“Hmm, you look like you could have been a platinum man. That’s what I signed up for. I don’t want to have to limit myself, ya know?”
I try wicked fucking hard to not roll my eyes into the back of my head. Instead, I decide to pretend to be completely immersed in the hideous painting hanging on the wall by the elevator. It looks like they gave a toddler a paintbrush with three different colors and are now trying to peddle it as abstract art. Where the fuck is the elevator?
Finally, the upwards arrow illuminates and the elevator dings. We all go to shove ourselves in this small capsule of doom, but there isn’t enough room. Too many Alphas in one small box. No pun intended. I take a step back. “I’ll catch the next one,” I announce to the group.
The Beta moderator, whose name I can’t recall, gives me a head nod and smile. “Sure thing, Mr. Miller. We’ll meet you on level five.”
I wait for the door to close and in a moment of reflection, I almost consider hitting the down button and going home. At the same time, going home and sitting with my cat Binx sounds a little depressing. Not that I don’t love that little prick, it’s just that he’s the only thing I have waiting for me at home. Sighing, I begrudgingly hit the up button.
The building is very nice, but incompetent minions must run the elevators in the basement or something. What seems like five minutes passes and the elevator finally dings. I enter and I’m instantly overwhelmed by the scent of cherries and vanilla.
Looking over, there’s a small woman near the operating panel. She’s fucking gorgeous, with wavy dirty blonde hair that reaches her shoulders, and light brown eyes that look like pools of honey. She’s wearing a simple black dress that’s cinched at the waist, expertly showing off the curves she has. The door takes longer than it should to close.
She clears her throat and asks, “Which floor?”
Her voice is fucking cute, like the voice of an elementary school teacher or something.
I smile at her. Hopefully, it doesn’t look demented. “Five, please.”
Her lithe fingers push the button. Her fingernails are short and painted light pink. Remember when I said I thought about leaving? Thank god I didn’t. I forgot how delicious an Omega can smell. I’m going to need to readjust my dick once we get out of here.
She seems nervous. Hopefully, I’m not making her uncomfortable. I should probably stop staring at her, but she’s so fucking beautiful.
Suddenly, the elevator jerks and there’s a nasty, grinding, metal-on-metal noise. The floor bounces up and down slightly. She gasps and a small hand grabs my bicep tightly.
“I knew I should have taken the flipping stairs,” she says in a whisper. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of this shaky floor thing the elevator is doing either, but no way am I going to look like a huge wuss in front of her. There’s a very loud groan and the floor stops shaking, but the elevator stops moving completely.
She doesn’t let go of my bicep, but I move over and push the open door button, which doesn’t work. Neither does pushing a different floor. I hit the call button instead.
A feminine voice answers, “Everything alright?”
I push the button and respond, “No, it looks like the elevator is stuck.”
“Oh dear, I’m calling maintenance right away. We’ll get you out of there as soon as possible.”
I look over to my Omega companion and she appears to be on the verge of tears. I grab her hand and stare into her eyes. They aren’t just light brown as I thought, now up close I see some speckles of green. “Hey, hey, it’s gonna be okay. They’re going to get us out of here soon.”
Sheer panic is written all over her face. “I don’t like the feeling of being stuck somewhere. I knew I should have taken the friggin’ stairs. But I was supposed to choose my nest today, and I was in a rush.”
Comforting people is not one of my best skills. I’m an intellectual property attorney. My face is usually deep in paperwork, not in front of people. Her Omega perfume and her all-around demeanor make me want to take care of her. Growing up, I was taught that Omegas are precious. She certainly fits that bill.
“It’s my first day here, not a great sign, is it?” I smirk to try to lighten the mood. “Do you want to sit?”
She nods her head in agreement. We both sit on the cool carpeted floor, me with my long legs straight in front of me, and her crossing her legs with her thigh touching mine. She still hasn’t released my hand. Her hand is soft and small, it feels nice.
Chapter two
I’m trying not to freak the freak-out, but small enclosed spaces are not my thing at all. Of course, of stinkin’ course, I would not only get trapped in an elevator when I’m supposed to be selecting the nest where I will be having my heat with strangers. But here I am, trapped with one of the most delicious Alphas I’ve ever seen. He towers over me, so definitely over six feet tall and probably around two hundred something pounds with the muscle he has on him. His hair is a deep rich brown; it looks soft and I want to run my fingers through it. His eyebrows match his hair and his eyes are a light sea-foam green. His sharp jaw is peppered with late evening stubble.
Even beyond how handsome he is, his scent is driving me up the gosh darn wall! Like eucalyptus and amber, it’s rich and woodsy. Shoot, just smelling him is putting me a bit more at ease.
The elevator is a little chilly, but I suppose it’s better than getting stuck in an elevator in the dead heat of summer. I’m thoroughly regretting not wearing stockings as I glance down at my thighs. Goosebumps cover my skin, but I can’t tell if it’s from being cold or this Alpha’s presence and scent.
To calm my nerves, I decide I should chat with him. “So, it’s your first time here?” I’m still holding his huge hand. He doesn’t have any calluses, and he’s dressed in a very nice suit, so I’m guessing he has a corporate job.
He shifts his weight to get more comfortable on the floor. “Here for orientation. Honestly, before I got on the elevator I considered turning around and going home.” His voice is deep and so sexy, it has a gritty tone to it and makes me shiver.
“I almost did the same thing,” his eyes widen at me and then he looks at me like he wants more details. “I’ve been on heat suppressants for a while now. After some unpleasant side effects, I can’t take them anymore. Medical insurance finally agreed to pay for Heat Haven, so here I am,” I say, giving him a small smile. A semi-fake smile, since I’m still on edge from being trapped in such a small space.
His thumb rubs circles on my palm. “Sorry to hear that. This is probably really fucking rude, so forgive me. How do you not have a pack?”
Hmm, he is right, not the best manners in the world, but he is clearly local with his slight accent. I’ve started to get used to the bluntness of people in Boston. Almost.