Page 10 of Hot for Teacher
Chase tucked that little tidbit of information away somewhere safe in the back of his mind. Burke didn’t seem to be hurting for it,the lack of closeness with his parents. It didn’t seem like muchcouldhurt him. He was … steady. Solid. Larger than life.
Like his hands. Like the one currently dwarfing that poor tumbler of whiskey in its hold. Chase wanted those big hands on him, wanted to see how far that broad grip would span across his waist.
Fuck. No. Conversation—they were having aconversation.
“Siblings?” Chase asked. Had his voice gone all husky, or was that in his head?
“No.”
“Same.”
They went silent again. Chase was usually better at small talk than this. It should have felt awkward, like the world’s worst nondate. Butawkwardwasn’t the word Chase would use. He felt … calm. No longer embarrassed by his own presence here. Maybe it was the strength of Burke’s pheromones, which were deepening the longer Chase sat there. Sweetening, almost, that cherry note coming out to play again.
Was this what omegas felt like all the time, surrounded by strong alpha pheromones? It was pretty damn nice.
Chase let out a small, contented sigh before he could stop himself.
Burke leaned forward in his chair, the movement almost startling in its suddenness. “What brings you here, Chase Adler?”
Chase suppressed a shiver at the sound of his full name said in that smooth voice. Apparently Burke really did know who he was.
“Did you come here to meet someone?” Burke pressed, his pheromones suddenly thick in the air.
Chase nodded without thinking, then shook his head. “Just … curious.”
“About?”
Instead of answering, Chase took a large swallow of his as-yet-untouched drink. “Do you come here a lot, sir?”
“I do.” Burke swirled his whiskey, looking into the glass as if considering something. And then his next statement took Chase’s breath away. “There’s a kink club across the street. Haven. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?”
Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.
“V-Vaguely,” Chase managed to say. And because he didn’t want this line of conversation shut down, he hurried to add, “You’re a member?”
“I am. Not the most active.” Burke’s tone was casual, but as he met Chase’s eyes, his gaze was anything but. It was heavy, with the weight of a physical caress on Chase’s skin. “I don’t dom for anyone regularly, and I don’t participate in any public scenes.”
Chase couldn’t believe they were talking about this. He didn’t know how it had started, and he didn’t know how to keep from messing it up. “What do you do, then?” he asked cautiously.
“I watch. Mingle. Occasionally search for someone … compatible. Take them home for the night.”
Chase set his lips to his straw, then backed off without taking a drink. “How do you decide if they’re compatible?”
“How does anyone?” Burke’s eyes bore into him. Should Chase blink? He should probably blink. People blinked, didn’t they? “A conversation. Chemistry.”
Chemistry. Chase had to ask. “Pheromones?”
“Often, yes.”
“What if someone doesn’t have any?”
Burke cocked his head. “Are you asking me if I ever take home betas?”
“Do you?” It wouldn’t be that unusual if Burke didn’t. Some alphas preferred to stick with omegas, where they could safely scent compatibility on the surface and be sure of a welcome receptacle for their knot.
Oh fuck. Don’t think about Burke’s knot.
Except now it was all Chasecouldthink about. Burke’s knot,thick like his thighs, stretching Chase open. Could Chase take it? He bet he could, with enough prep. He’d fucking make sure of it.
