Jada turned and made a beeline for the door.
She was fucking gorgeous. Even from the back. The way her hips worked and the way her plump ass twitched when she walked out the door gave me an erection as hard as granite. My wolf was hungry, but it wasn’t for lunch. If she weren’t my PA, I’d have already pounced. I had never been one to deny my wolf what he wanted. And this was the first time in years that my wolf had wanted something so badly.
But none of that could happen. I was a professional, a man of integrity. I would not risk everything I’d built over a flash of lust.
Chapter Six
Ivan
The next morning, I had made a promise to myself that I’d treat Jada as any boss would his employee. She was attractive; so were a lot of other employees here. I had hired her to be my personal assistant. That’s it. She was here to help me make my work easier. I was going to have to practice some self-control, not just preach it.
My coffee was waiting on me at nine a.m. just like I expected. My agenda was folded out neatly on my desk ready for me to begin my day.
I wasn’t the only one in the office today. Aside from Jada, the main receptionist, and I, one of the other executives had come in this morning. I could hear my business partner and pack mate’s voice booming on the other end with in a heated discussion with one of his clients. Johnathan led our customer relations department, so he handled lots of complaints for us.
My brother Sebastian and I were the sole owners here, and we were active participants in the steering of the company. My late father wouldn’t have it any other way. Before he passed, he made us promise we would run the firm together and not sell it off to foreigners, or worse, humans. Truth was, I wouldn’t have it any other way either. Vetrov Corporation had been part of our family for decades and my brother and I planned to pass the wealth on to our children. If we had them…
The way things were going, I couldn’t predict when any of us would get married. Sebastian enjoyed being the playboy of the century, and after a nasty split with an ex I hardly trusted anyone.
My mind lingered back to Jada, the woman who had me confused about what her true intentions were. I had a right to be suspicious of her.
After taking several sips of my coffee and reveling in the way the warm beverage was made so perfectly, warming my insides and knocking off a little of my morning tension, I hung up my jacket and wandered down the hall to reach Jada’s office.
Her door was open, but her lights were switched off. Her office was facing a nice sky view, so plenty of light drifted into the small space. She hadn’t seen me come in and she kept her attention fixed on whatever was on her computer screen.
I cleared my throat.
She jumped from her chair and onto her feet. And she remained that way. Standing with that Oh-God-I’ve-been-caught-deer-in-the-headlights look. She straightened her skirt, smoothing it down over her luscious ass.
“Ivan. I didn’t hear you come in,” she said, breathlessly.
I glanced at my watch. “Well, it is a little past nine.”
“I guess I lost track of time. I’ve been working on your uh…contact book,” she said, then sat down quickly. She slid the computer mouse around and closed a few screens on the wide-screen monitor.
“Really? Let’s see what you’ve done so far.”
“Um, it’s not ready yet,” she said, quickly.
“Okay…”
“I should be done late this afternoon and have it done for you by tomorrow morning though.”
“Hmmm. That’s fast. I honestly didn’t expect you’d be done with that until next week,” I said.
“Your writing is clear and I type quickly.” She smiled.
The closer I came to the desk, the more I felt the nervous tension rising in the room. Hers, not mine.
“I want you to stop working on the contact book for right now,” I told her, walking behind the desk. “There’s something more pressing that I need you to complete for me and I need this by three p.m.”
Jada grabbed a pad and a pen. “What do you need?”
“I’m going to show you.”
I leaned over her shoulder and placed my palm on top of her hand. My large hand swallowed up her tiny ones. Her skin was soft and her fingers were warm to the touch. She smelled of oranges, probably from her soap, and her hair smelled like fresh flowers. She didn’t wear her hair clipped in a bun today, so I couldn’t admire her long perfect neck. I did, however, have the urge to press my face against her hair which hung in waves against her shoulders.
I moved our hands over the mouse and directed the cursor where I wanted it. Out of the blue, one of the websites she was looking at when I entered the room popped up.
The headline read: Do we have our very own shapeshifter pack here in Red Beach Valley?
I’d seen the story before. A long time ago. This was old news. Why was she pulling this up now?
I briefly skimmed the article and then scrolled backed through the other websites. All of her recent searches led me to one conclusion. She knew that I was a wolf shifter. She’d even gone as far as linking my family name with the wolf pack I was pledged to.
She slipped her hand from under mine and said, “I…um…I’m so sorry. I wasn’t trying to pry. I was just trying to understand you.”
“Understand me?”
She nodded.
“What do you want to understand?”
“One minute you’re nice and then the next you’re a complete asshole,” she said, with a straight face.
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. It had been the first time any employee had called me an asshole to my face. I was sure select employees had choice words to say behind my back, but no one had ever said anything of this caliber to my face. Only this woman. The most irresistible woman that I’d ever laid eyes on had called me an asshole.
“That’s quite an assessment,” I said.
“I still don’t know if you’re a…” She shook her head. “I thought maybe if you were one of them, then it’s why you might have split personalities.”
“Split personalities?”
“Yes.”
“You think I’m a shifter?”
