Chapter 3 #2
My eyes were on Tara’s like lightning, finding her already looking at me in a silent scream at the juiciest gossip she’d heard in ages.
We’d mastered the art of talking without talking, a necessity for when we needed to get our point across at industry events, where I couldn’t just side DM her like we did on stream.
“All the same consent waivers apply, but you’re permitted into the omega-only rest spaces as well as the alpha-only zones. We just ask that you follow our policies while on either side.”
“Understood,” Jessie smirked as Phil offered him a tablet and stylus to sign his consent form through the tragically tight slot.
It looked like the set-up was pretty annoying, but given it was a one-night-only affair, I respected his commitment to the bit.
They looked over the document before signing and sliding the tablet back.
“Excellent, now, Eva. It looks like you’ve created a duplicate profile. Normally, we’d go through the entire rules and heat talk, but it seems you’re not in heat currently. Is that correct?”
“Nope,” I said. “Just here for the event. And I’ve been before, it’s just been a while. Just wasn’t sure you’d still have my profile.”
He nodded. “We retain records for the legally required seven years before their destruction. In that case, I’ll just have you update your stoplight list and general interests and then have you on your way. It doesn’t look like it was filled out correctly the first time…”
The tablet made its way through the little slot again, and I looked at the typed limit list, the little clickable checkboxes beside most items were empty.
“No,” I said, a little embarrassed. “It’s right.”
Though I hadn’t had much practical experience with kink, I did have a lot of interest in trying new things. And since I could change it as I found things I wasn’t into, I thought it was better to leave my options open.
Phil’s eyes widened, making heat creep up the back of my neck.
Tara laughed loudly, drawing the unwanted attention away easily. “Don’t worry, my list was like that too, right Phil?”
He made direct eye contact with her. “I am not permitted to share confidential client data with other members without a release form. Would you like to fill one out?”
“You have a control kink,” Tara accused playfully.
Phil, to his credit, never even cracked a smile. “What colour bracelet?” he asked, pointing to the little chart affixed to his wicket after I’d signed the consent form and pushed the tablet back.
Green for open to all encounters.
Yellow for cautiously open to play with others.
Red for no interest in playing with others.
Straightforward and clear. I liked that.
“Um…” I hesitated, stuck somewhere between green and yellow. Deciding that I’d come here to let loose, I cleared my throat, my voice coming out more sure than I felt. “Green.”
“Yellow,” Tara and Jesse said together as Phil swiped Charlie’s credit card.
The beta attendant slid it back through the slot for the alpha to take. “And you?”
“Red, I’m good with my pack.”
“It’s so hot when you say it like that,” Tara teased, her voice going playfully low and growly. “My pack.”
Jesse laughed, helping her into her yellow bracelet before helping me into my green one.
“Bold, Evie,” they said approvingly. “Let’s go have some fun?”
“Safely,” Phil asserted as our group waved to him, moving past the wicket and into the noise and lights of the park.
The ground was plush grass in most places, probably perfect for the activities of the night.
Carved pumpkins lined the walkways with string lights webbed above, giving lots of visibility to all the fun everyone was having.
The rides were all turned on, I couldn’t tell if the screams were from the roller coasters or the other…
activities people were participating in.
The lanes branched off into two directions. From the wooden poster sign in the middle, it looked like there were food stalls to the right and games to the left. One of the wooden arrows caught my eye.
Fright Night Maze.
It. Was. Amazing.
I’d never been to the park at night, and definitely not like this.
People crowded everywhere, laughing and talking and… well, some of them weren’t doing much chatting at all, opting to take the opportunity for a night on display as soon as possible.
“Wow, Phil went all out,” Tara commented, looking around eagerly.
I raised my brow. “How do you know it was Phil? Don’t other people work there?”
“It’s too meticulously put together not to be, if I had to guess, this event is his baby. How else do you explain Captain Big Muff throwing herself at him and getting crickets?”
“Maybe he’s gay?” Charlie offered with a shrug.
“Yeah, okay, and I’m straight.” Jesse laughed. “Not a chance. He’d not at least a little interested, he smelled her before she even spoke.”
I laughed. Having only met the man once, I couldn’t really speak for him, but something seemed true enough about that.
“Thirsty?” Charlie asked with his back to me as Tara fiddled with her packmate’s collars.
“Actually, a drink would be nice,” I said, thinking that maybe a couple of shots would be exactly what I needed to relax and enjoy myself. “Where do you think the bar—” my question died in my throat as Jesse and Charlie turned to me, each with a leather lead hooked to their collars, held by Tara.
