Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Ozen’s mind was turbulent the rest of the morning.

He constantly lost focus and his thoughts trailed too often to the blonde-haired cherub who’d wandered into his office and offered himself to a starving incubus. Ozen had never felt so well fed after only one session with a feeder, especially one that didn’t go farther than touching. Avery’s desire was intoxicating, and he found himself wishing more than once that he really was the feeder.

He banished the thought every time it entered his mind. Avery was there to replace Collette while she was on her reprieve. Every few years, Collette went home for a month to be around her people and recharge her magic. He’d almost forgotten about it entirely until last month when she reminded him of her upcoming absence. Ozen hated when she was gone; she knew him best and wasn’t afraid to put people in their place if they disturbed him while he was working. Though if Avery was as efficient in his work as he was at feeding an incubus, perhaps Ozen had nothing to worry about.

When Ozen returned to his office, Avery and Collette were missing. Ozen assumed she was giving Avery a tour of the office and explaining her job, which was what much of her schedule had been blocked off for today. Ozen couldn’t decide if he was thankful or disappointed that Avery wasn’t there.

Opening his office door, he was immediately greeted with the smell of sex. Avery’s scent permeated the entire room, and Ozen felt himself harden in his slacks. He wasn’t still hungry; Avery had more than covered that this morning. But the sounds of Avery’s cries, the image of the little human bent over his desk, it all came back to him in a rush.

He lost track of how long he stood there, replaying the memory and breathing in Avery’s scent. Long enough for his best friend and business partner to pop up behind him.

“What are we staring at?”

Snapping back to reality, Ozen forced himself forward, dropping into his desk chair and ignoring the spot where Avery had been bent over it that morning. He was an incubus. Sex was a necessity and never a distraction. He needed to focus on his work.

Taron followed him into the room, plopping himself down in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk. He was more than used to the smell of sex in Ozen’s office. Since the arrangements he made were all business, he refused to invite feeders into his home. His feeds always happened here in his office. It was why the walls were soundproof and he had both a bathroom and a bedroom hidden on the other side of the wall behind his desk.

“Did you need something?”

“Got an idea I need to run past you. I was pretty drunk when I thought it up, so I’m not sure if it makes sense or not.”

Sometimes, Taron and Ozen did their best thinking while drunk. It was how they came up with the weight reduction spell so the golems could use the elevators. Granted, it took another year to actually have a working spell, but the initial idea was found at the bottom of a bottle of whiskey.

Ozen put out his hand, taking the notes Taron must have scribbled down during his last drunken revelry, though scribbled might be too kind a word. Ozen couldn’t make sense of what he was looking at, no matter which way he turned the paper around.

“What is this?”

“No clue, but it felt important at the time.”

Ozen sighed, pressing the button on his desk that connected to Collette’s office. Sometimes she was the only one who could make sense of Taron’s scribbles.

Only, it wasn’t Collette who answered. When the office door opened, it was Avery who stepped inside, his smile tentative and a little shy.

“Can I help you with something, Mr. Hawksley?”

“Where is Collette?”

“Mrs. Sable went downstairs to look for the feeder you were supposed to meet this morning.” A deep flush overtook Avery’s face and his gaze dropped to the floor. “Is there something I can help with?”

Taron sat up when Avery came in, curious at the new arrival. His curiosity only grew when he noticed Ozen’s tight grip on the papers. It wouldn’t surprise him if his pupils were blown. He wanted another taste of the man across the room, and being this close to him wasn’t helping. A mischievous grin flashed across Taron’s face before he pointed to the papers in Ozen’s hand.

“We were hoping she could translate my poor penmanship. I jotted something down and now can’t make sense of what I’d written. It felt important when I wrote it.”

Avery edged closer, a little unsure of himself. That was Ozen’s fault for taking advantage of him this morning. He was still kicking himself for not being more specific in his questioning. He should have been more cautious. He had only himself to blame, though the hunger had a part in his recklessness.

To reassure him, Ozen offered Avery the papers. “Usually Collette can suss out what Taron writes when inebriated. It’s fine if you can’t.”

