“A cock ring?”
I shot him a confused look. “Why the fuck would anyone wear a cock ring that doesn’t come off? Are you insane?”
“It was a joke. Why are you so damn boring?”
“You’re really new to this whole ass kissing thing, aren’t you?”
Roscoe tossed the papers into the trash can and leaned against the counter. “You think any of those guys I just threw away are gonna be real with you? No, they’re gonna pretend, put on their little shows, and then yer stuck with them. I don’t pretend to be someone I’m not. I’m too old for that shit. Hell, I don’t even wear pants. I like being able to scratch my balls wherever and give my fingers a good sniff afterwards.”
I gave him an openmouthed, disgusted look, dumbfounded but not at all surprised.
“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t do it.”
I let out a sigh. “I guess you have a point.”
“Wait, I was right? You scratch and sniff too?”
“About the roommate you moron!” I threw my hands up and walked back toward the TV. “God, you’re so gross.”
“Are you sure this time? I swear yer giving me anxiety.”
“Do we have any more of that weed?” I asked, eyeing the nightstand next to my bed.
“You sure you want some? I mean, if yer scared of two little holes in yer ear…”
“I’ll kill you in your sleep, I swear to God,” I muttered under my breath.
“While yer at it, maybe you should stop drinkin’ booze, too. Yermutilatingyour liver, ya know.”
I slammed my hand on the counter. “Fine, I’ll get my damn ears pierced!”
“You don’t got to. I’m just messin’.”
“Good, because I don’t like needles.”
“Don’t be such a pussy. You take monster dicks up yer ass like it’s nothin’, but one little poke in the ear’ll make you cry. Nerd.”
My vision turned red, and a startlingly realistic vision of me jumping onto his back while choking the life out of him played out in my head. “Get the hell out of my house!”
“Lighten up, Cody-boy. I’m just messin’ again.” The werewolf flashed his brows before grabbing my cell phone off the counter, and to my horror, he managed to unlock it. “Want me to make the appointment?”
“How the fuck did you get my pin?” I asked, trying to snatch the phone away, but he kept it just out of reach.
“You told me when you were drunk.”
I gave up when I heard a light tone through the speaker. “You already dialed the number, didn’t you?”
He gave a trollish grin in response while holding the phone to his ear.
The Next Day
I waited in the tall, sunlit lobby, fidgeting with the aglets dangling from the drawstrings of my hoodie. This was even more nerve wracking than my interview two days ago. Perhaps if I had enough experience to be invaluable, the company would work with me—and even that was a long shot.
“Cody,” the receptionist called out as she hung up the phone. I shot up from the chair. “Ms. Williams is in conference room three, down the hall to the right, last door on the left.” She stared at me, perhaps noticing the creepy color of my eyes. They had turned an even darker shade of orange, and my sclera were already darkening.
“Thanks,” I said as she nervously pressed a button to unlock the main doors. Despite how high tech and corporate the building looked, the environment was surprisingly laid back. I made my way down the hall, each office open and bright as employees talked amongst themselves, often laughing orcollaborating around a whiteboard or giant flat screens mounted to the walls. I’d always dreamed of starting a career in a place like this. Unfortunately, after today, a dream was all it would ever be.
I wanted to curse whatever god was in charge of my life. If given the chance, I could have climbed the corporate ladder. I had ambition and discipline and a strong work ethic, but I wondered if all that would change once I turned into one ofthem.What Roscoe said earlier about me being a homeless bum with him haunted my thoughts even more.
