Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Tatum
Friday passes much the same way as Thursday did. I wear a tight red dress that shows off my curves and cleavage, along with my black combat boots and thigh-high fishnets.
Throwing my hair up in a bun, I line my lashes in smokey black. It makes my blue eyes pop.
So far I like it here at the club. The girls are amazing, and the guests are mostly well-behaved. Anyone who gets too handsy gets booted by the bodyguards.
There’s a man here that I recognize from my first day. He watches me more closely than I’d like, but he never says anything. It gives me the heebies, but I ignore him. As long as he doesn’t do anything to get kicked out, he’ll be fine.
There are lots of guests since it’s a Friday night, and I’m grateful I have Lady to help if someone asks for anything outside my wheelhouse. Thankfully, I’ve always been able to get the hang of things quickly, and this is no different.
Halfway through the night, Sunshine rushes into the locker room while I’m on my break.
“That fucking bastard!” she snaps, and I look up, blinking at her. I don’t know her that well, but when she starts crying, I get to my feet and walk over to her.
“Hey, what’s wrong, are you okay?” I ask her. I’m not entirely sure how to comfort her right now, so I settle for patting her back softly. “You look too beautiful to cry tonight, Sunshine,” I tell her, trying to make her at least smile. She looks at herself in the vanity mirror and swipes at her tears, before fixing her dark brown hair.
She sighs heavily, before smiling brightly at me. I reach into my bag and hand her a bright red lipstick I just bought. “Thank you,” she says, taking the tube and applying it. I give her time to calm down a bit. She goes to hand me the tube back, but I shake my head.
“It looks way better on you. I’m too pale. Makes me look like a vampire and not the sexy kind,” I say, making her laugh.
“It does look good on me, huh?” she says, and I chuckle, nodding my agreement. She takes a deep breath, shaking her head. “It’s my boyfriend.” She rolls her eyes. “Ex-boyfriend now. He’s been cheating on me for months. You know what pisses me off most?” She doesn’t give me time to respond, just turns to look at me. “I was going to dump him! He and I never even see each other anymore, and he is such a narcissist. Ugh! Whatever.” She wipes her tears away again and smiles, determination in her eyes. “Fuck him! I’m better off without that asshole. I’m gonna go flirt my ass off and make some money!”
“Get it, babe!” I say, encouraging her.
When I’m back out on the floor, checking on customers and taking drink orders, a familiar scent washes over me.
Glancing over, I find an Alpha from my past, Mr. Ferris. I can’t help but stare for a moment. I’m frozen in place, and more than a little surprised. He never seemed like the type to be in a club like this. I haven’t seen him in years, though.
I met him in fifth grade. He wasn’t my teacher then, but he often took care of me. As part of the after school program, he volunteered and would often help my group in particular. He’d bring me clothes or food. He was kind. Very friendly.
As I started getting older, I’d spend more time with him outside of school. Once I made it to high school, I’d go over to his house after classes, and he’d help me with homework. Hayden hated him.
I never understood why. He’d always been so kind to me, and all Hayden would tell me was that Mr. Ferris was skeevie.
“Tatum…” He spots me staring at him and grins brightly. He’s balding now, his hair turning gray. He’s a bigger man, but that always made his hugs better, I thought.
“Hi! Wow, it’s been years.” After I graduated, I lost touch with him. Especially because he’d freaked out on me after Hayden and I…slept together. I confided in him that I was heartbroken, and he’d been so angry. “You can call me Baby while here,” I add as I sit across from him in his booth.
“Okay, Baby.” He pats the spot beside him as he slides further into his booth, making room for me. “Come closer.”
I’m wearing a very revealing outfit and couldn’t be more uncomfortable, but he’s always been a safe person for me to be around. I move until I’m sliding in next to him, and his scent washes over me. Sheesh, it's strong. I don’t remember it smelling so much like wet socks…
“How have you been, I’ve missed you!” He pulls me into his side, keeping his hand wrapped around my waist, and I adjust, so I’m sitting up more and can look at him.
“I’ve been okay.”
“You work here now?” Is it just me, or is he glaring at me right now? Why did he sound so bothered?
“I do,” I chuckle, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feelings that are surfacing. This isn’t where I saw myself after high school, either.
