Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Artemis

I t was the day I’d been looking forward to for ages, the day I took back my life. And yes, that might have sounded dramatic, but after ten years of working for Victory Holdings during the dubious reign of Vincent Woodbury, then struggling through the battlefield of the last year under Vivien Woodbury’s management, I finally had a way out.

I leaned back in my chair and smiled at my computer screen. The email was simple, congratulating me for advancing past the first round of interviews for Arise Financial and letting me know that the founder and CEO of the company, Justice Goode, would contact me shortly to arrange an in-person interview.

I breathed out an actual sigh of relief. Arise Financial was a solid company with a long history of doing good things for Barrington and the entire East Coast. The executive position they had open was a perfect fit for my skill set and my interests. But most of all, it would get me out of the contentious environment that Victory Holdings had become and on to a steadier life.

That was all I wanted, really, a steady, contented life. I might have been a successful alpha with all the genes and features that entailed, but I wasn’t ambitious or aggressive, like most other alphas. Sometimes, I was downright tame and domestic.

Like when it came to how I liked to spend my leisure time, for example.

I picked up my phone and tapped to open it, then checked the Dark Fantasies Club app one more time. The message sitting there was like the icing on the cake of everything going my way. I had an appointment to meet up with an omega to discuss the parameters of a fantasy over our lunch breaks. It had been ages since I’d engaged in a fantasy with someone from the Dark Fantasies Club, and I was more than ready for it.

Ironically, as I sat there staring at the message with the details of when and where Mr. Fletcher Battersea, the omega whose request for a fantasy I’d replied to, and I would be meeting, my phone flashed with an incoming call from one of my best friends, Victor Woodbury.

I tapped to answer and held the phone to my ear with a smile, saying, “Victor. I was just thinking about you.”

“Really?” Victor answered, a smile in his voice. “I didn’t think you were into other alphas like that.”

It was a sign of just how good a mood I was in that I laughed loudly. “Not like that. I have an appointment to meet up with the omega I matched with for a fantasy on the app in about an hour. ”

Victor was also a member of the Dark Fantasies Club. In fact, that was how he’d met his husband and sub, Simon.

“I take it you asked me to give you a call because you want me to be your second?” Victor asked.

There was just a hint of strain in his voice, and I heard something shift on his end of the call. I could only assume from those two clues that wherever Victor was, he had Simon on his knees between his legs, holding his cock in his mouth while Victor went about his business.

It was a special thing between the two of them that brought them closer together. The thought of cock-warming made my blood pump faster and my trousers tighten, but in my version of that particular fantasy, I would be on my knees for an omega, holding his cock while he?—

“You still there?” Victor asked.

I laughed. “Yeah, I just let my thoughts run away from me for a second. I really need this fantasy to scratch an itch and help me focus again.”

“You know I’m always happy to be your second,” Victor said. “You did so much for me and Simon last year. We’re both happy to do whatever you need us to.” He added a soft, “Yes, sweetheart. Good boy,” for Simon in a sweet and tender voice.

As sadistic a Dom as Victor was, he adored Simon to a degree that would give most people tooth decay.

“I appreciate it,” I said, their happiness making me happy. “I’ll have more details for you as soon as I meet up with the omega for lunch.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Victor said. “It’s always a good sign when you have a partner who wants to meet up and hash out all the details before you start playing. Definitely not a newbie.”

“Not really,” I said, pinching my brow a little. “He has a few previous playtimes logged on the app, but he’s not a super prolific player. I have to admit, though, I like that attention to detail. You know how I like things.”

Victor huffed a laugh. “You’re an omega dominant’s dream, Artemis. There aren’t many alphas who like to submit out there.”

“Only in playtime,” I said, glad that I had a friend I trusted enough to discuss these things with.

“Is that why you asked me to call?” Victor asked. “To be your second?”

“Actually, no.” I shifted, sitting forward. “This is strictly between you and me. Not a word gets out to your cousin Vivien or anyone else at the company.”

“Of course,” Victor said seriously. “I’m not really in contact with Vivien much these days anyhow.”

