"Who are you?" I ask, stepping forward cautiously. I'm not sensing any physical danger, but something definitely isn't right.
"Anders Cartwright. I was a last-minute addition," he says without hesitation. "I'm sure that's why I wasn't on the list. Farron said he wanted to make sure Warren had access to all his best omegas."
Hesitantly, I glance back at Warren. The list he gave me was current as of last night. If there's been an update, I certainly wasn't made aware of it.
"I'm sure it's just an oversight," says Warren says, stepping past me abruptly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear." He takes Anders's hand and bows low to kiss it.
I would've smacked my hand to my face if I wasn't trying so hard to maintain my composure. What’s the point of having any security at all if it’s just going to get tossed out the window the moment a pretty omega shows up? We might as well just throw open the doors and let everyone in.
"Warren." I clear my throat. "We should verify his information with Farron."
"I don't want to cause any trouble," Anders says, looking away shyly from Warren’s adoring gaze.
"You're not, my dear. I'll call Farron as soon as I get back to the office." Warren glances back at me with annoyance visible on his face. "I'm sure that will satisfy Duke, won't it?"
“Sure thing.” I nod in agreement. "I'm just trying to do my job, sir."
"You can tell he's annoyed with me," Warren says with a chuckle. "He never calls me 'sir' unless he's annoyed."
"I'm really sorry if I'm making things difficult," Anders says, stepping toward me. He looks me in the eye and flutters his impossibly long lashes. "I'm here to help. So, please, put me to work. I honestly don't care if you want me to scrub toilets, I'll do it. Just please, don't send me back before giving me a chance."
"Of course we're going to give you a chance!" Warren looks at me pointedly. “Aren't we, Duke?”
My shoulders slump forward in defeat. There's only so much protesting I can do. If Warren is set on giving this omega a job, I can't actually stop him. All I can do is try to keep an eye on him, on top of everything else I've got on my plate this week.
"Go join the others." I nod to Anders. "You all should follow the path up to the hotel," I continue, loud enough for the rest of the group to hear. "Lunch is already waiting for you in the dining room. I'll be there in a little while to give you your room assignments."
Anders goes to join the rest of the group, and I notice he's greeted by Isaac, that sexy little omega who just won't get out of my head. The two of them look like they're close, but I'm not sure yet if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
As the omegas head up the path in a group, I spin on my heel to face Warren.
Before I can say a word, he holds up his hands in surrender.
"I already know what you're gonna say." Warren’s eyes plead with me to go easy on him. "I know, I'm making a mistake. I know we need to be careful. I'm heading to my office right now to call Farron, and I'll get this whole thing figured out. I swear."
I blow out a deep breath. "You're the one who told me we can't afford to have anything go wrong. Every other person on the staff has been background checked, they've all got references and glowing recommendations. I've bent over backward putting together a group of people I believe are trustworthy and aren't going to screw us over. We can't risk it all on one omega."
"I know. Believe me. There's so much on the line here." Warren wipes his forehead and fans himself with his free hand then chuckles. "I'm going to be a nervous wreck all night."
"Just, leave the groundwork to me," I assure him. "You need to be at your best when people start showing up. You're good at playing host, so focus on that. I've got your back."
Warren nods. "I really appreciate it, Duke. You've been a life saver through all this. I'm heading up to my office right now…well, right after I stop and get some lemonade. Then I'm calling Farron. I'll text you after it's done."
He turns and follows after the omegas. If anyone knows the stakes for this week, it's Warren. He's not going to throw it all away by taking some stupid risk. He might have been wooed by the pretty face, but he's not going to let it ruin his chances for success.
I hope.
With a deep breath, I look down at the list on my phone one last time. This whole incident is far from over. I feel it in my gut.
Three
Isaac
"You are to avoid any advances made by the guests. This isn't a brothel." The security guy with the rippling muscles, I think his name is Duke, is standing in the middle of the dining room, giving us a lecture. We had just finished lunch when he showed up and started laying down the law. Most of this is stuff Farron has already told us, but some of it is new.
"If a guest gets handsy, come to me or one of my guys. We'll remind them that behavior is unacceptable," Duke continues. "You're not to go into the guests rooms whether you're invited or not. You're not to accept any money given to you by the guests. If they want to tip you, they are free to add it to their tab and the tip will be distributed with your paycheck." The muscular alpha with the glittering dark eyes pauses to look around the room. "These rules are to protect you as much as they are to protect the reputation of the resort. Please follow them to the letter, or we will be forced to send you home. All this was already included in your contracts, and Farron assured us that you're all professionals, so I don't anticipate any problems. I just want to make sure we're all on the same page."
My heart stops dead in my chest when Duke's gaze meets mine. The same thing happened when he was checking my name on the dock. I have to force myself to keep breathing, but I'm a little lightheaded from it.
When he finally breaks eye contact, I inhale until my lungs are full and my heart thrums back to life, hammering so hard I'm sure Anders can hear it from his seat beside mine. I don't know what it is about Mr. Security Guy, but he's filled my stomach with butterflies. He's barely said five words to me, and I'm already thinking up all the dirty things I want him to do to me. With a body like his, I'm sure he's got the stamina to last all night long.
I bite my tongue to try and bring myself back to reality. My balls are already growing tight, and I really don't want to get an erection in the middle of the dining room. Especially not in the middle of such a serious lecture.
"And that brings me to my final point." Duke stops in the middle of the room and look in each direction. "We've got a strict policy about omegas in heat. Because of the nature of this resort, anyone who goes into heat will be sent home immediately. This goes for guests as well. I hope you understand that this isn't a punishment. It's designed to keep you safe and avoid any uncomfortable situations that could arise. So I hope you all followed orders and stocked up on enough suppressants to last you for the entire two weeks."
I smile slightly, very proud of the fact that I went out and bought a new box of suppressants last night. There are a few worried glances and murmurs from some omegas around the room. I can't help but wonder how many of them are going to be sent home because they didn't stock up like they were told.