________

BRYAN

 

 

I took a deep breath trying not to look desperate, but I really wanted the job.  I really needed the job.

 

“So, does this sound like something you think you would want to do?”

 

I looked across the desk at a guy who easily could have passed for a character in Goodfellas.  Everything from his thick, black, slicked back hair to the round belly, to the pinky ring screamed mob connection.  He totally matched what I thought a banquet hall owner would look like.

 

Did it sound like something I wanted to do?  A waiter at a banquet hall?  Sure.  I mean it wasn’t my dream job, but it paid a lot and at that moment cash was what I needed.  My rent was due soon and it was getting harder to pay my bills with just my part-time job, so I could do the waiter thing for a while.

 

What I really wanted to do was be an interior designer, and as a recent college grad I was learning it was hard to even get an interview with design firms.  I originally wanted to be a furniture buyer for a large company but ever since I was allowed to design the displays at the small men’s boutique I worked at, I fell in love with interior design.  I had to completely change my focus and I was basically starting at the bottom looking for a job.

 

When my best friend Carl told me he would pull in almost $1000 in tips during black tie events, and $500 during all other parties at the banquet hall, I was hesitant at first because I didn’t really want to get stuck being a waiter, but as money became really tight I begged him to get me in for an interview.  I didn’t care that the owner looked a little slimy, Carl said he was a really sweet guy.

 

“Yes, Mr. DiLorenzo, this sounds like something I would love to do.  I can start whenever you need me.”

 

“Great, Bryan.  We had a cancellation for a charity event we are having tonight.  Are you available?”

 

I actually knew that cancellation was Carl because he had been hit pretty hard by a bad cold.  The offer to start working was faster than I expected, but I wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity to make money. 

 

“Yes, I am.”

 

“We also occasionally work bigger events at Corna Place so I hope you will be available for those as well.”

 

“Oh, absolutely, Mr. DiLorenzo,” I said.

 

“OK, great.  Like I told you earlier, the pay is $7.00 an hour and you keep any tips you make.  If you’re nice to the customers, they will be nice to you.  I’ll see you here this evening at 5:00.  You’ll need to wear black pants and a white button down shirt.  Stop by and see Charles on your way out.  He’ll have some paperwork for you to sign.”

 

“Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. DiLorenzo.”

 

I talked with Charles, filled out the necessary paperwork, and practically skipped down the sidewalk as I made my way home.  I couldn’t wait to call Carl and let him know I got the job.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

I stood in the bathroom of the banquet hall, adjusting my shirt for the millionth time, trying to keep the gap between the second and third button from opening.  The shirt was a small and was still a little too big for me.  I had a petite frame and most alphas were drawn to me like bees to honey. 

 

A gorgeous blonde omega in a sexy but simple black V-neck and tight black pants came in and gave me a quick glance, smiled at me, and then studied himself in the mirror as he smoothed his hair.

 

“You’ve got a great ass.  I have that problem too,” he said pointing to my shirt.  “My shirts gape right there unless I use double stick tape, but you don’t have to worry about that tonight.”   He turned and stuck out his hand.  “I’m Trevor.”

 

“Hi, I’m Bryan,” I said as I shook his hand.

 

“Oh, Bryan. Yeah, Mr. DiLorenzo asked me to show you around so I’m glad I ran into you here.”

 

“Oh okay, great.”

 

“Didn’t Mr. DiLorenzo tell you that there is a charity masquerade ball tonight?  We always wear these t-shirts for theme parties,” he said pointing to his black V-neck that perfectly hugged his perfect chest.

 

“Um, no, he just told me to wear this,” I said as I lamely tugged at my button down.

 

“Well, he’s just so used to telling people to wear the standard uniform I guess he forgot.  By the way, it’s a masquerade ball with a twist.  The guests will be wearing eye masks instead of full-face masks and the organizer told the guests they could choose any costume they wanted, so the only real theme is it’s an elegant charity costume party.  It’s going to be swarming with alphas.  Apparently he likes to throw these events once every couple of months because he loves to raise money for charity…and he loves fancy costumes.  We won’t see any Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles here!  Rich people in Eden Pines can be so quirky but also very generous, so as long as the guests are happy our tip jars will be happy.  Anyway, I can show you where to find a shirt, we have all sizes so I’m sure we’ll find one that fits you.”

