Playing You (Omega's Luck #3) - Claire Cullen Page 0,2

Come up to my office. I’ll explain a little more about the role and what I do, and let’s see if this would be a good fit for both of us.”

If Riley had any sense at all as an omega, he’d be running out the elevator door and not looking back. But desperation did funny things to people, so Brendan wasn’t all that surprised when the omega merely gave a quiet agreement to his suggestion. “Okay.”

He seemed to rethink that when the elevator reached the third floor. Brendan stepped out, but Riley hesitated.

“Why would you want me and not a beta?” he asked. “Aren’t omegas more trouble than they’re worth?”

It sounded like something he’d been told often. Probably from everyone else he’d handed his resume to over the previous few weeks. What had he said? That he couldn’t even get someone to hire him to wait tables. It didn’t help that he had no stable home and his resume had an air of juvenile delinquent to it, no matter how untrue that might be.

“Alpha, beta, omega—it doesn’t matter to me, so long as they can do the work. And actually, having an omega around can be an advantage.”

Riley’s eyes went a little wide at that, and Brendan inwardly winced when he realized how it sounded.

“Now and then, when I’m investigating someone, it helps to have an omega by my side. It opens doors I wouldn’t get through otherwise and throws off people’s suspicion.”

“What do you normally do in those cases if you don’t have an omega?” Riley looked interested but skeptical.

“I’ve used betas in the past. Asked an omega friend of a friend to help out. Even hired someone once. That did not work out the way I’d planned.” He’d paid money to an escort who’d been far more interested in getting into Brendan’s pants than acting the part he’d needed him to play.

Riley looked torn, eying the elevator buttons like he wanted to make an escape.

“You like playing roles, right? This is another way to do that. Plus, I’ll pay you a bonus for any role you take on. Overtime for every hour over what you’re contracted for.” He stepped back from the elevator. “The choice is yours. If you’re interested, let’s go.”

The doors started to close, and still Riley hadn’t moved. At the last second, he stuck his hand out and the doors opened again. He stepped out, seesawing between excitement and skepticism.

“I want to hear more.”

Chapter Two

Riley had to face facts—his string of bad luck was never going to end. He’d had high hopes for the audition, but they’d taken one look at him and asked him to come back in the afternoon. He knew what that meant—bit parts and extras, not the title role he’d come there to audition for. But it wasn’t until the alpha turned up in the alleyway while he was practicing that he realized they’d just said that to get rid of him.

He felt his lower lip tremble, ashamed to find himself near tears around a stranger. As they traveled up to the fourth floor, he held onto hope that the alpha was wrong and they were just on a break. But one look down the hallway showed all the signs were gone, along with all the people. The auditions were over and, once again, there was no place for him. He would have felt better if he’d at least managed to land one of the many jobs washing dishes and waiting tables that he’d applied for over the previous month. But it seemed no one was keen to hire an omega, especially one with no relevant experience. And the offices didn’t want him either, for the same reason. Unemployment was a trap he couldn’t get out of.

That was the only reason he agreed to go with Brendan. He was desperate, and the alpha was the only person to look at his resume and see past the number of schools he’d attended. And then Brendan made some off-the-cuff remark about playing a role, and Riley found that he desperately wanted what the alpha was offering. Even if it was just fetching coffee and keeping track of the alpha’s schedule, it meant a way out of the hostel, eventually.

“Grab a seat,” Brendan said, gesturing to the chair opposite him across an expensive-looking oak desk. “Can I see that resume of yours again?”

Riley handed it over, trying not to seem too keen. If Mateo was there, he’d be shouting at him to get the