by Riley Storm
Jax opened his mouth to speak, but a faint yet bright glow of pure light around the outline of the Raptere King convinced him that perhaps it was not the best of ideas.
After all, not many who tangled with a Phoenix lived to tell the tale.
It’s fine. You don’t need them anyway. Convince the others to join together, and Raptere will come then.
“Very well,” Jax said instead, dipping his head again and taking his leave, heading back through the gate.
So far, he was doing a great job. His brothers would be proud of him and his efforts.
So you’re a little rusty. You can still get the job done. Just don’t screw up again.
He would need to give his full attention to the next House he visited. There could be no distractions, especially not any that stood about five-five and wore thick-rimmed glasses hiding a pair of beautiful green eyes.
Definitely none of those…
7
This is a bad idea.
Sarah couldn’t shake the thought, even as she pulled into the parking lot. On the horizon the sky was bright, the sun having already emerged over the trees and casting its rays upon the new morning. She squinted behind her sunglasses as she pulled into a spot that faced directly at the glowing ball.
“Remember, you aren’t doing this for yourself. This is for Grandma. She needs the support, and you owe her one after how she took you in. Just remember that, and you’ll be fine.” She gripped the steering wheel tight. “Besides, you probably won’t even see him. You’ll be in the basement behind a computer, just the way you like it, and he’ll be in his fancy office, doing whatever it is he pretends to do to appear important. That’s all. No big deal. You can do this, Sarah!”
The pep talk didn’t help much. Her mood was still apprehensive and slightly irritated at how life had forced her into the situation. Sarah didn’t want to take the job, but the lack of income and the need to pay the bills meant she had to take it. A job offered to her by Jax Drakon, another rich snob who once again had gotten his way. She hated that her circumstances meant she’d given him what he’d wanted, namely her, as an employee.
That’s all he’s getting from me, I swear it. No more.
Buoyed by her defiance, she left the car behind and strode into the entrance. This time, her confidence didn’t waver. Sarah had been knocked down, but she wasn’t about to stay there. She was going to take this job, and she was going to milk it for every dollar she could. It wasn’t much, but it would be her way of sticking it to Jax and his rich family.
The same overly-enthusiastic face was behind the reception desk in the lobby again. Smiling, Sarah walked over to him.
“Hi, I’m Sarah Mingott, I know this might sound weird, but apparently I’m working here now?” she said, not really sure what else to say. Jax hadn’t exactly given her any other details, so she assumed he had worked it out with people.
“Of course, yes. Mrs. Mingott, Jax told me all about you.”
“Just Miss,” she corrected politely, wondering if that was an honest mistake, or an attempt to fish for information from Jax—she doubted the gentleman behind the counter would make such a mistake on purpose.
“Right, my apologies. Here is your welcome package.”
He grabbed a thick envelope that had been sitting on the desk right next to him. It was labeled with her name. Sarah frowned at that. Not only had she been expected, but she was clearly important enough to have the letter cluttering up his workspace so it was immediately available upon her arrival. She didn’t like that. It meant Jax was taking too much of an interest in her.
“You’re going to want to go back into the elevator on the left,” the receptionist said, twisting in his chair and pointing at the back of the lobby. “Then you want floor C. You’ll need to swipe this to get it to work.” He added a keycard to the top of the envelope.
“What do I do when I’m up there?” she asked, looking past him, then up the lobby to where the ceiling ended. How far up was floor C? Why wasn’t she on the lower floors?
“Uh, I don’t know.” He seemed flustered, giving her a helpless shrug. “That’s all I was told, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, giving him a tight smile. “Thank you for your help.”
Hefting the envelope and keycard, she headed off across the lobby, a sinking sensation filling her stomach as she entered the elevator and swiped the keycard before pressing the button labeled ‘Floor C’.
It was the third from the top.
“What the hell are you up to, Jax?” she muttered to herself as the doors closed with a pleasant chime. “What game are you playing now?”
The elevator whisked her upward, depositing her on ‘C’ just a few seconds later, with barley any sensation of movement. Sarah stepped out, and the feeling in her stomach only grew worse. The furnishings were elaborate up here. Finely decorated wooden panels on the walls, swooping gold curves lining the hallway, guiding her to the end where a female sat behind a desk made of what appeared to be real wood, not the pressboard crap bought from most stores.
“Hi,” she said tentatively. “I’m Sarah Mingott. I was told to report here?”
The woman looked up only once before she spoke, giving her a slow once-over. Whatever she saw, she didn’t seem all that impressed. She nodded once. “Yes. You’re to go right in,” she said, pointing over her shoulder at a set of double doors.
She dismissed Sarah from her mind then, bending back over the computer, typing away.
Instead of standing there and asking more uncomfortable questions, Sarah lifted her chin and walked around the desk. “Have a great day,” she said with over-the-top sweetness and pushed open one of the doors before the receptionist could respond.
Then she stopped short.
“What the hell is this?” she asked as Jax looked up from behind an even larger, more expensive-looking desk than the one out in the hallway. “Why am I up here in your office?”
