Chapter Eleven
Hema
Jenny had decided there was not nearly enough fun in my life.
When we met, she’d been anti males entirely, and loudly so, claiming for omegas they were nothing but trouble.
But, from our lunch together, I’d learned she had made a change and now seemed more about using them for a good time.
She was very sketchy about her background before moving to Pleasant, and I didn’t press her for details.
I had my own pain, and while I was comfortable sharing it with her, I held back, for fear it might remind her of her own trauma.
She was a good person, kind, funny, and loved books, but she had healing to do, and her bouncing back and forth in her feelings about men wasn’t going to make that happen.
Were they evildoers to be avoided or playthings without emotions to worry about?
She was gorgeous, and males were always giving her the eyes, so having the trio watch me in the restaurant was quite the unusual experience when with my friend. If only she could figure out where to put alphas in her mind and her life.
I wasn’t sure either attitude was healthy, but mine weren’t much better, so I shouldn’t judge. One thing I did know was that sitting home thinking about those three alphas wasn’t helping my state of mind.
Now that we’d cleared up the matter of them getting married, they saw no barrier to dating me, but only because they knew nothing about me besides the fact that I owned a flower shop. My past, the way omegas were treated, might seem normal to them, but it was not acceptable to me in any way.
And “dating” with shifters could go from casual to marked and mated on the turn of a dime.
Jenny was the first shifter I’d ever met who thought they could just date for fun.
My experience in seeing the others around me growing up was that they either met their fateds if they were very lucky or, more commonly, omegas were handed off to packs that leadership wanted to hook them up with.
In our area, there had been too many omegas for handy and profitable alliances. That was why I was rejected. Disowned.
How could I be part of a system where people behaved that way? These males were intense, and my wolf was all on board, but I couldn’t do it.
I was staring into my freezer, deciding what delightful microwavable dinner to enjoy when the phone rang. A glance at the screen made me giggle. “Jenny. Did you hear me thinking about you?”
“Maybe. I hope it was good thoughts. Were you hoping I’d call and ask you to come with me to the speakeasy?”
“No. I was just thinking of our conversation earlier and your newest thoughts about males. I really think my policy of not dating shifters is the best.”
She snorted. “You don’t date anyone. Not just shifters. All you do is work. So, want to come with me to the speakeasy?”
“Funny how that place keeps coming up. I never even knew it existed until today. Those three alphas at lunch? The flower order for the wedding? They are helping another pack set up their wedding at the speakeasy. It seems that my oglers are not taken, after all.”
“Perfect. You can date them.”
“What don’t you understand about I don’t date shifters?” Heat poured up my neck as I prepared to defend my policy again. “Geez, Jenny. I respect your choices.”
“All right. All right. So, I’ll pick you up in a half hour?”
When did I agree to go? But it was better than sitting around here dwelling, and the speakeasy sounded kind of fun. “Fine. I’ll meet you at the curb.”
“I’m your Uber tonight.” She disconnected, and I went to see if I had any outfit that might be speakeasy appropriate.
I didn’t. Not really. No cute short dresses or anything like that.
But I did have black jeans that molded to my curves and a top that dipped to show just enough cleavage that I wasn’t worried about falling out and creating a disturbance.
Some women struggled to be skinny, but I wasn’t one of them.
After trying to diet in my early teens, I learned that not only wasn’t it particularly effective, it made me grumpy.
Jenny pulled up right on time and gave me a high five when I climbed into her little sedan. “Wow. You did a lot in a half hour.”
“This? I just changed, gave my hair a quick brush, and put on a little makeup. Do you like my boots?” I held a foot up.
“Cute!” She steered onto the street. I could have walked to the speakeasy probably.
I didn’t know where it was or the actual name to look it up, but my apartment was pretty centrally located.
The only reason I drove to work was, I didn’t want to leave my van in the alley all night, and I often used it for those deliveries right after closing.
“You’re going to love this place. It’s in a basement and you have to know someone to get in. And get the secret knock.”
“Are you serious? How does the owner keep the place open if they don’t let in all potential customers.” I tried to imagine running my own business that way and laughed. “Nope. Sounds like a bad plan.”
“It really isn’t. It’s always crowded. I think people like feeling they have access to a private club.”
“Is it a legit business? Like with a liquor license?”
“Oh sure.” She parked in a small public lot and got out. “It’s not like the speakeasies of old. But boy does it feel like one.”
I followed her to a short set of steps leading under an ordinary-looking brick building. “It really is underground.”
“Yes. Now watch. In case you come on your own, you’ll need to know this.” Jenny knocked several times in a pattern I couldn’t quite make out and the door swung open. Wild. “Hi. This is my friend Hema. She’ll probably be a regular now, so add her to the list.”
No, I was not going to be a regular. This was only the third bar I’d ever been in. Not my thing. But as my eyes adjusted to the low lighting, my jaw dropped. “So cute.” In a dark and maybe a little naughty way. “The dark romance theme for the wedding is going to be perfect here.”
Jenny headed for the bar and ordered us each a flight of whiskeys. “They’ll bring them to our table. Come on.” She skirted the edge of a smallish dance floor where couples clung to one another and swayed to the music pouring out of overhead speakers. “What do you think?”
Taking a seat, I looked around again. “It’s very nice. I almost wish I was invited to that wedding. Maybe I should offer to deliver the flowers.” The alphas had said they’d pick them up. Which was another reason I didn’t know where the speakeasy, which I now knew was called The Alibi, was located.
“Good idea.”
The server brought our drinks, and Jenny ordered another pair of flights before we even started to drink them. But I was here to have fun, so I sipped the tiny glasses and we talked about the taste, the aroma, and all the hot alphas on the dance floor.
Then, just as I relaxed, Jenny said, “Oh…look.”
I did. Just in time to see Orin and Sovann emerge from a curtained doorway in the back wall. “Are you kidding me? They must be following me.”
“And here they come.”
“Hi.” Sovann gave me that easy smile that melted all my bones. “If we’d known you were coming tonight, we’d have reserved a better table for you.”
“If you knew…how would you have done that?”
Orin slid into one of the two empty chairs at our table. “Because this is our place. Mostly mine, but packs share everything. Didn’t we tell you that we own The Alibi when we discussed the flowers?”
“No. You were all secret-secret and chose to keep most of the details from me in the interest of the bride not finding out.”
“Right.” Sovann flushed a little. “Sorry. We really should have mentioned the venue I suppose.”
“You didn’t have to, since you were picking up. I was just saying I’d be happy to deliver so I can see the flowers in this space.”
“Absolutely.” Orin nodded. “Just add the charge to the total.”
“No. I don’t even charge delivery on bigger orders.”
“On this one, you do.” Sovann was still standing and he reached for my hand. “Dance?”
“No. I don’t date shifters. I said that, right?”
“It’s not a date.” Jenny slapped my arm. “I’m your date tonight, and here come the whiskeys. I’ll guard them while you dance. Don’t be such a stick up the butt.”
“How could I resist when you’re so complimentary, friend.” But I let Sovann take my hand and off we went to dance. Orin danced the next one with me and when I looked back at the table an hour or so later, Jenny was gone and the glasses were all empty.
“She’s dancing.” Orin pointed across the floor. “Same guy since about five minutes after we came out here. They drank all your whiskey.”
“That’s okay. I don’t drink much.” And I was having fun. No law against that, right?