Chapter 5
Islapped my envelope with the contract onto the kitchen counter and set down the business card next to it.
“You’re back?” Mom looked up from the stove. “How’d it go?”
“I found someone. I’m going over now.” My mind couldn’t handle a conversation about this right now. I was barely holding it together as it was and my mom having any idea of the upcoming situation was not something I could cope with.
“Already?”
“They had to give me a suppressant so I could sign the contract.” I kept my responses short, hoping that she would get the idea, but of course she didn’t.
My mother clucked her tongue. “I told you to go last week.”
“I know. But I went today and now I need to pack. Here’s the contract. Please, keep it safe and, for the love of god, don’t look at it.”
“I’ll put it in with the taxes.” My mother tucked it into an accordion folder. “Do you want something to eat before you go?”
“No thanks.” I was already running towards the stairs.
What do I pack for a week of mostly sex?
I hauled a suitcase out and laid it on the bed. My phone buzzed in my pocket.
Sidney:
Bring at least four days of clothes
We can do laundry as needed
Pack any sex toys you have
My face burst into flames as I read the last text.
“Fucking hell.” I danced in place.
Allie:
I don’t have any sex toys
Sidney:
None at all?
Allie:
I’m not leaving anything around for my mom to find
She’s a snoop
Sidney:
Fair enough
Bring anything that’ll make you comfortable
I grabbed things mostly at random, filling the suitcase with pajamas, toiletries, and various other comfortable clothing. Lamenting that I didn’t have anything that passed for lingerie or even time to shave my legs before going over, I shoved the suitcase closed, zipped it up, and dragged it down the stairs after me.
“Bye, Mom! Love you! See you next week!” I flew out the front door before my mother could even respond, knowing that if I stopped I’d probably lose my nerve.
Sidney was standing outside the vehicle when I got there and took the suitcase from me to load it into the back. Was his politeness a him thing or was he contractually obligated to open doors and carry luggage for omegas? I preferred to think it was just how he was. That made me feel better about who I was about to climb into bed with.
I hopped into the front seat before he could grab the door for me, swinging it shut, and nearly catching my toes in my haste.
“Is she watching me out the window?” I asked when Sidney slid into the driver’s seat.
He glanced past me toward the house. “Yep.” He smiled and waved at my mom before turning on the vehicle.
Then my mother was marching across the lawn with a teddy bear in her hands.
Oh god, no.
“Drive!”
“I’m not blazing out of your driveway when your mom is walking over here. I could get in trouble with the clinic for being a dick.”
The clinic might not like it but he’d have been my savior if he had in that moment. I whimpered as he pushed the button to roll down the passenger side window and my mother thrust the teddy bear through it.
“You forgot Mr. Bear.”
“Mom! For the love of god.”
I tried to sink into the chair, covering my face with my hands. The teddy bear plunked onto my lap and I resisted the urge to fling my beloved plush onto the lawn. I knew Mom was trying to help, but if the universe could’ve opened a hole in the ground and swallowed me up in that second, I’d have been so fucking grateful for it.
Sidney chuckled. “You should bring it. The comforting scents will help you adjust.”
“Fine. I’ll bring it. Can we go now?”
My mother kissed my head and I groaned.
“Mom. I’m not five. Please don’t kiss my head in front of people.”
“You don’t mind, do you? Mr....”
“Sidney Marino.” He passed her one of his business cards. “Here’s my information if you need it.”
“Lovely to meet you. I hope my sweet girl hasn’t been a bother to you. I’m going to miss her so much.”
“Mooom. Stop. I’m a grown woman, and I need you to not be in my head for what I’m going to go through in the next week.”
“Oh, hush now.”
“We really should be going,” Sidney interjected. “I promise I’ll take the best care of her while she’s with me and return her to you safe and sound.”
I wanted to throw myself under his SUV.
My mother opened her mouth to speak again but Sidney was already rolling up the window as he smiled brightly, waving to her as he pulled away.
He turned to me as we pulled onto the street. “Okay, I see why you wanted me to drive.”
“I love her, but holy shit.”
He looked at my lap with a smirk on his lips. “Cute bear.”
“Shut up.”
How was I supposed to be taken seriously as an adult? Mom didn’t care one bit about that. I was pretty sure she would never consider me an adult and I was not looking forward to a lifetime of being treated like her baby. I understood that whole thing about kids always being a parent’s baby, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.