If he thought she was that easy, that he could give her a job and she would just come to his office in the morning and service him, then he was in for a rude surprise.
“Sarah,” Jax said excitedly, getting to his feet and coming around the desk. “So good to see you.” He glanced at the clock. “And right on time too, excellent. I like that.”
“I’m a good employee,” she said stiffly, staring up into his face as he came closer. Why did he have to be so easy on the eyes?
He stopped two paces away from her. A moment later, a sweet yet rugged aroma tickled her nose. And he smells so good. This isn’t fair.
“I had no doubt that you would be. That’s why I chose you for the job,” he said, breaking into that easy, slightly lopsided grin that she knew would be absolutely devastating in the right circumstances.
“Yeah. Like you chose Veronica out there?” she said wryly, stepping around Jax and looking his office over.
“Veronica?” he asked, puzzled.
“Never mind,” she said. “Why am I here? Where’s my desk? When can I get logged in and to work on whatever it is that you need me for?”
“The desk is still on its way,” Jax said. “But I was thinking it would go nicely over in this corner.” He swung his arm to indicate a mostly empty corner of the office. There was a small table and three stiff-backed chairs against the wall as if it was meant to be a waiting area. It would be easily cleaned out. Except for one problem.
She eyed him suspiciously. “And the rest of the team? Where are their desks? Who is the supervisor? Why would I have a desk in your office?” she finished stiffly, not liking where things were going at all.
“Shouldn’t any assistant be close to her boss?” Jax asked, his thick eyebrows coming together as he frowned.
“Assistant?” she scoffed, her initial suspicions having been proven correct. He had other ideas for her besides code monkey. “I didn’t apply to be your assistant, Jax. I’m here to code, to do network administration stuff. Things that I’m good at, that I have skil
l at. I’m not going to be your personal gopher.”
Jax’s frown deepened, his forehead wrinkling as he crossed his arms. “I don’t understand. This is a better job. More money. I thought you would be happy?”
She bit back the hot retort that immediately came to mind, about not wanting his charity. Sarah had to tiptoe here to a certain degree, ensuring she kept a job, without taking this job.
“I don’t want any handouts, Jax. I’m not looking for charity,” she said gently. “I just want a job that I can do, that I enjoy, that I got because I’m good at it. Not because you decided to take pity on me. I’m not that type of person. Can you understand that?”
By this point, Jax was flustered, looking around the office, then down at his shoes. “Do you have a problem with me?” he asked abruptly, changing the topic. “Because I feel like you have this hate-on for me when you don’t even know me. Did I do something to you?”
Sarah winced. “No. I do not hate you, Jax. Not personally at least. I’m just happy to be behind a computer, doing the things I went to school for, that I’ve kept training toward. That’s the job I want.”
“I see.” He obviously wasn’t buying her excuse completely, having heard the hesitation in her voice.
The truth was, she didn’t hate him. Sarah had no opinion on Jax Drakon specifically. Rich men in positions of power over her? That was a different story entirely, especially when they took an unwanted interest in her. And when they looked so good, and smelled so good, and made her knees wobbly and her—
Stop it. Stop that right now. Jax is no different, just because he’s attractive. He knows that, and he’ll use it to get any advantage he can. Remember that! Don’t fall for his trap. Don’t.
“Is there a job like that for me here or not, Jax?” she asked with a sudden surge of confidence. Maybe she could use his apparent interest in her to get what she wanted.
“Um. I’ll see,” he said, turning swiftly and pacing back behind his desk. “Sit. Let me see what I can do.”
The last thing Sarah wanted to do was spend more time in his office, in close proximity to Jax, but she didn’t see how she had much of a choice in the matter. After all, if he got her the job she truly wanted, then it would be a small price to pay.
So she walked over to his desk and sat in the plush chair opposite, keeping her spine straight and not letting herself relax.
Relaxing around Jax would be very, very bad. Simply put, Sarah didn’t trust herself around him.
Not one bit.
8
Jax didn’t want her to go.
Unfortunately, he just didn’t see a way to keep her around, to get her to stay. Whatever it was that she had an issue with, he could tell she wasn’t going to accept the position as his assistant. That much she’d made clear to him in fairly stark terms.
If only you could tell me what it is that has you so up in arms about me.
Jax was positive they had never met. He’d only recently completed his training and lessons on the new, modern world. Much had changed since he’d entered the deep sleep of dragons, and it had taken some time to get used to the changes, especially the massive advances in technology.
Because of this, he could recollect most of the past two and a half weeks, and all the people he’d met throughout it. Until he’d seen her in the lobby two days ago, he had never encountered her before. There was simply no way he would forget a face as beautiful as hers.
Even now as he typed away at his computer, pretending to be looking for somewhere for her to go, he stole surreptitious glances past the screen, admiring the soft lines of her face, and wishing for the hundredth time that she wouldn’t hide behind those glasses. She was beautiful, and he felt the world should get to see it.
