Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
HUGO
Jade and Casey had left ages ago, and it was torture to wait. I swear the clock was moving slower than usual.
Jewel walked through the room, his hair in curlers.
“We leave in ten minutes,” I told him.
He was undeterred. “I don’t have quite the right stuff for my boss bitch revenge outfit, but I’ll make do. I’ve got to be slaying while I’m slaying, you know.”
I frowned, looking down at my black shirt and jeans. “Should I change?”
He waved his hand dismissively as he opened the bathroom. “No, you’re fine. Trust me, the more like a loser you look, the better it’ll be for us.” He shot me a cheeky grin as he slipped inside.
Oh, he was going to pay for that comment later.
I pulled on my boots and leather jacket and waited for him by the front entrance.
He came out a minute later, in a pair of skintight shorts and a fishnet shirt.
His face was glowing with makeup, and his hair was shimmering.
The shorts were less actual clothing and more of a tease.
A reminder that, at any point, he was seconds away from being bent over and fucked.
All it would take was a simple tug to reveal his perfect ass.
I rested my hands on his waist and pulled him close, so he could feel the effect he was having on me. His cheeks went pink as he perfumed, his fruity scent saturating the air.
“This was a pretty good idea on my part,” I told him.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I’m looking forward to it. You’re the sexiest omega I’ve ever seen. Absolutely gorgeous. And now you’re going to walk in there looking like that…” My hand came up and traced the buckle on his collar. “With my mark on your neck.”
He swallowed, his pupils dilating. “Already getting into character?”
I chuckled, lowering my hands so I could squeeze his ass. He rose onto his tiptoes, rubbing against me with a whine.
“I don’t have to pretend for this. Do you, Jewel? Are you going to enjoy being my pretty little prize out there?”
“Yes, daddy,” he breathed.
“Let’s go, then.”
?
HUGO
It was extremely satisfying to make Jewel so flustered. He’d mostly composed himself as we made our way into the line at the front. Despite the cold, Jewel’s skin was warm, and I could see he was half-hard from my teasing earlier.
Good.
I wanted everyone to see how desperate I made him.
I mean, I also wanted him to be so horny he forgot about the slivers of nervousness that he couldn’t quite shake.
Security barely glanced at us as I paid our cover and walked into the main room. It was crowded and dark, the music pulsing through my bones with every beat.
“This way,” Jewel whispered, his lips brushing my ear.
I followed him through the crowd and past a door marked “Staff Only.” On the other side was an empty storage closet with a door on the far side. Jewel walked over and put in a code on the keypad. It flashed green and the door unlocked, opening to a dark staircase.
Jewel had paused, staring down into the blackness.
I pulled him flush against the hardness pressing in my pants, and he let out a gasp as I pinched one of his nipples. His head fell back to rest on my shoulder, and he gave a quiet moan. Now he’d be fully hard as we made our entrance.
“Hugooo,” he whined.
“Come on,” I said, urging him onward.
I took him down the stairs and into the private lobby.
A different kind of music was playing down here, but it was just as loud.
I was patted down for weapons. Jewel, to my surprise, was not.
You could even see the holster on his thigh with the hidden knife, but perhaps they just thought it was bondage gear.
Ascend was exactly the kind of place I’d expect scum like Dax Jones to own.
Neon lights cut through a hazy smoke, casting the room in a dim glow.
The place was already starting to fill up; alphas were standing around tables or seated on low chairs.
Most were staring at the dark-skinned woman wearing only a pair of heels as she danced on the stage.
We passed a smaller platform in the corner, where a pale omega with cherry-red hair in pigtails sat on a candy-striped chair. As I watched, she leaned forward to whisper in the ear of an alpha standing to the side.
Celeste was written in neon letters above her head. Another look around the room, and I realized there were more stations, each decorated differently and topped with different names. Synth was a dark-skinned male with dyed blue hair that glowed under his black light. He wore silver lingerie.
Bliss was practically on a throne and had thick glossy hair down to her waist.
On the other side was an empty space. It wasn’t lit up, but I could make out Jewel on the sign still hanging above the platform.
Jewel had stopped to stare at it. I snapped my fingers. “Omega. Heel.”
He blinked, then slunk to my side. “Yes, daddy.”
?
I found an empty seat near the back and sat down. “Down,” I said to Jewel, pointing at the floor by my feet. His eyes held mine as he sank to his knees and settled by my side.
