The Beauty of Experience - Chapter 21

Chapter 1: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-40500104
Chapter 2: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-part-41396037
Chapter 3: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-3-42973644
Chapter 4: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-4-44239862
Chapter 5: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-5-45229576
Chapter 6: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-6-46264458
Chapter 7: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-7-46932942
Chapter 8: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-8-47435612
Chapter 9: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-9-49298878
Chapter 10: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-10-50276496
Chapter 11: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-11-52122645
Chapter 12 :https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-12-53869442
Chapter 13: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55147565
Chapter 14: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-14-5682409
Chapter 15: https://www.patreon.com/posts/57856681
Chapter 16: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-16-59147519
Chapter 17: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-17-60539856
Chapter 18: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-18-61641210
Chapter 19: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-19-62956617
Chapter 20: https://www.patreon.com/posts/beauty-of-20-64516844


Word count: 9,579



Lena thrived on being a meticulous planner and getting set up for Kara’s photoshoot was no exception. She arranged each of the pieces she ordered on the spare room bed and snapped pictures of her selections to text Nia before the evening of the event. Some of the swimsuits were understated, while others had just enough fabric to cup Kara’s cock and keep it from sliding out. The racerback tops and halters would give maximum exposure to Kara’s hard abs, solid arms and muscled back. Lena chose an oceanic palette of colors, royal blues, sea foams, and pale greens. She knew what complemented Kara’s features and purchased just a few experimental pieces — one set in white, which she ruined with her lipstick after having Kara try it on — and a red top with a small bottom that hopelessly failed to contain Kara’s girth.

Lena continued shopping until the afternoon of the shoot and picked up Natty from preschool on her return from the mall. She also purchased craft kits to keep Natty occupied, and checked in with her mother, who volunteered to babysit for the night.

Natty exuberantly ripped one of the kits open and sat at the kitchen table gluing pom-poms onto construction paper while Lena hustled to make dinner. She placed three pieces of salmon into paper and prepared seasoned vegetables to cook along with it.

Clutching a handful of crayons and a coloring book tucked under her arm, Natty slid onto a stool at the counter to observe. Lena cut up some banana and pieces of strawberry for the little one and made Natty an entirely separate meal of chicken nuggets, corn and salad.

Natty was already washed and in her Frozen pajamas at five o’clock, though she gave Lena fair warning, “I’m staying up all night and I’m gonna eat a whole bag of marshmallows.”

“Oh, and where are you going to get a bag of marshmallows?” Lena asked seriously and wondered if she had forgotten about some leftovers from Kara’s birthday trip.

Not five minutes later, Lillian entered the house with all of Natty’s favorites, including the puffed sweets, new story books and other surprises.

“It’s gotten to the point that Natty expects you’ll spoil her,” Lena chided while her daughter ripped open the goodies on the floor and lifted them out one by one.

“It’s your job as the parent to ensure your children turn out to be well rounded human beings. They get to be heathens when they’re with me.” Lillian smiled shrewdly and threw her arms around Natty when the three-year-old came over to thank her with a hug.

“I’ll remember that the next time you ask to take them for a long weekend,” Lena threatened, her playful squint mimicked by Natty who returned it with a pout on her lips. She was too young to understand what they were talking about, but wise enough to know it involved the treats she covetously gathered into her hands before any were taken away.

Lillian ushered Natty into the living room and put on the television, then returned to the kitchen to sass her daughter. “You forget how spoiled you were at that age. I remember bringing you home and spending half the night awake reading you stories because you were jittery from all the sugar you had eaten.”

“I also recall how you sent me to camp with an entire pack of cookies because you were convinced it would help me make friends.” Lena deadpanned, no longer traumatized by the events that unfolded, but still willing to bring it up to bother her mother.

“Well, it did,” Lillian curtly supplied and made herself useful by wiping down a counter that was spotless.

“Yeah, after the ants claimed my bed and I was forced to share with a girl who braided my hair to the bedpost.” Lena smirked as she checked her watch.

The anticipation of Kara walking through the door at any minute resulted in Lena caressing her abdomen. Thankfully she was hidden behind the counter, and she tried not to fixate on how close she had come to announcing her pregnancy to her mother.

“I still maintain it was an accident on her part,” Lillian sulked and wandered over to the oven. She peered at the timer ready to go off in a few seconds and stuffed her hands in the pair of oven mitts to pull out the meal Lena had prepared for the three of them.

“The poison ivy I tucked into her pillowcase wasn’t,” Lena disclosed with a wicked lilt. She blushed at the sound of Kara’s laughter and forgot all about the meal she was in the middle of preparing as she hurried over to greet her mate.

Lillian beat her to it by throwing her oven mitts in Lena’s general direction just as the timer went off. She gathered Kara into her arms with clear favoritism, which showed even more as she grabbed another bag of goodies from the counter and gave it to Kara while Lena served up the salmon onto everyone’s plates.


“Kara, so good to see you. I just picked up a few things for you while I was out today.”

“Wow, thank you. You didn’t have to do that.” Kara glanced down at her bounty with the same level of enthusiasm Natty had shown earlier and lifted out a box of expensive chocolate to show Lena. “Oh, we’re definitely sharing this later.”

Lena clasped her hands together to contain the overwhelming love she felt for her mate until she could make a grab for Kara. She lured her mother away by sliding a dinner plate towards her and stepped around the counter to slip her arms around Kara’s shoulders.

“We have about an hour before we need to leave, so let’s eat fast, and then I can show you what I picked out for the shoot—”

Lena stood on her tiptoes to make up the height difference and kissed Kara without any embarrassment about being affectionate around her mother.

Lillian observed them with a pleased scent about her that she never once bestowed on Andrea and lifted her food along with Natty’s chicken nuggets. “I’ll have dinner with my granddaughter so you two can eat in peace.”

