Desire Me If You Can [Novel] - Chapter 49

The air inside was thick with the pheromones of extreme alphas and omegas. It was the same familiar scent Grayson had grown used to, but today, it felt strangely uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because, as the host had said, it had been “a long time.”
Grayson sat at the bar, drinking and scanning his surroundings. At pheromone parties, the host usually provides a number of partners to fulfill the purpose of releasing pheromones. Some came out of curiosity, others simply enjoyed sex, but most were there as part of their job.
Dealing with a pheromone-drenched extreme alpha like Grayson wasn’t something one could do without serious preparation. The risk was too high if someone was just looking to satisfy their curiosity. Therefore, the people who were regularly brought to these parties were typically the same. Grayson had a strict rule: he didn’t sleep with the same partner twice. This created a problem here.
He had always brought his own partners or released pheromones to new ones he met that day, though occasionally, he returned empty-handed. To prepare for these times, Grayson had often released his pheromones in advance, which was always a wise choice. Even if he skipped a few parties, it didn’t cause significant issues. That’s why he was here today. There was no way of knowing when he might meet the love of his life, so if he didn’t regulate his pheromones properly, he might not even be in his right mind when that time came. Such a horrifying situation had to be avoided at all costs.
Even if it wasn’t his destined mate, he could always sleep with someone.
He’d done that countless times before. Sometimes, even with a partner, he would release pheromones to another for a one-night fling. He’d always done it that way, and he’d never felt bored or burdened by it. Even when it was done mechanically, he didn’t mind it.
But today, why did he feel so unmotivated?
In front of him, all kinds of debauchery and chaos were taking place, yet he felt no excitement. All he could think about was releasing his pheromones and then going home to rest.
This wasn’t like him.
Suddenly, he felt the gaze of someone on him. Turning his head, he immediately locked eyes with a young man with a youthful face. The revealing outfit, exposing more than half of his chest, clearly marked him as an omega. As he approached Grayson, the familiar scent of an omega’s pheromones lingered.
“Hey, I’m Frankie. It’s my first time at this party.”
“You don’t say.”
Grayson smiled leisurely as he replied, and Frankie blinked in surprise.
“How do you know?”
The answer was simple. As if it were obvious, Grayson extended his arm, pulling Frankie closer by the waist.
“I’ve seen all the regular faces at the party. I would know.”
Upon hearing the answer, Frankie let out a short laugh. His breath became heavy, clearly excited.
“I’ve been watching you since you came in.”
Frankie confessed, almost whispering, as he caressed Grayson’s cheek.
“Do you want to release pheromones with me today…?”
This was a common phrase at pheromone parties. In essence, it meant, “Let’s have sex.” And typically, that’s exactly what would happen right then and there, or they would find an appropriate place for it. There were plenty of places at the party where sex could happen. It wasn’t hard to do. But for some reason, Grayson didn’t feel any desire.
He’d reflexively grabbed Frankie’s ass, massaging it, but then, his brow furrowed. What would that guy’s ass be like?
The image of the red-haired man flashed across his mind, and for a moment, Grayson was startled. Why him? Why now?
A deep sigh escaped him. The impact of that chest was too much. That was why he couldn’t get that guy out of his mind.
But there were chests everywhere here, weren’t there? Even the cute-faced man in his arms was exposing his chest, yet here he was, ruining the moment because of a man’s chest that wasn’t even in front of him.
The reason was obvious. It was the same reason Grayson had come here.
“My pheromones are overflowing.”
“What?” Frankie asked, confused by Grayson’s mutter.
Grayson smiled faintly, brushing it off.
Frankie, who had glanced sideways, casually sat down on Grayson’s lap and tilted his head. His tongue touched first, and then their lips locked. Without hesitation, Grayson slipped his hand inside Frankie’s pants and caressed his bare ass.
Should he just finish it here?
He had no desire to move to another place. All it took was unzipping, and it would be over. It wasn’t difficult. He’d done it many times before.
But.
Grayson opened his eyes and furrowed his brow. Frankie, still lost in the kiss with his eyes closed, wasn’t aware of it, but Grayson had already cooled off. In fact, he hadn’t even been aroused in the first place. Despite the overwhelming pheromones, his lower body remained still, completely unresponsive to Frankie’s passionate kiss. Instead, his mind was filled with nothing but frustration.
Frankie pulled away from the kiss and looked at Grayson’s face. Grayson, who had been staring vacantly,  opened his mouth.
“Did you know that firefighter uniforms are the worst of all?”
“…What?”
Frankie blinked, not understanding what he had just heard. Grayson muttered, still frowning.
“Uniforms are supposed to look sexy no matter what. But the only one that doesn’t is the firefighter’s uniform. Of course, it’s obvious. It covers the body so loosely. Even if it’s a design meant for its purpose, didn’t it have to be like that? What do you think?”
“…I’m not sure.”
Frankie gave a vague response, looking embarrassed, but quickly tried to return to what they had been doing. “Shouldn’t we just continue what we were doing? We can think later.”
Trying to tempt Grayson again, Frankie kissed his face in several places. He rubbed his ass against Grayson’s thigh suggestively, but Grayson showed no response. Eventually, Frankie, completely disheartened, snapped angrily.
“Useless bastard! Go die!”
Shouting at the top of his lungs, he turned and quickly left. Grayson just watched him leave. It was strange. Something that used to be so simple, just putting it in and getting it over with, suddenly felt so tedious.
“Shit.”
Grayson muttered lowly, finishing the drink in front of him in one go. As he got off the bar stool and started to walk across the hall, the host, who had noticed him, called out in surprise.
“Grayson! You’re leaving already? Grayson, Grayson Miller!”
He called out several times, but by the time he had turned around, Grayson had already disappeared. The host, tilting his head in confusion, looked in the direction Grayson had gone.