There was a soft low, almost inaudible beep and then a light click before the door opened. Lein tucked the key card in his back pocket and hesitantly stepped into the room, glancing nervously around. The current hotel was several classes above the last one. He had done as he was instructed, receiving the key card and going into the room without knocking.
"You came?" Jason did little to hide his surprise, leaning lazily against the archway of the threshold with his arms crossed.
Lein stiffened, the man's voice alone awakened memories and desires that he had struggled to keep in check for the last two weeks. That's right, he did not hear a peep from Jason for two weeks, only to receive a text with a hotel address and instructions the day before yesterday. It left him a little resentful. "You asked me to come..." there was a tiny but obvious annoyance in his voice "…Should I not have come?"
"I honestly didn't think you would, seeing as you did not get in touch with me." Jason pushed himself off the wall and took measured steps until he stood in front of Lein "Are you upset?" He reached out a hand to cup his cheek, a thumb gently rubbing over Lein's lower lip "I got really busy."
As usual, Lein leaned into his touch "No... It's fine."
"Hm." Jason's free hand snaked around his waist and pulled him closer until they were firmly pressed against each other. Lein showed no resistance, rather he accepted every action with meekness and a little eagerness
"I missed you." Jason whispered, the hand that rested on the other's waist reached below to roughly grab his butt. He took a step or two towards the door, pushing Lein back until he was trapped firmly between his own body and the door. The hand that was only just caressing his cheek now gripped his jaw tightly "I thought you were going to contact me, isn't that right, Rosalein?" There was no change in the tone of his voice, no emotional fluctuation, it remained as smooth and even as ever.
Lein couldn't help but swallow "I didn't know if I should." He held onto Jason's arms for support, as he felt Jason push his knee between his legs and grind his lower body against his.
"Hm?" Jason gnawed on his lower lip for a second, before burying his head in the crook of his neck "So it's not that you didn't want to see me, but you were shy?" He asked, tightening the hand on his ass as though he wanted to merge their bodies into one.
Lein gasped in response to his actions. His body trembled in anticipation like he had been waiting for Jason his whole life. Truth be told, since he got his message, he desperately craved this moment. Jason was like water for his parched body. Everything Jason did seemed to satisfy a yearning he never knew he had.
Soon the air was filled with the sound of fabric rubbing furiously against each other, Lein's shallow breaths, gasps for air and the smell of furiously blooming wild roses.
"Rosalein, do you want to spend tonight with me?" He asked even though they both knew that he would.
He nodded in response, and again, Lein allowed himself to be at Jason's mercy.
The meetings which happened once every two weeks became meeting every week until they were basically seeing each other every other day or every two days, naturally transitioning from meeting at the hotel to meeting at Jason's place. A nice apartment in an upscale neighborhood. Very chic.
On one such meeting, while they were lying in bed basking in post-coital bliss Jason suddenly put forth a proposition "Do you... do you want to move in with me?" They had been seeing each other, constantly for the better part of three months.
Lein shuffled closer "Sure." He replied without hesitation.
A little weary, Jason glanced at him "Do you understand what I'm asking? Like... Do you get what that means for our current relationship?"
Lein nodded "It means we'd be dating right?"
"Yea." Jason turned to the side to face him fully "And you're okay with that?"
"Sure." He leaned closer to kiss him.
A kiss Jason returned with a heart full of contentment.
While Jason was have a roll in the hay to celebrate his newly changed relationship status, his brother Alexei, who was currently in XX country on business, just received what could only be described as a well-deserved slap. To understand why this happened, we need to backtrack to five weeks ago.
Alexei arrived in XX country to begin the process of acquiring N foods, a brand that made supplements for alphas and omegas going through rut and heat. On the surface, it was presented as a cooperation, but everyone knew what happening. He had decided to deal with it in person as a sign of his sincerity and a show of good faith because it was an old and trusted brand. They had a good reputation and an established market, unfortunately, that was no longer enough to bring in profits. They needed a new image. New blood, if you will, and this is exactly where Hanzel came in. Hanzel bought up almost all the shares, the plan was to keep the name, inject funds, conduct a little restructuring and revitalize the image. If everything went smoothly, he would not be in this country for more than four months. It was a simple enough plan, he had done his part so why the fuck were the old fogeys who didn't know what was good for them dragging their feet. They turned one meeting into three and three conferences into an indefinite delegation; and a delegation into a dinner party and in this manner, Alexei had been here for two weeks and not even one paper had been signed.
Right now, he was seated at a table at one of such dinners.
He sighed inwardly, could these rotten bastards simply not see that their oh-so-precious company is on its last legs? Do they have the money for these useless dinners? If they did, why was he here buying their shit? Is that where the money came from?
This matter was made worse by the endless parade of omegas. Everyone up to their fifth cousin three times removed who had an omega in their family seemed to always know where he was and somehow stumble upon him by pure chance. To say he was losing his shit would be the understatement of the year, but he preserved. In business, one's enemy was only an enemy for the moment. No one could tell where future interests lie.
