Page 15 of A Knotty Choice: The Seduction of Sharon

“Of course. I’ll grab it for you in just a moment.”

The laden tray I carried seemed to gain weight the longer I held it, and I hustled over to the table waiting on their food.

“This burger was supposed to be plain. It has mayo on it.”

“I need ketchup for my fries.”

“Can I get more water?”

I gritted my teeth as the family bombarded me, holding on to my smile with sheer determination.

“I’m so sorry about that, I’ll have them make another right now, and I’ll bring ketchup and another water.”

I was breathing harder than usual when I reached the kitchen window, my skin crawling as more sweat made my shirt stick to me. The sensation had me wanting to rip it off, irritation seething beneath the calm façade I was barely hanging onto.

“That burger was supposed to be plain, bun and meat only. I need another.”

Gary grunted and waved a hand at me as he slapped another patty on the grill. Turning to grab the water pitcher, I almost slammed into Tiffany, a snarl ripping out of my throat before I could stop it.

Gasping, Tiffany jerked back, her eyes and nostrils flaring. She was only a beta, but she acted more omega than I did sometimes, and at the moment her reaction only irritated me further.

I sucked in a breath to calm myself, almost gagging over the scents that bombarded me.

“Table five needs their check. They’ve been waiting.”

“S-Sorry. I’ll get it now.”

Instead of placing the order ticket she held on the clip before heading to the register, she turned and fled with it still sticking out of her fist. All I could do was shake my head, knowing there was going to be another table irritated by the wait for their food. Hopefully the idiot remembered to come back and give Gary the order before being distracted by something else.

“You okay, Sharon?”

My spine stiffened as Frankie’s voice drifted from behind me. I hadn’t realized he’d emerged from his office, but a quick peek at his face showed he’d probably heard my slip.

“Just busy, and she’s making it worse, like usual. I don’t know how you’re going to make it without me.”

His brow dipped as he turned his attention to the younger woman, but he shrugged one shoulder.

“I hired a new girl today to cover you. If she works out I’ll give her Tiffany’s shifts and bump Tiffany to lunch.”

The tension along my spine eased at the reminder that he was prepared for what was coming. My heats had always been fairly predictable, but there was no way to know exactly when they’d start, and I always worked as long as I could. With the way I was feeling, I might have to call in for my next shift.

“That’s good.”

His focus turned back to me, and he gave me an assessing look as I grabbed a fresh bottle of ketchup for my table.

“If you need to go, come get me. Waiting tables is better than dealing with alphas getting stupid over omega pheromones.”

I grimaced at the reminder of what had happened in my first year working at Frankie’s. I’d held out too long, well after the cramps had started and slick was seeping from me in a constant flow, and there had been a brawl between my then-boyfriend and a customer.

“I’m not that close. I’ll be fine.”

Pinning me with his stare, he remained silent until a ding from the kitchen window made me turn away. My burger was waiting, and Frankie had already headed back to his office when I glanced toward where he’d been.

When the night was finally over and cleanup complete, I was grateful for the chill in the air as I stepped outside. If I was smarter, I’d have found an alpha to hole up with for the next few days, or been even smarter and gone to one of the centers for unbound omegas in heat, but I wasn’t planning to do either. Every time I’d thought about contacting someone I thought I could trust to help me through my heat, dark eyes had flashed through my mind, and I’d gotten an unsettled feeling.

Dreams of Alex had plagued me since I’d left him at the club and followed his directions to go home and go straight to bed without washing, but I had nothing more than his first name. Even if I’d been willing to risk trusting him enough to ask for help, there was no way for me to contact him.

And that was just a one-time thing. Alphas like him don’t date omegas like me. They use us and move on.

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