Tuesday morning woke me with a blast of heat. I sat up in my bed to find the covers strewn over the sides, brushing against the floor. My body was drenched in sweat, and there was even a body-shaped sweat stain on the sheets. I visibly cringed.
My mother's words came to me while I forced my aching body out of the bed and towards the bathroom. "Now you know you might find your mate once you move away," she'd told me with a serious face. "And you know what's going to happen if you don't jump his bones right on the spot." After I complained about discussing this with her, she continued, saying, "The heat is miserable. You're going to feel gross, worse than any period you've ever had."
Sighing, I stripped out of the damp clothes and into the cool shower. My body tensed at first from the chilly temperature, but I clenched my teeth and leaned into the stream. When I closed my eyes, I was startled by the image of Tandan Coulter—Mr. Coulter—standing in this very small shower with me. My eyes flashed open as a blush rose to the surface of my cheeks.
No, no, no. This is not happening.
He was my mate, but he was also my boss. Did he even know we were mates? He must have known. The musky smell of his office had told me he was a wolf, too. What were we going to do? All the thoughts and questions and panicked concerns from last night came flooding back. Could I work with and for my mate? Could we be professional around the office? He was the boss, so maybe he would allow a workplace relationship between us.
This was what I had to tell myself to eventually get out of the shower and prepare for work, physically and emotionally. My body was strumming with excitement at the thought of seeing him again. While I slipped into a black sheath dress and blow-dried my hair, I thought of all the ways our conversation could go. They pretty much all ended up with a steamy makeout session and/or a date proposal.
The jingle of my cell phone snapped me out of my daze. Making a face at myself in the mirror, I thought, Get a grip, girl. This is reality we're talking about.
The incoming call was from my mom. I put her on speaker as I finished my morning routine of makeup.
"How was your first day, honey?" she asked. "We already miss you so much, you know. You should come back and visit this weekend."
I stifled a chuckle. "Mom, I love you guys, but I'm not coming back. Maybe not for a while. I want to get accustomed to my new home before leaving."
"Well..." She thought about it. "You better at least come back for your father's birthday. It's in three weeks, don't forget."
A groan escaped me. I had completely forgotten. What a terrible daughter. I made a mental note to set a notification on my phone to remind me the week before. He was the worst person to buy gifts for, so this would be interesting.
"Rylee?" my mom said. "Are you still there?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, mom. I'll come home for dad's birthday, I promise," I told her in an assuring voice. "I have to leave for work now, so I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Alright. I love you, Rylee."
"I love you too, Mom. Tell Dad I said hi."
After the call ended, I rushed out of the apartment to my car, dodging all the boxes scattered around my apartment. Maybe I’d have time to unpack them tonight. Maybe I would also need a box of pizza to get the job done.
Angelica was just opening the office when I got there. We smiled and bid each other good morning before walking around the office, turning all the lights on. Mr. Coulter, I realized, wasn't here yet. I logged onto my computer and pulled up the scheduling software. Angelica came up from her office to teach me more about their filing system and to make sure I hadn't forgotten everything I'd learned yesterday.
"You're a fast learner," she remarked with a proud grin.
"Thanks," I replied, blushing.
"And you have your Associate's, don't you?"
Wondering where this was going, I nodded and continued to hold her sharp blue eyes. They were bright and warm. She oozed with maternal affection.
"Then why are you working here?" she asked, though not rudely. Just out of genuine concern. "You're hardly making ten dollars an hour with a forty-hour schedule."
"I needed somewhere to start," I admitted. "This seems like a perfectly feasible job to begin with. I don't have any work experience, so not many places would be willing to hire me."
"Well, I'm certainly glad you found us." She squeezed my shoulder and smiled again. "I'll be in my office if you need anything."
"Thank you," I said.
Soon after she had left, the front door swung open. His smell flooded the lobby before I even saw him, and I felt my heart rate spike. Mr. Coulter—Tandan, mate, all of the above—stepped into view. He was dressed in black slacks, oiled oxfords, and a crisp blue button-up. I bit my lip and looked down. My body was warming up again and the aches in my muscles intensified. Fudge me.
"Good morning, Lee," he greeted cheerily.
With a deep breath, I lifted my head again to respond. The words pressed against my rigid teeth. "Good morning to you as well, Mr. Coulter."
His smile melted away into a frown. "It's just Tandan, remember?"
"I'm sorry," I said, my heart tripping at the sadness on his face. "I can't...it's just not in my nature..." My lips pressed into a firm line, frustrated. Only after I had thought through my words did I speak again. "You're my boss. I would like to try to keep things professional."
His brown eyes seemed to darken at my words. As he moved to my desk, planting his large hands on the wood, my breath caught. He was so hot. The heat inside of me escalated to nothing less than an inferno. I felt the wildest impulse to leap out of the chair and across this desk, into his arms. A low growl rolled out of his throat, and I couldn't stop the one that then came out of me.
"If I'm your boss," he spoke, his language hardly discernible between vowels and growls, "then you do as I say. Right?"
My inner animal was pawing to be let loose. I hadn't felt like this in years. It had taken all those many years to stuff that side of me away, so I could act like all the humans around me. This was their world I wanted to be a part of, after all. I couldn't believe it only took one person to unravel all of it.
"Yes-s, sir," I stammered, looking away. He was going to make me shift right here if he didn't quit with this.
"Say my name, Lee," he ordered.
Our gazes met again, mine filled with a mixture of desire, curiosity, and annoyance. How were we going to work together if this was how he intended to behave?
"Yes, Tandan," I spoke slowly with deliberateness.
His lips twitched before he nodded and went on his merry way, leaving me in the wake of his intoxicating scent.