4. No One Interviews Like This!
4
NO ONE INTERVIEWS LIKE THIS!
Nat climbed out of the SUV with Walren, doing a double-take at the glass-and-steel building owned by Brimstone Industries.
“I didn’t think they’d send a car for me,” he said.
“Of course we would.” The car’s smartly dressed driver ushered them toward the office building with a smooth sweep of his arm. “My apologies for not introducing myself earlier. I’m Hubrie.”
Hubrie looked... professional. Sharp eyes, easy smile, maybe in his sixties.
Nat shook his hand warily; Walren shook his hand too.
The only thing that kept them calm was having the GPS turned on in their phones. Killian was back home with their babies, checking their locations every few minutes.
With a shared look, Nat and Walren followed Hubrie into the front lobby.
The inside of the building looked just as impressive as the outside. A glittering chandelier hung from the ceiling, reflected in the black marble floors. A mini waterfall tinkled quietly in the background. It smelled good in here, for a company named Brimstone—something leafy and floral like they’d stepped into a garden.
Everything was so shiny and elegant that Nat felt massively underdressed in his simple button-down shirt, pants, and sneakers.
“I thought I was just applying to work for some random guy,” Nat said under his breath.
Hubrie smiled like he had heard the comment, but was too polite to mention it. “If it’s quite all right with you, Mr. Walren, we’d appreciate it if you could remain in the lobby while my boss interviews Mr. Nat.”
Nat’s pulse thumped. Walren gave him a concerned look.
“I’ll be fine,” Nat said bravely. If Hubrie’s boss kidnapped him... Well, he knew a group of alphas who might come to his rescue. “I’ll text you when it’s over.”
“Trust me, Nat will be in very good hands,” Hubrie said delightedly.
Nat followed the man into a gleaming elevator. Hubrie hit the button for the second-highest floor. Their eyes met when the doors slid quietly shut, and the elevator moved smoothly through the building.
“So,” Hubrie said slowly. “You hadn’t mentioned the other parts of the job in your resume. The... special tasks.”
“I thought it would be weird for a raccoon to offer them!” Nat blurted. “But, uh, in my human shape, I think I wouldn’t mind.”
At Nat’s blush, Hubrie’s smile grew. “Good, good.”
The elevator opened into a lobby with a high ceiling. Everything in here looked big—from the plush armchairs to the doors that were so tall, a small mountain could pass through them.
“Come with me,” Hubrie said.
Their shoes clicked loudly on the marble tiles. When Nat looked over his shoulder, no one seemed to be around.
“Don’t worry, Hell Master will be here soon,” Hubrie said.
“Hell Master?!” Nat squeaked.
“That’s just my nickname for him.” Hubrie grinned. “He’s a good person. You’ll see.”
“But w-why isn’t HR interviewing me? I assume HR is on one of the lower floors.”
“That’s because Hell Master works on this level. If he likes you, this is where you’ll be working.”
“Holy fuck,” Nat whispered. He clapped his hands over his mouth.
When he had sent that resume with pictures of himself as a raccoon, he hadn’t thought his potential future boss might be someone incredibly rich and powerful.
Holy hell.
They passed a large desk in front of an office, only for Hubrie to open the office door and lead Nat inside.
An even larger desk staked its claim on the far side of the room. Behind it was a floor-to-ceiling window that showed off the rest of Cartfalls. Unlike the hallway, the floor in here was carpeted, hushing the sounds in the office.
Hubrie led Nat all the way to the giant stone desk. He cleared off the few items on one side of the desk—a pen holder, a coaster, a notebook, and a photograph.
“Now,” Hubrie said. “Lie on the desk.”
Nat froze. “What?”
Hubrie raised his eyebrows. “Well, my instructions should have been clearer. Could you place your hands on the middle of the desk, about shoulder-width apart?”
Nat set his hands on the cool surface, which was such a contrast with the too-hot apartment.
“Now, press your cheek against the desk.”
Nat blinked. He had to bend over for his cheek to touch the stone surface. This pressed his chest and belly against the desk too, with only a thin layer of fabric separating him from the stone. It was cold. His nipples pebbled.
“Now, wait here until Hell Master is ready for your interview,” Hubrie said.
“Wait,” Nat yelped. “I should be in my chair for the interview! What if he thinks I’m—unprofessional or something?”
“This is perfect.” Hubrie flapped his hand excitedly. “Everything will be fine!”
He flounced off and shut the door behind him.
Nat stared at the smooth granite next to his face, his heart thumping. Should I move to the chair anyway?
He’d never heard of an interview that began with the interviewee lying on a desk.
