EVERITT

His head was a mess as Everitt paced the span of the elevator. He almost ran into it when the doors finally opened, reminding himself to calm down as he walked to his car in the parking deck. Everitt unlocked his car, got into the driver’s seat, and just sat there for a while. 

The mystery that appeared to be Danai Martel was making his blood boil. And in more ways than one. When he had decided to go back to her office, he intended to apologise. He had a fully formed plan to apologise. He would wait by her door, as he had been doing, until she came back. Then he would say sorry, and suggest they get some more work done. It was only after he’d arrived that reception informed him that there was a good chance Danai was gone for the day. Still, Everitt resolved to wait no more than ten minutes. And right as he had decided it was time to go, he saw her stepping out of the elevator.

In no way, shape, or form did his plans involve making out, and almost having sex, with her. Well, as far as his alpha was concerned, mating with her.

Just the thought of mating with Danai riled Everitt up. He shoved his fingers through his hair, promptly disheveling the carefully organised strands. He could feel his pants getting tight, and his body becoming hotter. 

Everitt’s thoughts betrayed him as his head filled with Danai’s face as he had his way with her. The fullness of her lips, her soft skin, and the sounds she made when he touched her frustrated Everitt. If that damned cleaner hadn’t interrupted them, he definitely would have shown Danai what an alpha like him could do.

‘And then what?’ he asked himself.

The rational, calculating Everitt seemed to fade away when he was alone with Danai. Her scent must have been making him crazy, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep himself from sinking his teeth into her mating gland if he had the chance. 

“Damn it!” His fists slammed against the steering wheel, promptly blaring the car’s horn. 

Everitt huffed, “I need a drink.”

******

The loud music at the bar Everitt dipped into did not help him calm down. The place he frequented, Maloy’s, was further than he felt like driving from his house. With this bar, he could easily find his way back home without getting into his car. It was across from his apartment, and looked well-kept. The bartop was polished walnut wood, which went well with the glasses that hung behind the bar. There was a vast selection of liquors and wines, most of which Everitt had tried at some point in his younger years.

Still, he wondered why he didn’t just buy a bottle and head home to drink alone. He’d considered it, but the whole idea sounded like a recipe for alcoholism, and he wasn’t interested. Still, sitting at that bar, he thought the time alone might be work.

“Here’s your scotch and soda,” the woman behind the bar gave him a smile as she handed Everitt his drink.

“Thanks,” he gave her a nod before he quickly downed the drink.

The bartender watched him the whole time, eyebrows raised. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a smile on her face when Everitt wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

He narrowed his eyes when he noticed her looking, “what?”

She shrugged, “I’m just wondering who has you all tensed up.”

Everitt stared at his empty glass, his mind still full of the woman he was actively trying to forget about. He looked around the place and immediately wished he hadn’t. The bar was full of couples, all apparently satisfied with their partners as they kissed, hugged, talked, and laughed. He could count on his hand how many single people were there.

He turned back to the bartender, “is this some kinda couples’ night or something?”

“It is, actually,” she nodded towards the front door.

Sure enough, when Everitt turned around, there was a chalkboard sign that read “Couples’ Night: BOGO Drinks.”

“That’s just perfect,” Everitt muttered. “Could I get another, please?”

The bartender topped up his scotch, then smiled as she said, “the name’s Tiff, by the way.”

Everitt took a sip of his drink, then looked at her once the glass was back on the counter. 

“What?”

Tiff laughed, “my name.”

For the first time since he sat down, Everitt finally noticed a cinnamon scent coming from behind the bar. It got stronger when Tiff leaned towards him. She had a grin on her face, and her eyes looked dark in the dim lighting.

Everitt surveyed the woman that was apparently flirting with him. Her uniform was modest, but even still Everitt could tell that she had a nice body underneath the black dress shirt. Her sleeves were rolled up, which exposed sticker sleeves of tattoos on both of her arms. Butterflies, crosses, names and numbers ran up and down her forearms. She was pale, but the raven-black hair on her head made her look even paler. 

“Nice to meet you, Tiff,” Everitt finally replied before taking another swig of his liquor.

