No Reservations, Part One by Viola Grace
Chapter Twenty-Three
Yawning in the editing suite was distracting for Ford, so he sent her off to the pool for a swim to clear her head.
She was finishing a lap when she saw feet next to the pool. She pulled up and leaned against the tiled edge, and looked up.
A handsome alpha stood there, his clothing was impeccable, and his appearance was Indian.
She smiled. “Hello.”
He crouched next to her. “Hello, pretty. Is Ford in?”
“Yeah. He’s editing.”
“He left you alone?”
She grinned and pointed to the shadows where Rick was waiting. “No.”
“Ah. Very wise. I was fighting the urge to sweep you away, little pretty.”
“Please, fight it. I don’t want you hurt.” She glanced behind him and smiled.
She waved at the figure behind him. “Hey, Dex.”
He growled at the man and said, “Hey, Olivia. Is he bothering you?”
“No. But he is between me and my towel, so things are about to escalate one way or another.”
“Yemeen, stand aside.”
She looked at him with understanding. “Oh, I get it now.”
She touched the bottom of the pool and lunged upward and out of the water. Dex muttered, “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Yemeen stared as she walked to the towel and wrapped herself up. Dex walked up to her and took another towel, drying off her hair. “You have to swim naked?”
“The suits don’t fit, and the tops come off when I swim anyway. I am just skipping an unnecessary step.” She beamed.
“And the bottoms?”
“I don’t want to clash.”
He pressed his forehead to hers and kissed her. “Very sensible.”
Yemeen looked at her and Dexter. “She’s your mate?”
“She’s our omega.” He rubbed his nose against hers.
Yemeen stared. “She’s an omega.”
Olivia looked at him. “Yes. Don’t worry about the scent thing. There is an explanation, but you don’t need to hear it.”
Yemeen blinked. “But, you are an omega compatible with feline alphas?”
“Yeah.”
Dexter wrapped his arms around her. “She’s part of our pride. You have made your opinion of our little gathering quite clear, so you can just stuff it.”
Yemeen was staring at them in shock, “But, she’s an omega with a feline affinity.”
Olivia gave him a thumbs-up. “I am also screwed up as hell. So, it is a lot of giving and take.”
Yemeen looked at her, at Dexter’s protective grip, and then Ford came out, and he said, “Yemeen. You made it. I see you have met Olivia. Olivia Haven, this is Yemeen Basu. He’s one of the designers I mentioned yesterday. Yemeen, come inside. Olivia promised to act as a housekeeper when I have solitary guests, and since I need to talk to Dexter as well, it is best that you both come inside together.”
Olivia blinked at the thought of Dexter and Yemeen coming inside together. Her perfume started up, and Dexter chuckled. Yemeen physically jerked in surprise. He smelled like sweet almonds. She could catch his scent from ten feet away.
She rinsed off under the outdoor shower when they had gone inside and towelled off her hair. She had never considered herself an exhibitionist, but pulling on her bra, panties, and jeans, she realized that she didn’t give a fuck who was looking. Her crop top slid into place, and she pulled her hair into a loose tail. She dropped the towels into the hamper and headed inside.
She smiled brightly. “So, what’s everyone in the mood for?”
Three pairs of intense eyes locked on her, and she blinked. “Oh. That isn’t on the breakfast menu. How about waffles?”
Ford grinned. “Spoilsport. And coffee.”
She nodded and set about the coffee, gathering ingredients on the way. The guys were talking earnestly at the table, and she brought the carafe and supplies out with cups while the waffle iron was heating.
Dexter wrapped an arm around her waist. She looped an arm over his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his temple and then his lips when he lifted his head.
Yemeen rapped his knuckles on the table. “I get it. Look at what I am missing. Subtle.”
Dexter laughed. “No. She doesn’t know about that. She’s just super tactile when she knows she can touch and be touched.”
“Stop bragging. My apologies, Mr. Basu.”
“So, you don’t know that I turned down membership in the pride two months ago?”
She blinked and shrugged. “I just joined the pride six weeks ago tentatively, and a week and a half officially. No one mentioned you until yesterday. And only then in reference to costume design or dress design. I forget which.”
The waffle iron chirped, and she headed over to make waffles.
Yemeen blinked and asked Dexter, “You really didn’t invite me over here to taunt me?”
Ford sipped at his coffee. “I did. I spent a very sleep-depriving night in the arms of Miss Haven, and I must say, she has stamina that I find gratifyingly endless. She also gives herself with no reservations and thrives at every touch.”
She threw a strawberry at his head, and it landed with a satisfying thwack. He stared at her in shock. “You threw a strawberry at me.”
“No, Ford, I hit you with a strawberry. I don’t miss.” She smiled sweetly and made the next waffle while she dusted the first with icing sugar, a fanned strawberry, and a blob of whipped cream.
She brought it to the table. “Mr. Basu? Waffle?”
“Uh... yeah, please. Thank you. Call me Yemeen.”
