by Tasha Black
He glanced at the Caller ID.
“Hey, Mom,” he said with a smile, stepping out of his office and onto the catwalk that overlooked the massive entryway to Harkness Assets, Ltd.
“Derek, are you behaving yourself?” Kate Harkness barked, her straightforward manner making him smile.
“I’m trying my best,” he admitted.
“Well, we all know that’s true,” she said. “When are you coming home?”
“It’s a little early. Harvest Festival isn’t until next month.”
“We have more to celebrate this year. It’s your 300th moon, you remember that, right?” she asked impatiently.
Oh boy.
“Do you, uh, think that’s a real thing?” Derek hedged.
“Do you think Gloria Cortez would do magic that didn’t work? Yes, I think it’s real.”
“Work is very hectic—” he began.
“Don’t even try it. I’ll expect you home by the end of the week,” she said firmly. “If you don’t show up, I’m sending someone after you. Are we clear?”
Why had he thought he could argue?
“Yeah, Mom, I’ll be there,” he assured her.
“Good boy. I love you and I’m proud of you,” she told him. “The kids are cooking up a storm, hope you’re ready.”
“I’m ready,” he smiled, thinking of all his little foster brothers making corned beef and cabbage and freezing pies to prepare for the homecoming of the first group of Harkness kids.
“Okay. Go check out your hip when you have a sec. Bye!”
She hung up before he could ask what the hell she was talking about.
Check his hip?
“Mr. Harkness, your four o’clock is here,” Lena said from the doorway.
Lena was very attractive with her long legs, pixie-cut hair, and seemingly endless array of tight skirts. But Derek had stopped carrying on with the assistants long ago. It had tripled his productivity.
The way she was studying him today was more intense than usual, though. Her lips parted slightly and her pulse thrummed at the base of her neck.
Oh hell, he could smell the arousal coming off her, under a thin layer of fruity perfume.
The bear in his head stood and shook himself off, ready to claim her. Derek fought him down.
Why was the bear so insistent? Maybe there was more to this 300th moon thing than he thought.
He needed to remove the distraction.
“Lena,” he said to the ground, not wanting to make things worse. “Would you please do a quick coffee run? The usual.”
“Huh?” she said, snapping back to herself. “Oh. Yes. Absolutely, Mr. Harkness.”
But she still stood there for a few seconds before scurrying away - like maybe it had taken her longer than it should have to recover from the chemistry of the moment. She’d definitely caught him checking her out by accident a couple of times before, but this was different.
If this did have to do with his 300th moon, it was a bad sign. It wasn’t even dark yet.
Derek took a deep breath. He had to get hold of his body before stepping into his next meeting.
Naturally, the bear was still pacing in his chest, eager to explore and claim the tasty female.
Go back to sleep, Derek implored it. Please.
THE END of Chapter One of Bait This!: A 300 Moons Book.
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Tasha Black lives in a big old Victorian in a tiny college town. She loves reading anything she can get her hands on, writing paranormal romance, and sipping pumpkin spice lattes.
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