Terzo's phone is vibrating. He's in a meeting and trying to concentrate, but the quiet buzz of his phone is driving him crazy. He reaches to silence it, but sees Omega's name on the display. "Excuse me," Terzo says, heading out into the hallway.
"Omega," he greets when he answers, not quite successful in keeping the warmth out of his voice. "An unexpected surprise, but a pleasant one."
"Hey, Terzo, you busy? Alpha and I could use some consultation. We're having trouble coming to a decision, so of course we thought of you. Can you swing by Alpha's place? We're both here." Omega sounds a little more nervous than usual, but Terzo supposes that could be a result of whatever issue he and Alpha are currently tackling. Uncertainty really is the worst.
"I'm just finishing up a meeting, I can be there in an hour?" Terzo will have to email Doris and have her shift his last two appointments to another day.
"An hour works. Do you have a pen, I'll give you the address--"
"I've got it. I'll see you in an hour, Omega." Terzo hangs up and shoots a quick email to his secretary, not bothering to give her an explanation. She's clever. She'll find something to tell his clients about his absence.
He heads back into his meeting and resumes his seat. "I'm leaving in 35 minutes, whether you're finished or not. I recommend that you get to your point," Terzo says flatly to the man presenting some nonsense about an expansion project for Terzo's office. He has no desire to expand or hire more consultants to take clients he doesn't have time for, but his parents had insisted that he at least attend the presentation meeting, and decide once he had all the available information. So here he is.
The man stammers out an acknowledgement and fumbles with the projector remote, accidentally skipping past the next slide. Terzo keeps his expression neutral, though he's thoroughly unimpressed. When Omega flails around, it's cute, almost endearing. But watching someone else do it just makes Terzo want to say something cruel and leave immediately.
The nervous little man is very lucky Terzo has such strong self-control.
——
The meeting had wrapped up early, once it became clear that none of the project team's ideas were landing or resonating with Terzo at all, especially after their presenter had started flubbing his prepared speeches almost constantly. Terzo had been embarrassed for the man, just watching the train wreck happen.
Terzo pulls into Alpha's driveway well within the hour he'd quoted Omega, and takes a moment to check his hair in the mirror of his visor. He looks the same as always, which, to Terzo, is just right. At the door he stops again to make sure his jacket and shirt are as wrinkle free as possible. He'd left his tie in the car, and he unbuttons the button at his collar. Then buttons it again. Then huffs, looking down at himself, and unbuttons two buttons instead. There. Casual, confident, a little sexy, but not off-putting. Perfect. He rings the doorbell.
Omega is the one who answers, despite it being Alpha's home. He gives Terzo a single, helpless once-over, checking him out from head to toe, and Terzo stands a little straighter at the flush the blooms on Omega's sweet freckled cheeks. Terzo will never get tired of the way Omega reacts to him.
