Three Oliver

I'd been working my ass off since nine, and I still had energy to spare. At the rate I was going, I wouldn't even need to do my own workout after the day was done. Already, I had a full roster of clients thanks to the overwhelming support of the gym, and a lot of them were beginners. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but it meant there needed to be quite a bit of demonstration to make sure they knew how to use proper form and minimize injuries. So far, all of them had been thoroughly impressed with me, and all had signed up for a yearly membership to stay on my rotation.

Things were looking up already.

"Have a great rest of your day, Cheryl," I called to the middle-aged woman I'd just got done working with. "See you next week!"

"You too, cutie," she called back, giving me a wink.

"Watch out for that one," the guy behind the desk muttered as the door swung shut behind her. Mark knew all the clients by heart. "She's a cougar. I'm tellin' ya."

"Oh, you're absolutely right," I replied. "She stared at my ass the entire time. I'm fairly certain she wanted to peg me into oblivion."

Mark sputtered and coughed, my well-timed comment causing him to choke on his Gatorade.

"Oh my god," he laughed, tears streaming down his face as he continued to cough. "I did not expect that."

"Most guys don't," I nodded. "It would have been a drive-by pegging, I guarantee it. You'd think she wanted to worship you, but the moment you were cuffed to the bed, BAM, giant dildo."

"This sounds like something that's happened to you before…"

"Not me," I chuckled. "I prefer the real thing. But I've heard stories."

"From who?!"

"Oh, online and stuff. Nobody around here." I glanced through the windows out toward the sun-drenched parking lot. "Everyone here is way too boring for that."

"I resent that."

"Have you been pegged?"

"No—"

"See? Boring."

Mark gave me a sassy look I was already too used to. He reminded me a bit of Parker and the way we carried on sometimes. The big difference, however, was that Mark claimed to be straight. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, but he was pretty sassy. I had a feeling we were going to be good friends.

"So, who's next on the client list?" I asked.

"Just one more," he replied, flipping through his book. "Oh yeah. This is the new guy that wandered in here last night. He said he was new in town and looking for a gym." He glanced down at the sheet. "Charles Hammond."

"Another newbie?"

"Nah, this guy looked like he'd been around a gym before. He didn't stare at the machines like they were aliens. I sold him pretty well on signing up with you."

"At the rate you're going, I'm gonna need to work fourteen-hour days to keep up with all these people."

"Job security, bro."

"Yeah, but I need to sleep once in a while too."

"You'll be out of here before five, don't you worry." He glanced down at the sheet again. "This guy should be here—"

The bell over the door rang as it swung open, and we both looked up.

"Speak of the devil," Mark said.

But I didn't hear him.

Instead, I was completely mesmerized by this absolute angel standing in front of me in a baggy tank top. He had short dark hair that he either kept messy or didn't comb, but it complimented his stunning blue eyes perfectly. My eyes traced over his smooth, pale skin, stopping momentarily on the clusters of freckles on his shoulders.

I could see the athlete in him almost immediately. He was tall and lithe, more of a swimmer"s build than anything. Although it looked like he'd been away from the gym for a while, I could still make out the years of hard work he'd put into his body. He looked as if he'd put on maybe ten or fifteen pounds since then, but I thought he was gorgeous.

And that wasn't all. The moment he stepped inside, I was hit with a wave of his scent. I could tell the midday heat made him sweat a little, and there was the smell of anxiety about him. But that was completely washed away by the warmth of cinnamon and honey that practically dripped off his body. Already, I could feel my mouth watering and my underwear growing tighter.

I shook myself out of it at last, realizing I'd been staring with my jaw practically hanging open. Stepping up to him, I held out my hand.

"Hi," I said, my voice cracking slightly. "I'm Oliver. You must be Charles."

"It's Charlie," he replied, taking my hand. He didn't seem to notice my gawking, thankfully. "Nice to meet you."

The moment our hands connected, the world around us fell away, and a pulse of electricity jolted through my body.

Mate.

Oh fuck.

"Oliver?"

I shook my head again, looking up at Mark, who'd just spoken. "Sorry. What's up?"

He gestured toward Charlie. "You wanna give the man his hand back?"

I glanced down, realizing I was still holding it. "So sorry," I said, practically yanking it away. "I apologize. It's been a long first day here in the gym. I spaced out for a second."

"Should we reschedule?"

"No!" I practically shouted. I paused for a moment to clear my throat. "No. I'm good. Why don't you grab a locker and put your stuff away? I'll be out here waiting for you when you're ready. Sound good?"

"Sure."

With that, he walked off toward the locker room, his shoulders hunched.

"There's a story there," Mark muttered.

I gave him a sideways glance. "What do you mean?"

"Look at the way he carries himself. That guy oozes depression." He clicked his tongue. "I feel bad for him. Something awful must have happened."

"Is this like some sixth sense you have or something?"

Mark lifted his gaze to mine, his eyes flashing violet for a brief second. "Don't think you're the only one here with secrets, Oliver."

I felt my heart rate quicken, the flash in his eyes unmistakable. For a brief moment, I caught the scent of magic in the air. But no sooner had I taken a breath than it disappeared.

"You're a witch…" I muttered.

"And you're a wolf," he said with a smile.

"Should I be worried?" I asked.

I'd never met a witch before, but I'd heard stories. Some of them were good, some bad, just like everyone else. But they were the only species that could completely hide from everyone else. The glamours they cast covered up not only their looks but their smell as well, making them almost impossible to spot. Mark had revealed himself to me. Otherwise, I might never have known.

"No more worried than most people, I suppose."

I studied him for a moment. "Are you the reason I got this job?"

He smiled. "What can I say? I was tired of being the only fun person at work. Having you around makes things a lot more interesting."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Why the hell are you working at a gym? You could just sell miracles or read tarot or something and make more money."

"And you could have just joined the military or gotten good at sports, but here we are."

"Touche."

"You've got nothing to worry about, Oliver," he said with a dismissing wave. "Now go take care of your client. That guy's gonna need all the help he can get." He gave me one last look. "And I don't mean with working out. He needs some healing."

"I'm a personal trainer," I replied. "Not a doctor."

He gave me a sly smile. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. People like you because you make them feel good. Now go work your magic on that boy."

"We're gonna talk more about this later?"

"Oh, most definitely. I want to hear how your new pack is shaping up."

"I need to clear that with our Alpha first."

"I'll send Parker a letter today."

I couldn't help but sigh. "This is weird, Mark. You made it weird."

"Will you please go take care of your client and stop being such a worry wolf?"

As I started to walk away, I heard him singing under his breath.

"I see a bad moon a-risin'…"

I rounded on him, pointing a finger in his direction. "I swear to god, Mark."

He laughed. "Go on, pup!"

Rolling my eyes, I headed toward the locker rooms to collect my new client. This new job sure was shaping up to be an adventure.

Join Oliver and Charlie as they fall in love in Oliver's Forbidden Mate!