Page 108 of Rut Bar

“Of course. Seemed important that you know we want you, not Rut. Rut is yours and it always will be. No matter what.”

Nicky shrugs. “It is unusual to be hired by the party who wouldn’t get anything if the pack were to dissolve… but my cousin’s always done things his own way.”

“Can I see that?” Brendan asks. When he reaches for the contract, I let him take it. He spends a few minutes reading through the dense text. “He’s right. It’s all pretty standard. Do you have a pen? Mine is blue and I know they prefer black ink for contracts.”

Nicky takes his fancy gold and black pen from his breast pocket and hands it to Brendan in exchange for the ID from his wallet. When Brendan swivels the tip out and sets it to the first tabbed line, I feel a brief flicker of alarm. This seems permanent. Like a really fucking big deal. Shouldn’t we talk about this first?

“Wait.” Everyone stops and stares at me. Do they really want me?Me.Forever. I’m a workaholic. Stubbornly independent. Bitchy. A poor excuse of an omega who doesn’t want the normal omega things. A house in the suburbs. Two point five kids. A fenced yard for the dog. You can’t bring a dog to a strip club, let alone a baby. What if they tire of this life? The grind? Late nights and early mornings? Of me? What if I don’t suddenly turn into the perfect omega one day?

“Are you… sure?” I ask, scared of their answer.

Brendan’s smile is small, but sincere. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.” He ducks his head and scrawls his initials on the line, then flips through all the pages until each one is marked. After he hands the drying document and pen back to Nicky, he grabs me by the nape of my neck and leans down for a kiss. It’s brief and chaste, a dry brushing of lips, but it’s momentous all the same. Because he signed a contract that says all he wants is me, and he means it.

He breaks the kiss and leans his forehead against mine. “You’re everything I’ve always wanted. You all are. We might be unconventional, but if it works for us, that’s all that matters. I couldn’t want anything more. Forever.”

“I’ll text Jamie so he can get his cute little ass up here,” Anthony says as he takes the contract. His phone chimes with the sent message alert, and he pockets that before taking the offered pen. “Wow, that’s a nice pen.”

“Don’t you dare think of stealing it,” Nicky answers.

Anthony snorts and flips to the next page. “I would never. Pens are sacred in the serving world. Here.”

“I’ll buy you one for Christmas.”

“Do you really need my ID?” Anthony asks.

“Yeah. I’m waiving my fee, but I still have to file the paperwork. Consider this your mating gift.” Nicky takes the contract and pen back. “You know your ma’s gonna be pissed if you don’t have some sort of ceremony.”

Ceremony? Uneasiness rolls through me, making me tense again. The thought of having to put on a big white gown and walk down the nave in some church while one half of the pews are conspicuously empty makes me want to throw up. I don’t like tons of attention on a good day. I definitely don’t want to broadcast how alone I am in this world. “Umm…”

“If Ma wants a big fancy church ceremony, she’s gonna have to wait for Sofia to get married,” Anthony says. “We’re doing things our way.”

Nicky shakes his head, but grins. “You always do. Well… is the third guy on the way?”

“Miss Vee? They said you need to see me?” Jamie says from the doorway.

Jamie joins us, and I see he came straight from dress rehearsal. His muscular body is covered in sweat, body oil, and a few flakes of fake snow. His furry brown thong and reindeer horns are for the upcoming Christmas in July set for this weekend. He jingles as he walks thanks to the big brass bell around his neck.

“Oh, this is good.” Nicky laughs. “I’m tellingeveryone.”

“Shut your fucking mouth or I’ll tell your ma about what really happened that summer before senior year with your chorus teacher. What was her name again? Mrs. Esposito?” Anthony threatens his cousin, then turns to Jamie. “Babe… You forgot to put on pants.”

“Nate said I only get five minutes,” Jamie answers. “I didn’t have time to change.”

“I don’t suppose you have your ID hidden in there somewhere,” Nicky says with a pointed glance at Jamie’s impressive bulge stuffing his thong.

Jamie tilts his head and is silent for a moment, as if he’s taking the question at face value. “No. It’s in my locker. Do I need it? Am I in trouble?”

“No, you’re not in trouble,” I reassure him. “Anthony asked his cousin to draft up a pre-pack contract. This is his cousin, Nicky. He’s a lawyer.”

“Oh! Family!” Jamie’s smile is full of white teeth and absolute sincerity. “It’s great to meet you, dude. So are you guys hand shakers or huggers or…”

Nicky holds a hand up to stop him. “No offense, but this is cashmere and you’re very shiny right now. And as a general rule, I don’t make a habit of hugging naked men I just met. Although I’m sure you’re a lovely man if my cousin likes you.”

Jamie looks down at himself, his fingertips brushing over his bare abs. “But I’m not naked.”

Nicky struggles not to smile. “Here, we’re ready for you to sign this. Anthony can text me your ID card later. Front and back,” he says, aiming the last bit at his cousin.

Jamie takes the pen and paperwork and tries to sign the papers before realizing he didn’t swivel the tip out. He tries again, the pen scratching his initials over the paper this time.

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