by Bonnar King
“Tony, come here,” I said when I watched him brooding over a page for five minutes.
Tony nodded abruptly before marching towards my desk. He held the tablet and stylus I’d given him for note-taking, his eyes trained on the desk.
“I want you to explain to me why you’re acting upset right now.”
“I’m not upset,” Tony said automatically, his voice polite. But his mouth firmed, and there was none of the humor that flashed in his eyes before.
I tilted my head. “Work problems?”
“I don’t have work problems,”Tony replied.
“So, you’re perfectly happy here?”
“Absolutely.”
“Sex problems, then?” I couldn’t resist throwing out.
Tony’s head jerked up and his eyes met mine. He broke it off quickly and shook his head. “No. I’d better get back to work. Anything else you needed, Mr. Shaw?”
“Caden,” I corrected.
“Mr. Shaw—”
“Caden.”
“Anything else you need, Caden?”
I grinned. “No. Carry on.”
Tony marched back towards his desk.
And he never once looked back in my direction.
I was willing to let Tony off the hook if it was a one-time thing. But over the next few days that lasted to almost two weeks, his attitude towards me steadily grew worse. Oh, he was still calm and professional. He still did his job—in fact, he excelled at it, proving to me daily that he wasn’t just a pretty face like I’d initially thought. He had smarts and was resourceful, with the organization skills of an army general.
But gone was the warmth he once had, despite its slow start. Gone was the sponge who eagerly absorbed all my advice during our one-on-one proposal reviews, and in its place was some robotic person that felt like a stranger to me.
Where the hell was Tony, the sassy omega that I hired?
But that wasn’t all. Tony was also doing a lot of overtime—too much overtime, if you ask me. He was practically taking on work that should last him weeks and finishing them all within a few days, which left him tired and floating. He was also avoiding me—not blatantly, but it seemed like we never had a chance to be alone again. He disappeared as soon as our meetings were done, only returning when I was with a client or busy with something.
I didn’t like it.
On his umpteenth overtime session—which also happened to be the day my last meeting ran late—I found Tony still sitting at his desk and doing writing up a report. I strode over and placed my hands on his desk, effectively making him pause and look up.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Tony said quickly. He arranged his files and stood up, then quickly headed towards the door with a nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Oh no, you don’t.
My strides were longer. I blocked the doorway before he could escape.
“Tony, I swear to God if you don’t tell me what’s wrong—”
“Please stop sending me gifts,” Tony said coolly, burning me with a look. It was a look full of the same upset expression I’d witnessed before, along with something else—something deeper that baffled me.
“You don’t like the gifts?” I asked.
“They’re lovely,” Tony said firmly. “But whatever you do, you can’t buy me.”
Where was all this coming from? What had changed?
Tony was almost on the verge of glaring at me, but he seemed to change his mind at the last second. He stared at the doorknob, where I had my hand on, his lips pressed firmly as he stubbornly waited for me to remove it.
Just as stubbornly, I stared him down.
It could have lasted just seconds, but it felt like such a long time. Tony eventually looked up. I got lost in his eyes and the hurt I was seeing there, right before he cleared his expression. He was damn good at that, and I didn’t have the patience for it. I could have stayed there until he gave up.
But we were interrupted by a knock.
With a muttered oath, I opened it. Kevin was on the other side, smiling at me before turning to Tony.
“Dinner?” Kevin asked. He looked at me again, more uncertainly this time as he finally noticed my expression. “I mean, only if I’m not interrupting…”
“You’re not,” Tony replied. Then he was out the door before I could stop him, with Kevin calling out a cheerful goodbye in my direction.
I slammed the door shut when they were gone. Fuck! I missed his smart mouth and his usually energetic presence. I missed it when he gave me a piece of his mind about the business, because it gave me the challenge I needed to keep me grounded and on my toes.
And I still wanted him. Goddamn. The desire only intensified now that he was ignoring me. This was a first for an alpha like me. I never had to chase any omega before in my entire life.
I was going to get to the bottom of this. Did Tony think he could play this game with me, whatever this was?
Two can play this game!
And sooner or later, he was going to find that out.
8
Tony
That damn alpha was persistent. It was something I had to give him credit for—except I really, really didn’t want to give him credit for anything at all. So, I kept ignoring him, hoping he’d get the picture that I just wasn’t interested and just leave me the hell alone. Him going after me just meant my job kept getting more and more at risk, and I just couldn’t afford it at this time. This was my only source of income, and I didn’t want to bother my family with financial problems. I had huge college loans still to pay off and the last thing I needed to hear was a ‘we told you so’ from my parents, who wanted me to just settle down with an alpha and make babies.
Despite me ignoring Caden, I still did my work—spectacularly, I might add. I submitted report after report, finishing all the reviews and paperwork assigned to me early, and had set Caden’s schedule so smoothly that he wouldn’t have any excuse to come to me to complain or talk about it at all. I attended board meetings and private meetings, was always by Caden’s side at all times as we worked through each day. But I kept myself strictly professional, not uttering a single word to him unless absolutely necessary.
