18. Piper
18
PIPER
It’s been two months. Two full months. Since I saw, or spoke to him.
And about fifteen minutes since I last thought about him, he still pops up constantly in my brain. My dark-furred, bright-eyed Mothman.
I try to keep him out of my every thought, every moment, of every day. I’m still constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering if every single shadow might be him—feeling stalked and hunted. Part of me goes warm and liquid at that thought. Sometimes I think too much about it, particularly at night, alone in my bed. I can’t seem to orgasm without thinking of him. Which is so silly.
So when I step foot into my office building after New Year's Eve, nursing the second day of my New Year’s hangover, I think I'm imagining things when I spot a pair of black wings.
But it’s not my imagination. I recognize them as Ant's wings the instant I see them. There’s no mistaking him for another Mothman.
But it couldn't be him, right? In my workplace. In my lobby. Of my new building in the Cryptech complex.
He turns and catches my eye, his antennae raise in surprise.
He found me. Again.
The bastard. He stalked me here! At my new workplace.
“Hey!” I yell across the room. “Hey! Ant!”
He holds up his hands in surrender and shakes his head repeatedly while he steps backward into the elevator.
“Oh no you don’t, you bastard!” My yelling draws the attention from three coworkers I don’t know who are also in the building lobby.
Ant doesn't speak. His hands are held up, palms out in front of him, as I barrel into the elevator after him. He backs into the corner while I shove an angry finger in his chest, not really thinking about it until we are alone, as the doors slide closed behind me.
“What the hell, dude?” I poke him. “What are you thinking?! I told you not to fucking follow me!”
“Piper.” His voice shows more surprise than I expect. “What are you doing here?”
"Bull crap!" I announce. “You must think I was born yesterday.”
“Why are you here?” He shrinks even further, his antennae flow back against his scalp. I should be scared to be alone in this elevator with a literal monster. Instead I’m noticing how attractive he looks in his suit. It’s all black, well-tailored, and somehow doesn’t look ridiculous around his neck scarf. He has on a red silk tie, that compliments his eyes and?—
None of that matters.
I’m not concerned he would physically hurt me. He could. I know he’s strong enough to do just about anything to me. And right now I don’t care.
“I can’t believe you’re here. At my workplace!” I yell.
“Piper, this isn't what you think!”
"Isn't it?" I ask. “Then why are you going to my floor?" I point at the numbers on the elevator wall, only to notice that the top floor is actually what's highlighted. We're traveling past my department’s third floor stop, and heading up, up, and more up. To the top floor of the building. "We aren't going to my floor."
I whip my head back around to Ant. He still looks frightened rather than menacing.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“That's what I was trying to explain,” he says as the elevator doors open. “This is my company.”
I glance at the hallway outside. The fancy top floor waiting room, a woman in a sleek blouse, wearing a headset, sits behind a desk. She looks at me strangely.
“Everything alright, Mr. Pleasant?” The woman asks. Her eyes flick between me and Ant as he cowers in the corner of the elevator, one finger still pointed in his face.
“Everything is fine, Tonia,” Ant reassures over my head.
Pleasant. Crap. Mr. Pleasant. Pontius Pleasant. Ant. Pleasant.
I look at Ant, and then back at the woman who’s expression is somewhere between amusement and concern.
Crap.
I pull back from him instantly.
“Crap. You own Cryptech?” I whisper loudly as the elevator doors close again. “This is your company?”
“Yes. Piper. Why are you here?”
“Like you don’t know.” I accuse.
“I haven’t seen you in months. Do you work here now?”
I shake my head and stab my floor number on the wall, pressing the button repeatedly even though I know it won’t do anything. “I can’t believe you. Pretending you didn’t plan this.”
“Please,” he says, “I didn’t. Please. Can we talk?”
My heart is pounding. My stalker controls my company. He owns my livelihood. He could ruin me. Take everything I’ve worked so hard for. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes.
“You have until we get back to the third floor,” I say. “And then I’m gone. I don’t care. I’ll break whatever contract I signed. I will ruin my life to get away from you. This is so completely fucked, Ant.”
“Piper. Please believe me. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Likely.” I mutter as the elevator door closes. I watch Ant’s reflection in the doors. “You offered to fund Penpoint just to get closer to me.”
Floor number nine.
“No, no, Piper. That isn’t it.”
Floor number eight.
“Ness and Sacha, they must have signed the contract while I was gone.”
Floor number seven.
“Fucking Ness—” his hand clenches into a fist at his side. “I told him I found my fated mate, he must have taken matters into his own hands.”
Floor number six.
“I didn’t know about this, Piper. I promise.”
Floor number five.
I stew in silence.
Floor number four.
“I don’t believe you. How could you not know that I was joining the company?”
Floor number three.
“I’ve been out of town, since November.”
“Doing what? Finding another innocent woman to stalk?”
The doors slide open.
“I met my sister,” he says.
I freeze, one foot already out of the elevator.
“You don’t have a sister,” I accuse.
“I’m not sure she is. We just met. She's around my age. She was born near where I grew up.”
“You’re not sure?” I step back into the elevator and put a hand out to stop the doors from closing.
“We think it’s possible. We sent bloodwork to a company, but they don’t have enough samples to know if all Mothman blood has the same markers or—” he pauses when the elevator dings, I reach out to stop the elevator from closing again, “—or if the DNA markers actually mean we are related.”
“Did you like her?” I ask. I don’t care. I shouldn’t care. It’s stupid to care. Part of me really cares.
“She’s nice. She lives in Alberta with her mate.”
"Canada?" I ask.
"I just got back. I spent the holidays with her."
"The holidays?" I ask quietly.
"Since Halloween. Since I last saw you. When you asked me to leave you alone."
The elevator dings, and I reach a hand out to stop the doors from closing again.
I chew on the inside of my lip. “I’m glad you got to meet her,” I say quietly. This sexy cuddly Mothman has been in my brain for months now. I was terrified that he was around every corner. Waiting for me every night. Now he’s standing in front of me, I’m not scared. Just excited. Genuine joy flickers through me before I remember to steel my features.
“I have to go,” I mutter.
“Please, don’t--” Ant starts to say.
“I have, I need—” I fumble for the words to finish the sentence. "I need to be alone.” I shake my head and flee the elevator.