"You earn commission?"
"Well we have sales targets on the jewellery sales that can lead to prizes for salesperson of the month, that's in store and branch wide. Some people have won holidays."
I could see how much she loved her job from her expression as she talked about it. "So when are you due back?"
"Tomorrow at ten. It's in a shopping centre and opens seven days a week. I do five shifts: four weekdays and one of the weekend days." She wiped her mouth with a piece of kitchen towel. "What about you? What did you do while waiting for fame and fortune?"
"I was a nightclub bouncer. It worked with my build, and meant I met plenty of chicks."
"You're such a mutt." She got up and refilled the kettle before switching it back on. I picked up the piece of discarded kitchen towel, sniffed it, and put it in my pocket. I wondered if I could steal her pillowcase without her realising. Doubtful. Damn.
Once she'd returned to the table, I carried on trying to get to know her. "So you love your job? What else?" I guessed adding 'me yet?' was a tad premature.
"Well, I love it in terms of it's not the worst place to spend time, but if I could afford to not go there I wouldn't."
"What would you do instead?"
"Erm, go shopping?"
I laughed. "You'd soon get bored of all that."
Freya sighed. "You mean you're bored of being rich already? It's not been that long."
"Oh no, I'm not bored yet. I have my house and I've still plenty I want to do to the place. Being on the road gets to be wearing as the band are in each other's pockets and every tour stop starts to look the same, but we're living the dream and I'm grateful. It'll be good to spend some time at home though while we get some new tracks recorded."
"But you'll be in the studio mainly won't you?"
"Yes, but it's on my property." I grinned.
She paused, her drink halfway to her mouth.
"You have a recording studio at your home?"
I nodded. "It's in a separate building at the side of my house. I've eighteen bedrooms in the house so if the band want to stay over any night they can."
"Eighteen bedrooms?"
"I have a large family who come to stay at times. And of course there's the wood surrounding the place. It's a great home. I'm looking forward to spending more time there."
"And yet, instead you're here." Freya glared at me. "So what are we going to do about that? Because you can't stay here. I need to go shopping and you need to let the band know where you are. I told my best friend I'd not seen you, but I'll have to tell her the truth soon because she'll be worrying about you."
"Can you come back with me and stay at mine?" I pleaded.
"No, I can't, Rex. I have a home, and a job, and responsibilities. You need to go now."
I insisted we swap phone numbers for in case I needed to hear her voice.
"The thing is…" I paused. "I kind of crave your smell, so I'm not sure how I can leave you." I thought about the pillowcase. "I know it seems weird, but can I take your pillow with me? That might help."
"No. Don't be ridiculous."
"I'll pay you a grand for it."
"A thousand pounds for my pillow?"
"Yeah, pillow and pillowcase."
Freya stood up.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm getting you a black sack to put it in."
As she retrieved a black sack from a kitchen drawer, I stood and took it from her hand. "I'll get it, I need to use your bathroom before I leave."
She looked like a kid handing over a toy they're nagging for in a supermarket as she passed it to me.
I visited the bathroom and then went into her bedroom where I smelled the pillow and sighing with delight, I put it in the sack. Hopefully, it would do the trick. Spotting her hairbrush, I pulled out the hair from it and added that to the bag.
Finally, after a minute, I dragged myself out of the room that smelled of my mate.
"Well, thanks for the hospitality." I said as I walked back into the kitchen. "The repairs look like they're almost completed and they'll send me the bill." I headed towards the back door. "I can't promise I won't come back if the call to see my mate is strong, but hopefully this pillow will help." I gave her my best, sad, wolf-eyed look. "I'll get Vikki to send the money to your account." I waved the bag.
"I don't want your money. If it can help you then take it. I also didn't want to be free of you." She said sadly. "I just wanted you to want me for me, and not because of a biological call, but you didn't, Rex. You weren't interested."
I nodded because I could understand where she was coming from even if walking away from her felt like my heart was being shattered by lasers.
"Bye, Freya." I said.
"Bye, Rex." She replied.
I went out of her house, thankful that the maintenance team had watertight confidentiality agreements, though to be honest reporters would think they were nutters in any case if they tried to say I was a werewolf.
Making my way down the street, I called for a driver to take me home and then I sent Noah a text to tell him I was on my way back and that I'd see them all in the morning for breakfast before we started our first day in the studio.
He called me within minutes.
"Where have you been?"
"Around. Just trying to get my head on straight."
"Nice try, but Freya just texted Erica who texted Stacey to say you've been there all day."
"Bloody women."
"I called your parents and they'll be at yours Tuesday tea-time to see if they can help. They couldn't come before then."
"You called my parents?"
"Well, duh, I thought you might be there. I called a lot of people."
"So what did they say, other than they'd visit Tuesday?"
"Your mum said not to worry and that it couldn't possibly be any worse to sort out than when you got your dick stuck in a tangled slinky."
My fucking mother.
"We'll see you tomorrow and you'd better make sure you have a good apology ready for Roman, who is still shaking."
I ended the call and sniggered. Roman needed to grow a pair.
My phone rang immediately and thinking it would be Noah who'd remembered something else, I answered without looking.
"Yeah, what else do you want to nag me about?" I said.
"Where the fuck is my laundry, dickhead? All my clothes I wore this week that were in my suitcase. Where. Is. It. All?"
I looked at the bag in my hand. My folding skills were impressive, plus her clothing had been deliberately tiny.
"Don't know what ya talking about, babes." I laughed heartily. "But I know I'm gonna spend the night with my head where it should be. In your panties."
I ended the call just as her pitch rose to a level my ears couldn't take.
Freya
I'd actually regretted letting him walk out of my door for a moment. Then I'd said goodbye to the maintenance guy and gone upstairs to get my suitcase, thinking I'd put a wash load on before I went food shopping. Except what I found was a case empty of any of my clothing. All my best stuff that I'd worn last week in the hopes of impressing Rex bloody Colton was now in his possession. I guessed I should be grateful he wasn't planning on doing a Drayton in any of it (a bear shifter singer who'd been hexed into wearing women's clothes on stage in the Britain's Best New Band final in revenge, courtesy of Donna from The Seven).