Chapter 5 - Hot In His Office

Jenna

The kitchen is rather hectic today. Pablo is barking orders at the chefs, and while it stresses everyone else that Linda isn't here yet, Pablo looked delighted when he found she had overslept. Now the miniature grizzly man is in charge, happier than ever to yell at people with his bizarre mustache.

I'm lucky he hasn't noticed me yet. My chopping is slower than ever, but I can't help it.

A thousand thoughts are running through my head. The shock from the vampire attack slotted right into my mind this morning, and now I'm working with this building anxiety. I haven't seen Dana today, but I'm terrified she might walk in whenever the door opens.

Startled, my breath rushes out of me when someone enters through the door. Thankfully, it's not Dana, and instant relief floods me like water.

I've never feared vampires before, but this weekend has changed my perception of the world. This morning on the news, there were reports of the police having found dead bodies in Central Park, and Hannah messages me saying she won't ever walk through the park ever again.

Apparently, the park belongs to the vampires now, and the police are useless. Pure-blooded vampires can use mind compulsion, some of them are even mending the world for their benefit, and it seems some police officers are their victims.

I shiver. It truly is a sick world I'm living in.

I don't even trust my own co-workers. Notifying them about Dana could prove fatal for me if they are vampires like her, or maybe they wouldn't even believe me. She might have brainwashed the other employees with her vampire magic.

Gosh. I need to talk with Ariel soon.

Sadness echoes within me thinking about him, but in the darkness's midst, there is also hope. I don't know if he wants me or if he wants me to lift the spell. Either way, I need to see him.

We have to talk about the past and the present. I need to tell Ariel about Dana and the vision I saw when I ate the magic truffle.

"Good morning,"

I turn around and find Linda knitting an apron around her waist. We need people making breakfast sandwiches, so it doesn't surprise me when she takes the spot next to mine. She pulls plastic gloves over her hands, and not a second later, tomatoes are being chopped.

"So, how was your weekend?" Linda doesn't even examine me. "Did you do anything fun?"

The weekend's occurrences bring a grimace to my face. Before I got this job, all I could think of was making it through the next day. Now I'm someone with two mates, and yet, I'm still as alone as ever in a scary world where I can't even trust my co-workers.

"Are you alright?" Linda glances up at me from under her lashes, with concern dancing over her features.

"Yes... No... I mean..." Can I trust her? I'm dying to talk to someone else other than Hannah.

Linda stands up straight. It looks like she is about to tell me something but stops when Dana and Bree walk past us towards the locker room. Bree talks animatedly, not even noticing us, while Dana squints her eyes at me like a cat ready to attack.

Fear circles my mind, and I turn to Linda for support, gasping when I discover her watching me. Her eyes narrow on my face; they are wide with silent veiled curiosity.

"I don't like Dana either," Linda says and returns to placing cheese on her sandwiches.

"Why?" I question. I see why I dislike the vampire girl, but I want to hear Linda's reason.

"She usually comes in late, and I hate people like that,"

"But you came in late today," I point out. "It happens to everyone,"

Linda shrugs. "Dana is late every other day,"

"Ah..." I bite my lower lip then, head held low. "Hey, do you mind if I leave to check Ariel's office later?"

"You want to talk with Mr. Archer?" Linda snorts like I've said something funny. "I'm sorry, but you have to book an appointment to talk with the man, I'm afraid,"

"Really?" I lift an unamused eyebrow her way. "But does he still sit inside his office?"

"He does, but he would scold you for entering,"

"Huh," I smile to myself. "Interesting... Is there a lock on his door?"

Linda widens her eyes. "You aren't planning on robbing him, right?"

I laugh. "No, but I really need to talk with Ariel,"

"And I'm saying you need to book an appointment,"

I wink at her. "If you obey the rules, you miss all the fun,"

Wide-eyed and afraid, Linda gasps at me. I respond by laughing louder.

When I was younger, I was quite the rebel. I never walked within the lines, and now the epinephrine is spiking me again, telling me to seek Ariel in his office. Or maybe it's the mate-bond rippling within me? Either way, I'm tired of being sad and lonely. I want to find him and sort us out. I won't find answers standing here.

