With a grin plastered onto his face, he went into the sitting room, grabbed his briefcase, and set it on the coffee table. “Before you settle in for your bath, let’s take care of the leasing paperwork. With everything going on, I’d like to get these reviewed, signed, and sent over to the secretary in charge of tracking the leases. It was only good fortune you had your purse with you. It would have been a tragedy if you’d lost your pixie dust supply.”
“Have you forgotten that grade of dust is high enough to make you my slave?”
“Yes, please make me your slave. I’ll be good.”
“You’re impossible.”
“I’m a good catch, I promise.”
My virus certainly thought he was a prize. “Behave, please. At least behave long enough to get through the paperwork without me wanting to kill you with it.”
He sat and gestured for me to join him. At my virus’s pleading, begging, and otherwise reducing herself to a lusty menace, I obeyed, picking the armchair so I wouldn’t be tempted to sit closer than I should—or take a hit of the low-grade pixie dust to become a cuddling monster.
I bet I could con my virus into behaving if I appeased her with some clothed cuddling.
“I modified the paperwork accounting for our discussions last night, but now that I have more information to work with, I’m willing to write in some clauses to help make you as comfortable as possible with the arrangement.” Pulling out a thick stack of papers, he placed them in front of me. “Yes, the contract is really long. I’m sorry about that, but it includes the lycanthropy exposure waivers for living in the same building with known lycanthropes. You’re likely used to the other version of this waiver.”
“The one that promises the CDC will skin me should I expose anyone living in the same complex with me? Also, that I’m barred from having a non-lycanthrope roommate? Yeah, I’m used to that waiver.”
“You’ll be pleased to know that I have authorization from the CDC to have a mixed residency, so we do have the uninfected in our building, and their waiver covers any accidental or intentional exposure.” Wayne sorted through the documents and pulled out several sheets. “When I prepared this, I did so assuming you were uninfected but authorized to work closely with lycanthropes. I do have a copy of the standard lycanthrope waiver with me, as it’s one of my most commonly needed documents. I’ll have you sign both, and it’s a single form away to make the necessary adjustments. The CDC will forgive my overindulgence in paperwork once they are notified that I hadn’t inquired on your infection status as it’s not a requirement for my tenants.”
“That’s nice,” I admitted, reading through the waiver he handed me, which cleared Wayne of all wrongdoing should someone become infected while living in his apartments due to the activities of resident lycanthropes. The waiver also transferred all liability to the lycanthrope or the human responsible for the infection. I fought my grin at the half page notice regarding tenants engaging in sexual activities with each other. “Is that really an issue?”
“Male lycanthropes have a reputation. That reputation brings interested women to the complex fairly often. Guests are required to sign waivers regarding their risk of infection. It’s not uncommon for a male to charm a human female with the promise of the best sex of her life.”
“There are really women who will bond to someone for life just for good sex?”
“Not just good sex, Joyce. The best sex of her life. Repeated as many times as she would like. For the record, that’s a very good way to end up with many children. Most of the women in our pack were single ladies who were tired of being jerked around. Some were single moms who wanted fathers for their kids—reliable dads, that is. Most lycanthrope males would kill to protect a kid, and they don’t care whose kid it is. Once mated, a male considers all offspring of his mate’s to be his as well. It’s a part of pack culture. I wish I could help you with how you became a lycanthrope. That is not how most packs operate. We can be assholes, but at least in my pack, we treat our women well.”
All I could do was take him at his word, and uncertain over the whole situation, I settled with a shrug. “My exposure to lycanthropes has been limited to an asshole in an alley, you, grumpy and hungry lycanthropes who typically don’t like waiting in line before gorging on their next meal, and those two idiots who trashed my car.”
“With that selection of lycanthropes to base judgment on, it’s no wonder you’re skittish. I, of course, am a prime male specimen, and you may explore me however you see fit. The ladies are often curious.”
My virus appreciated his offer, and she did the equivalent of drool while waiting for a free handout. I ignored them both, grabbed the entire stack of lease papers, and began the tedious process of reading how I’d be selling my soul to Wayne Barnes.
The first page informed me I would be living in one of the luxury apartment buildings not too far from where I lived, allowing me to walk to work if I didn’t mind it taking an hour or two, assuming I wanted to walk to work, which I didn’t. However, the first unexpected addition bothered me, informing me I would actually have an additional residence in Massapequa. “I’m confused.”
“That didn’t take long.”
“There are two properties listed here.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I am one person. Why would I need to have two properties on my lease?”
“The house in Massapequa will allow you to retreat should the pack come visit the urban property. I figured that with your skittish nature around lycanthropes, you would appreciate being able to escape if you wanted to. Of course, I assumed that was more due to you being contagion risk rather than concern over how you’d been attacked. I’ll be responsible for driving you there, as I am aware of the pack schedule. That offer will still stand, although now that I’m aware you’re a hybrid, you can defend yourself against rowdy lycanthropes. View it as a safe house for your use whenever you want, and as I have it available, I am adding your name to the property so you can use it at your leisure. Should you decide to accept my employment offer, you’ll find both properties will have a home office available for your use. Those offices are detailed later in the paperwork.”
“Why are you trying to offer so many perks?”
“I really want you out of that dive and into somewhere nicer. When I was doing the calculations, I had the option of making sure you got to see the other side of what life can be like. This was my compromise with myself. Now that I know you’re a lycanthrope, I understand better why you were so damned stubborn about it.”
“It’s hard to find a new place when you’re diseased and poor.”
“I could tell you you’re not diseased and you’d argue with me to the death over it, wouldn’t you?”
“While I’m grateful the virus saved me, I didn’t want the infection.”
“Well, things will be better for you now. That much I can promise you. If you don’t integrate well with the pack, I’ll take care of driving you to and from the Massapequa property.”
