by Dawn Wilder
I set the bag down on the little coffee table in the seating area and the drinks in the holder next to it.
“Burgers are perfect.”
He sat down on the couch and I took a seat in a chair across from his.
I'd been hoping I could have lunch by myself, to decompress a little bit. Now I had to worry about how I looked while I was eating.
It would be just my luck to spill ketchup all over my shirt.
He bit into the burger.
“It's good,” he said, taking a soda and washing it down.
Deciding not to worry about it- I'd never heard of one of his assistants being fired due to a lack of fancy eating etiquette- I decided to just eat.
He asked me some polite questions that I answered just as politely.
Weren't we civilized.
He combed his hair back with his hand and I tried to not to notice how ridiculously attractive he was.
Maybe enforced proximity would deaden my response to him.
One could only hope.
He pulled out the notes I'd made after we'd both finished.
I watched him skim through the pages, nervously rubbing my hands on my pants.
“Good. Next time you can leave out the details of previous deals made- just a quick overview is enough to call it to mind.”
I nodded.
When he closed the sheaf of papers, I let out a mental sigh of relief.
Checking his watch, he stood up.
“We have a board of directors meeting and then a meeting with these guys. Bring something to take notes with.”
“OK.”
I looked at the company laptop I'd been issued. I wasn't a big fan of lugging that around.
Grabbing a notepad and a pen instead, I followed Roth out. My eyes were drawn to the paintings once again.
They made a lot of sense now that I realized what he was. If I hadn't worked so hard to suppress my own wolf, I probably would have figured it out before I'd met him in person.
I was sure his scent must have been strong enough at least on this floor and maybe in the elevator to pick up with normal wolf senses.
But there were side effects to what I'd done.
My sense of smell wasn't nearly as acute. And I'd never had to wear glasses before.
But I was willing to make those sacrifices to have the kind of life I wanted.
I nice, quiet, normal one.
Evan
Reggie followed me into the board meeting, a quiet shadow.
Introducing her, I gestured her to take the seat next to me.
I didn't usually ask my assistants to come to these meetings with me since there was already a secretary whose job it was to record these.
But I was curious to see what she would think about the various players and what was said.
The notes she'd taken showed she had a quick mind and an eye for the important details.
Most of the men and women paid her little attention, probably figuring she wasn't going to last long anyway. A couple of the men gave her a little more of a lingering once over.
I especially didn't like the way Straussberg was looking at her.
I gave him a narrow eyed stare that him paling and straightening up in his chair.
Stupidly satisfied by the show of submission, I started the meeting.
“Good afternoon, everyone. Let's start in the usual order.”
I sat back and listened to everyone's reports and concerns, part of my attention on Reggie. She'd chosen to bring a notepad instead of her laptop, so I was guessing she was more of a tactile person.
Made me wonder what other areas she preferred to have a more personal touch in.
Which then irritated me.
After the hour was up, I led us back to my office.
“Can I see those notes?”
“Oh. Well, I'll just type them up for you and send them over.”
Hmm. She didn't want me to see them.
“No problem- the raw version is fine. If I want something more organized I'll just look at Cathy's notes.”
I held out my hand expectantly.
She let out a little huff of breath. She gave me an annoyed look that I didn't mind.
Seemed only fair considering how she'd inadvertently irritated me at the meeting.
Finally, she reluctantly handed over the pad she'd been using.
I felt my mouth twitch up at the corners as I realized why she didn't want me seeing this version.
The notes were pertinent, showing she new exactly what was worth mentioning and what wasn't. But interspersed in between her neat hand, there were small cartoons depicting each of the board members.
She'd managed to capture their personalities. Flattering they weren't, but they were definitely cuttingly accurate.
Flipping to the next page, I saw she'd also drawn me.
As a wolf in a business suit.
Going still, I looked up at her.
“A wolf?”
“Seems accurate,” she muttered, looking away, her cheeks already pink.
“Hmmm.”
She didn't know how exactly on the mark she was.
Ripping out the notes, I handed the pad back to her. I didn't really need them, but I wanted them.
“You're going to need it for the next meeting.”
She nodded.
I grabbed the files I needed for that next meeting and we left the building. Vincent was already waiting in the car out front to drive us to the next place.
Reggie didn't say anything as she stared out the window of the car. Her delicate scent slowly permeated the confines of the car.
I took in a deep breath.
“Ron is kind of a character. But he's a good repeat client. I like to handle him personally. Makes him feel important.”
She looked back at me curiously.
“Do you handle a lot of the clients personally?”
“No. I'm usually involved when we first establish a business relationship. But then I hand subsequent deals off to other people.”
She nodded.
“That makes sense. I guess it would take too much time.”
