3 Maybe, Maybe Not

Erin's mind was on everything but his job.

"Hi, um...I asked for a pumpkin spice latte with white chocolate drizzle and this is made with mocha," a customer says to Taylor working the cash register.

"I'm sorry, we'll remake that for you, she turns her head back, "Erin, I need a pumpkin spice with white chocolate drizzle."*

(Do I even want to be with him, do I have to be with him? How's he going to react if I reject him?) Erin thoughts run without answers.

Taylor starts making the latte while Erin is adding too many shots of espresso to a Frappuccino.

"ERIN!" Taylor loudly whispers to him. "What's up with you? You've messed up two drinks now, and you've been slow all day"

She whisks by him, adding the whip cream topping.

(I still owe money to Mr. Kene, would he pay that off for me? Would Mr. Kene let me go if I paid him off?)

Erin drops the drink just as he's about to hand it to the customer. It explodes as it hits the counter getting them both covered in a wet foamy mess.

Taylor looks over stunned as he's ringing up the next customer. Riley comes through the employee room and sees what's going on, he is the manager today and defuses the situation.

"They shouldn't have let anything be run by a bunch of omegas anyway." The alpha customer says to Riley.

Riley hands her coupons for free drinks.

Erin heads to the back. He sits on a bench, shaking as his head swarms in indecision.

Riley comes in and can immediately sense that Erin's not working anymore today."I'm calling someone to cover for you, I'll be over later to help you figure things out."

Erin thanks his friend and leaves through the back door.

Erin walks to the bus stop and sits down waiting for the next one.

(Should I use this alpha to help me pay off Mr. Kene? Ugh, just when things were starting to look up! I even got a new apartment! )

The bus arrives. Unknown to Erin, as it goes on its route it passes by Jace's company. About 6 blocks east from the building is where his apartment is. The apartment is a modern one bedroom, a step up from the one he shared with Riley. They would take turns sleeping on the bed and the couch. There were cracks in the walls and the floor creaky. Here everything was new, a new carpeted living area and bedroom, a new stainless steel fridge, and a new sink that didn't trickle water.

Erin takes off the clothes the alpha gave him, still not believing his skin touched Louis Vuitton and notices that the top was also from there. In his underwear, he plops onto the bed.

"How can you spend this much money on a one-night-stand?, Erin talks to himself, "he probably thinks just because he's my fated pair I'm automatically going to be with him. Don't I get a say in who I'm going to be with? Why can't we just be heat and rut fuck buddies?

There's a pause in his thoughts. He puts his hands behind his head and stares at his ceiling.

"What's the best way for this to play out and how do I get there?"

__

Back at the company building, Jacen fidgets through a meeting and he stares at his large hand.

(His cheeks fit right into the palms of my hands like two plump melons. )He thinks.

"Mr. President…."

(He's so beautiful, I think I'll watch him work for a while. )

"Mr. President!"

I'll have to make sure the owner of the shop doesn't have a problem with him leaving.

He clenches his jaw.

"Jacen!" Salos, his vice president and friend exclaims.

He jumps slightly and puts his hand down.

"Continue, Barren", Salos says.

"Projectiles show that we are currently entering the Fortune 500 at 389, which we managed to do without an IPO, being on the list itself will get people more interested in our stocks...…"

Jace's head is consumed with thoughts of Erin, and his distracted behavior infuriates Salos.

After the meeting, Salos storms into Jace's office. Jace is staring at pictures he took while Erin was sleeping, ignoring his desk phone flashing with voicemails.

Salos slams an arm on his desk. "What the hell was up with you at the meeting today? You blanked the entire time!" Salos yells.

"Salos," Jace rises out of his seat and shows him an image of Erin's face.

Salos glances at the phone being shoved in his face then glares at Jace. He grabs the phone and slams it on the desk. With his whole chest, "Párale! Jacen! This is not the time! We have other things to focus on then another one of your omega ventures."

Jace did not like the feeling of having things to focus on other than his omega.

"Salos, How would you like to be President?"

Salos rolls his eyes.

"I've had a certain change in my life and I think that you'd be a better suited President than me."

Salos clenches his jaw, "then leave my office and get your head on straight, we've been building this together for 12 years and you know how much I want to keep it that way."

Jacen nods at Salos and leaves the office.

Salos sighs, "How long this time?"

"Sir," Michaelis coughs."Please control your pheromones..

"I apologize, Michaelis." The pheromones dissipate.

They arrive at the cafe. Jace crouches down like a cat peering out of a window seal and looks inside for Erin. He does not see him. Once again ignoring traffic, he opens the car door and marches inside. He walks to the counter where Riley is upfront.

"What can I get for you today?" Riley asks in his customer service voice.

"Where's Erin?" Jace demands.

"I can't tell you where an employee is.."

Jace begins to admit angry alpha pheromones.

That causes Riley to flinch.

"Who are you?" Riley asks, covering his nose.

"His Alpha."

Riley asks for Cami, the beta replacement for Erin, to take over and for Jace to follow him to the back.

"Did he decide that or did you?" Riley asks firmly.

Jace looks confused.

"I don't believe we have a choice" Jace replies. Erin is his destined pair, he believes that means they have to be together.

"Listen, Erin has a lot of experience with alphas thinking they can do whatever they want with him because he's an omega, are you one of those? "

This makes Jace angry again. Riley flinches.

"That's exactly the problem with you alphas, you think you can use your biological power to intimidate and threaten and control omegas...Erin is my brother and I'm not telling you where he is, but he's not here and not coming back today."

Jace smooths back his hair and composes himself, while dissipating his pheromones.

