Page 31 of Silas's Sweetheart

Isley blinked owlishly at Silas. Wilder made a weird sound in the back of his throat. A cross between a gasp and a choked cough.

Ziggy placed a hand on Isley’s arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. Ziggy didn’t miss how Silas watched the move, his nostrils flaring. What the heck was his issue?

Making a show of checking his wristwatch, he gave Silas a polite smile. “I’ve ten minutes left of my lunch break. The meeting with Cresta is not for another twenty-five minutes. I’ll be in your office…on time, like always.”

Ziggy twisted back to the counter and made a show of reaching for the donut, despite the fact he’d lost his appetite.

There was total silence as no one appeared to know what to do, before he heard the slap of shoes on the ground.

“Wow, what’s with him?” Wilder muttered, his eyes shifting to the door and back to Ziggy. “Do you think all the brothers living together is making them all grumpy? I mean, after Booker lost his shit and what Monty said happened with Rue, something’s gotta give.”

“Is Jupiter grumpy?” Isley asked as he took one of the huge chocolate chip cookies, groaning as he brought it up to sniff it.

“Jupiter is many things. Grumpy is not one of them.” Wilder flounced to one of the colorful sofas and sat, looking glum. “The man is…” he scowled, which just made him look even more adorable. The raccoon didn’t have a fierce bone in his body.

“A flirt?” It appeared to be Jupiter’s go to.

Ziggy hadn’t spent an awful lot of time with him, but Jupiter oozed sex appeal, like no other man Ziggy had met. He wielded it like a weapon and men fell at his feet. Ziggy suspected half the angst Wilder felt towards Jupiter was attraction. And thatJupiter failed to give Wilder the attention he wanted… craved. The pair were very similar, only Ziggy would never voice that aloud and upset the raccoon, who had a heart of gold hidden under his outer chaos gremlin.

“He’s a total man whore, is what he is. I’m expected to keep track of all the men he’s shagging. Do you know how hard that is? They ring up all the time. Is it my fault I can’t remember all the names?”

Ziggy’s lips clamped together as he met Isley’s gaze and witnessed his dramatic eye roll while he continued to nibble delicately at the cookie.

“Why can’t he just pick one and make my life easier? It’s not my job to run around after his harem,” Wilder continued, and Ziggy watched him, fascinated. Flushed and building a head of steam, choppy styled hair flew around his head as Wilder moved with agitation, stabbing his finger from Ziggy to Isley. “I’ve told him he needs to recall the names himself. Do you know what he said?”

Ziggy shook his head, although that was pointless because Wilder never so much as glanced at him.

“That most cocks look the same! I mean, what kind of man says that? Tell me?”

It was too much, and Ziggy’s giggles escaped, shortly followed by Isley’s.

“The man is too much!”

“I’m sure you’re just the omega to show him the error of his ways,” Ziggy said around his next bout of giggles. He placed the forgotten donut back into the box, seeing he was out of time.

His stomach churned at what he might encounter in Silas’s office, and that ensured his good humor disappeared. He held back a sigh and waved at the others. “Catch ya later.”

Ziggy left, sucking off the chocolate that was smearing his fingers, and came face to face with Booker, who actually snarledand stomped past him. Ziggy glanced after him. Was there something in the damn water making everyone act crazy?

It fucking sure as hell seemed like it.

Files tucked under his arm, iPad in hand, he stood outside Silas’s office five minutes before the planned meeting.

“Wendy, is he free?” he asked, giving her an outgoing smile. Wendy wasn’t all that friendly towards him and he figured by the way she eyed his tattoos that she considered him to be some sort of thug.

Many people, when they first meet him, made assumptions based on his appearance. Ziggy had started getting tattoos as a teenager as an expression of his true self. All the artwork was his own, and he sold his artwork to others to have put on their bodies. It was quite a profitable sideline. At one point, he’d considered making it a career, but it wasn’t a reliable source of income, so he did it purely for pleasure and extra cash for treats.

“Mr. Finne is with him. They are expecting you.”

Great, looks like Cresta’s representative got here early, the joy!

Pasting on a smile, Ziggy tapped on the closed door, waiting for Silas to invite him in.

Laughter floated through the door before he heard Silas say, “Come in.” Ziggy kept the smile plastered to his face when Silas aimed a killer smile at the suited, attractive man sitting opposite him and blatantly ignored Ziggy.

“Jacob, you’re exaggerating.”

“I kid you not, he went flying out the door like his ass was on fire,” Jacob replied, glancing at Ziggy, offering a cool smile before upping the wattage when he looked back at Silas.

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