Chapter 4
Kaden
Oh my God, if I never have another bratty omega debutante’s hand on my ass again, it’ll be too soon.
The things I do for the grift, I swear.
Britney has, like, thirty omega besties, and they’re all vying for a piece of my ass. Nik, the lucky bastard, isn’t part of this little ceremony, so he gets off Scot free. No pinching or slapping or smacking or squeezing … God, will I even be able to sit after this?
A few of them even try to grab around front, but I put a stop to that right away.
My contract allows for occasional touching or petting, but it explicitly states no sexual acts.
Mags has to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Grady to straighten things out, but eventually the women quiet down and behave … sort of.
This is the weirdest party I’ve ever worked. The women are all between twenty and thirty years old, but the room has total sweet sixteen vibes. Obnoxious balloons everywhere, glitter that will haunt me for weeks to come, and dumb party favors.
Party favors like penis straws, penis glitter, penis pens, penis balloons … Fuck, and they all have knots on them.
I never want to see another knotted dick in my life.
After rescuing me, Mags spends the rest of the party acting as a waitress and caterer, bringing plate after plate after plate of food to the group.
The omegas pick at the snacks, but I notice a disturbing amount of leftovers.
What are the Gradys going to do with all this excess?
And is anyone going to mention to them that Britney has hardly touched any of it?
That might be a contributing factor to her inability to conceive so far. How is she supposed to carry a child when she’s not eating?
Well, that’s not our problem. Nik’s contract is just for the act of conception; after that, Britney’s on her own, and we’ll be off to the next con.
Thankfully, Mags is smart enough to have that fine print in every one of our deals, so we don’t end up stuck with a kid that the omega ends up rejecting.
The party goes on seemingly forever. By seven o’clock, I’m exhausted and bruised. Thankfully, the omega’s guests have all gone home, and now it’s Nik’s turn.
I don’t envy him. Sure, it’s great on some level to get to sleep with omegas and get paid for it, but at what cost?
He can’t seriously take it all in stride when there’s obviously something going on between him and Mags.
Mags will one hundred percent deny it, but the flowers and teddy bear?
He’s got it bad, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.
I think we all have it pretty bad for Mags. I know Kip does. Poor brother of mine. I feel his heartache every time he looks at her, thanks to our twin bond. I’m pretty sure she’s the reason he’s still a virgin, too. Kip’s just dumb enough to hold onto hope instead of moving on.
Not that I have any place to talk. I quit servicing our omega marks a few years ago. Celibacy sucks, but sleeping with the wrong women is worse.
I keep hoping that one of these days Mags will just … wake up. Accept me, or Kip, or even Nik as a mate. Betas can mate, too, so I don’t get what the big deal is. It’s just sex. She acts like she’ll get trapped in a relationship. Won’t even date.
She acts suspiciously as if she’s had some terrible trauma in her life, but Kip and I grew up with her. Nothing big happened; she’s just … not interested.
While Nik is tending to Britney, I go to my temporary room in the Grady house and get ready for bed. I don’t have to be on duty until lunchtime tomorrow, so I should be able to get some decent rest.
Because we’re displacing some servants by staying here, Mags and I share a room. Unfortunately, the Gradys provided two beds. No chance there.
Mags is already in bed and dead asleep when I get back from the party. She’s lying on top of her bedding in a tank top and shorts, though I’m fucking freezing. I put on some flannel PJs and dive under the covers, figuring if Mags wants to warm up during the night, she knows where to find me.
“Kaden. Kaden!”
I groan and roll away from the voice calling me. “Lemme sleep.”
“It’s fucking noon, Kaden. Get up.”
“Ugh. Is Princess Britney ready for lunchies?”
Mags chuckles. “No. She’s … indisposed. With Nik. They’re, um, not to be interrupted. We’ve basically got the day off.”
“So why are you waking me up?” I pull the covers over my head.
The covers disappear completely, and I turn back long enough to glare at Mags for stealing them before curling back into a sleepy ball of Kaden.
“Things went well enough last night that the Gradys gave us a bonus. I want to go spend it.”
“On what?” I ask cautiously. This could end up being anything from ice cream for the rental house to elaborate costumes for our next grift.
“Presents. Let’s go get Kip and Nik something fun, and we’ll treat ourselves while we’re at it.”
That makes me even more suspicious. Mags doesn’t generally spend on frivolous things, and she considers gifting to be extremely frivolous. For her, it’s just necessities and scam items only, no extras.
“Mags, what’s going on?”
She sighs and sits on the edge of my bed. “I’m bored. I’m not used to our marks giving us a day off. I don’t know what else to do.”
Now, that tracks. “Well, go shopping yourself. I’m still tired.”
A pillow slams into my head with a surprising amount of force. “Get up. We’re going.”
Well, I guess I’m getting up for the day.
The shopping expedition turns out to be horribly boring. Mags picks up her medicine, a few groceries for the rental, and exactly four candy bars.
“That was it?” I ask Mags as we stop by the house to drop off the items before going back to the Gradys’ manor. “We had enough extra to buy candy, anyway. Why did you need to wake me up for a special trip?”
She rolls her eyes as she knocks on the door to the bedroom I share with Kip to give him his candy. “Can’t you just enjoy spending time together for once?”
“Me? You, ma’am, are the one who’s always got some scheme brewing.”
“Moi? I object to any accusation that I don’t have pure intentions.”
Kip pokes his head out of the door and looks at the candy bar in Mags’s hand. “What’s this for?”
“Take it.”
“Why?”
“See? Even Kip doesn’t trust it.”
Mags pouts and tosses the candy at Kip. “Why doesn’t anyone trust me around here? I work and slave for you people, and this is the thanks I get.”
“You con people for a living, Mags.” Kip sniffs the candy bar and inspects the wrapper.
“It’s just fucking candy, Kip. Ask your brother; he came with me to buy it.”
Kip’s jaw drops. “You bought the candy? This isn’t some five-finger discount deal?” He lets out a low whistle. “And it’s the fancy stuff, too. What’s the occasion?”
She grunts with frustration and crosses her arms over her chest. “Why does there have to be one?”
“No reason. I’m just going off of past history.” He unwraps the candy and takes a bite. “I’m grateful you thought of me. Did Kaden tell you this is my favorite bar, or was this coincidence? I don’t remember ever telling you I loved Jimmy Bars.”
I open my mouth for a snarky comment, but then I realize I don’t have one.
I know I never told Mags about Kip’s favorite candy.
For that matter, I never told her mine, yet she bought me a Zork Bar without hesitation.
I suspect this was an altruistic mission on her part, though, and now I feel shitty for harassing her about it.
Before I can reroute my train of thought to an apologetic track, Mags storms down the hall and back out the door. It slams shut behind her, and seconds later the car peels out of the driveway.
Guess I’m walking back to work.
“What was that about?”
I sigh and pat my twin on the shoulder. “I pissed her off, and you helped fuel the fire when you acted like the candy bar was poisoned.”
“Oh.”
“She’ll get over it.” I hope.
“Do you need to stay here tonight? Like, is it nuclear-level pissed or just run-of-the-mill pissed?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I think I’m safe to go back to the Gradys’ place tonight. It’s a more public setting; if she murders me there, she’s more likely to get caught.”
I nibble on my Zork bar as I trudge back to the manor, slightly hating myself for being an ass.