Chapter Twenty-Four
Assa
Assa looked around the crowded dance floor of The Cracked Heart and tilted his head back, attempting to grab some fresh air above the sweaty bodies writhing next to him.
He wasn’t surprised the club was packed, considering it was Beta Night. Personally, he didn’t care about the genders of his dance partners, but he knew a lot of betas, especially those who had grown up in the beta neighborhoods, were less inhibited in environments without alphas or omegas.
Wes’s hands landed on his hips and Assa leaned in closer.
“I am so hot.” He flapped his hand to fan himself. “And I’m using muscles I forgot I had. When was the last time we went dancing, anyway?”
“Before we left Warburton,” Wes answered wryly. “Parenthood doesn’t exactly lend itself to club nights, does it?”
Assa chuffed. “Definitely not.”
He turned and rubbed his ass against Wes’s jeans, feeling the hard ridge of his cock.
The atmosphere was hypnotic, all thumping music and flashing strobes.
A giant neon pink sculpture of a heart split down the middle cast a beam of light across the room, giving everyone on the dance floor a rosy glow.
Assa reached over his shoulder and pulled Wes’s head into the crook of his neck, trembling as his husband sucked on the sensitive skin there.
It was a good idea to go dancing tonight. They almost hadn’t. Even though he’d lined up a great babysitter for Ryde and had no real excuse, Assa had nearly canceled to avoid the pressure of potentially finding someone to invite into their bed.
A month ago, when Wes broached the topic in the middle of Felton’s Bakery, they’d been full of hope. They’d eagerly set up an account on an app advertising themselves as a happily non-monogamous couple looking to hook up with someone (or someones).
They met up with an alpha at a hotel near the university two weeks later.
It had seemed like a winning arrangement.
The man was in town on business, so it would be a onetime thing.
When Wes and Assa arrived, they saw that the alpha’s pictures had not done him justice.
His broad shoulders strained his suit jacket, and the scruff on his jaw was rugged perfection.
Unfortunately, Assa’s next thought was that he looked like Calder, annoying since Assa had been trying hard not to think about the beautiful alpha.
The three men attempted small talk and touched one another. It was fine, pleasant even, but something was still off.
After a few minutes, the alpha kissed Wes and then Assa. His technique was masterful, firm and soft at the same time. Assa felt a kernel of desire. Except it didn’t grow the way it had with other thirds they’d played with.
The alpha kissed down their torsos, removing their shirts as he went. But as the man took off his button-down and the three of them shifted onto the bed, Assa remained unmoved.
Gamely, Assa ran his palm over the alpha’s sculpted back, but the gesture was more clumsy than sensual.
The alpha raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t working, is it?”
“No,” Assa said. “I’m really sorry. It’s been a while since we’ve done this and I thought I knew what I wanted, but apparently…not.”
Wes rolled over and kissed him. “You’re not the only one shaking off the rust, sweetheart.” To the alpha, he said, “I hope you’re not disappointed. But obviously, if we’re not feeling it, we’re not going to stay.”
“Hey, no worries. Sometimes the spark’s not there.”
Assa was thankful it wasn’t awkward as he and Wes put their shirts back on. The alpha kissed them lightly before they left. The kissing was nice, but Assa was glad they hadn’t fucked.
“It’s okay,” Wes said as they made their way to their car. “The chemistry wasn’t there. It’s been so long since we did this. I’m sure we’ll get our rhythm back.”
But so far, they hadn’t.
They had messaged with dozens of men, and even met up with a beta, wondering if starting out with someone of their own gender might be easier. It had actually gone worse, with Wes and Assa apologizing and bailing the moment they started kissing.
Something just wasn’t right. But what? Were they not polyamorous anymore? Maybe they’d been together so long that now they wanted exclusivity.
Except that didn’t feel right either.
Assa knew Wes was as frustrated as he. Coming to The Cracked Heart tonight was an attempt to approach their dilemma from a new angle, to see if they could meet a man organically and test the connection before deciding to hook up.
Yet all they’d done was have a fun night out as a couple. They danced with a few men, but no one they considered taking things further with.
Not that the excursion was a waste. In their daily lives, they were busy, attentive fathers. It felt good to let loose.
“I need a break,” Assa shouted into Wes’s ear, above the noise of the speakers.
Wes led him to an empty high-top table. “I’ll go grab us water,” he said.
