Chapter 2 #3
His face relaxes back to its usual resting bitch state, with only the softness around his eyes and a slight lip tilt to tell me that he’s amused.
“That sounds like cold feet, Sam. You said you’re not happy with your current job.
That you’re bored. A completely different environment would be a change from that. ”
“Yeah. I’m just… uh… nervous, I guess.” I can’t tell him why. He’d think I’m insane. Honestly, I’m not sure that I’m not insane. Maybe I hallucinated everything that happened today?
He shrugs. “Change makes most people nervous. You’ve got to weigh up if it’s worth it.”
“Good point,” I mutter, thinking about it.
It’s not like I’ll be locked into this decision for life.
I can always quit if I end up hating the job.
And in the meantime, it would get me out of my current cesspool of a workplace and, let’s face it, it sounds like it could be fun.
Like something out of a movie or book. I mean…
I’d be working with hellhounds and vampires .
That’s totally cool. “I guess I’ll take it.
Anything has to be better than where I am now. ”
“Why’s that?” His eyebrow quirks up, and I find myself telling him about some of the more annoying things my colleagues have put me through.
Dinner arrives, and we eat perched on the stools at the counter as Gideon matches my stories with some of his own—a colleague who refused to change his “lucky” socks and made the whole office smell vile; two coworkers who were hooking up and thought nobody knew, despite the fact that they would sneak off to a supply closet at the same time every afternoon and loudly proclaim their lust for each other.
I’m still laughing at that one when I put down the empty carton of fried rice.
“You done?” he asks, and once again I get a glimpse of that not-smile that I find so damn sexy.
“All fueled up and ready to go.”
Monday morning, I don’t bother stopping to stare at the facade of the building. I don’t need to. I’m not nervous at all . I’m going to make this job my bitch.
Having sex with Gideon was the best thing I could have done for my confidence.
It blew away all the cobwebs in my brain—and other places—and has left me feeling empowered.
Never again will I go that long without having sex with another person.
Gideon left after a round of mutual blowjobs that had me on an endorphin high until the next morning.
I’m going to remember him fondly for a long time, and not just because he gave me plenty of material for my spank bank.
So yeah, new job, I’m ready! Vampires, hellhounds, and demons, brace yourselves, because here I come!
I blow through the lobby, and what do you know, there’s an elevator just waiting for me when I get there.
That’s a good sign, right? Yeah! I squeeze in with about a dozen other people, and for once, my head doesn’t end up stuck in someone’s armpit.
This is the best Monday morning ever, and another sign that taking this job was the right thing to do.
I get some curious looks when I get off the elevator.
Presumably the others who get off at this floor can tell I’m human and are wondering what the fuck I’m doing at CSG, even though Harold told me there are some humans in their community.
I just smile at them confidently and make my way toward the reception desk.
I’m only halfway there when Harold comes in and calls out to me.
“Good, you’re on time. This way. We’ll get your ID first, and then you can settle at your desk and meet the team.”
The morning passes in a whirlwind of activity.
I’m quite the curiosity in the office—it seems that, despite many human partners and parents existing within the community, I’m the first and only human to have gotten a job at CSG.
There are stares, whispers, giggles, and from one charming fellow, a hiss.
“Did he just hiss at me?” I ask Harold. We’ve just left the security office, where a lovely assistant told me she’d never taken such a terrible ID photo. Didn’t I want to use some glamor to smooth out the fine lines and brighten my skin?
Working here is going to be tough on the ego. Also, I take excellent care of my skin, fuck her very much, and it’s just as bright and dewy as a twenty-five-year-old’s.
If the lighting is right.
“Don’t mind him,” Harold declares cheerfully. “A hiss is just like a hello around here. Uh, but maybe don’t go wandering around alone until people have had time to get to know you.”
Great. I have no idea what species that guy was, but the chatty photographer, between insulting me, told me she was a felid shifter. Shifter, I get, but I’m kind of stuck on felid. Is that like feline?
I ask Harold.
“Sure, yep. Felids shift into cats. I told you that hellhound wasn’t our original subspecies name, right? We used to be canid shifters, but hellhound sounds way better, don’t you think?”
“Uh, yeah. Of course.” Never argue with a crazy man.
Although it does have a certain ring to it.
“So, is it like an overarching designation with several different… I don’t know what word to use.
Breed? Different breeds of hellhound or felid shifter?
” I spent some time online on the sites that he recommended, but they mostly assume basic knowledge like this, and I really don’t want to say the wrong thing and offend someone.
He stops and looks at me like I’m missing a few brain cells, so yeah, this would be the kind of thing that everyone just knows…
except me. “Nah. You’re thinking that we shift into a species that exists in the animal world, aren’t you?
It’s not like some stupid werewolf thing.
We’re a completely different species to any existing animal species. ”
“Ohhhh.” I nod. There goes my hope that I can research some wildlife sites and learn to understand my colleagues better. “Uh, what about… I mean, the other day, there was a tiger in the office?”
He starts moving again, leading the way toward where I’ll be working. “That’s Tony. Pretty lifelike, isn’t he? He’s the mascot for the accounting department.”
The…
You know what, I’m just going to go with it. I mean, what kind of accounting department wouldn’t have a real-looking, life-size toy tiger as a mascot?
“He’s great,” I manage, but Harold’s laugh tells me I’m not as convincing as I’d hoped.
“Don’t worry,” he assures me. “You’re gonna fit in great.”
Yeah.
We turn a corner into another open-plan office area. Only about half the desks are occupied. There are people moving around and clustered in conversation, but even so, I’d say the office isn’t full. Maybe some are doing fieldwork?
Harold leads me over to a group of desks.
There are three rows of five, and about eight people are scattered throughout them.