He gave Dawson a subtle glance and the man with his omega son in tow were quickly directed away. He pushed out his chair, made a quick excuse about needing to step away to make a call and made a quick break for the door with his other assistant on his heels. Who would have known that just beyond the trap that was just now evaded, laid yet another.
A rather 'clumsy' but very 'fragrant' omega 'tripped' over nothing and was plunged face first into his chest, along with her drink. He unconsciously reached out to keep her steady on her feet, but her legs seemed to be made of jelly because she kept leaning heavily against him. Impatient, he let her go and she tumbled to the ground with great ceremony. As if on cue, several others rushed at him with napkins and handkerchiefs and whatever the fuck they thought they could help with.
It became a total fiasco, so Alexei did what he thought was the best solution at the time. He made a quick break for it. Literally. He ran out the door, only to be chased down by the desperate pack hot on his heels.
He didn't look where he was going and frankly, he didn't care, he simply wanted to get away and somehow, ended up in a random convenience store.
"Excuse me."
He heard a soft tender voice and then a light tug on his suit. When Alexei faced the person that reached out to him, he felt his heart skip a beat. Maybe it was because the person in front of him was simply breathtaking or it was the sprint of life he just ran, who could say.
"Fuck!" He spat at the poor fellow "Did you really follow me all the way here?" He looked behind him to see if there were any others before returning his focus to the boy "Are you so desperate to throw yourself at me?"
Ethan could only grimace to show his displeasure as the other man continued to spit his unsavory words at him.
"Where are your parents? Why are they so eager to pimp out their kid? Honestly, omegas are so cheap, if your parents are doing something so foolish you should stop them by yourself rather than playing into it. Who would value a person who is eager to-"
"Excuse me!" His voice remained soft, but his annoyance was clear.
"-just keep selling your ass to the highest bidder."
And then, came the slap, accompanied by a look of utter disgust and finally, his mobile phone was shoved into his chest.
"You ran into me and dropped your phone." With one final look of disgust, Ethan turned on his heels and walked away.
"Yikes." Someone muttered.
Alexei turned towards the commenter, the store had a few people who had just witnessed the whole ordeal.
Alexei had never felt do embarrassed in his life.
Three days later, Alexei and Ethan had another encounter. It was pure serendipity.
Alexei needed a breather, just some fresh air away from the omega parades and fogeys who had no idea what was good for them. The ever-capable Dawson told him about a park. It was relatively private, somewhat hidden. All in all, not a bad place to relax. Heaven forbid that he actually leaves his hotel room and go to a bar or a restaurant, or even the gym. He doesn't know who the information broker was, but someone always seemed to know where he was going to be and when.
It was exhausting.
Anyway, he went to the park. A quick run, some fresh air and it's back to his room to stare at black figures on white background. After one round about the park, he was quite satisfied, so he decided on another round. It was halfway through the fourth round that he noticed someone seated on a bench in front of the artificial pond. He was seated very still, staring blankly at the water as if something was about to happen or maybe he was waiting for someone to show up. Alexei glanced around curiously, there were barely people around. In fact, the sky was getting dark and people were leaving. After a brief internal debate, he decided to strike up a conversation. He already got slapped, what's the worst that could happen? Regardless, he proceeded cautiously.
He knocked lightly on the back on the bench and gave small, very slight wave "Hi."
His sudden appearance startled Ethan, who immediately flinched and pulled away in defense.
It was a bit of an exaggeration, it's not like he was that scary. Alexei furrowed his brows "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
Hearing his apology, Ethan relaxed but said nothing.
Alexei took his silence as an invitation to stay. He leaned closer "Do you remember me?" He asked with a bright smile, index finger pointed to himself "You slapped me a few days back."
Ethan threw him a quizzical look.
Alexei briefly wondered if the other went about slapping people, as he showed no hints of recognizing him. At that thought, he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone "I bumped into you and dropped my phone, you were kind enough to bring it to me, but I said some unsavory things, and you slapped me."
"I know."
"Right... I would like to apologize for my behaviour that day. I was having an unpleasant time, and I took it out on you."
Ethan narrowed his pretty eyes "I'm not sorry for slapping you."
Chuckling, Alexei took a seat by his side "I didn't expect you to be." Flashing a bright smile, he extended his free hand out for a handshake "I'm Alex."
Ethan pressed his lips together, clearly unhappy with what was happening. His eyes travelled from the hand held out to him to the face of the weird man and back to his hand. "Ethan." He said quickly, slim delicate fingers reached out and took a very light hold of the tip of Alexei's fingers for a very brief 'handshake', before covertly shuffling away from him.
Alexei retrieved his hand, stared at it for a second and chuckled again. He was certain that the contact did not last even a second "Are you waiting for someone?"
"No."
"Okay. I'm off." He jumped to his feet, his action caused Ethan to stiffen again and lean away from him. Alexei frowned but what could he do, when you not wanted, you're not wanted. He continued his run.
