Page 26 of Breathless Recruiter

Orion slid past Drew, plopping himself in a chair on the other side of my desk. “I think I worked through a thousand support tickets today. We’re being targeted by the League of Villains. I can’t prove it, but heroes can’t be this dumb.”

I was about to open my mouth, but I had learned my lesson. If I indulged Orion in his conspiracy, we’d be here another hour. Somehow, it’d come back to the government, aliens, or theIlluminati. Or was it the Masons? I couldn’t keep up with the organizations trying to destroy Vanguard.

“Damn, Masons. They’re probably the ones that sent Prowler.”

Behind Orion, Drew’s head hung down, slowly shaking back and forth. “Masons aren’t hiring villains to destroy us.”

“If you look at the?—”

Nope. I wanted to get out of work as quickly as possible. Somewhere in this building, a security guard needed a rush of chocolate. “There should be a good turnout for the launch. As long as the Masons don’t strike.”

Orion’s eyes narrowed, deciding if I had attempted sarcasm. “You’ll see,” he said.

“Jock wearers, did you not hear? Go home!” Janet grabbed Drew from behind, spinning about, placing him in the hallway. With a slap on the ass, he ran away. She wasn’t taking prisoners today.

“Orion, do I have to carry you?”

He rolled his eyes as he stood. “Did we not have a meeting about touching butts in the office?”

“HR cleared me. Three sanctioned ass slaps a day.” Janet neglected to mention she acted as Human Resources during that meeting. She rubbed her hands together, waiting for Orion to pass. Drawing back, he yelped as she gave him a friendly slap. “Wyatt? You’re up next.”

“Janet!” Arthur to the rescue. They stood face-to-face, and she scowled. “Don’t make me tell Mom. She’ll have you doing the dishes.”

“Try me.” She pushed against him, forcing him against the doorframe. “I’ll tell Mom the magazines she found weren’t mine.” His face turned white. “Don’t get too big for your britches, mister.”

I didn’t dare ask as she left. Arthur watched as she stomped her way toward the lobby. “Coast is clear. Walk out with me.”

Oh, no. Did I do something wrong? I got up and slid the chocolate into my breast pocket. If Arthur fired me, I’d need emotional support candy. We walked side-by-side, his hand resting on the middle of my shoulders. I could tell he wanted me out of the office when he delivered the bad news. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.

“Wyatt, I need to?—”

“It’s okay, boss. I get it. I’ll pack up my?—”

He spun about, standing in front of me. Arthur put a hand against my chest, shaking his head. I considered throwing myself over the railing. It’d be a dramatic gesture if I ignored being invulnerable… mostly.

“I’m not firing you.”

“Oh.”

“Why would I fire my best employee?”

Best? Despite the confusion, the smile spread across my face, my cheeks tight enough that they turned painful. “Best?” Nobody at Coffee! Coffee! Coffee! referred to me as their best anything.

“I would have thought heroes could handle using a simple app on their phone. Who knew they were technologically challenged? You’ve been doing a great job getting them prepared for the launch.”

I wrapped my arms around Arthur, squeezing him. Lifting him off his feet, I spun around, excited by my evaluation. For a moment, my feet lifted off the floor. I landed with a thud, dropping Arthur. I quickly glanced up and down the walkway, checking to see if anybody saw my slip.

Arthur laughed. “You’re doing better than you think, big guy. If this launch makes a big splash, we’ll change the world.”

He leaned over the railing, pointing to the ground floor. “You should see if your friend wants to come.”

I stole a peek over the edge to see Dustin in the middle of the lobby. He stood with his hands behind his back, nodding his head as people passed by. I resisted the urge to jump over the ledge and swoop down by his side.

“I’ve got more work to do, but you should head out.”

“But I?—”

“Listen to the boss.” He patted me on the shoulder before turning around and walking back into our office. Before the door swung shut, I sped down the walkway toward the elevator.

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