He tilted his face toward the door.
And realized that his ass was facing the door.
It would be the first thing his boss saw when he walked in.
“Oh, gods!” he whispered.
He barely had time to clench his cheeks, before the door opened.
“Where did Mallie’s recital photos go?” a low, gravelly voice said. “I want them hanging on the living room wall. But don’t replace the mirror in the kids’ bathroom yet; they need to learn how to be responsible for their actions. When you’re done with the photos, help me think of something they can do at home this weekend, because they’re still grounded—”
Whoever the boss was, his presence swept through the room, commanding and important. Nat gulped.
The boss took two heavy steps into the office. Then he paused.
“Your interviewee, Hell Master,” Hubrie sang.
There was another pause.
“What the actual fuck?”
Nat panicked. Had he done something wrong?
He craned his head back for a better look, only to find a huge man—a giant?—with broad, muscular shoulders, and pecs that stretched his fitted shirt. His biceps were hefty, and his thighs... His thighs filled out his pants, but more importantly, they framed an unmistakable bulge pushing against his fly.
Nat had to bite down his moan.
The man immediately snapped his gaze over.
Pale golden eyes, black hair, and a strong jaw. He was familiar—because Nat had seen him before.
A month ago, in fact. He was Duke, one of the alphas who had shown up at the kidnappers’ hideout to rescue Nat and his friends.
Duke was also one of the people who were paying for the apartment that Nat was living in right now.
And Nat was just plastered across his desk, with his ass up like some kind of sacrifice.
Duke turned back to stare at Hubrie.
Hubrie beamed and gestured proudly at Nat. “Enjoy your interview.”
“Why the hell is he—”
“Ah. I wrote on the ad that you’ll have to obtain some samples. For health and security reasons.”
Nat’s entire body flushed hot. He hadn’t thought the samples would be acquired by the boss himself.
He wanted to curl up under the desk. He was so far out of Duke’s league, he was in another galaxy altogether.
Duke stared at Hubrie, a silent conversation bouncing between them.
“Fine,” Duke said, not looking happy at all when he turned to Nat.
“Um, I can go!” Nat squeaked, pushing against the desk to heave himself upright.
“No,” Duke said immediately. “Don’t move.”
Nat froze, his entire body tense.
“There’s a list of samples you’ll need to collect with the kit,” Hubrie sang, right before Duke shut the door in his face.
Duke turned, his intense gaze pinning Nat to the desk.
Nat’s heart thumped.
If it had been anyone else commanding this arrangement, Nat would’ve already fled.
But he kind of knew Duke—Duke had spent a long time at the rescue coordinating medical help for the kidnapped victims. He’d arranged for transportation and accommodations, too, and he’d let all the omegas stay together so they’d feel safe.
So maybe... Duke wouldn’t hurt him?
Nat tried to relax when Duke prowled forward. He looked over his shoulder at the man, only for those pale golden eyes to rake down Nat’s body, from his head to his ass, then down his legs.
Nat blushed. Before he could say anything, Duke’s gaze swept back up to his face.
“Your name is Nat?” Duke rumbled.
Nat nodded quickly. “I’m the raccoon.”
“I will have you prove that later.” Duke approached Nat warily. He dragged his office chair away from his desk and sat in it.
But he didn’t go far. Nat was still lying flat against the desk, and Duke was sitting with his legs apart, his clothes hugging his body, showing off the bulge between his thighs.
It was right in front of Nat’s face.
Nat’s eyes watered; he was trying so hard not to look at it.
But his attention kept drifting south. Looking at someone’s bulge up close was really different from seeing it across a huge office.
It was so big.
“What are your qualifications?” Duke asked.
Nat sagged with relief. “I graduated from high school and got a scholarship for college, but I dropped out after two years.”
Duke’s eyebrow twitched. “Why?”
“Personal reasons. They were making it hard for me to focus on school.” Nat tried not to look down, but his remaining fingers twitched. Duke caught the movement and glanced at Nat’s hands; he stared at them for a long while.
Nat wished so badly that his fingers were still intact. They made him feel so ugly.
Duke opened his mouth. At the last moment, he seemed to change what he’d been about to say. “Would you go back to school if you could?”
Nat nodded, then shook his head. “Well, maybe. I have a daughter, Wanda. She’s ten months old. I’m the only one taking care of her, and if I have a job, she and the job come first. So I don’t think I’d have time for school.”
“Hmm. Past work experience?”
“I’ve done some admin and data entry, and I think I’m pretty organized! So I’ll be fine with scheduling too. I’ll learn everything I don’t know. But I can’t drive and don’t have a car.” Nat winced.