Another week passed, and finally the acquisition was starting to take form. It was time to get to work or at least he would be working if one of the executives did his damn job and stopped chasing after your asses. Now the executive in question had been admitted in the hospital, his spouse found out about his repeated infidelity and tried to run him over. Actually, the plot to flatten him was only half successful as the man was still alive. Unfortunately, he broke his leg.
Alexei let out a long slow exhale to ease his frustration. Everyone on this floor of the hospital could hear their argument. The spouse's cries of betrayal and demand for a divorce as well as the executive's shameless and desperate begging.
"Dawson..." Alexei put a firm hand on the man's shoulder "...I know you will do a good job."
"Sir, please..." Dawson begged in a small voice. He also had no intention to play mediator for the pair "...please." each word carried more desperation than the last "please, don't do this to me."
"Good man." Unmoved by the man's begging, Alexei turned around and made a quick escape to the lift.
Pleased with his successful escape, he made way to a nearby cafe to sit and wait for Dawson's call. Maybe look over the menu, grab a little snack. It was a chilly day, hot cocoa would suffice. He sighed in contentment, life is good when you have a secretary like Dawson. Everyone should have a Dawson. He contemplated how he to reward the fellow for his efforts; perhaps a bonus, or a car or maybe even nice apartment. Hanzel had acquired some nice real estate recently. Dawson was a diligent worker and he deserved it. His mind was still mulling over the options when he happened upon a rather unpleasant scene.
Ethan was being cornered by a rather persistent fellow.
How could he tell that Ethan didn't want to be there? Well, he had the same expression as when he approached him in the park. Those soft looking lips were pressed into a thin line, and his eyes were darting about like he was in search for the nearest exit. He watched Ethan curl up as his shuffled away from the source of his annoyance, but the other man seemed to have no idea that he was unwelcome and if he did, he simply ignored it.
He clicked his tongue, it's just one thing or another in this city. "Ethan!" He called out, waving at them as he took very wide steps. Eager to cover the distance between them quickly "Hi."
Ethan was simply shocked by the sudden show of familiarity.
Taking advantage of the brief moment of confusion, Alexei inserted himself between the pair, wrapped an arm around Ethan's shoulder and begun to lead him away. Ethan stiffened under his touch, but he ignored that and pressed on, completely ignoring the other man's existence.
"Hey, he's with me!"
Alexei ignored him.
Ethan, though a little uncomfortable, allowed himself to be led away.
Angered, the man reached out to grab Alexei's shoulder only to be enveloped in an air of unexplained fear.
Alexei craned his neck, at an angle Ethan couldn't see, to glare at him. The previous bright and friendly facade completely disappeared, replaced with a look of pure hostility and contempt. He said nothing, just turned away and led Ethan into the cafe.
The pair were seated.
"Did I do something unnecessary?" Alexei asked after a few moments of awkward silence had passed between the two.
Ethan, whose gaze had been fixed on the table the whole time, finally looked at him. He shook his head slightly "No." He added quietly, as if worried he would not be understood.
"That's good. Do you have somewhere you need to be?"
He stayed unmoving for a moment and shook his head again.
Alexei sighed in resignation "You can leave if you don't want to be here. I'm not asking anything of you in exchange."
"N-no. I'll stay."
"Are you worried that that person would be loitering around, waiting for you?"
This time he bit the inside of his lower lip, clearly uncomfortable with the idea but said nothing.
"Then would you like me to walk you back?"
Ethan's eyes brightened at the thought, but they quickly dimmed. Even though he didn't want to go back alone, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
"I'll take responsibility for one-sidedly involving myself in your matter and accompany you to wherever you have to go. I'm a very responsible adult in that way."
Hearing that, Ethan's tensed frame relaxed a little and he even managed to show a tiny shy smile.
This made Alexei very happy, so happy, that he decided there and then to change Dawson's yearend bonus to a raise. He pushed the menu closer to him, eyes full of encouragement "If it's fine with you, shall we share a meal?"
Alexei was more than satisfied with the day's event. He learned a few new things about his new friend. For starters, he was a 22 year old graphic designer who worked in a small-sized company set up in one of the office complexes nearby. His harasser, although not someone he knows personally, is someone he sees daily on the way to lunch so, being the very responsible adult that he was, he made the commitment to accompany him to and from lunch every day until he was no longer concerned about the man.
Nothing suspicious, just an adult doing what every adult should do.
"Dawson!" He exclaimed, heart full of cheer as he made his way to the car "My good man, how was it?"
"It was exhausting sir." He wailed, holding open the door for him "I almost got beat up."
Alexei nodded "This is why one must never interfere in the affairs of couples."
"Sir!" He was filled with righteous indignation, would he even be there if his boss did not so callously dump the assignment on him?
"Rejoice..." He gave him an encouraging pat on the back "... I've decided you deserve a raise." He added before quickly getting into the car.
Dawson couldn't hardly contain his joy "Thank you sir!". His indignation faded away as quickly as one could blink as he got into the car as well.