I nodded, took a breath, then said, “I have an in-person interview with Justice Goode at Arise Financial for their open Chief Financial Officer position.”

“That’s amazing!” Victor said, genuinely happy for me. “You totally deserve a position like that.”

“Thanks.” I smiled. “I wanted to ask if you had any inside information for me, though.”

“Inside information?” I could hear the slight frown in Victor’s voice.

“Yeah. I’ve done my research and I know they’re a good company with an emphasis on social responsibility, but wasn’t there something in the news about some of the officers a few years back?” I asked.

Victor puffed out a breath. “There’s always something in the news about any big corporation like that. I know they do a lot of good in Barrington.”

“They do,” I said with a nod. “I could swear I heard something…different about them. Something about Justice Goode. I can’t remember what it is, though.”

“Justice Goode,” Victor chuckled. “What a name, eh?”

“It’s certainly different. Something about it rings a bell.”

“I can do a little research if you want,” Victor said. His sudden intake of breath after hinted to me that maybe it was time for the conversation to be over so he could take care of a few things with Simon.

The idea of my friend fucking his omega over his desk sparked visions of some cocky omega holding me down while he vigorously milked my cock in order to bottle my seed and save it for later. It had me breaking out in a sweat.

I cleared my throat. “I wouldn’t say no to some research,” I said. “But for now, I’ll let you go. Sounds like Simon needs you.”

Victor laughed. “Yeah, Simon needs something, alright. Don’t you, boy? You need your master to spread your cheeks and dump his cum in your greedy hole.”

I grinned at Victor’s dirty talk. “I’m definitely letting you go now,” I laughed. “Have fun, and I’ll catch up with you later about being my second.”

“Talk to you later,” Victor said, then hung up.

I shook my head with a broad smile as I tapped my phone, then stood and slipped it into my back pocket. There were a lot of things that people who weren’t part of the kink scene wouldn’t understand about those of us who were. I’d been around a few times when someone vanilla had witnessed a Dom disciplining their sub and had freaked out because they didn’t understand the dynamic. Everything was one hundred percent consensual in the circles I ran in, but that didn’t mean it didn’t look cruel to outsiders.

I wouldn’t mind a little cruelty directed at me. As I walked to the stand where my coat hung in the corner of the room, threw it on, then headed out of my office, I smiled at the idea of finding an omega with enough of an attitude to give me the kind of pleasure I craved.

I headed through the office to the elevator, smiling and nodding at a few colleagues I saw along the way. No one liked to talk about submissive alphas because alphas were meant to be aggressive and dominating. I knew full well that there were a lot more of us who liked to strongly and aggressively submit, though.

My particular kink was that I liked to be force-milked. I’d even volunteered to provide semen for the Heat Lightning program that Bangers & Mash had developed a while back, but as heady as the experience was, it had been too clinical for me. I craved the fantasy of forced submission along with the physical sensation of having every drop of cum possible yanked out of my balls.

As the elevator dinged and the doors slid open on the ground floor, I glanced around at the other alphas coming and going in the huge office building, wondering how many of them were closet submissives, too. Probably a lot of them.

The café where I was scheduled to meet with my prospective playmate, Fletcher Battersea, was a few trolley stops down from the Victory Holdings building. He’d chosen a cute spot at the edge of one of the city’s largest parks. It was the perfect place to meet and set up a fantasy like the one we’d agreed to through the app. Some people thought deals like the one we were about to do were best done in a secluded spot, but when you were in a noisy crowd, there was too much going on for anyone to pay attention to what two random people were talking about over sandwiches .

I recognized Fletcher from his picture on the app as soon as I entered the café. He was in his late twenties with dark hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. He stood from the table by the patio that he’d already taken and waved to me. I was surprised at how tall he was for an omega and how fit he looked. If I didn’t already know from his app profile that he was an omega, I would have assumed he was a beta. A hot, brooding beta at that. Just my type.

“Artemis Montgomery?” Fletcher asked as I approached the table. His tenor voice was forceful, but it definitely had the lilt that only omegas had.

“Yes,” I answered, stretching my hand out to him. “Fletcher Battersea?”

