(BL)Alpha Made-Chapter 512: False alarm
Michael came in with his briefcase and looked more like the lawyer, George Hunter, then a Doctor in his eyes.
He was nicely dressed, with a nice, but thick, dark brown leather coat on top of the usual cream cable knit sweater that he liked to wear. He was wearing a very smart pair of black, ironed dress pants, some nicely polished shoes that were protected from the snow and cold, and a thick, classy scarf in a nice burgundy shade.
He looked sharp, and attractive, and it only made Andrew wonder what the hell he’d been doing before he’d gotten the message about Andrew.
"Please tell me you didn’t leave a date to come harass me." Andrew said, opening the door for his friend and doctor. Michael’s smile reached his eyes when he laughed and pulled Andrew in for a quick, but firm hug before moving past him. Andrew closed the door, watching Michael look around the home approvingly before he took off his shoes.
"I would never do something like that to someone who had asked me out. I was just at a meeting." Michael said and Andrew did not trust the man. Andrew knew that he liked to dress well, he always liked to look good, but this?
This was next level.
"A meeting? Michael, my guy, if you wanted to lie to me, there were better excuses." Andrew told him and Michael shook his head, laughing as he unwrapped the scarf from around his neck.
"Andy, look at me? Do you think I would lie to you about something like that?" Michael said, giving him a soft, warm smile. Andrew grinned, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall opposite of the man as he took off his coat and scarf.
"Michael, I think that you would. You’re a relatively private person, despite knowing the intimate details of everyone else." Andrew said with a smirk and Michael at least looked a little sheepish.
"Hey, I told you about that couple that wanted me to join them as their third." Michael said, defending himself. Andrew gave a laugh.
"Yeah, but only the one." He was sure that more people had tried to recruit the man into their relationships. There was no doubt about it in Andrew’s mind that Michael had been recruited more times than Andrew could count. The man was attractive, worked a good job, cared. Who wouldn’t like that outside of the crazy hours?
Michael looked a little embarrassed, which only told Andrew that he was probably right.
"Hey, I’m married to my work. I’m not even seeing anyone casually at the moment. I really just wanted to look good. It was an important client, not even a patient. This is a company that I work with that provides me goods for my patients. I don’t really work for a hospital so this meeting is always important. This year they are dedicated to putting more aside for me." Michael said with a smile, and then looked guilty.
"That’s good then. Does looking handsome make them have a better opinion of you?" He asked as they naturally moved towards the kitchen. Andrew had already pulled out a few snacks knowing that Michael was on his way.
Michael glanced around the house, like he was taking everything in for the first time. It was certainly not the first time that Andrew had invited the man in, but it had been a while. Michael put down his bag on one of the stools at the edge of the island’s counter. He glanced at the plate of snacks Andrew had prepared and smiled.
"It is, but...the client list is far more important to them." Michael admitted, and then sighed. "Which is how I know that they only gave me a boost to my supplies because I have you listed." Michael said. "My list hasn’t changed. I haven’t been able to take more clients last year. I have my hands full from the clients I still have, yet..." He trailed off, his eyes staring at the snacks for a long moment.
Andrew went around the counter, heading for the fridge and grabbing him a little sparkling non-alcoholic drink. He placed it in front of Michael and watched his brows furrow.
"What the hell is this?" Michael asked, sounding offended for Andrew. Andrew smiled.
"Maxy got these for me. They’re bottled mocktails so that whenever I have an urge, I don’t have to drink, I can drink one of these. I think you have your car here, right? Drink that and see if it helps. You look like you need several shots." Andrew said, and the fear that Andrew had had in his gut faded.
Michael’s hand reached for the tiny drink, picking it up in his hand. The pretty pink, hazy glass bottle looked ridiculous in his hand, and yet oddly suited him at the same time. Andrew watched him before he gave a subtle nod and Andrew turned, pulling open a drawer for a bottle opener and then a nice rocks glass. He gave both to Michael and watched him open the bottle after reading the back and pour it into the rocks glass.
He took a sip, looked mildly impressed, and then looked at the back of the bottle for a little bit longer.
"This wasn’t about my upcoming test, was it?" Andrew asked softly and Michael froze, before he sighed. His shoulders dropped, he put the rocks glass down and stared at the counter.
"...No." Michael admitted. He let out a heavy, long sigh. "It was never about it. I just happened to see the notification pop up on my phone and took that as an opportunity to get the fuck out of there while the glazed me for having you as a client." Andrew was a little surprised to hear that.
