ROMANCE: SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE: Dragon Baller's Bride (Dragon Shifter Alpha Male Romance) (Paranormal Romantic Suspense)

by Summer Cooper

  “Hey little one, are you ready to come out or are you going to bake a little while longer in there?”

  “I think he’s going to bake a little while.” I said just to be contrary. Greer grinned, “That’s what you think.”

  I felt my belly move as the baby rolled and Greer’s eyes grew big. “Is it time? Is he coming out?” He said startled, reaching for the bottom of my dress and peeking under.

  I swatted at his hand, “He’s just moving around. He’s not coming out.”

  Greer instantly looked relieved and I had to laugh. We were celebrating our first wedding anniversary this weekend after having lived together for about three years. It had been the happiest time of my life thus far, and Greer was responsible for that. Having his child was just icing on the cake, so to speak. His mother had even eventually come around when the presence of a grandson was announced. She had gone so far as to play an instrumental role in landing me my first big acting gig as a nurse on a popular TV show. I enjoyed the work. It was exactly what I dreamed of doing.

  I relaxed against the couch, feeling grateful for all life had given me. I knew Greer would be a wonderful father, and as he chased the twins around leaving me to snack on another bowl of popcorn, I was happy. I had found the man of my dreams, and I thought to myself how funny it was that the man of my dreams turned out to not even be a man at all.

  The End

  Alien Boss

  Fantasy Romance

  About the Book

  Amy was a CPA, stuck at a CPA firm working for a man who seemed to hate everything and everyone around him. She didn’t really like public accounting, and every day she went to work thinking it was time to get out of public accounting and start working for a large corporation, or at least start her own accounting office. Good accounting jobs for the larger corporations were hard to come by, and no matter how many times she applied, she rarely ever got so much as an interview.

  Mark was the CEO of such a large corporation, and after firing his CFO because he was too busy drinking as opposed to working, he hired Glommer and Glommer Associates to do his financial statements, payroll and tax returns. While this worked just fine, it was much more expensive than hiring a full time CFO but after the last one he was hesitant to hire anyone to be in charge of their books.

  Amy got the new account of Carren Enterprises and while she normally has one of her bookkeepers pick up the information, she decides it’s about time she met the CEO of her largest account. Mark and Amy clash from the moment they meet, but at the same time they can’t help but feel attracted to one another, and Mark offers Amy the job of CFO on the spot.

  With Amy in her dream job, will she be able to separate work from personal, especially when she finds out that Mark isn’t exactly from this planet?

  Chapter One

  Amy was positive her boss was out to make her life miserable, but she hadn’t been able to prove it yet. Every day when she arrived in the office she got straight to work, always checking her emails and voicemails first and making sure she was on time with all her deadlines second. Every day her boss Jack arrived at nine, glared at her, and proceeded to point out that she had deadlines to meet and she should spend less time drinking coffee and more time working, before telling her to go get him coffee. Every day, Amy wanted to walk out and tell Jack where to shove his coffee only to be reminded that she had rent to pay and food to buy. Amy then proceeded to get Jack his coffee and after getting back to her desk, she checked the classifieds to see if there were any jobs out there. Every day she was disappointed and after a moment of drowning in misery, she’d get back to work to ensure her clients stayed happy.

  Carren Enterprises was her newest account, while she had gotten a handsome bonus for signing them, and one of the other bookkeepers usually picked up the backups and documentation needed to prepare their financial statements. Those weren’t due for another two weeks, but on Tuesdays she also prepared payroll for them, which they emailed to her by ten in the morning. When Amy still hadn’t received it by eleven, she picked up her phone and dialed the direct line for one of the bookkeepers at Carren Enterprises. “Hi, this is Amy. I was just calling to see where payroll was?”

  “Hi Amy. We are having some issues with our computers. Would someone be able to pick it up? I was able to print the spreadsheet but both our email and the fax machine are down.”

  “Sure, I’ll come get it. I think it’s about time I meet you all anyway so I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”

  Amy hung up the phone and sighed. While it was true she really should meet the bookkeepers she worked with regularly, she also wished the bookkeeper who worked under her at Glommer and Glommer didn’t have the day off so she could go instead, like she usually did. Amy changed her status on the time entry program to indicate where she was going, switched her phone to out of office and walked out into the sunshine. It was a beautiful day, and Amy wished she could stay outside but instead she walked down the street to Carren Enterprises. It was only four blocks and walking was easier; the fact that it got her out of the office longer was an added bonus.

  “Hi, I’m here to pick up a spreadsheet from Susanna,” Amy told the receptionist as soon as she walked in.

  “She told me you would be coming. You can go right up to the tenth floor.”

  “Thank you,” Amy said with a smile before making her way to the elevators. Carren Enterprises was a large corporation, employing thousands of employees and with revenues at hundreds of millions of dollars. She only did payroll for the management level salaried employees while the hourly payroll was outsourced, and for that she was glad. She looked around in interest and noticed that the walls were granite and the floors a beautiful stone. As soon as she stepped into the elevator, she couldn’t help but admire the beautiful woodwork that adorned the walls. It was clear that whoever had designed the building had not spared any expense and paid great attention to detail.

