Page 32 of The Vampire’s Receptionist (Charmed Away Temp Agency #4)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Dorian had faced down rival companies and even his own father’s wrath without feeling the kind of nervousness he felt when going to meet with the human he’d scared on Kian’s first day.

He hadn’t forgotten that he’d wanted to do this, though he had been a touch distracted since that first incident, but that day marked the beginning of his troubles, and the poor human had gotten caught in the crossfire.

He felt guilty for scaring the man so much that he fled the company.

No matter how many times Kian assured him that it wasn’t Dorian’s fault, he still blamed himself.

He was more than a little grateful that Kian invited himself along for lunch.

He led the way into the Italian restaurant where they were meeting the human, and Dorian let his focus wander to the beautiful man as he marched ahead of him.

His silky hair was pulled half back today, the rest trailing down his back.

Dorian’s hands itched to touch, but he kept that urge to himself.

He could touch the man once they were back in bed together.

He didn't want to cross Kian’s boundaries by acting affectionately in public without a discussion first.

The human hadn’t yet arrived when Kian and Dorian did, which meant Dorian had some time to take a few deep breaths and settle himself.

He knew how to apologize. This didn’t have to be such a big deal.

Even if the human was friends with Kian and Dorian didn’t like the idea of one of Kian’s friends disliking him.

That was a personal issue, and he didn’t need to be placing so much pressure on one lunch.

A warm hand settled on his arm, and Kian tipped his head when Dorian finally looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”

The sincerity in his voice tugged at Dorian’s heart, encouraging him to speak honestly. “I feel guilty. I have since the day of the incident. I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“I know that. And Morgan will too, once you apologize,” Kian reassured him. “He’s not a petulant guy. Honestly, I don’t think he even expected an apology, so just the effort right there means something to him. He won’t be angry with you.”

He was trying to make Dorian feel better, but Dorian still hated himself for letting any of this come to pass. He knew better. He’d seen what happened to feral vampires. He never wanted to reach that point.

Kian’s hand squeezed gently after a moment, and he stood. “He’s here. Try not to worry so much. It’ll be fine.”

Dorian glanced up at Kian, who flashed him a soft smile before turning toward the front of the restaurant and waving his hand to catch the human’s attention.

Dorian stood as the human pointed them out to the hostess and came to join them.

He hadn’t taken a good look at the human the first time they’d met, too hungry to really care who was around them.

The human was young, with messy brown hair and sharp features.

If Dorian didn’t know he was human, he would’ve expected there to be some pixie in his bloodline.

He looked a little nervous to approach, his footsteps hesitant, but Kian met him halfway, pulling him into a quick hug.

It seemed to bolster him enough to join them at the table.

“Uh… Hi. I’m Morgan…” the human greeted uneasily. Dorian deserved that reaction. It was up to him to make it up to the man.

Giving a small bow in greeting instead of shaking his hand gave the human the excuse to not get too close. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

Morgan’s hand fluttered at his side for a moment, showing his anxiety. “I knew Kian would be here, so…”

Dorian’s gaze darted to Kian, who winced a little.

He hadn’t mentioned that his presence was to make the human feel safe.

If Dorian had known the human would be that reluctant to meet with him, he would have just asked for an address to send the basket to.

He could have sent it to Charmed Away as well, if Morgan wasn’t comfortable with him knowing more.

“Why don’t we sit?” Kian suggested, nudging Morgan into a chair. Kian sat next to him, with Dorian on his other side, as far from the human he could possibly get. This was a horrible idea.

They waited until the waitress had taken their drink orders and left before Kian broke the silence.

“So, Morgan. How have you been? How was the job at that security gig?”

Morgan flicked his gaze uneasily between the two of them before answering. “It was fine. The owner was nice. I was a little worried at first dealing with another werewolf, but he was great. He never let me work late and escorted me to my car at the end of the day to make sure I was safe.”

“That is nice,” Kian agreed with a nod. “It’s always a relief when the bosses you get for jobs turn out to be good people. Even if they have bad first impressions, it’s better than some of the assholes we’ve had to work with.”