She slid the waffle in front of him with a smile, and then she stroked Dexter’s cheek as she passed. He was suddenly more smug and less pouty.
The next waffle went to Dexter, and Ford got the third. She set it down in front of him and then hugged him from behind, rubbing her breasts gently against his shoulders. “Let me know if you want more... waffles.”
Dexter held his plate out eagerly.
She came around, took his plate, and kissed his forehead, ruffling her fingers through his hair.
He tilted up his head for a proper kiss, and she administered one, tasting the strawberries and cream.
Yemeen was breathing heavily. “Now you are taunting me.”
“Yeah. I am.” She winked and looked at his plate. “Are waffles not to your liking?”
He looked down, and his cheeks darkened. “I forgot I had it. It does look good.”
“If you want a fresh one, let me know, but if you don’t like it, I can make you an omelette or something.”
He paused. “May I have a kiss?”
Dexter growled.
Olivia looked at the tiny nod from Ford. “Only a kiss?”
Yemeen nodded. “Yes, I just want to know how badly I fucked up.”
She shrugged and walked over to him, leaning in when he got to his feet. She blinked and leaned back. “You are a pretty big fella, aren’t you?”
He grinned and leaned down, touching her neck, the other hand at her waist. She was going to warn him, but he pulled her tight to his body, and his mouth moved carefully across hers as if he was worried she would break. He reminded her of Dexter in his approach. He gained her full cooperation, and then, his tongue teased her lips. She opened her lips, and he started purring. That started a reaction in her, and his hands tightened, pulling her flush against him as her scent filled the air around them.
His scent thickened the air, and she rolled her hips against his erection. She whined, and his hands clenched on her, activating Dexter’s mark. He groaned and was on his feet, pressing against her back and sliding a hand up and under her shirt. She whined again and broke the kiss with Yemeen. He growled and leaned in, but she hissed.
He jerked his head back.
She pulled Dexter’s hand out of her shirt. “Easy, Dex.”
He leaned his head toward her shoulder and licked at her neck. He whined.
She could feel his tension, and she turned to him. “What do you need, Dex?”
He looked at her and whined.
Ford murmured, “Take him upstairs if you like. Or bang him on the counter. I don’t mind.”
“Since I don’t want to rub Yemeen’s nose in it, I will take him to the guestroom. We’ll be down in a few minutes.”
Dexter picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, striding up to the second floor and right to her guestroom. He dropped her on the bed and removed her jeans, cut her panties off with the claws he rarely used, and then, he pushed up her shirt, pulled down her bra, and sucked hard while fumbling with his own clothes. He was inside her a few moments later, and she was slick and welcoming as he drove home.
She screamed. He roared, and then, they had to wait.
He sighed. “I really have to learn to stop knotting you. Well, when there are other things to be done.”
She giggled. “I don’t mind. My therapist appointment isn’t until two anyway. I have plenty of time.”
He sighed. “Is Ford taking you?”
“Um, no. I didn’t ask him. He offered one of his bodyguards, but I am going to try to figure out how to take a cab.”
“So, you didn’t remind him.”
“Nope.”
Dexter sighed.
“So, what is the deal with Yemeen anyway?”
“Well, his aura is like mine. Tiger affinity. When Ambrose ran into him at a fundraiser, he offered him an association with our pride. Yemeen was... not complimentary about our pride. When he was told we were registered with the Omega Centre, he laughed in Ambrose’s face.”
She blinked. “Oh. Now that makes sense.”
She undulated to check his status and contracted hard around him. He jerked and fell forward with a grunt. “Damn, Olivia.”
She threaded her fingers through his hair. “I just had to check. You have about a minute before you come loose.”
“You can tell that?”
Olivia smiled. “I am building a mental catalogue of your reactions, how deep you go, and how hard your knot is.” She frowned. “It shouldn’t be that engorged.”
He ducked his head. “I think I am close to my first proper rut.”
“Oh, geez. Well, at least it only lasts for a day or two. Wait, do the others go through it as well?”
“Only once a year or so. Argus and Ambrose are older; it doesn’t hit as often as it does for me.”
She blinked. “What did you do before I came along?”
“Jerked off... a lot.”
She giggled.
He came loose, and she exhaled as the cool air met wet flesh. “That is so disconcerting.”
He kissed her and said, “Wait a moment.”
He left her and disappeared into the bathroom. He returned and pressed a warm washcloth to her. “Ambrose has been impressing the importance of aftercare on me.”
She hissed as he tidied up after himself and herself. “Nice, but remember that a few seconds ago, your barbs were joining the knot in me to lock you in place. Gently.”
“Does it really hurt?”
“No. It is like... you know that super tense feeling right before you cum?”
“Yeah.”
“It is like that but sharper. It feels good, but it is a dangerous kind of good. Like when I get bitten during sex. Same kind of thing.”
She put her breasts back into their proper configuration and pulled her shirt down.
Dexter sighed. “I can bite you at other times?”
“Yeah, just not a bonding bite. More pressure, less puncturing the skin.”
“You know I am going to have to try that.”
