She woke up to the sound of her alarm beeping.
Rummaging for her phone under the blankets she found the source emitting the offending noise and brought the device to her face. Tapping the screens stop button and placing the phone on her bedside counter, she moved to pull her bed covers off her body and stepped out of bed. Raising to her full 5'1" height she let out a yawn and raised her arms above her head to stretch.
Today was an important day for Hitoka Yachi. She was tasked to work on a solo commission for an up and coming company and was to meet their CEO and go over the brief.
She was getting dressed in her bedroom when she glanced at her monthly calendar hanging on the wall. It had today's date circled in red, and starting tomorrow there was a week marked which she estimated would be when her pre-heat would start and end.
She had been maneuvering through pre-heats since puberty and had become comfortable enough hiding her scent in all types of environments. When her body started showing the signs of pre-heat she would follow through with the appropriate steps. Steps that allowed her to live her normal life and not have to hide herself away in her apartment for a week.
Opening her bedside counter drawer, she pulled out a clear PET plastic packer bottle and a small round metal container.
Hitoka takes scent suppressant pills daily which completely suppresses the identifying scent of the user when not in heat or pre-heat but is only eighty percent efficient when they are in heat or pre-heat. She also daily applies a clear balm below her nose that nullifies alpha pheromones from entering her system. The balm works successfully at eighty percent when she is not in heat and is fifty percent effective when in pre-heat.
Done with her morning ritual of ingesting the gel pill and distributing the balm under her nose she finalized her outfit and went into her bathroom to curl her hair. The twenty-three year old was not one for wearing make-up, but she still wanted to look a little more polished for today's meeting, so she applied some mascara and tinted lip balm.
She ate a light breakfast then grabbed her black briefcase and headed for the door. At the entrance she slipped on her shoes and made sure to have everything she needed before leaving her apartment and making her way to the train station.
Hitoka checked the clock on her computer screen, it read 10:45 am. Deciding that it was time to leave, she logged off her desktop and made her way down to the lobby.
Exiting the elevator, she went into the restroom to quickly check on her appearance.
Standing in front of a full body mirror she looked over her outfit. Her white long sleeve button up shirt was still crisp and clean. The shirt was tucked into her black pencil skirt and paired with nude pumps. Her long hair was pulled into a low side pony-tail. The blonde hair falling over her left shoulder had been slightly curled. Walking closer to the mirror, Hitoka leaned forward to get a better look at her face. The tinted lip balm she applied earlier was holding strong even after her coffee, and her mascara was not flaking off.
Satisfied with her appearance, Hitoka left the restroom and made her way to the front desk. She greeted the receptionist and started talking amicably with her, while she waited for the client. It was a couple minutes after they had started talking that a man walked through the building entrance doors. He was wearing a black hoodie and black adidas track pants, paired with sneakers. It was a very casual look. His black hair with blonde ends were tied in a messy bun behind his head.
He stepped up to the front desk, and Hitoka thought he would ask where the bathroom was and then be on his way.
"I'm here to meet with Yachi-san in ad design" spoke the man.
Hitoka's heart sped up a little. She felt embarrassed for judging a person based on their appearance. It had taken her by surprise that the very important client she was meeting with today, the CEO commissioning her, was around her age.
The blonde smiled and said, "I'm Hitoka Yachi, are you Kozume-san?".
"Yes, I'm Kenma Kozume" he responded.
"It's nice to meet you Kozume-san, please follow me to the office we'll be using" said Hitoka as she started making her way towards the elevator.
The elevator was quick to let them in, and the petite woman pushed the button for the fifth floor. Kenma hadn't smelled anything when the blonde introduced herself at the lobby, so he assumed that she was a beta. Betas have weak scents because their bodies don't heavily produce the pheromones that identify them as either alpha or omega.
No one else was in the elevator other than them. Hitoka wasn't one for small talk and hoped that they wouldn't be interrupted on their ascent. Luckily no one else entered after them and they reached their level quickly. Hitoka was the first one leaving the elevator when a current of cold air greeted them.
The scent he hadn't noticed in the space of the elevator now infiltrated his nostrils. It was a mix of rich jasmine, sweet vanilla and warm honey. It had to be one of the most appealing scents he's ever come across, she smelled absolutely delicious.
He followed her as she led him to a meeting room. The room had a large table in the middle with several chairs. On the table was a laptop and tablet. She closed the door behind him, and they made their way to the large desk.
Hitoka sat in front of the laptop and he took his seat adjacent to the electronics. They started talking about what the goal was, what message he wanted to get across to his audience, and other details like what colors he'd like and deadlines for the design.
Throughout the entire meeting Kenma had been partly paying attention to what she was saying and showing him on the computer. The other half of his attention was focused on discreetly sniffing her and taking in her appearance.
His mind had registered her as attractive to him in the lobby, but he hadn't been really paying attention to her then. Now that he was right next to her, he was engrossed with memorizing her features and scent.
She had silky blush blonde hair, soft inviting plump lips, large warm amber eyes. Her neck was long, creamy and unblemished. Her white blouse rose with the swell of her chest and was eased into her form fitting black skirt that accentuated the curve of her hips and displayed her long slim legs.
At this point, he was sure he was in the presence of an omega. Had she been a good smelling beta he wouldn't be this distracted during a business meeting.
They were at the end of their meeting now. Hitoka had initially suggested that they communicate electronically through email or video conference regarding any new details, ideas and deadlines pertaining to the commission.
Fearing he would never see her again. Kenma insisted that they meet up in person so that he can express his ideas and direct her in the right path immediately, so that they wouldn't waste any time and effort and were on the same page. He could have absolutely said everything he needed to just as comfortably through virtual means, but that would mean he wouldn't be in close proximity with her again.
They had agreed to meet again in about a week's time at her place of work. She offered to walk him to the lobby, and he accepted.
She bid him farewell from the receptionist's desk and watched him leave through the glass front doors. The breeze from outside brushed his person and entered the building as the door closed behind him.
She registered the sweet and spicy scent of cinnamon. Normally she wouldn't be aware of anyone's scent because of the pills she takes and the balm she applies. She only ever notices alpha's scents when she's already in pre-heat. And the scents of alphas are more potent to her senses because her body wants to find a mate.
Realization struck her. She had already started pre-heat! Her estimated start day had been off!
The thought was fleeting but Hitoka wondered if Kozume-san was able to smell her. Self-conscious of her own scent and slightly anxious about being unprepared Hitoka walked back towards the elevator but leaned her back against the wall across from the machine not pushing the button. She needed to collect her thoughts before integrating back with her colleagues upstairs.
Thankfully it was the first day so her pheromones weren't going crazy and no alpha should be able to notice her omega status unless they were to stand shoulder to shoulder with her, or their instincts were top notch.
Comforted with this thought Hitoka made her way back to her cubicle and went about with the rest of her workday. And when it was time to go home, she made sure to ride the woman only passenger car on the train.