A/B/O Business (for Intheashes)

[deadlyhairpin]

 This had been the last straw. Billy Rocks had gotten close, before, when one of their leading partners had broken a contract in order to move over to Robicheaux Industries, but that (unpleasant and unexpected though it was) was just business. Just like how they had retaliated not a year later by getting the exclusive contracts to four companies he knew Robicheaux Industries had their eyes on. It was just business. Nasty business, but business all the same. 

 

But this? This was personal. 

 

Billy brushed past the receptionist in the lobby as his assistant scrambled to explain the CEO of Rocks Inc's sudden presence in their rival's headquarters. He moved past the stunned workers as he cleared an elevator all for himself and clicked the button for the highest floor and waited. 

 

He knew little about The Angel of Death, himself. Just his reputation which preceded him at every turn. He shut down competition. He was ruthless and cunning and every bit the challenge Billy knew he would be when he entered into this industry ten years ago. But now he was going down.

 

The doors opened and Billy swept in, going right to the assistant's desk outside Goodnight Robicheaux's office. 

 

"Tell your boss that Billy Rocks is here to see him. And he better have a damned good reason for why he just stole away four of my business heads, not excluding my vice president with absolutely zero warning."  

Comments

[intheashes]

Perhaps he had gone a little too far this time around, but he had his reasoning. For one, they were good workers and for two, well. he had something to prove. Mostly the later than the former. But that was how it always was. He had something to prove, to everyone. He had to be more ruthless, more cut throat, more everything. Anything less would expose the secret he'd kept for his entire life.

He wasn't about to let that weakness show now. Which is why he sighed when he hears that Mr. Rocks is here in the quaking voice of his poor secretary. Sighs and straightens his tie before heading to his office door, back straight and eyes already fierce. The act is about to begin.

"And you should be better than terrifying a poor secretary just back from maternity leave. I would have thought better of you." His smooth Southern accent is biting and he does he best to glare down at Billy over the rim of his glasses. It's hard to do. Part of the Robicheaux Family shame. The CEO was the runt but right now, he's being protective of his secretary.

"I would tell you to step into my office to discuss this like gentlemen, but since you have no ability to be one, just come in and we'll discuss how you're going to leave." He turns around, back too stiff to go back to take a seat behind his desk making certain that the hidden air freshener right under his desk was putting out that very strong alpha scent that he had everyone convinced was coming from him.

He waves a dismissive hand towards one of the seats like he was the higher ranking Alpha here. "Sit." It wasn't a request (though it seems to be missing that bit of dominance that usually came with such things.

[deadlyhairpin]

The smell in the room is overpowering. For a second, he is cowed by it, slinking into the chair opposite of Goodnight with something of a sheepish look on his face. But then he's sitting and the fury from before crashes over him with full force. His people. People he thought he could trust with his company had jumped ship all because this man here had lured them away. He leans forward in his chair, glaring at Goodnight with all his bristling Alpha fury, hands clenched into fists on his legs.

"Those were my people. They were good people that I trusted and I don't know how you lured them away, but it was a cold move to do them all at damned once." He wants to stand. To loom over this man and have it out with him the way Alphas used to, long time ago. Instead he just glares and fumes from his spot.

"I thought you were an honorable opponent. But this was a hit designed to cripple me. And I want you to know from my own mouth that if this is the way you want to play this game, then I am ready to meet you on your level." His company might be smaller, but they trade at the same value and investors always like the up-and-coming star as opposed to the old money. "If you intended to make an enemy, you've done a fantastic job of it."

[intheashes]

He doesn't even flinch at the fury he sees. He keeps the exact same posture. Though inside, there's that nagging want to tilt his head just a little to bare his throat, he ignores it. Ignores it and makes a mental note to contact his doctor about changing the dosage again. Instead, he does what any Alpha would do in this situation. That is stare the man right in the eyes. That piercing blue gaze held only coldness and intense strength.

"Yes, yes. Those were your people. Now they are my people. And if they were so good and loyal to you, you would have been able to keep them. But alas, they realized that you aren't strong enough to keep your pack together. But you see, not only can I keep my pack together, I add to it. Your people...wait...I mean my people are going to be very very useful assets to me in the very near future. Your loss. My gain."