She scoffed, to which Everitt raised his eyebrows.

“Did your parents forget to name you as a child?” Tiff teased, but Everitt could tell she was losing her patience.

Everitt couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like there were a few ways things could go between them. She might just be tryna flirt, then move on with her life after. That seemed unlikely, though, considering how much she was pushing for a conversation and his name. So, more likely she was either looking for someone to warm her bed that night, or someone to warm her bed for a long time, maybe forever.

None of those options on their own were unattractive to Everitt. She was a good-looking woman, and she seemed to have some of her shit together. 

But, as Everitt thought about what to say next, all he could think about was the freakin’ journalist that worked at a ‘rival’ company. Even just inhaling Tiff’s scent reminded his alpha how much it preferred Danai’s.

“I’m not looking for anything right now,” Everitt told Tiff. 

She watched as he took a few bills out of his pocket, plenty for the drink and a tip, left them under his glass, then gave her a half-smile before he finally walked out of the bar.

******

Everitt’s eyes burned holes into the elevator doors, and his heart thumped every time they opened. He was dreading seeing Danai that morning at a meeting he had no idea was happening. Well, he forgot until his boss texted him a friendly reminder. Unfortunately, after leaving the bar the night before, he went home and finished a half-full bottle of cabernet. It was the only alcohol he had in his apartment, and he wanted a little more to take the edge off. 

He wasn’t exactly sure why, but it took him out for some reason. Everitt proceeded to miss his first alarm, and his head was throbbing when he managed to wake up after the next one. The only thing in his system was six shots of espresso and a protein shake. He knew he probably looked like shit, despite the fresh shave, gelled back hair, and layers of cologne he’d sprayed on.

The elevator dinged, and it was finally time for Everitt to step off the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, Everitt caught sight of Danai. She was wearing a dark brown, oversized knitted sweater, pantyhose underneath, and brown doc martens. Her hair was in a slick-back bun, which allowed a full view of the several piercings on her ears and a tattoo on the backside of her neck.

She looked amazing.

“Fuck,” Everitt groaned. 

He hid behind the button-side of the elevator, doing his best to collect himself. His head felt lighter than was probably healthy, and he wondered if it was the sham of a breakfast he’d consumed, or the intoxicating woman that was waiting outside the conference room some feet away.

A few deep breaths later, Everitt stepped out of the elevator with his head held high. When he was a few steps away from Danai, she turned and looked right at him. Everitt stopped in his tracks as they stared at each other. His nose flared, and he could detect her scent. It was buried beneath some cherry blossom perfume, but it was there.

They both opened their mouths to say something, at the same time, but nothing came out. They stood there, staring, until one of the execs opened the conference room door. 

Miranda smiled, but it fell as she looked between the two reporters.

“...You two okay?”

Danai and Everitt finally snapped out of it, and Everitt cleared his throat.

“Good.”

“Yeah, fine.”

Everitt watches Danai as she steps into the room ahead of him, sparing him a glance as she does. His eyes followed her as she sat down, and he couldn’t help but wonder what that sweater would feel like as she held her body underneath him. He sighed as his animal mind betrayed him again, and he could only hope the meeting didn’t go on for too long.

It was unfortunately boring, and Everitt had to fight to keep himself from resting his chin in his hand. He thought about taking notes, but there was nothing he needed to keep track of. His eyes kept drifting over to Danai, who sat at the far corner of the table while he was in the middle. She was so attentive, nodding at anything she thought was important, and flipping pages on her notepad that was getting filled with notes. He couldn’t even count the amount of times he’d looked at her in the span of thirty minutes.

Finally, after what felt like years, it was time for updates on his segment with Danai.

“We’re deciding between a few different topics,” Danai said. 

Hal looked at her, then Everitt, and they all just sat there until he laughed.

“Well, what are they?”

Danai’s eyes were wide, and Everitt knew she didn’t have a few topics to present them with. They had talked about a couple, but they were really rough ideas, and they hadn’t agreed on sharing them with the class. 

Luckily, Everitt had some decent ideas.

