Chapter Ten #2
She feels Alex tense underneath her, as they always seem to when she mentions it.
She's not sure why she can't stop bringing it up, but the confusion plagues her.
She cannot understand why they aren't mated, let alone why they didn't just find a partner the "old-fashioned way.
" They were rich, stunning, kind, thoughtful, powerful alphas.
They could've had anyone. They could've had her, even without the money. Why would they want this?
"We uh—" Alex clears his throat, clearly stalling.
"You could say we had a very specific type we were looking for.
Gwen has been trying to convince us to let her set us up with someone for years.
We only just agreed to let her try a few months ago to deal with our, uh, urges that had become difficult to deal with.
Ten months ago, to be exact, after we met—"
Silas cuts him off, his voice earnest yet casual, not tense and cautious anymore, so she thinks she must not have offended him too much.
"We've dated, of course, but it's been a challenge to find the right woman who fits well with all three of us.
Most of the time if a partner was interested in, say, Alex or myself, she usually was not a good fit for Tomas.
And vice versa. As far as the monetary aspects," she hears the water splash and imagines he is shrugging his broad shoulders.
"We have the money, and it satisfies certain instincts to support our partner.
We also understand if a young woman may desire certain compensations for her time. Women generally prefer younger men."
She whips her head around to glare at him and he raises a brow in response.
"You may be older than me but you're not old. Any woman would be lucky to have the chance to go on a date with you," she nearly growls. She's not sure why his words have made her so angry, but she feels the intense need to defend them, even to themselves.
His smile is startled in response but evidently pleased.
She clambers across their legs towards him, ungracefully planting herself in his lap and tracing her hands over his strong jaw up to his hair.
There's more silver behind his ears, but it just makes him look more refined, she thinks.
They're such elegant men, so sophisticated, especially compared to her.
Everything about her was shabby and second-hand.
"One day, you will find the perfect omega, and she will be so, so lucky," she says softly. Her heart pangs at her words, but she forces herself to smile for him.
His smile turns sad in response, and he leans in to kiss her instead of responding.
When they break apart, his face is back to normal. "Let's get you dry and dressed, then we'll check in with Tomas. I'm sure he wants to apologize again."
She protests that it is unnecessary, but both Alex and Silas hush her as they lead her out of the water and dry her with another fluffy towel before wrapping it around her chest. Their hands gently skim her breasts and the apex of her thighs as they work and she can't help wiggling into their touch, always craving more of them, even now.
There's another gift bag sitting on the bed in the guest room waiting for her, and she finds herself becoming flustered. The gifts soothed some long-ago withered instinct hidden deep in her omega psyche, one that had been trampled to the ground from years of neglect.
It terrified her to think of what she would do when they left her. When they found the perfect omega that they were waiting for. She did not know how she would survive it.
The same way she survived everything, she guessed. With one foot in front of the other.
Today's outfit was a matching vibrant lavender sweat suit with a pair of lavender platform sneakers to go with it. She can't help the squeal of delight when she sees them.
"You're happy? We did good?" Alex asks as she frantically pulls the outfit over her still damp body.
"Soooo good! I look like one of the cool omega influencers on Instagram!"
"You are a cool omega," Silas' lips twitch as he says it, as if he's holding back a laugh. "When are you free next, cool omega?"
"I have to look at my schedule," she says, giddiness still leaking into her voice. "I think it's in my bag."
Charlotte feels the giddy energy turning into nervous buzzing in her chest as they walk back to Tomas' room to fetch her bag.
She had not been upset by Tomas knotting her, but she could not deny that she felt insecure by the way he had immediately left her afterwards.
It was such an omega response to need reassurance from her alpha.
Not her alpha, she corrects herself. Just... the alpha who she was having sex with. And this was the kind of response they were not supposed to deal with, especially because they were paying her. So, she would just have to suck it up.
They find Tomas sitting on the foot of the bed, her bag next to him with the clothes she had worn here tidily folded beneath it.
She notes that the rumpled bed has been put right as well, the comforter and pillows all returned to their sharp-cornered perfection.
His face is taut and his clasped hands rest on his knees.
Her stomach turns to ice at the sight of the usually so unruffled alpha looking so tense.
Was he going to get rid of her because she had resisted his knot?
Was that why he had stormed off afterwards?
Omegas were supposed to take knots easily.