He had to mask his expression when Avery’s fingers brushed against his own when he took the offered papers. One touch and his magic rose to the surface, pushing against his skin to taste the delicious energy of the man in front of him again. He tampered it back down, keeping his face blank. Avery didn’t notice Ozen’s struggle, but Taron did. His mischievous look only grew the longer Ozen and Avery were in the same room.

“Uh… It looks like it's describing a prototype for an energy converter for thunderbirds. You want to use their power on the electricity grid?”

Taron’s eyes lit up, momentarily distracted from Ozen’s discomfort. “Oh! Yes, I remember now! And not technically. That would create issues with thunderbird rights. But discharge from a thunderbird causes issues with electricity all the time. Electric companies spend a good deal of money cleaning up after them. If we can convert their discharge into safe electricity that doesn’t harm the lines, thunderbirds won’t have to avoid the city.”

The idea had merit, and if accomplished, could ease the struggles thunderbirds often had with travel. Current laws forbade thunderbirds from entering the city unless in human form due to the damage they caused.

“You should bring this idea to research and development. After Collette rewrites it into something legible.”

“I can do that, if you want,” Avery offered.

Ozen opened his mouth to refuse, but then he remembered that Collette was leaving and he’d have to rely on Avery to do these things eventually. The task itself wasn’t a difficult one, since Avery seemed to be able to understand Taron’s handwriting. Ozen’s reluctance was personal in nature. He wanted to interact with Avery as little as possible, since he brought out a need Ozen hadn’t felt in an age.

“Sure, thanks,” Taron said amiably. “Just make sure to write my name on the bottom. Gotta give credit where credit is due, ya know?”

Ozen scowled at Taron’s lack of professionalism. That had always been true, though. It was the reason they created this company together. Ozen was better equipped to deal with people in a more professional manner.

Avery didn’t seem to mind Taron, and he bobbed his head in agreement, but his gaze flicked to Ozen, like he was waiting for Ozen’s permission to do as Taron asked. Ozen’s blood heated at the immediate obedience from the temp, and smug pride filled his chest when he dipped his chin. Only with Ozen’s permission did Avery hurry off to do what was asked.

“He’s cute. New feeder?”

Once again, Ozen was forced back to reality. He ripped his eyes away from the door where Avery had disappeared and grabbed the paperwork he’d been looking at this morning before Avery’s arrival.

“No. He’s Collette’s replacement for her vacation.”

“Ah. Forgot about that. But you want him to be your feeder. You wouldn’t have been staring at him like that if you didn’t. What’s the issue?”

Taron knew better than anyone the struggles Ozen faced with finding a decent feeder. He was there when Tristan left, and he knew how many feeders he’d gone through since. His interest in finding Ozen a feeder wasn’t intrusive. The leer when Ozen admitted what happened this morning was.

“Wait. You just assumed he was your new feeder and told him to bend over your desk?” he asked with a wide grin.

“I was starving, Taron. I would’ve asked you to bend over at that point.”

“Gross. Don’t change the subject. So how was it? Did he at least help before you realized what an idiot you were?”

Ozen scowled at the dig before admitting, “He did more than help. I’d barely touched him before my magic started feeding from him. I doubt I’ll need to feed for at least another few days after that experience.”

Taron’s eyebrows shot skyward. “Woah. So why isn’t he your feeder again?”

“Because that’s not what he was hired to do,” Ozen snapped.

“But he agreed to it, right? Maybe he’s interested in the job.”

Ozen’s mouth watered at the thought of Avery becoming his official feeder. He’d be well fed, that was for certain. And he couldn’t forget the need that filled his veins afterward. For the first time in years, he might actually enjoy his feedings. But Avery didn’t ask to become a feeder. He had no prior experience with the job. And if he wasn’t interested, Ozen would only make things more awkward than they already were.

Taron must’ve seen the longing in Ozen’s face, because he pushed a little. “It couldn’t hurt to ask, right?”

“Yes. It could.”