“We’re thinking we could do some questions focused on Danai, then segue into current events related to careers like journalism or maybe the future leaders. You know, since we’re both younger reporters. We could also talk about our companies by interviewing employees, and we’ll take turns reporting on that. Or,” he gestured towards Danai, “we could discuss what it takes to become a journalist. We’re open to ideas, though.”

Danai stared at Everitt, surprised by most of what he’d just said. Half of it was pulled right out of his ass, but it wasn’t half-bad. Those were actionable ideas that could actually be aired. Plus, with their personalities and apparent chemistry, he had no doubt they’d be able to make it interesting.

Hal, Miranda, and Theo seemed pensive as they considered the ideas Everitt had presented them. Danai looked like she was gonna throw up, and her bottom lip was trapped firmly between her teeth.

“Alright, sounds good. I’d lean into the behind-the-scenes angle. The focus should be Dani, of course. Maybe get into Day In The Life of a Visionary reporter. You might even dive into how Danai came to work as a reporter for us,” Miranda suggested as she ran with one of Everitt’s ideas.

He smiled, pleased with himself, and looked over at a confused Danai. Everitt figured she thought his impromptu ideas would have been shot down, but he was no newbie. Whether they were off the top or not, Everitt’s ideas came from years of experience. He knew what they wanted, and now he and Danai just had to deliver.

Everitt still wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole ‘focused on Dani’ thing. Sure, he’d gotten his fair share of interviews and exclusives. But he was Everitt Riley, Future’s main host. He had made a name for himself, which was no small feat. Unlike a lot of other hosts on TV, Everitt hadn’t had the built-in connections. His parents were dentists, and they knew close to nothing about broadcasting. Everitt had spent most of his free time in university cozying up to the snotty rich kids in his classes, getting internships, and volunteering. He did everything right, and it had worked out for him.

Not that Danai hadn’t worked hard, but he didn’t really know anything about her. Granted, he tried not to watch Visionary’s news channels and talk shows. Everitt didn’t want his mind to be full of the competition. 

He didn’t realize he’d been staring at her--watching her jaw, lips, eyes, and the way her collarbone looked when she breathed in--until Danai’s eyes snapped over at Everitt’s. He wasn’t embarrassed, but surprised, and his eyes were wide once he’d been caught.

Danai stared at him, and he could see her swallow before she touched her neck in a way that made it so that Everitt couldn’t possibly look away. He watched her trace her collarbone with her finger, then take a hold of the rose quartz pendant on her necklace. There was that scent again; honeysuckles, this time with something like rain mixed in. It was amazing, and he was tempted to lean in so he could get more of it. 

He’d been so focused on her scent, and the feeling it conjured in his groin, that he didn’t even notice the meeting was over. Danai came up next to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“My office,” was all she said before she walked out of the room. He watched her as she walked off, enjoying something about the way she unapologetically commanded him. Everitt hurried up out of his seat to avoid falling too far behind.

This third time in her office made the place feel more familiar, now, and he easily found his way to the couch that had pillows and a throw blanket placed neatly on top of it. He spread his legs, comfortably, but not so wide that he’d be making an ass of himself. 

It was hard not to think about how she’d felt in his arms the night before, and the alluring sounds she’d made. The memory made it hard to believe that was the same woman that stood stoically away from him.

Danai was behind her desk and shuffled some papers until her nose twitched, and she looked directly at Ev. Judging by the expression on her face, she hadn’t expected him to sit there. The surprise that he caused made Everitt smirk, until she walked over with her laptop to sit on the couch beside him. He didn’t miss their legs brushing against each other, or the tingling feeling the touch sent up his body.

“You mind making some room?” She asked, nodding at his widespread seat. 

Everitt scooted over a bit so that they were further apart, and he immediately missed their proximity.

A few minutes went by in silence, aside from the clacking of keyboard keys from Danai typing something on her computer. Everitt didn’t have much else to do besides continuing to take in more of her scent, and the more he got, the closer he wanted to be. She smelled... Nervous? That was surprising, and he wondered if something was off with his nose because her face said otherwise. Her eyes were focused on her work, and her fingers typed away. Until they didn’t. 

He watched her hands, then her face, and she was looking at him.

“What?” Ev asked with an innocent grin.