Kian was obviously giving him an opening, though he was reluctant to take it. He was reluctant to speak much at all. He didn’t want to frighten the human by forcing him to interact with Dorian.

A sharp pain bloomed on his shin, and he jerked away automatically.

His head whipped around, and he gaped incredulously at Kian, who gave him a significant look and tipped his head toward Morgan.

While Dorian didn’t appreciate the kick to get his attention, he forced himself to put that aside and focus.

Clearing his throat, he said, “I asked you here to apologize for my behavior that day in the breakroom. I’d been neglecting my self-care, and you and Kian had to pay the penalty for that.

I have no one to blame but myself. I’m sorry for frightening you and for making you feel that you were not safe enough to return. ”

Morgan looked surprised, eyes wide. “Wow… Uh, I appreciate that.” His brow furrowed a little, and he glanced at Kian. “I don’t think I’ve ever had someone take full accountability in an apology before. They usually have some kind of excuse to play it off or whatever.”

Kian huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “Dorian isn’t like that. He called Supernatural Resources on himself to report the incident that same day and came to find me to apologize right away. He would’ve apologized to you that day too if I hadn’t portaled you away.”

It was a small joy that Kian was so quick to defend him. He did his best to express his remorse so that Kian would know he took the incident seriously. He was glad that Kian noticed that.

Morgan still looked stunned, though a small smile pulled at his lips. “Seriously? Did SR get him into trouble?”

Kian shook his head. “No. I vouched for him. It was an honest mistake, and he didn’t hurt anyone. Apologizing wasn’t the only thing he had planned, though.”

From the look on his face, Kian was trying not to laugh.

Dorian felt his face flush. He’d told Harlem it was a bad idea to send gift baskets, but it was the only thing they could come up with at the time.

And he knew Kian wouldn’t let him pretend he didn’t have anything.

Reluctantly, he picked up the basket from where it was hidden by his chair, setting it in front of the empty seat at their table.

Morgan’s mouth fell open again. That seemed to be happening a lot during this meeting.

Kian seemed to enjoy it, because his shoulders shook in silent laughter. The mischievous man was taking too much enjoyment out of this.

“This is… Thank you,” Morgan said awkwardly, standing so he could get a better look at what was inside the basket. His eyes bugged out, and he whipped his head around, finally looking Dorian in the eye. “Are you serious? These are crazy expensive brands.”

Dorian pressed his lips together and sighed. “I didn’t want to give a superficial apology. I wanted to make amends properly.”

A giddy grin flashed across Morgan’s face and he tore open the plastic to get a better look. He gasped and squealed over every item, bouncing on his toes. Dorian felt a little better at his reaction. He took the gift better than Kian did.

“Thank you so much!” Morgan gushed, hugging a box of chocolates to his chest. “I love candy, seriously can’t get enough of it. It’s going to be crazy hard not to eat it all at once. If I could live off of chocolate, I totally would.”

Dorian nodded once. “I’m glad you like it.”

Morgan spun around, beaming at Kian. “This is awesome. Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve made the time sooner. My last boss was nice about lunch breaks. I could’ve taken a long one.”

Kian snickered, shaking his head. “I didn’t know until this morning. And I’d honestly forgotten what a glutton you are for chocolate.”

Morgan stuck his tongue out, dropping back into his seat. “Shut up. We’ve all got our vices. Just because I haven’t figured out yours doesn’t mean you don’t have one.”

“He likes plants,” Dorian interjected, shooting a smug look at Kian when the gorgeous man scowled at him. Kian never said he had to keep that a secret.

Morgan looked excited, chattering about finally being able to buy Kian a Christmas present. It was a human holiday, and most supernaturals didn’t celebrate it, but Kian deserved to be spoiled. Maybe Dorian would use the holiday as an excuse to buy him something as well.

The conversation was lighter, easier, once they got past the awkwardness of the apology.

Morgan was a bright and happy person, and he treated Kian with respect and without an ounce of fear or wariness.

Dorian could tell Kian appreciated that, as he was smiling throughout the entire meal as Morgan regaled him with the information about his most recent job.

“Seriously, if you get a chance to work with this company, I think you should. It was really nice,” Morgan gushed. “Your contract ends soon, right?”

