I wasn’t hanging up my bratting crown forever, but maybe, every once in a while, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. At least if it meant that my alpha was going to smile at me like that.
Heavy footsteps came down the stairs, loud enough for me to know it was Indi without looking up.
"Whoa, this looks great!" they said with a grin, leading Eva into the conversation pit by the hand. "Did you do all of this by yourself?"
“Well…” I started, but my answer didn’t matter to Indigo, the alpha catching me by the chin for a heavy kiss that made me feel like I was going to melt into a puddle right there on the floor. “I love it! Didn’t they do a great job, doll?”
“I have no idea how you guessed my favorite,” Eva said, leaning around us to grab a handful of gummy bears. “You’re seriously like, psychic or something. Thank you, Joon!”
She straightened, hip-checking Indigo out of the way to take the alpha’s place for a soft kiss.
I caught her waist, pulling her in for another, deeper kiss. “It was nothing, princess.”
“Sounds like a lie,” she said with a cheeky smile, tapping my nose playfully with her fingertip. “I hopeallof your alphas gave you a big kiss for your hard work.”
Marcus seemed to get her not-at-all-subtle hint, tapping my shoulder to get my attention. When I turned my head, the alpha leaned in, and I met him halfway in a gentle kiss that spoke more to me than any of the words the alpha had ever grunted in my direction.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” he rumbled quietly. “You did well.”
Marcus’ appreciation was like the cherry on top of a delicious sundae.
I wasn’t exactly sure why, but I had a good feeling about tonight. Maybe I didn’t need to be jealous of Eva after all.
We were pack. I just needed to start acting like it.
Monday was always a very,verybusy day full of meetings, pretending to care about whatever the fuck Debbie from accounting was planning for Joyce's thirty-year celebration with the company, and daydreaming about Eva.
It didn't help that I knew I had the perfect video on my phone, her wanting eyes waiting for me if I just closed the door to my office and put in my headphones.
But, I wouldn't bother. Not because of some moral high ground about masturbating while I was at my desk, though I suppose it really should've been about that. Company time wasn’t just my own anymore, and even if I rejected most of the typical workplace culture rules by default, the code of conduct had always been a little trickier for me to ignore.
Regardless, some kind of misguided need to abide by the terms of my role as CEO did little when it came tocurbing my enthusiasmfor my newest toy.
My cum had a purpose now, and there was no point in spilling into my hand when I could be filling my omega cumdumpster at any opportunity. I just needed to be patient.
Below me, Joon and Eva’s giggles floated through the floor with a draw more potent than siren song, my already limited patience in discussing Joyce’s retirement evaporating into dust.
The second that Debbie took a breath, I cut over her.
“I’m sorry, Deb,” I said, fixing my face into a half palatable smile. “I’m afraid that’s the end of our time for today. Can you send me the rest in an e-mail?”
The beta let out a hard-done-by sigh from her little video chat rectangle. “Of course, Mr. Lombardi. I’ll have that to you by EOD.”
I’d never quite gotten used to the honorifics in the office, preferring my name more than anything. But Debbie was old school, and this was as close as I could get her to calling me Cameo.
“Great,” I said, snapping my laptop shut before she could rope me into yet another rabbit hole of inane questions.
I swiveled my chair away from the desk with a little sigh, pushing out of the seat to take the small, spiral staircase to the second floor. My steps clanged against the blackened metal as I left my office behind for the space that housed my bedroom, removing my clothes to place them in the hamper now that the work day hadfinallyended.
Movie night was my third-favorite day of the week, lagging behind family dinner and games night, mostly because my packmates couldn’t be trusted to pick anything worth watching. The entire realm of cinematic excellence existed just a click away, and yet I’d been subjected to Omega’s Rut 3twicein the last twelve months.
Deplorable wasn’t evencloseto a strong enough word.
I flicked on the light in my closet, flicked it off and back once more, moving to the far side to free a pair of sleep pants from the drawer that I tugged on over my underwear, leaving my chest bare as I headed downstairs via the fireman’s pole to the right of the stairs.
It was a practical choice more than a fun one, absolving me of the need to count the steps in an emergency situation and limiting the number of times I would need to redo the motion of simply leaving my room.
"Are you about ready?" Marcus called from the kitchen once I appeared in the hall. "They're done setting up."
