Page 15 of Such a Tempting Omega

“Do you want to talk about that?” I leaned in and caught his eye. “Or not?”

“A little, maybe.” He tried to look away, but I held his chin.

“Omega, you have reason not to feel safe with alphas, but I want you to know that I’m willing to earn your trust.” As an alpha, I normally took the lead, but this omega had been through too much. Even as little as I knew about his situation told me so. We were parked in front of a very nice building, in a higher rent district than my home, in fact. He’d told me enough about his membership and home to know that he was teetering on the edge. Going from living a luxurious life to whatever he could manage on his own. I hated that, and my wolf was demanding we carry our mate home to our den and make sure he never had to worry about such things again.

Only, he was coming out of a bad relationship with an alpha/dom who had not followed any of the rules of kindness, decency,or even BDSM. And that meant I’d have to tread carefully. I settled back in my seat but did not release his hand. The connection calmed him and I liked it far too much to give it up as long as he was okay with it. Finally, he said, “I never saw one of the private rooms before. When I came with my ex, we always played on the main floor. In full view of everyone.”

“I see.”

“And it’s not that I’m afraid to be seen or anything, it’s more that he never asked what I might like or if I hated what we did together.”

“He never asked you for hard or soft limits?” I put in.

“No. And if I tried to object, if he hurt me in a way I did not like and I complained, he mocked me or, almost worse, put me aside and made me watch him with someone else so I could see how a ‘real’ omega handled it.”

“You were in a committed relationship?” I asked.

He nodded then seemed to remember to use his words. “Yes. But so much was unspoken. And what evolved was anything but consensual on my part. He chose what we did together and who else he played with.”

“And you? Did you have the freedom or desire to play with others?”

The streetlight bleeding into the car showed his eyes shining with tears as he said, “I never wanted to do that. To me, intimacy is between two or more people who mean something to each other. I know that’s not the same for everyone, and I respect that, but it is to me. So, when he tried to get me to be with another alpha, I dug in my heels. It was a line I couldn’t, wouldn’t cross.”

“I understand.” This was about him, but I wanted to be honest, to tell him where I was coming from and where I saw myself in the future. “I’ve played in other clubs with single omegas, but never one in a relationship, even if they had anopen one. I didn’t judge what they did as wrong. It was just not something I felt comfortable doing.

“And in a relationship, I play only with my partner. Again, not because others make bad choices but because that is mine.” I cleared my throat. “So, anyway, that’s where I stand.”

“Thank you for sharing that,” he said, brushing tears from his eyes. “I appreciate knowing that about you.”

“Just something to be said, since you were so open with your experiences.”

We sat there in silence for a few minutes before Hirsch tugged gently and I released his hand. “I’d better get going. Thanks for the ride and…and everything.”

“Let me walk you to the door.” I started to get out, but he laid a hand on my arm.

“I can make it. There’s a doorman to keep an eye on things.”

“All right.” No matter how much my wolf wanted to take him home to our den or at the very least to take him to his apartment door and make sure he was safely inside, I had to let my mate guide me in the best way to be his alpha.

No matter how long it took.

“Listen, tomorrow I’ll be a Cuffed during the afternoon, working on some sketches. Want to stop by and visit?”

“It’s not a date,” he cautioned.

“I don’t work on dates,” I said. At least, I hadn’t so far.

“All right, then. I’ll see you tomorrow. Probably.”

Hopefully.

Chapter Fourteen

Hirsch

Businesses and I were at a stalemate in terms of me getting a job. I’d applied everywhere. Online. In person.

Some places twice.

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