The Wolf's Man Friday

by Julia Talbot

  “Come on, Seb. Let’s find a movie, get out of this leather shit. If we’re going to veg, we’re going to do it right.”

  “Good idea.” Sebastian gave Alan a noogie, proving to Jax forever that they were so not doing it.

  That thought gave him a totally unreasonable shot of satisfaction. He peppered his mac and cheese, then turned on his music again. They were in for the night. The recorder would catch their convos, and he could listen in the morning.

  Every so often he’d look at the monitor, seeing Sebastian stretched out on the sofa, lazy and relaxed, and he’d nod.

  Better. Much better.

  The man needed to go home.

  Jaxon just needed to figure out how to make that happen.

  Chapter Four

  “HOW MANY more meetings can these assholes want?” Sebastian’s teeth gnashed, the suit confining him, the tie choking him.

  Jaxon hopped up, coming around the desk to put a hand on his arm. “Hey. Breathe. Seriously. Just the one today, okay?”

  “I’m tired of this shit!” God, it felt good to roar. He stomped a little too, breaking Jaxon’s hold, which was threatening to calm him right down. That would never do.

  “So let Alan go to the meeting. He doesn’t leave until tomorrow. He’s corporate, right?”

  Sebastian stopped, looked at Jaxon, and damn near grinned. That was a fabulous idea. “Are you trying to defuse me?”

  “No. I’m just trying to be your assistant.” Jaxon smiled, though, and Sebastian could almost see foxy whiskers twitching.

  “Stop it.” He wasn’t going to laugh. No way.

  “Whaaaat?” Jaxon’s long, drawn-out word made him snort-chuckle. “I’ll call Alan.”

  Sebastian ripped off his tie and threw it in the trash, heading for the coffeepot.

  “You want to go get a coffee somewhere, boss?” Jaxon asked. “I found this great coffee shop and gallery about three blocks away. They have cake.”

  “I like cake.” He liked out of the office. He liked real air.

  “Me too! Come on.” Jaxon sent a text instead of calling, fingers flying. He showed Sebastian the phone a few seconds later. “Alan is on his way to the meet.”

  “He’s a good guy.” Alan liked that shit. He’d rather eat a coyote.

  “He is. I like him, which surprises me. I expected to be jealous of him forever.” Jaxon dropped that like a hot rock before heading to the door. “Let’s play.”

  Jealous? What? Had he heard that? Surely not. Sebastian followed, closing the office door behind him.

  Jaxon slipped over to the fire stairs, beckoning him like a naughty child who was getting away with something.

  He followed, caught by the idea of being wicked. He did love to play. He liked to hunt too, and Jaxon was engaging all his chase receptors.

  Flashing another wild grin, Jaxon flew down the stairs, quick and nimble.

  He followed, taking the stairs three at a time, his suit jacket falling behind as he ran. He loved the feel of the air on his face and the scent of excitement, musky and hot, coming from Jaxon.

  “Hurry, Sebastian. We need to get something sweet and rich.”

  “I’m going to get you.” He singsonged it, playing hard. Oh, this was fun!

  “Try it. I’m right here.”

  He put on a burst of speed, knowing he needed to get Jaxon before they hit the parking garage.

  He caught one arm around Jaxon, grabbing him around the waist at the opening of the garage. “Got you.”

  Jaxon went utterly still, simply dangling from his arm. He almost let go, thinking he’d hurt the guy, when Jaxon kicked out of his grip, bouncing when he landed. “Oof.”

  “Whoops.” He grinned down.

  “Nice.” Jaxon stood up and dusted off his ass. “You’re fast, man.”

  “I have long legs.”

  “You do.” Jaxon had to look up at him. Way up. “Coffee?”

  “And cake. You promised.”

  “I did. The menu says carrot, chocolate, and yellow cake all day every day, plus specials.” Jaxon took his hand to drag him across the parking garage.

  “Carrot.” Oh, that made his mouth water. It had to be, right? It had to be the idea of cake.

  “Mmm. Cream cheese icing.”

  They burst out into the sun, the heat wilting him a little, but he was so glad to be free of the office building.

  “Yeah. Cream cheese. Raisins. I may get two pieces.” He was suddenly ravenous. Seriously.

