Page 78 of Security and Submission
Normally, this was the time Zeus would just nod his head and leave, but having already set Yas up with a security system, it was on his mind. Especially with how much Drew had been working.
“You’ve already got a security system, right?”
Drew’s shoulders tensed, as if he was trying not to take umbrage at Zeus’ question, but he kept his expression neutral.
“Yeah.” He hesitated. “Honestly, it could probably use an upgrade, though.”
“I can take a look at it if you want. Which one do you have?”
They chatted about security systems for a few minutes. It turned out that Drew didn’t need a new one, but Zeus told him how to get some extra bells and whistles that would give him a little more peace of mind when he wasn’t at home. By the time he left Drew’s office, the other man had fully relaxed, and Zeus could honestly say it was the first conversation with Drew he’d actually enjoyed.
“Thanks, Lavender,” Drew said as Zeus turned to go.
It was quite possibly the most feminine-sounding spice he could have chosen, and Zeus could have taken that as an insult, but it was the first time Drew had called him by a spice. Which meant it was actually a gesture of welcome and acceptance to the team.
“You’re welcome, Sporty,” Zeus said, his chest feeling a little tighter than usual as he sauntered out the door.
There was no need to make a big deal of it. But it felt like one.
As he walked out the door, he came to a halt when he realized Lincoln was standing in the hall, where neither Zeus nor Drew would have been able to see him from the office, but where he could likely have heard the entire conversation. There was a small smile on his face, and it widened as he met Zeus’ gaze.
“Good job, son,” he said softly with a nod of his head before he started walking. When he passed Zeus, he gave him a pat on his shoulder.
Standing in the middle of the hall, stomach churning, Zeus felt frozen to the floor for a long moment. Voices in the lobby, more people coming in through the front doors, made him shake it off. He didn’t want anyone to find him standing here in the middle of the hallway, unable to move.
Clearing his throat, he started walking back to the privacy of his own office, ducking his head as he lifted his hand to wipe away the sudden wetness on his face.
No one else needed to know the odd effect Lincoln’s approving words had had on him.
Yasmine
“Well, it’s nice to have officially met you,” Yasmine said, her heart hurting a little as she straightened up from giving Hope a final pet.
As good as the dog had been for her, and as amazing as her company had been, it was clear that Sarah was her person from the moment the other woman walked in the door. Hope might not have a ton of energy, but she used up every bit of it greeting the other woman, though she was also very gentle, thankfully.
Sarah was a little wisp of a thing, petite in every way, and currently looked like a stiff wind could knock her over. Yasmine almost felt bad about leaving, but Sarah had insisted she could manage on her own.
“And so nice to have met you,” Sarah said, opening her arms to give Yasmine a hug.
She hesitated for just a moment before bending down to accept it; she didn’t normally hug people she didn’t know well, but Sarah was different. This whole situation was different. Sarah squeezed her tightly, while Yasmine hugged her back more gently, worried about Sarah’s sutures.
“Thank you so much for taking care of my baby.”
“I’m so glad I was able to. I’ll be back on Wednesday to take her to the vet,” Yasmine said, letting Sarah hold her. She could only imagine how scary it had been for Sarah, worrying about her dog while she’d been in the hospital. If she wanted to cling to Yasmine, Yasmine wasn’t going to push her away. “Zeus said he’ll be there, too. And if you need anything between now and then to just let him know.”
“He told me. Thank you, dear.” Sarah let Yasmine go and wiped some tears from her eyes as she stepped back. “You two are both such good people. He’s single, you know.” She gave Yasmine a meaningful look.
“I did know that, yes,” Yasmine replied, stifling a laugh. Oh, if only Sarah knew. Not just about the curse, but about what Zeus and Yasmine were up to. She wondered if the older woman would be approving or appalled. Not that she was going to share enough to find out what Sarah’s reaction would be.
“Good.” Sarah nodded, as though the fact that Yasmine and Zeus had met, and she knew that Zeus was single, meant everything would work itself out in the way it should. And, obviously, Sarah thought the way it should work out was for them to end up together.
But friends-with-benefits was about as far as it was going to go. Sarah didn’t know about the curse.
Finishing up saying goodbye to Sarah, Yasmine headed to her parents. She’d promised to come over for dinner tonight so they could see her, although she was dreading it a bit. Her mother still hadn’t given up on getting Yasmine uncursed. And her dad didn’t believe in it at all.
Papa would probably like Zeus.
Which was a useless thought because she was not introducing her parents to her fuck buddy. But it was also true. Especially because her father would appreciate Zeus’ take on the curse. Her mother would probably like it, too, if only because it would help her keep hoping for Yasmine’s eventual marriage and children.
