Page 2 of Knotty Nights

“And what?” I asked, unsure if I wanted to hear what Jasper had to say.

“You know how launch weekend can make or break this start-up?”

I nodded slowly, waiting for him to continue.

He tittered nervously, shifting on his feet.

“Well, it turns out that we’ve overbooked ourselves for the weekend.”

I frowned. “What do you mean? The algorithm wouldn’t allow that—I coded it. I should know.”

“Well, yes, you’re a whiz at those things, but we didn’t take into account the number of Alphas who would chicken out at the last minute. Performance anxiety or whatever.”

“That’s fine,” I said, tapping my fingers on the edge of the desk. “We have back-ups. I double-checked the database.”

“They’re not available for this weekend—I’ve already called every single one of them.”

I sat up a little straighter, eyeing Jasper. “How’s that possible?”

He scratched the side of his temple. “Something to do with the launch weekend also being Valentine’s weekend?”

Right.

The AlphaNet shareholders had decided that it uplifted the brand image to launch on Valentine’s Day. They wanted their Alpha escort and matchmaking service to be associated with loveand sweet things. What better day to launch than the loved-up silly holiday?

I shook my head, trying to read between Jasper’s words.

“So, what are you saying?” I asked. “Do you need me to find you replacements? I can try, but twenty-four-hour notice is a little difficult to work with. I’ll start by putting out an ad?—”

Jasper shook his head, cutting me off.

“We don’t have time for any of that,” he said, reaching over the safety of my cubicle to grip my shoulders. A paper heart dislodged from its perch and fell onto my keyboard. “I need you to fill in as an escort. Please, god, say yes.”

TWO

Atlas

My first instinct was to laugh.

Me? An escort?

Didn’t Jasper realize that omegas didn’t want nerdy Alphas like me? They wouldn’t pay a matchmaking service buckets of cash for a sub-par substitution.

“I’ll find you someone—” I said, but Jasper only shook me harder.

“There’s no time!” he insisted. “We need to get you to HR for trainingtonight.There’s no time to lose.”

My lips thinned into a frown, hoping it would inspire him to dial down his theatrics.

“Jasper, I appreciate the offer, but I think the omega I’m paired with will be disappointed, especially when they’ve paid a ton of money to be serviced by a professional. We should do everything in our power to avoid a bad review on opening weekend.”

“Disappointed? Why?” he stepped back to stare at me. “You’re a strapping young thing.”

Sometimes Jasper descended into boomer talk when I knew for a fact that he was only in his 40s.

“Debatable,” I muttered. “But the fact is, I’m not a professional.”

“You don’t have to be,” he said, not unkindly. “These omegas are in heat, or about to go into heat. They won’t care if you’re a professional or not, as long as you’re there to service them.”