You Are My Mate, Ever

Got Job

Aileen tried to contain her anger, but it was nearly impossible. She had a mortgage to pay off. All her life's savings had gone into the down payment on the house, and she still had to eat. Electricity and gas would be nice, too. Even if she sold her new house, she would still be out of pocket since the market had crashed.

The thought of moving back to Southern California and living with her parents at her age was enough to make her feel desperate. They would scold her for making another big mistake, tell her how disappointed they were, and recount every mistake she had ever made.

She would do anything to avoid that, and she was happy to take any job, even if it meant facing one of the most embarrassing nights of her life.

She glanced around the waiting room where she was waiting for her interview and realized how shitty she felt. This was the last place she wanted to be. Or one hundred to one, and she had managed to believe that enough to work up the courage to come here.

Her ears were burning with hatred for her previous boss. The jerk had fired her after Aileen had refused to sleep with the toad yet again. The boss had made her life miserable for weeks, probably hoping she would quit, but she had been more stubborn than he.

The town was small, jobs were few, and the next town over that had a couple of openings was twenty minutes away. Her car was old. She couldn't handle six months of driving through the mountains, and the buses only ran once a day. By firing Aileen, this i***t had ruined her life.

Now she wanted to work with werewolves maybe animals are more civilized than humans.

When the door to the reception area opened, the girl moderated her anger and forced herself to smile. A happy employee is more likely to be hired than a grumpy one. The secretary was tall and pretty, and she smiled back at Aileen.

“He is ready to see you.”

Aileen stood up, and despite her four-inch heels, she felt short next to the wolf woman. Looking at the secretary's lithe, athletic body didn't help her self-esteem either - she felt completely out of shape.

Aileen tried to keep a smile on her face as she walked into the office. She wanted the job since this was the only one in town unless she wanted to work part-time digging up deadly traps for Animal Control. Aileen doubted Control would hire her, and the salary she was making wouldn't be enough to survive on.

She paused in the doorway to study the man sitting behind the desk. He had light brown hair with blonde streaks and brown skin. The man looked up at her with wolf eyes and motioned her to a chair.

His shirt was tight around his broad shoulders and huge biceps, and he had a wedding ring on his finger. He was as big as his secretary, and Aileen hoped he wouldn't do anything to anger them.

"Have a seat, Ms. Smith. I'm Peter."

Aileen handed him her resume and sat down on the large chair. She tried to relax, but it was impossible. She desperately needed a job. Part-time work wouldn't pay the bills. The pay was better than her last job.

Mr. Peter put her resume down without even looking at it and instead began to study the girl sitting in front of him.

"I already have a copy of your employment history. You should have faxed it along with the other information we've already checked through the database." He paused. "You're hired."

Aileen was shocked. "But you haven't even talked to me yet."

"I've already learned everything I need to know about you. You have all the necessary skills, no criminal record, and are not related to anyone who has caused problems for the industry. We talked to your parents, and you were not raised by a racist." Peter shrugged. "It's as simple as that."

"Awesome." She chuckled, relieved that everything had worked out so well. "That's great. I want this job, Mr. Peter. You won't regret giving me a chance."

"We've talked to your coworkers from your previous job." He frowned. "You didn't mention the fact that your last employer harassed you when they should have. That wouldn't have affected our decision to hire you in any way.

It was unforgivable for your boss to sexually harass you, but that won't happen here. I don't want to have s*x with you. I'm happily married, and I'd rather die than touch any woman except my mate. It's nothing personal, but it's the truth.”

Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him. The wolf frowned.

"Am I being too direct? I figured after that incident, it might have bothered you. Your coworkers told us that your last boss fired you because you refused to have s*x with him. I didn't want you to worry about that."

She took a few seconds to compose herself. "You're being direct. It wasn't worth worrying about, but thank you. I feel better about what you said, and yes, after that incident, I suppose it bothered me.”

"You have no reason to worry here. My people – our werewolves - won't touch you. Just tell them to stop and that you have no interest in them if they approach you intending to get to know you better. We value honesty and directness.

And there's no problem with that. There are many words and phrases that your people use in everyday communication, but we are still learning. Sometimes this causes confusion or misunderstandings.

Just speak your mind clearly and directly, and we will understand. If any problems arise, you can always talk to me immediately, and I will try to solve them. We want you to be happy working with us.”

“Thank you.”

“Could you start working right away?” He surprised her again.

“Of course.” She had not planned on starting work right after the interview, but she was not going to say no. It was only eight in the morning. All she could do now was go home and watch game shows, and she did not mind giving up that pastime.

“That would be wonderful.” Mr. Peter nodded with satisfaction.