Page 5 of Breathless Recruiter

With no effort, he pushed me to the side as he chased the tiny critter into the reception area. I couldn’t let Dustin go alone, not when his life might be in jeopardy. Hopping to my feet, I dashed down the hallway. I wouldn’t let him fall victim to a pointy nose and sharp teeth.

I rounded the corner and froze in my tracks. Janet had her hands cupped. In the center of her palm, the nefarious creature glared at her while it spoke in its native tongue. Arthur claimed his sister didn’t have powers, but after six months of working together, I had my doubts. I was nearly invulnerable, and when she smacked my ass, it left a print.

“Sampson, come here, you little bastard.”

Dustin held out a hand, unfazed by the fuzzy ball of doom. When he reached into his breast pocket and produced a crumble of cheese, the mouse leaped from her hands to his. From the way they handled the creature, I might have overreacted.

“Sampson escaped the lab.”

I tensed. “Bad word.”

“Escaped?” Dustin asked.

“L-A-B,” Janet whispered. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me. “He’s against the inhumane treatment of animals.” I raised an eyebrow. She nodded at Dustin. Oh. This is one of those secret identity things. She told a white lie to prevent somebody from learning about my alter ego.

“Yes. I love animals.”

Dustin put the mouse in his breast pocket. It turned about until only its head popped out. “Sampson’s a good boy, a little too smart for the scientists. He likes to play hideand seek at Synergy. I guess that’s his superpower.” Arthur’s boyfriend owned Synergy. They were pro-super, but because of their research into recreating and acquiring superpowers, we maintained our secret identities.

The burly man stepped closer, puffing out his chest. “Sampson’s friendly. Want to pet him?”

I reached out, waiting for the beast to draw blood. I peeked through clenched eyes as I stroked the spot between its ears. A moment later, its little hands clutched my finger. It rubbed its face against my skin. My face turned red from the overreaction.

“I feel foolish,” I said. The hell beast wasn’t all that scary. He squeaked as he wiggled his head out Dustin’s pocket, sniffing the air.

“I feel like a third—fourth wheel.” Janet wandered behind the reception desk. I cringed as she opened a bag of potato chips, watching us. Didn’t she have work to do?

“I should head back to the la— Synergy.”

Dustin held out his hand for a proper handshake. I gave him a firm grip. Three rounds of up and down like Earth Mom taught me. I didn’t want to let go. Instead, I wanted to stare into those brown eyes and think about the forest.

“I hope to see you around.”

“Me, too. See you, I mean.” He must think I’m an idiot. “I hope to see you around, too.”

Dustin headed to the front door, and I couldn’t help but watch his backside as he left. His uniform hid his muscles, but they must be there beneath the soft padding. He had pushed me aside without so much as a grunt. I didn’t quite know why, but my face turned red and my lips dried.

“Somebody’s jonesing for some beefcake.” Janet continued snacking as she shot me a smile. “I wouldn’t mind handling that man’s pistol.”

Janet was the easiest in the office to understand. Drew had explained the art of innuendo. The way she whistled, I think I spotted one. The loud woman wasn’t wrong. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure I understood what she meant by pistol, but I had a guess. Something about Dustin had me undressing him with my eyes.

“Pew. Pew. Pew,” Janet said.

Humans. I barely understood them. Maybe I could ask Dustin for advice? Right after I touched his butt, of course.

“It’s break time.” I pushed my keyboard away. I had been trapped at my desk all day. It shouldn’t be this hard to teach heroes how to use an app on their phones. Thankfully, they had stopped teleporting into my office with questions.

I licked my lips, excited for a few minutes to myself. Eyeing my bottom right drawer, I could almost smell the sweet, creamy goodness. It taunted me all day, but I had been strong. Now, it was time to let my cravings take control.

Pulling open the drawer, I froze. “Where’d you go?” I ripped the drawer out of the desk, shaking it about. “No.” Panic set in. Could it have been Sampson? No, Janet? She’d have left a note. I had one bar of chocolate set aside for this very moment, and somebody robbed me. I debated using the HeroApp™ to call for reinforcements.

“You can’t do that, Wyatt. Arthur said no more using it for candy delivery.”

I set the drawer on my desk. While it might be empty, the lobby downstairs had vending machines. With a quick glance at my watch, I called it quits for the day. There would be moreheroes requiring training, but this one needed his fix. Nobody liked a hangry Wyatt.

I slipped my phone into my pocket and jumped up to grab my jacket off the coat rack. Half out the door, I remembered the most crucial part of my disguise. My glasses sat on my desk, ready in case a civilian came knocking. Putting them on, I slid the frames up my nose. With a quick check in the mirror, I looked the part of a mild-mannered office worker.

“Now for chocolate.”

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