Time consuming, sure, but we believed it worth the effort.
Alex left me to return to the kitchen and see if the seafood had arrived. He wanted to be sure that the quality matched the price. We were all detail-oriented, no matter what other skills we had. It was why we were a good team, and I hoped would have the club we’d dreamed of. Doms, sure. But also dreamers.
Chapter Three
Rowan
There’s always a time in between jobs where you get a new position but you don’t have enough money to buy the things you need for the next job—because you’ve been unemployed.
It was precarious to say the least.
“What are you up to today?” Artemis asked, knocking on the frame of my open bedroom door.
“I think I’m going to try and apply for some credit to buy the new clothes for my job.”
“So, you got it?” He beamed and stepped inside the room and sat on my bed. Artemis was a good roommate. We split everything evenly and cooked for each other. Never fussed over who was going to clean what and when. We were both hardworking and kept tidy.
“I did. I’m nervous and excited at the same time.”
“What’s the deal with the new cuff?” he asked.
“Oh.” I stared at it. Seemed a shame to take it off when Talon had put it on me with such care. It was a piece of him, to me. “It’s for the club. They gave it to me. It tells the members that I work there and am off-limits.”
“Damn. I mean, what if you’re not on shift and don’t want to be off-limits.”
I whirled in my chair. Artemis was already dressed for the day despite having the day off from work. “I kind of asked the same question.”
“And?” he asked.
“And nothing.”
I had thought about Talon almost nonstop since leaving the club. The way he looked at me. Growled, not in an aggressive way but as a possessive alpha. He touched me with such tenderness. Always made eye contact.
A great urge to please him had taken root deep in my soul. To hear his preferences. To make them manifest and hear the words of praise pour from his lips.
And even, to my surprise, to let him punish me if I did something wrong.
But at the end of every fantasy, reality slapped me in the face with its icy hand. An alpha like that? Put together. Clearly successful, with the most attractive omegas at his feet? Why in the world would he look twice at an omega like me?
I’d convinced myself that my interview was nothing more than him taking pity on me.
And it would take a lot to change my mind.
“I’ve got an idea,” Arty blurted. “How about I take you shopping?”
I laughed. “The shopping isn’t the problem. I have no money. Hence, the applying for credit.”
“Yeah, but anything you order, you’re not going to get in on time. Let me treat you for once. I have a ton of money in savings. I can spare some for a friend. You can even pay me back if you like. Let me help. You have been moping around here for a while. I’ve seen you try and try to get a job. You look so damned happy. Please.”
I blew out a long breath. It felt like stealing from him. Taking something that wasn’t mine. I earned my own way in this world and I prided myself on it.
“Rowan, you’d do it for me if the roles were swapped, right?”
He nailed me with that one. “Yes.”
“Then let me do this for you. I’m offering. You didn’t ask. At least two outfits so you can switch out and wash them. You need to look sharp for Cuffed. That place is swanky.”
Swanky. Not the word I would use, but he was right. I couldn’t show up in one of those button-downs from the discount store. The ones that came with a clip-on tie included.