I was the only omega in a room full of alpha paralegals and attorneys. I'm used to that though. I think it still surprises them that an omega like me is in a field dominated by alphas. David, another paralegal in my section, cleared his throat. "Hey, what if we contact the government agency in each state? Isn't there some government agency that regulates these shops?"

What, I just said that! Mr. Mercado, the law firm partner we worked for, nodded his head. "That's a great idea, David. I knew there was a reason I had you on my team." David smiled at the verbal pat on the head. I couldn't even. Why did I even bother speaking? Every time I came up with a good idea it seemed like nobody heard me. Was I invisible? Was I actually speaking out loud?

When the omega blindness got really bad, I'd go home to my roommate, Lance and ask him if he could see me, just to make sure I wasn't indeed invisible. If I didn't love being a paralegal so much, I would've just thrown in the towel. I had no idea how prejudiced people were against omegas in such an alpha dominated field until I started working here. Either that or they somehow just tuned out omegas. It's given me a complex.

Thank God I had a date tonight to look forward to. Otherwise I would probably stop by the store, grab a pint of Ben & Jerry's, and go home to vent on the couch to Lance. Which I've done before. Lance just rolls his eyes and lets me bitch, but he no longer tells me to find a different field. He knows I love being a paralegal except for the fact that once I get to work, I'm apparently invisible. Maybe I needed to wear brighter clothes? Strong cologne? Big clown shoes and a horn nose?

I slammed my notepad and pen on my desk, then walked out of Mercado's section into the main area. I needed to take a break and use the restroom before I strangled someone. Yeah, I know. You don't hear of many omegas committing murder these days. I swear if there were more omegas in the law field there'd be murders every single day. Those alphas are the bane of my existence. If I didn't need one to have a family, I'd consider petitioning that they be moved to their own island.

Walking toward me was the other reason I wouldn't leave this firm. Marcus Sutton, a partner at Dewey Cheetum and Howe Law Firm, and a drop dead gorgeous alpha. I got tingles on my skin just by looking at him. But to walk near him in the hallway? It was a religious experience. That scent of his drove me crazy. I had to hide my hard on every time I was near him.

He didn't flirt like Eric Stark, another partner of the firm. He wasn't standoffish and rude like Mr. Mercado, my boss. He was professional, looked stunning in a suit, and I had a serious crush on him. I had fantasized so many times about Marcus taking off his tie, tying my wrists behind me and forcing me to give him a blowjob in his office. If he could read minds he would've had me escorted out a long time ago. Seeing him at work, and occasionally passing him in the hallway were the highlights of my week.

If I had more guts I would have started up a conversation with Marcus a long time ago. It didn't matter, though- there was a rule at the firm that stated employees weren't allowed to date. So my dream lived only in my heart.

I was meeting my date at the local sushi restaurant, Raw. It was a popular spot for dates probably because it was close to the subway if you needed to get away from a loser. I was hoping the date would go well. I had had little luck with alphas so far. Not that I was asking for much- just a guy that accepted me for who I was, appreciated me, wanted to get married and have kids. Not that big of a deal, right? Well, it was hard as hell to find someone that fit that criteria but I was not lowering my standards.

Though I might just give up dating for a while if this guy tonight turned out to be like any of the other Alphas I've dated. I've had alphas wanting me to quit my job to switch to a more "omega" profession like teaching, or they wanted to tell me what to do at all times because obviously I was too dumb because I was an omega.

I looked around and spotted my date at the bar. He waved, and I walked over. "Hey, glad to see you. That's cute you're working at a law firm. What is it you do there again?" Oh my God. This date has already gone off the rails and I haven't even sat down yet. I sighed and sat at the bar.

"Yeah, good to see you too." I had never had such a rude and abrupt start to a date before. I didn't even want to continue this date. Was I that tired of dealing with asshole alphas? Or was this guy the epitome of all the alpha assholes rolled into one? "I'm a paralegal at Dewey Cheetum and Howe Law Firm." My date's eyes widened. Hopefully that meant he was impressed that I worked at such a prestigious law firm.

"You're a paralegal? But, you're an omega!" And there's the look of disdain. I swiveled on my stool to stare at the sushi rolling by. Would it be bad form if I slammed my head down on the counter? I was so tired of this shit. Not every alpha could be an asshole. It was statistically impossible. There had to be a decent alpha somewhere, right? I sure as hell didn't know how to find him though. But for right now, I was going to eat sushi and then go home and tell Lance I quit dating.

"So what do you do for a job?" If he's going to judge me he'd better have a job like a cop, a firefighter or--

"I'm a cop." Okay. Now I understood the sneering judgment. Of all the alphas I've run into, cops were the worst with the instant omega judgments. I wasn't even going to pretend to be on this date anymore. I grabbed a California roll off the conveyer belt. I couldn't wait to eat it and leave. But first I needed hot tea. How did we order hot tea? Did it roll out on the conveyer belt too?

I turned to find someone to ask but my date's glare stopped me. "What?"

