Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
“Wow,” William muttered quietly, causing Julien to look at Emory again. “I can see why you’re staring, though I have to admit I’m surprised. I didn’t realize you leaned that way at all. In fact, I don’t know if you know this, but office gossip has you at anti-sex altogether.”
Julien’s gaze snapped back to William. “I’m sorry, what?”
“You do know your nickname is The Robot, right?”
Julien waved his hand. “I don’t care what people call me as long as they do their jobs.” He picked up the menu and began perusing the options.
William continued to look at Emory, which began to really annoy Julien. He set the menu down and really looked at his CFO again. William’s air was tense, his usual smiles completely missing.
“There’s something I wanted to speak to you about today,” Julien said to pull William’s attention back to him. “There are some discrepancies in accounting. And they’ve been going on for a long time, so it’s not something you should have missed.”
William squared his shoulders, his eyes narrowing. “Small discrepancies are on my radar. I’m looking into what’s going on now. Why are you going through financials?”
“Not all the discrepancies are small. And I go through every part of my business. You know that.”
“Yeah, I do know that. You work so much, you don’t have a life. The way you just looked at that blond is the first time I’ve ever seen you show interest in another person. Maybe you need a little fun time to break up all that work. Ask him out.”
“I don’t need to ask him out. And I was looking at him because I wanted to make sure he had settled somewhere close. That man is actually my bodyguard.”
“What?” William blinked hard. “Why do you need a bodyguard?”
Julien couldn’t very well tell him about the penumbra, so he shrugged. “Just some threats I decided to take seriously.”
“From competitors?”
“I don’t know exactly where they are originating from, but I decided to err on the side of caution and hired someone.”
“It must be pretty serious if you actually hired a bodyguard. You aren’t the type to do that at all—taking care of everything yourself.” William looked back at Emory, his face paling. “And that’s who you hired? How did you find him?”
“He’s just a bodyguard from a company here in Seattle.” Julien narrowed his eyes and studied William more closely. He knew William was a preternatural because there was a faint feeling of magic about him, so he was sure that William could see what Emory really was. And that seemed to be upsetting him. So much, he pushed his chair back.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go. I just remembered a phone meeting.” William stood and dropped some cash onto the table.
“A phone meeting.” Julien didn’t phrase it as a question.
“Yeah. We’ll have to discuss whatever this was about later. I’ll swing by your office around four, okay?”
Julien said nothing, noting that William was again not meeting his eyes before he turned and hurried out of the restaurant. Unease slowly crept through his chest, and he again turned to look at Emory, who was once more flirting with his server, his huge wings flared out behind him and pressed against the chair’s back.
And that’s who you hired?
William’s tone had held a thread of panic when he’d asked that question.
Just what the fuck had that been about?
Chapter Eight
Emory
Emory normally didn’t sleep a lot when he was guarding a client but that night, he was exhausted from just doing nothing the entire day. He’d followed Julien to his luncheon and then back to the office, where the man said very little to him. Julien’s focus when he was at work was relentless.
Maybe Emory should take a page out of his friend Dax’s book and bring something to read. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy reading, it had just been some time since he’d picked up a book. Normally on jobs, the clients talked with him or he was busier. This standing around Julien’s office while being completely ignored was harder than he would have thought.
But then, that was because a part of him hated being ignored by this particular man. He didn’t even know what it was about Julien, other than his good looks and fantastic body, that was drawing his interest. He got the feeling that the man kept such tight control over his life for deeply personal reasons. He also felt that if anyone needed his world shaken up, it was Julien.
What would he be like if he actually dropped that tightly leashed control and lost himself to passion?
Just the thought of that had Emory’s legs shifting restlessly among the sheets.
He turned onto his side, let out his wings, and closed his eyes, trying in vain to get the rest he needed, but all he could picture was having that loss of control be because of him.