Page 11 of No Strings Attached
Shit.
I pull the sheet with me and wrap it around my chest before climbing from the bed to soothe Elias again. “Hey, Elias, we didn’t seek you out. I promise. Maybe I thought your picture was familiar or not, but that wasn’t why we reached out. You have this charm about you and I…”
He cuts me off, his hands tightening around the shirt he’s just picked up off the floor. “How can I believe that?” he cries, like he’s fighting to keep it together. “Fuck, don’t tell anyone I’m an Omega. They can’t know. I’ll lose my job.”
The fear in his eyes tells me that his reaction has less to do with us and everything to do with where he stands in the entertainment world. My instincts keep telling me to drag him back into bed and soothe his panic but I’ve never been good at that—not even with Jamie. Sometimes my touch is just a tad bit rough but this is the first time I’ve truly hated what I’m incapable of.
Jamie sits up completely from his perch on the bed, his hazel eyes narrowing with concern. “What do you mean, sweetheart?”
Elias' nostrils flare, his cheeks flushing red, a mix of anger and embarrassment catching in his expression. “No one wants an Omega out there doing all those things, okay?” he says, his voice rising, cracking under the strain. “And if that…”
I step forward but then Elias cringes back, his shoulders hunching like he’s bracing for something worse. I don’t even have time to feel hurt as Jamie moves past me, closing thedistance between him and Elias in a heartbeat. He lands a soft hand on Elias’ arm, their gazes locking together as the Omega calms once again. His scent hardens and then sours before that sweeter, honeydew rain scent breaks through.
“I don’t understand why you can do that,” Elias pushes out. “It’s like when you touch me, everything else is gone. I don’t get it.”
I need to touch him. Hold him. Promise him that I’ll ruin the world for him. That I’ll get rid of the forces in his life that have tried to trample him. Those thoughts are irrational but there’s no mistaking that this beautiful Omega ismine,ours.
Testing my luck, I step forward again, this time offering my hand. He hesitates, almost as if he’s not sure he can have this before leaning forward to nuzzle my palm, his nose dragging along my flesh as he soaks up my scent. My heart skips, a smile tugging at my lips as I feel him relax just a little more. “There’s nothing to understand when it comes to biology, baby. We either accept it or reject it.”
He doesn’t look at me this time when he speaks, still drinking up my scent. “I’m terrified of what that means.”
I hum in the place of a response, letting my thumb run alongside his beard. I’ve never met someone more perfect than Elias but I also know he’s terrified—maybe of us, this dynamic, or maybe something else entirely. Whatever it is, I won’t push. “Well, we’ll see each other tonight, yes?” It was a gamble even asking the first time. I just knew that production companies, up and coming actors, and marketing firms were invited. It only made sense that Elias would be as well. “Let’s enjoy the evening and revisit this tomorrow. If you reach out, we’ll know this was more than just a one-time thing. And if not, we’ll go our separate ways.”
Elias slowly pulls back, my body moving of its own accord as I step into his space, his arms moving to hold us against hischest. Jamie is in heaven, pure bliss radiating off his face as he buries himself into Elias’ embrace. We stand like that for a while, a rumbling sound moving through Elias’ chest that takes me an embarrassingly long time to figure out what’s going on.
He’s purring for us.
Our Omega is purring for his Alphas.
Olivia
I shimmy into my favorite dress, the deep gold shimmery silk sliding over my skin, hanging low between my breasts, hugging my curves just right. It was Jamie’s present to me a few months ago after I kept staring at the thing in the shop window but never stepping into the store to grab it.
The mirror in our bathroom reflects the soft glow of the fabric and the rest of my presence that I worked hard to perfect. My hair’s pinned up, a few loose strands teasing my neck, and I lean forward to slip on my earrings, little cameras with diamonds encrusted for where the lens would be from last year’s anniversary gift.
Jamie’s reflection appears behind me, his long blond hair loose around his shoulders, his gray suit open at the collar, those white frills he loves so much peeking out. I always used to joke about his ‘theater kid’ attire but he’s one of the few men I’ve watched pull it off with such ease. It helps that he’s not a pompous ass and doesn’t try to show off when he’s wearing it.
He steps up closer as he holds up a gold necklace to match my earrings, my smile widening at the newest addition to my outfit. Jamie’s delicate with it as he lays it on my neck and does up the clasp around the back before pressing a kiss there, his soft lips sending a thrill down my spine. “I fucking love when you have your hair up like this,” he murmurs, his voice low, vibrating against my skin.
A quiet laugh comes from me as I run my fingers along the necklace. “Jamie, you seem unusually excited about this gala,” I say, turning in his arms to face him. He rocks against me, and I feel his cock, hard through his pants, pressing against my belly. He lifts me onto the bathroom counter, the cold marble a shock against my thighs, and kisses me deeply, his tongue teasing mine. I pull back, laughing again. “You’re going to mess up my makeup!”
“And I’d be worried if my beautiful goddess actually wore any,” he muses, his hazel eyes glinting with mischief, his hands settling on my hips.
I tilt my head, studying my husband, the flush in his cheeks and the way his body’s practically buzzing. “You’re excited about seeing him again, aren’t you?” It’s been barely two hours since we left the motel, his scent still lingering in my nose. A piece of my heart went with him, and I know Jamie feels it too, that pull that only biology can explain.
His eyes light up, his hands tightening on my waist. “Did you feel how perfect his hands were?”
I wrap my fingers around the front of his neck, tugging him closer, my thumb brushing his jaw. “I did,” I purr, “and I loved watching him fuck you. Goddess, he left so many pretty marks on you.” My fingers trace down his neck, over the faint bruises and red marks Elias left, a claim he probably didn’t even realize he was making. Jamie responds with his own purr as my touch lingers, his skin warm under my fingers.
“I don’t even want to go anymore. Can we just call Elias over?”
I snort, shaking my head. “You’ll terrify him,” I tease. “We both will. I know we want to give him more, babe, but we have to pace ourselves. Slow and steady wins the race.” I want to fight myself over those words because in reality, I’ve been holding myself back from sending him a message. We exchanged our information before he left and I’ve been fighting the urge to call him, check up on him, and even ask him to skip the gala altogether but I won’t add to his distress.
I want to be a place he runs to, not from.
I’ve never been a fan of these galas and fundraisers which are just disguises for the entertainment world to get drunk, hook up, and not pay for the damn consequences later. However, it’s also the perfect time to network and we need all the visibility we can get.
One heavy sigh later, Jamie pulls open my door and walks me up the marble steps, my short heels clicking on the surface as we go. It feels almost deafening despite the gala in full swing, the air buzzing with chatter and the clink of glasses. And now suddenly everything feels too tight, too much, a reminder of the role I’m playing tonight—professional, polished, the face of Dane Productions.