 

I don’t think he meant it the way it sounded; I didn’t get the bitchy vibe from him.  However, my old insecurities came creeping back in as I compared my body to his.  I had always been slim and no matter what I did I could barely put on muscle.  I didn’t want to be bulky but a little more definition would have made me happier.  Trevor had the perfect slim but firm body.  His V-neck clung to him in all the right places, whereas I was sure mine would almost hang off of me.  I followed him down the hall to the back room and he showed me a rack of freshly dry-cleaned shirts.  Thankfully I found one in my size.

 

“You go put that on and let that smooth chest sit front and center because we have high rollers coming tonight, and I know they will definitely be eyeing you.  I will meet you out there so I can show you where everything is.”

 

“Okay, I’ll be right out.  Thanks, Trevor.”

 

I slipped on the shirt and looked at myself in the full-length mirror.  My green eyes looked back at me, and my full lips turned up in a smile.  Not bad.  My blonde wavy hair was working for me that night, and the V-neck hugged every part of me. It almost made me look like I had some nice chest definition.  I was a slim guy but I was pretty and I had no problem turning alpha’s heads.

 

For the most part I was happy with my body the way it was, but when I knew people would be comparing me to other omegas wearing the exact same thing as me, that was when I felt a little insecure.  I smoothed out the shirt one last time, threw my shoulders back, pushed those insecurities out of my head, and went to find Trevor.  I looked good and I was sure I would turn a few heads that night.

 

The party wasn’t starting for a couple of hours so we went over what I was supposed to do that night. By the time he was done going over everything with me, it was time to take our positions.  All of the wait staff stood in a line along the wall at the back of the room, ready to serve and assist as the guests arrived.

 

I watched as people in one gorgeous costume after another entered the room.  Every single person was wearing an eye mask but you could tell who was attractive and who was not as fortunate in the looks department.  I made my rounds with my tray of champagne, admiring the elegance of the affair, making sure to cater to everyone.  As soon as someone had a specific request for a drink, I got it for them in seconds.  My quickness started earning me big tips so I planned to keep it up all night.  I was all about the money.

 

I was standing at the bar, waiting for five drink orders, when a deep voice whispered in my ear.

 

“I have been trying to get your attention all night, but you don’t seem to have time for me.”

 

I turned to see who was talking to me and my breath was literally sucked from my body.  Standing in front of me, in a sexy Zorro costume complete with the black mask, was six feet two inches of masculine alpha perfection.  His sapphire blue eyes held mine and I could barely breathe, but I managed to get out a few words.

 

“I am so sorry, sir.  What can I get for you?”

 

His eyes slowly crawled over my body and I could feel my cheeks flushing as I became increasingly aware of the lust in his eyes.  He slowly raised his eyes back to mine, holding my gaze.

 

“You.”

 

His tone was firm, his gaze unwavering.

 

I started to sweat and my mouth went dry as my brain tried to comprehend what he had just said.  I cleared my throat as I stood mesmerized by his gorgeous eyes.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Did you not hear me?”

 

I stammered over my words becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

 

“Well, yes, I think so, but I’m not sure I understood you.”

 

He had a sexy little smirk on his face and I could see that my discomfort amused him.

 

“You asked me what you could get me, and what you can get for me is you.  I want you.”

 

Um, shy he definitely was not.  I took a big gulp as I responded to him.

 

“I think there has been some sort of misunderstanding, sir.  I meant what kind of drink can I get for you.  I can’t really give you myself.”

 

I was practically shaking as I stood there waiting for his reply.  I had never felt so jolted by an alpha in my 22 years of life.

 

He took a step toward me, closing the gap between us, and dipped down to whisper in my ear.

 

“All I want is you…and it’s going to happen.”

