Chapter 8

8

“It’s quitting time!” Janet’s voice echoed off every wall in the office. “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”

I leaned back in the chair, taking a deep breath. I pulled at my tie until the knot fell apart. On the corner of my desk, I stared at the two Fudgy bars. Oversleeping, I flew into work and snuck in from the roof. An info session with the Vixens of Vanguard meant no lunch. Every attempt to leave my desk ended in an emergency call. Heroes were a needy bunch.

“Are you heading out?” Drew poked his head into my office. “Today has been exhausting.”

I nodded. “How are the sponsorships going?”

“It took all day, but I think I landed us a big account. They’re waiting for the launch party to announce their decision.”

Orion slid past Drew, plopping himself in a chair on the other side of my desk. “I think I worked through a thousand support tickets today. We’re being targeted by the League of Villains. I can’t prove it, but heroes can’t be this dumb.”

I was about to open my mouth, but I had learned my lesson. If I indulged Orion in his conspiracy, we’d be here another hour. Somehow, it’d come back to the government, aliens, or the Illuminati. Or was it the Masons? I couldn’t keep up with the organizations trying to destroy Vanguard.

“Damn, Masons. They’re probably the ones that sent Prowler.”

Behind Orion, Drew’s head hung down, slowly shaking back and forth. “Masons aren’t hiring villains to destroy us.”

“If you look at the?—”

Nope. I wanted to get out of work as quickly as possible. Somewhere in this building, a security guard needed a rush of chocolate. “There should be a good turnout for the launch. As long as the Masons don’t strike.”

Orion’s eyes narrowed, deciding if I had attempted sarcasm. “You’ll see,” he said.

“Jock wearers, did you not hear? Go home!” Janet grabbed Drew from behind, spinning about, placing him in the hallway. With a slap on the ass, he ran away. She wasn’t taking prisoners today.

“Orion, do I have to carry you?”

He rolled his eyes as he stood. “Did we not have a meeting about touching butts in the office?”

“HR cleared me. Three sanctioned ass slaps a day.” Janet neglected to mention she acted as Human Resources during that meeting. She rubbed her hands together, waiting for Orion to pass. Drawing back, he yelped as she gave him a friendly slap. “Wyatt? You’re up next.”

“Janet!” Arthur to the rescue. They stood face-to-face, and she scowled. “Don’t make me tell Mom. She’ll have you doing the dishes.”

“Try me.” She pushed against him, forcing him against the doorframe. “I’ll tell Mom the magazines she found weren’t mine.” His face turned white. “Don’t get too big for your britches, mister.”

I didn’t dare ask as she left. Arthur watched as she stomped her way toward the lobby. “Coast is clear. Walk out with me.”

Oh, no. Did I do something wrong? I got up and slid the chocolate into my breast pocket. If Arthur fired me, I’d need emotional support candy. We walked side-by-side, his hand resting on the middle of my shoulders. I could tell he wanted me out of the office when he delivered the bad news. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.

“Wyatt, I need to?—”

“It’s okay, boss. I get it. I’ll pack up my?—”

He spun about, standing in front of me. Arthur put a hand against my chest, shaking his head. I considered throwing myself over the railing. It’d be a dramatic gesture if I ignored being invulnerable… mostly.

“I’m not firing you.”

“Oh.”

“Why would I fire my best employee?”

Best? Despite the confusion, the smile spread across my face, my cheeks tight enough that they turned painful. “Best?” Nobody at Coffee! Coffee! Coffee! referred to me as their best anything.

“I would have thought heroes could handle using a simple app on their phone. Who knew they were technologically challenged? You’ve been doing a great job getting them prepared for the launch.”

I wrapped my arms around Arthur, squeezing him. Lifting him off his feet, I spun around, excited by my evaluation. For a moment, my feet lifted off the floor. I landed with a thud, dropping Arthur. I quickly glanced up and down the walkway, checking to see if anybody saw my slip.

Arthur laughed. “You’re doing better than you think, big guy. If this launch makes a big splash, we’ll change the world.”

He leaned over the railing, pointing to the ground floor. “You should see if your friend wants to come.”

I stole a peek over the edge to see Dustin in the middle of the lobby. He stood with his hands behind his back, nodding his head as people passed by. I resisted the urge to jump over the ledge and swoop down by his side.

“I’ve got more work to do, but you should head out.”

“But I?—”

“Listen to the boss.” He patted me on the shoulder before turning around and walking back into our office. Before the door swung shut, I sped down the walkway toward the elevator.

“Too slow,” I whispered. I turned right, bursting through the door to the stairwell. I jumped down an entire set of stairs, hitting the landing before turning and repeating the maneuver. Seconds later, I threw open the door into the lobby.

I pulled my tie off, tucking it into my back pocket. I checked my hair and gave my beard a quick fluff. For good measure, I unfastened the top two buttons on my shirt. After getting a thumbs-up from Arthur, my chest filled with confidence. I could do this. No, Kiki wanted me to be more affirmative.

I would do this.