A server got me a drink, and I sat there, looking around. “What now?” I asked Jewel.
He rested his head against my thigh. “We wait. The set’s almost done.”
We watched the stage as the dancer finished her routine, then the song finished. She left the stage, and there seemed to be a bit of an intermission. At each small platform, the performer walked down and started to mingle with the crowd.
The blue-haired male—Synth—was closest, and his golden eyes met mine. He gave me a smile as he picked his way over toward us. “Hello, handsome. You have a name?” He leaned over and reached out, as if he was going to touch me.
Jewel rose to his feet in a flash, his face a mask of fury. He snatched the other omega’s arm. “I swear to god, Synth, if you lay a finger on him, I’ll bite it off.”
Synth stumbled back, knocking a glass onto the floor. “Jewel?” His voice was strangled, and his eyes locked on to the dark bond on Jewel’s neck.
I tugged Jewel down onto my lap, where he straightened his back and examined his nails. “Play nice,” I told him.
He sniffed. “I was planning to, but then he tried to touch you.” He turned back to Synth. “It’s good to see you’re well, darling. Let’s keep it that way, hmm? I heard it’s tricky to reattach fingers when they’re bitten off. The wound is too messy.”
Synth opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say died on his lips as he looked back at me. Instead, he took a shaky step back and disappeared into the crowd.
I ran my fingers up Jewel’s thigh. “I like seeing you like that.”
He folded his arms, the bond prickling with jealousy. “You weren’t going to let him touch you, were you? Trust me, he looks like a nine in these lights, but he’s actually a solid seven-point-five. Plus, he can’t even do his own makeup.”
“I’ve only got eyes for you, Jewel. Of course I wouldn’t let him touch me.”
“Good.”
He still seemed distinctly sulky but slowly melted as I continued to soothe him.
“Fine, I lied,” he admitted. “He’s a nine. On a good day, though.”
I chuckled, tugging him closer.
“Incoming,” he murmured into my ear.
Sure enough, security was coming toward us. “Evening,” he said, sticking out his hand. His glittering eyes only briefly met mine before returning to stare at Jewel.
I took his hand, squeezing tightly. “Hugo.”
“How would you like to come visit our VIP lounge?”
?
We’d been whisked up to the fourth floor in a private elevator by two security guards.
The doors opened, and I was relieved that it was a lot quieter up here.
There was still music, but I could actually hear myself think now.
We stepped out into a luxury lounge, and the elevator chimed as the doors slid shut behind us.
There were expensive-looking chairs interspersed with cushions on the floor, and a couple of skeezy-looking men were lounging around in mostly unbuttoned shirts. There was a woman draped over one of them, hands on his chest, and another woman sitting on one of the cushions on the floor.
One of the men stood and approached us, extending a sweaty hand for me to shake. He introduced himself with a yellow grin. “Diesel.”
“Hugo,” I replied.
Dang.
We were hoping to bring Valentino right away, but that hadn’t happened. A glance at the clock told us that it was almost nine.
Diesel shifted back on his haunches and put his hands in his pockets as he regarded us. He stared at Jewel for a long moment before turning back to me. “Haven’t seen you round here before.”
“I’m from out of town.”
He hummed in response.
“So, what’s the deal? Can’t imagine all the newbies get to come up here.”
“Only the interesting ones.” He gestured to an empty chair. “Have a seat. Relax. Have a drink; it’s on the house. Boss’ll be by soon.”
As I made my way to the couches, I was slammed with the scent of pheromones and sex. My hackles rose at the clear alpha and omega scents already here.
I turned and grabbed the back of Jewel’s head, crushing him against me as I scent marked his cheek. It was viscerally satisfying, even more so when Jewel let out a needy whine and fisted his hand in my top.
I pulled him back, a smirk tugging on my lips at his flushed face and hooded eyes.
I walked over to one of the armchairs and sat down. Jewel hadn’t moved, and I could sense an undercurrent of unease slowly building in him.
Oh, no.
We couldn’t have that.
“Jewel. Down,” I said, pointing at the floor. His eyes flicked briefly around the room before he sank to his knees.
I crooked my finger at him, and he held my gaze for a long moment before he started to crawl across the floor. He didn’t stop at my side, though. He came right between my legs, settling in and making himself at home.
Someone brought a drink, which I pretended to sip.