“I don’t normally come here, but my coworkers managed to talk me into it.” He nods to a group of older men that I’ve never seen before. “Would you like to meet for coffee soon?”
“Okay.” I nod. I’d rather not have this little reunion while I’m half naked.
“I’ll see you again soon then, Baby.” He leans forward and kisses my cheek, and I attempt not to cringe.
The rest of the night is crazy, but I enjoy it. Especially after my old teacher leaves. I make nearly five hundred dollars in tips, and by the time I’m riding my bike home just after midnight, I feel great about myself.
I work again tomorrow night.
My mind wanders to my mom as I’m riding my bike home. I wish she could see me trying to make a life for myself. I visit her almost every day. Five days a week, and no less. The nurses and doctors tell me she’s thriving. It motivates me to keep working my ass off.
Tonight, I feel very alone, though. It looks like I’ll spend another night crying myself to sleep.
Easton
She’s crying again. She’s not working at Haze, not texting me back…
I wait until Hayden is gone around one in the morning, since he lives next door to her, and then I head up the stairs to her apartment and knock.
Earlier today, I broke into the facility her mother lives in and snuck up to her room. I just wanted to see the woman that raised the Little Sparrow. Someone named Bernie had arrived just before me, so I’d hidden in the hall while Bernie spoke to the silent woman.
She had a lot to say about Tatum and the diner. About how she seemed like she was finding happiness, but now there’s a darkness hanging over her.
It sounds like Bernie has known Tatum a long time, given everything she knows about the Omega. Tatum’s mother didn’t speak for the longest time, and I started to believe she couldn’t.
Then I heard her whisper a soft, “Thank you.”
Bernie must have been shocked silent, because for a long moment I heard nothing, until Bernie simply said, “Of course.”
After the older woman left, I took a peek at Tatum’s mom. She had a small crease to her brow, and she looked worried, but I couldn’t be sure, because she also stared at the wall without blinking for so long I started to think she might have died…
Overall, it was an uncomfortable experience for me. I don’t love being exposed to emotions.
“Easton?” Tatum frowns as she pulls the door open. Her face is free of makeup, something I normally love on her, but her eyes are red and puffy, and she looks like she’s spent hours crying. There’s a bit of confusion in her blue gaze as she squints at me.
“I brought ice cream,” I say, lifting the gray grocery bags. I had to search the internet on how to comfort a distraught Omega, seeing as I’ve never attempted to do so before, and as an Omega myself my instincts are fucked six ways from Sunday after years of suppressing them.
The search results were geared toward Alphas, but I found an article on how to offer nonphysical forms of comfort.
Ice cream was number one.
“I also brought chocolate.” That was number two.
“Oh my god.” She launches at me, initiating the first hug I’ve had in…a very long time. Her arms wrap around my neck tightly, and she trembles against my chest, nuzzling her nose into the skin she can reach above my neckline. The purr that slips free startles me so badly I choke on my own air. “Oh shit, come in…”
She leads me inside, and I follow her easily as she takes the bags out of my hands and takes them to her kitchen. I’m momentarily distracted by the skin on display below the hem of her crop top. I purposely look away along the counter and do a double take as I look down beside me.
“Do you want wine?” she asks, glancing over at me, oblivious to the way my heart races. Sitting beside a stack of bills is her open purse. Sitting right on top of the horde of hair ties and chapstick, is a light pink package. There is no mistaking that they are suppressants. My eyes narrow on the pack. They’re duds. I recognize the packaging as the kind my uncle sells… How the fuck did she get a hold of those? I can’t ask her that, though, without setting off alarm bells.
“Sure,” I murmur, still off balance after the unexpected hug. I don’t drink wine…
She’s pulling out bowls and spoons before my brain catches up, and I wave her over to the couch with instructions to put a movie on for us. I serve the ice cream, putting the rest away for later, and then take a moment to look at the pack while she is distracted with her selection. Yeah, definitely my uncle's trash. Just one of his many hustles.
I consider tossing it, but they’re nothing more than sugar pills. But if she needs them, and they don’t work, she’ll end up in pain at the very least.
In danger at worst. I’ll keep my eye on her. Swap them out with the real deal, after I get my hands on them.