The lack of subtlety in Lillian’s announcement brought a bashful glow to Kara’s cheeks. Lena rolled her eyes at her mother, though she was privately grateful for the time she granted them.

Lena barely waited for Lillian to exit the kitchen when she coaxed Kara into a seat and then settled her hand onto her thigh.

“I wanted to make sure you came home to something warm and delicious to sustain you for the night ahead,” Lena whispered, her lips parting in a gasp as Kara slid her fingers under the frill of her skirt and up to caress the wet gusset of her panties.

Even the lightest pressure of Kara’s fingertips was enough to make her clit throb, and Lena slid lower in her seat to open her legs.

“I missed you today. Lunch didn’t seem long enough because I wanted to make sure I got home at a reasonable hour so we wouldn’t have to rush.” The earnest smile on Kara’s face seemed too innocent for an alpha bold enough to play with an omega’s cunt right at the kitchen table.

Lena loved that about her mate. Kara’s sweetness never diminished regardless of the heat that passed between them.

“A little haste never hurt anyone,” Lena intoned, her suggestive raised brow coinciding with the firm way she cupped Kara’s cock through her pants. She massaged the girth while it stiffened, careful not to over-excite her mate while she tried to eat one handed.

Kara must have roasted the inside of her mouth as she devoured the meal, and Lena would have been concerned if she wasn’t so busy trying to stifle a whine.

The questing tip of Kara’s finger pushed aside her panties and dipped into the quivering entrance of her cunt. Lena no sooner rolled her pelvis to take it deeper than Kara pulled away. Frustration left her complexion blotchy and Lena tried not to huff.

“You know I should probably shower before we leave, and you have stuff you want to show me, right?” Kara stood and all but dragged Lena up the stairs with her.

Their half eaten meals would be cold by the time they returned, and Lena couldn’t find it within herself to be upset about the effort she put in when Kara was pressing her against their bedroom door to kiss her with more teeth than tongue.

“We don’t have time to fool around, but I can help you scrub off from work,” Lena insisted, already peeling her own clothes off while Kara fought with the buckle of her belt.

They stripped off faster than their laughter died, and Lena followed her alpha into the shower. She lathered up a sponge and passed it off to Kara, then reached around her mate to stroke her cock with the slippery suds.

It gave Lena a taste for what it might be like to be behind Kara if they experimented with a strap-on, and she grinned when Kara moaned.

She made a mental note to bring it up later and pumped her closed fist over Kara’s shaft with enough speed to send bubbles of soap flying.

“Think about how wet I’m going to be when we get home from this shoot,” Lena whispered, rubbing her breasts against Kara’s back while she jerked her off. She tightened her grip to simulate the constricting heat of her walls and felt Kara tense in bliss. “I’ll be ready to take your knot the moment I have you all to myself.”

“If we even make it home, we might have to pull into a motel on the way back,” Kara groaned, the snap of her hips sending her cock through Lena’s firm grip.

“In that case, I don’t think I’ll wear panties, or should I pick the laciest pair so you can tear them off of me later?” Lena mused, using her thighs to keep Kara still so that she was the one fucking her mate, albeit with only her hand.

She tugged on Kara’s cock from base to tip, and then concentrated all of her efforts on the sensitive head. The fluid motion of her twists and the smooth glide of her palm across the glans had Kara panting, and her breathy sounds of pleasure turned guttural when Lena moaned in encouragement.

“Wear them so I can ruin them,” Kara husked, her hands flattening against the tiles as her abdomen and thighs tensed.

Three more strokes and she was spilling over Lena’s fingers and splashing against the tile in hot surges.

Lena’s pussy spasmed at the sight of it, her omega indignant that it wasn’t filling her the way it should have been. She tried to ignore her own needs and wiped off Kara’s softening cock before stepping out to get herself ready.

She expected Kara to take a minute longer and whimpered when the alpha joined her in the bedroom, still dripping and semi-erect.

“Get your wand,” Kara murmured, haphazardly towelling off as she stared at Lena’s nakedness and the shimmery silk that coated her pussy lips.

“We’ll be late,” Lena countered, all set to reassure Kara that she would be fine for a few hours.

She wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of dominant claim pheromones that urged her to grab a toy she had almost stopped using since Kara moved in.

Lena bent herself half across the bed to retrieve it, her trembling fingers opening the drawer where it was hidden only for Kara to grab it and plug it in.

Lena presented with her face against a pillow and whined pathetically as slick dripped down her thighs. Kara switched on the vibrator and pressed it into the soaked slit of Lena’s pussy, finding her clit with ease. She turned it all the way up and aligned herself with Lena’s drenched cunt and plunged herself base deep in one go.

Lena came shamefully fast, her euphoria reaching its peak within ten seconds of Kara rutting into her from behind. She quaked from the release, her cunt so tight in its contractions that it massaged the seed right out of Kara’s cock. The warmth filled her inside and she sagged into the blankets, gasping for the breath Kara had stolen from her.

“Now we can get ready, and we won’t be late,” Kara whispered, pressing sensuous kisses to Lena’s throat. She stayed slotted deep until the spasms inside Lena’s passage tapered off, and then Kara ventured to the bathroom to wipe herself down.

Lena composed herself enough to pull on a sexy pair of panties and dressed with the notion of her clothes being torn off.

She selected a tight pencil skirt she could easily buy again and a silk blouse that would feel good under Kara’s hands. She was in the process of applying her make-up when Kara finished getting ready. The pale denim of her jeans was a good look with her button-down shirt. Lena admired her casual ensemble and motioned to the many items she chose for her mate.

“Nia suggests we bring it all, and some of your equipment as props,” Lena explained when Kara’s eyes widened at the new additions.

The skimpy attire wouldn’t leave anyone in the dark about Kara’s attributes, and Lena wondered if her alpha regretted agreeing to the shoot.

