Chapter 11 Parker
Parker
“As important as these things are, I can’t say I’m a fan of them,” I grumbled, adjusting my tie. Despite three showers so intense I was pretty sure I had scraped off several layers of skin, I still caught sight of sparkles whenever the light hit them.
It was in my ears. Surely that shit was a health hazard?
“We’re celebrating!” Avery said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. He was already dressed and preening in every mirror he laid his eyes on.
We were a good-looking pack, I would be insane to deny that. Money had the potential to make everyone hotter, sadly.
I shook my head. Celebrating involved sweatpants, pizza, and a day where no one wanted you to do anything.
At least, my version of celebrating did.
I’d been to a million networking events as a kid because of my family, and while I despised these nights, they were a necessary evil when it came to business.
That remained true into my adult years. I would grant that nights like these were important, but big networking events took work and were not remotely restful to me.
“You celebrate waking up in the morning,” I grumbled as Avery practically skipped down the hallway.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing!” he yelled over his shoulder. “Now hurry up, we need to move.”
I glowered in his direction, but I followed him, glitter still winking at me whenever I moved, forcing me to think about the omega responsible.
As I was engaging in the ninth conversation on stock options, I considered throwing myself out the window. We were on an upper floor, so I could do some serious damage. If I got a concussion, no one would talk business at me, and the idea of that sweet relief was sorely tempting.
Business was a means to an end. Without my family’s company, I couldn’t have afforded any of the privileges I had received growing up.
My family—and, subsequently, my pack—never wanted for anything, and I was thankful for that, even if it had meant sacrifices elsewhere growing up.
My dads were always working, and my mother ran our home with an iron fist.
It was a good life…but not entirely what I wanted myself.
My dads had hardly been around. They were constantly at stupid parties like the one I was at, shmoozing and talking what equated to total bullshit with other overstuffed business men.
They loved hearing themselves talk. The best I got out of my fathers for my own events was one parent out of five.
I couldn’t remember the last time all of them had shown up for me.
My mother was no better on that account; she was either with them, acting like the perfect omega, or focused on my sister, Magnolia.
Maggie was their perfect angel, being trained to follow in my mother’s footsteps, I suppose in the same way I’d been expected to follow in my fathers’.
I wasn’t bitter about my upbringing. My parents were kind, loving people in their own way, but I simply wanted a different life.
Less fancy parties, more baseball games.
That was for later, though, once we had a family. For now, I had to suck it up, schmooze, and make a fuckload of money for our pack so we could settle down, focus on the important shit when the time was right, and not have to worry about anything for the rest of our days.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I excused myself to check the message. I regretted that almost as much. Logan’s mother was no better to deal with than the schmoozers.
Delia the Devil:
I need rent money or they’re going to kick me out
Parker:
Your financial irresponsibility is not our problem, Delia.
Delia the Devil:
I wasn’t messaging you!
Fuck you
Where’s Logan?
Parker:
You wouldn’t let him have peace, so now you get to deal with me. You receive a more than generous stipend. If you can’t keep enough of it aside for your rent, then you might want to look into a financial manager to keep your impulses in check.
Delia The Devil:
Give me more
It’s not enough
I rolled my eyes. I knew exactly how much her rent was, and her stipend covered it about ten times over.
If it were up to me exclusively, she wouldn’t see a fucking dime.
Logan’s fathers had given up trying to get more out of us after Logan joined the pack, but his mother was a tenacious bitch, determined to drain her son of every dollar she could.
Parker:
This conversation is over.
Delia the Devil:
The fuck it is
Let me talk to Logan
Parker:
Not happening.
Good night, Delia.
I ignored the continued barrage of texts and silenced my phone when she started calling. We’d been forced to route Delia’s calls, so whenever she reached out to Logan, it came to us. She knew if she kept pushing, he’d cave eventually, and I wasn’t letting her get away with exploiting him anymore.
“Where the hell is Hunter?” I asked, glancing around the room.
Avery shrugged. “Probably talking to one of his rock stars.”
I raised a brow. “Well, considering Hard Knot Life is over there, I’m not sure who he’s talking to.”
Hendrix was leaning on a table, talking animatedly to one of his pack mates and a couple of our producers. Hard Knot Life was far from Hunter’s first client under his label, but they were the biggest thus far and a huge boost to the label overall.
After a few words, Hendrix pulled out his phone and started showing off a slew of baby pictures that were clear even from a distance. I resisted the urge to snort.
Babies. Tiny and powerful enough to domesticate the most wild and rowdy rock stars. It wasn’t hyperbole to say that Hendrix’s son had saved his life, and the world was a better place for it.
I stepped in the path of one of the air vents, the breeze rustling my hair, and a hint of floral sweetness brushed my nose and set my whole body alight.
Holy shit. The most delectable omega was here somewhere…
but where? I searched my surroundings for the source, but wherever it had come from, I couldn’t locate it.