The rest of the night is quiet. Tatum doesn’t cry, but when she falls asleep with her head in my lap, my hands in her hair, I don’t move for hours.
It’s not until she wakes up, gasping, that I finally get feeling back in my leg.
“You should stay here tonight. I’ll grab you a pillow and blanket so you can sleep on the couch.”
I follow her frantic steps as she disappears into her bedroom. “You spent three hours asleep on my lap, but I have to sleep on the couch?” I tease her, smirking to lighten the mood. Tatum stops mid-raid in her closet and turns to me. At the back of her closet, I catch a glimpse of what must be her nest, and my blood turns to ice, my chest tightening.
That is another Omega instinct that I refuse to give into. I stuff my hand into the pocket of my dark wash jeans and grab my knife. Allowing my fingers to caress the handle gently, I fight the urge to pull it out and twirl it between my fingers. Such a move would probably frighten the beautiful woman before me.
“That's a good point, actually.” She laughs, shakes her head, and then digs through a different drawer. I watch her pull out an oversized shirt, and sleep shorts. “Do you want to sleep in your boxers?”
I bite my lip, because the knee-jerk response of, “Absolutely not,” almost slips out. I sleep fully clothed. With my shoes on. It's not safe to sleep in anything less. An irrational part of me born from years of trauma wants to lash out at her, and tell her she should too, but I know that's not normal.
I could leave. I should.
I really, really should… But… God, she looks so desperately hopeful. So lonely.
The sadness in her soul calls to mine, and I grunt, nodding my head. For this girl, tonight, I'll fight the inner demons that threaten to expose me.
Adorably, she slips into the bathroom in the hallway to change, while I take my time removing my clothes and shoes. Placing the shoes on the floor within reach, I fold my clothing and place them on top.
When I finally sit on the edge of her bed, the nerves and insecurities threaten to destroy my control. I lean forward and rest my arms on my knees, hoping I don’t look as tense as I feel.
Tatum
Meeting my gaze in the mirror above my bathroom vanity, I gather my resolve to walk out to the handsome man in my bed. After a deep breath, I throw open the door and rush over to the side I typically sleep on. I draw up short, at the sight of the nearly naked version of him.
Easton looks ready to bolt. I wince, because… I thought he was into me? Maybe I’ve just mistaken his offer of friendship for something it’s not.
I turn off the light on my dresser and move to my side of the bed when I hear Easton snort.
“What?” I ask, feeling defensive.
“Barbie night light?”
“It makes stars on the ceiling. I don’t like pitch black. Don’t tease me!” I grumble, climbing under the covers. Easton remains sitting at the edge for a long moment, and then finally lays down under the covers beside me. “You don’t have to sleep in here…” I don’t want him doing anything he’s uncomfortable with.
“I like it. The stars, I mean.” There’s a long stretch of silence as we both stare at the stars. “And lying beside you. I’m not…used to it.” The sincerity of his statement is punctuated by the pulse of his scent that spreads around us. My own scent takes on a more vanilla cream taste as it answers.
“Oh. Well, I like it too,” I say gently, before reaching out and taking his hand in mine. My Omega instinct has a small purr ready in my chest, but I hold it back. He doesn’t move, just lets me hold his hand. It's a comfortable silence, and I’m at ease with him beside me.
For some reason, I just know that Easton would never hurt me.
It’s not long before I’m out cold.
It’s hot as fuck. Why is it so hot? I try to kick off my blankets, but I can’t move my limbs. Why can’t I?—
What the fuck is that scent? Holy brownie factory. Ooey-gooey brownies melting in your mouth. I let out a whine, making my blankets cling to me tighter. That makes no sense… Blankets don’t move…
I blink, my eyes adjusting to the darkness, Easton is on top of me, his head on my chest, his body between my spread legs. And he’s perfuming. What a lovely scent. Delicious, irresistible brownies.
He’s perfuming?! Oh my god… “Oh my god!” I yelp, as the reality of what that means settles over me. Easton is an Omega, and he’s been hiding it from me. He’s not an Alpha…
It clicks then that the reason his scent is so overpowering, is because he’s been scent marking me all night.