Most of them are huge. Like… way bigger than me.
Even the women. One thing I did manage to ascertain from the internet is that the biggest species are hellhounds and demons, who are on average bigger than humans.
Vampires, incubi and succubae, and felid shifters tend to match humans for average size.
It’s just my luck that my team is mostly made up of gigantic hellhounds and I’m on the lower end of average size for a human.
“Listen up,” Harold barks. Not literally.
“I’ve already told you more times than anybody wanted me to that this is your last chance.
If you can’t keep this admin, you won’t like the steps I’ll be forced to take.
This is Sam. Yes, he’s human. You will treat him with respect.
He has a lot of experience that’s going to make all your lives easier, so maybe don’t be dickbags. ”
He turns to me and gestures to the desk we’re standing beside.
“This is your desk. Here are your initial log-in credentials.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a crumpled envelope.
I take it, pleased that my hand isn’t shaking.
Did the guy in the next row just lick his lips and rub his stomach ?
“I’ll leave you to get settled in.” He claps me on the back, shoots a warning look around the group, then saunters away, leaving me alone with them .
I smile as brightly as I can manage. I’m not going to let a bunch of adult toddlers intimidate me. After all, Harold said most of my predecessors left because the team was too needy.
“Does anyone have anything urgent they need me to do?” I ask. Someone’s coming to walk me through the systems in an hour or so, but I could probably wing it. I plan to spend the time poking around and familiarizing myself with the intranet and apps anyway.
The guy who licked his lips gets up, stalks over, and leans in close to sniff me. “Looks like they brought us fresh meat.” The way he says it is menacing.
I laugh.
Nobody else does.
“Uh…” I try to tone down my grin. “That was a joke, right? Good one. Definitely made me laugh.” I mean, come on. Fresh meat?
Sure enough, the menacing expression fades, and the guy’s lips tip up in a slow smile. “Pretty tough for a human.”
“If you say so. Who are you?” I gently push him aside and seat myself at my desk, turning on my computer.
“Jim. Uh, if you have some time, I need research on old cases.”
“Sure. You’re going to have to show me how to access them, though.”
He pulls up a chair as the rest of the team gets back to work. I’ll make the rounds and meet them all in a little while and introduce them to my preferred process. It’s good for them to see me being useful before I make any demands.
Jim shows me how to access old cases and run a search through them, then returns to his desk and sends me a list of what he’s looking for.
It’s pretty easy work and a great way to settle in.
I’m nearly done, and it’s coming close to the time when one of the other admins is due to show me how things work, when a hush falls over the area.
I look up and see most of the people around me staring back toward the main hallway. So, of course I twist around in my seat to see what’s so interesting.
My mouth drops open.
Standing in the entry from the hall, talking to another man, is Gideon.
Yep. My Gideon. The one I had an insanely hot one-night stand with just days ago.
The one who basically convinced me to take this job.
Did he know? I honestly can’t remember if I said anything that would have given it away.
I was trying to be circumspect, because who’d believe me if I started talking about going to work for nonhuman species?
Aside from a member of one of those species, of course. Because nestled in his gorgeous blue-black hair is a pair of horns.
They weren’t there the other day, but even as I think it, I’m bombarded with little flashes of memory.
Me, reaching up to sink my hands in his hair…
and Gideon pinning my wrists to the bed.
Me, grabbing his head to haul his mouth closer…
and Gideon pulling back and changing our positions.
I guess whatever magic is used to hide horns from sight won’t stand up to touch.
Also, I fucked a demon, which is not something I ever thought I’d say. Just thinking about it sends adrenaline surging through me, and my cock twitches.
I half stand, not sure whether to go over and say hello or not. The movement attracts his attention, and he glances over at me, does a double take, and then sears me with the most frightening glare I’ve ever seen in my life.
I sit back down.
Gideon’s resting bitch face is something I found incredibly attractive. It hid a charming, slightly blunt but mostly sweet, sexy man who, to use a cliché, rocked my world. This look, on the other hand… there’s no underlying softness there. No warmth in the eyes. No microscopic quirk of the lips.
He clearly is not glad to see me.
I turn back around in my swivel chair, not really sure what I should do. Going to say hello is obviously not an option, but… what? Am I supposed to ignore him? Pretend we’ve never met? Am I going to need to see him every day? Fuck, is he on my team?
Jim rolls his chair over. “Relax. He’s not gonna hurt you. Asshole is just his primary setting.”
Oh, great. Other people have witnessed this moment.
“Uh…” I clear my throat. “Who, uh, who is he?” Please don’t say he’s on the team, pleasepleaseplease.
“Gideon Bailey. He’s on the lucifer’s senior investigative team. You won’t see him a lot, or anyone from that team—they work on the next floor up. He’s only here now because Alistair is referring a case over to them.”
“Oh. Uh, so it’s not just me?” Only I could have hooked up with the office asshole and not even known it.
Jim shrugs. “Well, he’s never really been shy about his opinion of humans, but he genuinely is a dick most of the time, so probably not.”
Holy fuck. I hooked up with someone who doesn’t like humans? How is this my life? I mean, he had to know I was human, right? Everyone else seems to.
Maybe I should find a way to talk to him. Just clear the air and make sure there aren’t going to be any issues in the office. Although, not gonna lie, part of me is utterly disappointed that there’s no chance we can hook up again.
I peer over my shoulder. His gaze slices into me with laser intensity, and no, nope, no fucking way does he want to talk to me. Ever. I’ve gotten some nasty looks in my life, but this one takes the cake, smashes it to pieces, and sweeps the remnants into the trash.
With one last contemptuous stare, he turns on his heel and walks away.
Leaving me feeling like the shit he scraped off his shoe.