Five Wyatt

"You did WHAT?!" I cried into the phone, pressed to my ear.

I heard my father curse on the other side.

"Don't yell in my damn ear," he growled. "What's your problem?"

My problem was that he'd just given the random dude I fucked a job in the cubicle next to me and a bed in my apartment. Of course, I couldn't say that out loud, so I tried to make something up.

"You didn't even ask me?" I defaulted. "And you told him he could stay at my place? What's up with that?"

"First of all," he replied, his tone threatening. "I don't need to ask you permission for anything that has to do with my business." He paused for a moment, daring me to argue with him. "And secondly, the salary I've so graciously given you pays for that apartment. You don't have a mate, a girlfriend, or anything. What's the big deal with letting him use your spare room?"

"I—" I paused. "I just don't want a stranger in my house."

"He's not a stranger. You met him at the conference," my father said with a disbelieving laugh. "He's my best friend's son. That practically makes him family!"

"Your human best friend?" I chided. "Isn't that a bit against the rules?"

"Wyatt, I'm not going to sit here and let you talk to me like this. The decision has been made, and he'll be there this afternoon. Deal with it or quit. It's your choice."

With that, I heard a small click on the other end of the line. I pulled my phone away, glancing down at it. That old bastard had hung up on me. It was a method he seemed to employ more and more lately and one I didn't like in the least. While he was away and doing whatever the fuck he wanted, I was in the office working my literal tail off to make sure he was rich beyond his wildest dreams. Sure, he paid me well, but I earned every fucking penny.

The temptation to call him back and quit was intense, and I had my finger hovering over the button before I stopped myself. Slowly, I clicked it off, pushing it across my desk. There was no way I could quit. I might have only been twenty-six, but I'd been learning this business since I was eight. In fact, I'd even gotten a master's degree recently to prove to my father how serious I was about taking it over when he retired.

Sure, I'd been saving up as much as I could, but between paying for school, my apartment, and any little thing my father threw my way, I really wasn't making much. And, although he liked to think he paid me handsomely, the only reason I ever made enough to live was because of my sales commissions. My salary was a fucking joke. As the top seller in the company, I lived paycheck to paycheck and not because I spent money on stupid things. The only way I'd achieve the life I wanted was by taking over the business. And to do that, I had to do whatever my father said.

Quitting wasn't an option.

But this proved to be too much.

For the past few weeks, I'd spent every waking moment trying to forget Tanner Gavardo. And yet, the more I tried, the more that night haunted me.

Everything about it had been wrong. The way he smelled, the way he felt, and the way my body… reacted to him. It wasn't me, and I tried to convince myself it hadn't happened. However, that only lasted until I got home for the night and opened my nightstand. There, tucked away in the drawer, was his butt plug that I'd stolen from his suitcase on a whim.

I couldn't understand why I'd done it except that his pheromones had soaked into the silicone, and even when it was in the drawer, I could smell him. Something about that rich vanilla scent made me feel… alive.

That was weird enough, but I really couldn't understand why nothing did it for me anymore. For nearly three weeks, I tried everything I could think of to cum, with no success. Porn or women, nothing seemed to work. Every time I got close, I thought of him, and I had to stop. I wasn't gay, and I sure as fuck wasn't going to nut while fantasizing about some guy.

So, since that didn't work, I figured my only choice was abstinence. That meant, for the past few weeks, I'd been hard up, stressed out, and unbearable to anyone within twenty feet of me. Even my best friends had called me out on it more than once. They wanted to know what was wrong, but of course, there was no way I could tell them. I'd always been Wyatt Trombley, the token straight guy in the group.

That's who I was.

For my entire life, I'd been certain of who I was and what I liked. And my friends were true to themselves, which I loved. But we weren't the same, and that was perfectly fine.

Now, things had changed. I felt as if the entire foundation of my person had been cracked and was slowly falling apart. I had nothing against being gay, but that's not who I was. I loved chasing women, good pussy, and titties were probably the best thing ever.

But when I thought of Tanner, all of that went away. It was like a wave washed over me, and his rich vanilla scent filled my senses once again. I could remember the softness of his tanned skin, the way his hips felt in my hands, and those deep brown eyes that seemed to stare right through me. And, of course, I could never forget the way his hole felt wrapped around my cock.