He takes his glasses off and points the wire frames at his business rival. "Have you forgotten what I told you at that last business summit. When you stole Shanghai right out from under my nose. I told you then that it was war. This, little pup, is only the starting salvo. You brought this upon yourself." Somehow, even with small as he is, he seems at the moment to loom right there in his seat. One would almost expect to see black wings flared behind him and the scythe coming down. "And I will burn you and your little upstart company to the ground and salt the earth where the ashes lie. So please tell me again about how you're such a dangerous enemy. Because all I see before me right now is a yapping mutt that just got in over his head."

[deadlyhairpin]

The attack to his Alpha pride has Billy baring his teeth in open hostility. It was one thing to insult someone as a businessman. But to then imply that they couldn't hold together a pack? His hackles went up instantly, heat flicking in ever vein as he stared at his enemy and tried valiantly to not rush over the table and tear out his throat with his own teeth.

No. They were civilized. And Billy had a reason for showing up here, today.

His grimace transitioned into a hard smile, still all teeth and canines. "Well. I suppose I should thank you for exposing them for the traitors they were. So enjoy your whelps," he says with a sneer, reaching into his pocket for a folded bit of newspaper. "Maybe they can help you figure out what to do, after you close up work on Dubai."

The newspaper is still folded, but put on the table.

"Oh. I suppose you don't know about our acquisition, yet. It's in tomorrow's business section, of course. But here's a preview." He unfolds it, the title proudly declaring that Red Harvest Industries had landed the highly competitive Dubai market contract. Billy smiles all the wider, leaning back in his chair.

"The merger of Red Harvest and Rocks is going to be announced in a week. But unlike some, I like the idea of fair competition. Or I did." His smile faded away completely.

"Consider this the last gentlemanly act I will ever do. You want war, you have it. You might be The Angel of Death, Mr. Robicheaux. But I'm The Shadow. And I'm always right at your heels."

[intheashes]

Those teeth bared at him brings a long repressed stirring in him. He takes a deep breath and continues to glare. Continues not to be afraid of this Alpha. He's in charge here. He's in control. This is his territory. This is his building. He won't let Mr. Rocks get the better of him. He swore he wouldn't let this man under his skin until he mentioned Dubai.

He had been working tirelessly on that. He had lost months of sleep and spent far too much time getting everything into place. He'd done everything right. Everything! Then why? Why had he lost the contract at the last minute to Harvest? His blood goes cold in his veins and he fears for a moment. He fears that somehow, those that ran those markets had figured out the secret he hid. There was always that fear. As soon as it was known, no one would ever do business with him again. It's known. Omegas don't run businesses. They can't. They don't have the force of will for it. They were too sweet, too gentle, to easily brought to heel.

His face has gone a little pale and then his blood is boiling. No! He had been flawless! Which meant this had been ripped out from under him somehow, without his knowing. His temper flares and he is on his feet, hands slamming on his desk hard enough that the desk actually scoots an entire inch. "YOU INSOLENT LITTLE MUTT!" It's always something when he loses his temper, his eyes blazing that cold blue fire, his cheeks rosy with blood, his shoulders shaking with the restrained desire to do this like they did it in the old days. "How dare you! How dare you come in and use the work I did to sneak this out from under me! You will pay. You both will pay."

Behind the rage, there is something new. Something sharp and deadly. His mind is already working on his revenge for this. He keeps standing though, trying to loom over someone when he knows he's too small for looming. "I hope you like nipping at my heels because I will see you at my feet, begging me for mercy when I am through with you. Now go. Get out. Get the hell out! Get out before I come over this desk and throw you out!"

[deadlyhairpin]

Billy stands, smirking at Goodnight's fury as he squares up against him, toe-to-toe despite the desk between them. "You shouldn't have come for my men," he growls, resting his fists on top of the table, clearly not intending to leave, just yet. "An honorable businessman would have left it at one of them. An honorable opponent would have made their move and given their challenger a chance to process it before going in for another kill. You think that you can just beat us smaller companies into submission, but you can't. That's why you lost Red Harvest. And that's why you lost Dubai. You think that you're incapable of being dealt a hurt? You think that you can beat us all into submission? I proved you wrong, Mr. Robicheaux. And I'm going to prove that I'm still the better Alpha than you."