“Do you really think this will be good for my business?” Kara asked and raised the smallest speedo of the bunch on one finger. The tiny scrap of fabric would be a challenge to get into and Lena blushed hotly as Kara scrutinized it.

“I do, and I for one can’t wait to own a calendar with my alpha in it,” Lena’s smile went a long way in easing Kara’s nerves, and she held out her hand for her mate to join her near the vanity. “Trust me, this is a great opportunity to be seen by so many potential new clients.”

The one thing Lena hadn’t considered in advance was how she would feel about being in the same room with other omegas looking at her alpha. In planning out the photoshoot, she envisioned standing alone in a studio with Nia and a photographer, who would have a reputation in the business and wouldn’t risk that by ogling a client. Lena didn’t factor in a make-up artist, or an assistant, or the dozens of employees of CatCo Magazine who would loiter while doing their jobs.

For some reason, when she imagined the issue of the magazine going to press, she pictured a bunch of bored housewives hanging the calendars on their walls — not the hot young reporters that gathered around for their own sneak peek. The omegas lusted openly over the volunteers, gathering around Nia as they gave their own recommendations about how to arrange the shots.

Kara shyly hid behind Lena as they entered the studio and headed back to the area designated for hair and make-up.

Nia’s assistant took the outfits they brought along and ushered Lena into a chair while two omegas fussed over Kara. One of them pulled Kara’s ponytail out and tossed the hair tie Lena’s way to comb her fingers through Kara’s vibrant locks, and the other bent down to smile directly in her face.

“Aww, you seem nervous, is this your first time doing a shoot?” The girl opened the palette in hand to find the perfect colors for Kara’s skin.

“Yeah, this isn’t really my thing.” Kara laughed, her usual confidence lacking as her leg bounced with anxiety. “I’m more of a chapstick and sunscreen kind of alpha.”

Lena would have preferred to hold Kara’s hand or at least physically be closer to soothe her mate. She used her pheromones instead, though they were diluted in the middle of so many excited omegas. They were young enough to feign ignorance about controlling the stench of their attraction, and Lena tried not to show her irritation as she noted how the hair and make-up team touched her alpha.

“Don’t worry, you’re in very good hands. I’m Ashley, and Bethany will be doing your hair. I’ll make sure your make-up is more of a natural look to highlight your handsome features.” Ashley placed a hand on Kara’s shoulder and then she caressed her chin to angle her face up as though assessing her eye color.

Bethany dished out compliments about Kara’s hair being thick and easy to tend Lena got the impression it wasn’t the only part of her mate she wanted to get her hands on.

Lena’s experience with photoshoots was completely different. She had been treated with respect but hadn’t been lusted over, and it was unnerving to sit on the sidelines while pretty omegas in their prime doted on her mate.

It was such a horrible, alphacentric way to view it and Lena had to consciously remind herself that she was happier, healthier, and more active than ever. Between running after Natty and all of the regular sex, she had become flexible and lithe, and she was still exceptionally fertile to become pregnant out of heat.

Lena reiterated that silently to herself when she smelled the flirtatious scent on Ashley and Bethany while they fawned over Kara. They weren’t so loud now with their compliments, and whatever they whispered brought an uncomfortable heat to Kara’s cheeks. Lena was on the verge of getting up when she overheard Kara bragging.

“I asked my mate to come with me. She would easily be the centerfold if this was about omegas in business. She’s amazing—”

“That’s really sweet,” Bethany sighed, her disappointment dampening the potency of her pheromones. She at least dialed back her flirtation after that, though the same couldn’t be said for Ashley, who went out of her way to keep her tits in Kara’s face.

“I don’t know how you convinced her to do this but thank you,” Nia gushed as she handed Lena a chai latte that she hadn’t requested. “I know it’s crazy in here, but we’ve just wrapped up the April and May shoots, so Kara will be next and it’ll be less of a zoo.”

Lena took a long sip of the sweetened tea and smiled at Nia, who seemed to understand her discomfort without mentioning it at all.

“I’ve never seen Kara this nervous. Usually she’s completely calm around her clients, but this unsettles her for some reason.”

“Oh, she hates this kind of stuff.” Nia laughed and threw a glance at Kara, who stared at herself in the mirror with a tense smile as Bethany began to style her hair. “You should have seen her a year ago when I helped her get ready for one of your first dates. She protested for hours. I think she was worried I would try to stick her in a dress or come at her with lipstick.”

“Did you?” Lena prompted with a peculiar sense of concern.

There were plenty of alphas that enjoyed killer heels and stunning dresses and Kara wasn’t one of them. Lena preferred Kara in her natural style and the sight of her in a suit could ruin Lena’s panties in a flash. She wanted to cultivate Kara’s confidence, not whittle it down, and she peered at her mate to check in with her.

Kara caught her eye in the mirror and immediately lit up with a smile. For a wonderful moment, the rich spice of her alpha won the battle of the perfumed omega scents and Lena inhaled it greedily.

“Once, and I’ve never seen her look so miserable. I promised I’d stick to pants and face creams after that,” Nia confided and waved her assistant over to help. “Lucy, can you show Kara to the changing room? I’m just going to have a talk with the photographer and make sure the equipment Kara brought is on hand.”

Lucy took a sidelong glance at Kara sitting at the make-up station and fanned herself with the papers she was holding. “I’ll get right on that. Did I mention how much I love my job?”

Lena bit her tongue to refrain from saying the first catty remark that came to mind. She had never been the type to get territorial before and she didn’t plan on starting it now with an omega fresh out of college. She forced a smile as Lucy took over with Kara and sipped at her tea like she wasn’t filled with an overbearing sense of anxiety.

Kara wasn’t the type to stray or turn her head for another omega, yet the terrible little voice in the back of Lena’s head still had her paranoid.

What if all the exposure gave Kara second thoughts about them? What if the influx of younger, attractive omegas changed how she viewed their relationship? Lena still looked hot for her age but what about in the next ten years, or twenty?