As his husband shoved his way through a throng of dancers on his way to the bar, Assa surveyed the room. Since it was close to midnight, most of the men looked like him, disheveled and sweaty, exhibiting varying degrees of drunkenness.
Amid the chaos, Assa felt the hairs on his neck prickle and stand at attention.
His pulse quickened at the distinct sensation of being watched.
Despite the lights bouncing off the walls, the pounding music, and the din of the crowd, it was as though an invisible hand touched him.
Swallowing, he looked around, from the entrance to the bar to the back hallway leading to the restrooms, but no one paid him any mind. Then, his gaze drifted higher.
Above the dance floor, so cleverly disguised he’d almost missed it, was a window to an upstairs room.
With the club’s black walls and low-hanging light fixtures, it blended in.
Assa made out the figure of a man behind the glass.
He was far away and dressed in dark clothing, so it was difficult to discern his features.
But Assa knew without a doubt that the man was staring at him.
Assa shivered. His cheeks, already heated from the dancing, grew hotter still. He rubbed his clammy palms over his thighs.
“Hey.”
His reverie was broken by the return of Wes, who tapped him on the arm with a water bottle.
“Where were you just now?”
Assa hitched his neck toward the window. “There.”
Wes looked up, narrowing his gaze. “That man is staring at you.”
“He was… Now he’s staring at both of us.”
Wes blinked, his lips pursed. “He must be security or something. That’s a great hiding spot.”
Assa dragged his eyes away from the window and swigged from his water bottle. When he peeked back up, the man was gone.
“Do you want to dance some more?” Wes asked.
“Honestly, I’m fine to head home. But tonight was great. A much-needed break.”
“It was. And maybe it would be a good idea for us to table the finding a playmate discussion for a while. Until after Ryde’s birthday. Going out is supposed to be fun like this. Not stressful.”
Assa thought about it. It was true that the process was proving to be more difficult than in the past, but being with other people was what they wanted. That hadn’t changed. Yet something had shifted. They both desired more. But what? And how?
“We can postpone it,” Assa said slowly. “But let’s not table it indefinitely. I realize we let it go for a while after the move, but I don’t want to lose that part of us.”
Wes kissed him on the nose. “Me neither.”
Near the exit, a security guard stepped into their path. He handed them a handwritten note.
You caught my eye. I’d love to meet you both.
Assa glanced at the upstairs window again, seeing no one. But there was little doubt who had sent the note.
Wes frowned at the guard. “If he wants to meet us, why doesn’t he just come over and introduce himself?”
The guard gestured toward a back hallway, roped off from the crowd. “Boss stays up in his office on Beta Night. Doesn’t want to kill the vibe.”
“He’s an alpha?” Wes asked. “Or an omega?”
“Alpha. If you want, you can follow me. Otherwise, he said to tell you to have a good night. No offense if you’re not interested.”
“That’s bold,” Assa whispered.
The guard smirked.
“He’s the owner?” Wes asked him.
“That’s right.”
“And he does this often? Summons guests off the dance floor to come to his hidden lair?”
“Actually, no.”
“What does he want?” Assa asked, pressing into Wes’s side.
The man’s lips twitched. “I’m not sure. Probably just to get your opinion on the deejay.”
Wes inhaled sharply.
“So, are you coming up?” the guard asked.
Wes stepped forward, clearly about to tell him off for acting like this whole situation wasn’t super weird. Assa placed a hand on his arm.
“Is your boss… He isn’t known to be forceful, is he?” Assa asked.
“What do you—oh. No. Definitely not.” The guard looked shocked. “He’s a good guy.”
Assa nodded. “And if we don’t follow, do you think he’ll send a note to some other person, or couple?”
“Doubtful. Like I said, this is unusual.”
Wes put his hand on Assa’s lower back, letting him know this was his call.
Assa took a deep breath. “Wes—”
“Yes?”
“I want…”
Wes leaned down next to Assa’s ear so the guard couldn’t hear. “You want to go upstairs?”
“He chose us. All these people here, and he chose us. We can at least meet him. See what he wants.”
Wes’s hot breath tickled Assa’s neck. “You like that, sweetheart? You like how he saw all these men on the dance floor, but sensed something special about you? Do you think it’s because of how beautiful you are? How sexy? Do you think he was imagining touching you and making you feel good?”
Assa squeezed his eyes shut. “Not just me. Us.”
Wes nodded into his shoulder before pulling away. “We’d like to meet your boss,” he said to the guard. “Please lead the way.”