“How’s the search going?” she asked after a few minutes.
Jax looked up, flashing his brightest smile at her. “Just talking to a few department heads,” he lied. “Trying to figure out where you would fit best here at the Drakon Outreach Center.”
“I see.”
She didn’t believe him, and she was making it clear.
Too bad.
It wasn’t just Jax who felt the need to have her around. Ever since she’d walked in smelling of lilac and summer freshness, his dragon had been going crazy, acting up inside him, desperately trying to get him to move closer to her.
There was something about this woman, something important. He doubted it was simply a physical need. Rarely had his dragon acted up simply because he needed sex. If that was all it was, he could have walked out of his office and had Jessie, his receptionist, on her desk. She wanted him and wanted him badly enough that he could smell her pheromones every time he walked by.
Probably why she wasn’t overly nice to Sarah.
He made a mental note to get a new receptionist.
There was no sense in stalling any further, and so he pulled up the internal message system and sent off a line to Jared, the internal head of IT, asking him where to use someone like her. It would probably be several minutes before he got a response, so he leaned back and eyed Sarah yet again.
When she’d initially turned down his offer, Jax had been surprised to learn he was a little hurt by it. He’d been so confident that she would be ecstatic at the position, at the increased pay, better benefits, everything outlined in the paperwork in her welcome envelope, that she would leap at the chance.
Instead, she’d said she didn’t want his charity. That she just wanted a regular job. Sarah Mingott so desperately did not want to be near him, that she was willing to give that all up. Yeah, that hurt more than he was willing to admit.
It’s not like she doesn’t need the money either. Her grandmother’s house isn’t falling apart, but it needs repairs, and work done, that much is obvious. So what the hell did I do to make her turn down the opportunity to fix all that?
His fingers went back to the computer, sending out another message to Jared. There had to be some way he could convince her that he genuinely wanted to help. So he told Jared to make sure that wherever he put her, that she had the absolute best equipment. No holds barred, top of the top of the line, and to bill it to him directly, not the Outreach Center.
The only response he got from Jared was ‘Ok. But that will take a few days. She’ll have to handle the mundane equipment until then.’ He could just imagine the man’s sigh. But what was he going to do, say no to one of the Drakon brothers?
Being the boss has to have a few perks.
“They’re just setting up a desk for you now,” he said, typing a reply to that effect. “It’ll be a little bit before they’re ready for you.”
“Thank you,” Sarah said, a bit of genuine relief in her voice.
But Jax wasn’t letting her get that away that easy.
“So, while we wait,” he said, leaning back in his chair, looking at her over the monitor. “Tell me some more about you.”
Sarah sat upright, growing even stiffer if that was at all possible. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. The usual background information,” he said, waving a hand. “Who are you, where are you from, that sort of thing.”
“It’s on my resume,” she said dryly. “Or did you only use that to figure out where I lived so you could stalk me?”
Jax nodded slowly. “I suppose I had that one coming,” he admitted, smiling, letting her know she wasn’t going to best him that easily. “But no, I didn’t get it off your resume. So you can tell me now.”
She sighed, looking down, then back up at him, down again, then finally meeting his eyes. “My name is Sarah Mingott, and I grew up outside of Boston. I moved here three years ago. I’m an information technology professional. I’ve done programmer jobs and I’m also certified in network administration, though I’ve never done that in a full-time job, only part-time on the side. There, is that good?”
Ignoring the hostility, Jax shrugged. “Why’d you move to Plymouth Falls? Boston seems like a much better bet for higher-paying jobs
in your field.”
He wasn’t sure what sort of response he’d been expecting, but the sudden wave of emotion that played over her face was not it. There were far too many different looks for him to interpret, but they told him one thing. Her departure from Boston hadn’t been a pleasant one.
Ex-boyfriend, perhaps? Some sort of traumatic incident maybe?
“I…came here to look after my grandmother,” she said at last.
It was a lie. They both knew it. Jax wanted to press, to dig for more information on the intriguing woman, but he didn’t. Not on this issue. Whatever it was, she would have to open up to him to talk about it. Pushing, he sensed, would only make her close herself off even more.
You’re going to open up to me eventually, Sarah Mingott. No matter how much money I have to spend to convince you I’m for real.
9
He was stalling.
Sarah couldn’t think of any other reason he would still be keeping her in his office. It should have been as simple as him picking up the phone, calling down to the IT department head, explaining the situation, and sending her on her way.
Instead, Jax had done it all via computer, so she couldn’t see what he was actually doing, or what he was saying. Also by doing that, he’d given himself time to wait for a reply. Time he was using to try and figure her out, to pry into her life.
Not for the first time Sarah thought about calling him out on it. Telling him that she wasn’t stupid, she was aware of what he was doing. That no matter how polite and interested he seemed, she wasn’t going to sleep with him for a job. It wasn’t going to happen. So, either send her on her way or tell her to go home.
“Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday?” she asked as silence lingered after his little round of questioning. “That you wanted me to come be your assistant, instead of what I’d applied for?”
