Talk About… Rivalry (Rockwood Valley Omegaverse #2)

14. Maverick

Maverick

A ll I could think while I was waiting for the alpha from Sinclair Vineyards to come in was that I wanted to punch him in the face for daring to touch my omega.

Mine… yet I agreed to a date.

Guilt had been bogging me down since last night. I don’t know what came over me or why I agreed to go on the date with that omega.

Kelly, her name was Kelly.

I’d looked right at Sidney, too. When she looked down, refusing to meet my eyes… it just broke something in me.

The truth was that I couldn’t sit around and pine for her day after day like some lovesick puppy.

Then why did it feel so fucking bad?

The creek of the old wooden door pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see the alpha in question walking through. He had some kind of leather bound portfolio in his hand dressed in another one of his tailored suits.

He was objectively attractive and that only pissed me off more.

He looked put together, smug, and confident in his gold rimmed, round glasses. Cocky with his blond hair combed back. The intricate tattoos I could see peeking out from under his suit were just the final nail in the coffin.

Fuck this guy.

“Welcome in,” I managed to choke out. My voice was icy and biting and from the low chuckle Bennett let out, he knew why.

“The name’s Bennett Sinclair,” he clarified. “It was nice to see how well this bar was thriving last night. I’m glad I came in.”

Was I just imagining the innuendo under his words? I didn’t miss him leaving with my girl if that’s what he thought.

I saw everything that happened with Sidney. I was always hyperaware of her.

Honestly, it felt like he was in on some kind of inside joke that I wasn’t privy to and I fucking hated it.

I really needed to get my angry bias in check before this business deal crashed and burned.

“Sinclair,” I said, putting the pieces together and focusing on the important things. I could keep this professional. My business depended on it.

We may be thriving thanks to Avery’s hard work, but this would only bring in more people and give us a wider selection.

If we played our cards right, we could announce the new inventory and use it to our advantage. I bet Nash and Avery would jump at the chance to create another event like last night, just one tailored to wine.

“You caught that, huh,” he joked. The alpha sat down at the barstool across from me. His ink lined fingers flipped open the portfolio, the papers underneath all showcasing the foiled Sinclair logo at the top.

“Do they usually send one of their own to do meetings like this?” I questioned. This was a first for me and I’ve had meetings with several suppliers. “I don’t think I’ve ever met with an owner before.”

He let out a hollow laugh. “I’m hardly the owner, Maverick. Just a black sheep son that they send away more than keep home.”

Maybe he was not as well put together as I thought.

“Well, what are you proposing?” I questioned, choosing not to dwell on what he said. It wasn’t like we were here to trauma bond, we were here to make business connections.

Though, it did soften my anger a bit.

“Sinclair Vineyards has been wanting to expand our market. My proposal was that coming to places like this...” He paused, gesturing around at the bar. “Places that are the heart of these small towns, would be the best way. The small town word of mouth is unmatched.”

I huffed out a laugh. “Definitely around here.

He smiled, looking pleased to have confirmation. “We generally would like to have a selection for you guys to serve, but also a small display and extra inventory to sell by the bottle.”

I ran a hand over my stubble as I thought over his words. We sold entire bottles a time or two, but it was usually a bottle of whiskey to a bachelorette party or something of that sort.

“Do you have a list of the selections you’d want us to feature?” I asked.

He flipped a few pages before handing one over. My eyes scanned down the list. He’d handpicked a mix of red, white, and sparkling wines. There was also a local, sweet raspberry wine. That would go over well in a town like Rockwood Valley.

“Our list is more extensive than this,” he clarified. “We could adjust, add, or swap out at any time. I just thought these would be the ones to have the most impact here and I don’t want to overwhelm your customers with too many choices. This is meant to be concise, affordable, and small town friendly.”

He worded it carefully like he was afraid he’d offend, but the truth was we weren’t a high-end restaurant. The last thing we were going to do was serve bottles of wine that cost more than most people made in a week. Not at Whitaker Brews at least, maybe that new fucking bar would… hell, that might be to my advantage.

“We can also do a trial period. I offer that to everyone to see where it takes us. We want a mutually beneficial experience. We would start with a small supply of each, then go bigger or smaller depending on the interest.”

Bennett had a way of speaking that was both smooth and knowledgeable, but personable.

The urge to punch him was starting to be drowned out by the urge to give this deal a chance.

It didn’t matter what the guy himself or his connection to Sidney was like. This could be something to take our bar to the next level.

“Let me see some numbers and I’ll see what I can do, but I’m definitely interested. I’m not sure if you’ve worked much in this area, but we used to be known for the Artisan Fair here in Rockwood Valley. We’re working on launching it again and I’m fairly certain a wine tasting tent would go a long way.”

His grin widened and he pointed at me. “That right there, Maverick, is exactly what I’m talking about. These connections lead to even more possibilities. I’d love to know more about it when you have the information. Is it just alcohol or do you have artisans of all types?”