She was about to reach a critical point of spiralling when Nia placed a hand on her shoulder. Lena blinked up at her in embarrassment and exhaled a heavy breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding in her chest. “Sorry, I was a thousand miles away, what did you say?”

“I asked if you wanted to get a front row seat by the photographer so you can watch your alpha,” Nia laughed, and linked her arm through Lena’s to lead her away from the scents of interested omegas.

The photographer was a bit flamboyant for an alpha, and that put Lena at ease. He was tall and handsome with a trimmed beard and moustache, and his bright shirt was as loud as his personality. He introduced himself as Jack the moment Lena neared and shook her hand with genuine warmth.

“Nia tells me you’re here to support your mate. I like the shy ones. They’re less likely to bring their ego with them.” Jack motioned to a canvas chair behind where his own was set up.

“Have you dealt with anyone difficult today?” Lena asked as she caught the amusement lifting the corner of Jack’s lips. She sat down with an expectant raised brow and waited for him to dish his thoughts.

“You missed the restaurant owner who refused to wear a chef's hat or smile. I recommend he be the face of October, since his dead-eyed stare would send chills down anyone’s spine.” Jack’s humor lightened Lena’s dark mood and she laughed as he leaned in to murmur, “Still gave him my card though. I’ll get him to smile somehow.”

Lena smirked at the confidential way he divulged his own secret and then spotted Kara self-consciously wandering over in a high-necked bikini and bottoms. The dark blue brought out the color of her eyes, and the modest cut was less revealing than some of the other options Lena purchased.

Kara waved to Lena, a permanent blush on her cheeks as the omegas in the room turned to admire her openly.

“Kara, so nice to meet you. Stand right where this line is,” Jack instructed and ushered Kara to where he could assess her better. “Do me a favor and square those broad shoulders. That’s it. Now stop hiding those glorious abs or all of the thirsty omegas won’t buy the calendar.”

Kara followed most of the direction but continued to hover with her arms in a boxy and uncomfortable position.

Jack took several snaps before manually stepping in to pose her, and those little changes highlighted Kara’s physique. “God, I wish I had your muscle tone. If I did, I would flaunt it. You’re modest, aren’t you?”

Lena crossed her legs as she observed, placing her hands high on her knee and smiling as Kara looked her way. Their eye contact seemed to loosen Kara up, and she began to move more fluidly as Jack talked her through the shots he wanted to capture.

Kara posed with her arms crossed and Lena noted the omegas from the office gathering around to watch the shoot.

Every time Kara flexed a bicep, it inspired excited whispers, and Lena’s jealousy began to rear its ugly head in the annoyed jut of her chin.

“Okay now let’s see you in something else,” Jack suggested and rubbed the side of his moustache as he eyed Kara thoughtfully. “Whatever makes you feel most confident, yeah? I want to see the side of you that you reserve for this fine lady over here.”

Jack pointed towards Lena with a smile and Lucy swooped in to guide Kara back to the dressing room before either of them could say a word to one another. Kara reappeared two minutes later, and Lena worried that everyone in the room would smell how wet she had suddenly gotten. She pressed her thighs together as well as her lips to stop a pathetic and needy whine from escaping.

Kara wore one of the skimpier tops that showed off the muscle in her shoulders and back, and paired it with exceptionally tight shorts.

Lena knew where everyone’s eyes had landed when a quiet, collective gasp went through the loitering crowd. The soft bulge in Kara’s shorts was every bit as defined as her abs, and Jack whistled beside her and lifted his camera. “I want to see those muscles glisten.”

Lena assumed it was a joke until two omegas rushed over with body oil and began liberally smoothing it over every inch of Kara that wasn’t covered in fabric. It brought out an odd and aggressive prickling across Lena’s skin as the girls chuckled and wafted their pheromones.

Kara’s bashful laughter didn’t ease the tension of Lena’s shoulders. She stared hatefully at the omegas as one of them dropped to her knees to paint Kara’s thighs with her oily palms. The other stroked at Kara’s abs and arms and seemed a tad too enthusiastic for Lena’s liking.

The acrid stench of her disapproval announced her aggravation.

Jack cleared his throat politely and shooed the women away before Lena got up to shove them off. “Girls, this is a photo shoot, not an audition tape for omegas gone wild.”

Getting called out was enough to shame them into behaving, but the damage was done, and Lena’s omega bordered on feral.

It mortified Lena to realize she couldn’t control the way she called to Kara, though her pregnancy hormones likely had a lot to do with it.

She covertly spritzed herself with a scent masker, though it didn’t do her any good, because Kara postured and swaggered like she was single and trying to pick her up.

“She’s the key to unlocking all of your potential,” Jack smirked, snapping off several pictures in a row. “Keep that energy and now look at me. Get those hands on your hips.”

The more Kara could smell Lena’s need, the better she posed. The only downside was that her muscles weren’t the only things starting to flex. The thick shaft of her cock grew with her confidence, and while Jack didn’t seem to mind, Nia certainly did as she rushed over to cover Kara’s crotch with a clipboard.

“Wow! Okay everyone, take a fifteen-minute break while someone helps to cage the anaconda.” Nia had to shove Lucy forward to help her clear the room and Jack took the opportunity to wink at Lena before he helped coax everyone out. “Come on people, the coffee isn’t going to make itself.”

“There’s a snake in the building?” Kara uttered, clearly alarmed by the prospect of fending for herself and Lena while barefoot and basically naked.

“Yeah, and you brought it with you.” Nia snorted and left Kara with the clipboard so she wouldn’t have to see her friend's erection. “Seriously, how do you walk around with that thing?”

“Give us twenty minutes,” Lena stressed as she slipped her hand into Kara’s and led her off to the private wardrobe room.

