Page 14 of Lying Lainey

“Not at all. Elaine is fine. I rather enjoy the fact you three are so close and comfortable with each other,” I commented.

There was a slight pause before Quintin stood. “I asked Sarah to bring you up to make introductions, but today you’ll be going through our company onboarding. It’s going to be a lot of watching dry HR-mandated videos and answering questions. Once that is done, we have some legal forms for you to sign before I can give you access to Mr. Norlund’s calendar. Sam can help you find whatever you need as far as materials. You’ll have to understand that while on the trial basis, even with the non-disclosure agreements, there will be some proprietary to the company you won’t be able to know.”

“Sounds reasonable,” I answered. “Where would you like me to do these courses?”

Quintin started to answer, but Halstead cut him off. “In your new office, of course. Even if you’re not shadowing me today, I think getting a feel for how the office runs will be useful to you.”

“Is that computer even set up to access the network right now?” Kerian asked as he headed over to the office.

“Don’t you have a code to work on?” Quintin muttered as he followed after him.

I stood there for a moment then glanced at Halstead. “They aren’t related in some way, are they?”

“Why on earth would you ask a question like that?” Halstead countered, grunting as he stood.

“I can’t put my finger on why I think that, but the way they treat each other seems slightly more familial than coworkers,” I shared.

“Aah, well, that’s simple. The three of us are family to each other,” Halstead stated. “Quintin and I have known each other for almost twenty years, and Kerian joined our company roughly seven years ago. None of us have family around, so I guess you could say we adopted each other. We all own equal shares in this company and have an equal say in how things go.”

Leaning in as if he were going to whisper something to me, I couldn’t help but inhale his scent deeply, almost missing what he said.

“If you want a tip on how to keep this job, know that their opinion matters a great deal to me,” Halstead murmured.

Before I could say anything, Kerian popped his head out of the office. “Hey, I’m gonna need you to set up a password.”

“O-of course,” I stammered, feeling as if I’d been caught in an intimate moment with Halstead. “I’ll be in my office if you need anything from me,” I said, to which I got a grunt, and we both entered our offices.

Kerian held out the black leather rolling office chair for me, and I took a seat. The moment he leaned across the desk to type something into the computer, I was smacked in the face with crisp juniper berry that reminded me of my favorite gin, with the added woody depth of sandalwood and the grounding notes of sage rounding out his scent with the earthy aroma.

Three for three, I really shouldn’t have been surprised. With how close these men were, why wouldn’t the universe decide they should be a pack and share an Omega? As soon as I got back to the apartment, I was going to reach out to the Syndicate and tell them I needed my scent-altering meds and a suppressant. Whatever job this was, it better not take me more than a week—two at the max. I’d pushed this heat off for far longer than I should have to finish the last job. This week was supposed to be spent holed up in a hotel with some random-ass Alpha helping me through my heat.

If the suppressant didn’t work and my heat was triggered, there was no stopping it. Within minutes, I would be in full-blown mindless sex mode, willing to let whoever had a knot fuck my brains out. That was not something I ever wanted to experience again because all I was left with was regret at who I found in my bed and the fear I might be pregnant.

“Elaine…”

“Hmm?” I answered, opening my eyes that I’d closed at some point and found my face far too close to Kerian’s neck.

Jerking myself back, I covered my mouth with a hand, horrified at what I’d done. “Oh God, I’m so sorry. I have no idea what came over me… that was so incredibly rude.”

Kerian shifted so his hip was resting on the edge of the desk. “What is your designation?”

“B-beta,” I answered, pausing a second to clear my throat. “This is going to sound ridiculous to you, but your scent reminds me of my favorite gin. However, that is no excuse for invading your personal space, especially just before taking these courses.”

He smirked at me. “Actually, if you think about it, it’s better you didn’t do it after because then there’s no way for you to claim you didn’t know.”

“Are you teasing me?” I demanded, scowling at him.

Kerian raised a hand to his chest, a scowl on his face. “I would never be offended to have a stunning woman think I smell good enough to lean in closer. That is a lofty compliment if you ask me.”

Quintin, who I’d almost forgotten was in the room with us, cleared his throat loudly. That had Kerian and me sitting up straight like we’d been scolded. “If you’re both quite finished.”

“Yes, quite,” I mumbled, brushing my fingers through my hair, settling myself. “I’m sorry… one of you asked me a question, and I quite clearly wasn’t focused. If you’d kindly repeat the question?”

“We need you to enter a password, must have—” Quintin started to say, but I was already typing in my choice.

The meter that indicated how secure the password was, turned green, and an approving chime sounded. With the password set and accepted, the desktop was revealed, displaying various icons for programs I’d be using.

Kerian let out an impressed whistle. “Damn, first try. That’s impressive.”