  “Hi, I’m here to see Susanna,” Amy told the next receptionist up on the tenth floor.

  “Go right on in, she’s the third office on your left,” the girl smiled back at her, pointing at the doors to her left.

  Clearly the receptionist downstairs had called up to announce her arrival, and when she walked into Susanna’s office she was already out of her seat and ready to great her. “It’s so nice to finally meet you! I feel that so much is lost when you can’t put a face to the name. Here is the spreadsheet, before I forget. Also, Mark heard you were coming and asked me to show you up to his office so he can meet you. While he has heard great things about you from other clients you work with, he felt that it was important that he actually met you. Come on, it’s one floor up.”

  The ride up was quiet, and the second they stepped out of the elevator Amy knew they were on the executive floor. Not only were the walls granite, the floors were marble. The chairs in the waiting area were nice comfortable arm chairs and there were large, expensive looking paintings on the walls. Large wooden doors to either side of the receptionist’s desk fit into everything perfectly, and yet gave a feeling of exclusivity at being allowed through them.

  “Hi Erica, Mark asked me to bring Amy up,” Susanna told the receptionist.

  “Thank you Susanna, I will let him know she is here.”

  Susanna left and Amy turned to Erica, who was smiling sweetly. “Go ahead and have a seat, I’ll let Mr. Carren know you have arrived. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  “That would be amazing, thank you.”

  Amy sat down on one of the chairs, and soon Erica handed her a cup of coffee. Amy couldn’t help but notice it was a nice cup, not a cheap paper or foam cup she got at most places she went. She couldn’t help but appreciate the proper cup, as paper and foam had a way of making coffee taste different. She didn’t have to wait long and soon Erica was leading her through a hallway to the left until they came to more large wooden doors. Erica opened one of them, and gestured for Amy to enter, which she did.

  The office in front of her wa
s incredibly bright, which she attributed to the fact that the entire wall opposite the door was made out of glass. In the middle of the office was a large glass desk, behind which was a stern looking man looking at her. The marble flooring continued, as did the granite walls, and Amy found she truly loved the office and the layout. “Good morning. I’m Amy, I’m glad we finally get the chance to meet.”

  “I agree. Have a seat.”

  Amy walked towards the chairs in front of the desk and took a seat, getting her first chance to observe Mark up close. She realized he was a good looking man, if he would just smile instead of look so forbidding, with his green eyes appearing to pierce her soul. His black hair was neatly combed to the side, curling slightly at the end indicating that it was about time for another haircut to keep it nice and straight.

  “Now that we’ve met, there is something I would like to discuss. We just received your invoice and I must say I’m shocked at how high it is. I mean, it is almost double what it would have cost me to simply hire someone, which I wasn’t expecting.”

  “I understand, but if your bookkeepers would know what they were doing and would get us the information we request in a timely and orderly fashion, we wouldn’t spend as much time fixing everything. Our invoice is based on the time spent on your account.”

  “I see. You think my bookkeepers don’t know what they are doing?”

  “It’s clear they have some knowledge but they need someone to supervise them and they need additional training. Some of the mistakes are so basic I wonder if they even went to school for accounting.”

  “Well you sure don’t mince your words. Are you always this straightforward with your clients?”

  “I find that telling the truth works best. You asked why the invoice was high, I’m giving you the reason.”

  “And you’re not worried about insulting me? I’m sure your boss would not be happy if we took our business elsewhere.”

  “Look. I’m only on my third cup of coffee for the day. I need at least six or seven to care what my boss thinks.”

  Mark raised an eyebrow at that statement, as it was clear there was no love lost. “So you think we can do better.”

  “Yes. If I didn’t need my job so much I’d tell you to simply hire a new CFO who can oversee those bookkeepers and make sure everything is done right. It would save you money and it would save someone else the headache of figuring out what they did.”

  “How would you like to be my new CFO?” Mark asked as if he had just asked her if she wanted more coffee, not if she wanted a job.

  “What? You can’t be serious.”

  “Oh I am. I think we could use someone like you around here and you’ve proven that you know the work and are capable of doing it.”

  “I have a non-compete clause in my contract. I can’t work for you.”

  “I’ll handle that if you want the job. It comes with a six figure salary if that helps? Full benefits?”

  “You have got to be joking. Six figures and full benefits?”

  “Yes, and I can’t be harder to work for than that boss of yours. You might not even need six cups of coffee first.”

  “Look, I’d love the job simple because I’ve wanted to switch to corporate accounting anyway, but I can’t get out of that clause in my contract. I can’t work for anyone who has been our client in the past two years.”

  “I’ll have my lawyers draw up your contract and get you out of the clause in your current one. Why don’t you come back after work on Friday, and we will have dinner and discuss everything?” If asked later Mark would deny having ever done this, but there was just something about this woman. He wanted to get to know her better, unrelated to work, and he knew the best way to do that would be to have her in the same building every day. Money could do a lot of things so he knew her contract wasn’t an issue, and the dinner was an excuse to see her again.

