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Secrets (AllThingsCuddly/Gumdrop)

"No, I prefer to look at this as me being the lucky one. If you hadn't found Fido I would be dining alone at home tonight. Instead I get to take an attractive young lady out for dinner." It sounded cheesy even to his own ears but that didn't stop him from speaking his mind. "I earn my keep. If I wasn't as good at my job as I was, Luc would have tossed me to the wolves years ago." He said and chuckled at the wording. Although it sounded like a common colloquialism, he was being quite literal. A wolf only rose as high as he was capable in a pack and being a Beta was a point of pride for him.

High school boys. Jeremiah had never attended a high school, not as they were now at least. His schooling had been much different. "No, I wasn't one of those high school boys. Believe it or not, I was actually bullied in school." Though that was a long time ago. Being turned was one of the best things to ever happen to him. "Well then, I will make sure to keep the wine coming at dinner. Bottle after bottle." He noticed the blush when the salesman returned and couldn't but but grin a little. He followed the motion of the other's body and looked to the dress in question. It wasn't his first pick but none of the ones the salesman had picked were bad. He did notice the man had picked very modest dresses, something that would complement his own attire. He nodded his approval and allowed the other to step into the privacy of the booth.

While Oliver was out of sight, Jeremiah pulled out his phone and sent a simple text message. [Look into the name Oliver Green for me. See if you can find a driver's license or some other form of identification.] He sent it to one of the pack. He knew the man would be able to dig up all kinds of records on the man, even sealed records. Though he needed to verify the name first, it was just a hunch after all.

Just then the man in question stepped out of the booth asking for help zipping up the dress. Tucking his phone back again he stepped forward. His eyes took in the smooth, pale skin of the man's back and he could feel his lust rising. There was no bra, which wasn't surprising. His hand carefully and slowly zipped the metal up the rest of the way in a strangely intimate gesture. Then he stepped up close behind him and set his hands on the covered shoulders. His hands gave a light squeeze and he leaned a little closer to breath in his scent. "I like lean women with smaller breasts. Almost... boyish." He said it in a calm and soothing way, not like he was accusing the other of being a boy, but that he appreciated his boyish good looks.

Stepping back, he allowed the other turn around and his own eyes were drawn to the boots as well. The hand on his chest made him want to growl in lust but he restrained himself. Reaching down he lifted the tag to look at the price and nodded. "It's perfect." He said then looked down at his feet again. "Those boots simply won't do though. What size shoe do you wear?" He asked and then nodded to the salesman to go fetch some shoes in whatever size Oliver mentioned.
 
He blinked when the other said he was bullied, "I don't believe you, there is no way someone as..." he trailed off trying to think of a word though he had a dozen to chose from, "fit as you was bullied," he said. A nice neutral word for now, once he had the other going a little bit longer he could use other words, words he wanted to use with this man. He had to be careful though, Jeremiah was most definitely stronger than him. He didn't get the feeling that Jeremiah would be a type he'd have to be super cautious with but given his current situation, until he knew it would be safe to reveal to Jeremiah that he was a he the second in command could not find out on his own.

He had given a small smile when the other zipped up the dress for him. He could feel how intimate the gesture was being made and he managed to hold a smirk in. Oh, yes, he could get this man to fall and fall hard if he played his cards right. However, when the other squeezed his shoulders he tensed a bit, giving a small frown, "Women don't like being compared to boys," he said, 'even if they are one' he thought to himself. He let himself look a bit annoyed until he turned around and asked his question, receiving the approval from Jeremiah, only after he looked at the price tag. He hesitated before he gave his shoe size as asked. It wasn't because of the size, he had learned from the boots he was actually within women's sizes but because the other was offering to buy him shoes as well now.

Oliver quickly looked at the price of the dress and his eyes went wide. He had no idea dresses cost that much. He had thought, given he knew this store was expensive, it might be like 200 dollars or something like that. His rent was less than this dress! The was no way dresses got to be this much, how did women do it. "J-Jeremiah, this is too expensive. I can go in my boots. I know it doesn't really fit, but a pair of shoes along with this dress. It's way too much," he explained as he looked over to where the salesman went, "I shouldn't even let you buy this dress, it's way too much. I-I can pick a different dress, it's not a problem," he explained. Granted, he could always just sell the dress for a pretty penny later once the job was done. He had a feeling he would need to keep the dress for a little while, at least as long as he was leading Jeremiah along. "You're already being generous enough to pay for a dress in the first place," he tried to explain. Even if he was just playing Jeremiah for information, he felt a little bad for taking the man's money. He really wasn't sure how it was earned exactly, but it wasn't like it wasn't earned. Even if it was from illegal gains. Illegal gains were still hard-earned. Well, at least usually.
 
His lips curled upwards and he smiled. "I wasn't always this fit. I was a scrawny child. Tall but thin as a bean pole." He explained.

When the man complained about being compared to a boy, all he could do was smile again. Though he didn't say anything, not even when the other was objecting about the price of the dress. If the price had been a problem, he would have said something.

It didn't take long for the salesmen to appear with a pile of boxes. Jeremiah looked through them before picking a pair. "Sit down." He ordered Oliver, pointing at the nearby sofa. He didn't give the other time to protest though, instead he wrapped his arms around the smaller frame, picked him up and carefully deposited him on the couch. That's when he knelt before the other.

Taking one foot into his hand, Jeremiah carefully untied the boot. "Don't fight it." He said calmly. Though as he pulled the boot away he was surprised to find something falling out of it. Glancing down he spotted the knife on the dressing room floor. The man had a knife in his boot? That's what it looked like. Picking up the blade he looked up at Oliver and raised an eyebrow.