“Easton?” I say gently, and after significant effort, I get my hand free. I push my fingers into his hair, and caress the strands out of his face. “Easton…”
Everything happens in a flash, and my mind is too sleep fogged to understand for a long moment. Easton shifted, and now something sharp is pressed to my throat. His eyes are wild as he pants heavily, searching my face for a threat.
“Oh fuck…” he murmurs, lowering the fucking weapon, making it disappear like a magic trick, before I even have time to process that he nearly killed me. “This isn’t what it looks like…”
“Okay,” I nod. “Then explain?” Easton stares at me for a very long, silent moment. He doesn’t move… Not even an inch. He’s still lying between my spread legs, his body propped up by his elbows on either side of my body.
“Right, compelling argument. Valid point. This is in fact what it looks like,” he eventually says, and I snort.
Then, crazier still, he leans up, pecks my chin with a tiny kiss, and then lays his head back down on my chest.
“Never going back,” Easton mumbles and starts gently purring.
“Going back to what?” I ask, but he doesn’t respond. I have questions about the knife…but I’m not sure that I’ll get any answers.
His purr gets louder with my hands in his hair, tugging and caressing the strands. My heart rate is pounding against my chest, and there’s no doubt he can hear it with his head against my skin.
“To before.” Easton eventually murmurs, as he turns his head, resting his chin against my chest.
“What was before?”
“Dark, cold, lonely.” I watch him bury his face between my breasts, and take a very deep breath. The neck of my oversized t-shirt slips low enough that when Easton does this, he’s skin to skin.
“Easton!” I gasp, when he licks my skin, a half feral growl rumbling in his chest. His scent spikes, filling the room with that intoxicating brownie. My own scent rises in response, my slick warming my core, and wetting my thighs through the fabric of my shorts.
“Need you, Tatum.” he rumbles. I’m saying yes, nodding my head and dragging him up my body before I can think better of it. Easton is an Omega. Not an Alpha.
He’s safer. Won’t leave me heartbroken and destroyed.
He lifts his weight off my body, his hands on either side of my head, as he leans in to kiss me. At least, I think that's what he’s about to do.
He holds my gaze as he slowly lowers himself, the lightest brush of his lips against mine makes my body shake. I’m wrapping my trembling legs around his waist, needing to feel more of him against me. Needing the pressure of his weight over me.
I can’t take the torture of the slow pace he’s setting, so I pull his head down, melding our lips together. His response is everything, as he moans against me, the feeling of his hard length against my center reassuring me he feels the way I do.
“Fuck me, Easton.” I moan when the kiss breaks, so he can kiss a trail down my neck. He freezes when he hears my words.
I can feel the thunderous pounding of his heart against my chest as I hold him against me.
“I want to, sweet Sparrow. But…too soon?” His rejection is a shard of ice through my heart, clearing some of the lust filled fog from my mind. “This feels good,” he adds, distracting me. “I’m not experienced.” These words are a very low whisper, and I pull his head back with a grip in his hair.
The vulnerable way he’s looking at me is more than I can take. He…he said he liked fucking though…
“I lied,” he says with a wince, as if he read my mind. “I’ve never touched anyone before.” He’s blushing, his pale cheeks turning pink, as my slick betrays how the confession makes me feel. His mouth parts in shock as he studies my face.
I nibble my lip, my entire body trembling with a soul deep need. “I haven’t done much. I mean, I have. My first heat was with an Alpha, but that was three years ago…but then…” I trail off, embarrassed. “I was with Alphas, I mean, they…we didn’t have sex, they just…touched me.” I’m rambling, but when I try to hide my face, Easton doesn’t let me.
“Tell me what happened. Did they hurt you?” I can’t help the tears, but I shake my head at his question.
“No. I h-hurt them.”
Easton
She hurt them? How the fuck…
One second I’m considering how easily I might use her to lure them to their deaths tonight, consequences be damned, and the next, I’m simply confused.
“Who did you hurt, sweet Sparrow?” I ask, when I remember I’m not supposed to know who she’s talking about. There’s a flash of panic in her eyes, and I can’t tell why. Is she worried it’ll bother me that she cared for someone else? Or does she think I’m possessive of her body?