He doesn't sit, but he relaxes his stance into something just a little more eased. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and checks a message before locking it back up and holding it loosely in his hands. "I'm willing to give you Dubai," he says evenly, thumb brushing over the metal of the device he was holding. "At least the majority share of it. 70% of the market if you agree to deal with me."

His company is now a force in the industry and Billy's cool face shows that he knows it. By combining with Red Harvest, his company now is poised to directly compete with Goodnight's in several key markets they'd otherwise been closed out of. Overseas they might be doing fantastically, but in America? There was a lot of room for growth, here. But only if Goodnight allowed some negotiation on the market.

"So what will it be? You get part of Dubai for a part of America? Or you walk away from it all and plan your petty little revenge?" His smile returns, toothy and unkind. "Emotions make for some poor decisions, Mr. Robicheaux. If you want some time to think this over, I can give you till the end of the week."

[intheashes]

His hands clench tightly on the desk between then. He's shaking in his anger. There's a spike of scent. He'd had the cologne specially designed for just this sort of thing. So that he could throw off the same sort of oppressive pheromones as any other alpha. He wants to lash out now. To be spoken to like this in his own office! It's unforgivable and he can't let this upstart think he can say such things in his territory and get away with it.

Goody glare goes harsher and his temper heats even more. "There will be no deals! Nothing! I do not want your handouts! Not when I'm going to take it all from you. Don't you dare underestimate me. When I come for you, you won't even know it's happening until you and your company are gone." He pushes himself away from the table and sits down again, acting as if he's so much better and so unafraid of this other alpha that he can sit. When he does, he has to ignore then unpleasant wetness starting to leak. He needs this alpha out now.

"Tell Harvest that he mad a poor alliance. An alliance I won't hesitate to ruin. You will not get your teeth into America if I ever have any say in it and you will not keep Dubai. You will not keep Shangai. So enjoy them while you have then because I will not rest until you are back here with your tail between your legs, begging for me to stop. And and only then will I maybe...maybe give your company a merciful death. And it won't even take me to the end of the week."

"Now, get the hell out before I call security."

[deadlyhairpin]

Billy narrowed his eyes as he looked down at his opponent. Fixing his suit as he stood up tall, he put a small smirk on his face and walked over toward the other side of the desk. Close enough that he might have extended a hand for a shake, but it was clear that he wasn't about to do that. Instead, he just took a deep inhale through his nose, leaning in to breathe it all in.

For a second, what he had meant to be a mockery turns into something more of a curiosity. Billy breathes again, smelling the Alpha scent all the stronger, but with a hint of something decidedly Omega beneath it. Was Goody bonded? Had he had someone in here, earlier? He couldn't believe he'd missed the former news breaking, if it were true. And the latter? Goody just didn't seem the type.

He leaned back, forgetting it for a moment. There were more important things at play, here. So he pasted the smile back on and finished what he'd meant to.

"So. That's what your fear smells like," he said gently, chuckling a bit as he turned and started to walk toward the door. The smell lingered with him. The scent of something almost...desirable. Almost incredible.

"Smell like an Omega."

He paused at the door, removing all amusement from his face as he looked at he other man with clear challenge. "You talk a big game. But so far, I've beaten you twice for your one move. So go on, Goodnight. Come after me. You think my revenge for stealing my men was bad, let's keep this going. You'll be calling me 'sir' by the end of the month. Mark my words."

And with another small sneer, he finally walked out of the office, ready to go and make sure his company was airtight on this new merger. If anyone could find a hole, it would be the Angel of Death. And Billy was not going to let that man sink them.

[intheashes]

Goody's heart had nearly stopped when Billy had done that. When the man had come around his desk and took in his scent like that. For a moment, there had indeed been fear. Fear that the other CEO could smell the truth under his cologne. Would see the small button under his desk that released the pheromones into the room. He had stiffened and for a moment, he was certain his very body would betray him. That he would tilt his neck forward to present the man his nape. That he would spread his legs wide and show how much his hole was leaking already. But he had fought it and eventually Billy Rocks had left him with the threat and the promise of putting him in his place.