Standing, he walked over to where the salesman stood opening his jacket. As he slid the knife into the inner pocket of his jacket he also revealed to Oliver that - like Lucien - he had a concealed hand gun strapped to his side. He whispered something to the salesman and the man nodded quickly and left the room. "As for you, stay where you are." He said with a coolness to his voice.

Crossing the short distance again he knelt down in front of the other and picked one of the shoes from the box. Carefully he slipped it onto Oliver's foot, not speaking. Once it was secure he began to unlace the other boot. With an easy movement he slid this second boot off and thankfully no more surprises fell out. He picked up the other shoe and slid it onto the man's foot.

That is when the salesman returned for a third time. He handed something to Jeremiah but he was careful to pocket the item quickly so that Oliver wouldn't see. He then reached into his jacket pocket again and pulled out the knife. Without saying anything he removed the sheath, curious to see how sharp the blade was. Without thinking he ran his finger along the sharp edge.

Hissing, Jeremiah's eyes grew wide and he brought his finger to his mouth, sucking on the cut. That had burned. What in the hell was this man doing with a silver knife in his boot!

Panic coursed through him and he looked up at the other, his eyes growing dark as he considered what to do. Finally he decided to play it cool. He couldn't let the man know that the composition of his blade was of any significance. Reaching into his pocket he removed the item the salesman had brought. His gaze then returned to Oliver again and he reached up, sliding both hands up and under the skirt. His hands were trembling though, from a mixture of adrenaline and fear.

Even with his shaky hands he was able to complete the motion of wrapping his hands around the man's thigh, remarkably somehow avoiding his junk. There was a small snapping noise then another. Next he slid the knife up Oliver's skirt and slid it into place in the thigh holster he had just secured onto him. "A women in this city is wise to carry protection." He said calmly then stood and held out his hands to help Oliver to his feet.
 
"Jeremiah, this is too-!" he stopped himself with a gasp as he was picked up and placed on the couch. He had to say, he knew he wasn't that heavy, but Jeremiah picked him up like it was nothing. He looked down as Jeremiah knelt before him and his eyes went wide "Wait-I" he once again was stopped as the small knife fell out of his boot. He watched absolutely petrified that Jeremiah had found his knife. He didn't want anyone to know it was there. It wasn't like he used it all that often, it was merely for defense in case anyone tried something he didn't like. He looked up when Jeremiah arched his brow, "I don't exactly live in the nice part of the city," he explained. Hoping that would be enough of an explanation and he moved to take the knife from the man, when he stood up and talked to the salesman, "Hey! That's mine you know. I know you weren't exactly expecting it but what right do you have to-" he shut up when he saw the clear display of the gun. He knew that tactic he had seen it before countless times. He huffed a bit but stayed quiet, frowning when a little when Jeremiah told him to stay where he was.

He watched the man place the shoe on his foot and then work on the next foot. He twitched when he saw how high the heel was, he was sure anyone else that normally wore heels would be okay in a shoe like this, but Oliver was going to be way out of his element. He just had to hope that he could handle walking in them without looking like a complete idiot. His attention was drawn to the salesman once again when he came in only to watch Jeremiah open the blade and without thinking, Oliver moved to grab Jeremiah's hand, "what are you doing?" he said, he looked concerned for the man he had just met. "Jeremiah," he felt himself freeze when he felt the hands on his leg, sliding up and under his dress. He blushed and pressed his hands down, hoping that Jeremiah wouldn't notice anything.

Oliver glanced up when he felt those very same hands trembling. He watched as Jeremiah placed his knife in the holster and tell him that he was doing the right thing. He let the other help him up before he leaned into Jeremiah. It looked like he was showing concern over the other and he half was, the other half of him just was worried about standing on his own. "Are you okay?" he asked, moving to grab the hand that he had cut. He looked it over for a moment, "I'm sorry, I-I use it for protection, but it's not like I ever think I'd have to use it and here you go getting hurt because of it. Though it was pretty stupid you to touch it like that. Didn't anyone ever teach you knife safety? Hmm? You have gun, you should know better around knives." he said, almost scolding the other. He sighed and wrapped his arm around Jeremiah's "Let's just get this insane amount of payment over with and head to dinner. Hopefully, we can keep you from getting hurt until then?" he said, shaking his head.
 
Jeremiah had pointedly ignored all of Oliver's protests throughout the interaction. He knew he had a strong presence and had used it countless times to get his way, as he did now. He didn't care of the other carried a knife. Normally it really wouldn't bother him but now that he knew it was silver he was on edge. There were very few things in this world that could actually, genuinely hurt him and silver was the primary one.

As the other clutched onto him, he felt an impulse of revolution and wanted to shove him away. It wasn't Oliver though, he knew that. There was absolutely nothing about Oliver he wanted to push away - it was the knife. Just knowing it was there made his skin crawl. "It's nothing, I'm fine." He said, allowing the other to see the shallow little cut. It was like a paper cut and if the blade hadn't been silver he already would have healed from it.

Though as the young man continued to ramble, he furrowed his brows. His gun? What about his gun, just because he knew guns he was supposed to be good with knives too? That was like saying that someone that knows how to cook can also mix drinks. Similar portfolio but not directly connected. How has the other even know... Right. He had been distracted talking to the salesman when he had opened his jacket to put the knife in. He hadn't meant to flash the gun at the other but he has done so. No wonder he'd gone quiet.

"I am familiar with knives, I wanted to see how sharp it is. It's well honed, so long as you actually know how to use it, it will serve you well. However nine out of ten people that carry knives like this have absolutely no idea how to actually use them so they are more dangerous for the carrier than the assailant."

He did notice the way the other was clinging so tightly to him and he guessed it was more than just concern. Glancing down he was the way the man's feet wobbled on the points of those heels. Clearly these stilettos were something the other wasn't accustomed to. "You don't wear heels often, do you?" He asked.

