A frisson of need coils up my spine at her words.If only she knew what I could really force her to do if I wanted to.It’s because of my nature that she’s sitting here unmolested… not that I can tell her that.
“You were badgering my banker.I used the necessary force to get you to stop.Pretty sure they’ll find me in the right and you in the wrong.But please,” I murmur as I hover my finger over one of the several alarms in my office.“I am more than willing to test this theory.”
As she squirms in her chair and looks away, I can’t help but feel a ferocious sense of accomplishment.I didn’t even have to use my command on her.Just my words alone put her into a state of delicious submission.Ugh.This is madness.
Perhaps it’s been too long since I’ve had those needs met.It’s not like I’ve really had the time to take care of my primal urges.As the acrid stench of her fear mingles with something else, a sweet undertone that I can’t drive from my mind, I find myself determined to make an appointment with a rut clinic after she leaves.
I have to.If I’m losing my sense of strength and calm over this unknown omega, then what will happen to those other omegas working under me?They trust me to keep them safe and not use them for my own vile needs and perversions.
Minutes tick by as Noelle Hayes remains silent, and so I take my finger away from the alarm button and go back to studying her account.It’s a mess.From what I can see, there’s so many overdraft charges that I almost can’t make sense of the figures in front of me.Or is that her scent muddying my senses?
Dammit.I can’t concentrate when she smells like temptation and fear wrapped up in one fucking enticing bow.Forcing my brain to focus on the numbers, I let myself fall into the safe lull of adding and subtracting in my mind.It’s not quite the same as baseball stats, but it will have to do.
“Look over those papers.Are any of these charges fraudulent?”Peering at the details of each purchase, I notice many of them are ACH automatic withdrawals, things that should be protected.
But then I read who they’re from.Cheap ass suppressants that are no doubt going to fail her at some point, health insurance that’s mid at best, but probably all she can afford, car insurance for what I’m assuming is an ancient car based on the rate, and an even cheaper internet company I’m very familiar with.
The only things that might be suspicious are some of these streaming channels.Honestly, they look too juvenile to be hers.Perhaps some of those are fraudulent?Unfortunately, one look at her tear-stained face tells me they’re all legitimate.
“I don’t know how this happened,” she whimpers as she buries her head in her hands.“I searched each line.Everything is legitimate.They just weren’t all supposed to come out right now.”
My heart clenches as I hand her a box of tissues.How I wish I could save the day and swoop in to rescue her.Unfortunately, my hands are tied.I can’t cancel out purchases and debits that are genuine.Even if I manage to erase all the overdraft charges, it will still leave her with a negative balance.Every purchase that comes out will trigger an overdraft fee.
“Didn’t you check your app?Weren’t you able to see you were getting close to your threshold?I don’t understand how you could get into this much trouble without knowing anything.”
“An app?”Her eyes widen for a bit as she looks between her phone and me.“I didn’t know there was an app.”
Gritting my teeth, I look again at who opened her account.Thankfully, he no longer works with us.More than likely, this isn’t the first customer he screwed over.Unfortunately, it means I can’t drag him into my office and rip him a new one.
I reach out my hand.“May I?I’ll need access to your phone.”
Her face looks absolutely miserable, but she complies.Honestly, everything I do is in her best interest anyway, so fighting would do absolutely nothing for her.
“I just wanted to get my brother a Christmas gift.That’s all,” she murmurs so softly I barely hear it as I download the app.
No doubt it wasn’t meant for my ears, anyway.I do my best to ignore the pain drifting off of her.It threatens to choke me, nonetheless.After a few more minutes, I hand it back to her and give her simple instructions on how to check it and what to look for.
“I’ll be honest with you, Miss Hayes,” I grumble as I lean back in my chair.“It doesn’t look good at all.”Though I detest the air of despair swirling around her, I cannot lie to the poor woman hunched in front of me.
“Isn’t there anything you can do?”
A heavy sigh slips through my lips as I lean back in my chair.“Even if I take out the overdraft fees, you’re still stuck with the original debt.Are there family members you can borrow money from?Anything like that?”
Though I didn’t realize it was possible, the sorrow only grows worse.“It’s just me and my brother.Can I get a loan?Just something until I’m paid again?”
With a quick stroke of my fingers, I type in a bit of information and let the program do its job.It would be nearly impossible to get her a loan with her account being so new, and that’s not even including factoring in her debt or other markers we look for.And, as I thought, she’s denied.
“Sorry.You’re not approved through us.I really wish there were something.”
Again, my gut clenches as she dabs at her eyes, every inch of her distraught.If only they didn’t look at our personal accounts so closely or so often.I have more than enough to cover this and give her a good Christmas.Unfortunately, it would be career suicide.
Is it really worth it for someone I don’t even know?Fishing around my desk, I pull out a few gift cards that are close to expiring and slide them across the desk.
“It’s not a lot.Twenty dollars on each, but they are good at several local grocery stores.At least with this, you won’t go hungry.I’m also taking the overdraft protection off your account.This way, you won’t rack up any more fees.Until the balance is positive, you won’t be able to use your card.Do you understand?”
She simply nods as she looks down at the garish holiday gift cards.
“Your words, omega,” I growl softly as I demand her attention.
