Chapter Text
Rumi trudged through the door of her apartment and quickly locked it while kicking her heels off her aching feet. She hung her coat up and smiled as she felt a furry warmth brush against her shins.
"Hi Derpy," she cooed, reaching down to pet the tabby. He looked up and meowed at her, his unfocused, slightly crooked eyes causing Rumi to laugh. She scritched under his chin and he purred in response. At least something good had come out of her last failed relationship.
She fed him a tube of Churu as penance for leaving him alone all day in the penthouse. He had an entire room dedicated to his enrichment, replete with towering cat trees, toys, dessert-shaped cat beds, and the latest in automatic feeder technology, but Rumi still felt bad. He chirrupped happily as he licked up the last of the treat, and Rumi gave him one last scritch for good measure.
The lights of the Seoul skyline filtered through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, their brilliance outshining the stars of the night sky. She didn’t even bother with turning on the lights, as she could navigate through her maze of little-used furniture by their light alone.
The dimness befit the generally somber atmosphere of her apartment, which was quiet as a crypt as she made her way to her bedroom. She hardly spent time in the common areas and rarely had guests over, save for her best friend, Zoey. The only other person who visited her place semi-regularly had long since left the picture.
Rumi shed her stiff work clothes as soon as she made it to the threshold of her bedroom and prepared herself for a hot, rejuvenating shower. Stepping under the scalding stream of her shower, Rumi squirted her favorite shower gel, which was camellia-scented, into her palm. The smell woke up her senses, and as she lathered up her body, her own touch left buzzing trails along her skin.
After showering off the stress of the work day, Rumi collapsed into bed. She didn’t bother dressing herself. Her preferred ritual for decompressing after long work days was one that did not require garments.
At 8:50, her phone screen lit up with a notification.
rosegoldglasses will be live soon!
Ha. As if Rumi needed the reminder.
The omega sighed as she luxuriated in the feel of the Egyptian cotton sheets against her clean skin. She reached into her nightstand to retrieve two items: her favorite toy, a realistic knotting dildo; and a bottle of lube in case she needed it, although she rarely needed it.
With her legs already spread, fingernails ghosting over a hardened nipple, Rumi navigated to a familiar app on her phone, hidden away in a folder labeled "Utilities," just in case anyone ever decided to sneak a peek at her homescreen.
She tapped on it and waited impatiently for the app to fully load. Her gaze flicked to the time in the corner of her screen. 8:59 p.m. Rumi's leg bounced on her bed, too excited to keep still. Her favorite streamer always started right on the dot, and as a paying customer, Rumi didn't want to miss a single second of her stream. She had to get her money's worth, after all.
Finally, the homepage of the app loaded in, and Rumi immediately navigated to her streamer's channel. She joined the queue for the stream. Rumi dragged her nails up and down her abdomen. Goosebumps erupted on her skin as heat began to simmer low in her belly. Her pussy leaked in anticipation for what was to come.
Her anticipation came to an end when the waiting screen was abruptly replaced by a live video. Rumi licked her lips. There, in the center of the shot, was the bottom half of the hottest alpha Rumi had ever seen. She wore a simple sports bra and hot pink boxers, putting her sculpted abs out on display.
Though her official channel name was rosegoldglasses, the alpha referred to herself as Minji when addressing her subscribers. Perhaps calling herself something that sounded like a real name was more intimate. Even if it was fake, it was a name that rolled off Rumi’s tongue several times a week, the syllables of it fractured by moans and shallow breaths.
The waistband of Minji’s boxers were pulled down low, exposing the tops of her Adonis belt. The furrows of her hips naturally led Rumi's eye to the bulge nestled between muscled thighs.
Rumi longed to bury her face in between her thighs, feeling those powerful muscles flex around her head as she nosed into Minji’s clothed member, inhaling her musk through the fabric.
What would Minji's alpha scent smell like? How would it mix with Rumi's as they fucked each other, sweaty bodies writhing atop Rumi's bed, her cock balls deep inside her pussy? Rumi longed to know. For now, her imagination would have to suffice.
"Hi there, baby."
Rumi shivered as Minji’s low, smokey voice filled her ears.
"I'm so glad you've decided to join me this week. I bet it was so long. You must be wound up so tight by now." The words rolled off Minji's tongue the same way her palm rolled teasingly over her clothed length. A dark wet spot formed right where the outline of her tip was. “It felt so long for me, having to wait so many days to have you here like this again.”
Rumi chewed her lip, fingertips slowly circling around her wet entrance. Seeing Minji’s growing wetness made her gush in response, as if her body was getting itself ready to take the alpha.
Minji continued teasing herself until she was fully hardened. Her shaft was visible through the boxers, straining against the cotton.
"You want to take me out, babe?"
Rumi nodded to herself. Her entrance ached to grip something inside of it, yet she continued her teasing, mind-numbing circles. She refused to touch herself properly. Not until Minji did.
The alpha lifted her hips off her chair and slowly tugged her underwear down, gasping when her thick length popped free. It bobbed in the air, a clear string of precum trailing after the motion.
Minji kicked the underwear completely off to the side. Her length stood tall and proud, the blushing pink head partially obscured by her smooth foreskin, leading down to the subtle swell of a pre-knot sitting atop heavy balls. Rumi watched the entire time with rapt attention, completely engrossed in the lewd display on her screen.
"Look at me. You've already made me so hard for you, and you've barely touched me." Minji wrapped her long, graceful fingers around her brutally thick length—and what a juxtaposition that image was—and began pumping herself, the slickness of her precum making a soft wet snapping noise.
Rumi finally plunged her fingers into herself, her walls clamping down on the intrusion greedily.
"Your hand feels—hah—so fucking good around me, baby," Minji groaned out. "You're so good at that."
Rumi whimpered, the praise lighting up her nerves.
"You've been so good for me that I'm going to give your pussy what it wants. How does that sound?"
"Yes, please, fuck me, fill me up, breed me," Rumi begged, completely shameless in the privacy of her bedroom.
Minji grabbed a bottle of lube, squirting a thick glob of the clear liquid onto two fingers while grabbing a fleshlight from somewhere off-screen. She pointed her toy toward the camera, sensually thrusting into it with her slicked fingers in order to lube up the inside of the toy.
Rumi watched with rapt attention as Minji began sliding the fleshlight onto her cock, grunting when her swollen head caught on the tight ring of the toy's entrance.
The ache in her core was near unbearable now. No longer able to hold back, Rumi grabbed her favorite toy, a thick, silicone dildo with a knot at the base, and quickly sank it into her pussy.
"Oh, you're so tight, baby…don't worry, I'll loosen you up. Get you nice and ready to take my thick cock."
"Yes, yes, please, stretch me out," Rumi begged, slowly filling herself with her own toy. It was so thick but it burned so good. She savored every inch as she imagined it belonging to Minji. It squelched as she thrust it deeper and deeper inside herself.
Minji held the fleshlight in place and thrust up into it, over and over, pace steady and measured, her dick sinking deeper and deeper with every pass. Her heavy balls bounced with the movement, and Rumi felt herself salivating, imagining how they would taste and feel inside her mouth.
"That's right, baby, you're opening up for me so beautifully. That's a good girl," Minji purred. "You're so wet for my cock, aren't you?"
Rumi whimpered. She could feel her own wetness seep out of her pussy, rolling down her asshole and dripping onto her sheets. The room was filled with Rumi's scent, thick and heady with her overwhelming arousal.
The omega drank in the video playing on her phone screen. Minji's voice, thick and sweet as honey, wrapped around Rumi's brain, putting her into a deep trance. Her clit ached, begging for attention, but only the type that Minji’s seductive direction could provide.