“Why do you want this job?”
“Because I need the money. Obviously,” Nat said, then froze. “Crap. I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe you could, uh, go back and wipe that part from your memory?”
Duke snorted. Nat hid his face in his hands.
I need to do better, Nat told himself. He straightened his shoulders and met Duke’s gaze.
“I want this job because I believe I am a great candidate and will bring your company lots of results,” he blabbed. From the knowing look in Duke’s eyes, he wasn’t buying it. “Damn it.”
“Money is a great motivator,” Duke said dryly.
He asked a few more questions, and Nat thankfully didn’t fumble those.
“All right,” Duke said eventually, straightening in his chair.
It made his pants tug around his bulge. Nat had to swallow his drool.
“Prove to me that you’re the raccoon,” Duke said. “Shift right where you are.”
“Okay.” Nat breathed out and reached for the part of him that was all food-loving and fuzzy. He imagined washing an apple in a clear gurgling stream, and the shift overcame his body.
He shrank in his clothes as fur sprouted out of his skin; his tail flicked behind him.
Nat felt more confident in his raccoon shape—really because no one used animals as standards of beauty. Well, there were some animals that were more elegant and respected, but no one would call a raccoon ugly.
He poked his snout out of his shirt, then clambered out and faced Duke.
And because he didn’t belong in a fancy office, Nat went up to Duke’s computer screen and chattered at it. He nudged Duke’s mouse with his foot, then sat in front of the keyboard and pushed on the keys with his missing-fingered paws.
Duke snorted. “All right. You’re the raccoon.”
When Nat looked over, he found Duke with a tiny smile curving his full lips.
Gods, he was handsome.
Nat clutched his furry tail like a pillow, sitting back on his haunches to wait for his next task.
“Get back into your clothes.” Duke nodded at the shirt on his desk. “I’ll collect the damn samples, and then you can go.”
A knock came on the door. “Hell Master? The sample kit is on the sideboard.”
Duke stood up; Nat hurriedly scrambled back into his shirt.
He lay down on his front, making sure his paws lined up with his sleeves, and his head with the neckline. He shifted as slowly as he could so he wouldn’t smash his fingers on the seams.
Except this pushed the lower half of his body out of the shirt—his toes brushed the carpet, and cool air tickled his bare legs.
Nat squeaked as a man, feeling suddenly naked.
Duke hadn’t spotted him, but he was starting to glance up from a sheet of paper.
In a panic, Nat blurted, “What kinds of samples do you have to take?”
Duke scanned the sheet. “Saliva, mil—” He froze and read the rest of the instructions silently, a light blush coloring his cheeks. “The hell?”
“What?”
Duke glanced at the office door. “Hubrie, I don’t need to run tests on half of these things.”
“Yes you do,” Hubrie sang, his voice muffled. “You never know when any of it will come in handy.”
“I don’t need his—” Duke cut himself off, glancing at the paper again.
“You should know,” Hubrie said. Something in his tone made Duke tighten his jaw.
“Fine,” Duke muttered. He took the wooden tray of supplies and headed over, pausing when he caught sight of Nat.
Crap! Nat had been so distracted that he’d forgotten to dress himself.
And now Duke was looking at his bare ass.
Duke snapped his gaze back up. He cleared his throat and walked over— behind Nat —where he had an unobstructed view of Nat’s ass, and everything between his legs.
Nat’s face burned. He thought he heard Duke’s footsteps slowing down.
Duke stopped entirely.
Is he looking at my ass? Nat pressed his face to the desk, mortified. And his cock, balls, and hole all tingled.
Duke continued to walk, stopping in front of Nat and setting the tray on his desk, next to Nat’s arm. There were a few sample bags on there, along with some cotton pads.
The thing was, his bulge was now much closer to Nat’s face.
“I will have to take a few samples from you,” Duke said slowly. “Do you consent?”
“As long as it doesn’t hurt,” Nat said.
Duke gave him an odd look. “Is that your only requirement?”
Nat nodded. “I don’t like pain.”
Duke’s gaze flickered to Nat’s fingers. “Okay.” He snapped on a pair of disposable gloves and picked up a small cotton pad. Then he brushed his thick fingers through Nat’s hair, gripped it, and tipped his head back.
Nat hadn’t realized just how much tension was in his body. Until that moment.
Because all his thoughts had suddenly gone quiet, replaced with anticipation as though his body was Duke’s to control.
“Open your mouth,” Duke murmured, cupping Nat’s jaw with a gentle hand.
Nat opened for him. And Duke pushed two fingers between his lips, stretching him open.