Chapter Seventeen
Ches
One minute, I was at Grant’s side, taking in the tour and the details of the club, and the next, I was being whisked into a fancy car with a driver and being taken to some local boutiques and out for lunch.
Thanks to Grant’s style choices, I was well dressed and ready for the day.
The omegas, mates of the club owners, talked about things like their kids and babies, and it was enjoyable to hear them get along and be friends. I didn’t know why, but I expected them to keep to themselves. Maybe that was just me.
“So, Ches, how long have you and Grant been together?” one of the omegas asked. I’d forgotten his name already.
I opened my mouth to answer, but another one chimed in. “You two are so cute together. He watches your every move. It’s like he can’t look away.”
This went on for over five minutes before I cleared my throat and interrupted. “We’re not together. Yet. I don’t think.”
Silence filled the car.
“What do you mean? My wolf can feel the mating connection. We assumed…” Striker, I did remember his name, shifted in his seat. I’d made them uncomfortable. Or maybe they made themselves awkward. I couldn’t tell.
“He saved me,” I said, shrugging. Not one of my finest moments, but it was the truth. “There was a guest, an alpha, and he and some of his thugs tried to kidnap me. They drugged me and I don’t know what else they were intending, but Grant burst into the room and rescued me. That’s how we met.”
The other omegas swooned. “Your knight in shining armor,” Rowan said as the car stopped in front of a high-end boutique.
Before we left, Grant had slipped some credit cards into my hand and insisted I have a good time.
It was strange there were no parameters on a good time, so I didn’t know if I could get a snack or a steak dinner.
While we shopped in a place that had bigger price tags than three weeks of my tips, I told them the rest of my story. How Grant saved me and then bought the entire resort.
I even included my fit after Alias and Grant forced my hand to tell Human Resources. Hindsight was twenty-twenty, and now, I saw it was for the best but at the time, that was hard.
Some of the other omegas told the stories of how they met their alphas and life with new babies and the strange hours the alphas came home from the club. But they were also members.
Eventually, we made our way to a late lunch but, while the other omegas had bags and bags full of things they’d purchased, I had nothing. Grant and I weren’t mated, and spending someone else’s money felt strange.
The others told me Grant would be fine with it; that was the reason he gave me the cards, but I refrained.
I paid for my own meal, which I didn’t think Grant would mind but, over dessert, the conversation rounded back to me and him.
“So, Ches, what’s holding you back from your mate?”
I shrugged. “It feels like we live on two different planets. He’s a part of this fantastic world with so many things to explore. Money isn’t an issue for him. He buys entire resorts, for goodness’ sake, and I’m a room service attendant who relies on tips to survive.”
Striker nodded. “But those are superficial things. Your wolf…he says Grant is your mate, right?”
“He does. He’s said that since the beginning.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Have you kissed?”
I told them about the dressing room and the kiss. How he held my hand on the helicopter ride and always made sure I was safe.
Striker was right. What in the hell was I waiting for?
“You’ll have the perfect opportunity tonight. I mean, you’re going to stay and have a good time at the club.”
“Yes. But I’m nervous. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and he said we’ll just look around until I’m ready, but what if I disappoint him? I’m a total beginner.”
The other omegas waved my concerns off. One of them sighed. “An alpha like Grant will be gentle with you. It’s fun to explore and see what you like. There’s no pressure from anyone. That’s one of the great parts about it.”
“What are the others?”
Rowan chuckled. “Have you looked at your alpha?”
They all pretended to swoon again.