Chapter 18
Eighteen
DARIA
It’s been five days since the dinner disaster. Five days since I met my scent matches. Five days of wondering. Five days of worrying. Five days of torture. Vic hasn’t even called. He wasn’t at the family dinner Letti put together on Sunday.
At some point, I started to wonder if I imagined the whole thing.
But as I slip on the collar on Monday morning, I know it was real. Their silence leaves me with only memories to cling to. Even though they argued, it was easy to see they were a pack.
Linc, the self-professed funny guy.
Vic, the intense, brooding beta.
And Kai, the outgoing caretaker.
I slip into my Chelsea boots, which pair nicely with my black skirt, white top, and cute, lacy tights. Since I’m going to work, I grab a simple black blazer. With the collar, it’s very edgy professional. It’s a vibe and I’m here for it.
Is it sad that I’m still wearing the collar? Maybe, but I can’t resist hoping the pack will come around. Part of me is dying on the inside, hating that I haven’t seen them.
I grab an everything bagel and pop it into the toaster. There were five bags of groceries outside my door the other day. A receipt was stapled to the bag—an order for Nicole—but there was no one by that name on my floor, and the delivery person was long gone. Seeing as my kitchen was empty, I decided to keep the food.
Does that make me a horrible person? I spread cream cheese on the toasted bagel and take a bite, humming in approval. I’m down with being bad if it means I get to eat like this every morning. The groceries will only last so long, but I’m enjoying the free food while I can.
My thoughts turn to my fated mates as I head to work. I asked them to get their shit together. Logically, the shit gathering could take more than a few days and that silly, wounded bird inside of me is already singing a song of heartbreak.
The shortest relationship that never was.
Jane’s smiling face pulls me out of my head as I walk into the elevator. “Love the fit.”
“Thanks. Did you have a good weekend?”
A blush stains her cheeks.
“What?” I scoot over as more people cram into the elevator.
“I went to the”—she shoots her gaze around the tiny space before whispering—“place again.”
I arch an eyebrow in question.
She nods.
My mouth drops open.
She makes a sound and grimaces. “I know.”
“Holy shit,” I finally say. A few people give me dirty looks. I smile sweetly at them before turning back to Jane. “I want all the details.”
She bites her lip, trying and failing to hide a giant smile.
The elevator carries us up through various levels, and people filter off. Once it hits the Moon & Rock level, I grab Jane and drag her toward the nearest conference room and quickly shut the door.
“Tell me you came more than once,” I demand, then stiffen as three scents slam into me. Sweet myrrh. Bergamot. Cinnamon. Mine, mine, and mine.
Jane’s eyes widen, scenting them as well.
“Don’t stop on our account,” Linc says, voice full of amusement.
My friend squeezes my arm. Her face is fire engine red now. Turning, I block her from their view and take in the guys. “Why are you here?”
“Daria!” Jane squeaks.
Fuck. Right. She thinks they’re clients. I haven’t told her about the scent matching thing. I realize keeping this secret from my friends might make me a horrible person, but with the pack being so messy, I’m not ready for show-and-tell.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Vic asks. “We came for you.”
My heart skips.
“We came to see if you’d considered the job offer,” Kai quickly corrects when Jane gasps.
“Job offer?”
I glance at Jane. “Uh, yeah. They asked Mandy if I could work at Good Vibes as a consultant.”
“Oh my god!” She grins at me, then her face falls. “Oh my god, they heard everything,” Jane whispers to me, but in the small space, the guys hear her.
“Well, I’m still dying to know if you enjoyed yourself,” Linc says. I toss him a look, but his eyes are set on me, not Jane. That settles the jealous beast inside of me.
“I’m going to...yeah, I’m going to go. Pretend like I was never here,” Jane says quickly and darts from the room.
“Bye, Jane!” Linc calls to her back.
In the hallway, she stumbles as she scurries away, and I release a heavy sigh.
“That wasn’t very nice.”
“She’ll be fine,” Linc says, smirking at me. “Good morning, Daria.”
God, what I wouldn’t give to hear him say that first thing in the morning.