 

I was going to tell him that it absolutely was not going to happen, but when I looked up he was gone.  I furiously scanned the room looking for him; surprised at the level of disappointment I felt when I couldn’t find him.  Since he was wearing a Zorro costume I figured it wouldn’t be hard to spot him so I decided I would walk around to look for him after I gave the guests their drinks.  I carried the tray carefully through the room, gave everyone their drinks and apologized for the delay.  I didn’t realize until I had passed out the drinks how long people had been waiting for them.  I couldn’t let that happen again.  My tips depended upon how quickly I could get the guests their drinks so I decided to push Zorro out of my mind and focus on my job.  After all, he was probably just a typical alpha trying to pick up any omega at the party. 

 

The more I thought about it the more I realized that was probably exactly what he was doing.  He was just looking for one night of fun.  It had been a while since I had been with anyone, but I wasn’t desperate so I just brushed off the thought of him and was thankful that I had probably dodged a very big bullet.

 

I spent the rest of night catering to the guests and by the time they started to leave I was super excited about the fat wad of cash in my tip jar.  Trevor came over to me when I was at the bar filling one last drink order.  He looked at my tip jar and smiled.

 

“Good boy.”  That’s all he said and then he sauntered off.

 

I smiled to myself as the bartender handed me the last drink; it had been a really profitable night and I couldn’t wait until the next big party.  I walked over to a woman in a Snow White ball gown and white eye mask to give her the drink, and she looked at me and just smiled as I held it out for her.

 

I was totally confused and gave her a little smile.

 

“Ma’am, here is the whiskey sour you asked for.”

 

“Oh, that’s not for me, dear, it’s for the gentleman standing by the window.”

 

As I turned my eyes in that direction, my breath was sucked from my lungs for the second time that night.  Leaning against the window, piercing right through me with those gorgeous blue eyes, was sexy Zorro.  I literally had to tell myself to put one foot in front of the other and walk over to him to give him his drink.  My hand was trembling as I handed him his drink, and I was so happy that I didn’t spill any of it on him.

 

He looked at my trembling hand and gently placed his hand over mine.

 

“No need to be afraid of me, baby.  I don’t bite.”  He held my gaze and then bent down to whisper in my ear.  “Unless you want me to.”

 

A shiver went down my spine at the thought of his lips on my skin and I was practically frozen in place.  I didn’t know what to do because I had never had a reaction to an alpha like the one I was having at that moment, and then I remembered the last time I had that thought.  It was the night I brushed past the gorgeous alpha a couple of weeks back when I went out for drinks with Carl.  But there was no way this was the same guy because what were the odds of that happening?  He couldn’t be the same alpha, could he?  I pushed the thought out of my mind as I glanced around the room and was shocked to see that we were the last two people there.

 

“Um, I should probably go to the back and help everyone put things away.”

 

He reached out and slowly trailed a finger down my arm leaving a line of fire.

 

“Really?”

 

I could barely swallow as I raised my eyes to his.  “Yes.  I’d better go.”

 

He crossed his arms and dared me with his eyes.  “Okay, then go.”

 

I wasn’t sure how to take that, and even though I had no idea who he was I didn’t want him to be upset with me.  He was the hottest alpha I had ever seen and it was crazy the desire I was feeling toward that man.  I couldn’t even see his whole face!  I knew that I needed to go help the others but I also knew that if I explained that a guest needed my help, my boss would understand.

 

“Do you need anything before I leave?”  I asked as I nervously looked at him.

 

He held my gaze, his eyes dancing with fire.  “You know exactly what I need.  When are you going to give it to me?”

 

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm my senses as I said my next words.  “I’m sorry but I can’t do that.”

 

He raised an eyebrow.

 

“Oh?  Are you taken?”

 

I should have lied and said yes, but something about him made me want to be honest.

 

“No, but I don’t even know you.”

 

That sexy mouth of his turned up in a half smile as his blue eyes sparkled at me.

 

“You will.”

 

With that he set his drink down on my tray and walked away.  I watched him walk out of the ballroom and stood in the deafening silence staring at the door.

