Page 1 of Such a Grumpy Omega
Chapter One
Fraser
“They’re here, boss.” My personal assistant ducked his head into my office, a grin lifting the corners of his lips. “In the conference room, ready for you.
“Thanks, Gregory. I’ll be in shortly.” And by shortly, I meant in about twenty minutes. Despite the size of this contract, the three men waiting for me had been such a pain to deal with, I was retaliating in the only way I could short of blowing up a large profit just to spite them. “Make sure they have ice water.” As in, no coffee or snacks. These guys really were assholes, and they’d tried so hard to cheat us and the other investors, I was going to have to use all my diplomatic skills to keep things professional.
When I finally deigned to head down the hallway, I paused outside the door for another moment to listen to the low grumbles of dissatisfaction before entering wearing a big smile. “Sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen.” Not sorry at all. “Let’s get these last documents signed so we can break ground as planned next week. River’s Mouth Homes will be our best project ever.” No thanks to these people who had no clue what they were doing but too much money to care. Left to them, there would be so many holes in the contracts that anyone could drive a semi through them.
I’d fattened my bank account, but sometimes I wondered if the money was enough. Having to deal with people whose morals were questionable—who didn’t care about skimping on things to make more cash made me so angry. Or even if it went well, I had a lot of ideas I didn’t have the ability to implement when others were involved. Just once, it would be nice to do a project all on my own. With each development I had managed to help set up, I saw elements I liked and some I didn’t.
My job in general was to bring people together who had money to invest, property owners, contractors…basically everyone necessary to make a new development happen. In the beginning, I’d worked on commercial as well as residential contracts, but over time had specialized in high-end gated communities.
They were gorgeous, and my involvement went from the birth of an idea until it was handed over to the sales team as the units reached completion. The current one would be going over the next couple of years, but the men who had just left the office would not need to do anything more but wait around for the money to roll in. From this point forward, I would be dealing with architects, contractors, and other people who worked for their living instead of those whose money did all their work for them.
Tomorrow, a silver spade would turn over the first bit of soil, and these money guys would be there for it. I would not, preferring my position behind the scenes. No, first thing in the morning, I’d begin dividing my time between the mini mansions of River’s Mouth and…well, whatever came next.
By the time I left the office, I just couldn’t face going home and thinking about all of this anymore. Most people thought success such as I had been fortunate enough to experience should be its own reward. And I’d had that impression, too, when I was a member of a struggling pack and dreamed of the day I could grow up, earn my own money, and live in my own apartment.
Although I’d far surpassed those modest dreams, my current life held almost none of the satisfaction I’d expected. Oh, I’d enjoyed not having to worry about paying bills or doing without anything, but somehow, it just wasn’t all that.
Underneath the pleasure I did get from having things work out well lay a desire to do something more. Sure, creatinga paradise for wealthy people was fun, but, having grown up with less made me think of all the others in a similar position. They also had dreams, and their children longed for safe, warm comforting homes.
Cuffed, the club I rarely found time for, called my name. It was a great place for those in alternative lifestyles, offering every kind of kink, but it also offered a warm and welcoming atmosphere to spend time with friends. On this night, I headed right for the conversation area where I found several of the owners and their mates chilling out. I grabbed a whiskey at the bar and wandered over to join them.
“Evening,” said Erik, his omega Heath sitting beside him. “Long time no see.”
“Another project startup. But it’s on the way now.” I settled into an armchair and sipped my drink, falling into silence while the conversations went on around me. People came and went, and while I was very happy to see them all, I was as much in my head as I would have been at home. Thinking I might leave, I moved to stand, but Erik put a hand on my arm. “If you’re going to the bar, would you bring me an old-fashioned?”
I started to say I was going home, but then thought, why not? A second drink might relax me. Most shifters had to drink a lot of alcohol to feel it, and I was no exception. A second cocktail sounded good, relaxing, and I was determined to listen better to my friends and maybe be distracted for a while. Clear my mind.
But as soon as I sat down again, I filled a momentary silence by blurting out the fact I wanted to do a large development on my own. In fact, I spilled a good ten minutes of dissatisfaction with my current situation and intent to make a change going forward.
Bronson, another owner who had arrived with his omega, Tate, grinned at me. “Friend, I think you’ve come to the right place.”
Chapter Two
Everly
My sister was a criminal. Not in the sight of the law but in my mind. Our father had named her executor of his will. He should’ve known better. Sadie had always been power and money hungry. She didn’t appreciate the value in our family’s story.
She only valued money. She practically had dollar signs in place of irises in her eyes.
I should’ve known when she asked me to lunch that something was up.
“Who died?” I asked her after taking a seat at the table she’d booked at a swanky new restaurant. The city was turning from a place to live to a tourist destination.
“No one. Sit down. We need to talk about something.”
Our food was delivered seconds later. She’d ordered for me like I was a child. Sure, it was exactly what I would’ve ordered. New York strip, medium rare, scalloped potatoes, and green beans, but she could have at least let me look. Sadie took over things. Eldest daughters often assumed the role of the second mother, but I was almost thirty years old.
“What is it? I have things to do.” I hated to be this curt with her, but the moment I showed any vulnerability or belly, as she called it, she would bring out her claws.
She exhibited hostility toward me because I was an omega. I didn’t choose it, of course. I was born this way. Still, she hated that she wouldn’t be the only one having children. Probably worried about my children inheriting more or something stupid.
“I closed on the house today.”
“The one on the beach?” Yeah, my family had a home in the city and one on the beach. Both had been in our familyfor generations, but the one at the beach didn’t hold many memories for me.