No. Be strong, Daria. Remember what you told them. I cross my arms and look at each of them. Vic isn’t radiating anger. Kai is calm. Linc’s eyes are still dancing, like he’s in on some joke no one knows about.
“I’m assuming this means things are settled between you three?”
“It’s all good,” Kai says.
I check with Vic.
He tips his head, gaze studying the collar around my neck. His hickeys have long since healed, but the leather wrapped around my throat is a clear message. I’m still willing to be his. I’m willing to test the waters with his pack.
Vic’s intense eyes lift to meet mine. “Do you really think I’d let you get away?”
My cunt clenches, and a rush of lavender fills the air. They all breathe in my desire at the same time, purring in approval. Their collective approval does something to my insides. “At some point, I want to understand what happened, but for now, I’ll let it be.”
They all nod, like that’s reasonable.
“As for the job offer, I’ll take it, so long as you courting me doesn’t get in the way of my work.”
“Is she asking us to behave?” Linc glances at the other two, who simply grin and nod. “Already setting me up for failure, bunny?”
Should I be worried about the prey-type nicknames? Maybe. Am I dying to know if he enjoys a good chase as much as Vic does? Absolutely. And then there’s Kai. I have no idea what to expect from him.
“My career is important to me,” I say, once I remember the point of the conversation.
“We’ll behave when the time calls for it.” Linc smiles when I squint at him.
Kai chuckles and shakes his head. “What Lincoln means is that we won’t jeopardize your career.”
That leaves a lot of room for misbehavior, but I’d be lying if I said the thought of having a little office romp wasn’t appealing.
Blowing out a breath, I nod. “Okay. Then, how do we do the other part?”
“I think you know how I would do it,” Vic murmurs.
Linc chuckles under his breath and Kai licks his lips.
“Sex is wonderful,” I tell them all, “but there has to be time to get to know each other too.”
“Does that mean sex isn’t off the table?” Linc asks.
I shrug. “If one thing leads to the other, then I’m not going to deny myself.”
The guys all trade looks. While I can’t interpret it, I can at least tell they’re not disappointed or upset.
It’s like you only want us for our knots —the voice of one of my most recent exes cuts through my mind. I frown as a new wave of anger washes over me. Is it ironic that his pack was annoyed by my libido and literally got caught fucking around?
But when my scent matches turn to look at me, all I see is hungry curiosity. Of course, the pack that owns Good Vibes wouldn’t be ashamed of sex. Maybe they’ll be good for me. All the packs that came before them helped me learn what red flags to watch out for.
Stalking should probably fall into red flag territory, but what would it hurt to pretend that particular banner is green?
Kai clears his throat. “We were thinking of date nights .”
“In addition to the time we’ll be spending together at work?” I arch an eyebrow. That’s a lot of my time.
Kai nods. “Vic has his tattoo business he operates on the side. You probably won’t see much of him during the work week, and while I think Linc and I would love to lock you in our offices and...get to know you, we won’t have the time. We’re in the middle of striking a deal with some very popular cam-personalities and launching the product line.”
“Not to mention, next month, we’re meeting with the biggest commercial porn production agency,” Linc adds, brushing an invisible speck of dust off his sleeve. “If the dates are too much too fast, we can go slower.”
“No,” I say quickly. “I mean, I think the schedule is fine. I only want to make sure I have time for myself and my friends.”
“We can be flexible to meet your needs.” Kai slides a stack of papers toward me. “The HR papers.”
“To be super clear, if my bestie says she needs me, and I cancel a date night, you won’t be mad at me?”
All three of them scrunch their brows.
“Of course not,” Vic says.
“And if I want to go on a weekend girls’ trip?”
“Then, have fun?” Linc asks, genuinely looking confused by my questions.
“And when I’m too tired or not in the mood?”
Kai tips his head, eyes narrowing. “What sort of pack were you dating before? They sound like assholes.”
A laugh slips out of me, but it’s bitter. “Trust me, they were.” Before I can show too much of my damage, I say, “Then, for now, I agree to let Pack Kelly court me.”