Fletcher took my hand with a nod and shook it. I immediately noticed he was wearing a wedding ring. Interesting, but not entirely unusual. A lot of omegas who were married to betas or other omegas sought out an alpha to take them through heat. It made a bit more sense why Fletcher was looking for an alpha for a captive milking fantasy.

“Have a seat,” Fletcher said, letting go of my hand and gesturing to the seat on the other side from where he sat. He launched right into things with a serious look before I could come up with any banter to ease the conversation. “Your app profile says you’re looking for a captive fantasy,” he said, stating it as fact instead of as a question.

I smiled. Already, I liked Fletcher. “I am,” I said. I darted a look around, but no one in the crowded café was paying attention to anything but their own lunchtime conversations. “I’m open to whatever narrative you want for the scenario, kidnapping, scientific experiment, alien abduction.” I’d played that last one once and it had been a hilariously good time .

“The scenario isn’t as important to me as the outcome,” Fletcher said, shaking his head a little. “I just need your seed.”

The cold, clinical way Fletcher spoke gave me a shiver of arousal. Coupled with his bright, almost harsh burnt sugar scent, it had me growing and my cock pressing against my trousers, right there in the middle of the café.

“I can give you what you need,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Like my app profile says, I get off on being used by omegas. I particularly enjoy anything that gives me the feeling of being humiliated or milked by force.” Just talking about it was getting me hot.

Fletcher nodded like the whole thing was technical. “I can definitely provide you with that,” he said, meeting my eyes directly and speaking to me like he was the one in charge. “Your profile also says you produce a lot of seed when you’re in rut.” Again, it was a statement, not a question.

“I do,” I answered. “If I’m in the presence of a particularly compatible omega in heat, I can produce up to a pint per heat wave.”

Fletcher’s brow flew up, and I saw something ignite in his eyes. He was impressed, but it was more than that. The wheels were definitely turning in his head, even if I had no idea what he was thinking.

“That could be incredibly useful,” he said, half to himself. “And how quickly do you recover?”

“Relatively quickly,” I said.

I was stopped from elaborating when a server came over to take our order. The chipper young beta had no idea what kind of conversation she was interrupting, but that was the point of meeting in public .

Once our orders were taken and the server went on her way, Fletcher turned serious again.

“The fantasy will involve you being strapped to a milking chair for most of his—” He stopped, grimacing at himself for what I assumed was a slip.

I shifted forward, staring openly at him. “Can I assume from that and from your wedding ring that you’re married to an omega?”

Fletcher frowned. “I am,” he said. Everything from his voice to his posture was tight.

“Is this for his or her heat?” I asked.

“His heat, yes,” Fletcher said. His frown deepened for a moment before he let out a breath. “His name is Gideon, and he’s everything to me. Everything .”

I nodded to let him know I got it.

“Gideon was abused as a young man,” Fletcher went on. “His first couple of heats were…unbearable. We…met each other shortly after his second one.” He stopped for a long pause, as if caught up in a bad memory before saying, “We’ve been together ever since. I would do anything for him. I do everything for him now.”

“Including making certain he can get through heat with minimal trauma?” I added.

Fletcher nodded. “I do what I can, but I’m only an omega” His frustration over that was palpable.

“So the timing of our fantasy will coincide with Gideon’s heat,” I said, helping him along.

“Yes,” Fletcher said. He took a breath and focused on the deal. “He might not be in the same room with you during the fantasy. He might not even want you to see him. But I understand that you have to be close enough to scent his heat to go into rut. ”

I nodded. “You can blindfold me if you want. That would just add to my pleasure.”

Again, Fletcher looked surprised. Not so much at my offer to be blindfolded, but that I would be so accommodating.

“Yes,” he said. “That might work. I’ll have to ask Gideon to see what he says. He’s already showing signs of going into heat, so I could give you a call about the fantasy as soon as tonight, though I expect it will be tomorrow.”

“How many of his heats have you taken him through?” I asked, though I could have figured it out, based on the number of entries Fletcher had on the Dark Fantasies Club app. He wasn’t playing to get his own rocks off, he was looking for alphas to help him with his husband.

