by Lisa Oliver
office, Zander stood back up, straightened his jacket and
managed to walk over to the Captain’s glass encased booth
showing a lot more confidence than he felt.
The Captain indicated that he was to close the door, and to sit
down, which Zander did. The Captain was a big man in his own
right, although not as big as Zander. At six foot two, and nearly
sixty years of age, the older man still retained much of the
muscle tone he’d developed when he was walking the beat. But
nothing could hide the signs of aging, the tired lines around the
man’s mouth, the weary slope of his shoulders. But those pale
blue eyes were as sharp as ever and right now they were pinning
Zander to his seat.
“I’ve had a complaint about your conduct.” Well, at least the
Captain didn’t waste any words. Unfortunately the words he’d
heard didn’t make any sense to Zander.
“A complaint, Sir, what about?”
“Conduct unbecoming a police officer. Specifically sexual
harassment. It’s serious stuff, Samuel’s.”
“Sir, I don’t know…I don’t understand.” Zander was stunned. He
never went near anyone at work, never flirted with the ladies,
although enough flirted with him. And he wouldn’t have gone
near any of the males he worked with, even if a few of them
were gay.
The Captain opened a file on his desk. “According to the
statement, three days ago you invited your partner, Roberts, to
your home. He claims when he got there you were in bed with
another slim male, and made lewd and crude suggestions about
him joining you. He said you got angry with him when he refused
and that he had to pull his gun so he could leave, although no
shots were fired. He’s seeking an immediate transfer due to
emotional trauma.”
“That’s lies, all fucking lies,” Zander snarled, gripping the arms
of his chair in an effort to stop himself from shifting. His wolf had
become harder to control since meeting their mate and the
animal apparently held a grudge against Sully for the nasty
things his partner had said about his mate. It seemed his animal
spirit may have had a point, about Sully’s grudge at least. But
shifting in the office was not an option. “I would never do
anything like that. I can’t believe Sully would say such a thing.”
The Captain looked at him sternly and then referred back to his
file. “Is it true you are in a relationship with a Terry Martin, who
was recently held as a suspect in the assault of Norman Biggs?”
“Yes sir. Terry was cleared of those charges because the actions
were self-defense.” Zander had promised Terry he wouldn’t deny
him as a mate, and he intended to keep that promise.
The Captain put down his file and leaned his elbows on the desk,
fixing Zander with a strong gaze. “You know your partner has
issues with the gay community. Why did you invite Sully over to
your house when your friend was there?”
“I didn’t sir.” Zander thought for a moment and then explained.
“Sully saw me and Terry at a local restaurant the night before.
He made some rude comments about me being with Terry, and
Terry gave him some excuse because he didn’t want to out me
to my partner. I never asked Sully to come to my house the
following day. He came because he had some bee in his bonnet
about me being seen with someone a bit…flamboyant. We had
words, nothing sexual I promise you. He left and his last words
were that he was putting in for a transfer because he couldn’t
stand to be around me anymore. I haven’t heard from him
since.”
Leaning back in his chair, the Captain sighed. “What a fucking
mess. Look, the way things stand, Sully has laid a formal
complaint which will have to go through the proper channels.
You have an appointment with IA in an hour and all I can suggest
is that you tell the truth and let them decide what’s going to
happen from there. I’ve got to tell you that this doesn’t look
good.”
Zander was well aware of that. Sexual harassment in the
workforce was a serious issue and while he totally understood
how horrible it could be for a victim, he never thought he would
be on the end of a complaint. He’d never ever approached
anybody, male or female, that he worked with because of these
type of complications.
“Am I being stood down?” He asked.
The Captain shook his head. “Not at this point, no. The allegation
made suggested verbal rather than any physical assault. Sully
admitted to pulling a gun on you, although I am failing to see
why he would if you two were just having words. Don’t doubt
this is a serious matter but I don’t see the point in the
department paying for you to sit at home. It goes without saying
that you won’t be paired with Sully anymore and I won’t be
assigning you a new partner until this matter is cleared up.”
Zander nodded his head and stood up. He couldn’t hope for any
better than that until the IA had completed its investigation. Not
even sure if he wanted another partner, as he’d never worked
with anyone except Sully, Zander went back to his desk and
started looking at his files. He just hoped his little mate was
having a better day. Maybe if his interview with the IA didn’t
take very long, he could go and surprise Terry with some lunch.
The thought of seeing his little mate again made him feel a lot
better, and Zander settled into his work.