"Fuck baby, you feel so good around me. You're doing so well."
Her imagination ran wild. Rumi swore she could feel the heat of Minji’s body radiating across her skin as the other woman leaned over her, hips bruising hips as the alpha fucked into her. The tinny huffs of breath playing from Rumi's speakers became hot air kissing Rumi's outer ear, a prelude to the sensation of sharp teeth closing around her lobe as Rumi moaned freely into the air.
In the stream, the legs of the chair began knocking against the ground as Minji's thrusts grew wild and untamed, her dick sinking into the fleshlight at an impossible speed. Rumi sped up her thrusts to match Minji’s pace. Her forearm burned, but the pain was a faraway thought when all she could focus on was the relentless pounding of her dildo dragging over every inch of her swollen walls. The wet sounds of her fucking mixed with Rumi's to create a layered symphony of pleasure that filled Rumi's bedroom. Minji was growling now. Her abs clenched with each heaving breath, the low light of the room casting them in stark relief.
"Baby, I'm so close, I'm gonna fill that pussy, fuck—!"
With a roar, Minji slammed up into the toy, her balls tensing and throbbing as she shot her load. She reached down to squeeze around her knot and moaned, prolonging her orgasm. Rumi chose that moment to push herself over the edge as well, imagining that she and Minji were coming together.
Minji slowly lifted the fleshlight off her cock, a flood of cum spilling down her member and onto the floor when the seal broke. Rumi whimpered mournfully, her inner omega irrationally angry at the wasted cum.
"You were so good for me. You're always so good for me," Minji said breathlessly. Rumi knew she was just selling a fantasy, but she let herself believe, just for a little bit, that Minji was talking directly to her.
Some people (and by ‘people,’ she meant her friend Zoey) would claim that holing up on a Friday night to throw her money at a RutHub creator instead of meeting real people was sad. Rumi would reply that there was simply no one suitable to take care of her needs.
Her ex-boyfriend certainly hadn't been up to snuff. With him it was always a quick wham, bam, thank you ma'am, and then he was either out the door or passed out next to her. Even worse, that behavior extended to her heats.
Rumi knew that an omega in heat was hard to keep up with, but he couldn’t even keep his knot hard enough to properly tie her. And if Rumi expressed any sort of disappointment, suddenly she was the bad guy, and that she, “Didn’t understand how much pressure there was on alphas to perform.”
So, Rumi had dumped the man, kept his cat, and gotten used to this life of using her knotting dildo to pull herself through her cycles. If her hormones ever got to be too much, she always had her suppressants to fall back on. It was just easier to deal with it this way.
In fact, Rumi would argue that this was better than dating a real alpha. She didn’t have to worry about complaints of being “too much to handle” when she was in heat while somehow not being attentive enough to her alpha’s needs when she wasn’t.
She didn’t have to worry about assuaging her alpha’s jealousy when she came home smelling of other people’s pheromones.
She didn’t have to choose between her career or her relationship.
And best of all, her dildo stayed hard and could go as many rounds as she needed.
It wasn’t like she was completely alone, anyways.
As she lay in her bed, fucked out and satisfied, Minji’s sexy voice rang in her head like a sweet lullaby, following her into her dreams.
🍆
Rumi walked briskly down the corridor, her heels clacking rhythmically against the linoleum floor. Her back was ramrod straight, clothes pressed to perfection, not a wrinkle in sight. Her long dragon tail braid swung back and forth with every step. Rumi's personal assistant, Kang Mira, followed a couple paces behind her.
"Give me a rundown of our guest today," Rumi commanded, not unkindly.
"Choi Min-Seo, 37, head of Dongbang Entertainment. He’s here to discuss the merger between his company and one of our subsidiaries, Pineapple Enterprises."
Rumi nodded, the details of her meeting coming back to her more clearly the more Mira explained. She could always count on her to flawlessly deliver on details.
The doors to the conference room swung open with Rumi's brisk push. Immediately, the odor of overconfident Alpha filled Rumi's nostrils. Rumi just barely controlled herself from wrinkling her nose. Mr. Choi's gaze slipped right past Rumi and focused onto Mira. Rumi supposed she couldn't blame him. With her tall stature, chiseled jawline, and piercing gaze, she often drew attention wherever she went. However, Rumi doubted that was the reason why Mr. Choi had ignored her in favor of Mira.
Her suspicions were proven correct when Mr. Choi immediately stepped forward to shake Mira's hand. "Miss Ryu," he greeted. "It's an honor to finally meet you."
"Likewise, Mr. Choi," Mira said, a small smile curling at her lips. She glanced subtly at Rumi, asking with a raise of her eyebrow if they would play their little game today yet already knowing the answer. Rumi only smiled.
While Mira got settled in her seat, Mr. Choi finally acknowledged Rumi with a sleazy smile curling under his dirt-lip mustache.
"Hey sweet cheeks, mind getting us a coffee? Thanks," he said with a wink. A shiver of revulsion crawled up Rumi's spine, but it was quickly dampened by her fast-growing amusement. This would be too easy.
Mira’s eyes flashed with rage. She looked ready to say something, but Rumi subtly shook her head.
"Of course, anything for our honored guest," she crooned, bowing politely before going to the coffee machine situated on the far side of the room. Rumi had originally ordered it installed in this room as a gesture of good will toward her clients and potential business partners, but now, she was regretting her past choices.
With the smell of coffee slowly mixing in with the scent of arrogant Alpha pheromones, Mr. Choi took his seat. No one spoke as the drip-drip of steaming coffee filled two paper cups. Mira opened her laptop and began typing. The muffled click-clack of her keyboard joined the dribble of coffee as the only other sound in the room.
When the cups were nearly full, a note of confusion emerged in Mr. Choi's scent. "Aren't you going to start the meeting?" he asked Mira. Rumi smiled to herself. This was the part of the game she enjoyed the most, the moment when the other shoe fell.
"I'm waiting for Miss Ryu to start the meeting," Mira said innocently, gesturing toward Rumi.
"Miss…" Choi's eyes swung toward Rumi, who had the two cups of coffee and was quickly approaching the long mahogany table. Rumi set Mr. Choi's cup down in front of him, ignoring the horrified realization dawning on his face when he realized who "Miss Ryu" really was.
Rumi claimed her seat at the head of the table and took a long, drawn-out sip from her own coffee as Mr. Choi's face turned red, his scent spiking unpleasantly with his anxiety. Silence had descended onto the room like an oppressive blanket. Beneath it, the air buzzed with tension. Rumi had to admit, watching him squirm in his seat, at a loss for what to say or do, almost made up for the disrespectful attitude he'd had with her. Almost.
Rumi made a small sound of satisfaction as she finished her sip and set her cup down onto the table. Mr. Choi had yet to touch his cup. Rumi knit her brows together in mock concern. "Is the coffee not to your taste, Mr. Choi?"
He stood up and bowed ninety degrees. "I-I deeply apologize for my behavior earlier," he blubbered. "I didn't realize—"
"That you had greeted my personal assistant earlier? It's an easy mistake," Rumi said.
Mr. Choi's cheeks became even ruddier. His eyes darted all over Rumi's face, confusion mounting as the director simply sat there, watching him. When Rumi had had enough, she waved her hand toward his presentation expectantly. "Please, go on," she said.
Mr. Choi gulped, and shakily began his proposal. As he spoke, his head swivelled back and forth between his presentation and Rumi several times per slide, so much so that Rumi feared he'd give himself whiplash. His efforts were in vain as Rumi refused to give away anything she was thinking on her face.
She revelled in every nervous twitch of his mouth, the way his scent sharpened with worry every time he stumbled over his words, and especially how he tugged at his collar, as if an invisible noose were tightening around his neck with each passing second. All the while Rumi sat, silently watching him.