I wasn’t. I am now, of course. I meant it when I said I wasn’t going back. She just doesn’t know what that means yet. I’m not sure if I do, either.
“Hayden was my best friend when I was younger. Things between us fell apart a few years ago. Kodiak and Declan are my bosses. Were my bosses. They’re a pack.” She sniffs, still clinging to me, I’ve stopped grinding against her though. Thought that might be inconsiderate given the conversation. “It’s all kind of a long story, but I got close to all three of them when I shouldn’t have. We fooled around a little, and when things got too serious, I ran away.”
“You care for them?” I ask with a frown, but try to hide it, not wanting her to mistake my reaction as anger with her. I knew she was closer to them than their average employee. And knew Hayden stalked her. Noticed they all seemed to be infatuated with her. But… Well, I thought their interests were more nefarious. She’s an unmated Omega. If my uncle Keslor got his hands on her, I know what he would do. What any Alpha would do.
Right?
“I-I do. It doesn’t matter, though, because I can’t be with them. That’s why I had to leave. I have to think of my mom, she needs me to care for her. I don’t have time to fall to pieces over Alphas.” She sniffs again, and I nod my understanding.
Alphas are dangerous.
The Hayes brothers are no exception. They are the example.
So how did they convince an Omega like Tatum to care for them?
Tatum
“It’s okay,” his lips brush against my forehead, and I sigh. I hadn’t brought it up so I could unload all that on him, but now that I have, I feel less pressure on my chest. “I’m a virgin.” He presses a kiss to my neck, now, and I shiver.
“I g-guessed as much,” I mumble, making him chuckle. His breath whispers against my skin, and I know he can scent my slick as it once again wets my inner thighs. “I want you,” pulling him in for a kiss, my eyes fall shut as I sink into the feeling of his body against mine.
The scent of his slick is dizzying, making me needy. A whine slips free from my chest as I roll my hips up into him, and he lets out a soft whimper. I break the kiss, and push him back just enough so I can pull my pajamas off, and when I’m naked under him, I feel vulnerable but safe.
“You’re…so beautiful, Tatum.”
Then I’m the one watching as he kneels between my spread legs and removes his briefs. I don’t wait, I just reach for him, both hands on his shoulders as I pull him back down over me.
He lets me direct him until his hard cock is slipping against my slick.
“Easton, I need you.” I say, as he slides over my clit, sending shocks of pleasure through my body. I’m burning up, my skin flushed and pink, as I reach between our bodies and grab the base of his cock. I’m not in heat, so the chance that I’ll get pregnant is incredibly low, especially because he’s not an Alpha, and I am on suppressants.
As his tip pushes past my opening, and he slides inside me slowly, I gasp.
It feels so good. He feels so good, and my body erupts in goosebumps. My legs are wrapped around his hips again, and I pull him into me with my heels until every inch is inside me. He grinds forward, the motion causing him to rub my clit, and I moan.
We both release a low whine when my pussy clenches around his length.
I roll my hips up into him as much as I can like this, and Easton draws back before thrusting forward. He finds a rhythm quickly, and I’m already close to coming.
“You feel so good,” he groans, dropping his head to the crook of my neck, as he sets a steady pace.
“Easton, I’m close. Don’t stop,” I beg. He nods his head, one hand gripping my waist, while the other holds him up. “Oh, fuck,” I moan loudly, back arching as my pussy clenches around his cock. He grunts, his thrusts becoming jerky and erratic.
Warmth fills my core as Easton comes inside me, his teeth digging into my flesh, just enough to have another orgasm flooding my body.
“I’m not pulling out.” Easton announces, when our breathing evens out. He stays wrapped around me, his still hard cock buried in my center.
“We can’t sleep like this.” I argue, but Easton shakes his head, still resting it against my skin.
“I strongly disagree. I think I should live like this. Right here. Buried inside you,” he grunts.
“I don’t think that’s possible. What about work? I can’t serve food at the diner with you inside me.”
“Says who?” he lifts his head, looking at me like I just suggested something insane.
“Polite society.” I shrug simply, and Easton rolls his eyes.
“No one important, then.”
I decide not to argue with him. I don’t particularly mind falling asleep with Easton’s cock still inside me. It's the waking up that’s got me worried. He does need to pull out at some point.