He wrapped an arm around Oliver to steady him. Then he shook his head and gently guided the other back into a seated position. "Those shoes are cute but I don't want you breaking an ankle. Not on my watch." He turned back to the pile of boxes and picked out a second pair of shoes. The heel was shorter and fatter, which would be easier for someone not accustomed to heels.

Just like the last time, he knelt before the other and switched out the shoes. Standing, he again held out his hands to help him up. "Better?"
 
"It's not nothing, you hurt yourself," he said and looked at the cut for a moment he was glad to see it wasn't that bad, but he figured the other had just been lucky. He shot a look at the other, people that were used to knives and were testing the sharpness didn't usually react the way that Jeremiah did. "I'll have you know, I'm very good at using my knife. A girl needs to know self-defense to defend herself from the perverts out there, doesn't she?" he said, none of it was a lie, he had learned how to use it and with his life, could very easily replace the word girl with male words instead.

He shook his head when Jeremiah called him out about his heels, "As I said, I don't exactly live in the good part of town. Wearing heels like that can be the difference between making it home and not," he said. He knew that for certain as well, not from personal experience but from stories and first-hand sightings. He let Jeremiah guide him back into a seated position and this time didn't protest once as the new pair of shoes was placed on him. He watched before he stood up and nodded, "Yes, much," he said. His face had a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks from the embarrassment he felt. He did move to grab Jeremiah's arm though. This time he wasn't as unsteady and simply seemed to be doing it to be close. "I do hope the fact that I can walk better in these, doesn't mean I can't enjoy the arm that has been kind so far," he said.

"Now are we going to get this whole paying thing over with so we can go to dinner. Regardless of how patient anyone is, I'm not sure if either you or Mr. Greymane has eaten dinner. I'm sure you're hungry by now," he said as he started to move forward on his own to show he could handle these better than the other shoes that Jeremiah had him in. "It is very sweet of you to buy these things for me. You don't have to dinner is more than enough. Far more than enough."
 
Perhaps he would have to test the other's knife abilities later. He might be able to defend himself against your run-of-the-mill opportunist, but could he hold his own against someone else that knew how to use a knife? Somehow Jeremiah doubted it, but it was hard to tell. He had learned from personal experience that sometimes it was the small, unthreatening looking ones that were the true threat.

The comments about the heels were true enough, even if it wasn't the main reason that Oliver didn't often wear heels. Jeremiah had intentionally selected shoes with heels to make him uncomfortable, but he really didn't want the other to break an ankle so these were a better compromise. And the young man seemed far for confident in his ability to walk in them. Allowing the other to take his left arm, he nodded. "Very well. I'll have you know that a lot of women in your position would actually be trying to milk more money out of me, not trying to convince me to spend less money. I find it endearing." He motioned to the salesman and he came over with a pair of scissors which he used to carefully remove the tag from the dress. The shoes and knife holster didn't have tags so he didn't need to bother with them.

Instead the salesman brought a clipboard over for Jeremiah to review. He didn't even glance at the total (which was nearly three thousand dollars) he just picked up the pen and signed his name across the bottom. "Send the bill to my accountant, he'll get you taken care of."

"Of course, Mr. Johnson." The man bowed and backed away. He gathered Oliver's previous dress and boots, put them in a bag and handed them to Jeremiah. It was how he usually paid, it made checking out easier and he had a good track record established with the company. "Alright, alright, let's get you to dinner then." He complained in a light hearted manner. He walked with the other back to the hummer. The driver got out and opened the door, allowing Jeremiah to help Oliver in.

Lucien glanced up and even he had to admit that the change was admirable. He had believed the young man was a woman before but now? Even he was feeling a little attracted to him - despite what he had insinuated earlier. "Impressive. I thought you were beautiful before. Clearly this dress was meant for you." He admitted honestly.
 
Oliver chuckled at Jeremiah when he was told what he was going was endearing, "As cliche as it sounds, let's go with I'm not like most women," he said, giving a small laugh to himself at the fact that what he said was not only cliche but very true. He let the salesman cut off the tag and watched Jeremiah pay...or rather have himself billed for the items. He still wasn't sure how he felt about this but so far Jeremiah hadn't been all that pushy or all that perverted and Oliver could appreciate that. He was used to the exact opposite so this was a nice change.

As they made their way to the car and he was helped in, he blushed when Lucien complimented him on his appearance. He wouldn't like it was kind enough and he liked it, but at the same time did a guy really want to be called beautiful? "Thank you," he said before sitting down, "Now, hopefully, we can get to his dinner without any more mishaps," he said, not explaining what mishaps he meant. He smoothed out the bottom of the dress along his legs, finding himself far more comfortable in this than he was the skirt he had worn earlier. At least in this one, if he accidentally spread his legs a little he wasn't going to accidentally flash anyone. "Oh! That reminds me, I do hope it's okay, but I fed Fido a little bit of meat. I cooked it, just in case. I didn't exactly have any dog food laying around, so I figured a little bit of meat would be okay..." he explained, "he seemed kind of hungry and ate it all."

Oliver glanced between the two men that he was sitting between for a moment. Had he been in any other situation this would have been terrifying. Granted, Oliver was still freaked out, but if he hadn't known what he was getting into and these two had just picked him up off the street. Surely he would be dead by now or at least he figured that's how much panic he would have been in. "How long have you had him, by the way? He's such a massive dog, I don't think I've ever seen one that big. Well minus your two dogs, Mr. Greymane. What breed are they?" he asked, tilting his head.
 
Lucien tucked away his phone as the other two got comfortable. He had, indeed, been doing some work on his phone while he waited for them to shop. Though as Oliver suddenly mentioned feeding Fido, Lucien grinned wide and glanced over at Jeremiah, who buried his face in his hand in embarrassment. He really had hoped that topic wouldn't come up. "Oh you did, did you?" Lucien asked in amusement.

