“Just as requested. She’s happy. Her boss is happy. Nice girl,” Barron replied.
There was an underlying tone that Barron was trying to suppress, and Thad picked up on it right away. It was disapproval. Had she told him what happened between them? It didn’t seem likely she’d divulge that to a stranger, especially a male one. Even if she had, that was just a part of their culture and he doubted Barron would have been surprised by it.
Still, he knew how Thad went through women. Jaycee was fifteen years younger than him and she came across as a little naive in some ways. Barron had been his right-hand man long enough to see how he had sometimes avoided women after a conquest. It wasn’t a pretty side of him, and he doubted that a Beta could truly understand just how his innate dominance controlled his own persona.
“Don’t worry. I’m not trying to ghost her. If anything, it’s the other way around.”
“You’re kidding? Women crawl all over you.”
“Not this one,” Thad grumbled.
“Ah, a challenge. Is she a Beta?”
“No. She’s an Omega.”
Barron’s eyes shot up in surprise. ‘I’d have never guessed that. Girl’s got some spunk. Anyway, we headed home?”
“Not yet. I want to go by the dealership.”
“Which one?”
“Mercedes.”
“Looking for an upgrade?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
Barron nodded and exited the freeway. Soon, they were rolling down the street between dealerships, finally reaching the large one where he’d purchased this car several years ago. After test driving several, Thad selected a sporty new A35 in a metallic gray color.
“You sure about this? It could use more legroom in the back and it’s not very practical for when you have bags and such to load up in the trunk,” Barron said after they were alone again, waiting for the sales guy to draw up paperwork.
“It’s not for you. It’s for me.”
“What?”
“I think it’s time I started driving again.”
“Are you firing me?”
“Of course not.”
“Cutting back my hours?”
“I am cutting back your hours, but I’m not cutting back your pay.”
“What?”
“I’ve decided to put you on salary, with bonuses for nights and weekends, if I need you. You’ll still drive me during the weekdays, but you should have more nights and weekends off.”
“That sounds good, but I do work a lot of nights and weekends currently. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. You’ve been good to me, but I can’t afford to lose any money with my situation as it is.”
“You won’t. I’m going to double your pay. That should cover it.”
“Double? Are you mad? Wait. Are you dying? What is going on?”
“Nothing. You’ve been good to me. Just say thanks and let it be.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“There is one catch though.”
“And that is?”
“The car, the old one. I’m signing it over to you. So, you’ll have to use some of your new pay to keep it up.”
“What? Why?” he replied.
“I don’t know. I’m just making some changes and I don’t need it as much as I did. It’ll still be a part of your job to use it to take me places that I might need you to during the week or if I go to the airport and don’t want to just leave my car in the parking lot, that sort of thing.”
“You sure you aren’t dying?’
“Not that I know of.”
“Well, I guess I should say thanks then.”
“You’re welcome.”
Barron looked at the floor seeming to absorb this for a moment, then back up at him, his gaze meeting Thad’s. There was a look of concern there that was unmistakable.
“Are you sure you are okay to drive? I mean, I know you have, from time to time, but, you know, in general.”
“I’ll be fine, Barron,” Thad told him.
“Okay.”
The salesman returned, calling Thad into a nearby room to finalize the deal. Though he told Barron he could leave, he found that he was still waiting out in the car for him as he exited the building and took a seat behind the wheel of his new car, which had been pulled to the front for him, freshly washed and gassed up for his trip home. He waved to Barron and watched as he pulled away, pointing his car south, in the direction of his apartment.
Sitting behind the wheel, he felt alive. Even he wasn’t sure what had driven this need to make so many changes so quickly. Perhaps, he was having a mid-life crisis. Maybe, it was a nervous breakdown. Whatever was happening, it had something to do with her. It had something to do with the rut and what it had brought out in him.
The feeling quickly diminished as he pulled out onto the street and began driving. He had managed to mask just how nervous driving made him when he had driven Jaycee to dinner. What sort of Alpha had a fear of anything? Now, alone in the car, he could feel the anxiety creeping up and he pushed it down. He was going to do this, now and from now on.