I picked up my chopstick. It might have been Waylen’s presence, but I was super nervous, so the sticks slipped through my hand. Waylen retrieved them without a word. He positioned them in my hand and returned to minding his business. I dug into the fish, unable to take more than a bite.
“You should eat. Our client may be late,” he muttered. He was already halfway into his food, acting like this was regular for us.
Midway into my meal, he extracted an envelope from his breast pocket and slid it closer to my tray. I finished the rice before picking it up. What if this was my last meal as his assistant before he fired me? I ripped the envelope open, and dozens of hundred-dollar bills fell to the table. Using the tip of the chopsticks, I counted about twenty and stopped.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Compensation.”
I swallowed. The fish rushed up my throat, and I placed a hand over my mouth. Someon
WAYLENI haven’t spoken to Beth since she showed up at the office today. The coffee she brought me had gone cold, but I drank it all. She was on her laptop, typing away and smiling. Who was making her smile? I returned my gaze to the moving figure on my screen, the main reason I was stuck here.The video on my screen was the live feed of her room from yesterday. I only meant to watch it to be sure she was safe, but she had to walk into her room naked, and now I had a mast in my pants.Beth cocked her head slightly like she could hear my thoughts. I leveled her with a scowl, and she sneered. She was so lucky she was smart enough to include that line about not touching her without her permission in the deal. But come Saturday, I would have my chance.I shut the video, willing my erection to go to sleep. How long until she got pregnant?The council was on my neck. I couldn’t ignore them any longer. I rubbed the back of my h
WAYLENI grabbed my jacket draped over the other chair and stormed to the door. Someone was toying with me, and I didn’t take kindly to that. I stepped out right as Beth was about to walk into my office, and we bumped into each other. The impact sent her flying back. Her hands sliced through the air, reaching for me in a last-second attempt to save herself. But it was too late as her butt met the ground.Angry eyes raised toward me as she picked herself off the floor. “You could have caught me.”“You said not to touch you without your permission, remember?” She snarled, and I winked. “You should have shouted a warning or something. Called out for help.”“Right,” she spat out.“What do you need, Beth?”Panic flashed across her face. She pointed at the open door of my office and brushed past me. Walking over to the mess I made on the floor, she picked
New day. Another bullshit lie. Client? What client? Waylen didn’t have a meeting for the rest of the day. He was just not getting to me, he was under my skin, an itch that was turning permanent. I pulled out my phone, doing my hardest to ignore him while he cleared his desk. All he was good at was moving his meetings and forcing me to dates.Me: You owe me your life.Joe: He said yes?I rolled my eyes. I would never have done this if Joe wasn’t the sweetest man I knew.Me: Yes. But wait for HR to contact you.Waylen had the decency to come along with his briefcase. The ride to the restaurant was quiet. I didn’t give him a chance to strike up a conversation. All his attempt was shut down with a monotone response. We reached, and I opened my door before he could. He eyed me with a note of curiosity and slight annoyance, and it took all I had not to lash out at him.We walked side by side to the restaurant. W
It was not a request, it was an order, and the only available option was yes. We stopped at the entrance, and Waylen opened the door. Rain lashed at us, not too hard to leave damage but strong enough to plaster the ends of my ponytail to my face. Maybe Mom and Lynn stayed back at home. It was the wisest option. If they were on their way, they would have texted me. But Mom had a spare.“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.The floor was wet with rain. Rain so strong you could hardly see before a few miles. No one was outside, save for us. I nodded again, more for my sake. Waylen groaned, strapping the briefcase over his shoulder. He undid the last two buttons of his jacket.“If we make a run for it, we won’t get too wet.”Right after the words left my lips, I dashed for his car. I steeled myself for the impact of the rain on my face, but it never came. Waylen was close, his jacket held over my head like an umbrel
I pulled my knees up to my chest, glaring at the door and confused by the thoughts swimming in my head. Why was I hurt? I didn’t want to be around Waylen. That man was annoying, a fucking psychopath.A soft knock sounded on the door about five or ten minutes later. I cleared my throat. “Who?”Waylen poked his head into my living room. I tucked my relief behind a mask of annoyance.“Do you want me to stay and watch a Gerard Butler movie with you?”“If you don’t have…” I trailed off at the glare he sent my way. Nodding, I replied, “Yes.”Waylen was barely in the living room when I hopped on one leg to set up the movie. Law Abiding Citizen. It was old but one of my favorite movies of Gerard Butler.“Seen Law Abiding Citizen yet?”“What’s that?” he asked.Waylen had gotten comfortable on t
WAYLENThe room was too quiet. The one advantage I had was their inability to read my mind. I stood before the council, hands crossed at my crotch. The governor was at the head of the table, flanked on the right and left my other members of the council. Did the people of Indiana know their governor was a werewolf? Sadly, they would never find out.“You broke the rules,” Governor Kane said.Oh, right. They were still not over the fact I buried Father without their permission or blessing. I tilted my head back to match his fierce stare. His platinum blond brows drew together over icy blues eyes that would have sent chills running down the spine of a regular human or wolf. But I stood straighter.“What rule?” I asked.A chuckle came from Kane’s left. There were thirteen other men present here, and it was too much of a hassle to remember their names. The final decision would come from Kane, after all. Father used
WAYLENI stood there, head bowed until every last one of them was gone. Beth would have a good laugh at me if she saw me now. The great asshole also answered to someone—people. I wiped the sweat decorating my forehead. I couldn’t put Beth down, and I needed a plan. Fast.My phone buzzed on my way outside. I waited until I was inside the car to check it. There was an unread text from Rey.Rey: over?Me: fortunatelyRey: so?Me: badRey: we will talk when you get backBut I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to fight. I ran my fingers through my hair. There was one pressing issue. Beth wasn’t pregnant. They couldn’t find that out. I kicked the car into drive and headed straight to the pack house instead of the hotel closer to work.From the distance, the giant expanse of land beckoned on me. Things were in order because of the council, but we needed a little ruck
The shoebox on my table was the first thing I spotted once I opened my office door. I tiptoed inside and dropped my handbag on the chair. I could almost tell who it came from, and I wasn’t disappointed when I opened it to a note with my boss’ initials. No message. Just W.E.P. I shut the box without removing the shoe to check if it fitted. It was the same pair from the day I sprained my ankle. This one was brand new. Oh, Waylen.I darted a look at the glass wall separating our offices and frowned. My reflection stared back at me. That wasn’t right. I should see into his office, not myself. I edged closer to the wall and curved my hand around it, but my eyes stared back at me.Waylen changed it. I stormed to his door and took a deep breath. He was still my boss. Whatever happened last week didn’t make us friends or lovers.After a quick succession of knocks on Waylen’s door, I opened it when I got no reply. His scent hung heavy in the