"That's the deal," he said, leaning forward. "If you are prepared to carry my heir, I am prepared to offer you a half-million dollars to do so."
When Ander Bennet, omega, signs up for egg donation, all he expects is a little extra money to help him...
Ander knew the moment he stepped off the train onto Waterloo station and saw a drunk man vomiting into a trash can that he was going to like London. The terminal was loud, packed with people, with a polished surface to distract from the dirt caked in the corners and crevices.
It was New York, basically, with a better accent.
"I love it," Ander said the moment he heard Francis come up behind him with their bags.
Francis laughed. "We haven't even left the station," he said.
"Doesn't matter," Ander assured him. "You can tell almost everything you need to know about a city from the main hub of public transportation, you know."
"Is that so?" Francis chuckled.
"It is," Ander said, taking the handle of his rolling suitcase when Francis offered it to him. "For instance, you can tell by visiting the Port Authority that New York is a rat-infested garbage city."
Francis laughed again, louder, in the way that only someone who's been to the Port Authority can laugh, as they headed off into the crowd. It made for quite a change from the quiet seclusion of their first-class train compartment, but Ander was born and raised in huge, dense crowds and navigated it with confidence.
"And what is it you can deduce about London from Waterloo?" Francis asked, as they made their way past the end of the stopped train and into the main artery of the station. It was two stories of shops and cafes and and endless stream of commuters, all pushing through the terminal in different directions underneath a massive, doming glass ceiling.
"Well, it's old." Ander could tell that at once. All the polishing in the world couldn't hide the way the tiles were fading, or the cracks in the pillars and walls. "Although I feel like if London were a person, you wouldn't dare say it to her face."
Francis chuckled, but didn't disagree.
"Classy and aware of it," Ander continued as he examined the selection of stores available, high-end boutiques and upscale bistros. As the drunk who had only moments ago been vomiting into a trash can gets hauled away by a few alphas in uniform, Ander added, "Although still a bit of a nasty old broad."
"I can honestly say that I find no fault in your assessment," Francis said. "I was going to hail a cab to take us to Mayfair, but perhaps you'd prefer taking the Underground."
"Hell yes, I'd prefer the Underground," Ander answered at once, "and if I'll be hugely disappointed if I don't see at least one dead rat."
In the pocket of his hoodie, Ander's phone buzzed against his stomach. As Francis laughed again – Ander was starting to like how easily he could make Francis laugh – he checked his phone screen. Another unknown number with another ambiguous opening message. Ander was rapidly losing patience with this bullshit.
"The escalators will take us down," Francis said as he headed off. Ander followed, swiping through to read the text and reply.
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