Sidney was quiet on the drive back to his place. I couldn’t help but stare at him. The sunlight on the drive teased out a thousand colors in his hair and I wanted to run my fingers through it. What gave him the right to be that pretty? Honestly, it was rude of the universe to make someone look like that.
I turned over the few facts about him that I knew. He was a middle child, but there hadn’t been any information about the siblings. Were any of them heat helpers? Were they anything like him? I had no siblings myself, but I had a decent amount of cousins who had the full spectrum of relationships with one another. Some looked nearly identical and some you would never know they were related. Some were best friends and some couldn’t stand each other.
“Can you tell me about your family?”
It wasn’t any of my business, but I didn’t know what else to talk to him about. At least this way I could get to know him better.
Sidney smiled over at me. “My parents have been married for about thirty years now. My older sister, Nicky, works as a librarian and my younger brother, Luca, is at college for communications right now. Did you have specific questions about them?”
“Not really. I was just curious. Are you close with them?”
“I love them to pieces, but no, not really. Nick went away to university when I was only fourteen, and while I adore Luca, I did the same to him when he was fifteen. I’ve been back for a few years, but that doesn’t erase the time apart. I’ve always said I would do anything for them if they asked. Mom loves to host family dinners to get us all together, though. It’s nice to see everyone even if I can’t attend them all that regularly with my job.”
“I guess I’m going to be making you skip one?”
“Definitely, but I don’t mind. Much more fun to be in bed with you than listening to Mom ask me when I’m going to find someone and give her grandbabies.”
I fought back the ridiculous thought that I could be that someone. That idea was definitely one of my wildest yet and the least tethered in reality. For one, I was a client, and for two, I was only nineteen. Even if he fell madly in love with me, there was zero chance of babies anytime soon.
I absolutely could not let my heart get tangled with this guy. That was a recipe for more heartbreak than I could take. This was just sex. I had never managed that before, but I was committed to managing it now.
Eventually, Sidney pulled into the garage of a tidy updated bungalow with blue siding. He opened the vehicle door for me and pulled my suitcase out of the back, lacing his fingers with mine to lead me inside.
I glanced around, rooted in the entryway. “Your place is weirdly clean. Why do you have so many blankets everywhere?”
“Nesting material.” He wheeled my suitcase down the hall and turned back, waiting for me to follow.
I kicked off my shoes and scampered after him.
“Bathroom is here—” He pointed as we walked. “—and the bedroom is at the end of the hall. If you don’t want to sleep in the same bed until your heat starts, that’s fine. I can sleep on the couch, but it’s generally better to have me close by. If it starts during the night, you won’t be able to come find me. You might be safe tonight with the medication you took, but definitely not beyond that.”
“Good to know.” I glanced around. His bedroom had a king-sized bed so there was plenty of space for everything my imagination might bring up. “I don’t mind sharing.”
“I’ll let you unpack while I get started on the grocery order. The plastic drawers are for guests.”
Guests.
I guess that’s one way to put it.
I unloaded my suitcase into the sterile drawer set, trying not to think about the seventeen others before me who had also used it. It would be hypocritical of me to be weird about it, but that didn’t stop me for a second. I didn’t care much about what other people did, but I wasn’t at all prepared for what I was about to do.
His bedroom smelled like heaven, at least to my new omega senses, and I followed the compulsion to drape myself face-first over the bed. Relaxation seeped into my bones.
He laughed softly when he returned and found me in that state. “Enjoying yourself?”
“I really wish I wasn’t.” I was so fucking comfortable.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed about anything. I’m very used to omega behaviors, and I think it’s cute.” He sat next to me with his phone out. “What do you want me to order? Pick anything you want, the more calorie-dense the better.”
“Lasagna and garlic bread?”
“Sure. What else?”
“Chocolate cake, please.”
He held out the screen for me to look over the pre-prepared meals from an omega-friendly food provider that took the specific needs of a heat into consideration.
“All of this looks so good. I’d happily eat everything on the menu.”
He nodded, added a few things, and placed the order. “How’re you feeling?”
“Super weird.”
“You can do anything that’ll make you more comfortable. Want to put on pajamas and watch a movie?”
“I’m down with that.”