Pack Mentality

Chapter 7

Since Seth had somewhere to be, naturally he ran into almost everyone he knew. Dolph got on the elevator on the next floor and asked if he wanted to get coffee. The guys from New Day were on their way to breakfast and invited him to join their table since Dean and Roman weren't there. Even Dana waved at him, thanking him again for the ride. He had to turn down all the invitations and chats, though, because Hunter didn't like to be kept waiting. Going up to the front desk, Seth cleared his throat. "Hi. I'm expected in the conference room," he said.

A different clerk was at the desk, and he wondered if it was the night clerk who had told Hunter about him and Becky. She had asked for the second key last night and given it to him in plain sight of the desk clerk, who probably didn't think it was a secret to be kept if they were exchanging keys out in the open. "Sign here, please." The clerk set a clipboard on the counter and handed Seth an access key. "The key will have to be returned by five o'clock today, sir."

"Sure thing." Seth didn't plan on being there that long. He would let Hunter rant his face off, say whatever he needed to say to placate the bosses, and then hopefully catch up with Becky before she caught a ride with Dana. He was tempted to barge right in the conference room, but he held himself steady and knocked first. It's not just about you. Becky's tangled up in this now too.

"Come in."

Seth hadn't exactly expected a room full of suits; Hunter, for all his faults, did prefer to try solving problems on the micro level first before escalating things to Vince's desk. He did, however, expect more than just Hunter himself, sitting at the head of the table. Behind him, a large wall-mounted screen flickered. "Hey. Where's Steph?"

Hunter crossed his arms in front of chest, glaring at Seth through the steam rising from his coffee. "Talking with Creative, amongst other things. And you should be grateful for that. Becky's a big part of her plans for the women's evolution, and you know she's fond of her."

"I am too." Seth glanced over at the buffet trays. They were picked over enough that there had obviously been a recent meeting, but there was still plenty on offer. When his stomach started to growl—the impending full moon plus a night of rough sex was draining—he looked over at Hunter, who gave a curt nod.

"I should hope so." Hunter swiveled back and forth in his chair a bit, a habit Seth knew he tried to avoid when he was in meetings with Steph or Vince. You could put Hunter in the fanciest suit in the world, but he was still a wrestler at heart, and he missed being in motion. "Otherwise you're going to get a whole other level trouble from Steph. How close are you two?"

Seth paused in heaping food on a buffet plate, hoping there was still some coffee left in the carafe on the table. "Why? You don't care about our relationships unless they affect business, and we haven't botched anything, so. . . ."

"Seth." Hunter flipped over a clean mug from the tray and poured Seth a coffee, setting it in front of the chair closest to him. "You're both professionals. That's not my issue with all of this. Sit."

"Hunter," Seth began, taking a long swallow of coffee and nearly coughing it all back up. "I've got it covered—"

"So you're fucking, but you haven't gotten her pregnant at least. Good to know." Hunter grabbed his coffee and drank it far more reasonably.

Seth hadn't even had a chance to discuss with Becky what their relationship was going to be; he certainly didn't feel like discussing it with their boss. "Hunter, it won't be a problem—"

Apparently, Hunter didn't plan to let him finish a sentence. "Oh, but it will be. It is. And it has nothing to do with Becky. Don't worry; she won't be in trouble." That made Seth relax enough that he felt he could eat, but the food—despite still being hot and delicious—felt heavy in his stomach after each swallow. "All those girls you've had back home. Hairdressers and bartenders and whatever—they're safe. They're way back home and you can wear off your full-moon energy here with us before you go back to them. Have you ever even told any of them what you are?"