Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Rule Number 23 - A feeder is not required to leave any previous job commitments unless it is a direct conflict to their contract with their client. However, it should be discussed beforehand with all parties so accommodations can be made.

“Oh god, you’re quitting, aren’t you?”

Avery bit back a laugh at Morana’s immediate panic. “No, I’m not quitting. It shouldn’t change my schedule too much. I just thought it was important to inform you of the change.”

Her relieved sigh was loud over the receiver. “Oh good. You’re one of my best temps, and I would’ve been devastated if you left. I’d have to hire a dozen more employees to replace you. But explain it to me better. How did this happen?”

Avery wasn’t sure if the warmth in his cheeks was from the praise or the idea of sharing what occurred between himself and Ozen. He chose to remain vague for privacy’s sake.

“His contracted feeder was unreliable, and I volunteered to help him. It worked out well, and he asked me to replace the feeder to ensure more consistency in the future.”

“And you don’t feel obligated to take this position, correct?”

His boss’s worry was heartwarming, and he spent some time reassuring her that his taking this job was one hundred percent consensual and without coercion.

“Well, alright. If that’s what you want, I can’t stop you. I appreciate you letting me know. You’re scheduled to return back here in two weeks, correct?”

“Yes, that’s the plan, but Mr. Hawksley has made a request about my future temp jobs. If possible, he’d like me to take the positions requested by his company so that I’m close by. He understands if this isn’t an option, but I thought I’d ask anyway.”

Morana hummed thoughtfully. “Well, it shouldn’t be a problem. Spellbound Corps requests temps regularly enough. If there is a position available there, I can put you down as the first contact for availability. Do you only want positions from Spellbound? It might limit your workload, but with the feeder contract, you might not need to worry about the monetary aspect of it.”

Avery considered it. If he only accepted contracts from Spellbound, aside from his feeder responsibilities, he’d have more time to work on his novel. But he didn’t want to leave Morana down a temp either.

“How about this? For now, I’ll be specifically contracted to Spellbound while I learn my duties as Mr. Hawksley’s feeder. Leave me on the list for emergencies. Once I’m more comfortable with the position, we can reevaluate.”

“This is why you’re my favorite, Avery. You’re always so conscientious. I’ll write up the paperwork and make a note on your file and the Spellbound account. Make sure to send me a copy of your feeder contract. It gets added to your file so your other jobs are aware of your potential unavailability.”

After saying their goodbyes, Avery wrote down a note to send a copy of the contract to the temp agency as soon as possible. Mrs. Sable called not long after, sounding much more relaxed than when they’d first met.

“I hope your vacation is going well,” Avery said brightly.

“It is. I looked forward to this all year. I’d like to be able to do it more often, but with Mr. Hawksley’s schedule, it isn’t possible. Things are going well, I hope? Did he settle in with Calvin?”

Avery wondered if he should be discreet about what happened with the feeder Mrs. Sable chose, but she’d find out eventually when she came back. And as Mr. Hawksley’s assistant, Avery figured she needed to know who Mr. Hawksley’s feeder was.

“Um… Well, it didn’t work out with Calvin. He got angry with Mr. Hawksley over something, I’m not really sure what, and stopped answering his phone. It put Mr. Hawksley in a very bad position.”

“Oh dear,” she murmured. “Do you need me to come back early? Is he alright? He isn’t starving himself, is he?”

It was easy to tell Mrs. Sable cared about Mr. Hawksley. Avery was quick to reassure her. “No, no. He’s fine. I volunteered to help him again, and afterwards, he requested that I sign on as his feeder. I’ve spoken with my temp agency, and for now, I’ll be working exclusively on the contracts with Spellbound so I can stick close until Mr. Hawksley and I are more comfortable with my new duties. I felt like it was important to give you the full picture, since you’re his assistant.”

She was quiet for a moment as she processed the change, but her voice was cautiously optimistic when she finally replied. “Well, I’m glad you were there to assist him. You said Calvin stopped answering his phone? How long did Mr. Hawksley go without eating? It might take a few extra sessions to get him back to full strength.”

“I’m not entirely sure, but the last time I saw Calvin was the Wednesday of my first week. I thought maybe I was just missing him, but–”

“You’re saying Mr. Hawksley went two weeks without feeding?” Her voice raised to almost a screeching level, making Avery flinch. He wondered if a banshee scream could still hurt him over the phone.

“You’d have to ask him to be certain on exactly how long, but Mr. Hawksley said Calvin stopped answering his phone a week ago. Either way, what he did was incredibly wrong, and Mr. Hawksley suffered from Calvin’s cruelty. I am aware he needs multiple feedings to get back on his feet, and we’re making accommodations for that. For now, he seems okay. He fed twice yesterday, and his mood is almost back to normal.”

Mrs. Sable sighed heavily. “Of course this all had to happen while I was gone. I’m sorry you had to handle this yourself, Avery. And you’re sure you don’t feel obligated? It was kind of you to help him during a difficult time, but you aren’t obligated to continue to do so.”

