Page 5 of Bossed By the Orc

Our doors remained unlocked when we left our houses. I’d already seen way too much police activity for the same to be said here.

Still, there were so many perks, I mused, as I stepped up to one of the free computers, already connected to high speed internet and took a seat.

The library stayed open even at the ungodly hours that I was working, to cater to nocturnal species. When I’d discovered that, I’d felt an unholy glee. I loved books so much and this was the cheapest and easiest way to access them.

I forced myself to act casual while I was already frothing at the mouth for more information on the orc that I met this morning. I didn’t want to use my phone while connected to the internet at work to do the search, because I wasn’t the most tech savvy and I didn’t want to be caught researching the boss while there.

I especially didn’t want him to know and I wasn’t sure if those things were captured across shared services. So here I was instead, eagerly typing keywords into the search engine.

Dristan Everlock.

I inhaled sharply at his name. It was so sexy. It fit him perfectly. Annoyed with myself for thinking anything positive about the arrogant male, I skimmed some articles about him.

He’d taken over his father’s company at a young age, after his parents had passed, and he’d ensured positive cash flow and profits ever since. He had one sibling, Rudgar Everlock—the male that I met last night. It would explain the resemblance.

According to the article, the Everlock brothers were the most eligible bachelors around. I rolled my eyes. Just another reason for Dristan to be a dick. Snorting out a laugh, I said in my head, Dristen the dick. It suited him. They were both in their late twenties and unattached. No one saw them out with females often and they tended to skip social events more often than not.

I gave a derisive sniff at the picture of Dristan scowling at the camera. Even though he was still the most gorgeous male ever, he was the worst behaved. He’d probably accosted the photographer after he’d taken it.

Annoyed with myself, I closed the tabs and moved away from the computers. I wasn’t helping myself by stalking the male. I made my way to the romance section of the library. The list that my best friend Becca had sent me was burning a hole in my phone.

She’d promised me heavy spice and swoony romance. She knew I loved multi-species love stories, so she read a few and recommended the best that were available here.

She truly was the best friend and while I was checking out, I asked the nice centaur helping me about possible vacancies. I was directed to the website and I sent her the link before hugging the stack of books to my chest, hiding the cover of the one on top.

It was a random selection that I made, without thinking, and I didn’t want to overthink my choice. My face was on fire the entire walk back to my apartment. It was an orc romance, but had nothing to do with the male I met last night. I was determined to believe my lie.

When I unlocked the front door, I gasped as I almost ran into the man blocking me from entering.

“Oh, Dave. Hi.” My roommate’s skeevy boyfriend smiled at me, still not letting me pass. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Can I get by?”

He moved an inch and I gritted my teeth as I squeezed past him. He was grinning at me the entire time, turning with me. When I scurried away, he laughed, which made me want to face him and tell him off.

Living here was the only place I could afford, and that was only because of my roommate. I didn’t want to piss her off and get kicked out. I had a feeling he was the reason the rent was so cheap. They probably couldn’t find anyone who would put up with his bullshit.

His sweaty smell and pallid skin made me cringe whenever he stood too close, which seemed like always and the feel of his rancid breath on my neck was horrifying. At first, I’d wondered if she was in on the game, allowing him to act the way he did.

But I noticed that he acted differently when she was there. He pretended that all was normal.

I gritted my teeth, promising myself that I wouldn’t give up the search for another affordable apartment—which in layman’s terms meant dirt cheap. I couldn’t afford anything except the shared tiny shithole for now.

“What’ve you got there?” he asked, reaching into my personal space and tapping on the books I held up against my chest protectively. From the gleam in his eyes I knew the asshole was goading me for a reason. I just didn’t know what it was and I wasn’t willing to find out.

“Books.” My response was monotone and I waved at my roommate Kelly as I passed by the living room.

She smiled at me. “How was your first day?”

She really was the sweetest. I hoped that she could eventually see through Dave’s fakeness. “It was great. I’m wiped, though, so I’ll head to bed.”

She nodded with understanding, holding her hand out for the asshole to join her. When he did, still sending a creepy smile my way, it was everything I could do to hold back a gag.

Grabbing a cup of instant noodles for dinner, I made my way into my bedroom, closing and locking my door as I did. I squeezed my eyes shut as I heard the unmistakable sound of Dave the Dickhead testing the door handle to see if I’d forgotten to lock it.

Exhaling a slow breath, I put the books onto the tiny desk I’d found and somehow managed to squeeze into the corner. I avoided looking at the cover of the one on top, even knowing that it would be the one I started with. I turned on the electric kettle I kept in my room before picking up the book.

I bit my lip as I finally looked at it. The massive orc posed on the cover didn’t look like Dristan, but he could be his twin when it came to muscular builds. I turned to the first page, already deeply engrossed in the story when the kettle clicked off. I flinched as the noise echoed in the quiet of the room.

I only put down the book long enough to prepare my instant noodles. By the time I came up for a breath, my noodles were cold, my nipples were tight and all I could imagine was Dristan Everlock.

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