Page 4 of Such a Lovely Omega

“When you moved here from New York City.”

I nodded. “That was almost seven years ago. Gods. I’m going to be thirty in a few months. A widower at twenty-nine. I never would’ve thought it.”

Dr. Braden nodded. “Sometimes life doesn’t go the way we planned. How does that make you feel?”

I shrugged but knew exactly how that made me feel. “Sad and, lately, a little angry. How he died wasn’t his fault. No one could know a drunk driver is going to swerve out and kill you while you’re running to the store for milk, but everything I am and did and liked and felt was enmeshed with him. Everything. I don’t even like these clothes.” I pinched my button-down shirt and pulled it away from my skin. I had a plan to go get some jeans and T-shirts soon. If I had money in the bank.

“It’s never too late to change who you are. That’s why I mentioned friends. Weren’t any of Emile’s friends yours too?”

I ran over the list and came up with one name. Alex. He had been kind to me. Even helped me once when Emile had too many at a party. He was kind and gentle.

He also was an amazing businessman. I’d heard Emile speak of it often, which was why when Alex told him about Cuffed, my alpha was eager to get a membership. That among other things.

“There is one. His name is Alex.”

Dr. Braden gave me a soft smile. “Would you feel comfortable getting in touch with this Alex?”

I sighed. “He’s into some things I don’t know if I’m into. He owns a sex club.”

My psychiatrist arched an eyebrow. “There’s nothing wrong with a safe place where consenting adults explore their preferences, sexually.”

“I’ve only ever had sex with one man. My alpha.”

“Let’s get back to Alex, West. Would you feel safe talking to him?”

I blew out a breath. “Yes. And I think I know how, but I’m a bit scared.”

The doctor chuckled. “At the cost of sounding cheesy, West, most good things in life are on the other side of scary.”

Chapter Four

Alex

Somehow, the wholedoing my job at the clubthing to the detriment of having any kind of a personal life had spiraled out of control. You’d never guess it, but I had an interest in kink and had thought being an owner would make it easier for me to pursue my leanings. In fact…I could not have been more wrong.

As the “supply guy” in the group, I had somehow anticipated my duties taking up a few hours a week, maybe on a Sunday afternoon when I was lounging around after a fun Saturday at the club. Sitting here at my desk, I felt about as disconnected from any kind of “fun” experience as anyone could ever be. With just my desk lamp and the screen light on, the room I’d put so much care into setting up was dark and depressing, but that seemed about right.

I’d even done a little shopping for toys as we were getting ready to open. Most were still in their original packaging. Sad. Not that I minded the extra income we were making a little over a year in. Our original investment would be locked in for some time, but with a steady profit from the growing membership, we had voted to take a quarterly payout.

Still… I hadn’t gone into this because I was looking for an income source. But I was spending far too many evenings locked in my office dealing with emails and putting out fires. When we chose to have the kitchen be more than “tacky bar food,” the health department requirements alone were extreme.

A club with the activities popular in ours had to have very specific areas for food in particular. And we did not want a “restaurant” per se. But we did luck into having one of our partners be a pretty spectacular—and famous—chef. So, we set up some conversation pits of sorts where members could relax and socialize between visits to the stations. We arranged the comfortable couches and chairs around low tables where food could be served, close enough to the floor for them to watch the action but far enough away for the inspector to sign off.

It was complex, but one of our members was employed by the county and able to give us tips so we didn’t make too many missteps. And how that all related to me? It meant that I had to order all the food the kitchen needed as well as other supplies and be sure everything ran as smooth as glass. Our members expected a certain experience, and we each had our own part in making that happen. I brought up another list of items missed from an order and began to compose my email to the party responsible.

“You gonna sit here all night?”

“What?” I peered up from the screen to see Talon lingering in the doorway. “Sorry. I was focused.”

“You work way too hard.”

“So I’ve been told. But if I don’t do my job, we’ll soon run out of those giant prawns you like so much.”

I’d never seen the fire-play expert roll his eyes until now. “You take yourself too seriously, my friend. If this is taking up so much of your time that you do not get to enjoy yourself on the floor, then it’s time for a staffing upgrade.”

“You saying you can find someone better at my job?” He probably could, but he didn’t have to be so plain about it. “Maybe I can do something simpler like sweep the floors.”

He snorted. “A little prickly, aren’t we? I would never imply anyone could do better. What I meant was we need to get you an assistant who can do a lot of helpful work during the day when you’re at your other office. Then you can spend some of your evenings on the floor doing what you like best.”