Heat that had absolutely nothing to do with my nerves settled in my belly as I swallowed hard.
“Cool, right?” Tara smirked. “Jesse loves to be a good boy, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to take him for a walk.”
Sweet strawberry and earthy matcha swelled around me at the idea of someone putting me onto my knees in a collar and leash, my thighs pressing together a little under my tiny skirt.
A sudden wave of heat crashed over me unexpectedly, but it came just as fast as it left.
Must be the energy of the night around me.
“I see why,” I managed as Charlie bent to nuzzle at Tara’s temple in a firm scent mark. “...Drinks?”
“Drinks!” Jesse chirped, turning to make their way to the bar excitedly, only for Tara to tug his lead hard, pulling them back.
“Ah, ah. You wait for us.”
We made our way over to the beer gardens, dodging people with full glasses as they mingled. Tara got a Jack and Coke, and I ordered the Damsel, one of the speciality drinks of the night, quick to pay before Charlie could swoop in.
When he brought the pink martini glass rimmed with sugar and a cherry, I was excited. It was fruity and barely tasted of alcohol at all—an absolute delight, since I’d never been much of a drinker.
I passed it to Tara, who scrunched her nose as she took a sip. “Too sweet for me.”
“No such thing,” I said with a smirk. I had a notorious sweet tooth. “Nothing for you two?”
“Nah,” Charlie said with a shrug. “We’re on messy omega duty.”
“Wooooow,” Tara laughed. “That’s how it is, huh?”
“Sure is,” Jesse said with a grin up at Charlie. “Though, I could absolutely fuck with a lemonade.”
“You two go on,” Tara suggested, handing them their respective leads. “I want to yap with Eva a minute.”
Both stopped for a quick kiss before heading off in search of the food stalls, Charlie casting a stern look at Tara back over his shoulder in a clear order to be careful.
Jealousy bubbled in my chest.
Even though I was happy for her, I couldn’t help but resent that she’d managed to secure the life I’d be craving—and by accident, no less. I’d always craved a pack of my own, or at this point, even just a partner who wasn’t an insane douchebag, but it was obvious that wasn’t in the cards for me.
Not right now.
Maybe not ever.
“Hey, none of that,” Tara huffed, making me look up at her.
“None of what?”
“That face,” she said, her finger circling in front of my nose. “The pouting. Stephen is a cockhead and doesn’t deserve your sadness. He didn’t even deserve the same air you breathed.”
I snorted at that. Both at the insult and the assumption that I was thinking about my ex right now. “I know, it’s not really that,” I said, pausing to think about it a second. “Okay, well, it’s a little bit. But mostly just… wishing I had a pack. You know, basic omega problems.”
Her face shifted, turning serious in a way it didn’t normally.
“I get it, you know? You’re amazing, Ev.
There’s no way it won’t happen for you. You just need to…
You know…” she grabbed the hand that wasn’t holding my drink, holding it up to show me my bright green bracelet, alerting the entire room that I was down to fuck.
“Put yourself out there. I wouldn’t be surprised if your alphas were waiting for you somewhere in the park. ”
I let out a harsh laugh. “I sincerely doubt it.”
She shrugged, and I could tell she disagreed, but the likelihood of that being true was like, negative a million. It would just be too convenient.
I’d never had luck like that. It’s why I didn’t bother with scratch tickets.
Me and gambling never went well together.
Fucking Stephen.
“Such a pessimist,” she sighed disapprovingly.
“A realist.” I said, rolling my eyes and turning to look at the crowd, a moan nearly escaping me as a whiff of heavy, smoky alpha pheromones met my nose.
“Such a realist,” Tara smirked. “I know what a girl who just smelled a hot alpha looks like, E.”
“Fuck, sue me, it’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, so follow your nose and go find him. And if you need me, I have my phone, okay?”
“I will go—but not to find the alpha, I need another drink.”
Tara seemed happy enough with the compromise. “I need to go find a place to hide from my dogs anyway, we’re playing search and destroy. Mingle, have fun. And if you need me, I’m here, okay? Charlie and Jessie will understand.”
I nodded with a smile that I felt about eighty-five percent of the way. “Go, I’ll be fine.” I had no plans on interrupting her night. Just because I was packless and sad didn’t mean she needed to pretend to be.
She planted a lip-glossy kiss on my cheek before sauntering off, turning to cup her hands around her mouth to shout back at me, “Remember your safeword!”