"Well," Linda gives me a look over. "Find him then, see how he reacts,"

Much later, I'm standing in the elevator again. It had felt like such a good idea to visit Ariel in his office. But now, as the doors open, my heart sinks. Insecurity is overwhelming me, slowing down my thinking.

With mechanical movements, I make it over to his office. The entire floor belongs to him. It's a long corridor of frosted glass windows, and even though there is only one door, I suspect there are plenty of rooms, maybe even a bedroom on this floor.

Does Ariel live in his own office?

Adrenaline numbs my brain and causes me to flick the handle and step in without knocking.

"Ariel?" I call his name and suck in a shuddery breath. "We need to talk,"

My legs operate on their own. Being here is stupid. The logical part of my brain is telling me to turn around and leave. Catherine could be in another room in the back. If she found me, I could get fired for intruding. Yet I can't keep myself from inspecting his office.

There is a picture frame on his desk. I instantly pick it up and roam it with my eyes. It turns out it's a framed quote.

"It's not very nice to enter someone's office without knocking,"

Shaken up, I spin around and nearly topple over.

Ariel is standing there, angry and topless in the door opening. The image seems taken from an erotic daydream.

Water droplets are dripping down from his heavy pecs on the floor, and it's not until he tilts his head that I realize I'm not breathing.

He has recently showered, and I decide it was worth coming here. He is beautiful, but by the looks of it, also extremely irritated.

"Good evening, Miss Ellis,"

Oh no.

"Hi..." I nervously stretch my arm to place back the frame. "I was only going to-..."

"Read it,"

I peer up at him. He is glowering at me from his imposing height, and I have absolutely no clue what he is thinking. Anger flickers in his eyes, and a dark smile touches his face. He nods at the frame, and I inhale before slowly lifting it up to my eyes. I don't want to challenge his authority.

"In one lifetime, you will love many times, but one love will burn you forever..."

I stare down at the frame and smooth my finger over the surface. The words are speaking to me, and I can't glance away from them. I'm lost to their hidden meaning, to the idea of these words speaking of the past.

"Does that quote mean anything to you?"

The tone of his voice makes me gawk up at him, and the darkness on his face stops my heart. What I see isn't the calm and collected man who I met in the elevator. This version is angrier. His expression is stiff and resentful, and yet there is also something resembling warmth drowning in the murky ocean of his eyes.

I bite my lower lip. "Um, I don't know,"

I'm lying. I have to force myself to put back the frame on Ariel's desk. Part of me wants to read the words forever, lock them in my heart, and never forget them. That quote didn't speak to my mind; it whispered to my soul.

"You're lying," Ariel is glaring at me. "Something has changed since the last time I saw you,"

"Well..." I don't see the point in lying. "I saw... Or I ate this truffle, and I saw this vision of you, of us, standing in this flower field... I have learned about the spell..."

"And yet you dare enter my office?"

"What?" I laugh out of sheer nervosity. "How could I stay away? We are mates, right?"

"Only because you placed that curse on me,"

"Curse? What, no, it wasn't a curse-..."

"Really?" Ariel is smirking now, looking as friendly as a feral beast. "A dragon only has one true mate during their entire lifetime. When their mate dies, the bond breaks and the dragon can find another love, not as strong, but they can love again..."

"And?" I watch his face, silently waiting for his point. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to tell you that the damn bond never disappeared! After you died, I spent most of my years grieving because my entire soul missed you! For years I could barely breathe... It took an eternity to learn how to love again, to fall for Catherine. And then, by some miracle, you appear out of nowhere!"

It's as if though my entire world comes tumbling down when I watch his heated emotions cross his features. I see anger; I see pain. Hatred is evident on his face; his feelings for me are but a memory, and I reach out my hand because I want to change that.

Fire burns in his eyes as he watches me approach him. Describing him as intimidating would be an underestimation of the fierce aura surrounding him. Ariel looks ready to kill, as lethal as a weapon standing there with his impossibly huge shoulders.

"What are you doing?"

