"Alright, I'm going to pair you off now and hand out your room keys," Duke explains as he moves toward the table closest to him. "You'll each have a roommate. You and your roommate will be on opposite shifts. I'll leave it to you to work out who gets the early shift and who gets the late one. Each shift is eight hours long. The first is eleven AM to seven PM. The second is five PM to one AM. There's a two hour overlap during dinner and happy hour. We expect this is when we'll be busiest and need all hands on deck to help serve our guests."
Duke begins circling around the room and passing out keys. When he finally reaches the table where Anders and I are sitting, he hesitates.
My thoughts flicker back to the docks and the brief exchange we had there. My heart is hammering like a schoolboy who's faced with his first crush. If I could think of something witty to say, I would but I’m coming up blank as I reach for the keycard in his hand.
Duke's gaze flickers to Anders and understanding dawns on me. He's not hesitating because he's interested in me or thinks I'm cute. It's because of Anders and the fact that he wasn't on the original list.
I'm crushed, but I don't let it show. Instead, I reach up and snatch the key from Duke.
He whirls on me with a storm cloud in his eyes, and for some reason, that just makes him sexier.
"You were just standing there." I shrug, trying to pretend I'm not positively thrilled to have him staring at me so intensely. "Some of us still have to unpack, and you're wasting our time. Besides, it's rude to stare."
I honestly don't know what possessed me to be so bold, but the other omegas are eating it up. I'm rewarded with whistles of approval and cheers of support.
Duke shakes his head and turns away without another word. Once he finishes handing out keycards, he storms off without another word.
"Well, then, I guess we're free to go," Anders announces as he rises from his chair.
Slowly, the buzz of conversation returns to the room, and the other omegas begin gathering up their things.
I'm still shocked by my actions, sitting there motionless.
"Good job, buddy," Anders says, clapping me on the shoulder and bringing me back to reality. "That alpha's pretty intense, but you handled him like a pro."
"Y-yeah." I chuckle as I pick up my backpack. "He seems pretty obsessed with you, though."
Anders shrugs, slinging his bag over one shoulder. "I'm sure he's just doing his job. Unfortunately, for him, he's just a meathead alpha. The only way he knows how to handle anything is with bully tactics. You, on the other hand, deftly managed to chase him off without breaking a sweat."
I smile and shake my head at Anders's praise as I follow him out of the dining hall. I don't feel particularly clever for what I did, but I'm glad Anders thinks it was. He doesn't seem like the sort of person who’s easily impressed.
"You didn't really seem all that intimidated by him though," I say as we head out of the main hotel and cross the grass to the staff building. It's a three-story white building with red terracotta tiles on the roof. Stairs snake up the outside of the building, leading to covered walkways that circle each floor.
"Most alphas just want to intimidate you into showing deference," Anders explains as he pauses at the bottom of the stairs. "If you hold your ground and don't flinch, they've either got to take you seriously or get physical. With that many people watching, even if they were all omegas, I was pretty sure he wasn't going to get physical."
"Oh, so I messed up your plan?" I frown and glance down at the keycard. The number 215 is printed on the side. I show the number to Anders, and he nods in understanding.
"Not at all," Anders says as we start up the stairs. "Your intervention made things even better. See, before I was the lone 'problem' for him to deal with. You made him realize that none of us are going to be easy to push around. We're independently strong, and we're not going to let some alpha intimidate us."
My chest swells with pride as Anders speaks. I hadn't actually thought of it like that. I did something right. Not only that, but I'm actually being useful to someone who seems to genuinely like me. I’m new to this whole “friendship” thing, and I really hope Anders doesn’t catch on.
When I was in high school, no one wanted to be friends with the poor kid. I had ratty clothes, got bad grades, and was usually late to school. If it wasn’t for the lunch program, I probably would’ve gone hungry too. The only class I was any good at was writing. My teacher said I had a real knack for it.
Unfortunately, that only made me even less popular.
It wasn’t until I finally graduated and skipped town that things started to change. I got a job, figured out how to properly dress and groom myself, and resolved to never be “poor” again. Even if I had no money, I would do everything in my power to look like a million bucks.
Now I finally feel like all that effort is paying off. I’m making a real friend that actually appreciates me. This isn’t desperate, ugly, poor kid Isaac who is trying to sit with the cool kids in the lunchroom. The cool kid actually came up to me this time.
My only regret is, in my efforts to prove myself to Anders, I'm pretty sure I've completely ruined my chances with that sexy, mouth-watering alpha. It’s got me wondering which I actually want more.
Four
Duke
"Please tell me that you called Farron," I demand as I push open the door to Warren's office.
Warren holds up a finger to silence me, and I realize, with complete embarrassment, that he's on the phone. He's sitting behind his desk with his elbows resting on the mahogany surface. The blinds are closed over the large, south-facing windows and the AC is cranked too high.
I pull the door closed behind me and shiver at the chill in the air.
"Yes, of course…" Warren says as he nods his head. "I'll keep that in mind… No, no, we just wanted to touch bases. I've got the email now. I'll have Duke confirm it…Yes, of course. Thank you so much…You too. Look forward to it."
Warren ends the call and looks up at me expectantly. "Yes, I called Farron," he says, folding his hands on the desk. "He says Anders was a last-minute addition. He's one of his best omegas, has a sterling reputation. He was supposed to be going on a trip, but the client canceled at the last minute, so Anders offered to help out with our grand opening."
I frown and let my shoulders slump.
"You're supposed to be happy that there's nothing actually wrong," Warren knits his brow and rolls his eyes.
"I am," I insist. "It's just…anti-climactic." Plus, it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve still got a bad feeling about Anders. Something about the way he comes across is all wrong. He doesn’t have the same attitude as the other omegas in the group. They’re all consummate professionals. Even Isaac, despite his little show in the dining hall.
Anders, on the other hand, makes me feel like he’s angling for something.
"Anti-climactic is good." Warren slaps his hands on the desk lightly then rises to his feet. "In movies, things tend to explode during the climax. I don't want any explosions. Guests are going to start arriving first thing in the morning. Everything needs to be perfect, understand?"