Mira, for her part, didn't spare him a single glance. She simply typed away at her laptop, eyes glued very intently to her screen. Rumi wasn't sure what she was writing, as her keen assistant already knew Rumi was going to reject Mr. Choi's proposal outright. She could have been writing fanfiction for all Rumi cared.
When Mr. Choi's painfully drawn-out presentation finally came to a sputtering end, Rumi steepled her fingers, looking for all the world as if she was seriously contemplating his proposal. Rumi sighed heavily, and naturally, rejected the entirety of it.
Mr. Choi took her rejection with a look of resignation. As soon as she had delivered her verdict, Rumi stood up and swept out of the room without so much as shaking his hand goodbye. She'd had her fill of her game.
Rumi didn't even have to look behind her to know that Mira was already following her. She wasn't sure how, but at times, it was like Mira could read her mind.
With another meeting with a tediously arrogant character out of her way, Rumi felt peaceful, if not a bit annoyed that a potential partner had fallen through, but on Mira's end, she could feel the other woman's unspoken malcontent crackling in the air. Her scent, which was usually so well-controlled, turned bitter with anger.
"So, today's guest was a bit of a character, huh?" Rumi asked lightly, addressing the elephant in the room.
"What a worm. I still can't believe he would dare speak to you like that," Mira ground out, a hard edge to her voice.
A part of Rumi was endeared that Mira was apparently so worked up on her behalf. There might have been a small flutter in her stomach too, but if anyone were to ask, it was because of the days’ old rice porridge she’d dug out of the back of her fridge for breakfast.
"He's hardly the first, and he won't be the last. Trust me, I'm more than used to it by now," Rumi replied.
"But you shouldn't be," Mira insisted. Rumi turned back to look at Mira, shooting her a grateful smile. It was nothing like the fake ones that forcefully stretched her lips during business meetings. She always found it easy to smile in Mira’s presence.
"As long as I have people like you supporting me, I'll be okay, Mira. I promise," Rumi replied sincerely.
Mira seemed to be at a loss for words. Her normally pale cheeks reddened. Rumi wondered if the ambient temperature in the building was too warm for her. It made sense that she wouldn't be able to tolerate heat as well, as alphas often ran hot. Rumi made a note to touch base with the building superintendent about this issue later.
Rumi turned back around, though a part of her hated to have Mira out of her sight. She banished the thought from her mind, mentally readying herself for the workload that was waiting for her once she got back to her desk. They were approaching her office now. It wouldn't do to dwell on such thoughts.
"But until society catches up with us, we'll just continue entertaining ourselves with our little game, hmm?" she continued.
Rumi stopped just outside her office door, fully turning back around to face the alpha. Thank you for accompanying me to my meeting today, as always. I'll ring you if I require your assistance. For now, you're dismissed."
Mira bowed, and left. Rumi watched her go, a bit hypnotized by the way her fiery pink hair swept down her back as she walked.
When Mira's application had first arrived on her desk, nearly a year ago now, Rumi had wondered if it had been placed there by accident. The capital 'A' for 'Alpha' was emblazoned, unmistakably, on the line following her name.
It was quite certainly a surprise. An alpha, applying to work directly under an omega? Sure, this wasn't the fifties anymore, and attitudes surrounding the power dynamics between alphas and omegas were fairly progressive these days, but that dynamic had yet to translate to the boardroom. She encountered obnoxious alphas on a near-weekly basis in meetings. They were insufferable characters who thought they could throw their weight around with her, not knowing just how cutthroat Rumi could be. It was never long before Rumi would teach these alphas a lesson to not underestimate her again.
Rumi certainly had never received an application to work under from from any designations other than beta or omega.
But, Kang Mira would prove to be full of surprises.
Despite her impeccable resume and her background check that had come back cleaner than a whistle, Rumi had been (perhaps unfairly) wary going into her interview. She didn’t know what to expect. For the alpha to take one sniff of her, realize that she'd mistakenly applied to work under an omega, and walk out, maybe.
Rumi hadn't expected Mira to bow so low to her, greeting her with a handshake that was firm yet not too forceful (as was often the case with alphas), and for her scent to pull away where Rumi's pushed, filling in the empty space where Rumi's would retreat, in a natural give-and-take that Rumi had hardly experienced before. Right off the bat, Mira had raised every one of Rumi’s green flags. She’d then proceeded to give an incredible interview, and the choice to hire her was a no-brainer after that.
Alphas tried too hard to overpower her scent with theirs—as if that could endear them to her—and her subordinates all minimized their scents as much as possible when interacting with her. Mira deferred to Rumi's authority without having to be asked, and pushed back when she genuinely thought Rumi needed it. Mira's blunt yet genuine personality was refreshing, to say the least.
It was why their work relationship worked so beautifully.
The only issue—well, not that it was Mira's issue, per se—was that Rumi was, well.
Interested.
In the alpha.
Much more than she should be, as her superior.
It was shameful, ethically dubious, and a bit ridiculous to admit as a grown woman, but—
Rumi may have had a bit of a crush on her.
But Rumi seriously didn't think she could be blamed when Mira looked so stunning. In another universe, Mira was a runway model rather than a corporate employee, entrancing audiences with her sharp features and killer figure. Hell, she could have pulled off a sleeping bag on the red carpet.
Combined with the way Mira was so different from other alphas in the best ways possible, and Rumi might as well have been a goner.
Still, that was no reason to fawn over her. It had simply been a while since Rumi had been with anyone—completely by her own choice, of course!—so it was only a natural response.
Rumi told herself this even as she called Mira into her office to discuss what could easily have been sent in an email. She shouldn’t make a habit of this, she knew, but it became harder and harder to resist doing so when Mira would grace her with that stunning smile every time she saw her.
🍆
Rumi took a deep breath as she entered the elevator. She clicked the button for the tenth floor, which housed one of Seoul's most luxurious gyms, and felt the swoop low in her stomach as the elevator ascended.
Whenever her mind felt like a mess, Rumi preferred to use exercise to clear her head. The gym was her sanctuary where she didn't have to think about anything except herself and the weight she was moving. She always felt calmer after a proper workout.
Little did she know, her sanctuary would soon be breached by the cause of her restless mind.
Rumi was on her second set of squats when she was nearly barreled over by the scent of pine and camellia, turned slightly sharp with the tang of sweat and effort. Before she knew what she was doing, Rumi was whirling toward that scent. Her throat instantly dried up.
A few racks down was Mira, clad in nothing but a sports bra and form-fitting leggings, practically glowing thanks to exertion and the sheen of perspiration covering her skin. Though Mira's figure appeared quite lithe in the conservative dress of her office attire, in this outfit, her true physique was on display for all to see. Her muscles were sculpted, sinewy lines tracing across her pecs, over her shoulders, and down to her forearms, coiled with hidden power. She was an alpha, through and through, and Rumi got to see a bit of that alpha aggression, carefully distilled into each explosive yet controlled rep.
On the last rep, her bar speed slowed considerably, arms trembling to get the weight up. Rumi tensed, ready to step in at a moment's notice if necessary, but to her relief, Mira heaved the weight up with a roar of effort. The clang of metal on metal as the bar was racked reverberated straight through Rumi's bones.
Mira gulped in a few deep breaths (and Rumi definitely did not notice the way Mira's abs rippled with each breath, thank you very much), and sat up, wiping the back of her neck with a towel. Her long, slender, graceful neck…
With some embarrassment, Rumi realized that the area between her legs had become moist with more than just sweat. As she shifted uncomfortably in place, another patron walked past Rumi and toward Mira, the speed of his gait creating a breeze that brushed past her and carried her scent toward the alpha.
