by Leela Ash
Janie brightened up, excitement lighting her clear, beautiful eyes.
“That’s perfect. And actually, I minored in photojournalism, so if you wanted…”
“I wouldn’t have to pay extra for a photographer? We can give it a shot. Get me your portfolio tomorrow morning and I’ll let you know.”
“All right,” Janie said, smiling at him from across the table. Dean couldn’t help but gaze at her; there was something about her he just liked. But he shouldn’t like anyone. Everyone who got close to him either got hurt or hurt him. It wasn’t safe to like anybody.
“Dinner is served!” Maurice said brightly, placing large plates of food in front of Dean and Janie. He smiled at them before retreating, and Dean sighed.
“Finally,” he grumbled, digging into his food. Janie smiled gently at him and followed suit.
He guessed it wasn’t too big a deal to find an intern likeable. It wasn’t like they were going to date or anything. This was business, after all. Besides, she was half his age. Dean allowed himself to relax, and spent the rest of the evening enjoying an impromptu dinner with his new intern. There was no harm. He was fuckin’ hungry.
6.
Janie drove home, her entire body buzzing from the unexpected dinner with Dean. She hadn’t expected him to be so magnetic. He wasn’t very communicative as he ate–he was a little bit gruff, in fact–but it was ridiculously attractive. She didn’t blame the people who had labeled him one of the world’s most handsome men. It was so easy to forget how old he was. Shifter men aged very well.
It was a fact she tried again and again to ignore, but the fact was that she had been hired by one of the men deemed heartthrob of the year. And now, pending his review of her portfolio, she was going to be spending a lot more time with him.
As soon as she walked through the doorway of her motel room, the phone rang.
“So how did your first day of work go?” Leah asked immediately.
“I just had dinner with Dean Resner,” Janie said, scarcely able to believe it herself.
“What?!” Leah squealed. “Tell me all about it!”
Janie sat down on the motel bed and spent the rest of the night telling her best friend about her unbelievable first day of work.
“You’re really making an impression on him!” Leah exclaimed as they were hanging up the phone.
“What do you mean?” Janie asked. It seemed to her that he was the one who made the bigger impression on her.
“I hear he’s really picky about his interns. Doesn’t let them do anything too important. Almost condescending, really. And when he doesn’t like them, he fires them without remorse.”
“Really?” Janie asked, panic welling in her chest.
“Yeah. He would never have asked someone he didn’t trust to go to dinner and be his photographer!”
“He didn’t ask me exactly. It was just-”
“Still,” Leah said. “It’s a pretty big deal! Don’t downplay it like you do every other time you’re accomplishing something huge.”
Janie didn’t know what else to say about it and apparently, that was the end of that, because they were soon saying good night to each other.
Janie showered and lay in bed, her heart fluttering in excitement. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen when she brought him her portfolio, but the evening she had spent with him had left her feeling optimistic.
When she woke up, Janie packed her laptop in her briefcase and headed to Howler Inc. She was surprised when Dean let her into his office immediately. He seemed a lot less distracted than he had been when she had come in for her interview, and in fact, had greeted her with a broad, handsome smile that made her heart flutter.
“Good morning,” Dean said, nodding to the chair across from his desk.
Janie sat and immediately began rummaging through her suitcase to pull out her laptop.
“Please forgive me, but I didn’t unpack my portfolio quite yet. I wanted to be sure I would be staying for good.”
“Where are your things?” Dean asked, a puzzled expression on his face. “I thought you were living here now.”
“I have everything in a storage unit on the east side of town,” Janie said, feeling a little bit self-conscious. “I’m staying at a motel until I know for sure if this is the right fit for me.”
A man like Dean Resner was unlikely to understand the trifles of poverty. It seemed embarrassing to admit that she was living out of a motel, especially to her boss, who happened to be one of the wealthiest men in the world.
“A motel? Really?”
Janie was surprised. Instead of looking judgmental, Dean just seemed concerned.
“Yup. It will do for now until I get settled in.”
“That can’t be safe for you,” Dean insisted, frowning. Janie had read before about the protective instincts of shifter men, particularly alphas, but she had never seen it in person before. It was a strange feeling, a man wanting to protect her. Most men in her life had a tendency to run away. Even her own father hadn’t stuck around very long.
“Really, I’m all right. I have a house lined up that I plan to rent. It’s really not a big deal. I’m used to doing things on my own.”
Dean raised his eyebrow, reluctant to drop the subject. “A human woman in a shifter town living in a motel alone. I’m just not comfortable with that. When will you be out of there?”