Heck, I even made sure I was never alone in the office in places where he could sneak up on me, because I was afraid that I would still allow myself to be seduced and taken by him.
I was still very attracted to Caden. I wasn’t exactly the first ever omega to be attracted to an asshole alpha. So sue me.
I was feeling pretty confident in how I decided to separate my work life from my personal life, and things were looking up—until I heard the screech of a car before it stopped beside me, the door opened.
I’d recognize his Rolls Royce anywhere.
“Get in.”
I shook my head, refusing to look at Caden. We were right in front of the building, and I could see out of the corner of my eye that people were glancing at us curiously as they passed by.
“No, thank you,” I clipped out, forcing myself to be polite. “I have somewhere to go.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“No, thank you—”
“Get in the damn car, Tony, or I’m going to get out of this car and give you a very large gift outside for everyone to see.”
I glared at him, suddenly furious. Caden smirked at me, and I could swear his eyes were gleaming from behind his sunglasses. Glancing one more time to check that no one from the building was looking, I hurriedly got in and slammed the door, crossing my arms and looking straight ahead. The car cruised on quickly, with none of us saying a word to each other until we exited the street.
“You know, Mr. Shaw, you can’t just force people to do your bidding like that all the time,” I bit out, unable to stop myself. “It’s highly unethical.”
“You got in the car, didn’t you? And it’s Caden. Stop it with that Mr. Shaw nonsense.”
It was said so casually and offhandedly that I couldn’t help but glare a
t him again. “I got in the car because people were watching and are probably going to speculate again!”
“Again?”
Realizing I was saying too much, I snapped my mouth shut and straightened again. I could feel him looking at me out of the corner of his eye, but surprisingly enough, he didn’t persist. Instead, he kept driving until we were out of the city’s busy streets, heading in the direction of my apartment. That made me feel better, though I still did not let my guard down in case he got any bright ideas of inviting himself in for ‘coffee’.
But again, Caden did none of that. He stopped just beside the building where my apartment unit was located, but didn’t unlock the car. I kept staring ahead, willing him to give up and just let the subject drop.
Wishful thinking, of course.
“So, I’m right? You don’t want people knowing that I’m the one giving you gifts?” Caden asked, removing his sunglasses. I wished he hadn’t, because I didn’t want to see those piercing blue eyes right now. They were too intense, as if they could see right through whatever poker face I put on.
Yes, that was partly the reason why I didn’t want to get in his car. But it was so much more than that. I was afraid of what I would do if I stayed.
“So, you hired me because you saw me before the interview and thought I was a hot piece of omega ass?” I blurted out. His eyes widened considerably and it was the first time I’d ever seen him look uncomfortable.
“I can explain—”
“Explain how worthless you think I am? How you made me your personal assistant just because I was a wager with your friend and you wanted to fuck me?”
Irritated at the thought all over again, I placed my hand on the door handle and shot him a look. He gave me a look back, stubbornly refusing to open it.
“Let me out.”
“No.”
“I said let me out,” I snapped out.
“You’re not just a pretty face to me.”
“Stop lying.”
“I don’t lie,” Caden growled out, his voice turning hard. I stared at him, watching his eyes turn frosty as he gave me a hard look. “You can call me all kinds of things you want, but I’m not a damn liar.”
My rational mind told me how right that was. Bitterly, I shook my head and decided to just let the topic go.
But Caden’s next words stopped me.
“You’re the most efficient personal assistant I’ve had. I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me and the company. I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s true I hired you for all the wrong reasons, which was not ethical and was a total abuse of my power, but you have proven yourself to be more than capable of doing your job.”
I turned to look at him again, and he looked me right back in the eye without fear. I don’t know where I got the courage to treat my boss like this, but I kept the eye contact. Because I did, I was able to see one thing clear: he meant every word that he said.
Just like that, the fight went out of me. I nodded my head at him, wanting to leave it at that. It was a starting point. To my relief, the door unlocked, giving me a chance to escape before things escalated. I just wanted a moment to breathe. His alpha scent was driving my hormones wild, and so was his nearness.
It was too much.
“Fine. I believe you,” I said in a steady voice. “This is a strictly working relationship now.”
“No, it isn’t.”
My eyes widened in shock. I started to open the door, but froze when he leaned forward. Immediately, his scent assaulted my senses, the same combination of pine and alpha male that was both strong and sexy. I could feel his body’s warmth, just inches away from mine. It was intoxicating.
Panicking at where my thoughts were going, I began talking.
“But you just said that I’m the best personal assistant you’ve had.”
“You are.”
“Then this is a working—”
“But working relationship is the last thing in my mind right now.”
