Bound To The Alpha

2

"And then I woke up.” I sighed, a little disappointed my fantasy man had gone name-free. Oh, well. It’s probably for the best. I didn’t need to spend my time wondering about a man my brain had just made up for a dream.

“Wow,” Abigail sighed, making a fanning motion with her free hand. “I wish my imagination was that hot. That was like listening to a porno or something.”

“Abi,” I hissed, looking around.

“What? That’s a compliment.” She laughed, shaking her head. “I’d say maybe it’s because Ben isn’t putting out, but if that were the case, I would be having spicy, sexy dreams, too.” She gave a dramatic, wistful sigh.

I sighed again, too. “Don’t say it like that,” I said. “That makes me sound like I’m demanding s*x from him or something.”

And I wasn’t. Being pushy was one of the last things I wanted. I knew he was stressed with his job and with his band. They were gaining a little more traction and that was really exciting, but when he was traveling, he was exhausted. He never wanted to get frisky, even after a really good set. Then when we were at home in Tallahassee, he was distracted by work. It didn’t seem to matter what I wore. He hadn’t noticed the cute, lacy lingerie I’d purchased last month, didn’t notice when I got a new haircut, or if I wore make up on any given day. Heels didn’t seem to do anything, either. It was like I was invisible in my own life, and I was starting to feel like it wasn’t just the stress from work or his band.

I know I’m cute. I don’t know about “a ten” though. Abi’s probably just being nice, but… I’m not bad. And I put in a real, honest effort. Maybe if I just—

“Earth to Celeste! You okay? You know I was just jealous, right? My imagination is so tame compared to yours.”

I shook her head and smiled, but we both knew that was a cover meant to protect my feelings. “I know,” I said.

It’s not a big deal, I reminded myself. Ben and I don’t have matching s*x drives, but that’s okay. We’re both really passionate about our careers, we both like to travel, and we both have the same goals: savings, purchase a home, maybe a dog—something nice and stable.

Right.

I gave myself another shake and pulled out my phone. “Break’s almost over.” I sighed, making a face.

As if on cue, Kevin, our manager, opened the door. Abi twisted, trying to shove the bag of cookies in the little kitchenette cabinet, but he shook his head. “Nuh-uh,” he grumbled. “Give it here.”

“I thought you were trying to cut back on sugar,” Abi said, handing him the bag anyway.

“I was,” Kevin said, grabbing at least three cookies. “I mean, I am. But Aiden and his new girlfriend are on the next tour.” He made a face.

I frowned. “Your son?” I asked, trying to bring the teenager to mind. I hadn’t seen him in a while, and then it dawned on me. “Is he the one you caught, uh, having relations in the men’s bathroom last year?”

Kevin’s scowl deepened. “You don’t have to be polite,” he muttered, shoving another cookie in his mouth. “Yes. Aiden is the one I caught getting a blow job… in the damn bathroom, of all places! What’s wrong with teenagers? Ours are clean enough, but seriously, can you think of a less romantic place?” Abi snorted, and I shook my head. “But I can’t very well say no, you can’t come to the planetarium, can I?”

“Can’t you?” I asked.

“No.” He shook his head. “Belinda would have my head. She thinks this new girl is a much better influence, so…” He trailed off and stuck his hand back in the cookie bag.

Abi and I exchanged looks, not exactly sure what to say about Kevin’s wife or his wayward son. “Well, if he’s on the next tour, that’s mine,” I finally said, getting to my feet. I brushed any crumbs from my shirt. “I’ll keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn’t sneak off to any dark corners.”

Abi caught my eye and winked, and I had to fight back the urge to roll my eyes at her, lest Kevin ask. He just sighed, shoulders sinking a little as he nodded as much to himself as to me. “Good. That’s good. Thank you, Celeste. I appreciate it.”

“Of course.” I knew there was a lot going on in Kevin’s world. He tried not to bring it into the office, so to speak, and I did appreciate that about him. He’d always been fair, and frankly, I wanted him to stick around. I’d had far worse managers. “Well, I better get out there and set up,” I said, offering them both a nod before heading out.

As I walked down the hall, a wave of sadness crested over me thinking about how it was my last day. True, I was the one who had put in my resignation, but I didn’t really want to. I was set to marry Ben next week, and following our honeymoon, I had a line of interviews at what might be considered more prestigious jobs. There were a few as research assistants or associates; one of them was even on the Florida State University campus. Ben thought I could do more with myself, and that was one thing he and my Aunt Esme agreed on.

She was upset I was “wasting myself” on simple tours when I had a master’s degree in planetary science, but educating the public didn’t seem like a waste to me at all. I could certainly earn more in a research position. I could probably even secure a position as a lecturer with my experience, but that didn’t call to me the same way this did. I loved seeing children’s faces light up as I explained comets. I loved answering a grandmother’s question and seeing something click behind her eyes.

Unfortunately, this kind of salary wasn’t going to allow me to put money down to buy a condo with Ben—not in this market—and it wasn’t fair to expect him to provide for me just because we were married.

But still…

I sighed and tried to shake off this morose feeling, not wanting to taint my last tour with such a somber mood. As I rounded the corner, I was a bit surprised to see Aiden and his girlfriend already there with the gathering crowd, but seeing his hand tucked into her back pocket wasn’t much of a shock. She giggled, ducking her head as he leaned in close, his lips brushing against her neck.

One of the women standing nearby gave him a sideways glance before hunching her shoulders and fishing her phone out of her pocket, like staring at the screen would make the public display of affection stop. I took a deep breath, allowing myself one moment to pause before I straightened up and headed over to my group.

“Hi, Aiden,” I said, motioning him to the side.

“What the hell do you want, Celeste?” He sneered my name like it was a curse. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”