I stop walking, drinking in the sight of him. Every nerve, every part of who I am, wants to reach out and touch him. Real mates, or not, it's like the emotions only have grown during the time our souls have been apart.

And he is gorgeous, way more attractive than I remember.

"I want to touch you,"

"And why the hell would I let you do that? The mate-bond might be there, but I hate you,"

"Lies," It's my hope speaking now, my desperation. "You were kind when we first met, and I saw you could sense the lightning between us too,"

Ariel looks at me tauntingly. "You were innocent then. You knew nothing of the past, and now you do, and yet you are here,"

I place my hand on his solid chest, feel his heartbeat beneath my hand. It takes every ounce of courage to tip my head and find his eyes. I'm frightened, but my longing wins over my fear. I want him. The darkness in his gaze should mortify me. Instead, I see it as another mountain to climb.

"I need you," I whisper.

My words cause a reaction I didn't see coming. Ariel's large hand grips around my throat. Not tight enough to choke me, but threatening sufficient to prove a point. There is hostility in his eyes, and sadness drowns my senses, for all I want is him.

"Do it," I challenge. "Hurt me all you want,"

Ariel growls and leans in close. Large hands are gripping both my arms, and I whimper. He lifts me onto his desk with ease until his muscular chest fills my vision, then his angry face. I expect him to destroy me instead; he devastates me with his lips.

Kissing him is like fighting a war within myself. I have two mates; I don't know what I want, yet this man seems to know exactly want I need. His tongue is controlling, not gentle in the slightest, and while I love touching him, tasting him, I'm also terribly afraid of what he represents. Right now, I'm in his possession; he owns me.

Quick breaths escape my lips when Ariel leans back. Without his lips, I feel empty, but I barely get to miss him before he is there again, muffling my whimpers with the force of his mouth.

Never in my entire life has someone kissed me like this. His fingers are under my shirt, lightly gripping my skin and gracing my nipple. There is a current of lightning coursing in my veins directly under his hand.

My eyes flutter open when his lips leave mine. "Don't stop kissing me," I beg him.

Ariel silently watches me. These beautiful, hazy-blue eyes are looking as if they are trying to restrain themselves.

"I still hate you,"

His words cut like knives, but I refuse to back down.

Ariel belongs to me. Inhaling his scent is more intoxicating than anything else I've ever experienced. My heart rate is through the ceiling. I want him; I need him.

"And I intend to change that," I whisper, pleasure shooting through me when he clutches my breast. I want him to go further down. I'm shivering. "Please give in,"

Painfully aware of his hand going further south, I catch his sore eyes. He is so invitingly close it hurts me physically not to have him.

"Do you want me?"

My lashes flutter as I lift my chin to peer into his eyes, and he regards me attentively as I knew he would. Hesitantly, I grip around his arms and hold his biceps; he doesn't even twitch at the touch. He is muscular and way more robust than I expected. My attempts to pull him down to my lips prove ineffective, and he smirks.

"What do you want?" His voice is mean and teasing. "Say it,"

I suck in a deep breath. "You, I want you," I can hardly recognize my voice. "Only you,"

Hatred turns to amusement as I say those words. Fingers yank down my pants, and I hold my breath.

I stare up at Ariel, and without a fair warning, he dips his head. He leans back, kissing the inside of my thigh, trailing kisses further up. I huff out, and my body trembles when his lips latch themselves onto my clit.

Oh god. Ariel is trying to ruin me. The sensation of him sucking me, teasing me with his tongue, is enough to make me quiver. I am so wet. His tongue enters me, and I melt into a puddle. I moan, lost to the pleasure.

Everything inside me goes hot, and I stare up at the ceiling. My lids flutter, but I fight like hell to keep them open. I'm afraid Ariel will stop sucking me if I give in to the magic he works over my body.

And Jesus Christ. Ariel is unreal. He must realize what he is doing to me. Every time I'm about to climb that ladder leading to an orgasm, he slows down, and it's the worst type of torture. Any longer and I might faint.

"Please, please don't stop," There is desperation in my voice.