His eyes flared. His gaze dropped to my mouth, right before he dragged it back up and pinned me with its intensity. My breath caught in my throat. My heart raced. I told myself to say something. Anything.
Instead, I licked my suddenly dry lips.
Caden followed the movement, his breathing turning erratic. Mine wasn’t any better.
Then Caden had his hand at the back of my neck and was pulling me towards him, closing the distance between us. I only had a moment to gasp before his mouth was covering mine, and whatever heat I was feeling from him spread through my body like wildfire.
There were sparks.
There was fire.
It was all so instant, all so abrupt, and all I could do was hold on for dear life as his mouth moved against mine, hard and firm and all sorts of wonderful. I resisted—or at least, I told myself I did, because I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I gave in at the first few seconds. But I opened my mouth, as much a test for myself as a curiosity of what it would be like to be kissed by the sexiest alpha alive.
Almost immediately, the angle of the kiss changed, growing more thorough. I tasted mint and his warm breath, and my hands went up to his chest—whether to pull him closer or push him off, I wasn’t sure. I responded to his kiss, pressed my body against his, until I felt the groan come out of his mouth, low and sexy and sending shivers down my spine.
His tongue came out and slid inside my mouth, exploring every inch of me and finally tangling with mine. He kissed me like I was the only person he wanted, and the only person he needed to sustain him at the moment. Like I was the only one that mattered.
I was burning with desire.
I was drowning in this delicious moment, the tingling travelling in between my legs—hot, throbbing. My cock stiffening by the second.
And I felt him—his body hot and hard, but something harder pressing against my stomach and pulsing insistently.
It was like a douse of cold water. Just as my hands had started crumpling his shirt, I pushed Caden away. There was no resistance on his end as he ended the kiss, looking at me with blatant desire and hunger in his eyes. It made electricity travel down my body, begging for his touch. He was still so close.
Caden leaned down to whisper a breath on my neck, and I almost moaned.
“Go out with me,” Caden said in a low tone.
“No,” I said, refusing to let my voice shake.
Then I was getting out of the car and walking away, which took every ounce of willpower I possessed.
There was no protest from Caden, not even a word. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. But as I walked on shaky legs towards my apartment, I did know one thing.
As much as it was delicious to kiss Caden, I had to remember he was the boss. I was his conquest.
And my dignity was more important.
9
Caden
“Here are the finished reports, Caden.”
A hand reached out with folders, but I ignored the folders and focused on the hand—particularly, the sexy omega it was attached to. The cloud over his head was gone, replaced by a smiling vision.
Except he was smiling at my client and not at me.
“Thank you, Tony,” I replied.
My client, James Stanton, looked at him as well. There was a certain appreciative gleam in his eyes that I wasn’t sure I liked. In turn, I waited for Tony to leave before giving James a warning glance.
His gaze had stayed on Tony’s butt until he sat back down at his corner desk. When his eyes returned to me, he watched my reaction for a second before sheepishly holding up his hands.
“Fine. Apparently, you have a no-looking policy,” James muttered.
Because I knew James enough to know he wouldn’t go beyond looking, I let it slide. But it still bothered me. For some reason, the thought of anyone else ogling Tony and imagining how he looked without his clothes had me wanting to fly into a rage, which was unusual. I was never the possessive jealous type when it came to
omegas. I could have my pick at the snap of my fingers. I treated them all well, of course—but under no circumstances did I ever commit to one.
But Tony was the one omega who refused to come at the snap of my fingers.
Perhaps that was why I didn’t want other alphas eyeing him up—because I hadn’t had him first. I needed to get him out of my system, and the only way to do that was to touch, taste and know what he’d be like in bed. When that was done, then all sexual tension would be gone and I wouldn’t be this obsessed with him anymore.
I hadn’t had sex with anyone since I met Tony—and that was saying something.
James and I discussed the deal he wanted before he left. When he was gone, I stood up, intent on calling Tony over and calculating how much time I could work on seducing him before my next meeting. Maybe I could get a taste of those sweet lips again, if I did it right.
Our kiss flashed in my mind, and desire rushed in my body like fine wine.
But the phone suddenly rang at Tony’s side, and he picked it up. A few seconds later, I saw his eyes widen as he noted down a message. When he hung up, he turned to me.
“Mr. Wong wants to meet you for dinner tonight.”
Well. That was fast. I hadn’t been expecting a response in at least a few months.
“Tony?”
“Yes?”
“Can you contact my tailor and have him bring a suit to be tailored to the office by noon today and pay for it with the company account.”
Tony shot me a puzzled look, but didn’t say anything. We both got busy as my next meeting came up and he took notes.
When the meeting was done, he confirmed that the suit was already on its way.
“Good,” I said. “You can wear it tonight.”
Tony’s eyes widened. He looked at me like I was crazy.
In response, I stood up until I was towering over him. Electricity crackled in the air between us, strong and fiery. His eyes flared with the awareness of it, but he concentrated on the topic at hand.