That's what she had read, anyways. Was he upset that he had ended up with a defective one who struggled to be knotted and didn't have a scent?
"Charlotte," he says, looking at her steadily, his voice grave. "Please, come sit down."
He pats the spot next to him on the bed and she drags herself there, icy dread suffusing her body.
"Charlotte," he says again, his voice a little raspy now.
Is this where he tells her to get out? But then why did he have her sit down?
To soften the blow maybe? They were always such kind and considerate alphas, after all.
She looks down at her pretty purple outfit and feels tears filling her eyes.
There would be no more pretty purple outfits after this.
"I am sorry again. I cannot apologize enough for my loss of control. It was truly unforgivable. I have no excuse for my actions, but I will take steps to ensure it does not happen again. If you will consider giving us another chance, I hope you will give me the opportunity to make this up to you."
Her brow furrows with confusion. He was apologizing to her? That wasn't how this was supposed to go.
The look on his face falls a little when she doesn't respond, and he reaches out to hold her hand in his. It's so warm, the palm rougher than the smooth skin of her own hand. He doesn't grip her hard, just offers her the touch, as if unable to help himself from some point of contact.
"You are a beautiful, vibrant, intelligent omega. Anyone would be lucky to have you. I hope you will not leave us over this, but I will understand if you do. We will respect whatever choice you make. The money is, of course, yours to keep, no matter what you choose to do."
Her head swims. Was this a fever dream? Was he making fun of her? Why was he saying this?
"Of course I'm not leaving you," she splutters.
Was he insane? She tries to school her facial features back into some semblance of civility, but she knows she's giving him a look that clearly tells him she thinks he's gone mad.
"We came back in here so I could check my work schedule on my phone to organize our next date. "
He wordlessly hands her bag to her, and she thinks she sees his whole body relax as her words settle over him. The usual cool, calm, and collected Tomas returns, and she feels her own body settle in response.
She rifles through the canvas tote until she pulls her phone out and grumbles as the crack in the screen disrupts her keyboard while she types in her passcode.
"You need a new phone, baby girl." Silas’ words are disapproving as he watches her struggle with the ancient device.
She sighs. "I know, but I can't afford one right now."
Her pay as you go plan regularly ran out of minutes as it was, there was no way she could produce a few hundred dollars to replace it.
Silas doesn't respond, simply hums softly.
"How's the night after next?" She asks, scanning her schedule quickly.
"That works," Alex says immediately. "I want to take you out. Do you like sushi, baby? We'll have a car pick you up at seven."
Her breath catches. They've never taken her out since that first date.
Why would they want to be seen with her?
And what would she wear? The sweater and leggings maybe?
But that didn't seem appropriate for a fancy restaurant, and she knew it would be a fancy restaurant.
She could not picture them slumming it in any of the hole-in-the-wall takeout places that she could afford.
"Okay," she agrees hesitantly, still mulling over what to do.
As they lead her to the front door to wait for the car to come around, Tomas presses an unmarked envelope in her hand. He looks uncomfortable and he shuffles his feet a little, seeming to look anywhere but at her. It's so unlike him, disturbing almost, like seeing a fish trying to walk on land.
"It's for your—" he clears his throat uncomfortably "—trouble. Please contact me if you are experiencing any pain. I will have my personal physician make a house call."
She doesn't have a chance to respond to that strange comment, though, as the car pulls up and she stumbles out the door to climb into it.
Why did they constantly think she needed a doctor?
Sure, she was sore, but it was just sex.
It wasn't going to kill her. She thinks she'd probably let them do whatever they wanted to her, even without the money.
She opens the envelope in the back seat and feels her stomach sink. In it is another cheque made out to Charlotte Hines. In the amount of $5000.00 from the personal account of Tomas Front with his graceful, loopy signature. Once again, she feels tears falling down her face.
This was all a transaction to them. She knew this.
But seeing the proof in her hand felt like a punch to the gut.
If she were their mate, they wouldn't have written her a cheque if they made a mistake like this.
They would purr and cuddle with her and apologize.
She would forgive them and then they would forget about it.
They would have dinner and go to sleep together.
They would wake up in the morning and make love again.
But she isn't their mate. She's just their arrangement.
Their sugar baby. So, they're paying her for, what, damages?
Like this is just a business transaction.
Because this is how they see it. How they see her.
Her heart stutters a little and she feels a small piece of her falling away like a petal falling off a flower that is well past its prime.