I return an equally interested smile. And then we swap lots of heated looks while he does what he says and makes my drink like a professional cocktail maker.
“I finish in two hours,” he says, holding my stare even as he hands over my finished drink. “Don’t be getting lost in your head while you wait for me. I mean, you can, but all it’s doing is wasting time… yeah?”
“Wasting time?”
“Don’t play coy, or I’ll be making you beg all night long, baby.”
I laugh, taking a slow slip, letting the straw drag out of my lips. Being a complete hussy, I lick my lips after too. “Yeah, I’m not coy. And don’t call me baby.” Tucking my bottle of water under my arm, I hand him my black Amex.
“I don’t need your money.” He growls.
“And I don’t need your charity. Charge me and I’ll see you when the,” I tip my glass at him, “time is right.” Okay maybe I hold the gaze of his beautiful eyes while I lick the rim of the glass before Tristan’s hollering from the other side of the room saves me from jumping up on this bar and showing this Alpha how much I could enjoy our blazing connection.
His eyebrows pitch and he grins, like he’s more than fine with me making some pretty obvious signals. “I’ll find you.” He laughs before flicking his head, telling me to go.
“We’ll see.” I tease, as I purposely turn away from him.
Despite the sensation of the world pulling to a stop, a cold dose of reality follows as I leave behind a man fated to play a role in my life. Like the drink he made, time will tell what role that is. And despite the initial thrill and excitement, the memory of the last time I met my scent-matched Alpha sits heavier.
Am I a deadshit for not telling my besties about what happened? Maybe. Probably. Do I care? Not in the slightest. Collectively, we’ve been through enough to trust each other. We lean when we need to and deal by ourselves the other times.
“Are you nervous?” Tristan asks as we walk through the auction lots on display, her arm slung over my shoulders. There’s a lot of pottery and art from Unity which is crass.
“What?” I splutter, choking on my cocktail. Her hand falls off my shoulders, and she wallops me on the back, making the drink splash over my hand.
“Don’t die, Ho,” Tristan snorts. “You’re down as the Omega for Mystery Discovery Weekend Away.”
I swear I nearly throw my drink in her face before I decide instead to shoot the whole thing back.
“Who did this?” I ask, shaking my head from the delicious burn of the drink he made.
“We did. We being Sim, Raney, and me. It might be payback for you being you, or it might be because the clock is ticking and you’re avoiding finding a pack… it remains to be seen, honestly.”
I stare at her, my mouth hangs open until I hiss loudly. “You bitches.”
“Not us.” She smiles before she leans over and kisses my cheek, her bubble gum scent cloyingly sweet. “Of course, we signed you up, Ho. You’ll be fine. Let them wine and dine you, make them eat your coochie and treat you like a queen for a whole weekend before you come back and give us all the deets. Having something that goes longer than an hour with an Alpha will be good for you. And you know it.”
I’m still gaping like a fish and hissing like a bobcat. “It is not safe. What if I end up with Lowly!”
“Bullshit about it not being safe. Besides, Lowly need to know other, better packs want your attention, and will get it.” She flashes a megawatt smile at me. “Plus, you’ve got your little tests in your bag, and you’ve got your own team of bodyguards ready to sweep in if the need arises. But the most important thing to remember is that every pack who is bidding has already been vetted and cleared by the Council. So, you’re safe. And if you’re not, we’ll get Koz to shoot some shit up.”
“See you’ve clearly thought about the risk. It’s still not worth it.”
Our argument gets interrupted when the MC announces the auction for Lot 88 is starting. My auction lot. Tris and I both swivel like we’re joined at the hip to watch the action of the auction unfold on a large screen.
Tristan takes a sip of her wine, before whistling. “Whoa, Ho, someone seriously wants the time away with you. Lowly started the bidding at fifteen grand.”
I swing around a glare at Pack Lowly, and Graham winks back at me.
I drop my head on my bestie’s shoulder, snatching her drink out of her hand. “God, this is going to be hideous. I have to endure this for another two minutes?”
Simona comes skipping from the other side of the room, her lips swollen. She makes an elegant spin and stands with us, Tristan pokes her when she’s close enough. “Who did you kiss?”
Simona shrugs innocently. “A lady does not kiss and tell.”
Tristan rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Lucky you’re not a lady. Now spill…”
“Okay, okay, I was making out with an Alpha with a giant dick in the broom closet, happy now?” Simona goes to tell us more, but her eyes flick to the screen we were just watching and they flare wide. “Whoa, whoa, whoa… that’s an auction.”
