The Proposal.

Daniel drove a tired Sawyer to a cool Italian diner downtown. The ride was silent and peaceful, yet the air was so sexually charged, that Daniel felt his balls heavy and sticking to his inner thighs. It didn’t help that the windows were all wound up to keep Sawyer from shivering hard, and the smell of the omega’s heat permeated the chilly air. It was a miracle he didn’t drive them into a moving truck as pleasure shook through his whole body.

Sawyer was awed at the diner’s interior as Daniel led him to a table and pulled out a chair for him to sit. If it were to be one of his slutty omega girls whom he normally went out with once in a while, Daniel would’ve felt a bit embarrassed. But with Sawyer, it was different. He found Sawyer’s questions and head-turning charming. “What? You’ve never been to an Italian diner before?”

“Well, yeah,” Sawyer nodded, picking up the three-flap menu tenderly as though it were raw gold. “I can only dream of coming to such a place. The profits from my sweet shop wouldn't even afford a salad if I wanted.”

Daniel chuckled, waving a waiter over. “Well, you’re with me. I’m paying for us both. You can have anything you want.”

“Can’t I pay for the water I’m gonna take at least?” Sawyer’s eyes shone with gratitude. It made Daniel’s heart race.

“Don’t insult me.”               

They both ordered Risotto Alla Milanese and Gelato for dessert. Sawyer tried to be courteous while he ate, but found it difficult because he was in heat. His appetite tended to spiral out of control during this duration and, honestly, Daniel didn’t mind ordering more plates of food. He craved to see that look of satisfaction on Sawyer’s face, though he refused the omega from having more than two cups of Gelato.

“I don’t advise too much sugar while on your period. It’ll affect you,” he smiled at Sawyer’s cute pouty expression. God, those lips.

“You’re no fun,” Sawyer replied dryly, splurging some more risotto.

“So,” Daniel said, popping his Coke open, “why did you come to Bad and Boogie if you’re not interested in getting laid?”

Sawyer gave him a sour look now, ice cream running down his chin. Daniel reached out with a paper towel and gently wiped it off. “I went to Bad and Boogie to get laid. Things just took a different turn.”

“Understandable. But you were kind of playing hard to get, you know? Which is why those guys tried to force themselves on you.”

“It’s not my fault that I’m very picky about my choice of alphas,” Sawyer shrugged.

“What’s your type of Alpha?” Daniel was leaning forward now, eager to hear him speak. It made Sawyer uncomfortable to have this hot man so damn interested in him. And honestly, he never realized just how green Daniel’s eyes were up until that moment. They were the brightest emeralds.

“Smart. Hot. Gentle, and also rich.”

Daniel lifted a brow. “Rich?”

“Mm-hmm,” Sawyer nodded. “Don’t tell me you haven’t seen the evacuation memo that was issued yesterday?”

Daniel looked puzzled. “Memo? What memo?”

“All werewolves are ordered by President Kickbutt to vacate Manhattan by Sunday. It’s all over the news, so there’s no way you haven’t heard it. The reason I went to Bad and Boogie was to seek out an Alpha who’s willing to end my heat in exchange for some cool cash so I can leave Manhattan by Saturday.”

“Wow,” Daniel was stunned, hardly believing that he was completely in the dark about this ‘memo’. Truth be told, he’d stopped following the news ever since the government blamed George’s death on a werewolf all because of some silly marks. Any killer could’ve made those marks, both humans inclusive and they were even keeping the autopsy reports private. He needed to speak to Spencer about this.

“That’s bad news. It’s impossible.”

“The government begs to differ.” Sawyer raised his ice cream cup in a mock toast. Truth be told, he appeared to be enjoying Daniel’s confusion. Andrew purred lightly, drawn to Sawyer’s wolf, like a magnet. Sawyer was getting pretty jumpy in his seat and found it hard to maintain eye contact with Daniel. He was blocking off the pulsating connection and the sparks whenever their hands came close to touching. “I have to stay in Mexico for a month or two, probably till the memo is withdrawn or the wolf ban lifted.”

“Do you have any family in Mexico?”

“Yeah, that’s where I’m from. My parents died when I was twelve and I secretly followed my aunt here. Luckily, I got adopted by a sweet middle-aged woman, Mrs. Angelini who’s late now. It’s all a sad story for another day.”

