Page 41 of Bubblegum Pop
Growls rumbled from the three of them behind me, and I bristled with pride. They were my alphas, and they’d defend me no matter what.
They snuck me back to the club after the best night of my life. We’d managed to get ourselves more time, though most of it was spent fucking in the shower, and in the kitchen, and on the bed, and back in the shower. So we’d only come up with a few solid ideas of how to get out of my contract, but I hoped they’d be enough.
Though Benny looked harmless, he was one of the main people who organised my sale. I couldn’t say it was solely his fault, but he signed off on the deal and took the payment. And he was the one that approved that group of alphas.
“We’re scent matches,” I said, biting my lip, giving him the doe eyes and some pretty flutters of my lashes. “That has to count for something.”
Benny blinked heavily, drawing in a huge breath as he scowled. “It’s about as valid as fucking Monopoly money.”
He frowned at us, pursing his lips as he took us in. He shook his head in disbelief before lifting his hand to his forehead and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Jesus fuck.” He swore as he reached for a packet of tobacco on his desk. He was grumbling as he opened the plastic pouch, pulling out a book of papers and started to roll.
“All I’m saying is that I want to be with them.” I added a slight whine to my voice, which usually had an effect on alphas. “Is that so bad?”
“Yeah, it fucking is.” He clicked his tongue. “Candy, honey, listen. You signed a fucking contract. That means you work at the clubs, you work at the spas, you work wherever Michael tells you to work. And that is all you do. I personally do not give a flying fuck if you’re scent matches.” He ran his tongue across his teeth before bringing the rollie to his lips and licked the paper, his gaze darting to my neck. “Thank fuck they didn’t bite you… fucking hell...”
“Is there a way we can pay off her contract?” Zeus asked from behind me, his fingers brushing my shoulder, my awareness of him instantly buzzing. “We all have savings.”
“Yeah? Really? Savings? That’s cute. Because the asking fee is seven-hundred-and-fifty million. You got that?”
“What?” Odin’s heavy tone was loud in the tension of the room. “You mean there’s an actual price? So we could theoretically buy it off?”
“Theoretically? Yeah. But, for you lot? Not a fucking chance. And we only put a figure there to give people hope. No one has ever bought a host. Michael will never sell a host. So don’t go getting any ideas.”
I clenched my hands tight together on my lap, determined to get what I wanted, whatever way we had to go about it. “Well, could we live together? Just so we can stay together, at least?”
Benny ran a hand through what little hair he had, puffing out his cheeks before he continued. “Look, Candy, you gotta understand that you’re goods. You’re a product. We invested in you, we sell you. Your worth is measured by how much people are willing to pay to fuck you. And that product’s being contaminated every time you fuck someone who hasn’t paid for it.”
Another snap rang through the room as three auras flared, though my alphas restrained themselves. If they decided to go for Benny, they could take him out easily, but he didn’t even flinch.
I’d never heard it phrased that way before. I always used words like ‘whore’ and expected others to know what I meant. Benny laid it down bluntly and practically, without any emotion, and it might have stung, but it was the truth.
“You piece of shit!” A snarl tore from Zeus. “Who the fuck do you think you are? How could you say that?”
“Who am I?” Benny raised his brows, notching his chin to look up at Zeus. “Who the fuck am I? I’m the alpha who served my ten years and was fucking dumb enough to stick around to stop love-struck idiots like you lot getting murdered. You’ve felt Michael’s aura. You know he won’t hesitate to fuck you up.”
“Then could they be my post-heat team?” I asked, though the moment the words left my mouth I regretted it.
Pain pulsed in my heart when I really thought about, because I didn’t want them with me after I’d fucked another pack. It was different the first time, because I hadn’t known what it was really like to sell my heat. No matter how desperately I longed for them, I couldn’t put them through that again, even though it was bliss.
Their presence grew stifling, filling the room, drowning me in all their gorgeousness. I heard Apollo suck in a breath, as if he was about to snap back.
Before any of them could reply, Benny continued, “No. Jesus. Look. Are you not listening to me? One knot and you’ve all suddenly gone deaf? I don’t give a shit about what kind of plan you’ve concocted to try to wheedle your way around this. You think you’re the first people to match in the club? You’re not unique, so don’t go thinking that your ‘scent match’,” he said with finger quotes, “is something special that will somehow transcend the rules set in place for everyone. Every idea you want to throw at me, everything you think you might be able to do to get out of your contract? I’ve heard it all before, so don’t fucking bother.”
Benny’s chair creaked as he bent down and pulled open a drawer at the bottom of his desk. It took him a second, but he lifted a four-inch-thick binder and slammed it on the desk, the vibrations tingling in my feet.
“This.” He tapped the top of the binder twice, glaring at us, “contains the missing persons reports, police files and autopsy results of every single person who has broken Michael’s contracts for the past twenty years. I mean, yeah, some of the reports are thicker than others, but that’s what happens when a whole pack is tied together with dumbbells and thrown in the fucking ocean.” I stilled, my eyes on the file. “Do you get what I’m saying? Do you see what I fucking mean?” He pushed it towards me. “You can take this away for some light reading, but I need it back to show the next dumbasses who think their contract doesn’t mean shit.”
“But—” Zeus started.
“No.”
“What if we tried to—” I cut in again.
“No.”
“Then can’t we just—”