9. Pickup Lines From Hell

They arrived lateat the Wine Shack, with come leaking down the inside of Olson’s pants.

Olson didn’t think he could look any of his staff in the eye. Just fifteen minutes ago, he’d been pinned down on his bed, Rex slowly pulling his cock out. Rex had dipped his thick fingers into Olson to slick them up with come, before wiping it all over Olson’s ass.

His insides squeezed with the memory of Rex claiming him, Rex’s knot grinding relentlessly, forcing him through release after release until he could come no more. A hot blush stained his cheeks.

Rex frowned. “Olson smell.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t show up at work smelling like sex,” Olson said quietly. He’d spritzed them both with scent suppressant right before they’d left his apartment. “I don’t need my customers taking one whiff and knowing I was coming my brains out.”

At that, Rex looked halfway between annoyed and satisfied. “Olson come. Come hard. Knot. Olson like knot.”

Olson shoved his hand over Rex’s mouth. “No talking about sex when we’re in there. Or I’ll send you home, and you won’t see me for hours.”

Rex scowled.

“This business is important to me,” Olson said more gently. “And you don’t want other alphas thinking about me having sex, do you? Or they’ll try to steal me away from you. Not that I can be stolen, but it will be very uncomfortable for me when they try.”

Rex’s scowl deepened. “No mate talk.”

“There we go. Thank you.” Olson squeezed his hand, leading him through the backdoor into the building.

“Big O! You’re late! Did you get your bouncy butt filled again—?” Emmy sidled into view with his baby strapped to his chest, his eyes going wide. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Oooh, you did! Is your butt hurting? Do you need more butt blessings?”

Olson cringed. “We are not talking about my private life right now.”

Emmy looked pointedly at him and skedaddled, but Olson knew better than to believe the conversation had ended.

“Rex,” Olson said, bumping into that alpha when he turned.

Rex was standing close, almost pressed up against Olson like a shadow.

“I need you to stay in one place instead of sticking this close to me,” Olson said, leading him to the back office. “When I work, I move around a lot, which means I’m probably going to trip over you. I don’t want that. So. Either you stay in here—” he opened the door to show Rex the tiny room, with hardly any walking space around its desk and couch “—or you sit at the bar.”

He led Rex to the bar, giving Rex time to look around.

The Wine Shack had a large glass storefront facing the street, and several tables and booths filling the place. The bar was tucked to one side. Toward the back was a small stage with a piano; Landon played every evening save for Friday and Saturday nights, when a live band would come in instead.

It was daytime now, though. Lunch hour was a quiet thing, where regulars came in for food and drinks. Olson wasn’t sure Rex would want to stay around when night fell, and the music volume went up significantly.

“I mix drinks here,” he said, showing Rex the bar. “There’s only space for two employees back here, so it’ll be easier for me if you sit in this corner. Don’t start fights with the customers. Even if you don’t like the way they speak to me.”

At the back of his mind, he hoped he was making the right decision. The bar customers could get out of hand sometimes, and Olson didn’t send them away unless they crossed one of his hard boundaries.

He led Rex to the very last stool and made him sit there. “Want a drink? Food?”

Rex looked at the rows of glassware behind the bar, then raked his gaze up and down Olson’s fitting shirt and pants. “Want Olson.”

Olson huffed, biting down his smile. “Nope. No one touches me while I’m pouring drinks. Not even you.”

Derek walked by just then, heading into the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow.

“None of your business,” Olson said.

“Might become our business if he’s sticking around for a while,” Derek replied.

Olson sighed. “I’ll be the first line of damage control with him.”

Derek nodded. “Good luck.”

Olson set down a full glass in front of Rex. “That’s water. I’ll get Aaren to make you a burger.”

“Eat?” Rex tilted his head.

“For you, yes.”

“Olson eat?”

Olson cracked a smile. “I usually skip breakfast, and you made me eat that chicken.”

Rex frowned. “Olson eat.”

“Maybe. We’ll see.” Olson headed into the kitchen, where Aaren was getting Derek’s lunch order together.

Aaren looked up. “Derek told me the news,” he whispered, glancing at the doorway. Enviously, “You have an alpha?”

“Possibly. I’m not sure how long he’s going to stick around.”

Aaren crept to the door and poked his head out. He must’ve seen Rex, because he squeaked and hurried back in, tripping over his own feet.

He almost brained himself on a stainless steel shelf. Olson cringed. “He looks good!”

“Hands off,” Olson said dryly.

Aaren blushed. He was a young, chubby omega, and he was more clumsy than most. But he cooked well. After he’d interviewed in grubby clothing, his face tear-stained, Olson had all but taken him in.

“I... I think I might use Emmy’s pickup lines,” Aaren said dismally, reaching into his apron pocket. “I think they’ll help me find an alpha. I need one really soon.”

“Oh, gods, not Emmy’s lines.”

Aaren pulled out a crumpled order sheet and began reading off the back of it. “‘Your eyes are so big, they can fit in my butthole.’ ‘When I see you, my wriggly bits want to meet your wriggly bits and do a wriggly dance.’ ‘When we get together, my body and your body will make a delicious meat sandwich.’ See, they’re amazing!”

