***
When he arrived at the office, Peter was almost surprised by the fact that there was actual work for him to do. Novotech’s main competitor, Biotech Universal, had tried to hack them—only to be thwarted by Dawn’s comprehensive new security measures.
“And you know for sure that this is where the attack originated?” Peter asked her when she came to his office to report.
“Yes, sir.”
Peter nodded. This was exactly the kind of thing that would convince Novotech that Tank Security was worth the price.
“Very good. I’ll call them and see if they want us to pursue this. See what else you can find out about who exactly ordered the attack.”
“Yes, sir,” Dawn said, turning on her heel and walking out.
Peter called Novotech, alerting them to the attack, naming the people responsible and asking them if they wanted Tank Security to take action. The rest of the day was spent coordinating with Dawn and the in-house team, planning a not-quite-legal operation to teach Biotech Universal’s executives a lesson.
By the time Peter headed out to meet Aiden for dinner, he was tired but happy with the day’s efforts.
Aiden was waiting for him at the restaurant, looking up with an amused smirk when Peter entered.
“What?” Peter asked as he sat down.
“I had your boy in my class this morning,” Aiden said, his smirk widening. “I have to say I was surprised. I didn’t know he worked for you.”
“He’s new,” Peter said, caught off guard. He was surprised that Chad had made it to Aiden’s class after the night he’d had.
“He was moving a little stiff. You have anything to do with that?”
Peter narrowed his eyes, not too happy with Aiden’s glib tone. They both knew that Peter was the reason Chad was walking funny.
“How did he seem?” he asked. He hoped that Chad hadn’t been in bad spirits. If he regretted his night with Peter, seeing Aiden first thing in the morning probably hadn’t have been his favorite thing.
“Not traumatized, if that’s what you’re asking. Why? What did you do to him?” Aiden sat up a little straighter, a curious look on his face.
“Did you talk to him at all?” Peter had no intention of sharing the details of his night with Chad with his ex-lover. It would be far too weird.
“I partnered with him and took him through a few moves. He’s not exactly the toughest recruit you’ve had.”
Peter suppressed a wince at the note of derision in Aiden’s voice. His friend and ex-lover could be a little dismissive when it came to alphas that were less dominant than himself. He didn’t seem to realize that not everyone could be like him.
“Well?” Aiden asked.
“What?” Peter didn’t understand what Aiden was asking.
“How did he get recruited? He’s not exactly Tank Security material.”
“He’s fine,” Peter said. He might agree with Aiden’s assessment, but he wasn’t going to admit that to anyone. Besides, it might do his company some good to have a few operatives whoweren’tmorally bankrupt.
“If you say so. Are you going to see him again?” Aiden caught the waiter’s eye and waved him over as he spoke.
“I hope so,” Peter answered without thinking about it. Aiden gave him a sharp look, like the answer surprised him.
“What?” Peter asked. He felt self-conscious, but he wasn’t going to let Aiden know that.
“Youlikehim.” The words were an accusation.
“He’s a nice guy,” Peter said. It felt like he was defending himself.
“And is that what you want?”