Mira's nostrils flared and her head snapped up, finding Rumi immediately. Rumi scrambled, pretending like she hadn't just been creeping on Mira, before giving up and shooting her a smile and a wave.
You're her boss. Act normal. Composed. Bossly. You have the power here.
Hesitation twitched on Mira's face for the briefest of seconds, undetectable by anyone except for someone who had studied Mira's face as much as Rumi had, before Mira heaved herself off the bench and walked over to Rumi. Rumi's pulse sped up as the other woman's scent became even stronger, wrapping around her head in a dizzying haze.
"Hello, Miss Ryu," Mira greeted, ever polite. "It's good to see you. Are you having a good workout?"
Play it cool, Ryu.
She ended up blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "You're wearing glasses."
Rumi cringed internally, but Mira lightly chuckled. "Yes, the great Mira Kang is actually blind. I wear my glasses on my off-days when I don't feel like putting contacts in.”
It was a bit strange seeing Mira with her gold wire glasses, even though the circular rims perfectly contrasted her sharp features, making for a smart yet beautiful visage.
Wait, where did that thought come from?
"So," Mira said, cutting into Rumi's thoughts, "What are you hitting today?"
You, Rumi wanted to say. "Legs," she said instead. “So, uh, you go to this gym? I've never seen you here before.”
"Actually, I just got my membership. I've been doing well lately with my…finances, I suppose you could say, so I figured, why not splurge a little?"
"I'm glad to hear that," Rumi said warmly. "It makes me happy to see that our company can help our employees to enjoy such amenities."
"Right, the company," Mira responded in a strange tone. Her scent became tinged with something sickly sweet, like petals shriveling up and rotting off the stem. Anxiety. Rumi blanched. Had she said something wrong? Had she been too presumptuous? She was better off not saying anything at all.
"Well, uh, I don't want to hold you up any longer. I'll let you get back to it." She grinned awkwardly, shooting finger guns, and then immediately wanted to die.
Mira pursed her lips. It looked like she was trying not to laugh. "You too. See you at the office, Miss Ryu."
Though she craved to talk to her even longer, Rumi couldn't risk making a fool of herself, or worse, saying something to make Mira uncomfortable. It was unconscionable to Rumi as someone in a higher position of power, even if they weren't technically at work right now.
It was ridiculous. Rumi regularly faced down hotshot alphas at her job without so much as flinching. Once she figured out what generally made alphas tick, playing them was comically easy. But for some reason, when it came to this alpha, Rumi turned into a fool.
She turned back to her own barbell, going under it and bracing it atop her traps like she’d done a hundred times before, but when she heaved the weight up, her legs felt unsteady. She took an unsteady step backwards, shifting her stance as usual, and went into her first rep, trying to ignore the scent of camellia and pine lingering in her nostrils, as well as the wetness between her legs. By the fifth unsteady rep, Rumi's chest was heaving with an undue amount of effort. Rather than feeling in control of the weight, she felt more like the weight was liable to crush her if she let her concentration slip for even a second.
Knowing she was at her limit, Rumi re-racked with a little more force than necessary, frustrated at herself. She was too off-balance, too off her game. Rather than lower the weight, Rumi chose to skip barbell squats altogether and move onto the next exercise.
She was met with just as much success on the next few exercises. There was a knot slowly forming in the pit of her stomach, and the more it tightened, the more frustrated she got. It got worse every time she would catch a glimpse of long, flowing pink hair and a whiff of that godforsaken scent.
This was supposed to be her time to let out all her frustrations, yet here Rumi was, getting wound up even tighter than ever. She bitterly ended her workout on her smart watch and headed to the locker rooms, mentally considering this session a fail.
There was no other way around it. Rumi was well and truly fucked. There was no denying that she wanted her secretary. Badly. This was the first time in her life that she truly felt slave to her biology, and she didn't know how to handle it.
The water pouring out of the showerhead beat hot against her skin, in time with her pounding pulse. Rumi leaned heavily against the wall, legs shaky for reasons that had nothing to do with her workout. Her center throbbed as a deep, cavernous ache spread through her hips. Her fingers twitched, eager to reach down and sate that hunger, but she held herself back.
God, was Rumi really thinking about touching herself in a public shower? What kind of sexual deviant was she? This was all kinds of unsanitary, and frankly, disrespectful to the other patrons of this facility. Worst of all, Rumi would be getting off to thoughts of Mira, her subordinate. As her superior, Rumi had a duty to rein in her attraction and keep things strictly professional. Mira didn't deserve to have a boss that would stoop so low as to masturbate in a public setting in her lust for her.
Rumi hardened her resolve.
Get a hold of yourself, Ryu.
You're going to finish your shower, get dressed, leave the gym, and continue on with your day like a normal person. You're NOT going to think about Mira until the next time you see her at work. You're better than this.
The first touch of her fingertips to her clit felt electric.
Rumi nearly sobbed with relief as she scissored her fingers around her stiff clit, waves of pleasure radiating through her body. Her toes curled where they were nestled inside her shower slippers. One hand gripped the railing, and Rumi was grateful for its presence as she worked herself over, unraveling more and more by the second.
The image of Mira kneeling in between her legs to service her with her mouth had Rumi doubled over in pleasure. The fresh reminder of her face and her scent made not thinking about her nearly impossible.
Recognizing that her mind was going down a dangerous path, Rumi forced herself to think about Minji instead. Images of her thick wet cock sinking into her fleshlight over and over replayed on the backs of Rumi's eyelids. Then came another memory of Minji jerking herself off until she was exploding all over her own stomach. Minji had such nice abs, just like Mira…
Rumi nearly came when an image of Mira's face superimposed itself onto Minji's body, her impeccably professional demeanor finally breaking down as she took Rumi, savagely claiming the omega with her thick, aching cock over and over, until she was spilling every drop of her seed into Rumi's womb.
Deep down, Rumi knew that this was wrong, but it felt too damn good to stop.
She sank two fingers into herself, whimpering quietly. She pumped in and out at a furious pace, the hiss of the water thankfully drowning out the wet noises of her pussy. Her fingers brought some relief, but Rumi knew she couldn't come just from this, not without a cock properly filling her cunt.
She leaned against the corner of the small shower stall as she removed her other hand from the guardrail to pinch at her nipples before snaking it down to her clit. It was a tight fit between her legs with both hands down there, but Rumi was dexterous (or rather, horny) enough to make it work.
She thought of Mira-as-Minji on top of her, face blushing a pretty pink as her hips snapped into Rumi's. "Miss Ryu, you're taking me so well, you feel so good around me," she'd say with that low, husky voice of hers as Rumi sank her fangs into her neck.
She rubbed harsh circles around her clit until she was clenching around her own fingers, slick gushing into her hand. A scream rose inside Rumi's throat, begging to break free, and she quickly withdrew her hand from her cunt to clap it over her mouth, smelling her own slick on her face.
The scent of her arousal filled the small space, made thick and heavy by heat and humidity. Rumi's other hand, which was still on her clit, slowed to a stop. She stood there, savoring the way the small bud twitched with aftershocks against the pad of her fingers.
When the ecstasy of her orgasm faded, disgust crept in. Rumi quickly went about the rest of her shower, lathering up body wash and shampoo generously over her body in an effort to cover up her scent.
She left the shower and nearly had a heart attack when she abruptly ran into a wall of pink hair. Rumi stumbled back. "Mira! You're here!"
Mira turned toward Rumi, toweling her hair. Her cheeks were flushed pink from the lingering heat. "Oh, hello again, Miss Ryu. I was just finishing up my shower."
With a sinking feeling, Rumi realized that the stall Mira had been using was the one right.