"Fuck," I muttered, adjusting my tightening pants under the desk.

Just the mere thought of him got me hard. And I didn't like it. How the hell was I supposed to work with him? How would I live with him?

I didn't have the answer, and I didn't get the chance to think of it once as my desk phone rang. As a force of habit, I scooped it up and tucked it against my shoulder.

"Yeah?" I said rather harshly.

"Uh, sorry to bug you, Mr. Trombley," the timid voice of my secretary said. "But there's someone here to see you."

"Who is it?"

"A Mr…. Gavardo?"

My heart skipped a beat, and I froze.

"Mr. Trombley?"

"Oh… s-sorry," I stammered, startled by her voice.

"He says he's here about a job."

"Right," I nodded. "Send him in. I'll take care of it."

"Yes, sir."

The line went dead as I sat there, completely frozen in terror. I'd never felt so afraid in my entire life. Being a werewolf meant I didn't have much to be scared of, but somehow, this human had struck me down to my core. A part of me thought to run, to open the window and disappear forever. But by the time I worked up the nerve to actually stand up from my desk, two figures were already approaching.

It was my secretary and behind her, the tall, handsome man who had turned my life upside down.

"Mr. Tombley," she said, stepped off to the side. "This is Mr. Gavardo."

"We've met," Tanner said, his tone giving away exactly how he felt about me.

"N-Nice to see y-you again," I said, holding out a hand to shake.

He didn't return the gesture.

I nodded my head toward the secretary. "Thank you for showing him in. I'll make sure he gets settled."

"Yes, sir," she replied, turning on her heel and heading back to the front desk.

A thick, awkward silence filled the air as neither of us dared to speak. We both knew exactly what had happened that night in the hotel. I wanted, more than anything, for him to never mention it again. But at the same time, I felt words forming on my lips first.

"Look, dude," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "At the hotel—"

"So, are you going to show me to my desk, or should I guess?" he said, cutting me off. It was clear from his stiff demeanor that he did not want to talk about it. "I'd like to get to work as soon as possible."

"Y-Yeah," I replied, shaking my head. "Yeah. It's right over here."

I led him to the cubicle just across the divide from me. It was a bit dusty, having sat empty for the past few months since the last salesperson quit. I gestured to the chair as he squeezed past me.

A strong whiff of that vanilla scent had me humming under my breath as I leaned forward. At the same time, his hand accidentally brushed against my bare forearm, the sudden connection making all the hair on my body stand up.

Mate.

I shook my head. Where the fuck did that come from?!

"Are you listening to me?" Tanner repeated, furrowing his brows in my direction.

"S-Sorry." I shook my head again, trying desperately to clear my thoughts. "What did you say?"

"I asked if this is the computer I'm supposed to be using. Or is there a laptop made after the housing crash in 2008 that might run a little better?"

"Uh… this is what we have right now." I didn't know shit about computers, only that the ones in the office were slow as hell, and I did most of my work on my phone. "They aren't great."

"No shit." Tanner turned up his nose. "Is this what everyone uses?"

"Yeah."

He sighed deeply. "Fine. I'll figure it out."

"Do you want me to walk you through the system?"

"I'm not a fucking simpleton," he snapped, throwing his bag down on the desk.

I thought I'd feel angry that he was being so rude. But to my surprise, I only felt ashamed. After all, it was my fault he hated me so much. Not that I could blame him. I was so confused about the whole situation I could barely see straight. Not to mention, my mind was still reeling from the whole mate thing. I had no idea what was going on.

"I'll… uh… let you get started then," I replied sheepishly. I paused for a moment before realizing we had yet another dangerous topic to broach. "Uh… I don't suppose you have a car here, do you?"

He glared up at me. "My father stuck me on a plane. What do you think?"

"Right," I nodded. "Well, since you're staying with me, I'll give you a ride."

My heart rate doubled as I realized what I'd said.

"Don't worry," he said, still glaring at me with all the venom he could muster. "I won't be at your house for more than a couple of days. I'll find a hotel."

"You don't have to do tha—"

"I will find a hotel."

I nodded. "Right."

There was no doubt in my mind. Tanner fucking hated me.