Chapter 12 - Brent
I sat on my balcony, sipping my coffee and watching the shifting colors and shadows as dawn light spilled over Harris Cove’s eastern wall.
It was amazing how much life could change in two weeks.
Part of me was surprised that it had only been two weeks since that morning on the beach—a morning that had started just the same.
But instead of preparing to go to the beach, I was taking a break from making love to my new mate. And it wouldn’t be a long break if the prior evening was anything to go by. I’d knotted him several times by dinner, and a couple more between dinner and when we finally went to bed.
Being with him… bonding him… it had been the best night of my life.
And finding him tucked against my chest, breathing my scent in his sleep, had been the best way to wake up.
It made me think of the future, and all we had to look forward to. Maybe a small wedding ceremony and reception to make everything legal. Then kids…
I smiled as I thought about how many times I’d spilled into him. With any luck, he was already pregnant.
The glass door slid open behind me.
“Brr,” Adam said as he stepped onto the patio. “It’s chilly out here.”
“It normally is this time of day,” I replied, then I glanced up at him. He was almost swimming in my bathrobe, but I liked knowing that he was wrapping himself in my clothes.
“Come here,” I said, offering a hand. “I think the chair will support both of us.”
He smiled as I set aside my coffee and opened my arms for him. Then he was on my lap and settling into my embrace.
I kissed his hair. “Do we want to head to your hotel today and get your things, or are we putting that off until tomorrow?”
“I think tomorrow,” he murmured. “I want to spend another day of it being just us.”
“Works for me.”
He hummed and curled against me.
“How are you feeling?” I asked after a moment.
He chuckled. “Weird. The nervous energy is gone, and my instincts seem to be settling, but I’m not back to normal.”
I held him tighter. “Same.”
“I guess it’s normal though.”
He glanced up, and I took the opportunity to capture his lips with a kiss.
We’d known each other for less than twenty-four hours, but he was already my mate—my everything.
The sun peeked over the horizon, officially marking it as the first day of the rest of our lives.
∞∞∞
“You haven’t figured out which bartender is the billionaire yet?” I asked as we sat crowded around a table at Mitchell’s. “It’s…”
“Wait!” cried Flynn, Dylan’s mate. “Don’t tell them! I want to know their reasoning for whoever they pick.”
“Really?” I asked with a laugh.
“Yeah! Nobody stands out, which makes it interesting to see what they decide is proof one way or another.”
“Ok, fair,” I said.
It was interesting meeting my omega’s friends. While I’d met Dylan on Friday, his demeanor was much more relaxed outside of work. Then there was his mate, Flynn.
Adam’s other friend, Taal, wasn’t what I expected. Adam had warned me that the fact that he was white was a running joke. But I couldn’t get a read on him.
Taal seemed excited for Adam, but he seemed distracted. His eyes kept flicking to the table with Beau’s security detail.
Even though Beau wasn’t even working that day. It was also known that Beau’s alpha paid for security on days even when Beau wasn’t there so that people who didn’t know who he was wouldn’t be able to figure it out based solely on the presence or absence of security.
A waitress set a plate of deep-fried deliciousness in front of me, and I was only able to feign politeness for a few seconds before digging in. Between the fate-sickness then following that with making love to Adam for almost two days, I was famished.
And Dylan had just told us that he’d approved for Adam to have the next two days off so that we could recover and connect.
I hoped that Adam and I both understood ‘connect’ to mean the same thing: talking while I was knotted inside him.
“So, Taal,” I started. “I think I might want you to present too, if you’re up for it.”
“Hmm?” he asked, tearing his gaze from the security detail. “What was that?”
“Do you want to talk to high schoolers about why they need to know more about technology than their smartphones and netbooks?”
He chuckled. “I can do that, but I think Adam should break the ice with them. Anything I would say would fall flat if they think that they can do everything from their phones.”
“Fair,” I conceded.
I was about to ask what information he might need from me, when I noticed his gaze flick back to the security table. Then I noticed his scent deepened slightly, and decided to talk to him about it another time.
One thing teaching had taught me was that when somebody was that distracted, anything discussed was in one ear and out the other.
I wrapped my arm around Adam’s back.
There was time. These were my mate’s friends, and it was only the beginning of summer. We could work through presentation details later.
∞∞∞
I’d lived in Harris Cove for over a decade, but had never before found myself at a party like the one I was attending.