Next.
To Rumi's.
Fucking fuck.
"Did you, ah, notice anything weird while you were showering?" Rumi asked, fighting to control her tone of voice.
Mira tilted her head questioningly. "Weird? No, I don't think so."
Rumi exhaled in relief.
"Is there something wrong?" Mira asked, one eyebrow raised.
"No! No. Nothing wrong at all. Everything is perfectly fine!"
Everything was not fine, if Rumi's scent was anything to go by.
Mira frowned slightly. "If you say so."
"I'm just gonna grab my stuff and go now," Rumi said, all but fleeing to her locker. To her dismay, the smell of camellia and pine filled her nose once again. "Excuse me, Miss," Mira murmured. Of course Mira would be using the locker right next to Rumi's. Why did Rumi think she could have a single moment of peace?
Mira's arm brushed against Rumi's, and the omega jerked away. The alpha's touch was like a brand against her skin.
"My apologies," Mira said, stepping away. "I should have waited for you to grab your things first."
Rumi didn't know if she was grateful for the sudden space or if she craved Mira's body heat so close to hers again.
"You're all good," Rumi said, waving Mira's concern off. "There really isn't much space here at all." She quickly gathered up her things, walked to the locker room's exit, and then paused. She should walk Mira out, right? That would be polite.
Mira soon appeared, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She looked surprised to see Rumi waiting for her.
"I thought we could walk out together," Rumi said.
Mira looked surprised, but then a shy smile bloomed on her face. A faintly sweet undertone graced Mira's scent, signaling her happiness. Rumi's heart thudded in her chest as the pair walked through the gym, past the lobby, and into the elevator.
Rumi began to question the wisdom of her choices when the metal doors slid closed, sealing them in together like a metal tomb. Was that dramatic? Maybe. But, to be fair, Rumi did feel like she was going to die from the way Mira's overwhelmingly alluring scent suddenly suffocated her.
Without meaning to, Rumi coughed. Mira's eyes widened. The intensity of her scent suddenly retreated, and what was left was marred by a slight bitterness. Embarrassment. Mira was looking steadfastly at the numbers above the doors, as if she could will the machinery to move faster.
God, Rumi was an idiot. An omega who barely could control herself. Why was she always making a fool of herself around Mira?
After exchanging stilted farewells, Rumi rushed home, a mixture of lingering arousal and embarrassment dueling in her gut.
🍆
That little moment of weakness at the gym hadn't been enough. Not nearly.
Rumi entered her penthouse, eager for the privacy. She let the familiar and comforting scent of home fill her nose, though she swore camellia still filled her senses.
Thankfully, it was a Wednesday night, which meant that her favorite distraction was scheduled to start at 8pm sharp.
Rumi quickly undressed and opened her streaming app just in time to see Minji go live. A familiar thrill of anticipation ran through her as M's hips and thighs filled her screen. She was completely nude. Her ankles were tied to the legs of her chair, forcing them to stay open. There was a blue-green sleeve wrapped around her fully-erect cock with a vibrator attached.
"I have something special for you all today," Minji said in her low husky tone. God, just the sound of her voice caused goosebumps to raise on Rumi's neck. There was no way she could keep Mira in her mind for long when Minji looked and sounded like that.
"To celebrate reaching 100 subscribers, I'm giving you all control over my orgasm."
There was a chat overlay displaying donation amounts with a corresponding vibration effect.
₩5,000=5 seconds of sustained vibration
₩10,000=10 seconds of sustained vibration
₩15,000=15 seconds of sustained vibration
₩20,000=20 seconds of sustained vibration
₩35,000= 20 seconds of pulsing vibrations
"Whoever makes me cum will win a private video of me jerking myself off solely for your viewing pleasure. I'll even say your name in it, if you'd like."
Immediately, the donations started pouring in. The vibrator purred to life as donations filled the chatbox.
SirBustANut donated ₩5,000!
HungBobNoPants donated ₩10,000!
thunderthighs69 donated ₩5,000!
Miinji’s breasts heaved as her dick twitched in the clutch of the vibrating cocksleeve. A drop of precum pearled at her slit, reflecting the low lamplight of the room.
Donations poured in so frequently that the vibrations, even the short ones, pretty much overlapped with hardly any breaks. After a full minute of this, they stopped. Minji gasped with relief, collapsing back against her chair. "It's gonna take a lot more than that to make me cum," she said cockily.
Rumi quickly submitted her own donation.
paperclip83 donated ₩25,000!
She felt a spark of satisfaction as Minji’s low moan filled the room, clearly audible despite the buzzing, the alpha's pleasure brought on by her own hand.
Rumi’s plan was to refrain from donating too much too early. The alpha liked to take her time with her orgasm, drawing it out for as long as she could, while she changed up her rhythm or played with herself. She predicted that most people would be too trigger-happy in the beginning, donating all their money to try and get Minji off as quickly as possible, and having none left over when Minji was actually ready to cum.
Rumi had good instincts when it came to predicting other people’s behaviors and motivations. It was what made her so lethal in the boardroom, and also, on RutHub, apparently. Her mother would be so proud if she could see her now.
The cocksleeve buzzed to life as more donations came in. Unable to hold back, Minji began subtly rolling her hips, humping the air as she tried to get more stimulation. The vein on the underside of her member visibly throbbed.
Minji’s breath quickened, abs heaving, shoulders flexing as she struggled against her restraints. The buzzing stopped, and she relaxed again, taking deep breaths to calm herself.
Rumi bit her lip. She donated ₩35,000 and felt another rush as Minji’s hips jerked, teasing her with intermittent pulses for thirty straight seconds. Pre-cum was flowing out of her slit in a thick line now, dripping down onto the sleeve. Her shaft was flushed red with arousal, and her balls bounced every time her body twitched.
Minji’s breathing quickened again, her moans becoming higher and more feminine. "Oh fuck, oh fuck—fuckfuckfuck.”
Heavy pants layered upon Rumi's ears through her phone speakers, and it stoked her own arousal. Minji’s body shined with a layer of perspiration over deliciously clenching muscles. Just as it looked as if she would finally tip over the edge, the vibration stopped. She collapsed against her chair, sweaty and shaking.
Seeing her panting lungfuls of air while tied down, helpless to control her own pleasure, had molten heat pooling between Rumi's legs. She slid her fingers underneath the waistband of her underwear and found herself already wet and wanting. She dipped into her center to collect her own wetness and circled her fingertips around her clit, imagining that it was the on-screen alpha’s pre-cum instead.
The thought of Minji rubbing that huge cock on her clit had her clenching around nothing. Rumi wanted to see her squirm again and make those beautiful noises whenever she got close.
More donations came in.
peepeepoopoo420 donated ₩10,000!
Rumi could tell by the way that Minji was whimpering that her resolve was breaking down. With each time she was edged, she turned even more desperate, a pink flush spreading from her neck down to her beautiful breasts. Strands of pink hair swayed as she thrashed her head side to side, barely able to withstand the intensity of the sensations.
"So close, so close…" she moaned.
Minji’s cock had never looked so flushed and wet before, nor so hard. There was a swell visible at the base of the sleeve. Her knot.
Rumi slipped her fingers inside herself, imagining that she was the cocksleeve, squeezing around the alpha and milking her for every bit of her slick. Rumi sunk three fingers into herself, pumping in and out so furiously it made lewd squelching noises.
There was nothing but heavy breathing as the donations lulled to a stop.
With one hand, Rumi pressed the button to donate again. It was a dopamine rush to watch the way, with a single tap, Minji came to life, writhing with pleasure, moaning brokenly and spilling slick all over herself. When the twenty seconds of pulses were up, Rumi gave her no time to breathe, immediately donating ₩25,000 for the twenty-five seconds of sustained vibration.