 

Who is that alpha?

 

A couple of minutes later, the loud stomp of someone’s shoes snapped me out of my trance.

 

“Bryan, we could use some help in the back.  What are you doing?”  Trevor was not happy.

 

I gave him an apologetic stare.

 

“I’m sorry, I was helping the last guest.”

 

He looked around and furrowed his brow when he saw the room was empty.

 

“Well they appear to be gone so can you come help, please?”  He was clearly irritated.

 

“Yes, of course, sorry.”

 

I stayed until everything was put away and then we went to go change.  There were five omegas who were still there so the chatter turned to talk about the guests.

 

“Soooo, who did you guys recognize tonight?”  Trevor looked around at everyone with a mischievous look.

 

All of the other omegas had been working there for a couple of years and apparently a lot of the same people attended those parties.

 

“Jay Rothsberger was here with Alan Kepper, as usual.  They have been single forever; I don’t think those two alphas will ever settle down.  They are always just looking for the next best thing.”  Steve smiled and rolled his eyes.  Steve was a fairly attractive omega but he had a very snotty attitude.  I doubted that alphas found that appealing.

 

“Yeah, they like men too much…lots of different men,” Nate chimed in.

 

“It was pretty much the same crowd as always except for the new guy,” Trevor said.

 

I looked at him and raised my eyebrows.  “Who was the new guy?”

 

“The hot ass alpha dressed as Zorro.  I haven’t seen him before.”  He looked around the room.  “Have you guys?”

 

They all shook their heads.

 

“He definitely had his eye on you, Bryan.”

 

There was a hint of envy in Steve’s voice when he said that to me and I didn’t blame him.  Zorro was easily the most mesmerizing alpha at the party that night.

 

“Oh, I’m sure he was flirting with everyone tonight.”  I tried to take the attention off of me.

 

“No, I think he had eyes for only one omega in the room.”  Trevor gave me a sly grin.  “Are you going to see him again?”

 

I looked at him like he was crazy.  “No!  I have no idea who he is.”

 

“Well if he was at this party he is definitely somebody.  If he had been all over me the way he was with you, Bryan, you would have to pry me away from him.”  Trevor gave me a quick wink.

 

“Why are we even talking about this?  He didn’t even tell me his name.  Anyway, changing the subject now, boys.  Does anyone have anything fun planned for the week?” I quipped.

 

Thankfully the chatter turned to more mundane discussion and they got off my back about the alpha that I didn’t even know.  We finished chatting and we all left together.  The other guys scattered and Trevor and I were left walking together.

 

“Do you need a ride?  I’m parked right there in the parking lot.”  He pointed to his car and I was just about to accept when I heard a deep voice behind us.

 

“I’ll give him a ride home.”

 

We both turned to see Zorro, still in full costume, standing in front of the banquet hall.  I felt giddiness and apprehension at the same time.  Had he been waiting for me the whole time?  I quickly came back down to earth as I realized the guy was a virtual stranger. He could have been an axe murderer for all I knew, so I figured it wasn’t a good idea to get in the car with him.

 

“Um, no thanks.  I’ll take a ride from my friend.”  I turned to Trevor and motioned for him to walk toward his car.

 

“Bryan.”

 

I stopped in my tracks.  How did the alpha know my name?  I slowly turned to look at him, my heart hammering against my chest.  He was leaning against the building, his arms casually crossed over his chest.

 

“Yes?”

 

“I will drive you home.  I’m harmless, I promise.”

 

I don’t know what it was about him, but the butterflies went crazy in my belly as those blue eyes held my gaze.  I hesitated and Trevor whispered in my ear.

 

“If you don’t go with him, I will.”  He slipped a piece of paper in my pocket.  “If something goes wrong, call me.”

 

He gently nudged me in the alpha’s direction and I had to tell my feet to move.  I slowly walked toward him and looked back at Trevor.  He smiled, winked at me and mouthed, ‘have fun’.

 

I turned around and was met with Mr. Beautiful’s gorgeous smile.

 

“How did you know my name?”