Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Rule Number 7 - Performance Evaluations - Performance evaluations should be provided on an as needed basis to better give the feeder an understanding of how they are doing with their client and where they could stand to improve.

Avery’s last week as Ozen’s assistant ran smoother than the rest. Avery and Ozen continued their daily feeding schedule, and during his work hours as Ozen’s assistant, Avery prepared for Mrs. Sable’s return. He wrote up a report of everything that had happened and the things she would need to accomplish first when she got back. He also got word from Morana about his next assignment. The research floor needed a secretary while theirs was out sick. It would be a quick assignment, only a week long unless the illness turned out to be complicated, but Avery didn’t mind a quick turn over.

The phone on his desk rang and Avery picked it up immediately. “Mr. Hawksley’s office, Avery speaking. How can I help you?”

“Good morning,” a craggy voice said. “I’m calling from Doctor Chapman’s office to confirm Mr. Hawksley’s appointment.”

Avery’s brows drew together tightly. He hadn’t been told of any appointments.

“Okay… What time?”

“Friday at 3 P.M.”

Avery pulled up Ozen’s calendar. He thought he knew the thing front to back, but when he looked up the time of the appointment, there was a stretch of time blocked out that hadn’t been there before. It was labeled personal and gave no other indication of what it was referring to.

“Uh… I see the schedule blocked off for that time, but I’m having trouble getting the details. Do you mind if I put you on hold and ask Mr. Hawksley directly?”

“If you don’t mind. Supernaturals like him aren’t inclined to visit a physician. If he asked for an appointment, it would be important.”

Important, indeed. Avery had made a few appointments for long-lived supernaturals, usually at the request of someone close to them. Immortal or near immortal supernaturals didn’t like to see physicians. They figured they’d been alive long enough that they would just get over whatever ailed them with enough time.

Placing the caller on hold, Avery popped out of his seat and knocked on Ozen’s door. Thankfully, Ozen was working in his office this morning and Avery didn’t need to chase him down or interrupt him from something important. Ozen’s ‘enter’ was a lot more polite now that he was no longer affected by starvation. Avery poked his head in, giving Ozen an apologetic smile.

“Good morning, sir. I have a call on the line to confirm your Friday appointment at 3 P.M. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Thank you for checking.”

A dozen questions whirled through Avery’s mind, but he had a job to do. He hurried back to his desk, quickly confirming that Ozen was aware of the scheduled appointment and would be there. After he hung up, Avery went back and forth on whether to ask Ozen what the appointment was for. On one hand, it wasn’t his business what he did in his personal time. On the other hand, he was Ozen’s feeder and if it was medical, it might affect him as well. Not that he believed Ozen would do anything to put Avery at risk. But was it too personal to ask?

Avery chewed on the problem for a while, frowning at his computer screen, when a familiar face popped into the office. Pushing his thoughts on the matter aside, he smiled.

“Good morning, Taron. I–” Avery paused, nearly swallowing his tongue when he finally took in Taron’s appearance. The shapeshifter still had masculine features and a five o’clock shadow, but he had augmented his usual appearance with absolutely enormous breasts. They were comically large, and the shirt he wore strained to contain them. Avery could only gape.

“Uh…”

Concerned for Taron’s mental well being, Avery reached for his phone without looking away, buzzing Ozen’s office. It wasn’t often that Avery had to buzz him, usually just an appointment reminder if he was in the middle of a meeting, so Ozen was confused when he opened his door.

“Avery, what– Oh, good gods. Really, Taron?”

Taron spun around and the giant knockers nearly threw him off balance with the motion. He beamed at his friend.

“What? I’m just following your advice.”

Ozen rolled his eyes hard. “You couldn’t manifest something a little more appropriate for the office? Your shirt is bursting at the seams.”

And in the front, but Avery wasn’t going to say that out loud. He’d seen Taron change little parts of his appearance. Different nose, different hair color, that kind of thing. It was amusing to pick out what new thing had changed since the last time they ran into each other. This was… a bit much.

“Yeah,” Taron agreed, his nose wrinkled. “I didn’t have anything that fit right. And, I didn’t know this, but these things are killer for your back. I’ve been aching all morning. I manifested them last night and I struggled to get comfortable to sleep. At one point I thought they might smother me.”

Avery tried so, so hard, but the snicker escaped without his say-so. He hunched over, keeping his head ducked to hide his laughter, but it just wouldn’t stop.

“Your assistant enjoys my pain,” Taron said dryly.

Ozen chuckled. “Good. I do too. Fix those things, will you? You’re going to hurt someone.”

That wasn’t helping. Avery covered his mouth with his hands, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

“You know we can see you, right? You’re not very subtle,” Taron complained.

Another laugh slipped out and it seemed to set off Ozen. He started laughing too, which made Avery laugh harder. Even Taron joined in after a minute. Tears pricked Avery’s eyes from laughing so hard, and when he swayed in his chair, Ozen came to stand beside him to keep him off the floor.

“Well, I’m sad I missed the party. What’s going on in here?”

Avery sucked in a sharp breath, whipping his head up. “Mrs. Sable! You’re back early.”