“I’m sure,” Avery said firmly. “We’ve discussed it, and I read the contract. We made a few adjustments to it, but once Mr. Martell is finished with it, I’ll be signing it, and Mr. Hawksley will be well taken care of. You don’t have to worry. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.”

“Thank you, Avery. As of right now, my return date hasn’t changed. I’ll update you if it has,” she confirmed, then paused. “A quick note: As a feeder, you need to monitor your energy levels. There is a healer on the third floor. If you ever feel weak or like you aren’t recovering as you should, please visit her. Otherwise I’ll see you in two weeks.”

“See you in two weeks. Enjoy your trip.”

Avery hung up the phone right as the witch secretary he’d met in the finance office pushed through the glass door. He had a calm energy, his smile soft and warm, and his tie was lavender, which Avery envied just a little.

“Mr. Martell wanted me to bring this contract to you. He said it needs to be signed in front of a notary, and I’m registered as one. Do you have time to do it now?”

That was fast. Avery took the contract from the witch, quickly flipping through it. All the changes Avery had requested were there, and there was a note on a new one that Mr. Martell added last minute. Nothing concerning, just a stipulation that if there was some sort of emergency and the feeder was unavailable, Mr. Hawksley would be able to feed elsewhere as long as the feeder was informed beforehand. Avery hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but after what happened with Calvin, he could see why Mr. Martell would add it.

“Okay, I can sign this. Do I have to do anything special?” Avery had never used a notary before. He delivered documents to them from time to time, but he was usually too busy to stick around and watch them work.

“No. I just need to watch you do it, and see your ID so I can note the information. Then I use my fancy little stamp to mark it as signed with a notary present. Quick and easy,” the witch reassured him.

Avery scrawled his name and initials where indicated and handed the contract to the witch, who stamped each page to mark them after adding the information from his ID. On the bottom of each stamp was a section for the notary’s signature, and once it was all filled out, the witch gestured to Ozen’s office.

“I’ll need to have Mr. Hawksley sign it as well. Is he available?”

“He’s in meetings this morning. I can call you once he gets back, if you want.”

The witch bobbed his head in agreement. “Sure. I should get back to my desk. If I’m gone too long, those number heads get all fussy. I’m Morgan, by the way. Morgan Nightshade.”

“Avery Whitman,” Avery replied, taking the witch’s outstretched hand for a shake. “I’m a temp until Mrs. Sable gets back, but I’ll be taking other temp jobs around the company, so you might see me around.”

“That’s neat. I’ve heard good things about you. Hopefully you’ll get at least one contract in finance so we can hang out.” He paused, pursing his lips. “Just… not near tax season. It’s a major dumpster fire every year, even though they are supposed to prepare for it months in advance. Spare yourself the stress if you can.”

Avery snickered. He already liked Morgan and hoped he could get to know him better. There was a severe lack of friends in Avery’s life. He kept himself too busy with work and his book, and he was never at a job long enough to make real connections. Hopefully by taking most, if not all, of the temp contracts for Spellbound, he’d get to know people a little better and potentially make some friends.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Mr. Hawksley should be done just before lunch, but the meetings sometimes run long, so I’ll keep you updated.”

Avery wanted to get the contract signed before lunch, because afterward, he was supposed to feed Ozen again. While Avery was comfortable doing it without the contract, he felt Ozen would be happier if it was signed beforehand.

With his morning obligations taken care of, Avery only had to man the phones until Ozen returned and gave him more to do. He snuck into the break room and finally snagged one of the bagels he’d been drooling over for the past two weeks. He ate it at his desk so he didn't miss any calls, groaning at the soft cinnamony deliciousness. It had to be freshly baked that morning, because there was no other way it’d be that soft.

After his belly was full, Avery went looking for something to do to occupy his time. As long as he was at his desk, he could help out the other secretaries. One had made copies for a meeting in the afternoon and needed them separated and bound in plastic folders, so Avery took that task to help them out.

The morning passed steadily, and when lunch rolled around, Avery grabbed a sandwich from the deli across the street and returned to his desk to work on his novel. He took a bite every few minutes, but otherwise he lost himself in the world of his book. He was glad his monitor was at an angle so that no one could see it unless they walked around his desk behind him. He’d been writing a cheesy office romance, since he spent most of his time in an office anyway, but he admitted to himself that his spicy scenes lacked any real spice. With the memory of his afternoon with Mr. Hawksley the day before, Avery hoped to add more tension and detail to the scenes.

His face was hot as he wrote out the sensations he’d experienced the day before. The soft caresses, the teasing licks. His scenes in his book often skipped foreplay and went straight to the pounding bits. Avery knew better now. Foreplay was just as exciting as the rest of it. Maybe. He hadn’t experienced the rest of it yet, but the foreplay was hot.

He crossed his legs, pushing down on his arousal to get it to subside. Maybe the office wasn’t the best place to do this. He didn’t normally react like this while writing. Sure, it turned him on, but it didn’t normally make him feel so… needy.

He was so distracted by it, he didn’t realize Ozen returned until he spoke.

“Mr. Whitman, what are you doing?”