  Nodding, Jaxon chuckled. “You’ve been skipping meals.”

  “I’ve been busy, I guess.”

  “Then it’s good to take a day off!” Jaxon had let go of his hand but practically skipped along next to him. Adorbs.

  “It is. You said they had good coffee too?”

  “They do. Amazing, in fact. They have this sweet cream thing….” Jaxon smacked his lips.

  “Sweet cream?” He groaned low. “Yes, please.”

  “Right?”

  They turned a corner, walked two more blocks, and the smell of coffee hit them. Seriously? How had he not known this place was here?

  “I found it when I was exploring. It’s amazing.” It was—tiny and cute, filled with books and food and games and coffee and music. There was a gallery space on a back wall, away from the sun, full of paintings and pastels.

  “I’ll order, if you want to get a table?”

  He nodded, smiled. That was fair.

  Jaxon headed up to the counter, and Sebastian looked at the art. There was one pen-and-ink he liked a lot. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, where the wolf looked a lot like Louis XIV.

  He might have to buy it and take it home.

  “Like that one, huh?” Jaxon joined him, smiling at the artwork.

  “I do. I have a weird collection.” He painted more than a little himself.

  “I like this one. Lots of curls.”

  “Jax! Your order is up!”

  “Be right back.”

  Man, they knew Jaxon well. Weird. Sebastian shook his head. He’d been ignoring the man as much as possible. Jaxon was probably bored out of his skull.

  He got it. Maybe he could suggest fun things when Jaxon wasn’t at work. Uh. There were fun things here, right?

  Dallas had to have… what? Bars? Bookstores? Museums?

  Lot of bars. Restaurants. Places to pick up dates. Jaxon needed to date. Needed a distraction.

  If he didn’t know that Jaxon was probably reporting back to Ron, he might offer to go out with Jaxon, play a little. Dance.

  The situation was… complicated.

  “Double carrot cake and a sweet cream latte with a shot of caramel.” Jaxon set down a tray, and Sebastian almost drooled.

  “Smells amazing.” He could sit up and beg for that.

  “I got a double too. I can’t wait.” Jaxon sat before picking up a fork. He looked so excited.

  “Cheers.” He clinked their forks together.

  “Cheers!” Jaxon’s grin widened, and then he took a huge bite of cake. “OMG,” he murmured around a mouthful.

  He took a bite of his own. Sebastian moaned deep in his chest. Oh. Oh, yummy.

  They shared another smile and set to devouring their cake. The coffee… oh, he could write odes.

  He licked the cup clean. Sebastian went to get them both another one. He ordered, then picked up an old backgammon game on the way back. “You play?”

  “I do!” Jaxon actually bounced. “I love that game.”

  “I do too. Shall we?”

  “You bet.” Jaxon proved he was telling the truth by setting up the tiles correctly on the board.

  Soon they were playing, the afternoon passing in a rush as they strategized and drank exceptional coffee and laughed together.

  He could like Jaxon. A lot. The very idea exhilarated him and made him nervous.

  When he went home, it wouldn’t matter. Right?

  Eh. What did it matter now? They were having fun. He was desperate for it. As much as he loved
Alan, he was totally embroiled in the family drama. Jaxon was a breath of fresh air.

  “You want to play another?” Jaxon asked, and he found himself nodding. He did. He totally did.

  They set up the board, and Jaxon bought them each a turkey panini.

  Mmm. Meat. Cheese. “I’ve eaten more in the last three hours….”

  “You need your energy.” Jaxon rolled double sixes, then crowed.

  “Oh, good roll. Ass.” He mock growled, playing happily.

  “That was a good one. You can’t beat it.” Jaxon vibrated, watching him roll the dice.

  “I can’t. I can match it, though.”

  Jaxon blinked at the dice. “You didn’t shake them.”

  “I did too. Watch.” He shook again, the sixes coming up again.

  “Shit. Are you magical or something?” Jaxon’s dark red eyebrows rose.

  “Just lucky with silly things.”

  “Huh.” Jaxon reached out to grab his wrist, and they both stilled, staring at one another.

  The world stopped short. Just stopped.