Mrs. Sable smiled at him. She looked a lot more relaxed than the last time he’d seen her, with no tension around her eyes and a healthy glow to her skin. “Not officially. I’ll be back on Friday for the trade off. I just thought I’d stop in and check on things. Last time we spoke, things were a little hectic.”

True. The office had settled considerably since then. And while Avery was prepared to vacate his position as Ozen’s assistant, he couldn’t help but feel a certain amount of dread. He enjoyed working here. He liked being close to Ozen. It made it easier for him to notice if Ozen was hungry and needed him earlier than planned. He knew he wouldn’t be far, the research department he was needed at was only about ten floors down, but it felt too far for him.

The thought process made Avery hesitate. Maybe being separated from Ozen would be a good thing. He was getting attached. He wanted to say it was just because he cared about Ozen’s wellbeing, but that felt like a lie on his tongue. It was more than that. Avery was usually diligent about focusing on his work. He wasn’t easily distracted, but he was distracted by Ozen. His thoughts were constantly on his boss, on what he was doing and what he might need to make his day better. He thought about their next session and had to fight the urge to go to him early.

The separation was good. Avery needed to clear his head. He assured Ozen left and right that he could keep his emotions out of it. He was determined for their relationship to remain professional for Ozen’s sake. He needed a feeder he could rely on. Avery wasn’t going to let his feelings get in the way of his work.

Normally, when Collette returned from her vacation, Ozen was overjoyed to see her. She was an excellent assistant and she was missed every time she was gone. However, this time was different. As Collette caught up with Taron and Avery, Ozen’s gaze flicked to the man beside him.

Avery might have Collette beat on the best assistant title. Not only was he efficient and well liked in the office, his loyalty was something to admire. He’d gone above and beyond for Ozen since the day he arrived. Colette was diligent and a good worker, but she wasn’t Avery.

Ozen realized his train of thought was dangerous. There was nothing wrong with Collette. He had no reason to favor Avery over her, aside from the man’s position as his feeder. His need to keep Avery close was merely a result of that. Perhaps because of the Calvin ordeal, he was feeling more anxious than usual about the whereabouts of his feeder. He’d need to ask Doctor Chapman about that come Friday afternoon. Ozen was unaware of the effects of starvation on an incubus, or the recovery. He assumed his feelings on the matter correlated somehow.

Brushing that aside, Ozen gave his focus back to the room. “Collette, did you receive my request for your account of Calvin’s behavior?”

“Yes, Mr. Hawksley. I stopped by Mr. Van Buren’s office on my way up. It was one of the reasons I came here before my return date. I didn’t want to drag the process out any longer than necessary.”

“I appreciate that. Thank you. Avery, could you please set up a phone meeting with Maverick some time today? I want to check on his progress on the lawsuit.”

“Yes, sir. Right away.”

Avery still didn’t know the effect his words had on Ozen. Every time Avery called him sir, Ozen wanted to shiver. It didn’t help that during their sessions, Avery was quick to follow directions. Ozen wasn’t going to introduce that kind of dynamic while Avery was still exploring. He needed to experience the basics before they added kinks into the mix. And while Ozen’s were relatively tame for an incubus, they were still more than Avery needed to deal with right now.

Taron joined him in his office after Collette left. Avery was still on the phone with Maverick, his gaze locked on the calendar as he found a time in his and Maverick’s schedule for a meeting. Ozen left him to it and closed the door to give himself and Taron privacy.

“I’m assuming you didn’t come upstairs for a visit.”

“Unfortunately, no,” Taron agreed. The air shimmered and his new appendages disappeared. All his extras disappeared as well, leaving Taron looking a little worn and a lot exhausted. Ozen’s chest filled with concern and he gestured for Taron to join him on the couch.

“What’s the matter, my friend?”

Taron sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face. “I’m feeling… out of balance lately. Nothing makes me feel comfortable in my own skin. No changes I make help the issue. It’s why I’ve been so fixated on gender swapping. I was playing with something new that might not fundamentally change things. And while tits are great fun, they didn’t do a thing to make the feeling go away.”

Ozen put his hand on Taron’s shoulder, his smile patient. “It’s time, isn’t it?”

Taron grimaced. “I guess. I don’t want to, though. I like this form.”

Usually, Taron changed his permanent form on his own. But if he liked a particular form, he’d try to stick with it for a while. Unfortunately, his body wasn’t capable of keeping it forever. Like your favorite suit, you could mend it when it was damaged and take good care of it, but eventually, it would become threadbear and need replacing. Taron had this current form for over a hundred years. It was one of his longest, and no amount of simple augmentation was going to fix it.

“When are you leaving?”

Taron sighed, his head drooping forward. He had to return home to get the magic he needed. It only took about a week for major form changes, but Taron dreaded it every time. His home life wasn’t… pleasant.

“I think I can stretch it out another week. Maybe. Any chance you trust Avery to take over as VP?”

Ozen chuckled. “I trust Avery’s judgment on a great many things, but I don’t think he would be qualified for that. Don't worry. I’ll cover your work. Collette will be back and Avery will be around to help if necessary. Go home, my friend. I look forward to seeing the form you choose next.”