Why He Calls

Chapter 13

Celeste’s POV

Even though I was up late last night, I woke before the sun was fully up. My mind didn’t want to stop racing. I couldn’t stop thinking about what my father was planning. And then when I had stressed myself out so much thinking about that situation, then I reverted to thinking constantly about my mate. I’ve never even seen his face. We haven’t touched or looked each other in the eyes yet. So our bond wouldn’t have started snapping into place. But somehow, just his voice made me feel better. And I knew I didn’t want to reject him or be without him. But I couldn’t help the immense guilt I was filled with.

Talking about things, being upfront, did start to assuage some of my negative feelings and ever mounting worries. But I still felt like, even if I found a way to resolve things quickly, it wasn’t fair to him the amount of baggage I brought.

It was really hard getting out of my head. I called Monica and asked if she could come by early this morning if it wouldn’t be an inconvenience. She was surprised I was calling her as Mondays are usually my off day but said she was happy for the extra hours. That last comment made me feel really badly. I went to my computer and typed up a letter of recommendation for her, printed it out and signed it. Then I straightened up my room and changed into work out clothes.

Monica was there in fifteen minutes. The kids weren’t up yet and I wasn’t fully ready to have the big talk I would have to have before Zeke came over tonight.

“So what do you need me to do miss?” Monica asked as we walked into the kitchen and sat down.

“Today, I need you to stay with the kids while I have a few errands to run.” I begin and then still feeling bad for her, I jumped into it, “We’re moving. With Kate finally better, we’re not rooted to this place anymore. And an opportunity arose recently for a better situation for all of us.”

“Oh, are you finally going to go back to school, miss?” She assumed, since I had talked about how taking care of my siblings meant I couldn’t get my degree. “Or did you finally find your mate?”

“What do you mean???” I asked completely caught off guard. Monica was human. We can sense other werewolves. Why would she say mate?

Monica had a major opps look on her when I questioned her but she took a deep breathe and then explained. “Honestly miss, I’m mated to a werewolf and with you being a lone wolf, I just thought you abruptly moving might be because you meet your mate.”

I looked at her closely and then inhaled her scent. I could faintly smell a wolf scent but not very strong. She must have showered since being with her mate and her mate had not marked her which is why I didn’t pick up on her being a mated human before.

“That makes sense but still, you’re only human so how do you know I’m a werewolf?” I question.

“A while back when my car was broke down, my mate gave me a lift. She said she was surprised I was working for a lone wolf, taking care of pups. I was confused. She explained what a lone wolf was and how werewolves could sense each other. I’m sorry I didn’t bring it up before but with her explanation of lone wolves, I figured you would want me to treat you like any other human client.” Monica said and I was amazed at her understanding of werewolf culture. She must have either known her mate for a while or at least had a very patience mate to take their time to let her learn everything. I was surprised either way that she was still not marked.

We sat in silence for a few moments while I processed this new revelation and while it was so quiet I picked up on a soft beating sound. I furrowed my eyebrows confused before I realized, regardless of this new development, I hadn’t finished explaining what was happening to Monica.

“I’m not leaving because of my mate, but we do have to move. Unfortunately that means this is the last day I’ll be needing a nanny. So I’m really sorry for the abrupt notice.” I finish explaining feeling badly for having to let her go.

She looked upset for a minute before replying, “That’s okay ma’am. You don’t stay with the same kids forever when you’re a nanny. It would have been better to have the notice so I could find another job first though.”

“I know. We just didn’t know what Kate’s final prognosis was until this weekend.” I began to defend but then switched gears. “So I wrote you a stellar letter of recommendation for your next employer. And since today was so last minute, I’ll pay you double for the day.”

“Thank you ma’am. How long do you need me to stay today?”

“Until close to when school would normally let out.” I reply.

I then go grab my gym bag, my work purse, and a change of clothes. I go to the gym first. I head over to where they have the punching bags set up for the kickboxing class and imagine my father’s face as I punch harder and faster, adding kicks in between punches. Then I see my mother’s face, followed by Kate’s dad, and then some of my clients. I keep punching harder and harder until it’s right back to my father and then with my last hit I feel the bag fly across the room. I consider briefly just hanging up a new bag before worrying how badly this is going to look.

I go to the check in desk to let an employee know about the bag. He sends someone to look at it. The guy he sends looks at the bag with big eyes and then back at me before narrowing his eyebrows and then shaking his head. “I’m sorry, ma’am, there must have been a faulty chain or a problem with the anchor. We will get this fixed and cleaned up right away. I’m just glad it didn’t swing back and hit you. You could have seriously been injured.” He says and I realize he thinks because I’m tiny blonde girl, I couldn’t have possibly been at fault for this. At least I’m not putting our secrecy at risk. He dismisses me and I decide to keep working out.

I run on the treadmill, constantly increasing the incline and speed past what would suit a human girl of my size and build. I’m trying to outrun the racing thoughts in my head by focusing on my body instead. I have to revert it to default before going over to the weights.

Thankfully there’s no one else over here so I don’t have to hold back as much. I start with 300 lbs and then add more weights with smaller reps. I put everything back when I hear some of the regular body builders coming in. I stretch again and then go to the lap pool for my cool down. It’s not as long as my usual work out but I needed to get some of this pent up agitation and aggression out.