Goodnight had canceled the rest of his appointments that day. He had rushed to see Doctor Horne, a leading head of research in suppression. A man Goodnight funded quite heavily, not for his research in how to keep Ruts from taking over Alphas and making them unfit leaders at specific times of the year, but his under the table research on Omegas. He had been given a new even stronger prescription and warned that there wasn't anything at all stronger. Warned that if he went off them, the side effects for him would be humiliatingly catastrophic to his career and to his personal life. Goody thanked the man and went on his way.

He had a lot to do and little time to do it in. And he had to do it carefully and slowly. He couldn't do it all at one time. It would raise too many red flags. Throw up too many alarm bells. These types of trade deals were almost basically illegal as the drugs he was taking to suppress his hormones. A drug he made sure to take a double dose of the Wednesday he walked into the Rocks building towards the board room, dressed to the nines in his most intimidating suit and smelling even more heavily of Alpha than usual.

Once seated in the room, he turns the chair so he can look out the window and wait for Mr. Rocks to come in and address his shareholders, who would be arriving soon enough.

[deadlyhairpin]

After the meeting, Billy had had a bit of time to decompress. Red Harvest was turning out to be an incredible acquisition and the whole process of integrating them with Rocks Industries was proving a great deal easier than he'd suspected. Not to mention the new contracts were a good diversion and a source of complicated new work that he dove into with utter abandon.

When the shareholder's meeting came around, he was flush with all the success he was going to be reporting. Pleased beyond believe but also slightly annoyed that he had to leave it for something as dull as a meeting. He frankly hated this part. Hated having to meet with people and talk dull numbers when he could be in the thick of it getting things done. But it was part of being the head of a company, so he donned his best suit and walked in, trying to focus on getting this over with and returning back to the front line.

"Good evening," he greeted in a monotone. People expected stoicism from him and that was precisely what he would give them. Clicking on a television, he pulled up a presentation with data, starting to click through. "As you know, we have acquired Red Harvest and their pending contracts. With this, we have had a great deal of expansion, as of late." Finally, he turned to the group, scanning the familiar faces and the few new ones that had occurred from some trading of stocks.

"The first thing I would like to speak about is the new projects we have in the pipeline. To start we-"

Finally, his eyes landed on the one man in the back of the room that was decidedly new. New and, more than that, unwelcome.

Billy's mind ran through the reports he'd gotten on his desk. The strange trading that had been going on over the past weeks. The warning that there would likely be some changes in the turf, today. But nowhere had anyone ever told or even suspected that Goodnight Robicheaux would have been one of those changes.

His face instantly and vibrantly turns red.

"Everyone. Get out," he hissed, ignoring the squacks of protest from the shareholders who have certainly never been treated like this, before. A few turn, trying to understand. And, seeing and recognizing Goodnight, they figure out quickly what the problem is and, even more quickly, vacate the room.

Billy doesn't move. Doesn't even blink as he glares down the long table.

"This is illegal. You cannot be my competition and a shareholder in my company. How dare you act in such an underhanded way."

[intheashes]

In a way, it hurt his heart to see Billy so stoic and monotone. After the display of sheer animal strength he had seen in his office, it was sad to see him so controlled now. A small part of Goody that was still awake under the heavy suppressant longed to see that strength again. To see it pointed towards himself. The longing of an Omega that wanted nothing more than to submit to the most powerful Alpha in the room. But he controlled that need as he always had. He would never ever submit to anyone. He was in charge. And this move was calculated to prove his position.

He secretly thrilled when he saw the man's composure shatter just by looking at him. He could only cross one leg over the other and look down his nose at the Alpha, projecting a powerful smugness that only another Alpha might possess. His heart raced a little but that just heated the special cologne enough to throw off the proper pheromones to mask his own.

"Everyone? But I just got comfortable. It's such a nice little board room. Great view of the city. Perhaps when I own you, I'll move offices over here and take advantage of the scenery." He waves off the glare with self-assurance and uncrosses and then crosses his legs again.

"Actually, it's not if you know the loopholes. I, as a private citizen, not in any way attached to my company, can buy and sell whatever stock I choose. So long as it's not above 20% and by your own share holder bylaws, it only takes a 15% share to sit in on these meetings. And wouldn't you just know that I somehow acquired your previous employees stocks. To the tune of 16%." He raises an eyebrow behind his fancy glasses and confidently keeps watching the man. Staring the Alpha down while still seated. As if sitting was proof he was the one in power here.

