Tap, tap, tap.
Zander stares down at his right hand, the way his forefinger raps against the surface of his desk. He was very warm. His fingers flex as he recalls how it felt to hold onto Ethan's wrist. He must be hurt. Zander wasn't in control of his strength at that time, so he's sure he must have left a bruise behind. The thought unsettles him. Would it be black and blue against the betas pale skin? It would be a bad colorization, he knows that for sure.
There's the click of his office door before it swings open, followed by the sounds of shoes on the recently polished wooden floor. Zander frowns.
"I see your face is nearly healed."
The tapping stops, and Zander sighs in annoyance at the familiar voice. He drags his gaze away from his hand and looks up at the annoying red head that stands on the opposite side of his work desk. "I see you still don't know how to knock when entering a room that doesn't belong to you. It's a bad habit, Beau." His voice ends with a biting tone. "Perhaps I should beat it into you for you to understand."
Beau smirks and brushes his hand against his styled red hair, not feeling the least bit threatened, "I learned this habit from you. Besides, you were the one to summon me here."
"Irrelevant detail." Zander leans back and rests his head on the back of his office chair. "It's still in good manners to knock." Zander mutters. He stares up at the ceiling, his green eyes unfocused as his mind wanders back to the curious beta he encountered last night.
Beau doesn't say anything as his hazel eyes scan Zander's face, any pretense of joking around disappearing from his expression. "I thought I told you to reject that omega. Not get your ass beat." He reaches up to adjust his black tie and sits in the leather chair across from his friend. His sense of professionalism eases, and he kicks his feet up on the glass coffee table, his leather shoes scuffing the surface.
"I was bored." Zander shrugs half heartedly, his gaze still glued to the ceiling.
Beau scoffs, "If you're bored, go to a bar or a club."
"You act like I can't get drugged at either of those places." Zan adjusts in his chair and then rests his chin on the back of his hands, his elbows perched on the desk, "In fact, I believe the chances of that happening are higher."
"You're being a drama king," Beau snorts, waving a hand dismissively. "Not when you own one of them."
"Don't get snarky with me." Zan frowns. He can't bother to glare at him, not with his mind so preoccupied.
"I believe I have the right." Beau chuckles. "How could you go out on a date with him?"
Zan huffs out a breath and rolls his emerald eyes, "It wasn't a date. We were having a coffee and I was going to reject him." His head tilts, now that he thinks about it, he never actually got to tell him. He clicks his tongue against his teeth, damn.
Beau narrows his hazel eyes.
Zander purses his lips as a bitter taste enters his mouth, "And then when I wasn't looking, he slips a rut inducer into my drink." He reaches up to loosen his tie, and finds himself looking at the palm of his hand once more. How distracting. He has to tear his eyes away from his hand and directs his attention back to his friend, "By the way, never take any with coffee. It's a terrible combination."
"Noted." Beau deadpans. "What made you so distracted that you missed him slipping a pill into your coffee?"
Zander smirks at the question, and unconsciously flexes his fingers. "A momma's boy."
"What?" Beau's eyebrows furrow, "A momma's boy? Did he spill his juice or something?" He doesn't understand how a kid would capture the attention of an aloof dominant alpha. He's not understanding anything at this point, not when Zander seems to be running circles around him and avoiding the point.
Zander chuckles. "That's irrelevant at the moment." He waves his hand.
Beau decides to drop it for now, and instead asks, "How did you get the shit beat out of you?"
Zander hums, his forefinger tapping against the surface of his desk once more. Tap, tap, tap.
"I suppose the omega didn't like the fact that his rape attempt was interrupted by a beta." His gaze once more strays to his palm. "A staff member came in, kicked him out with swift and correct reasoning, and gave me a suppressant. So he sent out two alphas to beat the crap out of me, later that night." He suddenly smiles as he remembers the rude beta. He reaches up to run a hand through his hair, remembering Ethan's tight grip on it. He truly was rude, wasn't he?
"And why did you let that happen?" Beau sighs. "You could have easily over powered them."
Zander gives a chilling smile, one that makes Beau shift in his chair. Beau knows that smile well. "I hoped it'd gain me some sympathy points."
"You're talking nonsense." Beau sighs. He lowers his feet to the floor and drops his minor interrogation. He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, his red eyebrows raising. He isn't getting anything useful from him anyway. "Have you seen the doctor?" He asks instead. "Do you have a concussion?" It'll explain Zander's spaced out expression. Maybe the injury will calm down how intense a dominant alpha can be.
"I'm fine." Zander scoffs. "Call Mila, tell her to visit that omega. He may have helped me out in the end, but I still can't let him think what he did to me was okay."
Beau smiles, "Yes, finally something sensible."