“All types,” I said. “It’s definitely family friendly. There’s everything from handmade crafts, we have blacksmiths that come down to sell their goods, leatherworkers.” I continued listing all of the things I could remember, including the ones I had contact with especially.

My plans were still in the early stages unfortunately, but everyone was eager to get back to me. That was enough to boost my confidence and push me forward.

I worked on my plans for this almost as much as I worked on the books for the bar.

“Here are numbers for the shipment that I would suggest,” Bennett said, sliding over yet another paper. I was slowly forming a stack of them.

I glanced it over and went over our financials in my head, realizing that we could easily cover this. His outlines were thorough and I wouldn’t have a hard time selling my brothers on it.

He’d even gone as far as breaking the price down per glass and how much they suggested we pour to get the most profit for all sides.

“I’ll have to discuss it with my brothers since we run this together, but I don’t see why we’d have a problem.”

“Perfect, here’s my business card,” he said, sliding it over. “If you have any questions feel free to call me and I’ll find out the answers for you.”

“Sounds good. Thanks for considering us,” I said as I extended my hand toward him. Part of me wanted to crush his hand as a reminder not to touch my omega, but I somehow kept it professional and shook it firmly but not aggressively before letting him go.

“Have a good day,” I said, picking up the stack of papers so I could take them to the office. He was already packing up his own things, offering a quick goodbye before walking outside.

I let out a breath, damn proud of myself for not fucking that up.

The whole meeting went a lot better than I expected and honestly his excitement about hearing about the Artisan Fair only amped up my own.

It was a family legacy and a way to honor our fathers. Or maybe it was just a welcome distraction from the shitshow that was my love life.

Either way, I was itching to get back to my desk and work on it now.

Just as I was about to head to the back I heard Leo’s obnoxious voice. My head snapped up to the window where I could clearly see him speaking to Bennett Sinclair.

That prick.

I was dropping the papers on the bar and moving before I realized what I was doing, shoving the door open and stepping outside to confront the beta who was intent on ruining my life.

“I’d love to hear more,” Leo was saying. His words cut off as he looked up at me. “Maverick.”

That greeting was full of barely concealed annoyance.

“Are you really going to try to snag a business deal out from under me, right in front of my business?”

“No,” Leo said looking confused. “I was actually coming to talk to you and he happened to be walking out.”

“Oh, and you just happened to tell him about your little bar that you’re opening up?”

“Actually, he was on my list to speak to as well. Mayor Adams gave me a few names since he’d already submitted his business license. I figured why not strike up a conversation. I recognized his picture and I was the one who started it. Now, I feel like I’ve gotten in the middle of some strange rivalry.”

His nose wrinkled with distaste and I couldn’t even blame him. I fucking hated drama, yet somehow wound up in the middle of it.

“It shouldn’t even be a rivalry,” Leo thundered. “This asshole’s been giving me grief since I said I was opening up a lounge. We are not in direct competition.”

“If you want an unbiased outside opinion on it,” Bennett offered, his voice careful and calm.

He looked at me first as if I were the issue. My gaze narrowed right back at him. One look and I was right back to wanting to punch his smug face.

“Your businesses are not the same from what I understand of them both. You are already established, and his is the kind of thing that will only make the town more unique. It will draw an older population, where you seem to thrive in the younger crowd and seasoned locals. The clientele will be vastly different outside of a few crossovers.”

My teeth were grinding so hard my jaw ached. I said nothing as I breathed through my anger, my eyes still narrowed on them both.

Who the fuck did this guy think he was?

Bennett let out a sigh and handed over his business card to Leo when he realized I wasn’t backing down. “Call me to set up a time to talk. Have a good day.”

He directed his goodbye to both of us before walking away, leaving Leo and I staring each other down on the sidewalk.

“Maverick, the last thing I want to do is start some kind of petty war when I’ve got enough on my plate. He’s right we are very different. Everybody keeps telling you that, but you refuse to listen.”

“You’re right. I won’t listen because this is bullshit and you know it.”

“We aren’t even serving beer,” Leo defended. “It’s going to be wine, high-end whiskey, gin, anything that was historically relevant to hard liquor. You have a jukebox, we will have live music or pre-recording of jazz. Not the fucking same.”

With that he let out a huff, turned, and stormed away. I’d give it to the beta, he had some major alpha energy.

If I didn’t hate him so much maybe I’d be impressed.

Instead I stormed inside, surprised to see Cameron and Nash looking at the papers I’d left behind.

“How did the meeting go?” Cameron asked, oblivious or ignoring the fight out front, I wasn’t sure which.

“Sorry, we would have been here sooner but Mama needed help with something,” Nash explained, flipping through the papers and then glancing up at me when I hadn’t spoken.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Cameron accused.

“The meeting went great and then he steps outside and has a conversation with that jerk trying to open a bar.”

“Right in front of ours?” Cameron bit out, getting just as angry as I was.

Nash just shook his head. “You know, I’ve heard a little bit about his plans and I really don’t think we have to worry about it guys. We’ve got our own thing with social media and reaching a broader audience. Our business is booming. We’re just fine.”

“I sure as hell hope you’re right.”