“True. The thing with a growing business is the bigger it gets, the more time you spend in meetings and going over paperwork. It's a necessary evil.”
The car slid to a smooth stop in front of one of Ron's many properties.
“Just let me do the talking. If he speaks to you directly, feel free to reply. But he sometimes veers off topic and I have to reign him back in.”
“OK.”
Reggie
Calling Ron Smithson a character was a little bit of an understatement.
His office looked like a mad scientist and an interior decorator with a penchant for primary colors decided to combine forces.
Gadgets in various states of repair and disrepair littered various work surfaces. Small gears, glints of glass, wires, springs. I had no idea what any of it was.
To confuse the eye even more, the walls and ceilings were all painted a different color and the floor was an odd mix of patterns in black and white. Checkered tiles abutted spiral prints and stripes.
Whoever designed the place should have been fired and then banned from every doing this to a space again.
The man himself was an unassuming older gentleman with eyes that were wildly expressive behind wire-rimmed glasses. He was dressed in a three piece suit and his curly white hair was carefully trimmed into a perfect sphere around his head.
I liked him instantly.
“Hello, Ron. This is my assistant, Reggie.”
He smiled, giving me a firm handshake.
“Reggie, nice to meet you dear! Unfortunately, I think this will likely be the last time. Evan here doesn't seem able to keep an assistant for longer than a couple weeks. Doubt you'll be any different, even with that pretty face.”
“Thanks,” Evan said dryly.
“Well, it was nice to meet you,” I said, trying to keep a straight face.
Probably was
n't good form to laugh at my new boss's expense.
“I sent over those contracts, but it looks like your lawyer has some issues that we need to hammer out. Now-”
“Yes, yes, we'll get to that. Reggie, my dear, my doll, are you single?”
“Uh, what?” I asked, startled.
“Are you single? I have a grandson who just got divorced from this horrible woman. A harpy if I ever saw one. Liked to color her hair this obscene fire engine red.” He shook his head at that.
I looked at the bright red wall behind him.
“Anyway, you seem like a nice young woman. Would you be interested in dating him? He has a nice portfolio, not terrible to look at.”
I was assuming he meant the man himself and not the aforementioned portfolio.
What a ringing endorsement.
“I'm sure she isn't interested. We should get back to the contracts,” Evan interjected.
“Yes, yes, of course. Just think about it my dear. Oh, yes, it was these parts here...”
I watched as they talked about the different clauses, taking notes, fascinated by how much Ron Smithson changed when business was being discussed.
He went from a kooky, kindly grandfather to a blood-thirsty shark.
And Roth seemed to thrive off it, his eyes sparkling with the fight.
I was betting this was the real reason he liked to handle Smithson personally. He enjoyed matching his brain against the sharp older man's, seeing who'd ultimately come out on top.
Eventually, everything was hammered out and Roth stood to leave.
“Wait, why don't you two join me for a snack. I find that I always need a little pick me up this time of day.”
So we stayed a little longer.
The pick me up turned out to be mini cupcakes.
I had five. Because it was my first day and I deserved them.
So there.
We finally extricated ourselves and walked back out to the car. Ron managed to slip his grandson's business card into my hand on the way out.
“I liked him,” I said, sliding into the back seat.
“The feeling was mutual. He never offered up his grandson to any of my other assistants.” He paused. “Are you planning on calling him?”
“I'm flattered. I always wanted someone with a nice portfolio. But I think I might have to pass this time,” I said deadpan.
He chuckled.
We got back to the office.
And before I knew it, my first day was over.
Chapter 3
Three weeks later
Reggie
I woke up as the dinging of another email in my inbox combined with the shrill sound of the alarm.
“Ugh.”
Getting up, I rubbed my eyes and picked up the phone.
I still couldn't believe it had been three weeks since I started the job. People were starting to stare at me as I walked through the offices. Like I was a unicorn.
And they'd also realized I was another avenue to Roth.
Whenever they weren't getting the response they wanted from him, they started sending me messages.
Looking through what I received to see if there was anything important, I swung my legs out of bed and went into the kitchen to start my pot of tea.
I finished skimming my inbox while I downed my caffeine.
Then I got through my morning rituals and showered quickly before going over to my closet.
I'd bought some new suits. With the amount of meetings I was attending each day, I'd needed more.
Picking out a chocolate brown one with a cream colored silk tank, I finished getting ready.
My new flats were shiny and even more comfortable than my old ones.
I still got to the office at my usual five-thirty. Roth was always there before me but getting up any earlier than I already did was a crime against humanity.
I passed by Philomena's empty desk, the carpet making sure I didn't make a sound as I swept down the hallway.
I stopped when I realized the light wasn't on in Roth's office.
That hadn't happened before.