"It's fine." Jeremiah groaned. "I'm sure whatever you fed him was fine. He's actually generally a picky eater so the fact that he ate it means he must've approved of the food. Though I often tend to give him raw meat."

"Mmm, you have to warm it up a bit though. Not enough to actually cook it, just enough to make it body temperature." Lucien added in. Both were, of course, speaking from personal experience. "They're purebred wolves." Lucien said with a straight face and Jeremiah shot him a look.

"Don't listen to him, Olivia. They're wolfhounds, bred to hunt wolves. They do have a bit of wolf blood, which is what gives them their size, but they are well trained. I've had Fido for as long as I can remember, he's like family. As for Luc, he's had his nearly as long."

Just then Jeremiah felt his phone vibrate and he fished it out of his pocket. A text message from that pack member. "Oh, excuse me, I have to get this, it's business related." He lied and scooted to the other end of the long bench-like seat. He opened the message and saw the picture he had been sent. Indeed the picture ID was definitely the man sitting next to Lucien, either that or his twin. Instead of replying as a text message he called the man and brought the phone to his ear. Speaking quietly into the phone, he said, "I got your message. This matter looks to be quite important, I want you looking into it immediately. Get me as much information as you can." He hesitated for a moment, thinking back on the fact that the other had a silver knife. Was he thinking about that too much? It could be pure coincidence that it was silver, but what if it wasn't? "Look into the investor. I don't know if I trust him. He was seen with a rep from AG, he might be a wolf in sheep's skin. I want a thorough background check before we get into bed with him."

The man on the other side understood that the way Jeremiah was speaking was code. It was something they often had to do when a non-wolf was around so he understood every word. The man whose ID he had just pulled had been seen carrying a silver weapon and might be a hunter so he was to dig up everything he possibly could on him, including information on his family and other known associates. "Yes sir. I will make this my priority."

"Thank you," Jeremiah said then hung up. He scooted back over to the other. "Sorry about that."

Lucien, who had heard every word, looked at him with a cold gaze. "What's this about a possible wolf in sheep's skin?" He asked, also knowing what the code phrase meant.

"It's probably nothing. One of the investors we are looking into was seen with a rep from AG. I'm having someone look into it." He said meeting Lucien's eye and then casually setting a hand on Oliver's leg, the same leg that now bore the knife holster. Lucien understood completely.

"Good. The company can't have a potential security risk. Not right now." He said, though his posture was more stiff than before.
 
Oliver nodded, "Yes, was...that not okay?" he started to ask when Lucien seemed to be rather interested in Oliver feeding Fido. Though Jeremiah told him it was nothing but that he often fed him more raw meat than cooked, "Oh, well, I hope it doesn't bother him then, I mean, he did eat it so I figured he would be okay. I guess I just didn't know if you preferred to not give him human food. I know some owners are really against that," he said giving a small shrug when it seemed neither didn't really care that he had fed the dog. However when he was told the dog was a wolf his eyes went wide for a moment, "A wolf?" he said, giving a small laugh. He would have just thought the man was teasing him but Jeremiah tried to sell those dogs off as wolfhounds if it hadn't been for the man explaining they had some wolf in them he would have frowned a little bit. He had seen wolfhounds before and he knew what they looked like. Those dogs most definitely didn't look like wolfhounds. Perhaps wolfhounds mixed with wolves got them looking a bit more like wolves as well? Honestly, he had to admit even if Lucien was just teasing him, it made a good amount of sense.

He nodded when Jeremiah went to take a call in the space that they had, "Where did you get them? From a breeder or adoption?" he asked, tilting his head, rather interested in the dogs. He just thought they were cool looking, terrifying but he had to admit they were insanely trained. He wasn't really paying attention to the conversation that Jeremiah was having with whomever he was talking with. He'd only get half the conversation anyway and he had always found those types of conversations useless. Plus, now wasn't the time for information, now was the time for gaining trust. One he had trust he could get the intel he wanted and needed.

However, when Jeremiah came back into the conversation and Lucien mentioned a wolf in sheep's clothing he tensed ever so slightly. It was a rather common phrase for spy or someone that wasn't what they seemed. Did they know? Why hadn't they said anything if they knew? He nibbled on his lip a tiny bit, could they not be going to dinner? He forced himself to relax and look out the window as the men talked business. He didn't understand anything else but he knew they were looking for someone who didn't appear as they were. Well, they seemed to be following the correct way to Antonio's...maybe he was simply overthinking this. Jeremiah's hand moved to his thigh and he glanced down, he didn't think anything of it and simply moved a little closer to Jeremiah's side. "They could just be friends," he said, almost out of nowhere.

He blinked when he heard the words, those came out of him right? "Ah! I um, I mean, I don't really know the whole situation, but could these two people just be friends? After all, if he's already an investor with you and you're making him money, why would he want to go to another company?" he asked, "I don't know a lot about business, that's for sure, but I would think you'd want to stick with a company that is treating you well," he shrugged as he explained. "Or maybe he was being forced to see the other person? Maybe his boss wanted him to play the field a little bit?" he offered
 
Jeremiah heard how nervous Oliver was with the topic of conversation. The pack had taken a general term for a spy - a rather fitting one considering what they were - and turned it into a term for a hunter. It's no wonder the kid was nervous about it. He was, after all, a spy. "I'm sure it's nothing." Jeremiah said, giving the leg a reassuring squeeze. "Though when it comes to the world of business, it pays to be cautious. That's why I ordered someone to look into it."

