Chapter 3 Unexpected Client

Carol’s POV Blearily, I blink my eyes open. As soon as I do, I’m greeted by a searing light. I groan and bury my face in the pillow. My head hurts. Everything hurts. What time is it? I turn my head to try and get a look at my alarm clock. Strangely, it isn’t there. I look to see if I knocked it onto the floor. To my surprise, it isn’t an alarm clock that I see on the ground. Instead, my eyes are drawn to a line of clothes scattered across the floor. The memories of last night hit me like a freight train. No. I peek over my shoulder. I see the outline of a muscular figure buried beneath the blankets. I turn back to my side stiffly. I slept with my new neighbor, I realize numbly. And a werewolf, at that. The regret begins to wash over me. I slip out of bed and pull my clothes back on. I shake my head to banish the far-too-pleasing memories and rush out the door. Luckily, I still have enough time to get ready for work. I take some Tylenol and chug some water in the hopes of reducing my hangover. I try to distract myself by carrying out my normal routine. Still, anytime my mind wanders, it goes one of two places – to Zack or to Aiden. I don’t want to think about either. I’m finally on my way to the door when I notice something. There was a small slip of paper on the ground beside the door. I flip the piece of paper over to see neat handwriting. Good morning, the note reads. I would like to see you again this evening, if you’re open to it. The note is signed Aiden, and beside his name is a phone number. I had fun last night — more fun than I can ever remember having -- but I can’t help but remember what Sophia had said yesterday. Many werewolves date around before they meet their fated mate – why wouldn’t Aiden be the same? Dating is fun, but I always know what I wanted is something more serious than dating. Still, I can’t bring myself to throw away the note. I save his number in my phone, but force myself not to send a message. I drive back to work with a heavy heart. I do my best to stay in my office for the first part of the day to avoid Zack and Sophia. Unfortunately, it’s my need for caffeine that gets me into trouble. When I enter the break room, Zack and Sophia are already there pressed up against one another. The sight makes me feel sick. I immediately turn on my heel and try to leave. “Hey,” Zack calls after me. I let out a terse sigh and turn back around. “What do you want?” I say harshly. He makes a face at me. “Don’t be rude,” he says. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “You should be apologizing.” “What?” I almost laugh. “That’s rich coming from you.” I’m honestly surprised with myself that my sadness has been so overpowered by anger. Zack and Sophia look surprised, too. Zack stutters for a moment. “You slapped me!” He exclaims. I had honestly almost forgotten. The memory brings me a small spark of satisfaction. “And?” I question. His face starts to go red. “What do you mean ‘and’?! You’re affecting my image to meet with clients!” He points at the red mark on the side of his face. I give Zack an unimpressed look. “Great. Now your clients know you did something to deserve getting slapped,” I shoot back. Sophia gasps in shock. Zack’s expression turns furious. “You bitch!” He shouts. The sound of his outburst draws the attention of nearby coworkers. The door to the break room opens and a few other employees stand outside watching. My frustration is only building, so I ignore them. That is, until I see my boss, Daniel, standing amongst the crowd. “Zac, Carol, Sophia,” Daniel, calls to us. “Meet me in my office.” Zac, who is in the midst of concocting another argument, snaps his mouth shut. Great, I think. This week just keeps getting better and better. I brush my way past the crowd and head toward Daniel‘s office. I can hear the sound of Daniel and Sophia, following a few steps behind me. The expressions of our coworkers are a mix of pity and excitement. Neither makes me feel better. I take a seat at the desk across from Daniel. Zack and Sophia are close behind. Daniel steeples his fingers in front of him. “The three of you are disrupting the office environment. The market is too competitive for the office to be gossiping like we’re some drama magazine. It’s clear to me that the conflict between the three of you will not resolve anytime soon.“ Daniel takes a deep breath before leveling a stern gaze at the three of us. “The best course of action would be, that one of you would willingly resign. It will prevent any more chaos“ Zack immediately jumps to his feet. “Sophia is my fated mate. If you lose one of us, you lose both of us.“ He looks at Sophia with a smug expression. “Carol should resign.” It’s obvious that Zack thinks his statement will guarantee his job safety. Normally, I might have been more worried. But some thing about Daniel‘s expression makes me think he won’t be taking the easy way out. “It is not my place to become involved in your personal lives,“ Daniel begins, “but I understand the complexity of your situation. This is a business matter, so we will resolve it through business. Since Zack and Carol are the most involved, it will be decided by the two of you. I will assign you both to a big client. Whoever wins the client will remain.” The idea seems too rash to me, but there’s no point in arguing now. All I can do is reluctantly nod. Zack grunts in affirmation. Seeing we are in agreement, Daniel nods and pulls two files out from underneath his desk, sliding one toward each of us. I open the file and quickly begin reviewing it. The document details a 30-year-old Alpha werewolf. He’s apparently a famous hockey star who has recently transferred to a local club. Judging by the information, he has been incredibly successful. As I finish my quick overview, I flip back to the first page. My eyes immediately are pulled to the name at the front of the file. Aiden Cruz. My heart jumps despite myself. Aiden is a very common name, I remind myself. Stop acting like some lovestruck teenager. My attempts to be rational are dashed as my eyes drift lower to the temporary address listed on file. My heart skips a beat. It’s the address for the apartment next to mine. Feeling a sense of foreboding, I slip to the final page to see the appointment schedule. My fears are confirmed when I see the date and time of the appointment. Well, I think grimly, I guess there is no reason to text him, anyway. His appointment is scheduled for this afternoon. In three hours, I’ll be seeing him again.