Page 5 of Choosing Me

Ryder snorts. “I think you and I already did that, Calvin.”

“Alright, alright,” Derek murmurs, his cheeks pink as he taps Ryder’s shoulder. I’ve always found it incredibly endearing how flustered the simplest things make Derek even though he’s mated to a literal porn star. Nights at their house must be fun.

Ryder sits up, stretching not completely unlike a giant cat before standing up and finding his shirt. Derek begins cleaning his station as Parker takes off his shirt. “So,” Ryder says, sitting down in the chair that’s sat in the corner of the room, a smirk on his lips. “I saw you chatting with Mr. Wilson this morning.”

“Did you know his name is Wilson?”

Ryder tilts his head, his brows furrowing. “What? Of course I knew that.”

I narrow my eyes. “Dude! I didn’t realize until this morning!”

“You didn’t know? No. Are you serious?”

“Deadly,” I say with a deep sigh, sitting with my back against the wall, tilting my head to look up at Ryder. I’m mournful only a moment before my lips are stretching into a smirk. “Thankfully he’s not holding that giant fuck up against me.”

“What do you mean?”

My smirk widens until I’m afraid it’s borderline feral but I don’t give afuck. “I’ve finally talked Wilson into having a date with me.”

“Holy shit,” Ryder says, leaning his elbows on my knees and staring at me with wide, interested eyes.

“I know! I’m just as surprised as anyone.”

“What are you gonna do? Take him to dinner and a movie? Maybe a nice long walk on the beach?”

I snort before I can stop myself, shaking my head. “Nothing like that. This isn’t like a date, date.”

“What do you mean?” Ryder asks, tilting his head to the side in confusion. .

“I’m not trying to find an alpha to take home to Mama. I’m looking to wet someone’s knot, if you know what I mean.”

Ryder chuckles softly. “I can respect that. Normally I would say it’s dicey to mix sex and work but uh, we kinda do that on a literal sense.” We both snort and I’m reminded of my brother’s exact sentiment. “As long as you’re both on the same page, I wish you good luck. Hopefully he’ll be exactly what you’re looking for.”

“I’ve beendreamingabout having this alpha on his back for me since I met him on my first day working here,” I confess with a smirk. “I cannot wait for this weekend.”

After that, we make average small talk, chatting about our plans for the week. I complain about my school work and he tells me about some movie he’s going to see with Ben, his best friend and one of our cameramen.

“Ready, Calvin?” Derek asks, making me realize he’s already finished up with Parker. I check my phone, surprised fifteen minutes have already passed with us chatting.

“Ready as ever,” I say, standing up and removing my shirt. In that moment I realize I’m not only ready for my massage but also I’m so fucking ready to having my night with Wilson.

Chapter Four

Wilson

Maybe I should have just stayedhome with Theodore and Frederick. My hands shake and my palms sweat as I stand in front of Calvin’s apartment. It’s a nice complex that seems to be well taken care of. Though it does remind me of tightly packed sardines, if I’m being honest. Having this many neighbors all living so close would drive me bonkers. I like having my own space where I don’t have to worry about noisy neighbors or making sure my music isn’t too loud.

“Okay,” I whisper to myself as I step up to the panel of names, finding Calvin’s and pressing the button. It begins to ring and a moment later the door in front of me unlocks with an audible click. I let out a long breath as I open the door and start my way up the stairs.

It’s been a long time since I’ve gone on a date. It’s been even longer since I went on a date with an omega I was already crushing on. For some reason that just makes my nerves skyrocket even further. This has so much potential for blowing up in my face. I’m terrified, but a long time ago I learned that sometimes the most fun things in life happen when I’m brave despite being afraid. Hopefully, this moment is one ofthose.

I’ve got this. I can totally do this. I’m prepared to wine, dine, and woo this gorgeous omega. Calvin’s worth being scared for.

It’s not hard to find Calvin’s apartment, especially because Calvin himself is standing at the door, leaning against the frame. God, he looks incredible. He’s wearing tight jeans and a black shirt that shows off his lean frame, his long blond hair is down in gentle waves around his shoulders. My breath stutters in my chest for a moment as I take him in, overcome with just how goddamn gorgeous he is. A little voice in the back of my head wonders why he actually asked me on a date, he could do so much better than me.

But like my Mama used to always say about putting on a smile at your job; it’s time to fake it til you make it. I square my shoulders and put on a wide smile.

“Calvin. Hi!”

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