"If you don't believe me, you can ask your lawyers. But if you sue, I'll keep you in court for so long that you'll have to shut down. A little company like yours simply can't handle a very long, highly public court case. I, on the other hand, grew up with those. My daddy's bread and butter, you might say." Because the Robicheux dynasty had been built on the backs of such disgusting practices and he had to continue them if only to prove himself worthy of carrying on the business instead of his nere-do-well brother.

[deadlyhairpin]

Billy is so hotly livid that it almost steams off of him like something tangible. His hands clench and unclench at his sides, over and over, like he's deciding whether or not he wants to throw a punch. The Alpha in him is screaming to do it. Screaming at him to grab Goodnight by his lapels and pin him against the window until it shatters and he can send him down to the pavement below. He wants to do it. He's never wanted anything more in his entire life. But they've grown out of such things, evolving as they have. And there is no way he's going to lose his company because he murdered his competition.

Not yet, anyways.

"This is underhanded. Even for you," he hisses, grabbing a pen from the table so he has something to squeeze to the point of breaking. He jabs the end of it inches from Goodnight's nose and shakes it as though it were a knife, ready to fly. "I was told. When I first started becoming a name. I was told that the Robicheaux were filthy, despicable business men. But I had thought, with you in charge, you were trying to go another way."

His teeth are gritted, the pen creaking from the strain as he almost breaks it and then stops, seconds before. The plastic is warped, all the same as he puts it back on the table and looks down his nose at Goodnight, still dreaming about punching him in the smug face.

"This isn't going to do shit. The only thing these shares are going to do is make sure you can still pay your mortgage once I put you out of business. Do you hear me? You surprised me, today, but that's it. You wanted to be a shareholder? Fine. I'm going to make you rich and there's not a damned thing you're going to be able to do about it."

[intheashes]

His heart clenches at the sight of an angry Alpha. He had seen that so many times in his past that it shouldn't even really bother him any more, yet below his self-control and assured mannerisms, the Omega in him still flinched away, wanting desperately to bare his neck or his belly to such a fierce alpha and pitifully ask for forgiveness. The instinct makes him feel sick to his stomach. To be so weak disgusts him and he fights the ancient urges as he has all his life. It works well enough and when that pen comes mere inches from his face, he only looks back with mild boredom, like this man, this alpha that made his body long for things he's given up, was nothing but dirt at the bottom of his shoe.

"You would think that, wouldn't you. Because you are a foolish little mutt that thinks he can survive against the real wolves. You're not half the alpha I am and you should know better than to assume anything about me." Honestly, sometimes Goody wished he could go another way. A better way, but he has no choice in the matter. He has to be the most cruel. The most ruthless. He has to be as dirty and underhanded as he possibly can. It's the only way he can keep convincing his father that he's a better choice of CEO than Jacques. If he ever, ever lets even a hint of Omega tendencies out in any move or any policy, he knows that the company will be ripped right out from under him and turned over. He'll die before he lets Jacques ruin Robicheaux Industries. "So you bet, I'm going to enjoy reaping the benefits of this. I'm going to be right here, at every single one of these meetings and at some point and I'm sure you already know I'm going to end up shot selling you at some point. Once I'm done playing with you and I grow bored of your attempts, I'm going to tank your stocks. Because I can. Because it's perfectly legal and I'm going to laugh as all your previous share holders come flocking to me and you're left drowning in debt and with nothing but a pot to piss in. If I leave you the pot."

He uncrosses his legs and slowly stands and for just the slightest moment, there is a briefly uncomfortable look on his face. His heart drops. This close to an angry alpha, the dosage had barely been enough. It's a slight slickness between his legs that he feels but he can't run away. He has to walk out like he owns the place. But not before stepping right into Billy's personal space and staring him right in the eyes in challenge.

"You have my plan now and the sad thing is, you can't do anything about it. I do wish you luck and I look forward to seeing you at the tech expo at the end of the month. I think everyone there will have a good show of you crawling to kiss my feet with your tail between your legs." He reaches out for just a moment to lightly brush the man's shoulders off, making it seem more a condescending pat than the instinctual desire to know what the Alpha feels like under his fingertips. The suppressors help him mitigate the small jolt he feels before he turns towards the door before he looks back over his shoulder with a smirk.

