Page 38 of The Beta: Part One

The drive is nice and I choose music that fits my mood. I drive with the windows down and the cool, fresh air is energizing after being in a house full of intense scents for almost a week. I pull into the gravel parking lot and take in the neon signs and collection of mostly different variations of pick-up trucks lined up. There are a couple guys standing at the corner smoking and I can hear the classic rock music playing from inside, I hope it’s a jukebox instead of a sound system and I grab a few quarters from the cup holder between my seats.

The two guys on the corner eyeball me when I walk through the door and the tantalizing scent of deep fried food hits me first thing. I head straight for the bar and order a shot and a basket of chili cheese fries. The bartender is older, but not old; he was probably a big bastard when he was in his prime, and he’s still sturdy and handsome despite his age. I look around the place and notice a big jar with a woman’s picture taped to the front. I ask him about it when he brings my shot and he tells me it’s his mate who needs some hugely expensive medical treatments and I put a few bucks into the bucket.

It doesn’t take long for guys to start coming up to feel me out.

“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing out all by yourself tonight, sugar?” one of them says to me.

He smells like alpha but feels like slime. He has a head full of thick dark hair and a thin, hard mouth that makes him look a bit like a snake, it doesn’t help that he keeps looking at my chest and licking his lips like a snake tastes the air.

“Just after some good food and decent conversation,” I say in my most bored tone. This guy is not it. Just because I’m looking for a partner doesn’t mean I’ll take any partner.

“I can talk to you all night long,” he drawls, and I have to forcibly stop my eye from rolling.

Ugh. He cannot possibly think a line like that would work. I look him right in the eyes, refusing to lower mine like a good beta should, “I don’t know if you have the required vocabulary to carry a conversation with me.”

It takes him a moment to understand that I shot him down, and possibly insulted him, but he laughs condescendingly and says he’ll buy me a drink and I’ll like his vocabulary just fine soon enough.

Sure, buddy, whatever you say.

Then another guy comes up and has a slightly better pick up line, but he still smells like a poor choice even though he’s better looking than Mr. Snake. He orders me another shot and starts the I’ve-never-seen-you-around-here conversation. Before long I’m literally swamped by drinks and bar food and surrounded by males, all unacceptable males.

It isn’t that I’m arrogant, but I won’t fuck a slimy, weak, dirty man who only wants to fuck me because I’m new meat or because he wants to win the competition. None of these douchebags have even asked me for my name, they just want me to bend over for them in the parking lot. Disgusting. And they all smell awful, their shady, oily scents are trying to suffocate me.

Danny, the bartender and apparently also the owner, checks in with me when he brings the next round of cheese sticks that someone ordered for me, making solid eye contact so he can tell for sure if I’m alright. I wink at him and put more money in the jar.

Every time one of these guys orders me something I didn’t ask for I make a point, and a big show, of putting money in the jar. They’ve caught on and instead of ordering more food and drinks I can’t possibly ingest another competition has begun.

Now they’re all trying to impress me by dropping money into the jar, which is exactly what I wanted. When one of them drops a twenty in the jar I get up and drag him to the jukebox and throw some quarters in, telling him I want to dance. His hands on me feel completely gross, but the rest of them catch on, and by the time I’m ready to leave the jar is full.

I use my eyes to tell Danny to put the jar away before I make my exit, and I’m relieved when he takes the hint. “Well, guys, it’s been fun. But I’ll explode if I eat another bite and I need to make it back home before I turn into a pumpkin.”

A few of them chuckle at my joke, but a couple, including Mr. Snake, do not look pleased. In fact, they look a bit angry. “Hold on, now, sugar. Don’t you want to come see what my vocabulary looks like?”

I definitely don’t, but I smile at him anyway and bat my eyes, “I’m sure your vocabulary is adequate, but I didn’t realize the time. I really do need to head home. Work comes early.”

He’s drunk, and getting angry because he’s starting to realize that I don’t give a shit about seeing his vocabulary, or fucking it. “Let me and Barnes walk you out to your car.”

I’m about to inform him that he can stay right the fuck inside this bar when I leave, but another of the less than pleased guys speaks up, “Yeah, sweetheart. We’ll walk you out, just to make sure you get to your car okay and nobody bothers you.”

I don’t miss the look he exchanges with Mr. Snake and who I’m assuming is Barnes. The other gathered males don’t either, but they don’t step in to actually help me, which further cements the knowledge that none of them are worth speaking to, much less taking to bed, especially my fucking bed.

I hop off the stool and look around to try to catch Danny’s eye again but he’s busy on the other end of the bar. I sigh, I guess this night is going to take a turn for the violent, because if any single one of these pricks follow me out to my car I’ll have to demonstrate why I keep a hammer hidden under my steering column.

I sigh again and head out the door, blowing kisses towards a few of the less-skeezy men, just for appearances. Of course Mr. Snake and Company follow me, once we’re out the door I try to warn them. I’m not drunk, I only actually had the single shot I ordered for myself, but they are pretty intoxicated and I want to give them one last chance to leave me alone before I have to make them.

“Boys, I’m fine. My car is right there. There’s no need for you to walk me to the door. I’d hate for any of you to need a tetanus shot for opening the door for me.” They don’t have any scummy banter this time, they just look at each other and silently follow me. Well, okay, then. I tried.

I unlock the door and just like I knew he would, Mr. Snake shoves me into the seat. I was ready and snatched my hammer on my way forward. He’s expecting me to panic and flail, but I don’t. I let him roll me over and then bring up the hooked end of the hammer, scraping up his stomach and chest. He yelps and jerks away and I kick him out of my car into the gravel.

I quickly sit up and smack him in the face with the side of the hammer and kick him back even farther. He’s still too close to the door for me to shut it, but I’m fast and sober and I have time to start the car before any of them try to make another grab for me.

The sound of the engine spurs them into motion and one of them, Barnes, I believe, grabs the top of the door to keep it open when I throw it into drive. I pull forward anyway, if he hangs on I’ll drive him down the road. Mr. Snake scrambles out of the way, I guess he doesn’t want me to run over his foot or leg, and I jerk the door closed. Barnes has to yank his fingertips from where they’re snagged between the top of the car and the door and he howls. I hit the gas and spin out of there. I hope I threw fucking gravel all over them. Assholes.

Devon is sitting on the porch when I get back. It’s one in the morning, I figured they would all be asleep by now, especially considering how exhausted they must still be. “Any luck?” he asks.

I shrug, “Not really. Everything alright?”

He nods at me and I think that’s it, but then he says, “I didn’t tell Jasper you went out. After he was asking for you the way he did I didn’t want to tell him and upset him. And, I guess, since you didn’t find what you were looking for I don’t see a reason to tell him.”

Was Devon really waiting up on me just to make me feel shitty about having sex with someone?

I shrug again. I don’t know what to say and I’m too tired to argue with him, “Okay. I’m going to bed. Good night.”

I hear a mumbled response as I walk past him and go through the door. I decide not to bother with a shower tonight even though I could probably use one, I only have a few hours before it’s time to get up and start the day.

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