Office Duties Box Set #2

by Flynn, Mac

  “Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!” Slinky chanted. Then there was some frantic slamming again, and a sudden exclamation of joy. “Freedom!” The adventurer cackled into the phone and Sam sighed in relief. Slinky was panting but overjoyed as they heard her humming. “Wow, that was close.”

  “Slinky, what in the world happened?” Sam demanded to know. “What the hell was going on in there?”

  “I don’t know, it’s like Mrs Witch suddenly went ballistic. She saw me and pulled out a letter opener from her desk.” They could hear a tremor of fear in her voice. If Slinky was worried, there was a definite problem. “I wasn’t gonna stick around any longer after that, but she chased me down the fire escape!”

  She glanced up at Davies, though, and the smile slipped off her face. He had a worried expression, and he quickly stood and left the room.

  “Where are you now?” she inquired. She could hear him speaking with Smith for a moment, then she heard the front door open and close.

  “I’m heading to my place and locking the door, so don’t worry about me,” her friend reassured. “You just watch out for yourself.”

  “Me? Why me?”

  “I’m not sure if you heard it over the phone, but I think I heard that crazy-ass lady mention your name.” That froze Sam’s blood cold, and her hands trembled so badly she almost dropped the phone. “So keep your doors locked and call the cops if somebody knocks, okay? I’m gonna talk to my dad about this and see if we can’t get the cops on the office right now.”

  “A-all right,” Sam agreed.

  When Davies returned to the bedroom, she was full of questions.

  “We have a problem,” he informed her.

  “What kind of problem?” Sam insisted on knowing as he sat down at her side. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Mrs. Winkle was…is…informed of my secret,” he revealed. He calmly took her hand in his and smiled at her. “The requirements for her position were to keep that knowledge safe until they would be no longer needed.”

  “No longer needed?” Sam repeated. “When’s that supposed to be?”

  “When I have found my soul mate. I’ve found you, Sam.” She was flattered, but that didn’t really explain what was going on.

  “So she’s going to be let go from her job? Can’t you just keep her on?”

  “It’s not that simple,” he attempted to explained. “She…she was under the misapprehension that she was the one to be chosen.”

  “Why didn’t you tell her the truth? What made her think that?” This was all too confusing to Sam, and yet she thought it just needed a few simple answers to solve what bothered Davies now. “Why is she acting this way if it’s just this? Can’t we just tell her it wouldn’t work out?”

  “I…I did something very foolish when I first brought her on,” Davies admitted. He smile lost its joy and he shook his head. “I promised her eternal life with me should she be the one.”

  “But she’s not the one,” Sam pointed out.

  “I thought she was at the time. She had promise in her, but it was wasted when she became greedy for the power and money I offered.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “She lost herself in her single-minded focus to please me to keep herself as a companion. That’s why Miss Taylor was let go. She saw her as competition for the rewards I’d promised. She even adopted the persona of a married woman to beat off any other male pursuers.” He genuinely smiled at the thought of the plain, middle-aged woman finding someone to beat off.

  “What’s all of this mean?” she finally questioned. “She’s not the one and she might lose her job. Is that why she was so mad on the phone?”

  “I’m afraid ‘mad’ may not describe the poor woman.” He tightened his grip on her hand. It wasn’t painful, but it made Sam worry. “I’ve instructed Mr. Smith to find her and see what danger she poses for you.”

  Sam closed her eyes and shook her head. This was just too much to take in a single thought. Slinky had stumbled upon a ranting and raving Winkle, now Davies was telling her she was some sort of imminent danger to her. It was bad enough that he’d sent out his trusted secretary to try to find out her whereabouts and mental stability.

  Sam wasn’t entirely disbelieving of Winkle’s dangerous nature, though. She wasn’t that tired right now to forget the threats she’d made toward her nor the incident with the bag and in her cubicle. She knew she was dangerous, but bad enough that he needed to worry about her?

  “What do you think she’ll do?”

  “I honestly cannot say,” he admitted. “She believes that in only a single week you’ve cheated her out of everything she’s worked so hard to build over the last thirty years.”

  “But I didn’t mean to!” Sam argued, but he held up his hand for silence.

  “I know that, Sam, but she doesn’t understand that.” His face grew grim. He didn’t want to tell her this, but the truth would at least prepare her for the worst. “I believe she may have the intention of harming you. Deathly harming you.”

  “You mean she…she wants to kill me?” Her voice quivered and her hands shook. She didn’t want to believe that someone would be so angry at her that they’d be willing to murder her in retaliation. This all seemed like some sort of sick joke. She hadn’t even done anything wrong, or at least hadn’t meant to do anything wrong.

  “You’ll be fine, Sam,” Davies promised. “Smith and I will make sure of that.”

  “Do you…do you think she’ll come here?” She tried to keep her voice from shaking, but it was a miserable failure.

  “I’m sure that’s her intention. She had access to your personal file, so she knows your address.”

