Chapter 5

Logan-

“What’s going on, Logan?” James asks me. 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. He’s blond, blue-eyed, and he even has a damned dimple on one side. James has to work extra hard to pull off stern and he’s an expert at this point. As the resident tight-ass, he has ended up being the organizer and instigator of our group. We’re all alpha in our own ways, but the way James naturally leads lends itself well to logistical considerations.

“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 Deek is almost always just a little late. In Derek’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 Deek?” Ollie connects next– to no one’s surprise– with his customary greeting, light brown curls flopping into his face as he tries to eat politely on a video call. Oliver and Derek 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 naughty sexcretary in the middle of a goddamn meeting!” 

“No, we’ve already sent you everyone we know, remember? You’re like a personal assistant 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–” in order  to say “But we’re not here to talk about you, D, 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–”