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I go through a bunch of paperwork because, for some reason, when we started this club, my brothers and I took on certain roles, and somehow admin became mine. I fucking hate it, but somehow I'm the only one with any patience for it, so it falls to me. Schedules, vendors, payroll. The fucking bane of my existence, but unavoidable all the same.
Roxy's a big help, and when she knocks on my door an hour later, I'm relieved I can pass some of this shit off on her.
"Hey Bossman," Roxy drawls, taking the seat opposite me at the desk.
"Hey. Can you do me a favor? The kegs delivered last week haven't been paid for yet, and can you pay these, too?" I hand her a few pages of unpaid bills so she can log into the computer out front and pay through our online portal.
"Sure. Anything else?" She asks, absently flipping through the pages.
The question sits on my tongue, but like every other day this week, I struggle with the words. My pack's commitment to keeping out of omega business loops in my mind. I don't know anything about her, but Imogen's an omega, and if she's working here, if Roxy hired her, it means she needed help in some way, even just financially.
No matter how much she interests me, she's not my business. But I've warred too long in my head, so Roxy's prodding catches me off guard.
"Something else, Cass?"
Yes. No. Tell me everything about the new girl. What's her last name, where is she from, is she okay, is she eating well, does she like it here, does she need anything, why does she smile so sadly…
"Is uh… the new girl getting on okay?" There. Innocent enough question. Not unusual for me to ask about my employees. Well within my right, and totally normal.
"She's good," Roxy's voice lifts. "I really like her. She's friends with Phe, actually, I'm surprised you haven't met?"
That's news to me, but before I can ask more, she continues, "She's learning the ropes pretty quick, I saw you watching her. She'll be a pro in no time. What do you think?"
"She, uh, she looks good up there. I'm not worried about her skills. Just wanted to make sure she knows not to…" To, what? Take her bra off so my alpha really doesn't lose his shit? I can't be this guy. I can't own a strip club and not be able to handle a woman stripping. Get your shit together, Cass.
My face betrays my internal dialogue because Roxy responds, "Oh, you mean, like, make sure she doesn't…" Then she bounces her eyebrows suggestively. Okay, it's not unheard of for us in Dante Pack or even the bouncers to get hit on by the omegas. They’re sexual creatures, we all are, and this environment breeds sexuality. But again, it's well known we don't fuck with omegas, so with the newbies, sometimes it falls to Roxy to talk to them about workplace romances and shit like that.
When I don't respond right away, she leans forward. "Wait a minute, has she… I mean, do you get the feeling she's into you? I can say something about employee relations or whatever."
"No, it's not—" but it's the perfect excuse to help me steer clear of this woman who's caught my attention. "She hasn't done anything, no reason to think she'll be another Emily. But yeah, maybe let her know to keep to the dancers. I think you were right, probably best to just be honest with new employees up front, so the boundaries are clear. You and I both know the last thing my pack needs is an infatuated omega, especially if she's an employee," I add jokingly.
There.
Except my timing is shit.
With a delayed knock, the door left ajar pushes further open, and then she appears in the doorway. Her smile is small, red lips lifting slightly, visible beneath the feathered angel mask. Turning sideways, she carefully maneuvers her wings through the office doorway since they're too wide to fit straight on. Even her side shuffle isn't awkward. Have I ever seen a more graceful woman?
"Hi, I'm so sorry to bother you. Roxy, you said—" She stops mid-sentence. Though I can just barely make out the blue of her eyes through the small slits in the face mask, I swear they widen. Wearing nothing but lacy underwear and a push-up bra, her knees visibly weaken. I leap up, but Roxy beats me to her.
She crowds Imogen, "Honey, are you okay?"
The girl's gaze shifts from Roxy to me, trapped in the same inexplicable pull that I've felt toward her for days. Her nostrils flare like she's tasting my scent. It's nothing special. I've been told I smell like laundry, jokingly, by friends at the club. The betas I've had relationships with didn't have keen enough senses to notice, but I like to think of it more like fresh laundry. Clean, comforting.
She breathes it in like it's both those things and more. It either offends her, or she's savoring it. I step forward but hesitate, pulling back at the last second. The last thing I need to do is touch the girl without consent.
Roxy's eyes dart between the two of us, but I retreat, redirecting my focus to the desk. By the time I take a seat, both women are gone.
Chapter 6
Imogen
"Hey, Imogen, are you okay?" Roxy calls after me as I shove my wings through the door to the employee break room.
"Oops, I'm so sorry," I whisper apologetically to the women I keep accidentally bumping into, trying to maneuver through the crowded space. Chandra, a beta, must be used to getting slapped in the face by feathers because she just waves me off, stepping around my large span before exiting the room.
Struggling to take off the wings, my fingers tremble, making it difficult to grab hold of the straps. I'm falling apart. I'm losing my mind. Truly, I must be losing my mind.
I silently chuckled and rolled my eyes at my boss's arrogance when I overheard him telling Roxy to make sure the new employee knew his pack's preferences regarding infatuated omegas, as if every woman he encountered was interested in them. I'd seen him from across the room, and sure, he was handsome. More than, in a rugged, Viking prince kind of way, with his scraggly long blond hair, sometimes pieces braided and pulled back, sometimes up in a man-bun, and his tall, lean frame. Totally not my type. Nope.