“I have to be really high to enjoy that, so keep that in mind, or I will punch you.”
Dexter grinned. “I will keep it in mind. Are you up to put your jeans on?”
“Yeah, but that was my last pair of panties. You jerk. I am going to have to head to your house to get more.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. There’s an order coming in later today, along with some swimwear that will fit. You don’t have to wear it, but it is an option.” Ford grinned from the open doorway.
She smelled sweet almond. “Don’t tell me he was watching.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you, but he is grovelling to Ambrose right now.”
Dexter chuckled.
“Ford, what are you up to?”
“Olivia, I collect the best and the brightest in my orbit, and you are definitely the brightest.”
She got to her feet and slithered into her jeans. The seam was a little abrasive against her groin, but she had felt worse.
Ford grinned. “He’s ready to take your measurements for the costume. He’s willing to take us on as a client where your clothing is concerned and has recommended someone else for our costumes.”
“So, he’s that into viewing sex lives? That is an expensive kink.”
She ran her hands over her hips, and Dexter straightened. When she passed Ford, he spun her and pinned her to the wall while he inhaled deeply. “Mmm. You smell like pie.”
“Uh-huh. I have to go clean up.”
“Already done. In case you wonder, Ambrose is telling Yemeen that he has to court you to gain entrance into the pride. Since the others are doing the same, it shouldn’t take long.”
“What shouldn’t take long?”
“Ambrose is working on a redesign for this place so that we can all fit comfortably. A few more small nests and hideaways, large rooms for them, a super plush nest for us. You can work with me or find other options over time. Finish your book.”
She blinked. “Oh, right. I haven’t finished it. Damn it. I need to bring it with me to the therapist today.”
He blinked. “That’s today?”
“Yup. In four hours.”
He sighed. “I will send you with Rick.”
“You don’t have to. I was going to call a cab.”
He leaned back. “You have no clue, do you? I am not going to let you put yourself in the deep end just because you haven’t seen the sharks.”
She looked at him. “Are you worried for me?”
Ford exhaled. “Yes.”
She cupped his cheeks. “Then, I will go with whomever you choose.”
He looked relieved. “Good. Your perfume is coming out more frequently, and without an alpha near you, you are going to look like fair game. Remember the motorcycles?”
She shivered. “Right. I had forgotten.”
He nuzzled her head. “It’s okay, baby omega. We will get you to understand what you are.”
“I am not a baby.” She mumbled it against his neck.
“Yeah, you are. You are less than two months into knowing what it feels like to just be free.”
She mumbled, “I will remember that I am a baby and can’t possibly understand when you are in heat.”
He whined suddenly, and she giggled. He licked softly at her neck and gnawed lightly. She gasped, and her toes curled. “Stop that.”
“I am just following your instructions to Dexter. You really like it, huh?”
“My toes just curled into the ankles. What do you think?”
Dexter came out, and he had his phone in his hand. “Ambrose is really smug right about now.”
She sighed. “I don’t like being used as a pawn.”
Ford shook his head. “Honey, you are the board; we all just want our turn to get on you.”
She punched him in the arm. “Not funny.”
He grinned. “Not kidding. I have never met a female omega who wasn’t a total bitch to me until you. You, sweetness, are currently my favourite person in the world.”
She ducked her head. “You are a nice person. It is easy to be nice to you.”
“I am not a nice person, but you see that in me, and for that, I am grateful.”
Olivia bit her lip. “I am still ticked at you using me as bait to provide your favourite flavour of alpha.”
He laughed. “I like the felines. They aren’t clingy, and if they are all bonded to you, they won’t try to bond me, which means I get the benefits without being covered with triggers.”
“Nice.”
“Hey, I like my lifestyle a lot. I don’t want to be tied down to one or more alphas.”
“So, during your heats, do you use protection?”
“Yeah, and because I don’t have any alphas, I can take care of any complications immediately.”
“You don’t want kids?”
He shrugged. “Not on my own. Maybe if you have some for the alphas, you will be inclined to offer me a pity baby, so I don’t need to carry one.”
She snorted. “It wouldn’t be pity. I am planning on keeping my birth control for one more heat, and then, I am going to throw caution to the wind, so to speak.”
His eyes lit with delight. “I don’t suppose I can call dibs?”
“Can two omegas even get pregnant? They really don’t cover that at the centre.”
He grinned. “I don’t know, but I want to try. How long do you think it will be before you cycle again?”
She blushed. “Uh...”
She looked, and Dexter had gone downstairs.
Her silence was enough for Ford. “You have a fast cycle?”
“That is what they told me at the centre. Six to eight weeks. It has already been one.”
“Oh, I wanna be there for that. Seeing you after was good, but I imagine that you are completely wild when it has you.” His eyes lit up. “How fabulous would it be if we synched up?”
“Oh, god.” Her body loved that idea. “Can we go check on Yemeen?”
“With you smelling like that? Oh yeah.”
She punched him again and then realized that if hitting was against her rules for Ambrose, she should practice restraint. Fuck.
