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Another member, Richie, spoke up. “Why not? Everybody who owns a company, hell, every rich person, is involved in some kind of charitable giving. The messed-up part is that most of us are only doing it for selfish reasons. For tax write-offs, usually, and just to keep those folks who have less complacent. Because then they can say, hey, at least those rich bastards are doingsomething.” He threw his hands up in the air. When he lowered them he looked at me and nodded. “Some of us really wanna make a difference, though.”
I nodded back. “Yeah, and I wanna to be in their ranks. I want to get my hands dirty, and this time not with some random omega for the night.”Forget a random omega. I want my mate.Why that feeling had decided to grow in me lately, I couldn’t be sure. All I knew was that I was changing, and one of the main things changing was my desire to sleep around. Even though we’d always hated each other, I had always, on some level, wanted Byron. Him being really tall with killer legs made sure that the sexual desire was always there, but he was smart and stubborn, and so ornery you’d think he was a rhinoceros instead of a giraffe. At the time I hated it, but now I respected that he held his ground.
I hadn’t expected to run into Byron at the diner. Had I? I had to be honest with myself and admit that there was some part of me that was searching for him. I knew he was on my social media platform, but being a total creep about it wasn’t going to win him over. Running into him at the diner had been a coincidence. Maybe? I’d followed my instincts there that night. The leopard in me was hunting him.
My blood hummed when I saw Byron again after all those years. I fucked up, though. He looked like something was wrong, but I didn’t know how to come right out and ask how he was doing in a caring way, so I made it into a joke. Things just spiraled downward from there. I shook my head just thinking about it.
Victor, the lion shifter, clapped me hard on the back. “You? Ready to throw away your little black book? Armageddon is upon us.”
“Yeah, look who’s talking, family man. How’s the domestic life treating you?”
Victor was beaming. “Never better, my friend.”
“You mean the rugrats and the little hubby aren’t making you feel caged in? Who woulda thunk it?”
“Anybody with good sense, bro.” It was Brennan’s turn to pat me on the shoulder.
“Whatever, man, you’re the sensitive one.”
“And don’t you forget it,” he said with an upward jerk of his chin, completely unimpressed by my teasing.
I turned back to Victor. “I gotta admit, marriage and dad-hood look good on you, Pal.”
“Indeed, they do. There’s nothing like it, Trev. All our money couldn’t buy it.”
“I’ll drink to that.” We raised our glasses of scotch. Just as I took another sip, one of my phones buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and squinted at the screen. It was the call I’d been expecting.
I jumped up, smoothing down my silk tie. “Shit. Gotta take this.” Protests went up from every corner of the table.
“C’mon, Trev, you know the rules,” Brennan said.
“I know, I know, but I’m an asshole.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Iwasan asshole, but we broke our “no phones at the club meetings” rule all the time. That was the life of ultra-rich alphas. There were always fires to put out, and if the call had made it past all of our administrators and all the way to us, it was a big-ass fire.
I stepped into an expansive office right off the conference room, with floor-to-ceiling glass and a city view. I tapped the green phone symbol to answer and said, “Trevor speaking.” I stuck my free hand in my pocket, straightened up and lifted my chin, so I would look as rich and powerful as possible. Sometimes, I didn’t believe that I really had gotten all of this wealth. Plus, this was something that actually mattered, and for once in my life, I wanted to do my best.
“Good evening, Trevor, I’m so glad I could catch you.” It was Abram Milton, the head of the biggest early childhood education fund in the nation, pouring millions into the likes of Headstart programs every year. His smile was tight, and his tone of voice made it clear that he was not, in fact, glad to catch me. He was well aware of my reputation, and didn’t trust me as far as he could throw me. He didn’t think I was serious about doing good in our communities through his charity, and I really couldn’t blame him. However, I was ready to prove I was a different person now.I want to prove that to Byron, too, if he’ll ever listen to a word I have to say.
“I’m glad, too. For a while there, I was afraid I wasn’t passing your sniff test.” It was meant to be a joke, but Abram’s face was stony.
Abram wasn’t afraid to kick big donors to the curb if they were doing something unethical, or if they treated the organization like some kind of toy. He didn’t tolerate any tomfoolery internally, either, and all the money that was supposed to get to needy elementary school kids got to them. This charity was the real deal, which was why I wanted so badly to work with them that I’d humble myself.
I tried again, putting on my biggest, warmest grin. “What can I do for you, Abram?”
“We’d like you to come to one of our fundraising galas so you can begin to understand what the charity is all about. So you can understand whatcharityis all about.” I winced. It was fair to say that I’d spent a large part of my life being selfish and thoughtless, even before I came into my wealth. It was fair to say that people were right where they said that money doesn’t change you, it only amplifies your personality traits, for better or for worse. It had most certainly been for worse for me, but I was determined to change that. I was determined to prove that I was different now, starting with this organization. Next, if there were truly miracles in the world, would be my mate. On some level, I also hoped that Byron would see what I was doing, and see that I was changing.
I rocked back and forth on my heels, chuckling, faking a confidence I didn’t feel. “That’s what I’m here for, to gain some knowledge. You just send the details over and I’ll be there with bells on.”
“Fantastic. We look forward to seeing you and your spouse there.”
That one threw me for a loop. “Spouse?”
“Yes, your spouse, or partner, or mate. You have one, correct? We have you down for a plus-one.” It was there in Abram’s tone. The suspicion. The thought that this rich, goof-off, fuck-boy was just jerking their chains and wasting their time. That I was still omeganizing, still taking advantage of people for sex.
Shame dropped down on my head like I was in the ice bucket challenge. It was a new feeling for me, but it was growing stronger lately, and I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. Maybe because the feeling was creeping up on me; I wanted to settle down. When I allowed myself to think about settling down, more thoughts crept in about my mate.
I shook it off and smiled even wider. “Of course I’ll be bringing them. They’ll be delighted to see what we’re up to.” I let out a nervous chuckle. If bringing a mate along made them take me seriously, then so be it. Even if I had to fake it. I kept up my playboy smile until I hung up with Abram, then I cussed up a storm.