He lifted his hand off the other's thigh and instead wrapped it around his shoulders. His hand was carefully placed on Oliver's upper arm and made no indication of intending to wander. He had no desire to feel up the non-existent breasts, this was just more comfortable. "What were we talking about?" He asked.

"The girl asked where we got the dogs." Lucien said with a new iciness to his tone.

"Oh yes, we were talking about the dogs, weren't we?" He sighed. "Honestly, Lucien was right. They are wolves but they aren't our pets, they're our pack. Fido isn't mine, I am Fido." He said but then cracked a smile as though he were making a joke.

Lucien wasn't laughing. This wasn't a game. If this kid really was a hunter, a comment like that was like to get them killed. Well, maybe not killed. The kid was scrawny, he was sure the three wolves (including the driver) in the car could easily take him out. Maybe a few new scars but they could win. It would be a bloody mess though. In his Hummer at that!

"Why don't we talk about something else for a while. I'm more interested to get to know you, Olivia. Where do you come from?" Jeremiah said, sensing Lucien's mood and changing the subject.
 
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In all honesty, he was believing that the dogs were wolves. So when it was confirmed he was ready to ask more questions, he was curious how they managed to tame them so well, but then Jeremiah went and joked about how they were werewolves. He rolled his eyes, "very funny, werewolves don't exist. I'm not a child, Jeremiah," he said and moved slightly away from the man. Even if he was supposed to get with this guy he was already getting the feeling that he didn't want some airheaded slut. Not if he was willing to switch out the shoes to something more comfortable...or give him a holster for his knife. He glanced down at his leg and gave a soft smile. He had thought it was really very sweet of Jeremiah to do that. Oliver thought it was going to be just like all the other men, not caring just wanting a warm body...Jeremiah definitely wanted a warm body, but he seemed to also want a brain to go with it.

When the other asked about him, he shrugged, "Lived here most of my life," he said, "I think when I was a kid we moved from another city or something like that, but I mostly just remember this city," he said. There wasn't much he wasn't willing to share about his life. Oliver Green was a nobody he wasn't even really in contact with his family anymore. That had been severed the first time he got caught with petty theft. Though, he was very happy that it happened then and not when he got caught for prostitution. He had never come out to his family and for them to find out that way would have been heartbreaking. Granted he would need to change the details of all of this for the two men sitting next to him. After all, he was just supposed to be a secretary who happened to come across Jeremiah's dog. "What else do you want to know?" he asked, unsure of what Jeremiah would want to know about him.

He had realized he didn't get a lot of information about who Jeremiah was either, but he figured it would be a little easier once Lucien wasn't present. He wondered what he should do with that. He supposed if they drank a little he could maybe convince Jeremiah to come back with him...maybe back to one of their places for a nightcap. He was pretty sure they'd be dropping him off. He could offer them both to come up. He wasn't sure but he had a feeling Lucien wasn't wanting to stay much longer than he had to. Jeremiah might take the offer though, especially if his earlier flirting was anything to go by.
 
Having the man pull away from his was disappointing, but as he stated that he wasn't a child and didn't believe in werewolves, Jeremiah wagged his eyebrows at Lucien as though to say, 'see, he can't be a hunter'. If he thought werewolves were just a story then clearly he couldn't be a hunter. Jeremiah had gotten himself worked up over nothing! Although... There was a small, nagging part in the corner of his brain that was telling him that Oliver could be acting. Maybe he was pretending he didn't believe in werewolves to lure him into a false sense is security?

Stop that! He mentally scolded himself. There he went again, blowing things vastly out of proportion. This was why he never had a relationship that lasted, he always over thought things.

"Hmm, let's see. What is your favorite color? Mine is green, like the forest." He said, giving a little more information about himself as though making a trade.

It wasn't long before the Hummer came to a stop again, this time outside a restaurant. "Ah, we're here." He commented unnecessarily.
 
Oliver looked between the two men, he could tell they were concerned about something but so far it didn’t seem like it was him. At least he hoped not. He sure if they figured him out he was screwed. He would need to get information out somehow, he probably should update his boss anyway about everything. After all his target was no longer the head but the second in command.

He smiled when Jeremiah said his favorite color was green, “Mine too, actually. Cliche I know, but I can’t help it. It’s a nice color. I prefer emerald green though, I like my greens being bright,” he explained. He looked out the window when he felt the car stop and moved to get out of the car when the others did. Once he was out he moved over to Jeremiah a bit and took his arm. Oliver found himself getting a bit nervous now this would need to go very well if he was going to get Jeremiah back to his place.

He had grabbed his phone before he left the car and glanced down to it, having it in his hand. “I’m sorry, do you think it would be okay if I call a friend of mine?” he asked, motioning to his phone, “it’s just I remembered something I need for work and she has it, I’d like to ask her for it before I forget. I’ll just be a minute, I’ll meet you inside,” he said and excused himself from the small group going to the side of the restaurant, far away from any noise or interruptions and called his boss. He waited for him to pick up and glanced over to the two men.

“Hey!” he said, giving a smile when his boss answered before looking away. “So, slight problem...Lucien’s gay. Or at the very least not into me, sounds like he has an ex wife or something but he’s admitted to being into guys. Thanks,” he said, annoyed with his boss, “but, apperantly that dog I found, ah, right I...look I found a dog and it turns out it belongs to the second in command?” He said, almost questioning himself. “He seems more interested in me, so I’ll try him, okay? Yeah...no...I mean, maybe? I don’t know...” he said before glancing over to see if the two had gone inside yet, “look I’ve got to go, yeah I’m at dinner with the two. Yeah, bye” he quickly hung up and headed back over to where the two were or if they had gone inside already to figure out where their table was.
 