With my shoulders raised, I made a beeline to Dustin. As soon as he saw me, the burly bear smiled. I hoped his tongue would hook the corner of his mouth, giving me another opportunity to confirm he and Discord were one and the same. The closer I got, the hotter my cheeks turned. At this rate, my nose would be bright red before I said hello.

“Fancy bumping into you here.”

I stopped close enough that I could reach out and touch his chest. Did we shake hands? Did we kiss? I didn’t know the protocol. Swamped with work, I hadn’t been able to ask Drew. Janet would have told me to hurl myself at him. Whatever she suggested was probably a bad idea… but I didn’t hate it.

“I brought you a present.” I grabbed the chocolate from my pocket and thrust it out like a child showing off a new toy. “Fudgy bars are my favorite.”

Dustin took it and peeled open the wrapper, snapped off half, and handed it back to me. “How about we share?” After the exchange with Zaster, I didn’t expect the gesture. I almost mentioned the extra bar in my pocket, but I didn’t want to ruin his good deed. I accepted it, taking a nibble from the corner.

“You’re nice,” I said before diving in for more.

He chuckled. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

We chewed in silence until he started walking. He stopped, checking over his shoulder to see if I followed. I wanted to stare at his butt, but behaved and walked next to him. He let out a little moan as he swallowed the last of the bar. My pants grew tight when I thought of that moan without clothes.

“That hit the spot.”

We stood in a crowd of people as they moved toward the exit. Researchers and people in business attire hurried out of the building. While they sped toward their homes, I wanted to stay in place and talk to the handsomest guy in the building.

“Thanks,” I blurted out.

“It’s your chocolate, handsome.”

“I mean Prowler. You saved the day.”

“Don’t sweat it. That’s my job.” He puffed out his chest and gave me a salute. “I’ll save you every time.”

“You could have been hurt.” I wanted to ask how he did it without worrying, without fearing he might die. At the time, I didn’t know he had powers, but even now, it didn’t change the facts. Fearlessly, Dustin faced danger head-on. I didn’t want him to know I had reservations about throwing myself into a fight.

“It’s part of the job.” He put his hands on his hips and sucked in his gut. “I’m your friendly neighborhood security guard.”

“How do you do it? I was worried I’d faint.” Not exactly the truth, but it sounded better than running away screaming. “You’re a hero… my hero.”

“About that thing…” Did he blush? He rubbed the side of his cheek, breaking eye contact. “I got caught up in the moment.”

“Oh, you mean the kiss? That was my favorite part.”

His head dipped down, and he scuffed a foot against the floor, making a squeak. “That was unprofessional of me.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t.”

Dustin smirked. “Deal. Besides, you still owe me a trip to the candy store.”

What was the protocol? Did I pick a date and time, or did I ask when he was free? What about now? We could go this very moment, and it’d erase a tiresome workday.

“Ahem.”

I turned around to see Zaster still in his white coat. His presence made the hair on my forearms stand on end. Where Dustin had a warm smile I wanted to stare at for hours. Zaster had this crooked grin with a devious feeling to it, like he had a deep dark secret. When it became clear he wasn’t going to keep walking, I gave him a slight wave.

“Howdy, Dr. Zaster.” Dustin mirrored my wave.

“I don’t want to interrupt—” Then why did he? “—I just wanted to make sure we’re still on for drinks?”

This turned awkward. I went from fantasizing about diving headfirst into a pile of candy with Dustin… clothing optional… to drinks with Zaster. The second didn’t compare, not in the least, but I didn’t want to be rude.

“You said you’d check when you were free.”

Zaster stepped close enough that I had to take a step away from Dustin. “It just so happens my plans this evening fell through.”

I wanted Dustin to jump between us and say we had plans. Then he’d take my hand, and we’d fly across the city to the good candy store. Instead, he turned about, nodding and waving to the last few researchers exiting the building.

“I think I’m free.” Unless Dustin dragged me away. When that didn’t happen, Zaster gave a slight nod. I caught the look of disgust as he eyed Dustin. It appeared he didn’t care for the security guard.

“I’ll text you the address.” He didn’t wait for a reply. He brushed by Dustin, bumping into him as he headed to the exit. It wasn’t until he stepped through the revolving door that the hair on my arms laid to rest.

“So, you and Zaster?”

I avoided making eye contact. The uneasy rumblings in my stomach doubled. I wasn’t sure why, but something about this situation made me uncomfortable. If I had Kiki’s home address, I’d rush over to sort it out. Maybe I’d text Drew and Orion for guidance. After that, the feeling of excitement with Dustin turned uncomfortable.

“He wants to grab a drink.”

Dustin smiled, but the sentiment didn’t reach his eyes. “I can’t blame him.” He gave a slight nod and backed away. “I’ll chat with you later.”

Nothing about this felt good. I watched as Dustin walked toward the security office. Something had gone wrong, and I couldn’t unravel the mystery. We were having a good time, and it came crashing down, leaving an icky sensation along my skin. My fantasy had gone poof, replaced by a subpar reality.

I couldn’t even enjoy watching Dustin’s butt.