/~/~/~/~/
Terry fussed with his scarf and kept his head down when he
heard the door of his studio open and the heavy clomp of man-
sized stilettos hitting the floor. Morgana, Lucy and Davina were
all due for fittings today and although he had scheduled them all
separately, the three ladies always came in together. Knowing
they liked nothing more than to gossip and tease, while scoffing
down the treats that Terry provided from a bakery two doors
down, Terry just hoped they would be too busy with their own
lives to notice anything different about him. He should have
known he would be out of luck.
“There’s something different about our boy, don’t you think,”
Davina said in her typical rasp. God, that woman needed to stop
smoking. Terry just kept working, he was putting in the final
stitches on Lucy’s dress – red of course.
“Hmmm,” Morgana said, and Terry felt the three women circling
him. “What’s with the scarf Terry? It’s not like you to hide your
lovely neck.”
“Can’t a boy want to wear something different for a change?”
Terry said, finishing off the stitch and holding the dress up,
looking over it with a critical eye. He refused to look at any of
his friends, reminding himself he didn’t have a neon sign over
his head saying “I’ve been fucked” in big letters. Although the
state Zander left his neck might give things away. Terry couldn’t
hide the smile he got when he thought of his big rugged mate.
cute little traits. Covering Terry’s neck with hickeys before he
went to work was not one of them though. Possessive handsome
bastard, he thought fondly.
“Oooh, there is something, look at that smile,” Lucy squealed
and that so didn’t sound right coming from someone who worked
as a butcher during the day.
Morgana grabbed Terry around the shoulders, turning him
around, tilting Terry’s head up with a beefy finger. “You met
someone?”
Terry felt his face flush bright red, and nodded.
“Damn, you went to bed with him,” Davina said, watching him
just as closely. Terry managed another quick nod.
“Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, it’s about bloody time,” Lucy
grinned. “Ladies we need coffee, some of those delicious donuts
I see Terry got for us, and you young man had better sit right
down and tell us all the juicy details. Was he hung like a horse?”
“Did he treat you right?” Davina was such a doll.
“He didn’t hurt you did he? ‘Cos if he did he’ll have us to answer
to.”
“I want to know what this mystery man looks like. Have we met
him? Come on, come on, details boy, details.”
Shaking his head and trying not to laugh, Terry carefully put
down Lucy’s dress and went over to make himself a cup of
coffee. He wasn’t going to get any work done until his friends
had satisfied themselves that he was happy, fine and well-
fucked. And really, how hard was it to talk about his mate, when
Zander was pretty much all he could think about.
Chapter Fifteen
Zander hurried towards Terry’s studio, which was tucked down
an alley just off the main street. The IA interview had been as
good and as bad as it could be. One woman sympathetic and
prepared to believe his side of the story, her male partner,
another homophobe, demanding that Terry be bought in for
questioning. The fact that Sully mentioned the gun was a huge
deal, and of course Zander didn’t have a plausible explanation
as to why Sully had felt the need to take it out of its holster.
From the tone of the man’s voice, Zander knew the idiot was
prepared to hate Terry before he’d even met him, and he
shuddered at the thought of subjecting his little mate to more
problems. Zander was thrilled that Terry had been brought up
with loving parents, who gave him the confidence to live as he
pleased. Zander didn’t want his happy Omega being subjected
to any more sneers and put downs. Not that he had any choice
in the matter.
Turning down the alley, Zander caught sight of a pudgy man,
loitering by the door of Terry’s workplace. The man looked up
and Zander’s eyes widened, but before he could open his mouth,
Norman Biggs hurried off the other way. What the hell was that
cretin doing near his mate?
Growling, in full protection mode, Zander reached the door and
pushed it open quietly, his eyes searching the room quickly,
looking for his mate. The room was partially partitioned and
Zander easily caught the sound of at least three voices all talking
loudly from the other side of it.
Terry, you here?
“Hang on a minute, ladies, I think I heard the door,” Zander
heard Terry say. Quick footsteps came around the partition and
Terry was suddenly there in front of him. In his bright blue
Henley and white jeans, Terry looked good enough to eat,
although Zander scowled at the scarf Terry had thrown around
his neck. Little shit was hiding his marks.
“Zander, I thought you’d be busy working today.” Terry’s smile
faltered a bit when he saw Zander’s scowl. He fingered the ends
of his scarf, looking so shy and Zander’s heart did a flip. He
couldn’t be mad at his mate even if Terry was being a sneak in
covering up Zander’s carefully placed indications of ownership.
