Page 20 of Howl for the Gargoyle

I nodded, slapping the arms of the chair I was seated in. "Of course. Yes, that is absolutely the plan."

And as a reward, I would have regular appointments with Hannah, a welcome change in my otherwise exhausting routine.

"How went the seduction?"

Elias may have been a smug, pretentious moth fae—pretty typical traits for his kind—but he did have a great bar. With a great menu of snacks. And decent taste in liquor.

"She pre-booked me for five months."

Elias's golden eyebrows jumped. "Well. Either you performed even more admirably than anyone could have expected—"

"Thank you."

"—or she really likes to be prepared with a routine." I scowled at the mothman, and he smiled gamely back at me. "Hopefully, it's a routine you'll enjoy."

Recalling the thunderous, shivering, shocking relief I'd found in bed with my newest client, I brightened. "Think I could stand to repeat the events, yeah," I said, shoving a loaded potato boat into my mouth.

Suddenly, someone decided to swing an entire tree trunk square into the middle of my back. I choked on my potato as a massive green figure helped himself to the seat next to me. Ah, not a tree trunk. Just a friendly greeting from Khell'ar, an orc friend.

"Where's your mate?" Elias asked, turning to the door.

Khell'ar had previously been an MSA employee as well, until he'd met his future mate in a week-long fuck-a-thon that had turned his world upside down. Sunny, the petite and endearing human mate in question, was generally found attached to Khell's side.

"She's getting sick of having me in her hair," Khell said, surprisingly chipper about the declaration considering how much he seemed to enjoy constantly pawing at the woman. "Wanted to work in her studio and told me to come here."

"You don't seem disappointed," Elias pointed out.

Khell's smile widened, and his eyes glinted coal orange. "She'll miss me. We'll fuck outrageously tonight."

I snorted. By Khell and Sunny's mutual accounting, they fucked outrageously every night.

"What are you doing here?" Khell asked me.

"Eating my entire kitchen," Elias said.

"Celebrating booking a client for five monthly appointments," I answered, reaching for a soft pretzel, and slapping Khell's hand away from my spinach artichoke dip. "Order your own."

"I'll put your entire bill on my credit," Khell bargained with me.

Elias's wings rustled in irritation. Khell had built Elias his bar top, as well as a number of the more unique and rustic tables in the bar, partially in exchange for bar credit. And I had ordered a lot of food.

"Deal," I said, retreating.

Elias scowled and turned on his heel. "Fine. Use it all up. You can't eat free forever."

Khell chuckled and waited for Elias to be distracted before reaching over the bar and grabbing himself a bottle of stashed whiskey.

"Do you like her?" Khell asked.

"Who?"

He shrugged. "The new client."

"Oh." I frowned. "I don't know her, really."

Khell snorted. "Fine. Do you like fucking her?"

It probably wasn't appropriate for us to discuss, not by agency standards. Then again, Khell wasn't with the agency any longer. He'd committed the ultimate error: developing a real relationship with a client. Mating one.

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