierce?”
Pierce’s hint of a smile faded, and he clenched his jaw.
“You loved me, and you wanted to take care of me, so I was here instead of anywhere else. Here… where I belonged. You get all the credit for that.”
Pierce leaned in and kissed Brett’s lip. “I think a little part of you wanted to stay here and be taken care of, so we both share the credit. How about that?”
“Pierce,” Brett spat. “Stop deflecting. I’m trying to tell you how much you mean to me. How much I appreciate all the things I fought against, even when I secretly wanted most of them. All of this might’ve turned into a tragedy if it hadn’t been for you and your determination not to let me be a special little asshole.”
Pierce grinned, adoration shining in his eyes.
“I love you, Pierce. I appreciate you and the things you’ve done to protect me, even when I fought you tooth and nail. I’m sorry I couldn’t admit how much it meant to me sooner.”
“You’re telling me now, so we’re all good,” Pierce said. “I love you, too, my special little—” He stopped himself and grinned wickedly. “Omega.”
Pierce captured his lips, devouring him.
Brett moaned against his lips, hungry for more. He leaned back. “I locked the door.”
Pierce’s eyes widened. “I promised everyone they wouldn’t hear us again.”
“I can be quiet if you can,” Brett whispered, wrapping his arms around Pierce’s neck.
“No, baby,” Pierce said. “You can’t.”
Brett sat up straighter, frowning. “What do you mean I can’t?”
“You’re very… vocal . Did you not hear yourself on that recording?”
“Honestly, all I heard was my blood rushing past my ears after a few seconds. I was too embarrassed,” Brett said, his cheeks getting warm.
“Don’t be embarrassed about the way you sound in my arms. I love it, so don’t you dare get quiet on me—or too quiet, I suppose. We have to figure out a way to absorb some of that sound.”
Brett shook his head, his cheeks red hot.
“Hearing how into it you are is a major turn-on,” Pierce said. “But office sex isn’t happening, my love. There’s never a time when no one’s in this restaurant.”
Brett pouted, knowing Pierce was right. There was always someone in the kitchen. The bakers and pastry team worked from one a.m. to nine-thirty. Prep was in at nine until five-thirty. The brigade arrived at three-thirty or four and stayed until one or one-thirty. “Do you know how many times I’ve fantasized about you throwing me over this desk and having your wicked way with me?” Brett asked.
Pierce’s cock grew harder under his bottom. “Do not tempt me.”
“You could always gag me,” Brett whispered.
Pierce closed his eyes, shaking his head, but his cock was clearly interested.
The office door swung open, and Max swept through. He froze the second he saw Brett in Pierce’s lap.
“Oh, shit. I should’ve knocked,” Max said, his eyes wide.
“I swear I locked that door,” Brett said, slipping off Pierce’s lap.
Max backed out. “I’m so sorry.”
“Max, come back,” Pierce yelled, lifting a brow at Brett.
Max came back in, his gaze on the floor. He placed a slip of paper on Pierce’s desk. “That’s the name of the guy I was telling you about. I think he’d make a great ma?tre d’ for the restaurant.”
“Oh!” Brett said, grinning at Max. “You’re taking the GM position?”
Max lifted his gaze to Brett for a moment. “I am.”
“Congratulations,” Brett said.
Max smiled. “I hear I have you to thank for the promotion. So, thank you.”
“I just made a suggestion,” Brett murmured. “Everyone here knew you’d have made a better GM than the last guy and we all wondered why Pierce hadn’t given you the job in the first place.”
“I wasn’t ready—and then I immediately regretted saying no, but by then, it was too late.” Max smiled. “I finally got another chance.”
“I’m glad,” Brett said.
“Anyway,” Max said. “I need to get back out there before we open the doors. Did you want to come inspect the dining room before service, Pierce?”
“I’ll be out in a few minutes,” Pierce said.
“See you out there,” Max said before nodding and smiling at Brett.
As soon as the door shut, Brett walked over to it and checked it. He spun to face Pierce. “Why didn’t you tell me the lock doesn’t work?”
Pierce grinned. “You have to jiggle it to get it to lock. I need to fix it, but I’ve been too busy to get to it.”
“Soon, you’ll have more time,” Brett said. He opened the door. “I guess I go back to my pile of invoices.”
“Until later tonight,” Pierce murmured, smiling wolfishly.
The corners of Brett’s mouth curled up. “If you’re lucky.”
“We both know I’m the luckiest man on Earth.”
Brett winked at his alpha on his way out.
Damned right Pierce was lucky.
They both were.