Chapter 27 #2
Fuck my life.
Hard.
In the ass.
With a sharp stick.
I step to the side, trying to escape the wandering touch, but she follows me.
“Hope, I’m early because I wanted to get some work in for myself.
Our time doesn’t start for another twenty minutes.
So if you’ll excuse me…” I keep trying to strafe sideways to get her to stop touching me—intent on heading straight for the front desk to talk to Garret.
I hope he’s not pissed at me that I’m costing them two memberships in less than an hour.
I know it’s not my fault, but I really need them to see it that way.
We just got our mortgage and while it’s under Al’s name as pack leader—because his credit score is higher—I’m still attached to it as part of the pack and helping with the payments. So I need this fucking job.
The smaller woman starts growling as Hope moves closer.
Her hand never leaves my skin as she circles around to push between me and the tiny beta.
I wouldn’t be so close to this poor unknown woman if I wasn’t trying to escape the groping, anyway.
I don’t know what the hell is going on. This little gym junkie is so pissed off, and she looks like she’ll take Hope’s head off if she doesn’t fucking get away from me.
While I can’t say the attention isn’t flattering, it’s like being growled at by a kitten.
Hope just scoffs, running her hand down my chest and lower than is appropriate for anybody that I’m not in an intimate relationship with.
Before I can ask her to stop, the beautiful little beta in front of me snarls, raising the weight bar back up, and brandishing it menacingly.
“Take your skanky fucking hands off my alpha before I break the goddamned things off and shove them up your ass!” I have no idea who the hell this woman is, but my chest swells when she calls me her alpha.
Hope scoffs again, but it looks to be all bravado as she stares over the other woman’s head.
“Like I care, you’re just another nasty alpha chaser like Kelly.
” She huffs and turns, sauntering away quickly, as if she’s not taking this woman’s threats seriously.
But she’s also moving faster than usual, so I don’t believe it.
When I look back down at the beta in front of me, I find her still holding the weight bar, standing it up on one end and passing it from hand to hand.
It’s a 45-pound bar, so it’s not a huge shock, but it’s also taller than she is like this.
Before I can ask if she needs help, she starts talking.
“What’s your name again? Can I call you Moose?
You look like Moose from those old Archie comics!
Damn, now I’m showing my age. But shit, you’re big! ”
My chest starts vibrating at her attention, and panic sets in, trying to figure out how to turn the damned thing off. Why does this keep happening? Shit, this poor woman is going to think I’m some sort of pervert!
Ignoring her question, I look around for Teddy or Kelly, trying to figure out if this is the friend of their pack he mentioned when I came in.
I don’t want to upset their friend, and Teddy said she went to school with them.
But they also need a heads-up in case Hope tries to start some shit about the girl.
Not seeing any of my bosses, I finally meet her eyes, cringing at my own body’s betraying rumble.
“I’m so sorry, um…I don’t think I caught your name earlier.
You said you went to school with Teddy, Steve, and Garret?
” For now, I’m just ignoring her calling me her alpha because that’ll bring up some stuff I’m not ready to deal with at the moment, and rev this stupid purr into overdrive.
I can’t even pretend it isn’t happening at that point.
I want somebody to want me, yeah. But she doesn’t know me, and I don’t know her, and if she came in here with another guy, I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes.
She’s grinning up at me. “Oh, the name’s Sarah, sorry.
Also, no, Teddy probably said we went to school together.
I’ve only met Garret once before yesterday and Steve can just eat a bag of dicks.
” She’s still smiling as I blink slowly, processing what she’s saying.
She looks puzzled for a moment before continuing.
“Huh, I guess Teddy stocks the really good scent blockers. You really think that anybody but an omega could pack this much awesome into this small of a package? You got a lot to learn about omegas, Moose.”
She finally stops swapping the bar from hand to hand and puts it back on the rack beside the wall.
I still haven’t managed to get my brain around everything when she stands in front of me again.
“I didn’t mean to break your brain, Moose.
..And I wasn’t trying to be a huge fucking cockblock back there.
You looked uncomfortable as fuck with the bleach bottle bimbo, but if that’s your thing then I’m sorry. ” The stuttering purr dies in my chest.
Sarah shakes her head, almost like she’s disappointed, and turns, waving to a tall beta a few rows over that’s apparently been watching us. She looks back at me for a moment, and I can’t quite understand her expression before she marches over to him, and they take off towards the front desk.
I know that sometimes I’m a little slow, but right now I feel like I’m running on Windows 97…Did she just say she’s an omega…Sarah…Teddy’s friend?
Oh...Oooohhhhh!
Shit.
Feeling like the lumbering moose she called me, I jog after her. Maybe I can talk to her for a minute before she leaves.