Ariel kisses my clit, then sucks it more demandingly with his skillful mouth. I can't fight him. Warmth sweeps through me like a storm, and I push up my hips as the orgasm builds up within me. The frenzied pleasure makes me moan, and then my entire body turns stiff and shaky until I'm left too exhausted to move a muscle.

Ariel pushes air through his nose, amused. "You're going to have to learn how to control that,"

Ariel hovers above me with a growing smile on his lips. He looks very pleased with himself. It confuses me seeing him like this. Seconds ago, he hated me, but now it seems like I've gotten a taste of the real him.

"That was amazing..." I exhale.

Ariel says nothing. I search his eyes for hints of what he is thinking about and sit up on his desk. I almost crash my head into his, and for a moment, our noses almost brush against each other.

I blush at my clumsiness. "Sorry,"

"This isn't good..."

He clenches his jaw, eyes concerned. I try to cheer him up by smiling. "What is it?"

"We can't be together," Blue eyes meet mine, but they are so unfortunate I almost break observing them. "There are too many complications to achieve a happy ending out of this,"

I'm confused. "What do you mean?"

Ariel blinks into the distance. "You should leave..."

"No, I won't leave. Not yet," I shake my head to show my determination. "Is this about the spell? Because that's unfair. I didn't place it on you, but if I could go back in time, then I would-..."

Ariel lifts his eyebrows. "Aren't you going to finish that sentence?"

I hand him a sad, yearning smile. "No, because I just realized that I wouldn't change a thing. Call me selfish, but I'm so impossibly drawn to you, Ariel. From the first moment I laid eyes on you, I felt this thug within me, like a cry from deep within. I can't explain it, but I'm not sorry that you are my mate. In fact, I consider myself lucky to have met you,"

Ariel stares at me. "What?"

I hold up my hand to stop him from talking. "No, I'm not done yet! Let me finish!"

Silent amusement crosses his features. "Okay,"

I swallow thickly, suddenly nervous under his gaze. "I'm falling in love with you. I'm thinking about you all the time, and there is no rest. I see you everywhere I go. It's like you are this disease. I'm smitten by you, and... And I just want a chance to get to know you,"

"But I'm not falling for you,"

My entire world shatters into a thousand pieces, and I stare into his face, but Ariel turns away, refusing to meet my eyes.

"Yikes, that's harsh..." I smile despite the hurting inside. "But maybe you could give me a chance?"

"No... And what you are feeling is the mate-bond, not genuine love," He laughs mockingly then. "You don't even know me, Jenna,"

"You could let me get to know you,"

"No," His tone is strict.

Confusion seeps through me. "Why?"

"Dragons differ from humans. We age differently, and most of us can live for centuries without growing old. This means being with me will only cause you suffering, and therefore I reject you as my mate,"

"Oh..." I blink up at him with my heart swimming in my chest. "But I..."

"The other you thought I wouldn't fall in love again after she died. The thought of her discovering another mate in a different life pained her. She didn't like the idea of me being lonely while she was in the arms of someone else. And I think that's what made her conjure that spell, but I have Catherine now,"

"So you feel nothing for me?" I ask.

He hesitates before answering. "That's correct,"

"Why are you so dishonest?" We are mates. There is a bond between us. It might not be genuine love, but it could be the start of something beautiful.

I peek up at him, and he is glaring at me, the calm demeanor in his eyes swept away.

"What do you mean?" He growls.

I'm afraid to tell him, but I got nothing to lose.

"I can tell that you are falling for me too. And it's not only the mate-bond; it goes way deeper than that. I think you are-..."

"Get out,"

Ariel is walking away from me. I want to run after him and throw my arms around him, but I'm too frightened.

"Fine..." I whisper and stare down at the floor. I pull up my pants and get down from his desk in one swift motion. "But you know that I'm right, and that's why I won't reject you. I still haven't given up on you,"

As soon as I've stepped out of his office and safely entered the elevator, I sink down to cry. Ariel did these beautiful things to me, and then he rejected me as his mate. My heart shatters thinking about it, and I'm pathetically trying to pick up the pieces while tears are dripping down on the floor.