She nodded. “I know you are.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Do you really want to understand me, Jada?”
“Yes. I work for you now. If I’m going to help you be the best, I want to understand you.” She was being sincere. I could sense it.
“Why would you want to work for someone if you think they have split personalities?” I countered.
“I don’t run away from my responsibilities. I signed a contract and I intend to see it through. I’ve worked with many assholes in the last decade. I’ve even had bosses whose personalities conflicted with mine. I made it a point to understand why and where they were coming from because I still had a job to do. I’m sorry I looked it up. I was just curious.”
I pulled up a chair and took a seat next to her. “I’m not angry, but you could have just asked me. It’s why you signed a confidentiality agreement.”
“I figured that was why,” she said.
“And you knew…but you still agreed to work for me. Why?”
“It makes no difference to me who you are. I mean it does, but…I don’t think you’re acting like an asshole because you’re a shifter.”
I grinned. “Maybe you should’ve been a psychiatrist.”
She laughed softly. “Sometimes I think I need a psychiatrist. After my divorce, I went through some counseling to help me move on, but that’s about it.”
“Well, haven’t you…moved on?”
“No…I mean, yes. Actually what I mean is I’m totally over him, but I’m not dating or anything.”
Sadness washed over her and I felt bad for leading the conversation to this place. I didn’t want her angry or sad. I liked seeing her happy. It had been so long since a woman’s laugh affected me the way hers did. Plus, I had to admit that I was silently pleased that she wasn’t dating.
Was I selfish to want her all to myself?
“About what you said earlier…I don’t have a split personality, Jada. I’m just a man who’s been played before.”
“Played?”
“That doesn’t matter now. Like you, I’ve moved past that.”
My cell phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my pocket and glanced at it. I had less than fifteen minutes before my first conference call of the day. I could sit here all day with Jada, but the fact was, I had work to do.
She sighed. “So, I guess I’ve taken up enough of your time. What did you want me to complete by three this afternoon?”
“You’re going to research a list of local roofing contractors for me,” I said, pulling up one of my private folders.
The bridge of her nose wrinkled. “Roofing? As in for this building?”
“No. Roofing, as in for one of my homes. I know this is personal stuff but I really could use the help on this. Think you can do that.”
“Um…okay.”
The look on her face said it all. She wanted to tell me that checking on roofing contractors wasn’t part of her job description. I waited a few moments for her protest but none followed.
I stood up. “Thank you, Jada. You’ve been a big help already. When we have more time, we can talk about what I am. Maybe over lunch one day this week.”
“Sure.”
Chapter Seven
Ivan
The rest of the morning went by quickly. Between my conference calls and briefings with some heads in other departments, I’d barely had time to check in with Jada. She brought hot coffee in to my office almost every hour on the hour which was the only thing that kept me going. She fielded all my calls and emails as I had instructed which ensured that no client called me berating me for ignoring them. Between the coffee and Jada, those two things were like my life line today.
When I walked back in my office at noon, I was surprised to me my sandwich waiting for me on my desk. But when I went to check in on Jada, her office was empty.
I went back to my office and paged the main receptionist.
Rachel answered promptly. “Yes, Mr. Vetrov?”
“Did you see Jada leave?”
“Yes, Mr. Vetrov. She went downstairs to the cafe for lunch. She said she’d be back in twenty. Would you like me to have someone page her for you?”
“No, Rachel. I’m having lunch as well. When she gets back, tell her to come straight to my office.”
“Yes, Mr. Vetrov.”
I enjoyed lunch alone in my office while I worked through the mound of contracts piling up on my desk.
I almost didn’t hear the soft knock at my door
“Come in,” I called out.
“You wanted me?” Jada asked, softly, clasping a binder to her chest.
I grinned. “Yes, I do.”
She came into my office. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep my eyes off her, so I pushed my work aside.
“Close the door.”
She closed the door and then took a seat in front of my desk.
“Did you enjoy lunch?”
“Yes, the cafe downstairs has really good sub sandwiches,” she said.
“I’m glad you liked it. Maybe I’ll join you sometime.”
“Yes, maybe you can. Oh, I almost forgot. I have that list of contractors for you.” She opened the binder and passed me a sheet of paper.
I scanned the list. “Hmmm…would you do me a favor and schedule appointments with your top three choices? They’ll need to come out to this address on Saturday morning.” I handed her a card with the Vetrov estate’s address on it.
“I’ll be happy to do that, Ivan,” she said, leaning over and taking the card. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
“Is it about the other part of me?”
“No. It’s about what you hope to accomplish from me being here. According to your contract, you only have me for two months. The pay you offered was quite generous. Making coffee, answering phones and setting appointments is quite fine, but I thought I’d be doing something a little more hands on with you…as it was stated in the help wanted ad.”
“Yes, but I changed my mind. You’re well qualified. You could probably run this company if I ever needed it one day. However, now I need you in a different capacity.”
“How so?”
“How do I put this? You’re uh…”
How could I tell this woman she was a much needed distraction? How could I tell her that I preferred her hands on me and not on the mundane work I’d been giving her. I didn’t tell her. I had my answer. She was an employee, not a play-thing.
