Benny Rodriguez Novels & Stories

"That you were obsessed with Backstreet Boys in eighth grade. I know the street address of your first boyfriend, your niece's name, your roommate's phone number." He drew back suddenly. I shrank under his calculative gaze. I felt so…naked. "I have record of each breath you've ever taken, Bella." "Stalker." I stated. He snorted, before placing his hand on his chest, over his heart, and faked a painful moan. "Oh Bella," He mocked, "That hurt." So, Mariano Rivera was capable of sarcasm. I glared at him. "Do you…know everything?"

Beta Rodriguez indirectly labeled me as a prostitute. A bitter smile crossed my face as I took the pen that was there next to me and signed my name without much of a thought. From the time I was born, I have only seen and felt rejection and fear, and I think that is what I will only experience for the rest of my life. I got up from my place, and when I was about to leave, Beta Rodriguez called out my name. “No one knows about this contract between us, so I don't want you to tell anyone. Do you understand?” he asked me, and I nodded my head.

It was black, but standing beside it was a man at a podium. We looked at each other for a second. His expression showed a flicker of curiosity that he immediately covered with contempt. I’d bet anything he was the other side’s interpreter, but where was the one who was actually negotiating? “Let’s begin,” Lorenzo said coldly, and the screen lit up as the Zoom call connected. On the other side sat a handsome man in an office, with blond hair slicked back and deep brown eyes. Even through the screen, I could tell he was an Alpha. And more than that... why did he feel like someone I’d met before?

My legs felt as if they were not only giving up on me, my lungs were too. “Alpha Aguilar Ivanov.” The man said, and I watched as everyone looked down at their feet before forcing myself to do the same. The Alpha passed us, but I couldn’t help but frown when I noticed that he stopped in front of me. I kept my head down, knowing not to say a word, and it wasn’t until he put his finger under my chin, raising my face, that my vision blurred.