“If you can see the physician and have all this paperwork back to me quickly, I don’t see why you can’t start as early as Saturday.”
“Okay,” I whisper, looking down at the paperwork, stunned at the turn of events.
“Do you have somewhere safe to stay?” he asks.
“I’m staying at the Luxor.” He grimaces, but catches himself, going back to a jovial smile.
“We have apartments on the basement level, they aren’t amazing, but if you’re looking?—”
“I’ll take one,” I blurt out. The idea of never having to leave these walls until I have a solid plan makes me feel even safer.
“Go see the physician today, and you can move in tomorrow and work Saturday. Leisha will train you and show you around,” he informs.
Thank goodness I’ve already cried my soul out over the past few days or else I’d be crying tears of relief.
“Thank you for this opportunity,” I tell him, and he smiles.
“Carmen is never wrong,” he says as we both stand up. I don’t know what he means by that, but I just nod my head in agreement. Carmen very well may have saved my life from a loveless-arranged marriage.
I see the physician in the afternoon, who puts a birth control implant in my arm that day. He tells me that he’ll send theresults straight to the High Roller and to call them back for the information once I have my new phone.
I stop by the Verizon store on my way back to the Luxor and buy a device with pre-paid data and minutes. My next stop is a convenience store where I stock up on Visa gift cards and grab a gigantic piece of pizza.
Things could be worse.I could be locked in some gangster’s house being forced to do only God knows what. There’s a part of me that is excited about this freedom, even if it is harder than I imagined.
I have a phone, I have a job, and I’m not getting pregnant anytime soon. These are all positives, even though the thought of actually working at the High Roller lingers in the back of my mind.
Am I sexy enough—flirty enough to handle this type of work? I just have to hope that my days of sneaking out of the house and hooking up with my flavor of the month has prepared me for this.
I doubt it.
At least I know I can handle sex with no feelings, it’s all I’ve known. I’m not sure if it’s a me thing or an Omega thing, but I can absolutely enjoy myself with no feelings attached. But then again, I wasn’t usually hooking up with Alphas, just neighborhood boys who had no clue who my family really was. God, what if I catch feelings for one of these Alphas, and they don’t feel the same way?
The spiral is real, and my feet ache as I finally make it back to the hotel. I do my best to stop running what-if scenarios in my mind. It’s not as if they expect me to get absolutely railed by a pack on my first day—or do they?
Fuck.
I toss and turn all night, worrying about Saturday.
3
ELENA
I’mnervous as the bouncer, Roger, grabs my bags and leads me downstairs to the employee’s apartments. He has to put in a code to the large framed door.
“Members are absolutely not, under any circumstances, permitted in the apartments. This door is coded, and then your private room has a private lock as well,” Roger says, holding the door open for me.
“If for any reason you’d like to spend time with a member off the clock, you can use a room in the club, or go anywhere off premise that you please. This area is strictly for Omega use only as well as limited staff.”
The halls are quiet, and he leads me to a door with a shiny silver number three on it.
“This is your room. It’s private, but there is a shared bathroom. You’ll be sharing with Jade,” he tells me.
When I walk in, I appreciate the complete upgrade from what I rented from the Luxor, not to mention how much safer it is. I don’t have to leave this place if I don’t want to. It’s the first time since I left home that I truly feel safe and, honestly, accomplished. My proudest moment before this was my certification. I sigh, wondering if Dr. Conti is going to missme. But getting the job, finding safety, I did this all completely on my own.
Even if I’m sequestered, it’s still better than the plans Anthony had for me. But this feels wholly different, mostly because it’s my decision. All I ever truly wanted was a choice. Maybe if Anthony came to me, telling me the expectation of finding a pack, and I went on a few dates everything could have been different. Instead, he was going to treat me like a bargaining chip, and I just couldn’t stomach it.
“Thank you, Roger,” I tell him politely as he sets my belongings on the dresser.