"You're not even gonna say anything? Most people ask me if I've had to shoot someone, or they at least are impressed by my job. You're just gonna ignore me and eat your- whatever that is?"

Nope. I couldn't do this anymore.

"Hey, that's great you're a cop. Do you know how to get hot tea here?" He was staring at me. I guess he was going to pretend I hadn't said anything. I turned back to find an employee behind the counter and ordered my tea. See, I knew I wasn't invisible.

"Here you are." I smiled and thanked the server. It was so nice to be visible and respected by someone for once. I enjoyed my California roll, and it wasn't until I savored the last of my tea that I realized I had forgotten about my so called date. I turned to the left, but the stool was empty and it hadn't even looked like anything had been ordered.

I busted out laughing. That sealed it, I was off the dating market for a while if this was the quality of the alphas out there.

Marcus

I watched a dad playing catch with his son as I walked by on the path. I hoped they didn't think I was a creeper, but watching the father and son reminded me of my biggest goal in life and my biggest failure. Being a dad was a dream I've had for decades but one I knew I could never have. That wasn't entirely true, as I could have it. It's just that I knew I would fuck it up. I'd turn the relationship to hell and ruin everyone's lives, so I didn't even try.

I forced myself to look away and continued walking in Central Park. I thought of my own dad. How could he have been such a selfish asshole? I shook my head. I remembered my dad often still being at work at nine o'clock in the evening, my mom sitting at the dining room table with my dad's place setting still on the table, tears running down her face. I remembered hearing the screaming fights, my dad stumbling around the house slurring his words, the business trips I found out later were not business trips. My dad had been having affairs the entire time.

She finally told my dad to move out, but she never divorced him. She couldn't deal with the embarrassment of a divorce, of the country club set whispering about her. I told her that she shouldn't care what they think, but I realized that she needed her social group more than she needed a divorce.

It's no surprise I went into law to be a family law attorney, specifically for divorces. I was doing a tremendous service for my omega clients. They were getting screwed over and I protected them, got them their share of the assets, and helped them get away from the jerks they married. I was damn good at my job and I loved it.

The only problem was that I was a workaholic, just like my dad. And also, just like my dad, I couldn't seem to have a committed relationship, so I gave up trying. I would never put anyone through what my dad put us through. No marriage, no husband and most of all no kids for me. Which meant that my dream of playing catch with my own kids was dead and over before it even began.

My chest hurt thinking of that father and son at the park. I wanted it so fucking bad. Not everyone thought my decision was the right one. My mom told me I was an idiot. Eric Starck, also a partner at the law firm and my best friend since college, told me I was an idiot. My other close friend Stephan Mills, an FBI agent, also told me I was an idiot. But, statistics showed that kids grew up to model the behavior they learned. I wasn't destroying anyone's happiness by being the same asshole my dad was.

"I can't wait to see your mom again. You know she's a fox, right?"

I rolled my eyes. Eric was next to me in the backseat of my car. We were being driven to my mom's country club for Sunday brunch. She asked me to bring Eric because she hadn't seen him in a while. I'm pretty sure she just wanted someone to flirt with and to make her feel attractive. Eric figured that out when he came home with me years ago when we were in college. He didn't mind, he was all for making my mom feel better about herself. I had wondered back then if they were having an affair, but I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.

We pulled up to the entrance to the country club. We were dressed in our work suits, as my mom loved a well-dressed man. Eric and I were both very well dressed men. We walked through the club out to the patio where my mom liked to brunch.

"There you are. Come give me a hug and a kiss." I smiled, leaned down and kissed my mom on the cheek.

"It's nice to see you, too. You're looking good."

She flipped her hand out and glared."I'm looking good? That's something you say to someone in a nursing home when they're about to kick the bucket. You tell your mom she's beautiful or you don't say a word."

I chuckled. I moved out of the way so Eric could say hello to my mom. I also didn't want to see the gleam in my mom's eye when she saw him.

I sat down, pulling a napkin over my lap. "So mom, how are things going?"

"I'm just waiting for some grand babies from you, Marcus. You need to get settled down. I'm not getting any younger you know." This was a running theme with my mom. When she was feeling feisty she'd bring it up knowing she'd have a fight on her hands.

"Mom, I've told you before that's just not in the cards for me. Just let it go." I drank my coffee while waiting for the mimosas to be delivered. If she was already starting in on me I needed a drink fast.

"Don't worry Helen, he has plenty of dates. Just not the long term or the relationship kind." I caught his wink to my mom. What a way to sell me out, jerk.

"Marcus, why are you still telling yourself that bullshit. You're not like your dad. You actually care about people. You care about your clients, you care about their kids, you care about everybody- except your own self. Eric, why can't you smack any sense into him?"

Wow. Mom in rare form today. The mimosas arrived and not a moment too soon. I grabbed mine out of the waiter's hand and took a healthy drink.

"I try, Helen. But you know he's hard to beat in racquetball. And the club frowns on me smacking him with my racket." I bet he winked at my mom again. I shuddered. Why did I ever think it would be good idea to bring Eric to see my mom?