Chapter One

Chapter One

Sharon

Istared into the mirror above the sink, wondering again if there was something wrong with me. I hadn't thought it was asking too much to expect my boyfriend not to stick his dick in someone else, but the fact that he'd cheated on me with a beta made it sting worse.

I was an omega. Alphas were supposed to want us more than anything else.

So why wasn't I enough for him?

Scoffing, I shoved away from the sink and turning toward the bathroom door. It wasn't like he was anything special, and I certainly hadn't been in love with him, but I still couldn't silence the voice whispering that I hadn't been good enough for the alpha.

Sometimes biology sucked.

The noise of the diner hit me as soon as I stepped through the door that had separated me from the rest of it. It was Sunday night, which wasn't as busy as the previous two days, but still meant I had full tables to tend.

I shook off the bullshit trying to drag me down and let the familiar routine of work slide over me. Cadence may have had higher aspirations, but this place was all I'd ever known, and I fully expected to work at Frankie's until the place collapsed around me, or I got too old to keep up.

Even then I'd probably only switch to the lunch shift and keep on waiting tables until I stumbled into my grave with my apron on.

I chuckled to myself as I gathered plates. Some people would call me a failure, my parents certainly had, but I was fine with my life. Unlike the other waitresses who'd passed through Frankie's over the years, I truly enjoyed my job. It was easy and predictable, it kept me active, and I got to talk to people.

If only it paid better, I'd have been set.

I shoved away the reminder that rent was due in a week, and I wouldn't have the last couple hundred dollars I'd expected from my boyfriend's check.

Ex-boyfriend. He could go suck a toad's titties.

I'd find a way to get the bills paid. I always did.

"Hey, could we get refills?"

I glanced over at Tiffany's table, keeping my smile in place and ignoring the urge to sigh. The girl had gotten plenty of training before Cadence left and had been at Frankie's long enough that she should have been able to keep up by now, yet it never failed that I'd have to help cover her tables because she just couldn't manage on her own.

"Sure, honey. Let me get these to their table and I'll make sure you get fresh drinks."

The man looked slightly mollified as he set his glass down on the table again, but it wouldn't take much for him to start bitching. I could see it in the line between his brows and the way he frowned more when Tiffany hurried to another table without even glancing his way.

I took care of the plates I'd been carrying, then the table asking for refills, before moving on. I didn't bother mentioning it to Tiffany since I'd done it a hundred times before and nothing had changed.

The dinner rush was dying down and I finally had a second to catch my breath when it was stolen by the alpha who walked in the front doors. Tall and broad, there was no way the man wasn't an alpha. He had long hair pulled up in a knot on top of his head, you couldn't call it a man-bun on a dude that looked like he could bench you without breaking a sweat, and his chin was just starting to darken with stubble. It was technically Tiffany's turn to grab the next person who came in, but I darted over before she had a chance to turn around from where she was picking up orders at the window.

"Welcome to Frankie's! Just you tonight?"

The omega part of me preened when his brown eyes trailed down my body as his lips slowly lifted. I tried to be subtle as I sniffed the air, aiming to catch his scent over the layers of greasy diner food, but it was hopeless.

"Yeah, just me."

His gaze finally met mine and heat rose to my cheeks, and I put a little extra sway in my hips as I turned to lead him to one of my tables.

"Tonight's special is meatloaf, but don't order it. It's always dry, and at this time of night, the part that might have been edible is gone. What's left would choke an elephant."

He chuckled as he pulled out a chair and took a seat. It had been hard to catch before, but away from the door I finally picked up his scent, the dark licorice making my lip curl as my stomach turned.

Of course the first good-looking alpha I've seen tonight had to smell terrible.

I kept my smile firmly in place even as I marked him off the possibilities list. Cadence used to tease me about how fast I went through men, but I'd always said the best way to get over one, was to get under another. I was an omega with an omega's appetite, and I wasn't ashamed of it.

"What can I get you to drink?" I asked as I slid a menu across the table.

He didn't bother looking at it, practically eye-fucking me where I stood. While I had no plans to follow through on the invitation, it was still a nice boost to my confidence.

See, there's nothing wrong with me. It was all him.

"Coffee is fine."