I opened the door and turned on the light, stepping through his office and into mine.
Putting down my purse, I took out my phone to see if I'd gotten any messages from Roth.
I hadn't.
Frowning, I stared down at it, deciding what to do.
My first instinct was to text or call to make sure everything was OK. But he was my boss, not my friend, even though I spent more time with him than I did with anyone else in my life.
And even though all my fantasies lately involved him without a stitch on.
But that was my own business.
Putting down the phone, I sat down and got to work looking over the files for that day's meetings.
Ten minutes later, I picked the phone up again.
Fuck it.
Where are you? Is everything OK?
I hesitated over the send button for a moment, but then hit it.
He'd answer it or he wouldn't.
Tapping my pen on the desk, I rubbed the back of my neck with my other hand. I needed to do something physical to get rid of some of this energy.
Getting up, I started pacing in front of the desk.
What was wrong with me? I wasn't usually this dramatic about something so minor. I felt the urge to run and keeping running, to feel my muscles working...
Wait a minute.
Going back to my laptop, I brought up the calendar.
Full moon.
I'd been so busy and distracted I'd missed it. This was usually around the time I felt my own wolf most keenly, even when it was pushed down so hard.
OK. I needed to get myself under control.
Roth would be extra sensitive when he came in today. Which meant he'd probably notice any hint of anything different in me.
I heard my phone buzz with an incoming message.
Sorry I'm late. Will be there in fifteen.
I stared at the message.
Well, he didn't sound irritated at least.
I spent those fifteen minutes meditating and getting myself under control. It was more difficult than usual, but I eventually got there.
The door to his office opened almost exactly fifteen minutes later.
I went to our connecting doorway to check on him.
His hair was a little mussed, not as perfect as it usually was. Physically, that was the only change I could see.
But his energy, for lack of a better word, was crackling.
“Morning,” I said cautiously.
He grunted, sitting down at his desk.
Alrighty then.
Scurrying back to my desk, I got to work. I was guessing minimal contact was most probably my best bet.
“Reggie! I need coffee!”
I stifled the urge to tell him he really didn't.
It was OK. The lunar cycle sometimes made dominant wolves more irritable. I could cut him some slack.
I got his coffee.
A few hours later, my slack was all out and I was ready to punch him in the face.
“Reggie!”
I mimicked his snarl to myself as I left my desk and went back to the outer office.
“Where are the notes for the four o'clock? I needed them ten minutes ago.”
“I'm just finishing them up. But it might be a good idea to reschedule for another day-”
“Did I ask for your opinion? Just the notes, thanks.”
Closing my mouth with a click I got back to my desk.
Oh no he didn't.
I did a mental neck roll complete with finger wave. It wasn't as satisfying as doing the real thing would have been, though I would've looked ridiculous doing it.
I finished up the notes and printed them out for him. He liked having the physical copy in his hands.
The meeting went about as well as I expected. Which meant nobody was willing to say anything to draw attention to themselves and Roth ran roughshod over everyone.
I was betting his previous assistants who could handle the workload ran when this Roth showed up.
And I didn't blame them.
I felt the urge to tell him to go for a run, knowing the expenditure of energy would help. But he didn't exactly seem receptive to suggestions at the moment.
So I just kept my head down and slogged through the day.
When I got back to my apartment that night, I felt like I'd gone through a war. My neck and shoulders hurt more than usual. Even my jaw ached from clenching it shut so I wouldn't say something I'd regret later.
When the alarm went off the next day, I shut it off with a groan.
Great. Another day with the beast.
This time, I approached the office cautiously. The light was on, so he was actually on time today.
Yay for me.
Taking a deep breath, I went inside after a cursory knock.
“I brought coffee.”
I set the cup down in front of him like a peace offering.
He grunted, eyes glued to the computer screen in front of him.
Alright then.
I got to work.
Not more than five minutes later he called my name again.
“Did you tell Jeremy Caines that I'd take a look at his proposal?”
I took a deep breath.
“I just said I'd bring it to your attention, I didn't guarantee you'd look it over. He must have-”
“You cannot make those kinds of decisions. You are my assistant. Meaning, you assist. That's it.”
I took another deep breath, but it didn't do anything.
I guess I was passed the point where more oxygen could calm me down.
He was being ridiculous. Never mind that he'd never had a problem with it before. Had actually encouraged me to be more autonomous because it took some of the weight of his shoulders.
This tone was just not acceptable. Not with how hard I worked at this job.
And not with the amount of shit I'd already taken.
So I let him have it.
“I think you might be PMSing. Maybe going for a run would be a good idea. Might get some of this bitchiness out so that people can stand being around you.”
I'd snapped hard enough that I only felt a sense of exhilaration at telling him off.
Then he growled at me.