Well, that was one thing they had in common, even if they both liked different hues, at least they both liked the same color. When they got out he started to lead the way inside when Oliver said he had to call a friend. "Mmm, okay. We'll get a table and meet you inside." He said and watched Oliver find a quiet place then the two men went inside and got a table for three.

After they got seated they were quiet for a while before Lucien spoke up.

"You seem to actually like this one." Lucien commented in a voice that sounded somehow softer than it had been all night.

Jeremiah let out a deep, rumbling chuckle. "Yeah. You know, at first it was just the body. Just my type, you know. And it's been a long time since I had a good romp in the hay. I thought I could just get a good one night stand out of this but..." He let out a growl that could only be described as lusty. "That brain. The kid is not afraid to jump head long into some verbal sparring with me. Got guts too."

"What about the knife?"

"What about it? It's a dangerous town. You've seen the neighborhood the kid lives in, could you honestly tell me you wouldn't carry a knife there if you were in that situation?"

Lucien grunted his ascent. "I suppose. But what about the other matter?"

Jeremiah shrugged and was silent for a moment. "I don't know. There's gotta be a reason... I mean maybe he's got that gender dysforia thing where he genuinely thinks of himself as a girl? I really don't care, he's cute either way." He shook his head. Already he knew that Oliver was a spy, sent to seduce one of the gang members yet he felt some kind of connection to him, despite that. Was it all just an act though? He sighed. "What's taking so long anyway, maybe I should go check on him?"

"He probably ran away. Used the whole talking on the phone thing as an excuse."

"I hope not." He grumbled and stood, moving from the table to go find Oliver.
 
Oliver looked around outside for a moment before heading inside and looking around, he spotted the two and waved the host off, letting them know that he saw his friends. He headed over to the table they were at and was about to wave to make sure they heard him when he noticed them talking. He stopped himself and moved a bit more quietly and making sure not to be in their line of sight. It was pretty easy to do when people weren't paying attention to who was around them. As he got a bit closer he heard the conversation, frowning. So they knew. Then was this just a game for them? How much did they know?

He managed to place himself just inside both of their sightlines when Jeremiah stood up and Oliver looked livid. He didn't know how to move forward with this conversation. He wasn't hurt, he didn't think of himself as a girl, but something about the two discussing him like that made him angry. Perhaps it was because they both knew and he felt like they were playing with him calling him a woman when he was around and then using male pronouns and saying he was a guy behind his back. Then again, how was he going to explain it other than what Jeremiah said? Though it wasn't true, he sighed and moved over to the seat that was available for him and set his phone down on the table.

He glared at the table for a moment trying to collect his thoughts. He could try to sell it that he had dysphoria like Jeremiah said, but that just didn't feel right. Lying that he was in a gang was one thing, lying about something that so many others had to deal with...that felt wrong. "Well, since you two assholes figured it out and decided to clearly just let this play on while being fucking perverts, well at least you," he said, looking over to Jeremiah, his voice had dropped to his normal voice, which wasn't all that much lower, but was much easier to maintain, "I guess let's just get a few things straight. My name is Oliver, not Olivia. I don't actually like being in women's clothing, but I didn't exactly have a choice and no, I'm not going to tell you why. You can just take that as your punishment for not calling me out when you first realized it. Like you should have," he said, looking between the two. "Especially you Lucien. As I'm getting the feeling you're the first one to have figured it out," he turned his gaze on Jeremiah, "You also had the fucking chance to allow me the option to get into more comfortable clothing when you decided to by an expensive few items on me. Oh and you know, not put me in fucking heels, when I even damn well admitted to you that I wasn't comfortable in them." he shook his head. He would have left if he hadn't needed to at least get into one of their pants. "I guess this is the thanks I get when I help someone out, no good deed goes unpunished, right?" he murmured.
 
As Jeremiah stood to go find Oliver he was surprised to find the man standing nearby looking angry. Had he been listening in on them? How much had he heard? He licked his lips and looked at the other with concern. "Oli-" He started but that was when Oliver glared at him and he stopped mid-word. He stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face and watched Oliver sit down. Hearing his heated words made Jeremiah feel bad. Admittedly up to this point he had been treating it like a game, not even considering that doing so might hurt Oliver's feelings. Suddenly he realized that he cared if he hurt the man's feelings.

Taking a deep breath, he sat down next to the smaller man and gently set his hand on Oliver's knee. "Oliver, I'm sorry." He admitted and brought his hand up to gently lift the man's chin to make him look him in the eye. "Truly. My aim was not to hurt you. I was the first one to figure it out. Luc there had no idea." He took another deep breath and sighed. "I should have called you out on it but I had no idea why you were dressed like a woman, giving us a women's name. Your reasons are your own and I wouldn't expect you to tell me anyway. I just wasn't about to call you out on it in case I was wrong. What if I was wrong and you really were a woman and I called you a man, how offensive would that come off? As for this..." His hands brushed along the nice dress. "I thought since you were dressed like a woman this might be something you would like. It seems I was wrong, I can take you back to Neiman Marcus if you would like. We can return the dress and shoes and find something more comfortable for you."

Leaning a little closer, his hand on the man's chin - which had remained there the entire time he spoke - tightened just a little, not uncomfortably though. "I like you, Oliver." The hand that had been on the man's knee came up to brush the hair from Oliver's face, tucking it gently behind his ear. "Not because of your gender or even your body. A person's body is second most important to me. It's your brain that I enjoy. You're smart, smarter than most, and you have a quick tongue. You responded positively to my advances so I thought maybe you liked me too. If I'm wrong about that too, then I apologize." With that said, he let go of Oliver's chin finally and pulled both hands away, putting some distance between them so that Oliver could process everything he said.
 