Just because I had no plans to follow up on the flirting didn't mean I turned it down any. I enjoyed the attention I received from men, and it was even more potent from alphas. A part of me craved it, so perhaps that was why I enjoyed my job so much. Customer service was basically just flirting, and I could tell how good I was based on the tip amount.

I continued working, paying a little extra attention to my cute-but-stinky alpha, until the dining room had mostly cleared and there was only an hour left until closing time. Tiffany was as useless as usual, but with the rush past it was easier for her to keep up, and I got a few minutes to rest.

I was finishing a glass of water at the server's station when Mr. Licorice waved for his check.

"How was everything?"

He'd ordered the breakfast platter with extra everything, he was a growing boy after all, and somehow managed to demolish all of it. We served good sized portions, but alphas also used up a lot of extra calories with all their testosterone.

"Filling."

He grinned at me as we walked to the register, and I wasn't surprised when he leaned on the counter between us to get closer to me. I'd been expecting a pass from him since he'd walked in, and now that he was leaving, he'd think it was his chance to close the deal.

"How would you like to make some extra money?"

The smile froze on my face, a bucket of ice running down my spine to douse whatever enjoyment I'd gotten from his attention. It took a few tries to get my brain moving again after the shock.

"Are you propositioning me?"

He huffed a laugh and straightened, his looming form not as enticing as it had been before.

"Not like that. I can see you're good at what you do, and we need some waitresses for a party we're throwing on Thursday. I was going to offer you the job."

My brow rose as I looked him over. He seemed sincere enough, and he'd been decent all night, even if his interest had been obvious.

"What kind of party?"

I accepted the hundred he held out as payment for his bill, not missing that there was a stack of them still tucked in his wallet. He certainly had the money to make the offer legit.

"A welcome home party. We're having it at The Warehouse, have you heard of it?"

Of course I had. I'd heard of The Warehouse even before Cadence had come clean about who her mysterious beau was, and that he owned the place.

A part of me relaxed knowing it was a public venue and not a private party at someone's house.

"Yeah. But I'm supposed to work here Thursday."

The alpha's grin spread as I tried to hand him his change and he waved it off, pulling out another hundred to add to it.

"I'm sure we're offering more than you'd make here, although you'll be working later."

I tried not to let my interest, or greed, show. He'd just tipped me over a hundred and fifty dollars, and if he was offering to pay more than that for a night of work, I'd actually be able to cover my rent and still have money left for necessities. If I received tips too, I might be set even longer.

I tried to pull my thoughts away from the positives and think of other things I should ask before accepting a job from a stranger. Especially a strange alpha.

"Will there be other waitresses?"

"A few. The two club waitresses, plus whoever else we can get to help."

I chewed my lower lip.

"And I'll only be waitressing?"

His eyes flashed but he nodded.

"Just serving drinks. You'll be safe. Nothing will happen that you don't agree to."

My lip popped from between my teeth as I glared, and he held up his hands as if to show he was innocent.

"I'm just saying! It's a party, and you're an adult, and you might decide you want to party too."

I was tempted even though I knew most people would say it was foolish. Still, it was in a public place, there would be other waitresses, and I was sure the club had bouncers. If I got there and things seemed shady, I could always leave, and the worst that would have happened was losing a night of work.

"We're offering a grand."

He said it like he was dangling the tastiest treat known to man.

My eyes widened at the amount, and the thin veil of hesitation holding me back evaporated. That was enough to pay the rent on my shitty apartment for this month, plus part of the next. There was no way I could turn it down.

"What time should I be there?"

His face had triumph written all over it, but I didn't care.

"I could always pick you up."

He didn't make it a question, and my brow cocked even as I smiled and shook my head.

"Nice try, but no thanks."

He shrugged as if my rejection didn't faze him. For an alpha who looked like he did, I was sure he had plenty of options.

"Setup starts at nine. Go up the staircase at the back of the building and tell the guard Ilias sent you for the party. They'll get you to the right place."

A little flutter of suspicion wiggled in my gut, but I shoved it away. I'd text Cadence to be sure there really was a party on Thursday and let her know I'd be there. If anything happened, at least there would be one person who knew where I had been.

"I'll be there."