Lola & the Millionaires: Part One (Sweet Omegaverse #2)(10)
Baby held her hands out for me as I exited the turnstiles from the elevators, knowing I wouldn’t be comfortable enough for a hug in this crowd. I gripped her outstretched hands in a soft, quick squeeze, and then tucked my hands into my coat, glancing over to smile at Seth to avoid seeing Baby’s slight fall in her smile.
“You look so cool and professional right now,” Baby said, grinning. “Do you like it? Is it fun? Do you like…is it just like going to the makeup counter together?”
I laughed, remembering the days of going to the department store makeup counters to get our faces done before we went out for the night, back when we didn’t have the money to buy all of our products. “Um… It definitely could be,” I said. “But mostly it’s a lot of proofreading each other and playing around digitally editing our mockups. Where do you wanna get lunch?”
“Okay, so I know I said fancy, but—”
“But we love our greasy dives,” I said, nodding, and Baby beamed at me.
“There’s this sort of retro, semi-hidden soda shop nearby with cheese fries that have perfected the ratio of spud to dairy.”
“Sign me up! Are you playing bodyguard?” I asked Seth.
“Long as you don’t mind,” he said, grinning. And I was pretty sure he meant it too, but I wondered what his alphas would have to say if they found he left Baby unchaperoned in the city.
“‘Course not. Lead the way,” I said.
“I’m just really proud of you,” Baby said softly, her shoulder brushing against mine.
My stomach was overfull, and it turned dangerously at the innocent contact. Seth was strolling down the sidewalk behind us on our way back to the Stanmore, and Baby was close to my side. I could practically feel her vibrating with the desire to lean in, and a small part of me was just as needy for the touch. I was hardly ever comfortable enough to be touched casually now, and the strange habit of hook-ups on the weekend didn’t sate my secret craving for a decent cuddle.
“Thank you,” I said, glancing at her and smiling, feeling the weight of her stare, her study.
“Not just about the job,” she said.
I nodded. “I know, babe.”
“If you’re ever up for it, you could come to the Plaza,” Baby said, taking my hand as I stiffened, my eyes fixed to the golden doors of the Stanmore. “Super mellow night. Pack only, I promise.”
“You’re always welcome, and our crew knows how to behave themselves,” Seth offered, his hands stuffed into his pockets.
“I’ll think about it,” I said. It was not happening. Not any time soon, at least. It wasn’t just that it was a pack of alphas. The Howlers…they knew too much about me, about…
Buzz and Indy.
I disguised my shiver of disgust by pulling my hands from Baby’s and rubbing them together in the cold. We’d finally made it back to the Stanmore, and as much fun as it had been to pig out with Baby—she still made me snort with laughter, still was one of the easiest people to talk to about nothing and everything—I was ready to escape the soft cloud of her perfume, and the way heads turned as we walked together to stare at us, trying to pick out who was the precious omega.
“Gonna get back in there,” I said, offering her a smile and bracing myself for what I knew was coming.
Baby teetered, brilliant green eyes wide and hopeful, but she held herself back until I nodded. Then her arms were around my neck, my face full of her sugary and floral-scented hair. My throat was strangled, but I passed my hands over her back in a semblance of a hug as she squeezed me tight.
“I love you so much, Lo.”
“I love you a shit ton, babe,” I said, making her laugh and release me.
Seth was waiting, gaze warm and fond on Baby, but he spared me a quick, crooked grin before he drew her into his side like he’d clearly been waiting to do the whole time we were together. I wondered if he got very much time with her aside from when their alphas weren’t around. Was he always on the fringes, waiting for scraps of affection like the rest of us betas? I waved goodbye and headed upstairs to Designate, heading directly for the workroom to see if the others had put the mock-up together while I was on lunch.
Instead of finding the others, I found Cyrus alone in the room, hands braced on the worktable, pages spread out under his focus. I tried to back out the door, but he was already looking up, eyes curling up in the corners with warmth and lips stretching in a smile.
“Lola! Come here,” he said, waving me closer and looking back down at the new mockups.
I hesitated, but what kind of excuse could I give him for refusing? I crossed to the table, deciding it was safe to face him with that space between us. Better than moving to his side. He looked up, a slight line digging between his brows as he realized where I was, but it passed and he spun the pages for me to look.
“This is your work. And two days of it too,” he said, tone friendly and warm. “It’s impressive.”
I stared down at the mockups, the clean lines of the six layouts cleverly trimmed to show the overlapping product that worked between one tone and another. My smile grew, fed by the almost giddy scent of Cyrus across from me.
“Is it good?” I asked. I thought so. I liked the subtle difference in my ink sketch faces, and I liked seeing the way the shades from the makeup had varying results from one sample to the next.