  “I think I can do that. Don’t feel bad if you don’t succeed,” Amy said as she stood up to leave. “I need to get back to work. I will see you on Friday.”

  Walking back to her office Amy couldn’t help but be slightly excited at the prospect of getting out of public accounting, even though she knew she shouldn’t get her hopes up. The job would be perfect, and silently she had to admit Mark wouldn’t be so bad to work for. If nothing else he was pleasing to look at while her current boss was mean and looked like a rat. She knew it would be challenging at first to get the bookkeepers to do things the proper way, but once she had policies in place and they knew they could come to her for anything, she had no doubt it would be a wonderful job. The salary wouldn’t hurt either, as she had seen what the previous CFO was making and if she made even half that she’d be tripling her annual income. Goodbye student loans, hello sunny beach vacations.

  Chapter Two

  Friday afternoon was dragging for Amy as she tried not to think about where she was going as soon as she was done. Mark had sent her a note that gave her the name of a restaurant where they’d be having dinner, and to let her know a driver would pick her up at five. While the driver wasn’t necessary, she was silently glad as she hated the subway during rush hour and this way she could avoid it.

  It was just before five that she realized the real reason for the driver as her current boss came up to her desk, looking almost happy though she wasn’t entirely sure. “Make sure you take all your belongings with you, since this is your last day here. Mark Carren informed me you are starting there on Monday. There are boxes in the supply room if you need one.”

  Amy stared after her boss, or former boss, in shock as the reality of what he had just said sunk in. She got the job. Mark had been able to get her out of her contract and this dinner wasn’t just to sign her new employment contract, it was also to celebrate. She almost jumped for joy and almost skipped to the supply room to get a box, getting to work on boxing up everything. Several other accountants and bookkeepers came to see what she was doing, and she excitedly told them about her new job which got her just as many envious looks as it got her congratulations.

  It was a happy Amy, who instantly felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, who put her box in the trunk of the car at five o’clock on the dot. “I will take the box to your new office after taking you to the restaurant ma’am,” the driver said as they pulled away from the curb.

  “Thank you that is very much appreciated.”

  While the drive was definitely more pleasant than the subway, it also took longer as traffic was positively insane. Half the time they weren’t moving at all, which is why Amy didn’t arrive at the restaurant until six. She smiled when she saw Mark waiting out front for her, and she let him help her out of the car after he opened her door. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting?”

  “Not at all. I planned for it to take some time for you to get here. Shall we head inside?”

  Amy smiled at him and let him lead her to their table, where he pulled out her chair like a true gentleman would before sitting down himself. “Considering you are smiling, I take it you already know I was successful?”

  “Yes, I do. Thank you, truly. I feel lighter somehow.”

  “It was clear you were not happy there. I hope you don’t mind but I went ahead and ordered a bottle of champagne to celebrate the happy occasion.”

  “I don’t mind at all. I finally have something worth celebrating. I am curious how you did it though.”

  “Money can do a lot of things, as does knowing your competition. Your employers have some things they don’t wish to have become public knowledge, and I gave them some excellent referrals for your replacement so they won’t be without a CPA long. Clearly they didn’t worry about getting good lawyers for those contracts either as my lawyers pierced right through them. All in all it was really quite simple.”

  “Well thank you. I look forward to starting on Monday.”

  “Excellent. Now before dinner let’s get the formal reason for this dinner out of the way before we let alcohol influence anything. This is t
he contract, let me know if you want to see any changes. I’m willing to negotiate.”

  Amy took the contract and started reading, her eyes nearly popping out of her head as she did. She would be making the same as the previous CFO, which was over half a million a year, full health, dental and vision, 401k, pension, life insurance, and four weeks’ vacation a year. When she got to the paragraph about living arrangements she almost forgot how to breathe. “You have an apartment for me?”

  “Our executive officers have housing provided as part of their benefits package. Besides me there is you and our COO, whom you will meet first thing Monday. After that meeting I will make the formal announcement during our regular Monday morning town hall meeting which is open to all employees. We all live in the same building, where I have the penthouse and you and the COO, Kevin, split the floor below it. It is convenient as we sometimes work late, and our chef can easily prepare meals while our housekeeper can easily take care of all our homes.”

  “Chef? Housekeeper?”

  “Yes. I have a chef in my employ, and she will also be available to you. Trust me, there will be times when you’ll love it especially when it comes time for the annual audit of the books. Our housekeeper simply keeps everything clean and does your laundry, including taking anything that needs dry cleaned to the dry cleaner and picking it back up. With three of us there is always something and if she goes for one of us she might as well go for all of us. I believe that good employees should be valued, and I take care of mine to ensure they will want to work hard. All employees get three weeks’ vacation starting out, and even though they are at work less than employees at other corporations, they are also more productive. It’s amazing how that works. You will be busy, you will have many days where you’ll want to go home and sink down on your couch with a glass of wine. The last thing you’ll want to do is worry about cleaning or doing laundry or cooking dinner. Lydia is actually really excited to finally have a woman to take care of. Is there anything you’d like changed or added?”