“Twenty minutes might not be long enough,” Kara admitted once they shut the door behind them and she glanced down the bulge she sported.

Lena placed her hands on the waistband of Kara’s shorts and moved them down to rest over her thighs. She licked her lips at the faintly purple tinge to the head of Kara’s erection and the veins that surfaced with vivid pulsations. Flutters of need went through Lena’s cunt just from wielding Kara’s cock in her hands.

“Everyone knows we’re going to fuck.” Lena inspected a droplet that sprang up and slid down Kara’s pole to her fingers. She stroked it into the wide brim and worked the tip in her palm.

Kara quivered on her feet and Lena grabbed at the leg of a chair to bring it closer. She settled the tight shorts down around Kara’s ankles and stood up to take off her clothes.

Lena brushed her nipples with her fingers and slipped the same hand down to her pussy to rub it with Kara’s arousal. “There’s no point in leaving my shirt on when every single person in this office is aware that I accompanied you in here to make you come.”

Her maneuvering brought her pelvis down on Kara’s lap, and they both eyed her cunt as the thick head of Kara’s dick positioned under it. The tip divided her pussy lips, drastically spreading them apart as Lena sank onto more. She leaned into her mate, sliding her hands onto Kara’s shoulders, and shaking her hair loose as she bounced.

“I’m so sorry I put you in this position,” Kara groaned, her alpha evidently not sharing her views when her hands settled on Lena’s hips to coax her down.

Lena refused to be rushed and the gradual penetration tormented them both. She emphasized her control by pressing sweet kisses to Kara’s claim and accepted only the first four inches of her mate’s erection.

“Don’t be,” Lena whispered, the sensual flick of her tongue compelling Kara to tip her head back. “I’ve watched every omega try to fuck you with their eyes for the past half hour and I want them all to know that you’re mine.”

If Kara sensed the bite coming, she didn’t tense up in preparation. Lena sucked on the claim spot before making use of her teeth to create a bruise. The mark would be more visible on top of the original and she puckered to remind Kara of her rights as a mate.

“They can’t begin to compare to an omega like you,” Kara sincerely expressed and situated her hands higher on Lena’s waist.

Lena smiled at the tender touch that slipped up her back. She placed her feet on the rungs below the chair and balanced herself as she rode her mate’s cock.

Kara instinctively knew to behave herself, and barely rocked upward when Lena combed her fingers through her blonde hair and gripped near the roots. She held Kara’s gaze as she bounced on her rod and grinned at the way her mate’s eyes lidded. “You submit so beautifully for me, darling, that I sometimes wonder if you’d like to do it in other ways.”

It was risky to utter that to any alpha, but she trusted that Kara wouldn’t take offense. She was right if the subtle inhalation and shudder it evoked was anything to go by.

“I can’t help it if I find you sexy when you take charge,” Kara uttered, neither confirming nor denying Lena’s curiosity.

The coy flirtation brought out the territorial side of Lena’s omega and she made it a point to fuck Kara harder by dropping onto her cock forcefully. The repetitive submersion pulled a moan out of Kara and Lena latched onto her claim again. The hot suction of her mouth and the swirl of her tongue played with Kara’s senses and she grunted between ragged breaths.

“What if I wanted you on your knees for a change?” Lena’s sultry tone and well timed intentional clenching brought a blush to Kara’s cheeks that she found irresistibly endearing. She whimpered as Kara squeezed at her tits, distracting her long enough to avoid answering.

Lena didn’t let up, and the wet smack of her thighs became louder as she rode Kara’s cock. The breathless sound of her pleasure gave her voice a raspy quality as she pressed her lips to Kara’s ear and asked, “Would you be amenable, or would you prefer to have me there first before making the decision?”

Kara’s imagination did the rest of the work for her, and Lena listened to her mate’s rapid breaths of excitement.

“Are you teasing or being serious?” Kara groaned and smoothed her hands around the curvature of Lena’s ass to grab each of her cheeks.

“Both. I would try just about anything with you,” Lena confided, not quite as brazen now that Kara charged her cock upward to slot herself deeper.

Kara embraced and rammed into her, and Lena gripped the back of the chair during the roughest of thrusts. She moaned at the change in the momentum of the sex and wondered if it was because she mentioned her willingness to dabble.

Perspiration glistened on Lena’s skin and she exhaled her pleasure the way she would have if they had been in their bed at home. She wondered if the omegas could hear the rate of Kara filling her cunt through the thin walls and whimpered when her mate sucked on her nipples. The wet pull of Kara’s lips soothed the ache of her breasts and Lena took fistfuls of them to offer up to Kara.

Kara kissed, nipped and grunted when a surge of hot seed jolted out of her cock. That should have been an end to their quick tryst, and Lena whimpered as Kara pulled out. She didn’t expect her mate to position her over the chair and mount her from above.

Her knees collided with the wood, and she reached for a desk in front of her to avoid falling as Kara plunged into her.

Kara slipped a thumb into the place between her cheeks, rubbing against the soft little crinkles of skin around Lena’s other tight hole. Lena moaned from the tentative pressure and the fullness of her cunt.

“That’s a combination I never thought I needed,” Lena muttered with the instinct to laugh at her own predilection towards a form of stimulation she had never even considered until her relationship with Kara. “You realize that whatever you do to me, I’m going to want to try out in return—”

“I’m open to it, and anything else you might want to discuss.” Kara’s touch deviated from the tight, puckered ring and caressed the sensitive groove right above it. She wouldn’t explore that forbidden place without a conversation, and Lena whimpered as she recognized that her mate was staring at her with new interest.

“Then I guess we’ll be picking up a few items before we head home,” Lena gasped, her knuckles white from her grip on the table.

Kara worked her quads with increased speed and the slippery heat of Lena’s channel began to contract. The freeing sensation started deep inside of her and finished with dramatic spasms. She moaned louder than she should have, and Kara rested a hand on her waist as she nearly took a nose-dive onto the floor.