I was sitting on a patio overlooking the ocean—on Billionaire Row.
“So, Brent,” started one of the resident billionaires, Wes Abrams. “Adam tells me you teach business technology?”
“Y-yeah?”
What did a billionaire care about what I taught?
“So we build business apps, but those kids are going to be in the workforce sooner than later. If you have time, I’d love to find out what kind of challenges you’re facing, and what you think might carry over. I’d like to be proactive and build for challenges that are just now emerging.”
“Really? Why?”
He nodded. “Of course. And the reason is that I’m a businessman. If I want to keep selling apps and services, then I need to make sure my products are what people want. Understanding and anticipating changing needs and user demographics is a key part of that.”
“You don’t use customer feedback and focus groups for that?”
“Oh, we do. But that’s just one piece of the puzzle, and I want the big picture. So I look for other areas to get information. Besides, I’ll make it worth your time.”
“Wh-what?”
“How about enough for a new computer lab for your students?”
I gaped at him. “You can’t be serious.”
One of his eyebrows went up. “Why not?”
“Thirty machines in just my class, and at current prices… that’s like seventy-five thousand dollars!”
He burst into laughter. “That’s barely a tax write-off, and it’s great PR.”
“You’re serious?”
He nodded. “I am. When was the last time you got new machines?”
“Four… maybe five years ago.”
“Then you’re due for an upgrade. We can make a gentlemen’s agreement. I don’t need to know about specific students, so it’s probably fine to discuss your observations.”
I liked my lips. “I’d need to talk to the district administration…” I trailed off.
“For legal stuff?” Wes asked.
I sighed and shook my head. “No. Maybe… but… The district people would probably try to push back on a donation like that.”
Wes tilted his head to one side. “Why?”
I sighed. “Several things. They’d complain it’s unfair to students at Beachside.
We both had our labs upgraded at the same time, so we’d be running newer machines for no better reason than I met you.
Then…” I blew out a long breath. “There are always people trying to get a piece of the pie whenever a big donation comes in. You’d probably spend as much in legal fees as your donation if you wanted to make sure it only went to the computer lab and not half to football. ”
“What if I just ordered the computers directly?”
“That… would probably work.”
“Great! You talk to the district people and find out if there are any issues from you talking to me, and I’ll get my team working on a donation. We’ll hit both high schools to shut up the people who’d complain about your lab being newer.”
“Just like that? A hundred fifty, maybe two hundred thousand dollars in donations, just to talk to me?”
He shrugged. “I look at it as an investment. If I pay attention, then the ROI should be worth it.”
“It’s just a lot of money.”
He burst into laughter. “That’s what I make, me personally, not Abramsoft, in a day. At Abramsoft, it’s a rounding error. And like I said, it’s good PR and a tax write-off. That’s one thing about having as much money as I do: you learn how to maximize it.”
“Oh…” I swallowed. “I guess I’ll talk to the district.”
“Great. I’m already in contact with Adam, so I’ll text him later to get your details.”
“Ok.”
He grinned, stood, and wandered off.
“What did he talk you into?” Taal asked as he took the seat that Wes had just vacated.
“I… I…” I swallowed. “He wants to find out what challenges my students face. In exchange, he’s going to donate enough computers for new labs at both high schools.”
“Sweet deal,” he said.
“It almost feels too good to be true.”
He shrugged. “Billionaires are like that. You have something he wants, and he’s willing to pay for it. And since he knows you’re a teacher, he made a gamble that your soft spot would be the kids.”
I let out a single chuckle. “He said it was a good PR move and tax write-off.”
Taal laughed. “Sounds about right. So, you gonna do it?”
I thought about it, then nodded. “He was right, the kids are my soft spot. Right now I’m looking at new machines for my classes, and all I need to do is talk about things I observe. I’d be an idiot to refuse.”
He nodded. “Just make sure things are in writing. I doubt he’d back out of the donation, but you don’t want him calling you up in five years to chat and him thinking you’re on the hook for this same donation.”
I chuckled. “Thanks. I probably would have missed it.”
“You’re going to have to talk to the school lawyers anyway, right?”
“Probably. I’ll need to figure out what I am and am not allowed to talk about.”
“Good. See if you can talk to one who handles contract law. I expect a school district has a ton of contracts, so probably has an attorney who specializes in it. Even if they don’t have to review whatever deal you and Wes make, they can at least give you tips on what to look out for.”
“Good idea. What else…”