(This is Erin's sibling, they look nothing alike. I need to make this situation better.)

"I can assure you that I am not one of those alphas, but he is mine and I will have him."

Riley holds his disposition looking into the eyes of the Alpha. After a moment, Jace stomps out of the cafe.

Riley collapses on a bench and pants. "I hate alphas," and sends a text to Erin.

—-

Erin sits on his bed hoping he figured out the situation. He worked out that he would get Jace to help him pay off Mr. Kene and then figure out where to go with Jace from there. He might like Jace and was definitely attracted to him he hopes in an uninstinctual way.

His phone pings. It's the text from Riley. He seethes in anger and checks the time,3:38pm.

"He showed up 2 hours early and harassed Riley. Entitled! Alpha! Fuckers! I don't need someone like that…. I don't want these alphas."

He recalls the last of the three types of Alpha's his mother told him about.

(There's the demanding Alpha. They control their omega.They expect the omega to be waiting on them when they get home, legs spread and food on the table.Worse of all, pheromone abuse takes the will of the omega away whenever they can. )

He stomps into his bathroom where he rips off the bandage on his neck and grimaces at the bruise on his wrist.

"Alpha fucking fuckers!"

He steps over to his shelving unit and grabs his makeup bag and towel.

"They think they can do whatever they want with us!"

He fumbles through it to get concealer for his wrist.

"They think they own us!"

He opens his mirror cabinet to get out alcohol. Then slams it shut.

"We should be held on fucking pedestals, only Omegas can give birth to Alphas!"

He pours some alcohol on the towel and cleans his neck. It burns but he's used to cleaning wounds so he doesn't flinch.

He sighs. In fact, some Omegas are held on pedestals. Some Omegas are born from rich families and most Alphas will marry those Omegas, however you will hear stories of Alphas meeting Omegas who come from little every so often. Alphas tend to spend time within their circles so this is not likely.

"I was starting to think I was lucky that an Alpha who seemed to have good intentions took interest in me, but if he's that type of Alpha. I don't want him and he can't make me. I refuse."

He applies the makeup and setting spray to his wrist and then bandages his neck. Just as he's finished up, there's a ring at his door.

He hesitates, a ring at the door that he wasn't expecting can only mean one thing, Mr. Kene.

He uses a step stool to look through the peephole.

He shocked, he quickly steps off the stool, loses his balance and falls on the ground.

(How does he know where I live?!)

Realizing he's in his underwear, he dashes over to the dresser in his bedroom.

The doorbell rings again.

"Just a minute!" Erin yells.

He throws on some sweats then grabs his phone and texts Riley in all caps. "HOW COULD YOU TELL HIM MY ADDRESS." He takes a deep breath and heads for the door.

(You got this, just tell him off. You don't want to be with him, you don't care that your fated pairs and that you just weren't in the right mind yesterday.)

Erin kicks the stool to the side and opens the door.

Jace stands at the threshold for a moment, looks at Erin as if scanning for anything wrong then crouches down and embraces him.

"Why'd you leave the cafe? I would have had Michealis bring you to..." He says.

"Let go of me, please" Erin interrupts as a soothing twinge runs down his spine with the touch of the alpha. He clenches his jaw and ignores the feeling.

Jace releases the embrace and holds onto Erin's arms."What's wrong, are you sore?"

"I meant completely" Erin puts bluntly.

Jace looks puzzled but slowly lets go of his grip. He can tell that Erin is being serious. Jace stands up*. Erin notices their staggering height difference where the top of his head is at Jace's collarbone. His eyes are looking right into his chest. His fitted top showing the outline of his thick muscles. Erin's cheeks start to pink and he steps back. He looks the alpha up and down taking in his strong-built physique.

(What if he gets angry with me. What do I do? )

Erin starts to release afraid pheromones again. This is a scent that Jace has become familiar with now and hates each time. He sighs in defeat. To have his omega release them as a response to him attacks his pride as an alpha, as a protector. He steps back and squats, so he's looking up at Erin instead of the other way around.

"This is the third time you've released those because of me, I'm sorry I don't mean to make you afraid."

Erin looks down at the Alpha who wears a slight side smile and furrowed brow. His anxiety decreases and he feels like he can speak his mind.

"I think this is all too fast. I don't even know you I know yesterday may have suggested otherwise, but being around you makes me uncomfortable. I know we're fated pairs and all that, but I don't even know if I want this"

Jace's smile subsides. He thinks.

(This is just like what his brother said at the cafe. Riley words echo."Did he decide that or did you?" This is my destined omega I….)

"I understand why you're so apprehensive, but I want you in a way I can't describe. I'll do everything I can to get you to want me."

Jace says, flashing that smolder of a smile.

Erin feels the weight hit his chest again.He steps back and clenches at his heart. Looking into the kind eyes of the alpha, he begins to tear up. Jace reaches out to the omega but stops and slowly retreats his gesture.

Then,something like magnets,Erin lunges to Jace; grasping his face to his in a forceful kiss.The alpha loses balance and flops down.The omega straddles him not allowing their lips to part. A moment doesn't pass before Jace realizes what's happening, he gently pulls down on Erin's chin. Erin understands opening his mouth and their tongues begin to dance.

"I do want you," Erin whispers into Jace's mouth. In an instinctual and lustful way Erin did want this alpha. And he proves it with the rhythm of his hips on Jace's groin while licking his neck.

With a gravelly sigh, Jace wraps Erin in his arms and stands up.

"Where's your bedroom", Jace growls.

Erin can hear the rumble in his voice. This sends a shiver through him and he can feel himself start to drip.

"To the right," he whines.