I rubbed my forehead. “You know what? I’ve got an idea. If this isn’t the type of work you were expecting, maybe we could put you in another division.”
“I’m sorry. What? Put me?”
I cleared my throat. This wasn’t coming off well. I wanted Jada, but not in the way we both expected. There was no easy way to tell her that I wanted to fire her and then fuck her. There was just no way to tell her that I was infatuated with everything about her. Just the sight of her ignited the promise of a mate. My wolf seemed to think that she was mine.
I ran my fingers through my hair. “This is um…about that other side of me…?”
“Yes…?”
“Sometimes we want things when the circumstances aren’t quite right,” I told her, doing my best to explain to her how my wolf was determined to have what he thought was already his.
She frowned. “Well, do you want me here or not?”
“Yes, I want you here, but…”
“But what?”
“Jada—”
She rose suddenly from the chair. “You know what? Just forget I asked that question. If you don’t think I’m right for the job, I understand. Just tell me. I don’t want to waste time. Not yours. And not mine.”
I stood and moved from behind my desk. “I hired you because I wanted you here. I want you here with me. But this isn’t how I imagined this would go. If I told you what I imagined, I don’t think you’d understand right now.”
She swallowed visibly and frowned. “I get it. You want a maid, not a PA. You want a yes-girl, right? Someone who won’t question or suggest anything. I’m not the best fit. You don’t want me handling anything other than lunches and emails and calls because you like being in control. I understand. See? I get it.”
She turned swiftly, yanked the door open, and raced out of the room before I could stop her, leaving me with a resounding no on my lips.
I sighed, plopping down in a chair.
I thought she’d go back to her office and calm down, but when I heard the familiar buzz of the elevator, I realized that she was leaving.
I rushed out of my office and past the receptionist’s desk, but it was too late. The elevator doors closed with the only woman who had no problems telling me the cold hard truth inside of it.
I punched the buttons on the control panels repeatedly until finally an empty elevator cab pulled up. I jumped on and road it all the way to the lobby level, ignoring the greetings from my colleagues on the way. My efforts were futile. By the time I made it to the VIP level of the parking garage, she was already backing her car out of the space.
Chapter Eight
Jada
Early the next morning, my doorbell woke me up. Groggy, my hair still a mess, I stumbled to the door, rubbing my eyes, wondering who the hell was coming to see me at this hour without notice.
I was not expecting to open the door to find a jungle greeting me. Behind the jungle was an older woman, wearing a uniform that said, ‘Voley’s Flowers.’
“Jada Lincoln?” the woman said, reading from a card.
I nodded dumbly, the riot of color and sweet perfumed scents finally waking me up fully.
“Who are they from?” I asked.
“There’s a card,” she said, pushing a little electronic screen towards me. “I need you to sign here.”
I scribbled my signature and wrestled with the
giant bush of flowers as she passed it over to me.
“Thanks,” I said, as a knowing feeling sunk inside me.
I juggled the vase as I walked back into my apartment and set them down on the counter, going to make myself a cup of coffee. I needed to brace myself before looking at that card. I didn’t know what to expect, but my stomach was clenched tight and I needed a minute to gather my thoughts.
As I waited for the coffee to brew, I looked at the time — 11:45 — I hadn’t even set an alarm today since I knew I wasn’t going into work. And I had slept right through my 6:30 alarm. I was usually up by then whether I had a work assignment or not, but turns out that I was super-tired. I guess working for Ivan Vetrov and trying to figure him out at the same time had drained me more than I thought. Let's not forget the sleepless nights, I laid in bed wondering if I’d ever get over the fact that he was hot as hell.
I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t stupid enough to let looks deceive me again.
Ever since I walked out yesterday, he’d been finding his way into my thoughts at the most ridiculous moments. I wasn’t sure if I’d go back to work. Ivan Vetrov didn’t know what he wanted. Or maybe he did. He was just too much of an asshole to admit that he needed more help than he cared to admit. I kind of felt sorry him. Based on my research, his work had started piling up on him right around the time he split from his ex-wife. I wasn’t even sure if he was married. My findings had been very sketchy. In either case, at one point, he had a significant other.
Finally, the coffee was finished, and I prepared my mug, sipping it slowly, still eying the bouquet like a swarm of tarantulas might crawl out of it at any minute.
I plucked the card from between the blooms and unfolded it slowly, holding my breath.
I need you. No one else will do. Come back when you’re ready.
— I. V.
My boss — my sexy, demanding, infuriating boss — had sent me the most gorgeous bouquet I’d ever seen. I tried, but I couldn’t stop smiling. There was no denying the butterflies in my stomach and how anxious I was to see his face again. I’d never seen another man work as hard as he did. There were times when I thought he didn’t even notice me coming into his office to refill his coffee or bring in notes from some calls he missed. No matter what image he tried to put forward, I was pretty sure I wasn’t the only one of us that was conflicted about what they wanted.
Breaking the Wolf's Rules: Howls Romance (Wolf Mated Book 1) Page 4
