Heath buys Adrien’s heat with only one motivation: to impregnate Adrien, claim the child, and move on. But their undeniable passion shocks him. Adrien doesn’t know what to make of the handsome, mysterious stranger he’s pledged his body to, but he’s soon swept away in the heat of the moment and surrenders to Heath entirely.
Once Adrien is pregnant, Heath secrets him away to his immense and secluded home. As the birth draws near, Heath grows to love Adrien for the man he is, not just for his connection to Nathan. Unaware of Heath’s past with his omega parent and coming to depend on him heart and soul, Adrien begins to fall as well.
But as their love blossoms, Nathan’s shadow looms. Can Heath keep his new love and the child they’ve made together once Adrien discovers his secrets?
Heat for Sale is a stand-alone m/m romance by Blake Moreno, a pen name of author Leta Blake. Infused with a Rebecca-style secret, it features a well-realized omegaverse, an age-gap, dominance and submission, heats, knotting, and scorching sex scenes.
For Rebecca
PART ONE
Heat
Chapter One
ADRIEN PACED BY the window of his dorm room with his cell phone pressed to his ear. He’d known it was coming. Every omega did, but somehow between his day-to-day studies and his research into Hontu tribal materials, he’d managed to forget about it most of the time. But Ron Finch, his university’s professional matcher, had removed any ambiguity about the matter. With a firm and undeniable voice, he’d made it quite clear: the time had come for Adrien to sell his first heat.
All omegas faced this moment, but most of them had family to rely on to help them make a good choice. For better or for worse, Adrien was alone in the world, so the decision of how to proceed with regards to his heat was entirely up to him.
“Review the options again?” Sweat pooled in the small of his back, despite the room’s roaring air conditioner. Adrien wiped at his face, finding his upper lip and forehead damp.
“The first option, and the most popular by far, is to have a family member arrange for the purchase of your first heat by some well-to-do friend or business associate. Since your father, God rest his soul, has passed on to the next world, and you don’t know the whereabouts of the omega who birthed you, the duty could reasonably fall to an uncle or brother.”
“No,” Adrien gritted out, his glasses slipping down a bit on his nose. “I have no family.”
“In that case, the second option is to allow me, as matcher of the university, to see if there are any alphas amongst the alumni who’d like to purchase your heat outright. Obviously, the university takes a small percentage of the price as a fee for service rendered. I admit, though, Adrien, given your financial situation, the third option might be the best one for you.
It’s guaranteed to generate the greatest profit for your valuable and once-in-a-lifetime first heat.”
“And what’s that entail?” He already knew, but he needed to hear it again to make it real.
“An online public auction of the heat. Ninety percent of the proceeds go to you and ten percent go to the university for the trouble. If you want, we could offer an attempt at breeding you at a premium. That will bring in the highest possible bids. Obviously, there are alumni of the university who’ll pay a tidy sum when offered a heat purchase directly, but if you give them an omega to bid on? Especially one as handsome as you? Well, they’ll bankrupt themselves in a frenzy of competition for the right to claim your first heat.
And, if you’re willing, they’ll shell out even more for a chance at breeding you.”
Adrien ran a hand over the flat, toned stomach beneath his soft sweater.
He cleared his throat, words stuck for a moment, until he finally said, “I’m not sure I’m ready to try for a pregnancy.”
“Understandable. But you have to also consider your finances. Certainly you can sell future heats and breeding attempts, but none will go for so high a price as a first heat and first breeding combined. You know how much alphas like to stake their claims—even if it is only for a single season.”
Adrien closed his eyes. He’d face up to ten such ‘seasons’ in his life. No omega had been known to go into heat more than ten times, and most averaged only five, but each successive season was less fertile than the last and brought in less money. Assuming you didn’t fall in love with an alpha and marry him. Then one man handled all an omega’s seasons and became financially responsible for his well-being for life. Such pairings were common but not expected.
“And, as you know, unless you fall for one another, which is highly unlikely, any child you bear is the concern of the alpha. You wouldn’t be required to participate in its life at all. The wee thing would be immediately transferred to the alpha’s care after a period of chestfeeding and then weaning.”
“That’s still a large portion of my life. Four months of pregnancy followed by a year of chestfeeding, at a minimum. The interruption to my college career would be a strain.” To put it mildly. He’d only just begun to really make headway understanding the connection between Hontu woven fabric and their spiritual life.
“College can wait,” Mr. Finch said. “I see in your files your goal is to be named a certified art history professor. For you, an omega, to have that chance the government demands a large fee. According to your university
accounts, you’re barely able to afford another year of education, and I’m not even sure if you can achieve enough funds to reach your goal. Even by selling the breeding along with the heat.”
Adrien’s stomach hurt.
“But, if you truly want to aim for such a lofty future career, then an online, public auction is definitely the only chance you’ve got.”
“Do I have to decide now? About the breeding, I mean?”
“So it’ll be the auction for sure?”
“Yes, as you point out, I have no other choice financially.”
Mr. Finch made a happy sound. “Excellent. We can always get the auction going with just the first heat on offer. Once the pot is bubbling with bids, we can sweeten it by offering the breeding as an add-on. It always creates a frenzy to drop the breeding offer mid-auction. Drives the alphas wild.”
Adrien’s head swam. He sat down on the hard single bed he’d slept on for the last four years of studies. “What do I have to do? What’s the next step?”
“You’ll come to my offices tomorrow. We’ll discuss the protocol for provoking your first heat. Then you’ll pose for some photos for the auction—
naked, of course, so they can see the goods. Make sure to have everything down there looking as nice as possible. A little trimming never hurt anyone!
It can actually help make the package look a bit bigger. After that I’ll work up the wording for the online auction, set it up for you, and get it started immediately. We’ll be able to sense within the first day whether or not we need to be worried.”