Page 40 of The Shapeshifter’s Secretary (Charmed Away Temp Agency #3)

CHAPTER FORTY

Taron was nervous. Would he admit that out loud? No, he absolutely would not. Did that stop his hands from getting all clammy? Not even a little bit. It’d been a few weeks since he and Zephyr had agreed to work on their relationship. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, and sometimes Tony needed to step in to get them to stop sniping at each other, but he was pretty close to being ready to admit he was head over heels for his ex-best friend/boyfriend turned rival turned threesome buddy turned tolerable kind of friend turned lover. Though they hadn’t quite reached that part yet. He intended to fix that sometime soon. There were only so many times he could watch Zephyr take Tony apart before he started getting jealous.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. That wasn’t what he was nervous about, nor what he needed to focus on right now. Amongst their many, many, many discussions about their past, there was one sticking point between him and Zephyr. Being apart from half his heart was hard on him. He needed Zephyr closer. And since project Thunderchicken was a resounding success, and they’d soon be putting the devices on Spellbound as a charter for the project, Zephyr was that much closer to being able to shift in the city. Which meant he and Tony wouldn’t have to leave him behind when they went to work each morning. He compromised by staying more often at Zephyr’s so he could shift whenever he needed, but that still left a large portion of the day away from one of the men he loved, and he hated that.

He just needed to work up the nerve to bring up a buyout of Zephyr’s company to Ozen. He had too much stake in the game to be impartial, and Ozen could turn him down, but if he didn’t try, he’d go crazy. That’s how badly he wanted Zephyr to be closer to him and Tony.

Luckily, Ozen called a meeting this morning and included a few of the division leaders in the mix. They’d need to be on board for what he had in mind.

Letting out a slow breath, he pushed the door open and walked inside. He wasn’t last anymore, since Tony kept him on task easily enough, but he wasn’t first either. He would’ve gotten bored waiting around and probably wandered off. He moved to sit beside Maverick, who was frowning at his phone.

“Something wrong?”

He shook his head, tucking the device away. “No. Isaac had a test today, and I thought he’d be done by now. I want to know how he did.”

He waved that away with a laugh. “It’s Isaac. He’ll nail it.”

Maverick hummed with agreement, and his smile was proud. He loved the hell out of his mate, and Taron knew the only reason he fretted was because he wanted Isaac to be happy at all times. Definitely a feat considering how grumpy the sorcerer could get whenever Taron came to visit.

He checked his own phone, sending a quick thumbs-up emoji to Tony to let him know he arrived on time, and another to Zephyr to flip him off when he suggested in the group chat that Taron would be late again. Goddess, he loved them both.

He chuckled to himself, tucking his phone away right as Ozen joined them. He was in business mode, his expression a little moody as he sat. Taron straightened a little with a frown. Tony hadn’t been told what this meeting was about, just that Taron needed to be there. Did he miss something important?

“Good morning, everyone,” Ozen said gruffly. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I’m sure you’ve noticed that we’re missing one of our division leaders. We’re here to discuss that and what happens next.”

Taron looked around in surprise. He hadn’t noticed that. He just expected that someone would be late.

“We recently lost Aristeos to a rival company he’s created on his own. There is conjecture that he’s been stealing company information as well, and numbers in the medical division have been extremely low. This may have been going on a while longer than when he left.”

Taron’s jaw dropped. “That bastard!”

Ozen normally would roll his eyes at Taron’s outbursts, but this time, he nodded with a scowl. “Yes, well, if he was so easily seduced into corporate espionage, then he isn’t worth our time. We do, however, need someone to replace him.” His gaze flicked to Dorian. “Considering your performance and the consistent numbers we’ve gotten in the tech division since its conception, if you’re willing, I’d like you to take over, Dorian. I trust you to get the division back on track.”

Dorian dipped his chin to acknowledge him. “Wherever you need me, I’m happy to assist.”

Taron and several others nodded along. Dorian was a good choice. He wasn’t that skilled in tech when he took over that division, but he took the reins with patience and ironwill, and it consistently beat out the rest of the divisions in both revenue and employee satisfaction. The teams liked working for him. But then–

His eyes widened, and he jerked to face Ozen again. That left the tech division without a leader. And from the look on Ozen’s face, he didn't have any contenders.

“I’m trying to find someone to replace Dorian, but it’s difficult to find someone with the right temperament and dedication. Maverick and Isaac have agreed to interview a few outside applicants, but if anyone has any ideas in that regard, please let me know.”

Fate must have been looking out for him that day because he had the perfect someone in mind. “Actually. I’d like to make a suggestion.”

* * *

He expected Ozen to be the hard part, so he was downright giddy when they all agreed with his plan. He bounced up to his office, dropping a kiss on Tony’s cheek as he sashayed past. Tony grinned up at him.

“Meeting go well?”

“The meeting went excellently, my dear sweet mate. Absolutely perfect. I believe I have solved our boyfriend problem.”

His brow furrowed as he frowned up at him from his desk chair. “Wait. What are you talking about?”

Spinning around, he came back to Tony’s desk and perched his butt on the edge, smiling brightly at him. “Our boyfriend problem. It’s been driving me up the wall being separated from Zephyr all day, and I know you don’t like it either.”

“True…” he agreed, though he was still frowning. He’d stop after Taron explained.

“I negotiated a buyout. We need a new division lead on the tech side, and Zephyr is perfect for the job. Plus, we get rid of one of our bigger rivals. There wasn’t one person who thought it was a bad idea.”

“Zephyr will,” Tony argued. Taron’s face fell.