Rumi donated like a madwoman. The chat overlay quickly filled with her username as she kept pouring money into Minji’s building orgasm like gasoline onto a flame. She only paused to grab her dildo, impatiently wiping it down before smearing it with her copious amounts of slick and pushing it deep inside herself. She was going to make Minji cum with her. The thought was electrifying.
She pistoned the thick toy in and out of herself while donating again. Minji’s legs trembled and fought against the ties around her ankles. The chair knocked and scraped against the floor as she bucked her hips off her seat.
Rumi moaned with her as they each built toward their peak. She strategically alternated between the sustained vibrations and the pulse.
"Oh, fuck, I'm so close, I'm so close, please baby, let me come," Minji begged brokenly.
"I'll give it to you, baby, I'll take care of you," Rumi responded.
Other subscribers tried to get their donations in here and there, but they were no match for the sheer frequency and amount that Rumi was able to give.
With a few well-timed button-presses, Rumi had Minji finally crashing over the edge. Her orgasm hit her so hard that she roared with it. Her cum shot out of her tip like a fountain, spilling all over her abs and hips.
At the same time, Rumi tilted her head back onto her pillow as she crested her own peak, gushing all over the toy and her hand. Minji’s cries of pleasure were like music to her ears, prolonging the feelings of ecstasy. Her walls clenched rhymically around her toy, aching for the burst of seed that never came and had instead spilled wastefully onto Minji’s skin.
The name escaped the frayed edges of her rapidly-deteriorating control.
"Oh, god, Mira, Mira, Mira—"
Her mind was horrified but her body responded in kind as another, smaller orgasm rolled through her when she imagined the cock inside her as that of her assistant. Rumi collapsed against her sheets, sweaty and spent, eyes squeezed shut so tightly that tears leaked out.
On video, Minji undid her restraints and slid the cocksleeve off her now-flaccid member. She threw it to the side and wrapped her hand around her knot, which had been neglected the entire time, massaging it. One last trickle of white seeped out of her head.
"Holy shit," Minji breathed. "Congratulations to Paper Clip for making me come so hard I saw stars."
Excitement and pride flickered through Rumi at the acknowledgment despite her ridiculous screen name (Rumi wasn’t very creative, okay? She had just looked around her room for the nearest object, and that had happened to be a paperclip on her desk. And, apparently, 82 other people had also picked that user, so it couldn’t be too bad).
"I'll be reaching out to you with a direct message, so make sure to look out for that. Thank you for your donations and tuning in tonight, everyone." And with that, she ended the stream.
She'd done it. Rumi had won the private video. Anticipation buzzed in her gut. She tried to ignore the little hiccup during her orgasm earlier. This private video from Minji would be the perfect way to get her mind off Mira.
Within minutes of her stream ending, Rumi received the message.
rosegoldglasses: hi! It's minji. congrats on winning and thanks for your donations. i'm reaching out to discuss your private video.
Rumi’s fingers trembled as she typed. Whether it was due to exertion or nervousness, she couldn't say.
paperclip83: Hi! I’m such a huge fan. Tonight’s stream was so hot🔥🔥🔥
rosegoldglasses: glad you enjoyed it ;)
rosegoldglasses: could I get your name for the video?
Without thinking, she typed up a reply.
paperclip83: Rumi.
There was no response for a few moments. The typing bubbles popped up, then disappeared. They appeared again. Then disappeared.
When it was clear there would be no incoming message anytime soon, Rumi put her phone down, though anticipation still vibrated in her blood.
They didn’t talk for the rest of the night. Rumi tried not to overthink. She re-read their conversation over and over to see if she’d possibly said anything to put Minji off. She didn’t understand how that could be possible, given the meager amount of words they’d exchanged, but still, the issue gnawed at her mind.
Was her name…too weird?
Rumi thought she had a normal enough name. No one had ever commented on it before. But could it have been uncommon enough to put Minji off?
Rumi realized she was becoming insecure over her name and mentally slapped some sense back into herself.
Maybe Minji had been in the middle of typing a message and suddenly gotten distracted, and forgot to reply back. It happened to Rumi often enough, especially after a really good orgasm. Her head always got cloudy, as if the physical release gave permission to her overactive mind to slow down for once.
Her mind drifted back to the memory of how hard she’d made Minji cum earlier, and that thought summoned equal parts satisfaction and arousal. With those thoughts to comfort her, Rumi pushed her anxiety aside and went to bed.
🍆
The following day, Rumi went to work in a troubled mood. Usually, it was easy for her to lock in on her work since that was her life’s main priority. After Minji’s weird behavior, though, Rumi felt her attention drifting more than normal, especially as she sat in on a meeting led by Jinu, who was the head of this current project, and regrettably, her ex.
Mira looked about as well as Rumi felt. There was an uncharacteristic exhaustion in her posture and a tiredness in her eyes that couldn’t be covered by makeup. The most blatant sign that Mira was less put-together than usual were the presence of her circular-rimmed glasses. It was the first time she had ever worn them to work. Still, she carried herself professionally as usual. It was only to be expected from anyone who worked directly under the infamously strict Ryu Rumi.
She tried not to look bored as Jinu prattled on about “continuous improvement” and “growth trajectories.” More than once, his eyes drifted toward Rumi, looking for all the world as if he were trying to impress her. The smiles he shot her, which he surely thought were charming, just came off smarmy and forced.
She idly tapped a manicured nail against the desk, the only visible sign of her growing annoyance with Jinu’s constant and obvious attention. Everyone else in the room hung onto his every word, seemingly none-the-wiser to his apparent mating ritual disguised as a corporate meeting.
Next to her, Mira typed more forcefully on her keyboard than usual. Rumi wondered if her assistant could smell her irritation in her scent, though she tried her best to keep it in check. It was harder than usual today to keep a rein on her pheromones, and she wasn’t sure why.
Rumi exhaled in relief when the meeting finally drew to a close. If she had to hear one more person utter the words, “unambiguous share gains,” she might lose it.
“Hey, Rumi!”
Rumi internally sighed, but schooled her expression into a pleasant one as she turned toward the voice.
“Yes, Jinu?”
The male alpha lit up at having been acknowledged, and jogged up to her, instinctually gripping onto her elbow and leaning in to talk to her. Rumi stiffened but didn’t react otherwise. They had been in a serious, long-term relationship. Rumi tried not to fault him for falling back into old habits.
On her other side, Rumi felt more than saw Mira’s eyes swing toward them, but other than that, she didn’t react in the slightest. She wasn’t sure why she was paying attention to Mira’s reaction. Whatever went on between Rumi and Jinu had nothing to do with her. Even so, her stomach twisted with discomfort at the idea of Mira seeing Jinu talk to her.
“Hey, good work at the meeting today,” Jinu said. “I was thinking that if you aren’t busy tonight, maybe we could grab dinner?”
“If you have business to discuss with Miss Ryu outside of office hours, you’ll have to schedule an appointment through me,” Mira cut in.
Jinu frowned. “Well, it wouldn’t be for business…”
“Miss Ryu is a very busy woman. Please respect her time and direct any inquiries about meeting with her to me.”
Jinu’s face twisted into a sneer. “Since when do you speak for her?”
“I’m performing my duties as her secretary.”
Jinu glared, looking between Mira and Rumi, and turned away, scoffing, “Bitched alpha,” under his breath.
Rumi’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
Calling an alpha ‘bitched’ was a major insult as it implied that an alpha was acting so submissive, they had basically turned into an omega. Alphas who worked for omegas were sometimes subjected to this language, and further contributed to the power imbalance between alphas and omegas in the workplace. Although the term had been reclaimed by a small minority, most people still overwhelmingly considered it an insult.
