Page 11 of Wrong Number, Right Fox (Dial M For Mates #6)
GARNER
I peered at Joss’s empty chair, wishing he was here.
That was the problem with consultants; sometimes they were here, other times they worked for you remotely, and some days they were with other clients. My inner green-eyed monster roared at the idea of another customer being at the hotel with my mate.
What monster? Where? Anyone else comes in here and I’m going to kick their butt .
It’s an expression. Refers to jealousy .
If any of my shifter kin created an English Idioms Course for Shifter Beasts, I’d enroll mine. Not sure how it would work, though, because I’d have to be present too. Hmmm, I’d have to think about that. Someone would have to work out how to separate us first.
No way!
Yeah, that’s not happening. Don’t worry .
Back to what I was contemplating earlier which was… damn, missing my mate. It was easier wrestling with my fox about English idioms.
Staring at the empty chair as if by doing so I could make Joss materialize, I sighed ‘cause nothing happened. And I’d given him my chair, the brand-new one I wasn’t keen on, and he’d loved it. Should have gifted it to him.
No. He’d never come back if you did that .
Good thinking .
This relationship that wasn’t one had been going on for months, and I hadn’t revealed who I was to Joss.
We’d had sex many times, had casual, work-related coffees, and while he’d never come out and confronted me, I sensed he expected us to move forward.
And he was right, but it was me being a chicken that had us treading water.
“You look as though someone hid your puppy.” Booker leaned over my shoulder. He knew from years of experience that saying “hid” instead of kicking didn’t have me breaking down in tears and pummeling him with my fists, though hiding a pet was also pretty bad.
“Do you have to sneak up on me? That’s creepy.”
“You should have scented me, but you were in your head and oblivious to anything else.”
Damn, he knew me too well. But while he could fuck with my head, perhaps he could give me advice. I dragged Booker into my office and closed the door.
“Oh no. This is serious.” He plonked himself on the sofa and put his feet up. “Hit me.”
“Promise not to snark, whine, or bitch. Or freak out.”
“I’ll do no such thing.” My brother folded his arms.
“Why is everything so hard? Just be my brother, not an asshat, and don’t mention how you’re going to be the Alpha when I F up the company.”
Booker’s face softened, and he rolled his eyes. “I’ll try. No promises, though.”
That was as good as he’d give, and I had to be satisfied with it.
“I met my mate.”
That got a reaction, and he leaped off the sofa and grabbed me by the shoulders. “Your one true mate? Are you sure?”
I shoved him back onto the couch and nodded.
“That’s huge.” He looked under the sofa. “Where is he? Have you marked him? When can I meet him?” Booker furrowed his brow, and he smirked. I knew he couldn’t go five minutes without sporting his trademark expression.
“Have you told him every horrible thing I ever did to you and he refuses to meet me?” He tossed a cushion into the air. “Bro, I need to meet this guy and soon.”
Taking a deep breath and telling myself the worst that could happen was my brother reported me to the council and asked that I be removed from the line of succession. I’d survive, maybe even welcome being pushed aside.
“He’s not a fox shifter.”
Booker shrugged. “Okay, but I hope he’s a mammal and a predator, because shifting with a dragonfly won’t be much fun.”
Another breath. Maybe two more. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Excellent.”
“Because he is…” I paused, because once I said it, it was out there forever and there were no take-backsies. “Ummm, he’s human!”
“What?” That got my brother off the couch again. “Bro, that is going to cause so many problems.”
Again, my brain paused because Booker hadn’t lobbed the insult I’d been expecting. And what he said was right. It wouldn’t be easy, and we had obstacles to overcome. Big ones.
“Humans are ignorant of our world. How can he be integrated into your life and the pack?”
There was only one answer to that. “By being honest.”
Booker stood before me and said to straighten up. He always complained about me slouching my shoulders.
“As you’re talking to me and your mate isn’t around, my guess is he didn’t take it well. Bet your fox hates him now.”
“No, no, and no.” No matter how Joss reacted, my beast would always adore him, as I would.
“Great.”
Booker’s one-word answer unnerved me more than him haranguing me, and I tore off my nail and regretted it.
“I’ve not told him.” I positioned myself near the door so I could make a quick escape if needed.
My brother dragged me to the couch and plonked me down. “You gotta tell him, Garner. This is eating you up inside.”
True. I narrowed my eyes at Booker because he was being, for him, kinda, sorta supportive. “Why are you being so nice?”
He made a face. “Nice? Don’t call me that. I’m the ass who calls you out on your shit. That’s my job.”
“Fine, Mr. Nice Guy. So what do I do?”
My brother shrugged. “You’re asking me how to deal with a human? I don’t know. Watch a rom com or read a romance novel? All I’ve gleaned from living among them is that humans like and expect to date.”
Dating, yeah, we’d had business lunches and coffee meet-ups to discuss work, but we’d never gone out purely for pleasure and to get to know one another. The three days away didn’t count. That was work and with a ton of sex thrown in.
“Now spill. Who is it?”
“Joss.”
“Who?”
That was how much my brother was interested in what I did in the office. Other than criticizing me, he paid little attention.
“The consultant? The one you were flirting with?”
“Jog my memory, bro.”
“The guy who’s helping the division get out of the huge-ass hole we’re in.”
“Oh, that guy? I never flirted with him.”
Booker wasn’t lying. That was just his usual spiel when he met someone new. Turn on the charm to make a good impression.
“If I’m flirting with a guy, I charm the pants off them, and much as I like humans, I wouldn’t consider one for my mate.” At my sharp intake of breath, he continued. “Tossing a human into our world complicates our life.”
I understood where he was coming from. If Joss had been a shifter, we would have mated, marked one another, and been living together. And placing a human into a world of predators where whenever I shifted, my beast killed another creature, might be too much.
Most humans didn’t enjoy watching a fox fell a bunny and eating it because they were shielded from the realities of life. They bought their meat at the grocery store or a market and didn’t witness the animal being killed.
Booker got up and clapped me on the shoulder. “You better figure it out because your beast will take his fur without your permission if you don’t.” He waved. “Good luck, and if you need a buddy when you shift the first time, let me know. My beast is so damned cute.”
He isn’t. He just thinks he is. My fox had a running beef with my brother’s, much like us when we were in human form.
Sitting at my desk, I scrolled through dating suggestions, but they were all so blah.
I wanted to do something exciting like stargazing or paragliding, but perhaps I should lower my expectations.
If Joss broke his neck or was scared of the dark, it would set back the shifter reaction timetable by months or years.
Keep it simple.
But I should wait until the contract was complete and the work finished before I invited Joss on a date. That was more professional, though us having sex was amateur hour. How was I supposed to wait until then? I’d have to immerse myself in work, so I buckled down.
One piece of expensive rare silk was wending its way to a client, and I was determined it would not be lost or stolen.
I had a photo of the fabric in a digital sticky note on the computer, and I marveled at the exquisite craftsmanship that created it.
That was what my division was all about.
Beautiful, rare pieces created with skills passed down for generations.
But every few minutes, Joss crept into my head. I put on my noise-canceling headphones and told him to keep out.
I turned the music up louder.