“What? Why do you think that?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think, I know. He’s not going to accept your offer.” When Taron only stared at him, he sighed. “He owns his own company, Taron. A company that does well and actually rivals Spellbound. He’s not going to want to give up that kind of freedom and control just to take over a division of Spellbound. It’s a big step down.”

“No, it’s not!” Taron argued. “The only people he’d need to answer to are me and Ozen! And aside from checking in now and then, we don’t hover! We’ve got our own stuff to do!” He waved his hands around wildly to emphasize his point, but Tony’s expression never changed.

“I still don’t think he’ll go for it. It’s a nice idea, but you need to look at it from his perspective. Why go from answering to only yourself to answering to someone else?”

He had a point, but it was still disappointing. Taron was so close to having both his men with him all day. He just wanted them close.

He was still dejected when they eventually got in the car at the end of the day. Driving to the portal station wasn’t as convenient as walking a few blocks to his apartment, but Zephyr was worth the effort. Taron itched for the third in their group and practically threw himself at Zephyr when he picked them up from the station on the other side.

Zephyr grunted, wrapping his arms slowly around Taron while he spoke over his head to Tony. “What’s wrong with him?”

“I think he should talk to you about it himself. Come on, Taron. Let’s talk at home.”

He didn’t like making Tony stand around, so he grudgingly went, though he kept his hand fisted in Zephyr’s shirt. He’d do the same to Tony if he didn’t worry he’d pull the man off balance. Zephyr kept shooting him confused looks, but Taron wasn’t excited to share his idea anymore.

They got home, where Zephyr had dinner already simmering in a slow cooker all day. It smelled amazing, but Taron was still pouting and therefore not hungry. Zephyr sighed heavily.

“Alright, I can’t take it anymore. What’s wrong with you? You look like someone kicked your puppy. And if someone kicked Tony, I’m going on a murder spree.”

That made him snort, and he looked up to see Tony frowning at Zephyr. “I’m not a puppy.”

“But you’re just that cute,” Zephyr said with a grin, pulling him in for a kiss. Taron sighed unhappily, watching them. He usually loved seeing their connection, but it just made him sad now. They were so close to having this every day. Why couldn’t things ever go his way?

Zephyr growled against Tony’s lips, straightening to scowl at him. “Get over here, you little brat.”

Taron shook his head. “No, I’m not in a great mood, and I don’t want to be a downer. I’m gonna go for a walk. You two eat without me and–”

“Oh, no you don’t,” Zephyr snapped.

He knew after so many years of being Zephyr’s friend to stay out of range. Taron took off at a dead run to get away, but Zephyr was damn fast for a man his size. And scary manipulative. How the hell did he manage to herd Taron to the bedroom so easily?

Zephyr tackled him, knocking him onto the soft surface, and pinned his arms before he could blink. Taron’s libido kicked into high gear from the position, which was not the greatest way to handle his mood. Or maybe it was the best way to deal with things. No one would be pestering him to talk if they were all moaning.

“You’ve caught me. What are you going to do with me?” he purred.

Zephyr smirked at him. “Make you have a healthy conversation with your boyfriends.”

He stuck his lip out in a pout. “Boo. Lame. Let’s fuck instead.”

“You’re such a brat,” Zephyr said with a grin. “I’m not fucking you until you tell me what’s got your panties in a twist. I’ve had a shitty day, and I was looking forward to seeing you both. Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it and go back to enjoying my boyfriend’s annoying antics.”

Taron clamped his mouth shut tight. Nope. They were getting nothing out of him.

“He wanted to offer to buy out your company and make you division leader of the tech side of Spellbound,” Tony said, completely selling him out.

Taron gasped. “Traitor!”

Tony just smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed next to them. He could twist to face them more easily now after so many weeks of treatment with Doctor Chapman. He could even sleep alone without pain, not that he ever had the opportunity. Now that he’d experienced being cuddled in bed with both men, Taron wasn’t giving that up for anything.

“Damn. Who told you?” Zephyr asked.

Blinking, Taron looked up at him. “What are you talking about?”

Releasing Taron, Zephyr rolled off him with a sigh. “Somehow, I’m not surprised everyone knows by now. We told everyone to stay quiet, but it’s not like I can enforce that anymore.”

Tony looked just as confused as he felt. “What happened?”

Zephyr looked at them both, the heartache clear on his face. It startled Taron into action, moving to cuddle up to Zephyr’s side. Tony got up and came around the bed to Zephyr’s other side, offering him the same support.

“It was my VP. Well, him and the head of finance. By the time I was made aware of it, the damage was done. We’ll be bankrupt by the end of the year.”

Taron gaped at him. “Holy shit. What the hell?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that why you’re offering me a buyout?” Zephyr asked with a frown.

Taron shook his head vigorously. “No! I asked Ozen to buy you out because I hate that we don’t work in the same building! I was being selfish trying to get you to come work with us! Holy shit! Tell me everything! I’ll fix this, I promise, and I’ll take down that asshole and anyone who worked with him, and–”

Zephyr yanked him into a biting kiss, turning Taron’s fury into a burning sexual energy that left him breathless. When he pulled away so Tony could have a turn, Taron was panting and hard as granite. What were they talking about again?

Oh, right.

“Screw the buyout. I’ll take some time off, and we’ll help you fix this. Though, if you’d be willing to do some side work at Spellbound just until your company is up and running again, I’d appreciate it. I kind of made some big promises to Ozen, and we don’t have anyone to take over that division without you.”

Zephyr shook his head with a grin. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I’ve got two beautiful men in my bed, and I want to enjoy it.” He raised an eyebrow at Taron. “Want to fuck me?”

“Oh, hell yes.”