“Well, concerning your heat, I don’t think it should’ve been that hard to find an Alpha to knot with.”

“None of them were appealing to me. I may look desperate, but I’m not that desperate.”

“It’s not like it’s a long-term thing, dear. I mean, we’ve all had sex with someone we’re not attracted to at some point in our lives. You just had to pick one from the whole lot and knot blindly.”

Sawyer laughed. “Blindly?”                                                                 

Daniel beamed. “For lack of a better word…yeah. It was stupid of you to hang out by the roadside and hope to find a potential Alpha too. That’s the height of insanity. Do you have any idea what wild activities go on in the street shadows? And you’re on heat.”

Sawyer paled at his words, no doubt butt-hurt. “Well, thanks for your kind words, Alpha Daniel.”

“Come on now, sweetheart. Don’t be like that,” Daniel plopped his now empty cup of Gelato on the table, wiping his mouth with a napkin. The waiter came over to put the plates away, nodding gratefully when Daniel slipped a forty-dollar bill tip in his palms.

“I’m not your sweetheart.” Sawyer snorted, wagging a terse finger at him. “Don’t call me that.”

“Noted,” Daniel sighed wearily. “I’m just trying to tell you that Bad and Boogie is very notorious for rape cases. If you’re not looking to get laid, don’t go there at night. You might encounter more than three pushy assholes.”

“Oh, all you Alphas are the same,” Sawyer rolled his eyes. “Don’t try acting all gentlemanly because you’re buying me dinner.”

                             

“Do you really think I’m that pretentious?”

Sawyer shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck slowly. He wasn’t feeling too good – he felt sick. Feverish and irritable. Daniel was not helping out by putting him on tenterhooks here with his questions sounding like buzzy, annoying bees in Sawyer’s head. “Maybe. It’s too early for me to trust. I’ve never met…an Alpha like you. They’re normally jerk-faces, so if you wouldn’t mind excusing my rude behavior. Ugh, it’s hard for me, okay?”

Daniel nodded in understanding. “You know heat suppression meds exist right? They could help you, at least until you leave Manhattan. It’ll help you feel better.”

Sawyer shook his head. “No. if anything, they make me feel even more feverish. Plus, I’ve been forced to use them twice in the past eight months, and if I keep at it this way I don’t know…”

“So what are you going to do? If you don’t take heat suppression meds or find a hot body to knot with, how then do you hope to solve your problem?”

Goddamn, the freaking questions made his head swirl. Sawyer stood up now, irritated to the core. “I don’t have the time for this…”

Daniel held his wrist. “Wait…”

Sawyer whipped his hand away at the surge of electricity that sparked. They both stared at each other, mortified. Sawyer was hurrying to the door now, visibly tensed, while Daniel rushed to pay the bills and catch up outside. “You know it’s not safe walking home alone, on this dreary night, right?”

“I don’t care! Leave me alone.”

Daniel jogged and planted himself in front of him, blocking his way. Sawyer whined. “I swear to God if you don’t move out of the way…”

“Slow down,” Daniel held his shoulders for a brief second before retrieving his hands in shock. Sawyer was burning up – a sign of his heat peak and a reasonable excuse as to why he was acting so cranky. “I have some advice. I think it could work.”

Sawyer vibrated, crossing his arms defiantly. “And what do you want to say this time?”

“You know my name is Daniel. I know your name is Sawyer and you want to knot for cash so you can go back to Mexico till Manhattan becomes safe again. You don’t want to do it with a stranger. From what we know of each other so far, we’re no longer strangers but acquaintances. And I can give you more than enough money to leave.”

“So, you’re going to do me the favor of knotting with me?” Sawyer blinked in disbelief.

“I don’t see why not,” Daniel winked. “You’re an omega in heat. I’m an Alpha. We could make it work.”

Sawyer’s eyes strayed down Daniel’s body as he reluctantly reached forward and planted a heady kiss on the Alpha’s lips, inhaling Daniel’s scent as though it was some sort of heroin. Daniel wrapped his hands lightly around his waist, tilting Sawyer’s head back to deepen the kiss. Sawyer broke it off now, breathing heavily. “How long till we get to your apartment?”