  “You boys want anything else?” One of the baristas had them jerking apart. “We close at four. By five it’s a ghost town down here.”

  “No. No, we’ll clean up.” What the actual fuck?

  “Can we get another sweet cream to go? Each of us?” Jaxon just nodded as if he knew what was what.

  “Totally. I’ll have them up at the counter.”

  “Thank you.” Jaxon grimaced. “Everything down here closes early except the hotel bars.”

  “There are some decent restaurants, some dance clubs—you just need to grab an Uber.”

  “Cool.” Jaxon packed up the game. “You want to wander?”

  “Sure.” The crowds would be crazy for the next hour and a half. He could watch.

  “Awesome. I don’t want to go back to the office.” Jaxon bumped shoulders with him on the way out the door.

  “Who does?” That place was sad.

  “Well, there’s that one guy. Harris?” Jaxon’s eyes went comically wide.

  “He’s… something.” Harris was a badger. They didn’t need light. They were also really good at IT. Like really, obsessively good.

  Now Jaxon’s eyes went wide for real. “That explains so much. I would have said groundhog.”

  “That’s Nathan Nevins.” Had he said that Harris was a badger? Huh. He must have.

  “Nathan is a steady guy. Hardworking.”

  “Totally. He can be focused like no one else.”

  “Oh, have you ever worked with a beaver?” Jaxon nudged him with one elbow.

  “I have back home. A number of them. My contractor, in fact.”

  “Yeah? Man, I got a guy in California who can put a new roof on in two days.” Jaxon’s fingers brushed his hand, the little touches ramping him right up.

  God, he needed to get laid in the worst way. He couldn’t be inappropriate with his employee.

  Although obviously it wasn’t his employee, right? Uncle Ron had hired Jaxon.

  Stop it. Don’t go there….

  Jaxon glanced at him, cheeks hot. “So. Where do you like to go?”

  “You want to… You want to go….” Get a tattoo? Grind together in a smoky club? “There’s a sing-along at the Alamo Drafthouse every Thursday.”

  “Yeah? That sounds amazing.” Jaxon tipped his head back and yodeled.

  Sebastian grabbed his phone and called up his driver. “Let’s do it.”

  “Woo!” Jaxon bounced around him, and he would swear he saw a fluffy red-and-white tail.

  He reached out to catch it, fingers stroking along the edge of Jaxon’s ass.

  Jaxon stumbled, turning to face him, hands out. When he caught them in his, they both caught their breath.

  “What is this?” he asked. “What is going on?”

  Jaxon blinked. “I have no idea. I like it. I live dangerously, huh?”

  “Me too.” But this was… weird.

  “Don’t think too much.” Jaxon grabbed one of his hands and twirled them around.

  “We have to focus.” Didn’t they?

  “Why? We’re playing today. I’m your assistant. I plan your day. You should listen to me.” Those bright eyes sparkled, that grin impossible to resist.

  “Right.” Their car pulled up. “Let’s do this.”

  “Sing-along!” Tyrone, the driver, rolled down the passenger window and bellowed the words at them.

  Sebastian followed along, feeling like he could laugh for the first time in months.

  JAXON GLANCED up when the outer door to the office opened and Alan Zeller-White walked in. Fascinating, that all the pack members had a Zeller in their name even if they weren’t direct heirs….

  He sprang to his feet. “Nope.”

  One eyebrow went up. “Pardon me?”

  He held out his hands to pacify Alan. “Sorry, but I finally got him to take this call from that silk producer, and I can’t have him interrupted until he’s done. Can I make you coffee?”

  “Is there a Coke?” Alan plopped down on the leather couch, manspreading like a champ.

  “There so is. Regular, diet, or Dr Pepper, which seems to be an obsession in this state.” Carbonated prune juice. Wahoo.

  “Dr Pepper, please. How are you settling in?”

  “Remarkably well. I found out who really runs the building and got in good with her.” He grabbed a Dr Pepper out of the fridge hidden in the paneling behind his desk. “This office is like one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s hidey rooms.”

  “It’s a decent enough place, I guess. The people are amazing.”

  “They are.” He handed over the can as well as one of those wee bags of chips that came in packs of ten. “Doritos?”

