My father might have been insane, but he’d instilled a good work ethic in me from an early age and had always made sure I knew that money didn’t just mean power, it meant responsibility as well.
“Yes.” Shane nodded. “Let me get you the contract notes. I’ve called down to legal, but I think you’re going to need to confirm a few last-minute items with them.”
“Did you get an idea if this is something negative? Did his grandson show up in the tabloids again?” Boyd’s grandson was right on the edge of notorious.
For about a year, every time gossip would circulate, that alpha was in on it. Unfortunately, it was always for things like drinking and dating underage omegas. Nothing that I was interested in or would tolerate in my social circles, so it had been a straining point in my relationship with Boyd when he’d wanted me to start negotiating with the boy.
Boy.
Because real men weren’t assholes or caught playing drunk party games at college frat parties when they were clearly too old for that kind of thing. Real men worked hard and were like the man standing in front of me, trustworthy and kind…and unfortunately, very vanilla.
2
Shane
Flirting and dinner meant dating,right? They were two omegas, so it wasn’t traditional by any means, but times changed and they were both a little unique. The fact that their families had been connected in different ways for years and their combined fortune would be staggering also made it reasonable.
But Tanner always seemed ready to throw something at Austin when he came to the office, not kiss him.
Not that it should have made a difference to me—our relationship was strictly platonic.
I was his employee, and just because he was a smart, sexy omega didn’t make a difference at all. At some point I’d have to tattoo that on my hand so I wouldn’t forget it. Something about him just made that impossible, though.
As I looked up the number of the restaurant, I couldn’t help but glance back through his doorway. The always focused, controlled man was the picture of what every omega was supposed to be: quietly assertive, focused on his career, understanding without being too emotional.
But sometimes I caught a glimpse of a different Tanner Wright. One that wasn’t quite as perfectly omega as he let others see. Austin and some of the men who seemed to be his closest friends were the only ones who seemed to bring out that side of him. The last time Austin had come into the office, I’d heard Tanner laughing over a story so raunchy I’d been shocked.
The Tanner Wright who stood up in front of the board and made million-dollar deals on a daily basis wouldn’t laugh over a dirty joke about a horny omega in heat.
But he had.
Once the reservations were made, with only a small bribe to get the table I knew Austin would like, I went back to the more day-to-day aspects of my job as Tanner worked frantically with the legal department to get things in order.
Most of them were things I could’ve handled, but Tanner was very much a hands-on CEO. Knowing every piece of the contract had saved him millions over the years. There were stories around the office about how him knowing just one odd clause in pages of legal documents had closed a deal or made him look like a business mastermind.
Some of it had been clearly exaggerated over time, but there was enough of a grain of truth to the stories to keep them going. It was one of the reasons I’d wanted to work for him to begin with. He had a reputation for being not only a brilliant businessman but a bit unorthodox in how it didn’t seem to matter to him if he was negotiating with an alpha like Boyd or working with the omegas in his own company.
I liked it, but it also helped fuel crazy fantasies that weren’t exactly acceptable.
Pushing those to the back of my mind, I focused on getting everything I could ready on my end for the contracts and then later welcomed Mr. Boyd when he finally arrived. His slightly stressed appearance made it easy to see that something beyond the regular business dealings was on his mind.
Hours of tedious discussions and long negotiations later, contracts were signed and most of the day had passed. Once Mr. Boyd and his lawyer left, I went back into Tanner’s office to see him stretching his neck and sighing.
“Sir, you asked me to remind you about your meeting with Mr. Johnson.” He had a few minutes before he needed to leave, but as he slouched back in his chair and looked over his desk, I knew what he was thinking.
Trying not to smile, I looked at the clock on his wall. “Mr. Johnson did not give the impression that the meeting was optional.”
Tanner chuckled. “No, he would not appreciate being ditched. The drama queen would never let me hear the end of it.”
Calling an omega a drama queen wasn’t the most acceptable form of address. I certainly would’ve never heard the end of it if my mother had caught me saying something like that, but Tanner said it with such fondness it didn’t come across negatively.
My mother would have still lost her marbles, but she was very much for omega rights.
Heading over to his desk, I took several files and a stack of papers on the corner. “I’ll take these down to legal.” Walking through several other items I knew were on his mental to-do list, I took more pleasure in seeing the stress fade from his face than I should have.
He was an adult and perfectly capable of doing everything himself, but knowing that I was giving him that peace of mind was a perverse pleasure I couldn't seem to shake. As long as he didn’t realize how much I liked it, then it would be fine.
Omegas didn’t want an alpha hovering or taking over things. That was just the way it was.