Dorian’s stomach soured at the thought of Kian moving on. He liked having the man close.

“What’s the company called?” Kian asked. It didn’t seem like he shared Dorian’s apprehension.

“Lycanwatch Security. The owner’s name is Ronan.”

Dorian frowned, forcing his attention back to Morgan, his head tipped thoughtfully. “Ronan Fangfire?”

Morgan’s brows shot up. “Do you know him?”

“Somewhat,” Dorian agreed. He shot a look at Kian, pursing his lips against a grin. “He’s Harlem’s boyfriend.”

Kian’s eyes widened, and a huge Cheshire grin spread across his face. “Seriously? We didn’t even have to do any sleuthing.”

“Uh oh. I know that look,” Morgan said, narrowing his eyes on Kian. “Who are you planning to mess with now?”

Kian pointed at Dorian. “His feeder called him old as dirt. We’re just going to get a little payback.”

Dorian’s face twitched against a scowl. While what Kian said was true, it wasn’t the whole truth.

Harlem used to be his feeder. He wasn’t anymore.

And Dorian wasn’t sure he wanted to go back to their arrangement.

Not after he’d fed from Kian. The pleasure shared between the two of them was exhilarating, and he craved more every time he fed from Kian.

That might be part of the problem, though.

He wasn’t sure how he would feel after he was cured.

And until he could better feel out Kian, he didn’t want to mention it.

He decided to keep his opinions to himself, watching and listening as Morgan and Kian came up with ideas to get back at Harlem.

He only had to step in twice and steer them in another direction.

Nothing that Kian suggested was at all dangerous or threatening, it was all in good fun, but Harlem was easily embarrassed and he didn’t want to upset the poor man.

A little teasing was fine, and he liked the idea of drawing in the new boyfriend in some way since Harlem was being so protective of the man, but he didn't need to push him too far.

He mostly went along with the pranks because it made Kian happy.

As their plates were taken away, and Dorian offered his credit card to the waitress to pay for the meal, Morgan sighed.

“Back to the grind, I guess. Here’s hoping my next assignment doesn’t have any pushy assholes working there.”

Dorian frowned, but neither seemed interested in explaining. Kian put a hand on top of Morgan’s, patting it supportively.

“You’ll find something good, I’m sure.”

Morgan peeked over at Dorian, batting his eyelashes. “No chance you’re looking for more help, right? I wouldn’t say no to earning more fancy chocolate.”

Dorian chuckled, shaking his head. “Unfortunately not. We requested enough temps to cover the basics. My office doesn’t need more than someone at reception to cover the phones. And Kian does a lovely job on his own.”

He looked at Kian, expecting the man to snark about how Dorian refused to let him do more than what was requested of him when he was hired.

He often did when Dorian left his office to get his own coffee or grab something from the printer.

But when he turned to face Kian, he was scowling, and the look was a lot darker than Dorian expected.

“Well, that sucks. Does your boyfriend get spoiled like that? Or is that position open for applications?” Morgan continued.

His flirting wasn’t something Dorian was unused to.

There were some people who enjoyed being spoiled, and when he showed himself to be the type to spoil the people who were important to him, they often acted that way in hopes of gaining more of his attention.

He always politely declined. But he was busy looking at Kian.

The more Morgan flirted, the more annoyed Kian got.

He wasn’t sure what overcame him, but he responded before he could think it through, offering Morgan a kind smile. “I’m seeing someone, I’m afraid.”

Kian sucked in a breath. Bumping Kian’s foot with his own, he flashed him a small smirk before giving his attention back to Morgan.

Kian hadn’t yet agreed to make what they were doing public.

Dorian wasn’t even sure if he considered it a relationship.

He changed the subject any time Dorian hinted at one.

Dorian wanted a relationship, but he understood Kian might want to wait until things were clearer.

They still had a lot to figure out with his health first before making any big decisions.

For now, he was content with letting Kian know that while they were spending time together, he wouldn’t be seeing anyone else.

He wasn’t going to make it obvious to Morgan if that wasn’t what Kian wanted.

He did however, watch the gorgeous man out of the corner of his eye, enjoying the flush in his cheeks.