The short break would be over soon, and Lena needed at least two minutes to restore order to the dressing room and get Kara into another swim set.

It became a mad scramble as Kara helped her back into her own clothes first, going out of her way to rub the soft lace of her panties into the creamy divide of Lena’s pussy. Kara rumbled with pride, and would have continued to pet Lena to another orgasm if the sound of people filtering back into the studio hadn’t snapped them apart. They worked together to wipe up their mess, using the outfit Kara had previously worn, and Lena took the opportunity to suck off the remnants of their arousal that clung to Kara’s softening cock.

It was a risk, given how easy it was to give Kara a hard-on, and while that was great for Lena’s ego, it wasn’t ideal for the photo-shoot. Neither was obvious stains, and a quick once-over with her tongue made sure nothing remained as she handed Kara a pair of seafoam trunks and a thin strapped bikini top.

They kissed before stumbling out of the office hand in hand, and Lena gloated at the sour expressions on the omegas faces when they noticed how enamored Kara was with her.

“Places everyone! That includes you, Kara,” Jack called out, pleased to see the difference in her strut. “This is the alpha I wanted to see. Grab that pool skimmer and pretend it’s your first day seeing this gorgeous omega.”

He turned to Lena to wink and waved her into a seat beside him while Kara postured like she knew she was hot. She propped the pool skimmer on the back of her shoulders and hung her arms across it in a pose that demanded the attention from everyone in the room.

“Perfect! Flaunt those muscles. Show her you’re the alpha of her dreams,” Jack called out, inadvertently rubbing it in everyone’s faces how smitten Kara was with her mate. He moved around her to get shots at different angles and then paused dramatically and looked between them, “Hold on, did you let her bite you?”

Kara raised her chin up as if ready to defend their relationship and Lena watched all of the omegas in the room share stunned looks with one another.

“I’m proud to wear Lena’s mark, and she’s proud to wear mine,” Kara stated with complete confidence in her sexuality as Jack ventured over to admire the imprint.

“We can cover it with make-up,” Ashley proposed from the side-lines, her mouth snapping shut as Kara’s alpha scent turned moderately aggressive at the suggestion.

“Don’t you bloody dare. This is the epitome of the modern alpha. Fearless and driven both in business and in love,” Jack intoned, regarding Kara with an all new respect as he tucked her hair over her shoulder to better flaunt the bite. “I could do a whole shoot with the pair of you–”

“That’s a great idea to run by my boss Cat, but we’re kinda on a time-limit for tonight,” Nia chimed in and offered him a thumbs up to continue.

“They never let me have any fun here,” Jack confided to Lena, and then snapped off a few more shots of Kara.

The whole shoot took about thirty minutes, and by the end of it, Kara was laughing and smiling so much that Lena’s jealousy never resurfaced. She was content to admire her alpha loosening up in front of the camera.

“Be free, my lovely, I have more than enough footage to choose from,” Jack declared, and ushered Kara off to change while he snagged Lena by the hand and leaned in with a devious smirk. “I need the details on how you convinced that beefcake to be on the receiving end of a bite like that, because I have a hunk or two that I’d like to sink my teeth into.”

“Two?” Lena smirked and wondered if this was a start to a new friendship between her and CatCo’s glamor photographer.“The truth is I didn’t have to convince her. Kara understood how badly I’d been hurt in the past and suggested I leave my mark on her so that I would always know she was mine. It bonded us in ways I couldn’t have conceived of at the time and I’m grateful for that every day. When the right mate shows up, believe me, you’ll know it.”

It sounded like sage and simplistic advice, even though it took her twenty years to work it out for herself. She smiled from imparting her wisdom and laughed when Jack slipped her his card before she walked off towards the dressing room to catch up with Kara.

“You and I are getting a drink some time, I can feel it,” Jack called after her, and then turned to his team to let in the new alphas and their assistants.


Lena knew she and Kara would have some pit stops to make before returning home, and that would involve keeping their hands off each other. That didn’t deter her from sneaking into the office just in time to see Kara slipping her pants on.

“I was just wondering where you’d gone,” Kara murmured, her smile drawing Lena near with the warmth that radiated from it. She leaned down to kiss Lena softly and grinned at the way she danced out of her reach.

“I made a new friend, and now I’d like to get out of here before we cause another scene,” Lena teased, aware of the way she contradicted herself by infusing the air with a promiscuous scent. She crooked a finger through Kara’s belt loop and tugged her out of the room once she gathered up her bag of clothes.

Lena’s good humor slid away much like the smile on her lips when she noticed a brunette omega chatting to one of the stylists. She faltered mid step, almost sending Kara onto her ass with how abruptly she stopped and frowned over at her mate. “Isn’t that the omega you’re working with on the pool filter?”

Kara followed her line of vision with the same frown of confusion and scrunched her lips together. “Yeah, why is she here?”

“Who, Siobhan?” Nia asked, bewildered that either of them would know the omega. “She writes the business column for the magazine. Not the nicest person, but she did introduce me to my girlfriend. How do you know her? Has she reached out for an interview?”

Lena experienced a peculiar and all encompassing sense of dread that she imagined was on par with animals about to be caught in a natural disaster. She couldn’t explain the prickle of unease that slid down her spine or the chill that dampened her skin with sweat.

“Not exactly,” Kara grunted, her expression darkening as she turned to Lena and uttered, “I’ll be right back. I have questions that need to be answered.”

Nia hurried off to speak with her team, and Lena wandered through the office, torn between giving Kara back up and waiting it out.

Kara never raised her voice, though Lena knew every bit of her mate’s body language. Stiff shoulders, hands hovering instead of resting on hips, and the smallest twitch above Kara’s lip—all of it pointed to the fact that she was upset.

“What are you doing here?” Siobhan asked and glanced around at the happenings in the office with disdain.

