CHAPTER 1
Garrett
“Furniture? He wants a small business policy for custom furniture?”
“Yup.”
He couldn’t picture the bouncy guy being focused enough to have a business, much less one that made custom furniture. Maybe that was just his perception of him, but it wasn’t completely baseless. From what Garrett had seen, Wyatt was polite and perpetually cheerful but forgetful and constantly in motion. The two opposing pictures didn’t mesh.
“You’re sure?” He should have known better than to ask.
“How often am I wrong?” Calen gave him a look that spoke volumes. Bossy Dom. He should have known better than to have hired another Dom as an office manager. But when his closest friends were all in the scene he didn’t have much of a choice.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Send him in, thanks.” Garrett tried to remember anything else he knew about him as Wyatt came in. Usually before he met with an insured, he reviewed their policies and had everything organized. This was very last-minute which was not his preferred method.
Wyatt Matthews had been with them since he moved to Richmond about a year ago. Garrett thought he’d moved from somewhere up north but he wasn’t positive. Most of the time, Wyatt dealt with Calen or Melissa, the front office assistant. He came in more than just about any other insured.
Some of those visits made sense.
He came in about once a month to pay his auto insurance, sometimes more if another policy was due. Then a week or two later, he’d come in with a question on one of his policies. Garrett had only gotten the questions a couple of times. It was like Wyatt did nothing but read the fine print in his policies.
If he hadn’t been so damned earnest…and sweet, Garrett would have thought the guy was up to something. Nobody wanted to talk to their insurance company that often. Hell, he was an agent, and he didn’t even look at his own policies that often. The guy was too nice to be up to something.
Garrett looked up from where he’d been making notes when someone cleared their throat at his door. Damn the kid was cute. No, not kid or boy or anything else like it. Wyatt was a customer and Garrett didn’t want him to think he didn’t respect him.
It wouldn’t matter that Garrett didn’t mean any offense. The sexy bo—insured, was young but not too young. He looked so innocent and he was almost ten years younger than Garrett. Something about the combination brought out the Dom in him.
He looked so adorable. The way he’d peek at Garrett, when he thought no one was watching, called to Garrett. However, not enough to take the risk of alienating or offending an insured. It was getting close, though. Heaven help them both if he came in many more times this month.
Garrett always needed time to talk himself out of saying anything inappropriate and Wyatt had already been in there on Monday. It was only Friday, of the same week, it was too soon to test his control. No Dom was perfect, especially when a body like that was wrapped around such a delightful personality.
“Hello, Mr. Matthews, come on in. Calen said you need a business policy.”
“Hi. Call me Wyatt, please.”
Garrett stood and gestured to the chair in front of his desk before walking around to shake Wyatt’s hand. He usually preferred it when he kept the desk between them, but it would probably seem rude if he didn’t greet him appropriately. Especially since he was coming to talk to Garrett specifically. Hopefully, the sexy man wouldn’t notice the constant interest Garrett’s body tried to take when they were in the same room.
“Wyatt. So tell me about your business.” With most people, Garrett would have spent more time on pleasantries and catching up on all that had happened since the customer was last in. But in this case, with how often he actually came in, it would be ridiculous. Garrett also couldn’t take the risk of dragging out their conversation. It was too much temptation.
“Well, it’s just gotten out of the hobby stage really. I mean, before I was working another job and now I’m doing this full-time.” Wyatt was trying to sit still but his leg kept bouncing up and down. It looked like he was dying to pace around the office.
“That’s great. It sounds like things are taking off. I couldn’t remember you ever saying anything about the furniture before.” Garrett was sure he wouldn’t have forgotten something like that. His memory when it came to the cute little—customer, when it came to the customer was pretty good.
“I probably didn’t mention it. I’m only working at my day job a few hours a week now because the business has started to take off into a real…well, real business.” Wyatt blushed as he stumbled through the explanation. “I was going to come in and talk to you guys eventually because, well, I know there’s probably other insurance I need but this just came up and well…”
His leg was bouncing all over the place. The longer he stammered his way through his little speech, the worse it got. Garrett wanted to reach over and grab him up—just to help him calm down of course. That wasn’t an option. No matter how incredible the fantasy.
Nice, well-mannered insurance agents did not cuddle their clients or do anything else he could see doing to the cute little—to the gentleman. He had to keep reminding himself that, or he was going to end up calling the customer something that would seem insane.
He wasn’t going to survive this.
Wyatt was starting to look like he wanted to sink into the floor. The sheepish expression and blush that still tinted his cheeks looked so damned…Garrett had to get himself back on topic or he would look like a moron. He had to act like the Dom he was. His control was better than this.
He cleared his throat. “So you need something specific today? Then you want to come back and go over more options for the business?” That sounded like what he’d been trying to say. Then it clicked.
Dear God, he was going to have to meet with him again next week.
Wyatt nodded, looking grateful that Garrett had deciphered his rambling. “Yes. I need…they said…Well…” He took a deep breath and tried again, this time with more success getting the words out in complete sentences. Just confusing ones. “I’m working on some furniture for a…restaurant up in Washington, D.C. and even though I know the owner, I’m still being listed as a subcontractor. At first, they thought I wouldn’t be required to have it. I need to have a bond so that all the insurance stuff is in order. He said just to talk to whoever does my other insurance and they should be able to help. So here I am.”
