Heaven Scent — Part 1

The office of Matt Sanguine PLLC

“It’s a fucking disaster, Matthew,” Andariel grumbled, crossing her legs so the hem of her skirt rode up her thigh a little more. Matt hardly noticed the choreographed movement — the succubus’ seductions no longer worked on him — not since the unfortunate incident in the local bar when he’d first arrived in town. He shuddered at the memory of her hand slowly moving up his leg as he’d gulped down the whiskey he’d been trying to drink. With lightning speed, his inner werewolf and inner vampire had both risen at once to his defence. His face had contracted — a muzzle grew, as well as sharp white fangs — and bright red eyes replaced his blue ones. He couldn’t remember who’d been more surprised: Andariel who jumped away and fell backwards off her barstool; or him as he jerked and spilled the last of his whiskey down his business suit. Although she’d given him a wide berth for months after that, he’d tried not to be alone with her since that day — especially if there was alcohol involved — and was glad of Bates’ quiet presence in the foyer.

But today, a scent in the air was distracting him. A lingering, sweet smell — so delicious, it aroused his inner werewolf. He didn’t know what it was, but he hungered for it deep in his belly — it was almost all he could think about, and his nose had been twitching since before the town’s mayor had arrived at his office. When he’d first noticed those wisps of pheromones, he’d walked over to the window and peered between the blinds, and out over the trees, aware of a stirring in his pants.

The spruce had moved in one place, and, though he’d concentrated hard, he couldn’t see any reason for the swaying boughs. Assuming it to be the breeze, he’d turned to ready himself for his next client, which was when he’d noticed Wesley, the wechuge, waving to him from the road. Tentatively, Matt had waved back, afraid to upset him. Goddamn wechuge made snowstorms when he got angry, and Matt could do without the townsfolk blaming him for a blizzard in the middle of summer…or at any other time, for that matter.

“I’ll see what I can do, of course, Andi. But I doubt it’ll get rectified overnight,” he replied, trying to appease the angry mayor.

“Well, just do your job and sort it out,” she snipped as she got up and held out her hand. He hesitated for a moment before shaking it, his eyes slid unconsciously to her neck. His inner vampire drooled, and the werewolf retreated.

He held the door open for Andariel and awkwardly stepped aside for her to pass through. “I’ll look into that and come back to you with some options,” he promised as she left the office.

“Feck, I need a coffee,” he muttered to Bates, his Personal Assistant-cum-Receptionist. Andi was his first appointment of the day, arriving before Bates started his day, so Matt hadn’t had a cup all morning.

Bates raised an eyebrow at this. “Do you want me to make it, Matt?” he asked, getting up from his office chair.

“No,” Matt snapped. “I can make my own fucking coffee, I’m not an imbecile.”

Bates raised his eyebrows even further. Never in his five-year employ had his boss ever made his own coffee. Come to think of it, he’d never seen him so agitated either. He followed Matt into the small kitchen. “What’s up, boss? You’re like a dog in heat.”

Matt sighed. “I’m not sure…there’s a…a smell. A scent…” — he sniffed the air — “…can you not smell it?”

Bates inhaled deeply, his brow furrowed. “Uhm, no,” he replied. “What kind of smell?”

Matt pulled a mug off the shelf and huffed. “I don’t know, but it’s driving Lykke insane.”

Lykke; the name he’d given to his inner werewolf. Bates was the only being he’d shared his two secrets with: Lykke, and Renfield, the vampire. And he used the names to maintain his privacy when discussing them in public with him.

Matt selected a coffee pod — Columbian, his favourite — and inserted it into the machine. He popped his mug on the pedestal after dropping in two sweeteners and pressed the button. As the machine gurgled into life, he brushed a hand through his dark hair, his mind wandering to the scent that was making his piercing blue eyes water.

“Don’t forget you’re seeing a new client tomorrow,” Bates reminded him.

“Ah, yeah, I saw it in the diary. A Button Kitsune. Property issue, right? What time is that?”

“1pm. Lunch meeting at Devil’s Food Crate. I’m meeting Aitch for coffee at Corporeal, too, but I’ll wait for you to get back.” Aitch being Henry, his beyond-the-veil beau.

A smile touched Matt’s lips, and his eyes gleamed. “Ohhh,” he said, his voice affably mocking. “How’s that going?”

Bates’ eyes glazed over. “Oh, Mate… He’s so…so romantic. He’s…just…just…beautiful…” His voice trailed off as he stared into the distance, at some memory only he could see.

Matt laughed. “Man, you’ve got it bad,” he said, shaking his head

There was a knock at the door and they both looked up.

“Must be your ten O’clock,” Bates observed.

“No rest for the wicked,” Matt muttered as he returned to his office, leaving Bates to welcome the newcomer.