Page 4 of Such a Fierce Omega
I slipped out the back door after my shift ended. We were paid weekly but in the meantime, I was running very low on cash. But I still had money on the gift card I was given by the club, one I could use anywhere. I’d bought the cheapest non-slip shoes I could find and pants from the thrift store. The club provided some T-shirts on my first night, so there was money left over.
Cuffed served food, and we were allowed one meal per shift, but the night had been so busy I’d had only a few mozzarella sticks to tide me over. I was starving.
A tiger had to eat, right?
I walked into the market on the way home and picked up ground beef and hamburger buns. It wasn’t steak, but it would do. After adding cheese and ketchup, I had thirteen cents left on my card. Without this job, I didn’t know how I would’ve survived.
At home and cooked up as many burgers as I could. I ate four of them and saved the rest for another day. I should’ve been more prudent with the money I had left, but I was so hungry, and my tiger needed meat.
After dinner, I cleaned up but was too awake to try and sleep even though it was almost two in the morning. Now would be a great time to take my tiger for a run, but I didn’t know the city well enough. Perhaps there were designated areas for shifters to run but there was no one to ask.
I could ask someone at work but if they wanted to show me and then maybe shift with me? Nope. Not taking that chance.
I took a hot shower, rinsing the night away but as I slipped between the sheets for the night, my thoughts drifted back to the alpha I’d seen.
I’d taken a stroll past the main floor stations and peeked into a few playrooms on my breaks, seeing things that intrigued me. Was the alpha into spanking? Would he like to strip my pants off, bind me onto one of those pieces of furniture, and spank my ass? Or maybe the cross thing? TI shivered at the thought. Talon, the man who interviewed me, played with fire, rolling balls of flame over his bare skin without leaving a single mark. I didn’t know about that one but honestly, I was open to testing out the waters, with the right person.
Could that alpha be that person?
I slapped my palms down on either side of me, getting ahead of myself. One smile passing in the hallway set me to planning on all kinds of things. The man probably hadn’t even noticed me. A random worker who smelled like dish soap and kitchen things.
I had to focus on my job and saving as much money as possible to get out of this place.
Chapter Four
Darsh
The paperwork for my investment was done in a flash, and just like that I’d gone from rodent prison to the job of my dreams. If only I knew what it was. Of course, I had a title—owner. But each of the others also had a specific responsibility or two. I could have upped my investment and not taken a job, but why would I do that? In leaving my previous employment, I hadn’t had retirement in mind.
Walking into Cuffed for the first time as an official owner, I paused with the intent of handing over my phone then chuckled. With members who were celebrities, politicians, and just individuals who didn’t want their private business on the internet, I understood why phones with their cameras and recording software were a no-no. With my former company, my visits to the club would have also been a problem. One more reason I was glad to have left it behind.
I didn’t need to hide my lifestyle from anyone who mattered.
But when I arrived on the main floor, I hesitated. Sure, I had every right to be here, and my annual membership had been refunded once my purchase funds were transferred to their account. I was no longer a member but a business partner to males I’d admired since I met them. And they seemed to have everything covered that required management’s day-to-day input.
Maybe I could polish the dungeon furniture or restring the spiderweb. Not that it was made of string or that I had the skill. I needed to get serious and come up with a good idea. One of the reasons they’d been open to additional investors was the expansion to the buildings on either side. Although walls had been built to hide the yards in between so they could be used bymembers without being observed, the front entrances remained virtually the same. Cleaned up, polished, and with neat potted trees on either side of the door, they had the appearance of other homes along the street, only neat plaques with the address and Cuffed marking them as different.
Inside, the major construction had been completed, Bronson told me, but the finishing was about to begin. Having triple the room they had before, they were still making decisions about the uses of various areas.
Perhaps I should take a look around and see if I could come up with any thoughts on what my job should be here. Worst case, I could take some shifts as dungeon monitor, as all the other owners did from time to time. I enjoyed the idea of being here and productive. With that in mind, I pivoted on a heel and started for the hallway where management and administrative offices lay. An exit there led to the walled in outdoor spaces. One hand on the doorknob, something caught my attention. Coniferous forest and running water, a scent that took me to places I’d only seen on wildlife shows. Wild and mysterious. And the scent came from an omega who stood in an office doorway, stealing my breath.
“I’m sorry, sir,” he said cheeks pinkening as he made to pass me. “I was just on my way back to the kitchen. I had forgotten to fill out one of the forms for HR.”
As he made to pass me, I held out an arm, stopping him. “Are you free for a few minutes?”
“I’m on a break, yes.”
Unsure if what I was doing was even okay, I asked, “Then would you like to come with me on my self-guided tour of the building next door? The one on the left,” I clarified.
“I-I don’t know. I only have a little time left, but I would love a peek.”
Dropping my arm, I waved him back in the direction he’d come. “Then let’s go. We have to make the most of our time together.”
He paused, eyes widening, before starting off, and I winced. I’d made a work thing sound like a date. Had he taken it that way? Would I mind if he had?
No…but my partners might.
As we left the building and entered the little’s play yard, I said, “I appreciate your coming along. There are still a lot of decisions to be made and the more viewpoints the better.”
