Page 48 of The Alpha Escort Agency
He steps towards her, his scent swirling again, this time with a different kind of fierceness. He swallows. “I’m not allowed a girlfriend. Not if I want the agency to keep giving me work.”
“I’m confused.” She lifts her fingertips to her brow, as if gripping her head will help settle her thoughts. “Are you saying we can't be together? I thought we were starting a relationship here, Rory?”
"We are. We can. They just can’t find out." He rubs his knuckles over his forehead and takes a few paces to his left and then to his right. “We need to be more careful. I’ve been sloppy — meeting you at the gallery, bringing you there.” He grinds his knuckles harder into his skin. “We have to be more discreet.”
"You want us to keep this a secret? And so, what? We spend the rest of our lives creeping about?” She shakes her head. There’s a bin bag against the wall that’s split open. The contents tumble onto the pavement and her eyes gloss over the old plastic containers before she peers back at him. “Anyway, I’m not even sure how I feel about your work.”
He looks up at her. “It’s just a job.”
“It’s the thought of you with other women.” She cringes. “I’ve never been interested in open relationships or threesomes or whatever.”
“I’m not interested in those things either.” He rolls back his head and stares up at the sky. “I have to earn a living.”
“The photography—”
“It was one exhibition, Alice. It’ll never be enough to pay the bills.”
It's cold. She tugs her coat around her, zipping up the front, focusing on her fingers and not the emotions crashing through her body. They were going to have to face this, eventually. It was inevitable. But it seems too soon. Reality rushing in on the tail of last night.
“Well, what did you do before?”
“Bits and pieces.” He flings his arm out to the side as if dismissing the idea. “Some labouring, decorating, worked for a while with my grandad at the garage.” He stares at her. “It paid a pittance and I hated it.”
“And you like being an escort?” She might vomit.
“I like it more than every other job I’ve had.”
They stand silently and she can hear the faint whistle of his breath.
“But you can’t do this kind of job forever,” she says.
“Long enough. There are Alphas well into their fifties doing it. Some women want an older man. And by the time I do get too old, I’ll have saved enough money to retire.”
She takes a deep sigh. “So a relationship — it’s not ….”
"All of this has taken me by surprise — a very welcome surprise." A smile flickers across his face and then fades. "I'm just not sure what the solution is here."
Over the last couple of weeks and days, this has been hovering above the two of them like a cloud threatening to thunder. They’ve ignored it, but now it’s time to acknowledge the storm brewing.
“It wasn't part of my plan to meet someone right now either. I’m concentrating on my career. I’ve got big ambitions and a relationship will get in the way.” She watches his face and the way his throat tightens. “But I’m willing to give it a try, if you will too.”
“What are you asking me?”
“To at least give the photography a try. Please?” She takes a small step towards him. “I can’t … I can’t see that there’s another way for us, otherwise, not really. And you have talent, real talent. You shouldn’t be wasting it. I know art might not pay the bills but there are other things you can try too, if you’re willing. You could easily be a wedding photographer or specialise in family portraits.”
“Nobody would want an Alpha taking photos at their wedding.”
“You don’t know that,” she snaps. Then glances away and inhales. “You have an eye for it. And an obvious passion. Don’t you want to give it a try?”
“Is it really a deal breaker for you?”
She meets his gaze. “Do you seriously think a relationship would ever work out with you doing what you’re doing? With us racing out of restaurants every time you spot someone who you think could blow our cover? With you sleeping with other Omegas?” How can he think it will work? The Omega inside her wants him all to herself. She doesn’t want to share him, the idea has her spitting and snarling, whimpering and sobbing.
He watches her and she wonders if these thoughts play out across the surface of her face, if he reads them in her eyes.
“If it was the other way around ….” she whispers and he nods. They both know an Alpha could never share like that.
He drops his hand from his face and sighs, opening his arms towards her. “I’ll talk to Hugo, okay?”