“Me? What about you?” Kara demanded with an angry snap of her teeth. “You never worked for Aqua Technologies, did you?”

Siobhan lifted her shoulders in a remorseless shrug and picked a few folders off a desk like it was beneath her to even handle them. “Nope. I’m surprised you didn’t figure out my lack of expertise, but I did research my role extensively. In case it still hasn’t clicked, someone paid me twenty grand to hire you for a project that never existed.”

Kara’s anger was slow rising, and Lena tuned out Siobhan’s nasally voice as she focused on her mate. She could only imagine the bitter agony of Kara’s epiphany that she had spent months working on the design of a filtration system that was never going anywhere. Lena saw the second it hit her mate, when all of her hopes and aspirations died behind her eyes, a light extinguished.

Another one replaced it, fiery like hot coals as Kara composed herself enough to stare Siobhan down. “What do you think happens to reporters who deceive people? They probably don’t get to keep their desk let alone their job. Good thing you earned that twenty thousand, huh?”

“Wait a minute, what I do outside of here is none of Cat Grant’s business–”

“Are you sure about that?” Kara drawled, every bit as condescending as Siobhan had been only seconds prior.

Lena moved through the crowded space to catch up with her mate’s long strides but lost her in the blinding flash of Jack’s camera. She paused, dazed, and blinked until the colorful spots faded from her vision.

Out of the corner of her eye, around the soft box lights and extra camera equipment, Lena spotted the profile of someone with features she committed to heart long ago. Andrea appeared with a garment bag draped over her shoulder and walked right up to Nia to kiss her on the cheek.

Lena recovered from her initial surprise as she remembered this was a photoshoot for alphas with businesses of their own — but the more she stared from a concealed place behind the luminous box lighting, the more she listened to her instinct and experience with her ex.

Andrea strutted around like she knew the office and slipped her arm over Nia’s shoulder. She opened her bag to lift out a suit that brought an instant smile to Nia’s face. Those interactions seemed affectionate and unlike Andrea.

Lena peered back over to where Kara still quietly argued with Siobhan, and it was like connecting a triangle with her eyes — from Andrea to Kara and back again. Her nostrils flared as she pieced together a plot with Andrea at the center: date Kara’s good friend, keep tabs on her whereabouts, and set up a fake business transaction with Siobhan to play on Lena’s insecurities.

The deviousness of such grand scheming was Andrea’s speciality, but it still disturbed Lena to her core to realize the layers of deceit.

“Kara?” Lena hoarsely managed to say aloud as she moved towards Andrea.

Before her ex so much as uttered a word, Lena detected that Andrea would attempt to lie. She could feel it in the way Andrea turned, saw it in the cryptic cool blue of her eyes—and how she allowed herself to only be mildly interested in Lena’s presence.

“What the fuck are you doing with Nia?” Lena hissed before Andrea could make some sort of sly remark. She forgot in that moment that her sheer unmistakable hostility would be seen as an attack and blinked at the immediate wave of defensiveness from Nia.

“Whoa, Lena, I appreciate the concern, but dial it back, okay? She’s not some creeper,” Nia laughed, smoothing her hand down Andrea’s arm the way any besotted omega would, and then confirmed all of Lena’s fears in a cheerful sigh, “She’s my girlfriend. God, I can’t believe I can finally say that. Where’s Kara so I can introduce her?”

“I don’t need an introduction,” Kara snarled, appearing somewhere behind Lena’s shoulder with Siobhan in tow. Andrea shrank back at the sight of her, and the sudden combative scents alerted everyone in the room to the impending drama.

Jack handled it by directing all of the employees to the door and bringing an end to the evening photoshoot.

Andrea folded her hands and sucked her inner cheek like she was preparing to negotiate with someone. “Look, you stole my omega, so I decided to get revenge by stealing one of yours.”

Nia drew back in hurt and opened her mouth in shock at Andrea’s cruel statement about their relationship. “I’m not some possession to be stolen. Are you insane?”

“Yes,” Lena spat on behalf of her ex and glared at Andrea’s poker face. “She’s certifiable. It's one of the reasons I divorced her years ago. Do you even realize what you’ve done, Andrea? You used Nia—”

Pointing that out should have made no difference, but Andrea’s chin moved, and she no longer seemed apathetic. She pinched her brows together and reached for Nia. “Let me make something clear. We both enjoyed ourselves. I might have taken an interest in you at first because of your connection to Kara, but I liked getting closer to you.”

“Who are you?” Nia choked out and wrenched her arm from Andrea’s grip. She sided with Lena and Kara as everything tragically began to make sense, and she reeled from the revelation that her relationship was a lie. “Oh my god, every time I begged you to meet my friends or come over to game night, you knew you couldn’t show up. You let me think you were too busy, but you were just laughing at me–”

“That isn’t true,” Andrea interjected, with no pride in her voice as she insisted, “I didn’t derive any pleasure from deceiving you.”

“Like that makes any difference?” Nia laughed, the sound hollow and broken as her shoulders dropped from despair. “We’ve been together for months and I never knew what your kids' names were, and it wasn’t to protect them like you said, it was because I had already met them.”

“Mi querida—"

“Stop it, don’t call me that. I’m not your anything anymore. You pretended to care about me so I would spy on my friends for you. All of the questions you asked were never out of kindness. You made me an accomplice to something sick and I loved you.” Nia gasped, the full extent of her betrayal becoming a raw and unstoppable cry in her throat.

“I can explain,” Andrea stressed, though she got no further as Kara growled.

“Are you also going to explain why you paid Siobhan twenty thousand to screw me over with a business deal that you pulled out of your ass?” Kara snarled so fiercely that Andrea immediately postured, smug and defiant in the face of the chaos she had created.

“What?” Nia sniffled, finally noticing Siobhan standing uncomfortably in the corner while she studied her nails.