"And one more thing, Mr Rocks. Your powerpoint is the most boring I've ever seen."

[deadlyhairpin]

Billy stared as Goodnight left his room. Glared at him the entire way, frozen in his fury, too angry to do anything other than clench and unclench his fists. Goodnight was right, of course. Billy knew his plan and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He'd lost one round, won another, and now was staring in the face of losing the whole damn war. All because this one man played the game better than he did. Because he'd always wanted to work with his products and his company and the actual politics of business had made him sick.

The minute he's alone, Billy grabbed a cup up from the table and let it fly into the window, shattering both with a resounding crash. Not that it made him feel any better. Not that it changed a damn thing about what was going to happen. What he was helpless to prevent.

But for the next few weeks, he tried all the same. He met with lawyers, professors, CEOs, anyone he could. Anyone who could give him some idea of what to do, now. Any hope of survival. But the writing was already on the wall. Investors started to walk away like mice leaving a drowning ship. And by the time the tech expo was coming around, the talk on everyone's lips was whether Rocks Industries could survive to the next one.

They still had their contracts, of course. Their products and services were still far superior to the competition. But, sadly, that could only go so far. And the line was coming up fast.

Billy still walked in with his head held high. Red Harvest's old CEO flanked him in each meeting and each panel that he attended. The goal was to project strength and to get the people walking and excited about Rocks again. That was the only thing to do and hope that was enough to weather what was coming.

Unfortunately, no one saw Bogue Industrial Enterprises coming.

They should have, of course. The company had a name for their steel and mechanical parts. It had been rumored they were going to take the jump from supply to production, but no one had thought it was going to be like this. And no one thought that Bogue would have a Robicheaux at his side when the announcement came. Billy's stomach went out when he heard it. Especially since, following it, there was the ominous mention of mergers and acquisitions on the horizon as they made their market. They wanted to edge into Dubai, after all. And they had the money to buy a company that, likely, would be selling cheap.

His.

Billy didn't care that they were enemies. Didn't care that he shouldn't even have been able to get Goodnight's room number. He charged up to the suite and banged on the door, announcing himself to the man inside with a furious, "Open up or I break it down."

He was going to have answers for his questions. And he was going to have them now.

[intheashes]

No one had seen Bogue coming. Not even Goodnight. He had been so busy with Rocks that he had been blind to what was happening right under his nose. The sight of Jacques next to a man that Goody couldn't stand the very sight of made his stomach churn and the announcement made it drop out completely. He hadn't known! He hadn't known and he had to do something. Something, before Jacques ruined everything he had worked so hard to make better and stronger.

He had quickly fled from that bombshell announcement back to his penthouse suite. He had been in there since, calling lawyers and pouring over legal documents. Calling as many people as he could to try and stop Jacques before he ruined everything. His blood running cold at the fear that was growing. Jacques could destroy everything he worked for with a single phrase. Goody was terrified that he would say it. That he would let a room of Alpha businessmen know there was a runty omega in their midst. At best, he would be forcefully mate bonded and impregnated in a night, at worst, he would lose Robicheaux Industries to his brother.

He's on the phone with his father when he hears the knock. He ignores it. The elder Robicheaux is pleased by this. Money is what's important. It's a bold move. He doesn't seem to understand how quickly Jacques is going to ruin everything with his poor business practices and his inability to be smart with money. He doesn't have to open it anyway. He forgot to latch the door anyway and a hard enough knock with have it swinging in. Swinging in so that Billy's nose will be hit by a very strong, hard to ignore or replicate scent. The smell of an omega in distress.

"Daddy, haven't I done everything you wanted me to? We're up 500% this quarter. My numbers don't lie. My success doesn't lie. Yes. Yes daddy, I know I had a little problem with Dubai, but I'm fixing it. I swear I'm doing everything by the bylaws you set for me. I'm not being hormonal, Daddy! I'm taking the medicine like I'm supposed to! Yes. Yes. YES!! NO! It's not like that! Just...you know he's going to ruin everything. You'll be bankrupt in three months and Bogue will buy us out from under us. You know that's what he's after."

A deep angry breath and a shout. "NO! I WILL NOT KEEP OUR BUSINESS THAT WAY IF THAT HAPPENS! I AM NOT A WHORE!" then he wheels, seeing himself no longer alone in his room. "I...I'll call you back, Daddy. Just think about it, okay. Don't let Jacques destroy us." He hangs up, glaring at Billy and trying to quickly go to the table to get his medicine bottle before Billy can.

