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Chapter 3

-Logan-

“What’s going on, Logan?” James asked. He’s all serious, all the time. James is James, never J or Jim or Jamie. He would have those surfer good looks if he would just fucking smile sometime. Blonde, blue-eyed, even with a damned dimple on one side, James has to work extra hard to pull off stern and he’s an expert at this point.

“Let’s wait for everybody so I can cover everything one time instead of three. We’re still waiting on Deek and Ollie.” James and I are both early types; Ollie is usually right on time but Derek is almost always just a little late. In Deek’s defense, he’s chronically looking for a new assistant. His are always leaving due to unforeseeable circumstances- sudden sick family members who need care, difficult pregnancies, even car wrecks- or because he's been on the “America's Most Eligible Bachelors” list twice too many. I have never met a man with worse luck when it comes to keeping an assistant.

“Hey guys, we still waiting on D?” Ollie connects next, to no one’s surprise, with his customary greeting. They have some kind of rivalry going on that I’ve never gotten to the bottom of- something about a girl in college, maybe?

“No, we are not waiting on Derek, I’m right here!” Deek says as his camera is still connecting, showing him digging through paperwork on his desk. “And does anybody know where I can get a personal assistant that doesn’t think I want to live in a porno instead of actually run my business? I’m getting desperate over here. I've had to fire this past one for trying to play sexcretary in the middle of a goddamn meeting!”

“No, we’ve already sent you everyone we know, remember? You’re like a secretary curse. I don’t even have any more backups to throw under the wheels of your shitty luck! Why don't you try hiring a man?” Ollie can’t resist a dig before we really get into things and get serious, but he reins it in quickly- talking over Derek's “I've tried-” to say “But we’re not here to talk about you, Deek, we’re here because Logan has something going on. What’s up, Lo?”

“First of all, that’s still a terrible nickname. I won’t go by Lo. You can’t make it catch on because everyone but you knows how bad it sucks. Second of all…..” I drag it out, not sure how to describe what I’m feeling, how to get them to understand how I know, how I could feel it immediately. “I met my mate today.” Okay, so I’ll just go with blunt. That’s fine. “I ran into her coming up the stairs to my office and she is for sure mine. But she works here, so she’s also mine in that she’s my employee and I cannot shit where I eat, you know? I can’t decide if I should go after her now or how I should do it to keep her from thinking I’m some crazy stalker or- even worse- that her job would include favors and if she doesn’t run for a restraining order first thing, what would I even say to explain to a human-”

“Logan” James cracks out like a whip to end my spiraling. “Clearly you’ve been thinking about this too long today. You know better than to plan steps B-Z before knowing positively what step A and its consequences would be. You know exactly where we need to start. Do you truly want to connect to your mate right now, yes or no? It will change your whole life and just yesterday you were perfectly happy to play the game. Are you ready to settle down as a family man in your prime? Because that’s what she’ll ask of you. That’s what all women want if you give them too much…. Time.”

“‘Time’ was totally the word you were going with.” Deek said with a roll of his eyes. He looked into the camera to give the illusion of frank eye contact. “I think we already know that you want her and you're ready to go after her. Let's set a plan for operation… what's her name, Logan?”

“Emory. She stopped at the 8th floor so she's in the interior department. I've been struggling to resist researching her all damn day.” I receive three incredulous looks at that.

“Why…the fuck? Whatever. Just because you decided to hobble yourself, doesn't mean we have to. I'll have Jeffries look into her tonight.” Ollie hated missing information.

“Don't, Ollie! Or… at least don't tell me unless there's something heinous in there. I want to get to know her, not walk up to her with random facts floating in my head so that I have to act surprised any time she starts to tell me about herself. I want to come off as not-a- stalker as my wolf will allow.” This was the one thing I could be sure of after a whole day of shock and then waffling. I'm usually a very decisive person, but this would determine the rest of my life- not to mention Emory’s. Hopefully.

“Fine, fine. I'll share Jeffries' findings, but we'll leave you out of it unless she's an ax murderer. James, Deek, you good with that?”

James rolls his eyes, frustrated with Ollie’s grammar. “Yes, that works for me.”

“I'm good, too. Hey, if she's in administration there, you could send her my way! That way you can keep her close and stop being her boss at the same time!” Deek might think he's slick, but we all know that was his first thought upon hearing I met someone new today- ‘Can Logan's new mate be my assistant?’- jackass.

“No, Deek. I don't want your luck happening to my mate. Find your own assistant!”

“Ha! Caught you!” Derek suddenly exclaims. “You want her, and you want her bad. You want her so bad, you're itching to go scoop her up right now! So, since I'm apparently your only friend, I'm going to do what Chuckles and Dumbass are apparently incapable of.”

“Hey!” James and Oliver accidentally unison their protest at the unexpected jab.

“I'm going to present you with a plan. It's even simple! Just don't tell her your last name. She'll have no reason to ask ‘Logan, do you own the company’-” he flutters his eyelashes and raises his voice obnoxiously. No wonder he can't keep an assistant around. “- if you just don't tell her you do. Tell her you work in project management or administration. That's the bare bones of what we all do at this point, isn't it? You'll just be Logan the project manager with the hot friend who could be her new boss. Easy.”

“That seems… dishonest, though.” I have to admit, dishonesty is pretty tempting in this moment.

James pipes in “dishonest at the very least, yeah. What a perfect foundation for a relationship, lies are!”

“You don't have to do it forever, and you don't even have to lie to her! You're just not answering questions she doesn't ask- that's not dishonesty! It's just honesty with good timing.” Deek is clearly warming up to his own idea, but I am, too. It makes so much sense, stated that way.

“I guess I can get behind it, if you put it that way.” Ollie says, reluctantly. “I think that might be the way to go.” Deek looks incredibly smug in his square, resting his arm on a pile of paper. Even his hair looks smug, falling just so across his forehead so the dark strands emphasize the bright blue of his eyes.

“Obviously, you idiots have convinced each other this is a good idea, but I want it noted that I disagree. Since you have come to a consensus, I have a pack matter to deal with. Keep me updated on this train wreck.” James says, before logging out with a nod to us. That certainly put a damper on things, but it's not like he had any better ideas. The rest of us are slightly more subdued as we sign off.

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