Omega In The Office - Aria Grace Page 0,10

bolt upright and clear my throat, doing my best to ignore the blush creeping into my cheeks at the sight of him. He looks just as delicious as he did in my fantasies.

“Candor, welcome.” I smile warmly as I greet him. I almost get up to shake his hand, but the growing bulge in my pants forces me to remain seated.

“I saw Lucius leaving,” Candor says as he advances into the office. “I’m sure he already told you about the check bouncing.”

“Yes, he did.” The erratic pounding of my heart is making it difficult to concentrate. It’s never been this hard to control my arousal before. I’m never going to ignore my sexual needs for this long again.

“I want to apologize,” I continue. “I know Lucius can be a little rough around the edges sometimes.”

Even if it’s only when you’re around, I think as I fold my hands on the desk.

“No, no, it’s understandable.” Candor is reassuring as he moves closer to the desk. “I’m upset too. The check should’ve been good. You guys put a lot of trust in me by agreeing to rent to me, and I feel like I’ve damaged that.”

I press my lips into a thin line. I’m not gonna lie, this doesn’t look great. “So, can you tell me what happened? And are we going to be able to get back on track?”

Remaining diplomatic is my best option here. My gut tells me I can trust Candor, and those instincts have never been wrong before. I’m not going to start doubting them now.

“Well...” Candor’s voice trails off, and he looks away for a moment. I can see the thoughts turning behind his eyes. He’s either concocting a story, or he’s trying to figure out a way to explain something very complicated. “I miscalculated.”

I’m not sure how to respond so I just sit quietly and wait for him to explain.

He turns back to me but won’t meet my gaze. “My parents live in a nursing home not far from here. That’s the whole reason I chose this place. I wanted to be closer to them. But...” He sighs and finally looks me in the eye. “No matter how I say this, it’s going to sound bad, so I’m just going to come out and say it. My parents’ care isn’t completely covered by their insurance and retirement money. I’ve been covering the difference, which isn’t much. But moving to a new state is more expensive than I’d planned.” He exhales heavily, apparently reluctant to finish explaining his situation.

“Candor...” I furrow my brow and try to keep my tone even. “When we discussed your situation, you assured me that you’d be able to cover the rent and utilities.”

“And I can,” he insists, sitting up as straight as possible. “Normally it won’t be an issue. I can even write you a check right now for part of what I currently owe you. I’ll be able to cover the rest of it once my next disability payment clears.”

I bite the inside of my cheek as he talks. I can already guess how pissed off Lucius is going to be when I tell him Candor only paid part of what we originally agreed upon.

“I never wanted to put you in this position,” Candor assures me. “I don’t usually make mistakes like this. I’ve just been really distracted lately. There’s...a lot going on. That’s no excuse, I know. You’d be well within your rights to ask me to leave. But, if you let me stay, I swear you won’t regret it.”

Our eyes meet, and in that moment, I’m a goner.

“Let’s get a new check on the books.” I pull up the accounting software on the computer so I can make the adjustment.

Relief floods his face. “Thank you. Thank you so—”

“Candor,” I interrupt him before he can thank me too profusely. “I will not be taken advantage of. If this payment doesn’t go through, there will be no more chances.”

“I understand.” His expression sobers and he looks me right in the eyes. “I would never take advantage of you, Leon. This won’t happen again. You have my word.”

Call me a fool, but I believe him.

Now I’ve just got to figure out how I’m going to explain this to Lucius.

5

Lucius

I’m exhausted.

No, it’s more than that. I’m drained.

“The card’s been canceled, and a new one’s in the mail, but the bank is dragging its heels about the money,” I say to Leon as he sits beside me on the sofa. We may not have