  “Thanks, man. So, does he have anything else to do today?”

  “Nope. He’s out of here. You have plans?” Jaxon knew it was nosy, but God, nights were boring, sitting around listening.

  “I don’t know. Guess he’ll say. I want to go do something fun.”

  “Where’s the best place you’ve found for that?”

  “The West End. Tons of nightlife and restaurants.”

  Jaxon nodded slowly. “That sounds fun.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, it does.” Alan’s head tilted, the wolf’s nostrils flaring. “You don’t approve?”

  “Of what?” Jaxon frowned. “What did I do?”

  “You seem….” Alan sniffed again. “Worried? Upset? What do I smell?”

  “Probably worried.” Shit, Alan was way more wolfy than Sebastian. “I mean, with what happened to Ron….”

  “We can take care of ourselves. No worries.”

  “Oh, I’m sure. I just…. Well, I worry. I like the boss already.” He offered a look he hoped was awkward but sweet.

  “Seb’s a good guy. So, are you attached to the Dallas office? I imagine I’ll be working down here awhile.”

  “No.” Now he went for rueful, and Jaxon knew he was good at that one. “Ron hired me to help take the load off Sebastian.”

  “Huh. So you’re here to keep an eye on him?” Smart puppy.

  “I’m a good personal assistant. I went to butler school in England as well.” He was curious to see if Alan was familiar with the idea.

  “No shit?”

  “Yes.” Okay, so Alan got it. Butlers these days had to be jacks of all trades. They had to know how to keep a house, be a personal assistant, and be a bodyguard.

  “Very cool. You can cover my ass.”

  Yeah, he didn’t think so. “Quid quo pro. Bring me along for dinner. I’m craving spaghetti.”

  “Seb loves noodles. I’m in.”

  “I think there’s a Spaghetti Warehouse where you said you like to go. I’ll call and make reservations?” He liked Alan. Jaxon hadn’t expected to, but he did.

  “Works for me. I’m going to end up flying home tomorrow, so a nice night tonight’s just the thing.”

  “Oh, man. You like to travel?” He got it. He was all over the place a
ll the time.

  “I’d better. Ron’s got me doing it.”

  “Yeah. Whether you want to or not.” He chuckled. “You’re better suited to it than him.” Jaxon nodded to the inner office.

  “Fuck yeah. Seb’s a homebody.” Alan grinned, the look wicked as hell. “He has a great place to winter, though.”

  A sudden, sharp pang of longing went through Jaxon. Oh, he wanted a den for the winter. Someplace safe and warm, full of pillows and big beds. “I bet. He loves it up there, I can tell.”

  “He does. Soon, I think.”

  “Yeah?” Jaxon was nodding again, though. “Something is coming.”

  “Snow. He wants to get up before the snows.”

  Jaxon clapped his hands. “I love snow.”

  “Freak.” Alan said it without heat. “Go make reservations. He just hung up.”

  “Good hearing.” Jaxon trotted to the desk.

  “Give us an hour or two to wander.”

  “Wander where?” Sebastian came out of the inner office, scowling.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “They want an in-person, tomorrow. Yuck.”

  “Do I need to call the scheduler?” Jaxon reached for the phone.

  “Nah, I’ve got a meeting set at 3:00 p.m. You’ll have to come and take notes, Jaxon.”

  “I’m with you, boss. Let me call for dinner reservations, and we’re out of here.” He beamed at Sebastian, pleased that he’d taken the initiative.

  Even more, he was tickled that Sebastian wasn’t fighting his presence at the meeting. He would keep a watchful eye out and do his secondary job as well. Taking notes.

  “Where are we going for dinner?” Sebastian asked.

  “Spaghetti Warehouse,” Alan said. “Noodles for all.”

  “Oh, I like noodles. A lot.”

  “I asked if I could come along.” Jaxon smiled a little, going for self-conscious. “I’m a little stir-crazy.”

  “Cool. You’re good company.”

  Oh, that was high praise. He actually flushed with pleasure, and Alan looked back and forth between them, eyebrows raised.

  Man, that one saw too much. He’d have to be careful. There was something about Sebastian that made Jaxon tingle, but he didn’t need everyone to know.