Logan jerked his head toward the general direction of the offices. “He’s gotta be up there. He’s not down here.” He gestured to everyone milling around, eating canapes and drinking champagne.
“Well, let’s go get him. It’s his party, he’s not allowed to hide,” Avery declared, gently pushing me toward the offices.
I chuckled to myself. “I can understand the urge to hide away.” The omega’s scent teased me again, but Avery didn’t let me twist away to go in search of them.
“Not all of us are grumpy buttheads like you, Parker,” Logan said as he ventured ahead of us.
“Are you saying you wouldn’t rather be home with a giant pizza?” I asked.
Logan looked back at me with a shrug before holding open the door for us. “Now, I wouldn’t say that…”
We took the elevator leading to Hunter’s office, and his door opened, our pack mate walking out and freezing instantly. His hair was damp and mussed. Had he showered in the middle of a party?
“Hey! Why are you hiding?” Avery asked. “If we have to play nice with dirty old rich ladies, you need to do the same.”
Logan cocked his head to the side. “‘Fess up. What’ve you been doing? Or should I ask, who?”
I took another step forward. The same omega scent from downstairs hung in the air behind Hunter, filling his office, potent enough to give away exactly what they’d been doing in there.
“You’re sneaking away from your own party to get laid?” I laughed. I hadn’t realized that was a viable option at events like this.
Hunter’s ears turned pink. “N-no. It’s not like that. Okay, maybe, but—”
“I need a better sniff!” Avery declared, pushing past Hunter and into his office. “Holy shit. Someone’s been doing the nasty on their desk. Look at that mess!”
We all piled into the office, ignoring Hunter’s weak protests.
There was no denying what had been done in the office with the air saturated by the scent of sex.
“Is that an omega?” Avery asked. “It smells super familiar.”
Logan leaned down and unceremoniously sniffed the desk. “One hundred percent an omega. A damn good smelling one too.” His brows furrowed in confusion. “I could swear I’ve smelled that before.”
Me too, though I didn’t say that out loud. It reminded me of the chaotic omega who’d glitter bombed my car, but I was probably deluding myself.
“Let me!” Avery almost shouted, shoving his face in the direction of the desk and taking a gigantic inhale.
I couldn’t hold back the laugh. My pack was certifiable. They were sniffing a fucking desk.
Avery’s posture went rigid. He stood, gaping wide-eyed at Hunter. “Did you happen to have sex with a stunning blonde who looks like a fucking goddess?”
Hunter scratched the back of his head. “I mean, yeah. Why? Do you know her?”
Avery’s mouth dropped open. “You had sex with my angel?”
His angel?
Oh, fuck, the omega he’d fucked in his car? He had been going on about her like she was a deity, and moaning pathetically that he needed to find her.
“Wait, her?” Hunter asked.
“She’s here?” Avery asked, a small squeak of excitement escaping him when Hunter nodded. “Where is she? Why didn’t you bring her to see us?”
“Hard to do when she obviously sprinted away while I was in the shower.”
“This is so familiar,” Logan muttered, still standing behind the desk and staring at the surface, his expression confused but slightly hopeful.
“Fuck. Have you met her as well?” I asked.
Logan shook his head. “I’m probably imagining shit. Ignore me.”
“Well, the slick on my desk isn’t imaginary.” Hunter smirked in that way only a man who just got laid could.
Cocky shit.
This woman must have been something to turn Avery into a lovesick puppy and get Hunter to abandon a party he was hosting.
“My angel from above is at this party. That’s what’s important. What are we doing here?” Avery asked. “This is fate! I’m going to hunt her down.”
“Let’s not go stalking anyone,” I said, but Avery was already darting out the door. Sighing, I focused on my two remaining pack mates. “We’d better keep an eye on him, or he’s going to embarrass us.”
Avery was lapping the room when we got back down there, weaving through the crowd like an eel through seaweed.
Even after all of these years, I didn’t know where the hell he found the energy.
I scanned the attendees, searching for a golden head that might match the omega in question, but Avery soared past each one I saw, so I could only assume their scents didn’t match the sugar-dipped peony that hung like a fog in Hunter’s office.
Avery sprinted back over to us, out of breath and pouting. “I was so sure I was going to find her. The scent has gotten faint. Do you think she left?”
I patted his shoulder. It was hard not to laugh at his wounded expression, but he was so twisted up over this woman.
“I’m sure she’ll make another appearance,” Logan soothed.
“How about we blow this joint and get pizza?” Hunter suggested.
Logan cocked a brow at him. “It’s your party. You can’t leave.”
“Okay, so, let’s give it another half hour, then order the pizza, and it’ll be home by the time we get there. By now, most people are too drunk to notice if I leave—they’re here for the rock stars and just indulge me as the boss. Pepperoni, anyone?”
Finally. I wasn’t going to say no to pizza and an early night. I was strict, but I wasn’t a total asshole, and it was time to celebrate Parker-style. “Order up.”