Chapter 9 #3
“Are you in the mood for pizza or something else?” he asks, helping me out of my protective coat when I begin to struggle a bit.
“Mmm. Pizza sounds really good,” I groan, walking out of the room to grab my things. “Thanks, Roberta! We had a blast.”
“See you next time,” she says. I still think she could make a fantastic serial killer with her moody personality. “Good seeing you.”
Together, Atlas and I grab some pizza. Glancing at my phone, I see there’s a photo from an hour ago of Briar and Jude playing Go Fish. The only kind he and I play is the stripping kind, so this should be interesting.
“What is it?” I smile tiredly at Atlas as he asks me, but it's a happy tired. I am having so much fun, I just need a little fuel to keep going.
“Our omegas are having fun, and I love it. See how big their smiles are?” Holding the phone out, I show him the photo, and he huffs out a satisfied grunt.
“What are they playing? Out of all the games Jude pulled out, they settled on a card game?” he asks.
“I have a feeling you’ll see why,” I say, taking the bags from the record store so he can pick up the pizza boxes.
“That’s not scary at all, Willow.”
“It’s fine,” I grin. “I just want to see who won.”
Shaking his head in confusion, he walks home with me. The stairs are rough on my thighs after walking all over town, and I groan a little as I reach the top step. Jude and I are happy for now in the apartment. Maybe we’ll look at houses further into the future.
When I chose this building, it was because it seemed like the safest option. I meant it when I said I wished I had known Widows Peak existed when we moved to Colorado.
No one knows why things shake out the way they do, and I believe in fate.
Unlocking the door, I push it open slowly, stopping when I see Briar curled up in Jude’s arms. There are clothes tossed all over the floor, and they’re sleeping in their underwear.
Jude may be in the lead only because he’s still wearing both socks, judging from how they’re peeking out from under the blanket covering them.
“Briar doesn’t nap, huh?” I can’t hide my smugness as I open the door for him to enter the apartment behind me. He motions for me to close the door quickly, and I think it’s sweet that he doesn’t want to expose our omegas to the elements, even though no one is in the hallway.
I make sure not to make a sound as I cross the apartment to put away my purchases and pull down plates.
“What kind of game becomes the equivalent of strip poker?” Atlas hisses, his lips split wide in amusement and desire.
“Strip Go Fish,” I giggle. “Jude and I play it a lot, and it looks like he was winning.”
“How do you figure?” he asks, craning his neck to count articles of clothing. “Oh. I can just see Briar’s panties from here. It was a close game. He must be over the moon that he’s winning.”
“I think he’s dreaming about stripping off the rest of her clothes, judging from the erection he’s sporting. We should let them sleep,” I say quietly. “They both keep odd hours with their jobs, just like you do.”
“I’m not at the club every night though.
I have managers for the day to day stuff,” Atlas says, keeping his voice down as he puts down the pizza boxes.
We’ll reheat slices for our omegas in the air fryer when they wake up.
I’m not worried about it. “Do you want to do some work while they’re sleeping?
I have a purchase order I need to get in that I can do on my phone.
Maybe if we’re both working side by side it may help? ”
“I… Yeah, actually that may work.” There’s surprise in my voice as I put together what he’s actually offering. I hear about body doubling all of the time, and I do it for chores with Jude. I just didn’t think about practicing this for my job.
“If this works, we should video chat each other when you need to get shit done,” he says, handing me a plate with three pizza slices. I love that he naturally figured I was starving, because I am.
Moving to a corner of the room, Atlas and I set up our mini office with my computer, his phone, and our plates of pizza. By the time Briar sleepily opens her eyes, I’m almost finished with the website, and I am excitedly sending out my status report to my client.
Take that ADHD! Kiss my ass.
“Did you have fun?” I purr, watching as Jude groans and tugs Briar back into his arms.
“I’m being held captive, and I’m not mad about it,” she gasps.
“I won,” Jude mumbles, burying his face in her breasts. “Anyone up for a rematch?”
Briar plays with his hair, unbothered by how much skin he’s touching. He’s very cuddly when he first wakes up.
“Fuck it. Let’s play,” Atlas says, watching as I put my computer away. “Get it all done?”
“Everything except my final touches,” I report gleefully. “Now, here’s the important question. Strip Go Fish or Twister?”
“Twister!” Jude and Briar squeal, making Atlas groan.
“I’m so going to lose at this,” he sighs, getting up regardless.
“I love a good sport,” I wink, crawling over to Briar and Jude.
If he gets a really good look at my ass while I do it, then so be it.