Page 34 of That's the Way Rejection Goes

Chapter Sixteen: Erick

The next morning, I found myself sitting at the front desk of the hotel while Sammy took Calum to Ace’s farm to get him a job. The front desk, as I expected, was boring as hell. But it gave me time to start going through the hotel's software and figure out how to improve it. The first order of business was getting a newer computer because the dinosaur holding the desk down was on its last legs.

Sam and I had talked a bit the night before about me helping update the hotel. Of course, we spent most of the night swapping blowjobs and handjobs and any other kind of job we could think of. But when we had a moment of rest, we couldn't stop talking. Sam had already lined up a job for Calum and it only took a moment to realize I already had one at the hotel.

Sam was exhausted. That was plain enough to see. After years and years of restoring and running the hotel by himself, the poor man needed a break. The only free time he ever got was at night after the doors closed. And even then, should a wolf show up after midnight, the door rang straight to his room so he could help them. It was admirable how dedicated he was to his cause, but he also needed to catch up on ten years’ worth of sleep. And now that Gary and Benny wereinsideeach other most of the time, they weren't available to help as much.

So, I was more than happy to step in. Besides, while Sam took care of himself, I could be making his life easier by making the place more efficient. That also meant more energy after hours forplay. Having sex with Calum took enough of my energy. But having Sam's bliss to worry about meant I’d need all the time and energy I could get. I wasn't complaining though. In fact, I felt ecstatic. It was all I could do to keep my butt in the chair and not do a fucking cartwheel in the lobby. The last time I'd been this riled up was when Calum and I first met. But this time it was even stronger. My bond between them both seemed to only deepen. I'd never felt so good.

The phone on the desk rang suddenly, the harsh tone holding me out of my thoughts. I took a deep breath and tried to push down my nerves. I hadn't expected to be taking calls. Most of Sam's clients were unexpected.

“Shifter Grove hotel, how can I help you?” I answered, putting on my best customer service voice.

“Hi,” a gravelly voice replied. “Is this Sam?”

“Sam's out right now,” I said cheerfully. “But I can try to help you out.”

“Oh…” He sounded disappointed. “I… uh… need to reserve a room I guess.”

I swiveled to the computer, pulling the booking system open. “Sure. What dates are you looking for to book?”

“I should be there by the end of the week.”

“Sounds good. And how long will you be staying with us?”

“I…” The man’s voice hitched. “I don't know.”

It was only then that I realized what was going on. Dropping the customer service voice, I went into crisis mode.

“Well, you can stay as long as you need to,” I replied. “We'll set a room aside for you. Sam is happy to take in any rogue that needs a place to stay.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Can I get your name?”

“Roger.”

“Do you know if you'll need anything? Clothes, toiletries, or any other essentials?”

“I don't have anything,” he sobbed, his voice breaking at last. “They attacked me out of nowhere and now… I can't go back.”

“Can you make it here?” I asked, concerned that the man on the phone was injured and stranded.

“Y-Yeah. I think s-so. I have a card that still works for now.”

“Okay, we'll make sure you get some food so you can heal up. Wolves like us can recover from a lot, but you have to eat.”

“Okay.”

“And don't worry about anything when you get here. Sam and I will take care of it all.”

I heard him sob again. “I'm so sorry… I hate being a burden.”

“That's what this hotel was made for. We help wolves in distress. We'd rather have you here than on the streets.”

“Even after what I did?”

I didn't know what he was talking about, but I had a feeling it was mostly just guilt bubbling to the surface. Lots of wolves, like Calum and I, were raised on the idea that getting kicked out of a pack was the worst thing you could ever do. It was an unforgivable crime.

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