“Eight,” Fletcher answered. He flinched, then added, “Some have been more successful than others.”

“And what about your heats?” I asked, even though I knew it was none of my business. I felt such a strong draw to Fletcher, such a need to help him and his husband, that the usual boundaries I would’ve had were gone.

Fletcher stared at me for a long time before answering. He was saved from having to answer immediately when the server returned with our food.

We ate in silence for a few minutes before he finally answered with, “I don’t have the same aversion to alphas that Gid does. When my heats come, I make certain he’s safe and protected, then I head up to the Bangers & Mash facility. I’m lucky that I have short, mild heats, though. I’ve been able to take care of it with the Heat Lightning system for the last two times.”

“Handy little system, Heat Lightning,” I said with a grin. “I donated to them once a few years ago, when the program was new. ”

“Really?” Fletcher seemed surprised, but instead of asking more questions, he chewed on his ham and cheese.

I finished the rest of my sandwich and washed it down with some soda before asking, “Do your heats and your husband’s coincide at all?”

I couldn’t imagine the stress and strain of both of them going into heat at once.

Fletcher shook his head. “Fortunately, no. I usually go into heat a month after Gid. I’m not due for at least that long. My cycle isn’t regular, though. I’m what scientists call a ‘weak omega’.”

I nodded. I’d heard the term, but only in passing. As reproductive science advanced, scientists were discovering more and more about variations in omegas. Some, like Simon, had genes that made them naturally crave submission. Others, like Fletcher, I assumed, were genetically programmed to be more like betas. Some people theorized that there would come a time when both omega and alpha traits phased out of humanity until only betas were left.

“Some people might say I’m a weak alpha,” I told Fletcher with a smile, “but that’s not genetic. It’s more of a kink. You can trust me to maintain the boundaries you set for yourself and your husband, though.”

Fletcher nodded. “Good. Gideon has powerful boundaries because of his past. His…his family wasn’t…there were certain expectations put on him growing up.”

“Say no more,” I said, holding up one hand. “I think I get the gist of it.”

There were plenty of so-called traditional families out there who still saw omegas as inferior baby-makers who weren’t entitled to a life of their own or any agency in their lives or with their bodies. Those people made me see red .

“One other thing,” Fletcher said, suddenly nervous. “Gideon wants to start a family.”

I froze for a moment, then deliberately continued eating as though that simple phrase hadn’t thrown me. “I have no objection,” I said. “Part of donating to Bangers & Mash’s Heat Lightning program is the expectation that there will be babies out there bearing my DNA. I’m not opposed to that happening with the two of you.”

Not only not opposed, but my usually quiet inner alpha practically purred at the idea, even though it fancied Fletcher. I already knew that I would like Gideon, too, though I couldn’t say why I was so certain.

We finished our meal, and when the server returned with our check, even though I offered to pay, Fletcher insisted we split it. I kind of liked that about him, too. There were a lot of things to admire about Fletcher Battersea. He was my kind of omega. I couldn’t wait to meet his husband as well.

“I have to get back now,” Fletcher said once the bill was paid and we left the café. “I’ll let you know as soon as Gideon shows definite signs of heat. I’ll text you our address then.”

“Do you have any preferences for how you’d like me to arrive?” I asked. “Hapless pizza delivery guy who ends up strapped to a table? Lured to your address by a promise of a good time?”

Fletcher broke into the first hint of a smile I’d seen from him. “Do you need a scenario?”

I shrugged. “It’s more fun that way.”

His smirk grew. “How about you volunteered for an experiment that’s about to get out of hand.”

I smiled. “I can work with that. ”

Fletcher held out his hand to me. “Then I’ll see you soon, Mr. Montgomery.”

“As soon as you need me,” I replied, shaking his hand.

That was it. Fletcher nodded to me one more time then turned and walked off, leaving traces of his burnt sugar scent swirling around me. I liked him. A lot. I felt like he had a lot on his shoulders, and I was eager to lift some of that burden for him. I couldn’t wait to get the call that his husband had gone into heat.