I shower and change into white skinny jeans, a cropped white flowy top and a yellow jacket. I pair it with white wedges and style my hair in tight beach waves rather than my usually almost ringlet like curls. I put my work purse on and drive to the office.

I check in, Annalise validates my parking and I head straight to Odette’s office. Two knocks later and I hear Odette say to come in but I don’t. I wait for her to come to the door. She says come in again so I knock again and then take a step back and wait. She finally comes to the door and I can hear her complaining, asking if I’m deaf or something. But it’s not about not having heard her. She knew I was coming. Annalise let her know. And I’m done with how she treats me.

“What do you want?” She asks rudely.

“We need to speak privately.” I say.

“What’s this about?” she asks not stepping aside to let me in.

“Are you going to let me in?” I ask calmly.

“Not until you tell me what this is about.”

“I already said we need to speak privately.” I remind her.

“About what?” she demands.

So I say loud enough for everyone in the lobby and the check in can hear me. “About my resignation. I’m sure the competition wouldn’t want to know why” before I can finish my sentence, she reaches out to grab my arm to pull me in but I side step her.

Her reflexes aren’t as quick as mine and she starts falling from the angle she’s put herself in reaching to grab me. I move even more out of her reach and let her fall. She catches herself on the bottom of the doorway so she doesn’t land face first but does land on her knees. She looks at me angrily expecting me to apologize and help her. But I don’t say anything I walk around her now that there’s room for me to enter. She gets up, smooths her dress down and then walks into the office, shutting the door behind her as I’ve already sat down.

There’s an obvious change in power this time as she’s so used to being able to boss everyone else around and I haven’t given her a single opportunity. She stares at me and then sits in her chair facing me.

“You still have signed clients on the calendar for this week. You cannot just up and resign like this.”

“Actually my contract states, as long as there’s a substitute available, I can cancel and as you have endlessly reminded me, there’s always a supply of pretty blondes.”

“But your clients specifically like you.” She stutters a bit after that lame explanation.

“No they don’t. They just want a pretty blonde, hot fantasy girl to give them orgasms and listen to them. You can easily replace me. You’ve said so yourself.”

“Do you have a new job lined up?” She asks. “Why are you leaving?”

“No. And that’s not really any of your business.”

“You’re lying. You’re going to a different service, or branching out on your own.” She said. “Might I remind you, that if you try stealing any clients, the non compete clause you signed will cost you severely. I will not hesitate to go after everything you own.”

“That won’t be an issue as I will never escort or sell myself ever again.” I state firmly.

“Then what are you going to do? How will you afford your precious sister’s medical expenses or ever be able to afford that house on some meager waitress salary?” She asks snidely, baiting me.

“I’ll find a way.” I reply simply.

“Not when we report you quit, and therefore have no income. They’ll just be waiting for that first missed payment to foreclose on you then.”

I didn’t know what to say to that because I wasn’t sure if that was even a legit thing but then she continued.

“If you stay with the service, we can help you. Give you enough clients so you can afford to go back to school. Keep working here for a few more years while you’re still young and beautiful and you’ll be set up for life.” She explains and it feels like talking to a used car salesman trying to upsell you on what you know is a lemon.

I internally gasped at that comment and this time couldn’t hold back. “So what does that make you? Washed up, old and ugly now?” I asked and I knew I struck a cord but she didn’t react and I felt worked up. I was fed up with her and hated myself for ever choosing to work here. For letting her get in my head and make me feel like this was my only option to solve my financial problems. The reason she was so mean and got away with her behavior is because we let her hold all the power. No one ever stood up to her because of the constant reminder of being replaceable. There will always be pretty desperate girls.

So I just snapped. “For your information, I won’t be escorting because I found my mate. I found someone to eventually love and maybe have a happy ending with. That’s something you will never have. Because the only thing you love is money and power.

And I’m so happy for you, that you managed to take your washed up self and build a successful business by preying on the young, exploiting desperation and getting rich off lust and carnal desire. But it’s absolutely despicable. The girls who wouldn’t have chosen this profession for themselves, the ones you personally recruited and sweet talked into it. They weren’t just desperate. They needed someone to help them. And you were there promising to teach them, presenting yourself as a mentor and savior. But you don’t care when you ruin them.

I’m an adult. I made an adult decision to come work for you. So that is not on you. And I never should have gave up my integrity and self worth to do that. But you made the same adult choice to be cruel and treat everyone here beneath you and make them feel like worthless w****s. You were no better than any girl here when you were our age. Actually, you were so much worse off.

So if you ever threaten me again, I’ll expose your business for the full extent of what is really is. I have loads of proof and you may have had me sign a non compete but you never had me sign a non disclosure agreement.”

I stood up, picked my purse up off her desk and pulled the crossbody strap over my head. I flipped my hair back over my shoulder and turned to triumphantly storm out, but then I remembered one of the reasons I had decided to have this conversation in person.

“I was going to collect my last pay. But you can keep it, Cara fell in love with me, so you’re about to lose her as a client anyways.” The look on Odette’s face was a victory in itself.

I left still reeling inside a bit. I felt bad that I lost my cool and wished I had rehearsed what I wanted to say to Odette in advance. But I couldn’t anticipate the outcome of that conversation. I just had this overwhelming need to stand up to her as soon as I saw her office door.