Page 3 of Bonded By Christmas
“I’m shocked some handsome feral alpha hasn’t snatched you up for his very own,” Mark says, quirking an eyebrow.
“We have lost three employees to bonding since we opened,” I admit. “But alas, no handsome alphas have attempted to woo me into being their sugar baby. So, here I am, working to pay bills.”
Mark and Dan tip me two hundred dollars after their visit. They usually give me a hundred, but they doubled it as a Christmas gift, which was a thoughtful surprise.
I flip the switch on the wall outside my room to indicate it’s ready to be sanitized and drop the sheets into the laundry container at the end of the hall.
The front desk gives us thirty minutes between clients so the rooms can be thoroughly cleansed of any lingering smells from other alphas. Which brings me to the only major annoyance that I have with this job.
I have to change clothes and shower between every appointment. No two alphas who come in for pheromone therapy are exactly alike, but most don’t react well to the scent of other alphas. Even smelling another alpha’s scent mixed with the omega’s scent they’re here to enjoy can agitate them.
Some are further gone to the decay than others, but it’s best not to risk it. Hence why I shiver as I jump into a fresh set of pajamas, following my shower. The wet hair during the middle of winter is by far the worst part.
It’s worth it, though.
Pulling my hair up into a messy bun, I close my locker. I need to check my schedule to see what’s next.
Chapter Two
Lacey
Idon’t even make it to the check-in desk before Tommy flags me down in the hallway. He towers over me as I come to a stop at his side. My fuzzy slippers are warm and damn comfortable, but they don’t give me any additional height. I’m already on the shorter side for an omega at five-five.
“What’s up?” I ask the new security officer.
He’s only been here a few weeks, and it shows. He’s late twenties and big for a beta, but he always seems nervous, like he’s just waiting for something to go wrong.
“Your next client refused to be strapped down,” he says, glancing toward the door to my room. “I think you should cancel the appointment. I got bad vibes, Lacey.”
“Is it a first appointment? Like the first time he’s been seen here?”
The facility has a policy recommendation that all alphas should be restrained during their first three appointments.
Muzzles are also highly recommended.
After the third visit, there are no suggested protocols, and it’s left up to the omega on which safety precautions they want implemented.
Some of the employees require their clients to wear a muzzle and restraints during every visit, even after they get to know each other.
I don’t blame them a bit. Whatever makes the omega feel most at ease is what’s going to allow them to have a successful session.
I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum.
I don’t feel comfortable seeing anyone being restrained. It was a reaction I never could have expected, but it makes my skin crawl, especially seeing them locked in one place while being muzzled. The few times I tried, it left me so uncomfortable that the entire session was ruined.
Muzzles alone are a different story. I’m not opposed to them during the first couple of appointments, because it can prevent unwanted bites, but omegas can decline bonds, so sometimes even those seem unnecessary.
It’s not like if one of the alphas did manage to bite me that I would be forced into a lifelong connection.
That’s silly.
I’d have to heal from a bite wound, but that would be the extent of my suffering, while the alpha would experience declined-bite backlash.
It’s Mother Nature’s way of ensuring that all bonds are consensual. I can’t even imagine a world where every bite formed a bond. To form that kind of connection, there has to be intent when the alpha bites and acceptance from the omega to forge a link.
Technically speaking, it could be an omega, beta, or another alpha on the receiving end of the bite, but no matter their designation, they would have to accept the connection for the bond to snap into place.
Once that bond is present, nothing can break it. They can’t be dissolved or wished away. Although they can be chemicallyeased. The point is, these people are here for help. They want to get better—to prevent the decay from worsening. So, I do everything I can to put them at ease.
