Chapter 3

But that is insane. I can't mark a human she wouldn't survive it. This human beautiful, though she may be, can't be my mate.

I look her over at a distinct advantage because I can see in the dark, and she can't. She's stunning in every way long, shapely legs, an ass that fills her short skirt, and Batgirl tits.

That is, she has a hot pink bat on the front of her skirt, right over a pair or perky tits. And something about that bat just throws me over the edge .

Spunky little superhero, begging to be bested.

Guess that makes me the villain.

"What's your name?" she asks

I hesitate. "JT"

"I'm Kylie. I'm here for an interview, so I was nerved up to begin with."

I don't do friendly. I discourage my employees from engaging with me except to give me information in its most distilled format. But, for some reason, I don't mind her feeble attempt at conversion. That doesn't mean I' ll bothering answering.

I'm too busy convincing my wolf not to jump her. She tries again.

"What department are you in?"

I'm not going to admit that I'm the CEO. "Marketing." I infuse the word with the disgust marketing inspires in me. It's true that the majority of my time is now spent on marketing or management, when I'd much prefer programming and never interacting face-to-face with another soul.

She laughs, a husky sweet sound. Despite the fact she can't see me, she peers up in my direction with a look of fascination on her face. Her hair, a thick shiny chestnut, hangs in loose waves over her shoulders.

It's too dark to tell the color of her eyes, but her full lips are glossed, and the way they part now makes me want to claim that lush mouth.

"One of those guys, huh? That is sad."

I smiled - a rare occurrence for me. She's already made me laugh, something I haven't done in twenty years.

"What position are you interviewing for?"

"Infosec."

Hot and neardy. Interesting, she must have mad skills to rate an interview. My company is the best world for information security.

"You have much experience in the field?"

"Some." She sounds noncommittal in that way that makes me think she actually knows her stuff.

The power has been out for a long time at least ten minutes. I take my phone from my pocket and try to dial my secretary again but still can't get a signal.

"How long do you think we'll be stuck here?"

Her voice wavers on the word stuck.

Fates, I've never had the urge to pick up a woman's hand before. My shirt collar's too tight. I wish to hell I hadn't worn a suit and tie. Of course, I wish that every day but rarely have a choice , even though it's my damn company. Once we reached a certain level, I had to conform to the dress code of corporate American when I had outside meetings, even in Tucson, which is notoriously relaxed in its dress code.

My little programmer, however, nailed the outfit just the mix of hipster with the bat tits and bare legs and corporate with the suit and heels.

I don't know when I started thinking of her as my little anything, but I have. The second she walked on the elevator and I inhaled her scent, my wolf screamed mine.

"I mean, do you think it will be hours? It won't be hours, right?" She's losing her breath again. It's all I can do not to pull her onto my lap and hold her until all the trembling stops.

"Don't make me grope you again." Okay, I definitely shouldn't say that, even if she said it first. The remark has its intented effect, though.

She snort, which changes up her breathing pattern and helps her chill out.

"So you're nervous about the interview?" I ask. Chitchat isn't part of my repertoire, but it seems I'd do anything to calm her down. Or maybe I just want to hear her voice again.

"You don't seem nervous."

"Besides the whole panic attack thing, you're doing a manly job distracting me from?" My wolf preens at the compliment. "I'll let you in on a secret," she says, and the muscles of my groin seize almost painfully at the purr in her voice. She's seducing me, and she doesn't even know she's doing it. Maybe talking is a bad idea. "Okay," I responded.

"I've never worked a real job before. I mean, I have a job now, but it's all telecommuting. I've never been in an office like this."

"Think you can take it?"

"You know, five years ago, I would've barfed at the thought. But actually, SeCure's is the one and only company I would put a suit and heels on for."

And every male in the building thanks God she did. "Why is that?"

"SeCure's represents the pinnacle of infosec. I mean, Jackson King is a genius. I've been following him since I was teen years old."

I try to stop my wolf from strutting. "You sure you want to leave the pajamas at home and come into an office every day?"

"Yeah. It'd be good to have a reason to leave the house. Pro gramming can be lonely. I mean, I do my best work alone, but it might be nice to be around people like me. Maybe find my tribe. Feel normal, you know?"

I don't know. I haven't had a tribe since I abandoned my birth pack with my fur soaked with my stepfather's blood.

A company full of humans is a poor substitute.

"If you're interviewing here for infosec, you must be talented," I say to distract myself from bad memories.

"I have been coding since I was young," she says dismissively, which again makes me think she's downplaying her talent. "Being a teen geek girl definitely disqualified me from normal."

"Normal is overrated. You must need to find your pack."