"Get. Out."

[deadlyhairpin]

He didn't need to see the medicine. He could smell it on the room the minute that the door swung open and the air hit his nose. This wasn't an Alpha's room. This wasn't an Alpha's room at all. And the smell of the panicked, terrified, furious Omega was coming from no one else but Goodnight Robicheaux. The angel of death. Billy let the door shut behind him, too stunned to even process the threat that was coming his way.

How could this be true? How could the CEO of his biggest competition be an Omega? How could the man who made Alpha twice his size run with their tails tucked be an Omega? It defied reason. It defied everything he knew and held sacred about this infernal company. And, even more surprisingly, from the phone conversation he'd overheard, it wasn't even all that much of a secret.

Billy, silently, crossed the room. His fury was gone in place of biological curiosity and instinct. The distressed Omega needed an Alpha to calm it. The scent of him was sweet. Something Billy wanted to bury himself into, even if he had barely any positive thoughts about the man it belonged to.

But, those thoughts were growing by the second.

Goodnight had stood on his own. He'd owned a company and drugged himself into such a state that no one would even suspect. It was...beyond impressive. And for a long moment, Billy wasn't even sure how he was supposed to respond.

"You're an Omega," he stated, forgetting all other reasons for his visit. "How? How are you an Omega? Your brother... your brother..." He stopped barely a foot away, sniffing at the air like the predator he was meant to be. But he steadfast seemed to refuse to take another step forward.

"What's going on, Robicheaux? Is this a joke?"

[intheashes]

His heart drops into his stomach and the panic mounts. There is a second where he almost asks Billy how much he wants to keep the secret. But it fades quickly, leaving his teeth bare and his back straighter. There's the slightest growl of warning at the back of his throat. His eyes are colder than they've ever been, icy blue death that stares at Billy as he repeats himself. "I said get out. Get out before I throw you out." Had he been an Alpha, his scent would have been one of threat. But he's not got on his special cologne yet and instead of threat, the room is filling even more with the scent of Omega as he tries to keep up that act of pure dominance. Only Billy isn't leaving. He's coming closer.

Goody has two options. Stay where he is and stand his ground or back off with his tail between his legs. Instinct wants him to do the second, the Alpha being so close, making his nostrils flair with the smell of him. A smell that makes yhe want that transcends anything but pure instinctual need flood through him. Goody chooses the former. He's never backed down from an Alpha before, he's not about to now.

"How? Well, I suppose you would be stupid enough to not understand basic junior high heath classes. It's one big biological joke where in at puberty, the hormone that determines Alpha or Omega status floods the body." He says it with stiff dismissal and takes a step forward, crowding Billy like nothing has changed. Like his secret is still secret. "So, yes, it is a joke. It's the universe's greatest joke at my expense!" He's terribly bitter about this all. "The first Robicheaux male in 10 generations to present Omega. You should be laughing. Why aren't you laughing. It's fucking hilarious."

Goodnight growls again. "So now you know. And I'm sure by the end of the night the rest of the competition down stairs will know too. Jacques won't let this opportunity to shame me and take MY company away pass him by. Not after so many years that he's been trying to convince Daddy that an Omega Runt like me is not CEO material. Only this time, he just might win. And that's YOUR fault, Rocks." He reaches out and jabs a finger against the Alpha's chest. "YOU DID THIS. If I hadn't been so focused on you I would have seen what he was doing. I could have gotten the lawyers together and stopped him from pursuing this madness of his. But now he's gone and done this damn fool thing and Daddy is going to let him. And all because I was too busy watching you trying to gut me from the front that I missed my own family stabbing me in the back."

Goody growls again and his poking finger flattens against Billy's chest. Under his palm it feels warm. So warm. He likes the feeling and then forces himself not to. He's stronger than this. Stronger than his instincts. He does something no Omega would dare do. He shoves the Alpha. "Now you know. So get the hell out. I can't be bothered with you right now. I'm too busy trying to find a way to keep him from humiliating me, clean up his mess before it gets too big, and announce Bangkok before opening market bell tomorrow and you're in my way."