A burst of sour petals filled the air, signaling Mira’s sudden rage. “What did you just say?” she growled, stepping up to him. Thanks to her height and heels, both alphas were nose to nose.
“You heard me,” he hissed. “Now get out of my way. Or do you need Rumi to call you back? She’s got you on a pretty short leash, I hear.”
Two overwhelmingly potent scents collided, right there in the lobby, a piney floral scent vs. the acrid stench of burning plastic. Competing with scents was the closest thing two alphas could get to fighting without actually throwing any punches. Both alphas were locked in a battle of wills, each trying to make their own scent win out over the other’s. Mira’s posture was stiff and just the slightest bit menacing, and Jinu had quietly begun to growl in the back of his throat.
Rumi realized with a start that Mira had essentially been holding back the intensity of her scent every time she was around Rumi. Let out in full force, and amplified by Mira’s desire to make Jinu back down, it made Rumi herself want to submit. Her knees shook with the urge to kneel. Her pussy and the side of her neck throbbed in tandem, both areas aching for Mira’s touch.
And smelling both alphas at once made it starkly clear just how much Rumi enjoyed Mira’s scent aside from her body’s physical reaction to it. Jinu’s made her want to recoil. Every molecule of it put her body on high alert, as if it itself were a portent of danger. She wanted to retreat toward Mira’s scent, the scent that comforted her, that drew her in with promises of stability and protection.
Rumi swallowed thickly, chastising herself for her ridiculous thoughts. Her coworker and her employee were moments away from getting into a physical altercation. She needed to act like the CEO she was and step in before this became a full-on lawsuit and a sordid front page story in a business newspaper.
Oh, she could see the headlines now: ARROGANT OMEGA CEO FAILS TO CONTROL ALPHA SUBORDINATE; BLOOD SHED AND BALLS TORN OPEN IN LOBBY OF SUNLIGHT INC.
“Back. Off. You don’t want to do this,” Mira said in a low but threatening tone. She flicked her eyes around, and Jinu followed her gaze, noting that people were starting to look at them. The air was so thick with alpha stench it was becoming impossible to ignore.
The fear that a fight was going to break out was so palpable that Rumi was about to jump in herself to shove the two apart (even though it was very much not recommended to get between two aggressive alphas). Before she could, astonishingly, Jinu lowered his eyes and stepped back.
The tension burst like a bubble. The crowd let out a collective sigh of relief, for they had sensed the danger had passed. Mira’s shoulders stayed squared for a second longer, making sure that Jinu had truly submitted, before she began to relax.
Rumi immediately rushed to her side. “Mira? Are you okay?”
Her secretary took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Her shoulders sagged slightly as the adrenaline of the moment wore off. Without thinking, Rumi reached out and settled her hand in the crook of Mira’s elbow, wanting to ground the alpha as much as calm herself.
Both women were suddenly forced apart as Jinu muscled in between them with enough force to knock Mira’s glasses askew. They bounced off of an arm and slipped through grasping fingers before hitting the linoleum floor, skittering a few feet away.
Rumi realized with horror that one of the lenses had shattered. She looked around for Jinu, but the alpha had already disappeared. She was about to chase after him when strong fingers stopped her.
“Don’t, Miss Ryu. It’s okay.” Mira sounded…not defeated, but just…done. “I don’t want to waste any more time or effort on him.”
“That dick is still paying for a new pair though. He should never have even touched you,” Rumi fumed. “Are you able to see?”
“It’s alright, I have a pair of glasses in my car. The prescription is old, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Ugh, I’m so sorry. I feel like it’s my fault this even happened.”
Rumi knelt down on the floor to retrieve Mira’s glasses despite the alpha’s protests. One of the lenses was still intact, but the other circular rim held nothing but the jagged edges of shattered glass. When she plucked the wire frames off the floor, a thought came to her mind.
From far away, they simply looked pink, but up close like this, she could see the metallic sheen of gold within the pink hue.
“Rose gold glasses…” Rumi mused as the rims caught the light. When she looked up, Mira was as pale as a sheet.
🍆
For the last few days, Mira had been acting…off. It had started ever since that day when the altercation between her and Jinu had occurred. Rumi still felt awful that she had even let that happen. She knew it wasn’t her fault, but she was still indirectly responsible for the safety of her employees. While she couldn’t undo what happened, she was taking steps to ensure Jinu would receive proper disciplinary actions.
Over the course of their working relationship, there was a subtle affection that had built between the two women. It showed in the way Mira did her best to support her boss without using her designation to overstep. It was in the way Mira would check in with Rumi to make sure she had eaten lunch, since the omega could easily get lost in her work and lose track of time. And most of all, it was the way Mira would sometimes look at her with a softness in her eyes when she thought Rumi wasn’t looking.
Rumi hadn’t even known how much she’d appreciated it until all of it stopped cold turkey.
Since that day in the lobby, Mira’s tone toward her became clipped. Not cold exactly, but perfunctory. She no longer asked about Rumi’s cat, nor made little sarcastic observations that she knew amused Rumi. She didn’t ask Rumi if she wanted company for lunch just to make sure she ate. In fact, she didn’t say much at all if it didn’t pertain to her job.
And Rumi couldn’t even say anything about it because other than that, Mira performed her job as perfectly as usual. If it didn’t affect the way they worked together, there was no good reason to bring it up.
It reminded Rumi of the early days of their working relationship when Mira was still new and a bit unsure. What she could possibly be unsure about these days completely eluded Rumi.
What was worse, Minji’s responses on the RutHub app had been frustratingly sparse, leaving Rumi nothing to distract herself with. Minji had eventually responded after their first exchange, saving Rumi from having to pathetically double text to get her attention, but still, whatever arrangement they were making for Rumi’s private video was moving at a glacial pace as it often took several hours to a day for the alpha to respond.
She wondered if Minji regretted offering that to her fans and now felt pressured to deliver. If that were the case, Rumi would have been more than happy to negotiate something else that she would be more comfortable with. Even though this was her job, and she was technically just a stranger, Minji was still human, and her comfort mattered as much to Rumi as whatever reward she had been promised.
It would be fine if Minji would be honest about it. Instead, she seemed to dance around the issue, and Rumi didn’t want to act presumptuously by flat-out asking if she was uncomfortable with this.
It figured that the two most important alphas in Rumi’s life at the moment would both decide to give her a headache at the same time.
At least with Mira, Rumi had a direct relationship with her, and so of course it fell on her as the superior to mend whatever had apparently fractured between them.
Rumi exited her office and stopped by Mira's desk. The alpha immediately looked up.
"Hi Mira, would you like to join me for lunch?"
There was the slightest hesitation before Mira agreed with an easy smile. It was so quick that Rumi wondered if she had imagined it. Yet still, it was something her brain noticed, and she filed it away in her mental folder of “Something Is Weird With Mira.”
"Let me grab my stuff and then we can go to the break room."
"Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to sit outside in the courtyard? The weather is absolutely beautiful today."
Mira smiled at her. "Sure."
Mira retrieved her lunch and they walked to the elevators together, taking it all the way down to the ground floor.
Rumi sighed as she felt the warm sun on her face, the light breeze blowing gently through her hair. She looked over to Mira, who seemed to be enjoying the outdoors just as much as her. Her hair swayed slightly in the end, and Rumi couldn't help but be a little enamored by the way the sunlight played off her hair, tinging the edges with a fiery pink.
They made their way to the courtyard, an enclosed space filled with plants, small trees, and stone benches dotted throughout the space. Flowers and cherry blossoms were just beginning to bloom on the bushes and trees. They sat next to each other on a bench, eating their lunches in peaceful silence.