"Me? Not the Beckett family?" Andrew asked and Michael shook his head, a bitter, annoyed smile on his lips.
"They don’t care about a company run by an omega, Andrew. There are still plenty of people who look down on Maxy. Do I know that they are fucking wrong? Yes. Do I want to stop working with them? Also yes, but I am not in a position where I can do that. My clientele want me to be able to travel. They come to me so that I can meet them in their homes, see to them where they are. It helps that word of mouth is so prevalent in the communities that I work in, but there aren’t a lot of other companies that are willing to work with someone like me." Michael said with a sigh.
"What? That’s fucking ridiculous." Andrew said, pissed off for his friend. Michael just gave a small shrug. He looked resigned to his fate, like this had been going on for a long time.
"And so this company, who doesn’t recognise that you also work with the Beckett family, gave you more preference because you work with me this year?" Andrew asked and Michael shook his head slightly.
"Yes and no. They were looking at last year’s accounts. They liked that your name was showing up periodically. They had given me an increase the previous year because of how many clients I had then, but it was a significant increase at this meeting." Michael said, before taking a big swing of the nonalcoholic drink. "This isn’t half bad." Michael said and Andrew nodded.
"It’s my second batch." Andrew told him and Michael gave a soft smile at that.
"I’m glad to hear that." He told him, meaning it, while Andrew processed what his friend had just said.
"Why am I so important to your practise?" Andrew asked and Michael looked like he didn’t want to answer that. Andrew stiffened. "I’m not going to like your answer, am I?" Andrew asked and Michael looked disgusted.
"I also do like what I have to say to you either. I sat there in shock in a fancy fucking restaurant that I’d never been to before and listened to them say shit that made my skin boil." Michael looked like he was physically going to be ill. "I know that most of the world doesn’t know what the true alphas of this city have been doing behind other people’s backs. I know that, I understand that. The police have to keep it quiet to do a proper investigation, but, fuck. It’s like they didn’t read my file and see, see that only a few weeks ago I was at the Beckett hospital doing ’contract work’." Andrew had a feeling he knew where this bitter, angry and sarcastic rant was going.
"They said that they liked me because I was an Abraham, didn’t they? Or a true alpha?" Andrew suggested mildly and Michael let out a laugh that was all bitterness, no humour.
"Both, actually, which I honestly think is worse. Yes, I am aware that my clients are normally on the richer side of things. That’s a hazard of specialising in alphas, and I’m aware of it. Half of my battle in convincing them to trust me is how I carry myself. I am aware I have to rub elbows with the higher class and behave as if I am one of them. I’m not though." Michael admitted. "My Mom only lives in a nicer place because I was able to afford that for her. My Dad died fighting for our country. We lived off of his pension until I got my scholarship for school. If I didn’t, I was going to sign up for the military so that I could go to school to become a Doctor." That was a reality that Andrew had never anticipated, and one that Michael had never divulged before. "It was half of the reason I felt such a kinship with you when we were in school. Two coloured kids with absent fathers just trying to take care of our Moms." Andrew sat back, letting Michael vent.
This felt like it was a long time coming, and completely justified if Andrew was correct.
"You never told me that." Andrew said carefully, and Michael gave him a look.
"How could I tell you that my Mom was still alive?" Michael said and Andrew felt his chest squeeze.
"Michael, I would never judge you for that. Plus, you’ve been such a rock during all of this craziness, I’m also sure she worries about you all the time." Andrew said and Michael looked a little guilty, a little torn.
"Sorry man. I just..." Michael trailed off and Andrew reached out, giving his shoulder a squeeze.
"I’m not mad. It’s all good. But I just have a question." Andrew said and Michael let out a soft sigh and nodded, bracing himself.
"Yeah?"
"Is there not another company that you would be able to work with? Instead of this one? Surely more have popped up since you’ve been doing this?" Andrew asked. The look that Michael gave him was half of the answer.
"They chase everyone else out of the industry. It’s just them, at least for me. They make good money off of me, Andy." Michael told him and Andrew felt his brows furrow.
"Those fucks." Andrew said carefully, and Michael tossed his head back and laughed.
"Couldn’t have said it better myself." Michael said, and the laughter sounded a little less tense. Andrew was glad to hear it.
However, Andrew could feel his mind turning, trying to find a solution for Michael. It wasn’t fair for him to have to work with people that he didn’t want to work with anymore, nor a company that he really didn’t share the values with. Was there any way he could help?