He had half a mind to push that hand off his knee, but the other said he was sorry and Oliver was listening closely to see if it was actually meant. He was about to respond to the other's apology when he felt the hand tighten a bit and Jeremiah stated that he liked him. Not just for what he looked like but how he responded and the banter they had shared. That shut him up for a good minute. He looked away from both of the men for a moment and stared at the place setting in front of him. Oliver eventually ran his hands along his face and through his hair, giving a bit of a groan. Why did this have to be so complicated? Honestly, it would probably be easier just to tell the men that he was there to get into their pants, get information, and then get the fuck out. He had half a mind to do just that, but then he remembered the guns they both had. He had a feeling if he revealed that he'd be as good as dead. No, he couldn't say anything.

Oliver sighed once again and closed his eyes for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "It's called asking," he said after a moment, "you simply could have asked. If I got offended, oh well, it's not like you lose anything by offending me. You had your dog and Mr. Greymane over there could have told you I originally was just looking for vet payments. Which, honestly, you've gone way over at this point. Personally, I wouldn't mind returning the clothes, but no, I would rather not exchange them. I will still hold that these cost way too much. I mean seriously, it's a fucking dress. There is most definitely less fabric in this dress than anything I own back home. Well, minus what I was wearing when you met me," he said, wincing a bit. He still hadn't thought of a way to explain that and he was happy to hear that Jeremiah wasn't going to push it.

Now to respond to the little confession he had been given. He glanced over to Lucien. God, this was awkward. He wouldn't lie to himself and say that he didn't like the other. At least so far, Jeremiah had been kind...he even had good reasoning to have gone along with Oliver's little charade. A little perverted sure, but that wasn't anything that Oliver wasn't use to already, at least Jeremiah admitted to not minding that he was a man. Hell, Jeremiah almost seemed to embrace it? He had said he was cute either way. "As for your little confession..." he said, trailing off a bit, "perhaps we could finish up here before moving onto other things," he said, taking a very obvious but quick glance of Jeremiah's body. At least the next part would be physically easier though he wasn't sure if it would be emotionally easier.
 
"Yes, that's exactly the question every young man or woman wants to hear. Excuse me, but are you a man of woman? I can't really tell but I think you're a man even though you are dressed like a woman, keep referring to yourself as a woman, and even talk like a woman. Especially in today's climate where an individual may have the reproductive organs of a man, but feel like a woman and therefore associate themselves as such. It's all so complicated. I miss the old days when you got what you saw. If it looked like a man, it was a man and vice versa. At least then you knew ahead of time what to expect when you got home and started undressing." He sighed and shook his head. "But I digress. I chose to play along because I wanted to get to know you more and didn't want to chase you off by offending you. I felt that you would tell me about that if and when you were ready."

"We can return the clothes after dinner. Though I do want to get you something to make up for this misunderstanding. You can keep the holster, it works just as well over a pair of slacks or on your calf under a loose pant leg. You don't seem the type to wear a suit though, perhaps I could take you to Walmart instead, get you a nice grungy t-shirt and jeans?" He smiled and winked at the other, only half joking about the offer.

"Thank you for listening. And for agreeing to still have dinner with me." He said and then glanced over at Lucien.

The alpha rolled his eyes. "I don't get why you're trying so hard, Jer. I offered to bring him out for dinner to be nice and here you are giving grand confessions and buying him clothes. You've only just met him. Whatever, I think I'll head back and let you two lovebirds enjoy your meal alone. Feel free to charge the meal to the company card." He stood and set a hand on Jeremiah's shoulder, giving a firm squeeze and turning. "I'm taking my Hummer but I'll send another driver to pick you up." With that, he left, leaving Jeremiah and Oliver alone.

Jeremiah sighed. "Luc needs to get that stick out of his ass and loosen up once in a while." He grumbled.
 
Oliver chuckled, "Ah, yes, but if phrased politely...Hi, sorry, this is probably going to be rude, but I would like to make sure that I address you correctly. What pronouns do you go by?" he challenged right back. He smirked a bit at the undressing comment, "sounds like more fun to me, well, I suppose if you only go for one...might be a little annoying," he shrugged. "The only reason you are still being given the chance is because you were relatively kind during that time, lucky you," he said, giving one more smirk.

At the mention of returning the clothes after dinner, he chuckled, mainly because of the Walmart comment, "Actually, that sounds great, but...I think I have a better idea. I'll tell you later...so some don't get jealous," he said, licking his lips lightly.

he looked over to Lucien when he stated that he was going to leave them here on their own. "Aw, don't leave Mr. Greymane, I'm sure we could have fun with all three of us," he said, chuckling, "I am more your type now, right?" he teased the other and watched him go. Oliver turned his attention to Jeremiah once Lucien was gone, "hmm, I would say it's probably only there so he's got something in there when he doesn't have a dick to replace it with," he mumbled, chuckling to himself. He looked over to Jeremiah, "So, care to tell me all the things that Mr. Stick up his ass wouldn't let you say while he was here?" he asked, point-blank getting into what he wanted to know. Granted he was sure he would get most of it later when he was finally enjoying this job. Men always seemed to speak more freely after they had sex.
 
"Yes, that does seem the most polite way of phrasing that. Sounds like you have some experience in that field? As for me, like I said, I don't care what kind of wrapping my dates have, I care more about substance. Him, her, zer, it really doesn't matter so long as they are intelligent."

As the subject shifted to Lucien and his sexual preference, Jeremiah snorted. "Oh no. He likes to give, not receive. Trust me, I've tried to pound that ass but he'll have none of it." He said it in such a way that it was hard to tell if he was joking or if her had genuinely tried to sleep with his boss before.

It was amazing how, now that they had come to terms with the fact that Oliver was not a proper young lady, their conversation was more open. It hadn't ever been closed off by any means but now they were casually throwing around words like ass and dick. It was refreshing.

