Page 40 of Five to Love Him
“It’s not… I’ll tell you later.”
We nodded while catching the vampire looking very pleased with himself.
“And by all means, Leopold, make good use of the radiators. I wouldn’t want my new secretary to catch a cold. About the way this test drive of your secretarial power went, I do believe there is room for improvement.”
“My secretarial power? Is that supposed to be an oxymoron?”
“Secretaries are vital,” we said, and the principal nodded.
“Just so, hive, just so. I meant what we discussed, Leopold, about you and the power of your resting bitch face aiding me in enforcing our school rules and keeping the student body in line, especially our full boarders. Those darling young are here all alone, no parents at all, and they need a strong hand.”
“Leo’s face is beautiful,” we told the principal, putting an arm around Leo’s shoulders while we put down a beer at a table full of werewolves with a touch too much force, making it spill slightly. We apologized.
The vampire looked at us evenly. “I don’t mean to suggest your chosen is unattractive, hive. It’s not an insult but a compliment. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it is my belief most students will have a hard time reading his face.”
“Forget about the RBF for a hot second. Can we please agree that this is about admin tasks? Can we put that in the contract even?”
Leo rounded the desk, pulled his office chair back, and looked at the folder next to his cake. We leaned over his shoulder. It was a daily schedule and the school rules, fully bound. We didn’t see a contract.
The principal leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. “I thought you could take care of the contract. There is a template”—he waved at the desktop computer—“on there, and you should be able to handle that type of dry language, what with your qualifications. But your help in wrangling the student body is essential. I can guarantee it will come to be the most rewarding part of this station you find yourself in.”
“Sure.”
Leo sounded unconvinced. At the same time, while we didn’t think it should be a necessity for him to work, we once more considered how safe working here would be for him. We didn’t think it would be wise to send him to work alone, not when his boss was a vampire, but we could always be here with one, maybe two if our work allowed. Leo could get used to being around supernaturals and he would be protected.
That very thought lifted our mood so much that Coral gave us a sideways smile and told us to spread our good mood to reel in plentiful tips. We took it to heart and added a dash of extra rum to a rum and coke.
“It will be convenient to get to class from here, and the Dazzle is close. You can always visit us there for a special cocktail.”
We patted Leo’s office chair to get him to sit, and after a moment’s hesitation, he did.
“I should chastise you for making such plans without checking with Instructor Arick first, but with a hive watching over you, Leopold, I’m sure you will be fine.”
“We’ll keep Leo safe,” we said, all of us, even if we spoke in whispers at the Dazzle.
The principal spread his arms and stood. “I believe that settles the most immediate affair of welcoming you to the faculty. We shall be doing a proper introductory round once you get in tomorrow—not too early, never fear. It would be good for you to have a look at the school rules until then, especially requirements about the school dress code. Can you believe there was a student walking these halls in flip-flops the other day?” The principal looked crestfallen. “Our youth is our future. A future shod thusly can only be bleak. You cannot tolerate it, Leopold, and I trust you won’t. If you see something, say detention.”
“Detention?”
The principal beamed. “You can most certainly give them detention. Instructor Arick often oversees it, and there is no dallying, no slacking off in his detention hall. He hardly misses anything, you see.”
“Detention. Sure,” Leo said once more, his voice thickly laced with uncertainty.
“Wonderful. Do get settled in then, and if you should find yourself needing anything, my office is just across the hall.”
The principal left us, and once the door closed behind him, Leo sagged back in his chair with a long sigh.
“Wow. What a long day.”
We sat in the chair opposite him so we could look at him across the desk.
“Can we try something?”
“Huh? I guess?”
With the one standing behind Leo, we started massaging his shoulders. He shifted, briefly surprised, then relaxed into the touch.
“Do you want more of your cake?”