  “Shouldn’t we leave or call the cops or something?” Sam frantically questioned. Her hand instinctively flew to her stomach and she closed her eyes to fight back the tears.

  “You’ll be safe here, I promise,” he firmly repeated.

  That’s when they heard a pounding on the door. It didn’t sound like Mr. Smith. Sam’s eyes got big as Davies scowled and his own eyes narrowed.

  “What is it?” Sam whispered.

  “Stay here and stay quiet,” he softly ordered.

  He stood up and peeked out of the bedroom. There was another pounding noise from the front door. No one called from it, though. Sam’s heart beat like a war drum. She tried to calculate how long it’d been since Slinky saw Winkle, but she couldn’t remember. Maybe there’d been enough time, but maybe not.

  Then the pounding again. Now it was more furious, more impatient. Sam felt like it was drilling into her skull.

  Davies was tense as he stepped out of the bedroom and out of her sight. Sam wanted to shout at him not to leave her, but she kept quiet. She needed to keep her babe safe.

  Sam held her breath as she imagined her lover creeping closer to that pounding door. He was probably at the entrance now, and peeking through the hole. Maybe he’d see something, or maybe he wouldn’t. The person might have left, or might be hiding from view or even blocked the peep hole.

  That’s when the shots rang out.

  Sam covered her mouth to keep from screaming as she heard Davies yell out in pain. She shuddered and stifled her sobs when more shots were fired and she heard the front door bang open. Whoever it was had destroyed the lock and kicked open the door.

  Sam glanced at the bedroom door and saw the lock on the knob. It might not stop them, but it’d slow them down. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and was about to get up when she heard soft footsteps coming toward the room. She froze for only a moment before she stood and flew to the door. Her eyes fell upon a wild and armed Mrs. Winkle. The older woman held a small firearm in her hand and was only a few yards away. Beyond her lay Davies on the floor. Sam could see there was a pool of blood beneath him.

  Sam slammed the door shut and locked it just as the crazy woman pointed the gun at her and started firing. The frightened young woman dove for cover as the bullets punctured the door and sped through the room. She scuttled back on the floor
away from the entrance as Winkle slammed her body against the door.

  The woman was like some sort of wild animal. Snarls and growls pierced the door and then she started shooting at the knob. Sam frantically looked around for escape, but the door gave in and flung open with a well-placed kick from Winkle.

  The older woman stepped inside the bedroom and her dark, hate-filled eyes swiveled around the room. They fell on Sam, cowering in the farthest corner, and a slow, sinister grin spread across her lips. Winkle lifted the gun and pointed the barrel straight at the young woman.

  “You thought you could just take it all, didn’t you?” she hoarsely accused. She took a few steps closer to Sam. “You thought you could win his favors and live forever, hunh? Well, I’ll show you how long your forever lasts.”

  Sam watched in slow motion as Winkle’s finger pulled back on the trigger. She turned to the side to protect her unborn child and prepared for the pain.

  That’s when something dark and red shot into the room. Winkle screamed and Sam’s mouth dropped open as the older woman was grabbed around the waist by some large, winged creature. Winkle was lifted off the ground and flung to the other side of the room, though not before the gun dropped from her hands. The insane woman shakily raised herself off the floor and glanced up at the monster. Sam had a clear view of it now, and she was awed and horrified.

  The thing was well over six feet tall and its skin was covered in a black coating. The pair of wings were similar to those of a dragon, and atop its head sat a pair of large, curled horns. Jagged points of skin stuck out from his arms and every one of his muscles rippled across his dark chest. The fangs in its mouth were bared as it turned to Winkle. Her eyes grew wide and she hugged the wall as it stepped over to her.

  “Stay back! Stay back!” she screamed.

  Winkle held up her arms to defend herself, but the thing knocked them aside. It lifted her up by her neck and in one swift motion it pinched her spinal cord. Her neck was snapped instantly, and her eyes lost their flame of life. Sam covered her mouth in horror as the thing dropped the corpse to the floor. They would never have to worry about danger from her again.

  The thing slowly turned and glanced at her with a pair of dark, red eyes. Familiar red eyes.

  It slowly, carefully stepped over to her. The creature leaned down and held out his clawed hand to Sam, but she recoiled.

  “Sam, it’s me,” Davies’ voice whispered from the creature’s mouth.

  Sam paused, and then she slowly leaned forward to look into those soft eyes. They held the same glow of affection, that same love she had learned to know so well.

  Sam let out a relieved sob and wrapped her arms around his neck. She cried for into his shoulder as he enclosed his own arms around her small, shaking body. The young woman was still shaking with relief when she felt something sticky on her hands. She pulled away from him and looked at her fingers. They were coated with a dark blood.

  Sam was frightened again as she looked up into Davies face. He was bleeding, and by the looks of it pretty bad.

  “Are you…are you all right?” she stuttered.