“It’s not my fault you’re stupid enough to think anyone would hire a pool cleaner to develop anything,” Andrea spat, all of her venom pouring out as she stepped into Kara’s personal space with a sneer.

The reek of her hatred rivaled the stench of Kara’s and Lena took a step back as she sensed the fight about to take place. She grasped Nia’s hand to pull her out of the way and whimpered at the acrid scent of Kara’s rage.

“Did you think I would never find out? What was the point of all this, to fuck me over? Make me feel like a failure? Were you hoping I’d lose my business by chasing a deal that would never go through? How long were you planning on drawing this out?” Kara ranted, her entire chest heaving as she stalked forward to snarl in Andrea’s face.

Anyone smart enough would have chosen to defuse the situation, but Andrea’s arrogance proved stronger than her common sense.

“As long as it took for you to break Lena’s heart!” Andrea yelled, flecks of spit flying from her lips as she gloated.

Andrea never saw the punch coming, but she sure as hell would have felt it when Kara’s fist struck her so hard it split her lip open. She clutched her jaw as she staggered back and fell on her ass, a real glimpse of fear flashing in her eyes as she flinched at the way Kara lunged for her.

Kara would have reached Andrea if not for Jack grabbing her by the arm to pull her away.

“Let’s not beat the shit out of the billionaire, even though we all agree she deserves it,” Jack grunted, spinning Kara away from Andrea while she still snarled and shook with rage.

“I don’t understand how you became this monster, but I will never forgive you for it,” Lena hissed, disgusted by the devastation Andrea had brought upon them.

Nia’s sobs couldn’t be stifled, and Lena pulled her into her arms while Jack tried to calm Kara down.

Andrea rubbed at her jaw and remained on the floor, knowing better than to get up. She finally stood as Lena escorted Nia back to her private office to get her belongings, and Jack was kind enough to accompany her out to her car.

Lena hurried back to her mate afterwards and enveloped her in a hug, ignoring the foul perfume of regret that followed Andrea into one of the bathrooms. She scarcely traced out calming circles on Kara’s back when Andrea emerged, and they glared at each other across the short distance between them.

It would have made sense for Andrea to bombard them with threats of a lawsuit, or claim a right to full custody over their pups. Lena figured that would be next in the confrontation and waited for Andrea’s ire to surface from under the bruise forming on her face. They had been at a stalemate for so long, and Lena understood in a glance that their relationship as exes and co-parents had shifted. She expected to be served with papers—for Andrea to take a parting cheap shot and then strike back even harder with her money and power the next morning.

“At the time all of this happened, I thought I was just going to hell and back for you, and that it would be over much faster,” Andrea whispered, standing two feet in front of Lena with her eyes directed to the floor. “That you would be in my arms, and all of my mistakes and my plotting would in the end spare you heartache. I didn’t think Kara would stick around, but I was wrong.”

Lena wrapped her arms tighter around Kara’s back, holding onto her like her ex’s voice was a windstorm and the only shelter was her mate.

“Take the girls,” Andrea enunciated, the words breaking from her lips and her face contorting with pain. “If you want to file for full custody, file. I’m going to leave for a while, travel back to Mexico, to León, and visit my mother’s grave.”

The fact that Andrea was willing to forfeit her relationship with their kids didn’t sit right with Lena, but she couldn’t find her voice to argue. She wanted this space from Andrea and could still feel Kara shaking. It all transpired too fast, and Andrea stepped away without bothering to give any clarity on the situation, or what it meant for their daughters.

Hours later, when she was back at home and in bed with Kara, she was still uncertain what would lie ahead. Kara slept with her head in Lena’s lap, and she combed a blonde strand of hair from her slumbering face.

Andrea’s abrupt exit from her life was a relief in some ways, and a burden in others. Sophia would want answers, and Natty would be confused by the change in her usual routine. In another week, Andy would move home to begin attending her new school, and while she butted heads with Andrea, Lena resented her ex for once again making personal decisions that affected them all.

Kara blinked awake to find her still up, and still caressing her softly. She kissed Lena’s palm and then shifted onto her side to gaze up at her in understanding. “Can’t sleep because you’re playing it all over in your head?”

“The kids are going to be devastated,” Lena whispered, afraid that saying it aloud would somehow make it all worse.

“No, they won’t,” Kara yawned, and for a moment Lena thought her mate was joking.

“Andrea is evil incarnate, but she’s still their parent. This will hurt them all.” Lena twirled a strand of Kara’s hair to try and soothe herself.

“No, it won’t, because we’re not filing for full custody,” Kara stated succinctly. She waited for their eyes to lock and sat up to cup Lena’s face in both of her palms. “I promised the girls that I would never try to replace Andrea as their sire, and I meant that. Maybe she’s finally going to grow a conscience, or develop one in a lab. We’ll tell the girls that she left on business trip, and if we haven’t heard from her in two weeks, I’ll just spray paint her Benz.”

Lena cracked a smile at her mate’s sense of humor and laughed at the soft grin on Kara’s face. “You were so upset earlier. How can you just bounce back like this?”

The question sobered Kara and she shrugged. “I have an amazing mate, and we have three wonderful kids with a fourth on the way. I’m still furious, and I probably will be for a long time, but I have so much to be grateful for, and Andrea can’t spoil that. I’ve lived through worse.”


Lena pondered that wisdom and its origins as she slid under the blankets beside Kara to snuggle into her arms. She tucked her chin into the crook of Kara’s shoulder and sighed, “We’ve gone through a lot in the past year, and you’ve taught me how to be brave and resilient in the face of it all. I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep everything inside all of the time. You’re safe to share how you’re feeling, good and bad, and I’ll still love you just as fiercely.”

"And this is how I know you're the one I'm going to spend the rest of my life with," Kara whispered, her arm tightening on Lena's hip to pull her even closer.