Page 3 of Knotty Nights

I tried to stifle a grimace and failed miserably. Jasper’s language was borderline offensive, but I knew he meant no harm. As a beta himself, he couldn’t possibly understand the nuances of a heat, or how such extreme vulnerability could wreck an omega.

I took a breath, trying to find the words to correct him, but he spoke over me.

“Please,” Jasper whined again. “It’ll be simple—I promise. And there’s a nice paycheck that goes with it.”

Damn it. Thatwastrue. The Alpha escorts were paid extremely well on a nightly rate. The money would go a long way to bolstering my non-existent savings.

“I can’t promise—” I began, feeling my stutter threatening to return under pressure.

“Just go see Irene and she’ll give you the introductory talk. It’s an easy job—much easier than coding anyway.”

Unlikely.

I swallowed hard as he hurried away to find his next victim. The half-drunk protein shake sat on my desk, but the idea of choking down the thick chocolate drink was now unappealing. In fact, the gulp I’d taken earlier sat in my stomach like liquid lead.

I stood, glancing across the open-plan office for Irene. She caught my eye immediately and ushered me over.

Great,I thought.Just fucking great.

An hour later,I fell back into my office chair, clutching a company-issued phone in my hands. The generic lockscreen stared back at me, waiting for professional escort‘Arya’to unlock the device and start texting with the omega on the other end. I hadn’t been given a chance to pick my own alter ego—Irene, Head of HR, had already assigned it and set up my account before I could stutter out a ‘huh?’

The HR crash course had been… eye-opening.

I knew a few things about the recruitment process through the intake forms that I’d had to code for the app. It was extremely thorough—Winter Blackwell, the founder and CEO of the startup had worked with several expensive consultants to develop a form that would cover everything of concern to an omega hiring someone off an app. Winter promised safety above all else, and we were insured for things I couldn’t even think of.

I gripped the phone tightly as the home screen loaded up. There, I’d be able to see the details of my match as well as the form the client had filled out… A form that specified exactly how they’d like to be serviced.

Damn it, how had I gotten into this predicament again?

Right. Jasper.

The money, on the other hand, was ahugeplus. Clients were billed per 24-hour period, and this particular client had booked Alpha Net’s services forthree days.The fee that Irene had quoted me was almost mind-boggling. Apparently this client had already paid the depositandconfirmed the time of arrival, but Irene hadn’t been able to screen a match for her due to ‘limited resources’… That was HR speak for ‘not enough Alphas’.

I gulped, peeking over my cubicle at the glass doors that led to the CEO’s office. Winter sat behind her desk, speaking to one of our investors with a furrow between her brows. I’d only met her twice before, but I understood her motives for starting AlphaNet straight away. She was one ofthoseAlphas—the kind that could command a room the moment she entered it. She had a certain…presencethat omegas tended to love. It was no wonder that she’d made a living by catering to their needs.

At one point in my life, I’d wished to be like Winter, but the X factor she possessed couldn’t be taught. I’d tried listening to self-help audiobooks and subscribing to questionable podcasts, but I simply wasn’t that kind of Alpha. The beast inside my chest was an introvert and a softie… two things omegas generally didn’t appreciate.

I sighed, glancing down at my new company-issued phone. The algorithm had matched me with an omega located five miles away from the office.

I held my breath as I waited for the profile picture to load. The loading icon spun, taunting me with each swirl…

Fuck me.

For a second, I thought the app had glitched. But no, I had put my best work into the codes and it wouldn’t make mistakes like this.

She—god, she was gorgeous. She had warm eyes, a soft mouth, and curls like she’d just taken down a messy bun. Her figure was lush and full under a light jacket that bled into tight jeans.

Jazmine.

I zoomed in without thinking, studying the curve of her cheek and the faint smile that crooked up one corner of her mouth. She looked like someone who laughed hard and often, and I wondered what that would sound like.

My curls tangled under my fingers as I attempted to run my hands through them. Damn it, how was I supposed to walk into this omega’s house and fulfil our terms of service? The idea of being intimate with a stranger was so…weird.

I studied the picture again. Okay, maybe getting close to an omega who looked likethatwasn’t truly a hardship, but it would be awkward. And even if the scenario itself wasn’t awkward, I knew I’d find a way to make it so.

I tapped on the chat function and released a relieved breath when it loaded quickly. The fix I’d installed before had obviously worked just fine.

I copy/pasted the opening message from HR.