This wasn't a new occurrence—they often had lunch together. But, today felt different. Maybe it was the nice weather, or the beauty of their setting, but Rumi felt a flutter in her heart as she sat next to Mira. The omega could feel her presence like a buzz of electricity through her skin.
A petal blew right past Rumi’s face, nearly brushing her nose with how close it had gotten. She watched it pirouette through the air before landing in Mira’s hair, just above her ear. Rumi stifled a laugh. Mira hadn’t even noticed; she was too engrossed in her food.
Without thinking, Rumi reached out to remove it, accidentally brushing the alpha’s cheek as she did so. Mira startled at the sudden touch, looking at Rumi with a bewildered expression. Rumi’s cheeks heated with embarrassment.
“There was a thing. In your hair,” she stuttered, holding up the offending petal, trying to look normal. Mira’s eyes slid to the petal, then back to Rumi’s face. Rumi tried to smile, but it felt awkward and plasticky on her face. Mira’s eyebrow twitched. Then she snorted.
“Thanks,” she said, turning back to her food.
“No problem.”
Fuck, that was so weird. Why am I so weird?
Rumi flicked the petal to the ground and pulled out her phone, just to give herself something to do. She was definitely not hyperaware of Mira’s every action in her periphery as she finished her lunch and pulled out her phone too.
Rumi scrolled unseeingly through Instagram, when a notification from a not-very-safe-for-work app dropped down from the top of her screen. Rumi’s heart skipped a beat. It was a message from Minji.
Did she dare open this at work?
Rumi sneaked a furtive glance at her lunch companion, who was engrossed in her own phone. She tried to subtly turn her screen away and opened the message when her curiosity got the better of her.
rosegoldglasses: sorry, had a crazy couple of days. is it alright if i send you the video this weekend?
Rumi deliberated for a few moments on whether adding an emoji to her message would be too much. She decided it would make her seem more friendly and personable, sending it without a second thought.
paperclip83: Yes of course! And no need to apologize 🙂
With that out of the way, Rumi put her phone away, feeling giddy.
It was then she noticed that Mira was staring at her, wide-eyed.
"Mira?"
Mira blinked and looked away, seeming to shake herself out of whatever funk she had just been in.
Still, Rumi couldn't find it in herself to let it go, not without checking in. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Mira replied, her tone distracted. Rumi frowned slightly but didn't say anything. Instead, she turned her attention back to her phone, awaiting a response. She hoped she had caught Minji at a time where the alpha was free to exchange a few texts.
The speech bubbles made their appearance, then disappeared, and a ‘thumbs up’ reaction popped up on Rumi’s message. She tried not to be disappointed by it.
Her lunch hour was nearly over anyways. She looked at Mira, who quickly stashed away her phone, leg bouncing.
"So, ready to head back?" asked Rumi.
Mira nodded. They threw out their trash and went back into their office building, entering the elevator together. There was one other person inside, a male beta. Rumi stood near the center and tried to ignore the small sting as Mira casually backed into the corner, standing as far away from her as possible.
It wasn't right. Mira always stood next to Rumi. Why was she acting this way?
When the elevator dinged, the beta man rushed out, bumping Rumi's shoulder as he did so. She gasped and stumbled, but was quickly caught by a strong, comforting grip. Mira's scent filled her nose, warm and comforting yet tinged with irritation. Rumi looked up at Mira, her heart beating hard, but Mira was glaring at the man's retreating form. Her lips were pulled into a half-snarl and her eyes flashed dangerously.
"Beta oaf, watch where you're going," she growled under her breath.
Rumi's traitorous heart fluttered at the display of protectiveness. She let herself savor this moment because she knew it would be ripped away from her all too soon.
The vestibule filled with the clamor of excited male voices. Out of nowhere, a crowd of men emerged, stomping onto the elevator while talking and laughing jovially. The cacophony of their voices mirrored the harsh mixture of their scents, obnoxious and overwhelming.
Mira quickly moved in front of the omega, using her body to shield Rumi from theirs. The newcomers just kept pouring in, filling the scant space inside until Mira and Rumi were pressed against the wall, front to front and body on body, Mira's chin was practically hooked over Rumi's shoulder.
Rumi could feel the heat radiating from Mira's neck. She longed to nose into its crook to drown out the scents of these strangers in favor of that which was familiar—that of pine and camellia, slightly sweet and earthy, grounding.
Meanwhile, Mira's chest heaved. She steadfastly refused to look at Rumi.
The doors slid closed, and the elevator began moving. Its sudden acceleration jostled the crowd, causing one man, a talk and broad-shouldered alpha with bubblegum pink hair, to stumble into Mira and push her even harder into Rumi.
A full-body shiver ran through the omega as she felt something hot and hard grind into the crease of her thigh. Unbidden, a quiet little moan slipped past Rumi's lips. She felt Mira's entire body freeze up.
Mira planted her palms against the wall in a futile attempt to push herself away, but with the entire elevator packed to the brim, she only ended up boxing Rumi in with her arms instead.
For the first time, a new note emerged in Mira's scent—arousal, sweet and alluring. She felt a gush of wetness at her center in response, her clit twitching against damp painties.
"M-Mira," Rumi whimpered, hating how needy her voice sounded, so unlike the powerful CEO she was, but she couldn't help it. Not when being pressed by strange alphas' scents on all sides had her craving for something safe and familiar.
They were so close that when Rumi spoke Mira's name, her bottom lip dragged against the alpha's exposed neck. It was only the briefest of sensations, but it sent shockwaves through them both.
Mira's entire body shook, her chest heaving as she fought to control her body's reactions. The pressure poking against Rumi's thigh only got more firm and insistent. The chatter of the crowd slowly faded away until all that the omega could hear were shared breaths, ragged and hungry, and twin hearts beating with desire.
The elevator lurched again as it stopped. Mira's hard length, straining against her slacks, pressed right into Rumi's center this time, and her eyes nearly rolled back in pleasure. With a ding, the elevator doors opened and the crowd shuffled out. New air rushed into the small space, cooling the pair's flaming ardor.
Mira ripped herself away from Rumi with a horrified look. Her scent turned sickly sweet and bitter with the smell of rotting petals and decaying wood. Rumi felt her heart drop. Never had she inspired this negative of a reaction from Mira. It shook her to her core, so much so that they returned to their offices in complete silence.
"Lunch was nice. See you later Mira," Rumi said genuinely, though not without a small tremor in her voice.
"See you," Mira mumbled with an uncharacteristic lack of warmth. It stung. Rumi returned to her office, wondering what to make of what the hell had just happened.
She replayed her interactions with Mira from today and the past week, wondering if she could use her memories to deduce what was going on with her.
Mira's vaguely pained expressions. Her body language. The way her scent soured around Rumi, as if she were in distress.
A horrifying thought struck Rumi, and she wanted to smack herself for not realizing it sooner.
Rumi had made Mira uncomfortable. It was the only way her behavior made sense. The omega thought about all the times she had her control on her emotions slip just the tiniest bit. She hadn't exactly done a good job of hiding her feelings around Mira. She'd practically dry-humped her in the elevator, for goodness' sake.
Rumi's cheeks flamed with embarrassment thinking back to that moment. She had completely violated Mira's personal space. The way they'd touched had been inappropriate. Not only had she violated Mira's boundaries, but she feared that what had happened was grounds for a sexual harassment complaint. The last thing she needed was to deal with that on top of everything else.
Rumi dropped her head into her hands. Was there any way to salvage this situation? That would be nearly impossible with how closely she had to work with Mira due to the nature of her working as Rumi's assistant.
The conclusion was clear. Rumi would have to transfer Mira to a different department.