  “I’m fine,” he reassured her. She pulled back when he slowly began to transform. He shrank and his pale skin returned. The wings sunk into his back and the points in his arms disappeared beneath his skin. He gave her a clean, normal smile on his handsome face. “Just need some time to heal.” Sam smiled at him until her eyes lit on the body of Winkle beside her bed. She shrank back, and he shielded her gaze from the corpse. “It’ll be all right,” he promised. “I’m sure the police will see it as self-defense.”

  Davies led her out of the room and he called up Smith on his cellphone. His secretary came over within a minute, and they set the stage. Davies’ blood was promptly cleaned from the front room and he put on a fresh pair of clothes. Sam was ordered to the couch with some food and drink, and was forbidden from getting up unless absolutely necessary. She felt fine but for the shock, but they insisted on her staying calm and comfortable.

  When everything was ready, which only took them a few minutes, that’s when they called the police. There was no need, though, since several other people in the apartment complex had called them. They came only a minute or two after the call, and then began the questions. Davies insisted on staying with Sam during the interview process, he could not be ordered from her side. The officers weren’t too interested in separating them, though, considering her pregnancy and how shaken she appeared.

  The ordeal was long and painful, especially when the brought the body out of the room on the stretcher. Sam had to look away, and Davies kindly wrapped his arms around her. The police requested that Sam leave the place for a few night so they could look over the scene without any accidental tampering. She first thought about going over to Slinky’s place, but Davies privately objected to that.

  “Not until your change is complete,” he pointed out in a low whisper. His eyes glanced down at her swollen stomach, and he smiled. “Or at least until you’ve had our child. Slinky would ask quite a few questions if she saw you like this.” He placed his hand over the large bump. “It shouldn’t be more than a few days.”

  “That soon?” she gasped. He nodded and she gently covered his hand with her own. “Then I guess you’re right,” she sheepishly admitted. “I can wait that long until I see Slinky. Then she’ll be able to meet our babe in a few weeks.”

  Sam willingly went with Davies to one of his homes out in the country, but close enough to obey the demands of the police to be close at hand. His abode wasn’t so small when Mr. Smith parked the car out front a luxurious mansion with extensive grounds. Sam couldn’t believe how beautiful the place was in the dark, and she wondered if it would look even more beautiful during the day.

  Rather than leading her inside, Davies guided her to the back. There beyond the marvelous stone porch lay a large tree in the center of the green lawn. There was a bench beneath it, and here he took her. He carefully seated her down on the seat, but he himself remained standing. He seemed to want to tell her something important.

  “I know I mentioned I had a gift for you earlier today,” he softly explained in answer to her wondering eyes. “And I know this isn’t the best time to do this, but I can’t wait any longer.” Davies knelt down and opened the tiny box. Sam gasped at the ring with the large diamond atop it. A wedding ring. “You belong at my side. I want you at my side.”

  “I…I…” Sam stuttered out.

  “Just say yes,” he encouraged her. She smiled and nodded his head. That was all the encouragement he needed as he slipped that big ring on her small finger. “Now we’ll never let anything separate us,” he promised as he laid one of his hands over her stomach. “And nothing can stop us from being happy.”

  “Never say never,” Sam playfully warned.

  “You’re right,” he readily agreed. He planted a tender kiss on her cheek, and looked mischievously into her bright eyes. “I mean, who would have imagined an office affair would have turned out like this?”

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  Other Books by Mac Flynn

  (all titles available in discounted boxed sets)

  Phantom Touch #1

  Phantom Touch #2

  Phantom Touch #3

  Phantom Touch #4

  Phantom Touch #5

  Sensual Sweets #1

  Sensual Sweets #2

  Sensual Sweets #3

  Sensual Sweets #4

  Cabin Fever (Unnatural Lover #1)

  Old Stories (Unnatural Lover #2)

  Stalking Sensation (Unnatural Lover #3)

  Research Questions (Unnatural Lover #4)

  Delicious Nightmares (Unnatural Lover #5)

  Separation Anxiety (Unnatural Lover #6)

  Doppelganger Night (Unnatural Lover #7)

  Mountain Mysteries (Unnatural Lover #8)

  Permanent Changes (Unnatural Lover #9)

  Welcome Home (Unnatural L
over #10)

  Shadow of the Wolf (In the Loup #1)

  Wolf Rising (In the Loup #2)

  Heart’s Strife (In the Loup #3)

  Wolf Blood (In the Loup #4)

  Clashings (In the Loup #5)

  Evolution (In the Loup #6)

  Sleepover (In the Loup #7)

  Disloyalty (In the Loup #8)

  Folklore (In the Loup #9)

  Urgings of the Wolf (In the Loup #10)

  Insatiable (In the Loup #11)

  Reveal (In the Loup #12)

  True Form (In the Loup #13)

  Threatening (In the Loup #14)

  Supremacy (In the Loup #15)

  Wrap Up (In the Loup #16)

  Office Duties Series: Books #1

  Office Duties Series: Books #2

  Office Duties Series: Books #3

  Office Duties Series: Books #4

  Office Duties Series: Books #5

  Office Duties Series: Books #6

  Office Duties Series: Books #7

  Office Duties Series: Books #8