Chapter 12

Sighing, Brian headed for his car, damning his bad luck for losing the pretty boy and blaming himself for what he did earlier. He unlocked the car and slid inside, heading to his office. As he removed his coat and took his seat at his desk, the usual heated shifting under his skin refused to calm down the way it normally did when he was focused on work. His mind kept playing the few moments that he'd seen the lovely blond omega over and over on an endless loop.

He pressed his knuckles into his closed eyes, trying to wipe the image from his visual memory. He was well aware that the blond had been hot, and he was also well aware of the fact that he was extremely sexually starved at the moment and needed to see the boy again but he had a multibillionaire company to run and he had loads of work to do. The alpha took a few deep breaths and forced his mind to focus on the reports in front of him. There was no time in his life for a relationship, even with a beautiful omega. He didn't want a boyfriend anyway, he just needed to get laid.

After a few hours of work,Brian was interrupted by his business partner Liam walking into his office and taking a seat in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk. The other alpha sat back and crossed his legs at the knee, giving him a knowing look. Brian hated that look because it was always followed by harsh truths that he didn't want to hear. He'd known Liam since elementary school, and there was no one in the world who knew him better, but that also meant that when he started in on him, he had more ammo than most.

"What?" Brian said, looking back down at his papers and trying to give off a harsh 'fuck off' vibe. It was ineffective, Liam was impervious to his moods.

"Somehow I knew I'd find you here… on a Sunday. What are you doing here? There is no reason for you to be here right now, although you look like you got laid but you still need to take a break."

I've got work to do." Brian said, indicating toward the stacks of papers neatly arranged on his desk.

Liam leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, leveling Brian with an unimpressed stare.

"Get a fucking secretary or an assistant. Fuck… Hire a new damn CEO. We both know you want to be downstairs in the lab working on the new products and designs. You're killing yourself trying to do everything at once. We started this company together because of your engineering, coding, and computer science abilities and my business sense."

Brian rubbed a hand over his face, trying hard not to show how stressed and tired he was and trying to keep from getting angry at his best friend, who he knew was right. He was taking on too much, but he couldn't help it. He was a control freak and he needed things to be just so, and trusting other people to take care of them was a big source of anxiety for him.

"You think I don't know that? You think I want to be doing this?"Brian snapped, sounding harsher than he'd meant.

Liam didn't back down.

"Yes, I do think that you want to be doing this. Otherwise you would find someone else to do it. You are isolating yourself in work, it's your SOP. You think that if you keep yourself busy you can keep from thinking about what happened with your parents and ex boyfriend,and you can avoid trying to build a life and find a mate."

Brian felt genuine anger rise up in him. How dare Leon bring his parents into this? That had nothing to do with this and was a really low blow.

First of all, fuck you. And second of all, I don't want a mate, I don't want a boyfriend. I'm fine."

"Shit, I don't even care if you find a mate, but you need something in your life other than work. Even if it's just sex. Find a pretty omega and get some of this stress out so you can think clearly for once. You're not fine Brian and we both know it."

Brian pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and sat back in his chair, trying not to lose his temper. He wanted to throw Liam away from his office, he wanted to hit him. It wouldn't be the first time their friendship had come to blows, and probably not the last. They were the most stubborn people in the world.

"I don't have time in my life for a boyfriend. The last thing I need is a clingy, needy omega all over me who only ants me for my money when I'm trying to work or someone constantly interrupting my life."

"Brian You're rich as hell. Pay someone to come around and suck your dick a few times a week. Just do… something. Because your attitude isn't going unnoticed around here, and it's not helpful for the boss to be an asshole to his employees because he hasn't popped a knot in too long."

"Look, I know you're right. But do you have to be such a dick about it?"

The humor helped dispel some of the tension, and let them both relax again. Brian was still annoyed, but determined not to show it. He was a grown man after all, and didn't need his friend telling him how to live his life. He knew Liam just wanted what was best for him especially when he knew how my last relationship went haywire. He imagined if the situation were reversed, and knew that he'd be a thousand times worse and probably would have made the whole thing harder for them both.

Brian knew he was closed off from people. He wished he could blame it on what happened with his parents, but he'd kind of always been that way. He projected a lot of confidence and surety, but inside he was afraid of getting hurt, just like everyone. His arrogance and aloofness were just the mask he used with the world to keep them at arm's length. It was the main reason that his few attempts at relationships over the years had failed. He couldn't let people in, and after a while, everyone got tired of bashing their head against the brick wall that was Brian Hoffman's heart.

"Yes I do have to be a dick about it or you'd never listen to me. Stop your whole 'I am an island' routine and get laid, get your head out of your ass and let me see my best friend again."

"Alright. I'll try."I think I need to find my pretty boy.