That is, until the other started to pry again. It made Jeremiah a little uncomfortable. Was the other really good at acting? Had his offense only been faked in order to get Jeremiah to feel bad and make him more willing to open up?

"We can talk shop later. For now, let's decide what we're going to eat. Mr. Stick up his ass is paying, so let's pick the most expensive things we can, shall we?"
 
He tilted his head and shrugged, “I learned to be polite. Secretary after all,” he still lied about his job, but it wasn’t like he could say he was a gang member, “just you know, less pencil skirt...more slacks,” he chuckled. “But yeah, I suppose I’ve had some experience, not a lot though, just enough to know if you aren’t sure ask, but I tend to live that way in life,” he explained.

Oliver smirked at the words about Lucien, “Hmm, maybe he just needs to find the right man,” he said, saying that age old line he only ever said in jest. He chuckled at himself and shook his head. He was most definitely more relaxed now. After all he didn’t need to be this polite woman they had thought he was. Plus, it seemed like Jeremiah was much more receptive to him being a bit more himself. He was a bit fascinated by how quickly they had changed over. Then again they were both gang members, it didn’t always led its lifestyle to polite.

He hummed when Jeremiah denied his question rather quickly, “I see Mr. Greymane isn’t the only one who likes to be dark and mysterious,” he said smiling to himself. He didn’t mind really, it just meant he had to work a little harder to get the other to talk.

“Well, Jeremiah, that part of me was also true...I’m not one to spend other people’s money. So I think I’ll stick to what I want rather than the most expensive,” he said as he finally looked at the menu for the first time since being here. He glanced through it and finally decided, “Now, the question is...are you still planning on getting me drunk?” he asked, tilting his head slightly as he looked at the man,“Do remember how it might look...” he reminded the other gesturing to himself.
 
At the idea that Lucien just needed to find the right man he emitted a non-committal grunt. No, that would never happen, no matter the man. Lucien was an alpha. Alphas did not receive. They would lose all credibility.

"There will be plenty of time to talk shop later. I'll tell you everything you want to know, I would just prefer to get to know you better first. You are a secretary. I'm a businessman." He paused and then grinned. "Maybe some day you can be my secretary. Wouldn't it be fun to sleep with your boss?" He said it in next and even gave a wink, having no idea that 'sleeping with his boss' was a regular occurrence for him.

"Alright, alright. Order whatever you like, just don't go ordering the cheapest thing on the menu. Order what you want. I will be ordering some expensive wine though. And yes, I do intend to get you drunk. I was intending to get you drunk when we were all pretending you were a women, why would it be any different now that we all know you're not? To hell with what other people think."
 
Oliver gave Jeremiah another pointed look at the question about sleeping with his boss, "It would be a step up, that's for sure," he commented, giving a bit of a smirk. It indeed would be a step up, Jeremiah was much better looking than his boss not to mention Jeremiah recognized him as a guy. His boss tended to imagine him as a girl that liked it up the ass. It was amusing for the first couple of times but very quickly lost its appeal. "You hiring?" he asked, might as well still play along with Jeremiah's little charade of working for a business. He almost wondered if he would manage to catch Jeremiah in his lie. "Also, just so you know my questions were just to get to know you. You work for a business and I don't even get to know what kind?" he said putting on a fake pout, "If I'm going to be your secretary, don't you think I should at least somewhat understand what happens there?" he said, though he wasn't going to press very hard.

"Trust me, I'm not. Though I'm pretty sure it'll be on your idea of the cheapest thing on the menu, but I quite like chicken parmesan," he said and smirked when he was told that Jeremiah still had every intention of getting him drunk. "Well, then, good luck to you. I've been known to drink rather well. I do hope you can keep up," he said and looked up to the waiter when they finally came by, "Chicken Parm please, with the side salad and if I could get a glass of water. Seems my date here has every intention of taking advantage of me," he said, giving a light smirk at the waiter when they looked at him a bit shocked. He handed the menu to the waiter and looked over to Jeremiah, "So, since you wish to get to know me better first, what else would you like to know? You know my gender, my favorite color, and my line of work...seems we're pretty even right now. In terms of knowing each other," he said. "What about family?" he asked, "do you have any or are you like your boss? He told me he doesn't have a real family, which I took to mean he doesn't have biological family."
 
When Oliver asked if he was hiring he took a moment to actually consider it. "Mmm, Perhaps. Though the company is largely family run, there's very few positions that we open up to outside talent. My secretary position is one of them though. I could probably arrange an interview for you if you're truly interested, I am in good with the boss." He winked slyly. "Okay, okay. You keep asking so I will tell you." He looked around conspiratorially then leaned in closer. "The company I work for..." He paused for dramatic effect. "Does investment banking. There. The secret is out, no stuffing it back away." He shrugged and sat back up, turning his attention back to the menu.

"Mmm, Chicken Parmesan is quite good, I won't fault you for your tastes. A full bodied Pinot Noir would pair nicely with that." With that in mind he browsed through the menu and settled on, "I'll have the lamb stew. That way the Pinot Noir will pair nicely with both our meals." He set the menu down and looked over at the other. "Oh, I can drink you under the table I'm sure." It was part of the curse, it took a lot of alcohol to get a wolf drunk, their bodies tried to heal from it, thinking it was poison. He still liked the flavor though. When the waiter appeared, he held up his menu. "Avrò lo stufato di agnello. E la tua casa migliore Pinot Nero, il prezzo non importa." He said in perfect, flawless Italian.

The waiter nodded and gave a partial bow, "Sì, signore."

"Now where were we?" Jeremiah asked, turning to look at Oliver once again. "Oh, right. Family. I don't have any blood relations, like Lucien my blood relations are all gone. He and I are like family and like I mentioned, most everyone in the family is part of the business. And you?"
 
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