After being stood up at the altar, casino owner Atlas Lewis and his best friend Tanner Mitchell visit the Alpha Lounge at the Phoenix Casino down the street to drink and spend some time in the company of some pretty omegas to take Atlas’s mind off being dumped. The Alpha Lounge is notorious for having the best liquor, and is frequented by the richest alphas and the sexiest omegas. Tanner tries to convince Atlas he doesn’t need the annoying and flighty heiress Kayla Crawford when there are so many other omegas who would give their left arm to spend the night with an S-Class alpha.
Tanner Mitchell, a wealthy rancher from Dallas, came to town to be best man for Atlas’s wedding, but Atlas’s fiancée Kayla Crawford has changed her mind and doesn’t want to be married. Tanner has known both Atlas and Kayla a long time and thinks Atlas is lucky to have dodged the bullet. At the Alpha Lounge they meet Lyric Owens, a bartender with the sexiest eyes Tanner has ever seen. Though he is at the lounge for Atlas, Tanner’s body reacts to the omega bartender and wonders what the rest of Lyric’s face looks like behind the mask he wears.
Omega Lyric Owens had no idea when he came to work that he would not only meet one handsome alpha, but two. Lyric, who always keeps a low profile, wears a mask to protect himself from the domineering scents of the alphas he serves. An alpha’s scent is known to render omegas weak in the knees and turn them into a sexually quivering mess. Keeping the mask on around these two alphas who have requested Lyric personally serve their private room proves to be a challenge when they turn on the charm. Since both alphas seem to like him, which one will he choose?
Once again, Lyric found himself working the graveyard shift in the VIP section of the lounge. He didn’t really mind since tips were better and the alphas were handsome. Sunday evenings were usually lively in the early hours, especially when there was a big function in town like a conference or a game. The alphas from the neighboring university had arrived, including recent graduate Hayden Alexander.
Franco had barely put Hayden in his usual private room, when the omegas started coming out of the woodworks, trying to spend some time with him. Hayden ordered some drinks. After carding them, Lyric began to bring the alcohol in the room.
“I don’t know why we have to go through this every time we come here?” one fair-skin and -haired omega said.
“Because it’s the rules,” Lyric answered.
“It’s a stupid rule. If we made it past the front door, it should prove we’re old enough to drink,” he argued.
“I don’t make the rules, I just follow them,” Lyric said. He put ice in their glasses and poured the liquor. “Have a nice evening.” As he left, he overheard the omega say he didn’t like the bartender.
“He’s an S-Class omega,” Hayden said. “You better not fuck with him.”
“What’s good about being a top-level omega if you have to work for a living?” the other omega asked.
No one answered him.
Lyric went back to the bar. The waiter on call had finally showed up.
Hayden called for more ice about midnight when the waiter was on break.
Lyric filled an ice bucket and brought it to his room. He didn’t miss the way Hayden checked him out. “You’re an S-Class omega, aren’t you?” he asked.
“Yes,” Lyric answered.
“Then why aren’t you responding to my pheromones?”
Lyric pointed to his mask. “It’s made with material to dull the scents. If not, we’d be passing out from all the alpha pheromones.”
“Why don’t you take it off and come join us?” Hayden asked.
The fair-haired omega who had spoken up earlier frowned at Hayden then glared at Lyric.
“No thanks. Some of us have to work for a living.”
“Peasant,” the omega said loud enough for Lyric to hear.
Lyric ignored him and left the room again. He heard the others laughing as he walked away.
The waiter Chester came back from his meal.
Loud noises filtered out from the sound-proofed private rooms every time one of the doors opened.
“What’s going on?” Chester asked.
“Hayden Alexander and his gang are having a good time being obnoxious.”
Chester, a beta, frowned.
“Where is your mask?” Lyric asked him.
Chester felt around in his apron pocket. “I took it off to eat.”
Most betas were affected by pheromones and only very few could smell the scents of alphas and omegas. That’s why a lot of businesses liked to hire them. Lyric was not so fortunate. An alpha’s pheromones could leave him weak, submissive and not in control of his body.
Later, Hayden came out and walked over to the bar after he returned from the men’s room. The ex-football player, like most alphas, was tall, had a lot of upper body muscle and was very arrogant. Alphas were naturally strong, always won in fights, and had an air of dominance in them.
Lyric liked Hayden’s eyes. They were a mixture of brown and green with flecks of gold pigments. Lyric wasn’t really into blonds, especially those who thought they were god’s greatest gift to omegas.
“Why have you been hiding, little omega?” Hayden asked as he leaned against the bar.
“I’m not hiding, I’m working,” Lyric explained.
‘I’m sure your boss wouldn’t mind if you spent some quality time getting to know me,” Hayden said.
“I already know enough,” Lyric answered.
“Yeah? Like what?”
“You’re twenty-two years old. You’re the youngest son of Oscar and Hillary Alexander. You have two older brothers, both Alphas. And your family owns several car dealerships.”
“Common knowledge,” Hayden said. “Tell me something else you haven’t heard on the news or social media.”
“You have no interest in the omegas who hang around you. Your parents have been trying to fix you up with one, but that person isn’t right for you either.”
That wiped the smile from Hayden’s handsome face. “How do you know that?”
“Lucky guess,” Lyric said. “If you had found that special someone who you want to possess, claim and protect, you wouldn’t be out here talking to me.”
“What if I tell you that you may be that omega.”
“Not possible,” Lyric said. “We are probably not compatible. And we’re from two completely different walks of life. You’re from a well-to-do family, and I have to work for a living. Your parents would probably disown you for socializing with me. As for you, you’re looking to increase the number of notches on your bedpost, while I’m not looking to be anyone’s one night stand.”