Olson groaned. “No, they are not.”

“I bet your alpha would think so!”

“No, he won’t.”

“Yes he will!” Aaren pulled out another crumpled order sheet and shoved it at Olson. “Here! Read these to him. I bet he’ll want to fill you up like a meat sandwich.”

Olson skimmed over the lines.

What’s better than a big dick? It’s a big dick in my butt spinning round and round, it’ll spin together the threads of our fate.

If my dick hole and your dick hole line up, we can shoot jizz back and forth into each other’s dicks like a musical fountain!

He looked up. “Aaren, these are terrible pickup lines.”

Aaren pushed Olson out of the kitchen and across the bar to stand in front of Rex. “Read them to him!”

Rex watched Olson curiously.

“These are... not how anyone courts a lover,” Olson said, aware that Emmy was just a few tables away. “Maybe my brother might be charmed, but...”

Aaren pulled out a third order sheet, checked the lines, and handed them over. “Here, these are even better.”

“Oh, dear gods. I just told Rex not to make any sex talk!”

But it wasn’t as though these were sexy in any way.

Olson sucked in a deep breath, looked Rex in the eye, and read Emmy’s scribbling. “‘Once upon a time, my dick and your dick became best friends. Then they got married and had baby dicks and the world became a dick-nation—’ Aaren, what the hell is this?”

Emmy came rushing up, his face aglow. “Big O! You read my pickup lines!”

“These would lose me an alpha, Emmy,” Olson said.

Emmy and Aaren both gasped, scandalized.

Then Emmy turned and examined Rex, and he beamed. “No they won’t! You still have your alpha! He likes it!”

Rex was watching Olson intently, his gaze warm and open like he was just enjoying being in Olson’s presence.

Olson groaned. “If he actually understood what I was saying, I’d lose an alpha.”

Rex raised his eyebrows as though he was calling Olson out, because he did seem to understand some things. Olson winced. That just made everything so much more embarrassing.

“Awww, Big O. I’m sure your alpha will love you no matter what.”

Olson buried his face in his hands. “Please don’t start assuming things. We’ve only known each other for a few days.”

Emmy joined Olson behind the bar and wrapped his arm around Olson’s shoulders, his baby carrier bumping into Olson’s side.

Six-month-old Hunter looked up with big, innocent eyes. Emmy took Hunter’s tiny hand and patted Olson’s face with it.

“Jellyfish Hunter, don’t be all frumpy like Big Boss O,” Emmy told his son. “We are gonna be cool!”

Hunter smiled and drooled.

Fuck, why did babies have to be so adorable?

Olson tried to frown; he didn’t think he was too successful at it. When he looked up, he found Rex studying him and Hunter.

“I do not need a baby,” Olson growled. “I have my hands full running this place.”

“Mate.” Rex’s mouth pulled into a smile.

“No mating.” Olson scowled. But Rex’s smile only grew like he was amused at bringing up sex talk. Like he knew he was breaking the rules, and he didn’t care.

Why did he have to get under Olson’s skin?

More importantly, why was Olson pretending to be angry, instead of actually getting angry?

“Damn you,” Olson muttered. He turned and grasped Aaren by the arm. Both Aaren and Emmy were staring at Olson and Rex like they’d realized something big.

“You want to have his babies,” Emmy whispered loudly.

Olson spluttered. “I do not.”

But his face was burning up.

What would that be like?

He dragged Aaren back into the kitchen before more embarrassment could occur. “Aaren, make Rex a burger with some fries and veggies on the side. All condiments on the plate, none on the burger itself. Cheese on the plate, too. I don’t know if he likes any of it.”

“Aye-aye, Captain!” Aaren saluted and scribbled on a fresh order sheet.

“And please, for the love of all things holy.” Olson exhaled. “Don’t get together with the first alpha who takes you to bed.”

Even as he said it, Olson knew how hypocritical he sounded.

“Like you, right?” Emmy whispered.

“Get back to work,” Olson growled. “I had a good reason for—” He waved in Rex’s direction.

“What reason?” Aaren perked up.

Emmy was watching Olson too knowingly.

Olson sighed. Aaren and Emmy had confided in him over the years; it was time he did the same in return. “He reminds me of someone I used to know.”

“Someone you used to love,” Emmy said.

“... Yes.” Olson sighed. “Even though he’s twenty-one years younger than me, and he’s almost completely feral. Let’s not talk about this.”

Emmy slipped away. He returned a few moments later, tucking a small orange square of paper into Olson’s hand. It was starting to get too familiar.

“See, your butt blessing is working,” Emmy said.

The blessing had an ugly, crudely-drawn cock on it, with hairs on the balls because Emmy had insisted that Olson add them. Olson shook his head. “You’re optimistic, Em.”

“It worked out for me!” Emmy patted Hunter’s back and eyed Olson’s butt blessing. “I think he’ll knock you up before the end of the year.”

“Oh, gods.” Olson flushed. Even as he said it, he knew he’d let Rex have his heat.

And that was soon. Maybe in a few days’ time.

They just had to be careful. That was all.

The last thing Olson needed, on top of running his own business, was a baby on the way.