CHAPTER THREE #2
“Eh, I suppose it’s a holdover from when I counseled kids, preparing them for the workplace.
” Ray handed Gwen his phone then unbuttoned and tugged at his collar, drawing Will’s gaze to the curved tips of what appeared to be dark red-orange flames licking up the right side of the Alpha’s neck, not far from his gland.
He admired the detail to the point of speaking before his brain registered the right words to say.
“Beautiful.”
Ray arched his brow, his bemused stare sending more heat to complement what Will felt in his embarrassment.
Will swallowed hard. “I-I like the color,” he said, his voice cracking. “It really pops.”
“I think so, too. I got the whole piece done in Richmond, after my tat artist moved there. She used to have a chair at this studio at the beach, but I’m more loyal to her than them.
” Ray unbuttoned one of his cuffs and pulled it back to expose a large, shaded dagger on the underside of his forearm. “This is her work, too.”
Gwen kept her focus on Ray’s phone. “I think this picture works,” she said.
Flashing the bright ink below her wrist, she added, “And he’s right about Sue.
She gave me my heart. Definitely worth the drive.
” She glanced at Will. “Were you serious about helping us out with the site? It’s not that I’m illiterate when it comes to web design.
Phil and I need to get the physical side of the business functioning and I’d love to hand off other tasks. ”
Extra money? Uh, yeah. “Oh, sure. I charge by the hour for minor fixes, so I can bill you separate from today’s job.
If you send me the site login, I’ll update the About page, and we can talk later about the upgrades.
” Will couldn’t see the picture on the phone from where he sat, but Gwen offered to email it to him after Ray sent it to her.
“Or, just go to my LinkUp account and right-click,” Ray told Will, and gave him the handle. “Feel free to use any filters or photo magic to make me look good.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Will’s jaw dropped open. Now all three looked at him.
Shit. Fuck. What possessed him to act like a smitten goofball in front of Ray? The Alpha was fine with a capital F, yes, but Greg would have his head if it got back to him that either Phil or Gwen thought he was flirting with their employee and weren’t happy about it.
That, or the news might give Greg the best laugh of his week and inspire him to use it as ammunition. Will had dated some good-looking men in his time, but had yet to score with a man as lethally handsome as Ray, guaranteed to steal breath and hearts. Greg knew it.
At the moment, said thief eyed Will with a playful smile and seemed to demand an explanation. “What I meant was,” Will said after clearing his throat, “I’m sure the picture is of good enough quality for the website and won’t need any retouching.”
“Of course.” Phil winked at Will, inspiring him to focus on the laptop and ask for follow-up questions.
“I think you’ve covered the basics for us.
I doubt we’ll need to update the site with regularity, but I’m sure either Gwen or I will be emailing you every twenty minutes with questions. Please bill us for that time.”
Will closed his laptop and began to pack it. “No problem at all. You have my contact information,” he said. “If I’m not around to help, somebody else at Big Man Tech can.”
“Who else is there?” Phil asked, his stare on Radar as the dog crawled around one of the cubicles. “Greg’s father says aside from you and maybe another guy, it’s pretty much a one-man show.”
Right. Will’s stomach soured again. At one point Greg had six people under him who dropped away after finding permanent work.
Perhaps Phil had heard that as well from his former employer, but why ask Will if that were the case?
“Well, uh…” he began, then fumbled. He hated being put on the spot, and three people towering over him as he tried to stand offered no comfort.
“Everything okay over there?” Gwen asked, sounding concerned. “We still owe Big Man the final payment, and we’re good for it if he needs it sooner than the due date.”
“No, nothing like that,” Will cut in, and gave a stuttering laugh. “I like the work and Greg’s great. He’s been at this for a few years now, you know how startups are.”
“Do we ever,” Phil said.
Will nodded. “I take side work to have some extra cash on hand. Concerts and movies aren’t getting any cheaper.” It wasn’t a complete lie, but Will didn’t want to give the impression he required extra income streams to get by.
After a beat of awkward silence, Gwen blurted out, “Want to work here?”
“Oh, wow.” Will gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t think you need a full-time IT guy for a small operation. Or even a part-time one. Just call Greg when something weirds out and one of us will fix it.”
“I think she’s talking about our open office manager position,” Phil said. “We’re looking for somebody to help keep the place functional. Managing our client records, answering the phone and checking the mail, paying our bills on time.”
“Updating the website and social media, of course,” added Gwen.
“It doesn’t have to be full-time, either.
Say, fifteen to twenty hours a week to start, during regular office studio hours?
We’ve budgeted for a full-time position, but we’d like to get somebody at this desk before we formally launch.
A part-time job would let you keep working for Greg if you wanted, right? ”
Will nodded. Hot men sightings and a job offer on the same day. Next up, a lottery ticket.
Gwen’s offer soothed the burn of rejection from The Bankhead Group.
This new venture benefited from a good location, and the bosses were friendly, but he wouldn’t outright quit Big Man unless the matchmaking service succeeded and required full-time help.
For now, he could work their desk a few hours a day, then switch to Big Man assignments from a table at The Daily Bean or anywhere else with good WiFi.
Seeing Ray every day, too? Now there was a plus.
“This is tempting,” Will said, smiling.
Phil added, “If you like, we can have a thirty or sixty-day trial to see how you like it. That way, if Greg picks up more clients, we can adjust your schedule as needed or hire somebody else if you choose to leave. However you want to do it.”
Will pondered the scenario, with greater interest when Phil leaned in closer and whispered the hourly pay rate.
A quick calculation of that multiplied by twenty hours a week yielded a decent paycheck in Will’s mind, so he could scale back on freelance gigs and still have a bit left over for fun.
He lived well below his means anyway, but it would be nice to splurge on his favorite restaurants and a movie night once a week.
“Do you need an answer right away?” he asked, his pulse kicking up speed. He hated to breed discord, but relaxed at Phil’s smile.
“Sleep on it tonight, but maybe let us know in a few days? Before Monday would be good.” Phil clicked for Radar’s attention.
“I need to get this pup home and feed him. Ray, it’s good to finally meet you in person,” he said, extending his hand for a shake.
“Welcome aboard. Come by around eight or nine when you start, and we’ll put you to work matching lonely folks. ”
A round of goodbyes followed, with a few high-pitched ones to the pup, and Phil departed. Will thanked Gwen again for the job offer and wrote his personal email on a card for her reference. Better to field topics unrelated to Big Man Tech on a different handle.
“I need to get moving before I have to start paying the meter.” With his laptop secured in his bag, he faced Ray, who hadn’t moved.
“I have some errands to take care of myself,” Ray said. He picked up a backpack near one of the cubicles. “I’ll walk you out.”
Will held Ray’s gaze for a long second, lost in the light of his dark amber eyes. He blinked to reset his mind and took a deep breath before speaking. A friendly gesture shouldn’t make him nervous, but coming from Ray a simple walk to his car hinted at excitement.
“Thanks. I’d like that.”