He’d have fun placing a few more, higher up, later on.
“I’ve come to take you to lunch, if you’re free,” he said resisting
the urge to grab Terry close and ravish those wonderfully full
lips. But footsteps clattering on the floor, behind Terry stopped
him. Within seconds the three drag queens Zander remembered
from Club Blue came around the corner and were eying him like
chopped liver.
“Detective Samuels,” the one Zander remembered as being
known as Morgana said with a snide smile. “So you’re the one
who has snagged our lovely boy. I’ve heard so many delicious
things about you. I must say I’m surprised. You don’t strike me
as the loving and caring type.”
Loving and caring? That’s what his mate had been saying about
him to his friends? Zander felt a pang of relief. He must be doing
something right.
“Terry brings out the best in me,” Zander said with a professional
smile. If anything Terry looked even more embarrassed and
Zander felt his cock rise as Terry’s cheeks flamed redder still. He
hoped his little mate never lost his innocent look. It was so damn
sexy.
“You certainly have the equipment to make a man happy in the
short term,” Davina said, eying his crotch with gleaming eyes.
“But are you going to stick around the long term? That’s what
we want to know. Our friend can’t get his creative groove on if
he’s nursing a broken heart.”
“I’m not going to hurt him,” Zander said hotly giving in to his
desire to hold Terry close. Damn humans would never
understand that Zander would rather cut his arm off than hurt
Terry again. Terry’s arm snaking around his waist helped him
feel better. Fuck it, everything about Terry made him feel better
and Zander knew he’d get through his crisis with Sully purely
and simply because Terry was in his corner. Richard was right,
having the Omega in his life did make him stronger and Zander
raised his head, meeting the curious gazes with a clear
conscience.
“You’re a good looking man,” Lucy said suggestively. How did
that woman manage to wink with such incredibly long
eyelashes? “You’ll have been around the block a few times, I’m
sure. How do we know this isn’t your standard spiel? Wooing
young innocents, then leaving them when you get bored.”
Zander
swallowed
the
urge
to
growl.
How
dare
this…this…person, question what he had with his mate? If they’d
been wolf shifters they would have understood. But these people
were just being fucking nosy, and rude.
They care about me.
Zander didn’t know if it was his mate’s sweet voice in his head,
or the feeling of Terry’s soft dark hair against his shirt, but he
felt his anger drain away. Terry was right. These bristling drag
queens, that could put the fear of God in anyone, did care about
their friend, and if he didn’t want to upset his mate, then he
needed to
keep his temper.
“Ladies,” he said with what he’d been told was a disarming smile.
“Nothing I could say would convince you that I am good enough
for your friend. I get that. For my part, I’m glad Terry has people
like you looking out for him. Hopefully, you’ll trust me over time.
Now if you’ll excuse us, I want to take my boyfriend out for
lunch.”
“Boyfriend?” Three squealing voices looked so incongruous
coming from such large people. Only Terry was quiet, but Zander
could feel his warmth and that was enough.
“Boyfriend,” Zander said firmly.
/~/~/~/~/
OMG he called me his boyfriend, in front of the Divas. Terry
wanted to do a very unmanly happy dance, but he resisted. No
point in looking like a total loon, although later he might just
have to let it out. Feeling unbelievably content, Terry was happy
to let Zander lead him back out onto the main road, and then
across it towards the Pizzeria that Richard had taken him too.
Was that really only four days before? Terry felt like his whole
life had changed in just that short space of time.
Zander was quiet, but Terry had come to accept that was his
mate’s way in the three days they had spent alone. Unless the
man was in flirty mode, and then it was like someone had flicked
a switch inside of his mate and he was electrifying. Sexy.
Devastating and yep, Terry admitted to himself, impossible to
say no to. Not that Terry ever would. He loved his introduction
to the world of sex and was a keen student for all that Zander
could teach him.
But for the most part, Zander was a quiet man. He didn’t chatter
to simply fill a silence. When he did talk he nearly always had
something important to say. The little bits of his life that Zander
had shared gave Terry a bleak picture of a lone wolf, who’d had
to hide his true nature for more years than Terry had been alive.
His mate had cut most ties with his family when he’d left home,
determined not to be pulled back into pack politics, or give in to
pressure from his family to have pups.
Until he’d met Sully at the Police Academy, Zander had been
used to being alone, moving from place to place and rarely
forming friendships with anyone. Houston was the longest he’d
ever lived anywhere apart from his home pack and Zander had
mentioned that he may have to move again within the next ten
