“Or maybe…you’rethe problem,” Bellamy said with a grin.
Fitz drew in a breath and chuckled. “I can attest that I have not flirted, touched, or asked any of my co-workers out.”
“But random omegas in the courtyard are fair game?”
Fitz eyed Bellamy, not sure if the man was playing with him or what. “Trust me, if you call this terrible conversation I’m attempting flirting, then you haven’t been flirted with properly, like ever, in your life. And from the sounds of it, I’m not the man to change that anytime soon.”
Bellamy burst out laughing.
It was a nice laugh. He liked the way it made him want to smile.
“I apologize if I assumed your conversation was flirtation. You wouldn’t be the first one that’s taken a shot since I came to work here. This place iscrawlingwith alphas.”
Fitz smiled, meeting Bellamy’s stare. “Well, there are fewer of you than us.”
Bellamy wore a soft smile. “True.” He looked past Fitz’s shoulder. “I think your co-workers might need you in that meeting.”
Fitz looked over his shoulder and saw a co-worker waving him on. He rose. “It was very nice meeting you, Bellamy.”
“Same here, Fitz. Maybe I’ll see you around for lunch another day,” Bellamy said. “We can talk about the weather again.”
Mental note. Start bringing a bagged lunch. Every. Damned. Day.
“I can show you the awesome weather app I downloaded on my phone,” Fitz said with a smirk. He drew in the hint of a scent one more time, trying not to look too obvious. “I’d better get back.”
“Yep,” Bellamy answered with a slight grin before turning back to his roast beef on rye and fruit.
Fitz smiled to himself as he turned back toward Building B. Not even the meeting was enough to wipe that smile from his face.
Chapter Seven
Several weeks later… still in the past…
Tanner wriggled his ass, moving in time to the music playing at The Hollow, his favorite nightclub. The beta who’d asked him to dance grabbed his hand and spun him around before pulling him in close. Tanner let out a laugh, enjoying himself. He cast a glance through the crowd and saw Raimy dancing with a stud of a beta—one almost as big as an alpha. The beta Tanner had been dancing with spun him again, eliciting another cry of pleasure.
He didn’t even know what his dancing partner’s name was, but the guy really could dance—and if experience had taught him anything, that meant the beta might dance between the sheets just as well. They moved to the music perfectly, the heavy bass pulsing through his system. When the song changed, he stayed with his partner, glad to find someone with rhythm and stamina to keep up. But by the fourth song, they both appeared to need a break.
“How about I buy you a drink?” the beta cooed into his ear.
Tanner lifted his stare to the handsome beta. He smiled, nodding. “Sure.”
The guy took his hand and led them both off the dancefloor and outside to the cooler patio. He took a spot at a high table and slipped onto one of the stools. The beta moved in close.
As if he was marking his property.
Tanner chuckled to himself. No one owned him.
No one.
The beta lifted a hand and waved over a passing waiter.
“What’ll you guys have?”
The beta handed over a credit card. “Start us a tab. I’ll take a beer. Longneck.” The beta turned to him. “And you?”
“A huge cup of water, please!” Tanner cried, patting his forehead with his sleeve to dry some of his sweat. He’d learned his lesson years ago. He kept drinking to a minimum, even on wild, crazy nights out with his friends. When both the waiter and the beta eyed him critically, he added, “And a shot of whiskey… I guess.”
“You got it,” the waiter said before disappearing.