“I’m not sure… I’d have to get all of my things moved in from storage. So whenever I can find the time.”
“That’s absurd,” Dean said. “Let me help you.”
“What? But you have so much you have to do right now. Helping me move should be the least of your concerns.”
But judging by the look on Dean’s face, he wasn’t going to budge.
“I can do it on my own. Really,” Janie said, although she could tell the words fell on deaf ears. “Look, these are the pictures I had to take for class. Some of them I did on my own time. If they’re not your style, that’s fine, just let me know and I can try to arrange another photographer to help you out with the project.”
Dean’s dark gaze rested on her for a moment, and she could tell he was still lost in thought, reluctant to let her situation go. Still, there was nothing that could be done right that moment, and Dean sighed.
“Let me see.”
They were quiet for a few moments as Dean clicked through the photographs that Janie had saved on her laptop. Usually, she wasn’t nervous about anything, professionally, at least, but seeing Dean’s scrutinizing gaze on her work was unnerving. She knew he had an immaculate eye. In fact, Howler Inc. was decorated with some of the most beautiful artwork she had ever seen. Maybe it had been a mistake to bare her soul to this man without hardly knowing him. Showing him her photography felt somehow too intimate.
“Did you arrange for the coaching sessions?” Dean asked without looking up from the screen. Janie had to take a deep breath before she could answer. Her heart seemed to be beating a million miles per second.
“Yes,” Janie said. “There’s a team very interested in meeting with you as soon as you can arrange it. But they’re patient.”
“Luckily, you had this idea during football season,” Dean said quietly, still mulling over the photographs. Janie prayed he would be done soon; she wasn’t sure how much more of the suspense she could take.
“It’s partly why I thought it would be a good idea to do it this way,” Janie said with a wry smile. “Besides, these are at-risk youth who could really use a good role-model.”
This caught Dean’s attention and he looked up into Janie’s face, his expression somehow startled and vulnerable at the same time.
“What?” Dean asked, his face darkening.
“Well, I got to talking with an inner-city coach. He used his own money to put together this team, for shifters and humans alike, for kids with bad family situations who couldn’t afford activities like this. He’s doing really good things for them. I thought it would be better than standing wit
h a team who already has everything figured out, you know?”
“Yes,” Dean said, looking quickly back at the screen. “That makes sense.”
After a few more seconds, he shut the laptop abruptly and handed it to Janie over the top of the desk.
“Your pictures are good. I think we should give it a go. Get in touch with the coach and tell him we can meet on Thursday afternoons.”
“Thursday… but the kids are in school then,” Janie reminded Dean. “They were hoping for some time during the weekends.”
Janie was afraid Dean might find this overcomplicated, especially being so busy, but she was pleasantly surprised when he smiled quickly.
“Right. Of course. Saturday afternoons then. Make sure you run it by the secretary out there. She’s bright, but there’s a reason we need an intern around here.”
Dean stretched in his chair and held Janie’s gaze levelly. This time, she didn’t look away, and a surge of heat coursed through her. It was hard not to think about this man. Her body seemed to wake up from a deep slumber whenever she laid eyes on him. Hopefully, he couldn’t sense it.
“Is there anything else you’d like to discuss while you’re here or will that be all?” Dean asked.
“That should be everything for now. I’ll let you know to confirm about the meetings with the team.”
“Great. Talk to you then.”
Janie walked out of the office, fighting the strong urge she’d had to glance over her shoulder at Dean. It felt strange to leave like this, in such an impersonal way, but what was she supposed to do? Hug him goodbye? That was hardly professional. In fact, she couldn’t think of a faster way to get herself fired.
Still, she walked back to her work station with a bounce in her step. She had single-handedly shaped the next PR campaign for Howler Incorporated. It might not make her very popular with the people she worked with, but there was nothing to be done about that. She was in this business to succeed, not make friends. And if they didn’t like it, that was just too bad. Because she wasn’t going to compromise, and that was that.
7.
Dean sat quietly in his office, staring at the door after Janie left, his heart heavy. He had always done his best throughout his career not to think about how he’d grown up, and in fact had done everything he could to escape the vast trenches of poverty and become one of the world’s most valuable men. But working with at-risk kids from poor home environments would be about the same as looking his past in the face. He wasn’t sure if he could do it.
Still, it seemed he had no choice, and he set to work, doing his best to distract himself from the unpleasant memories of his childhood.
“Mr. Resner, your wife…erm….ex-wife is on line two.”
Dean cringed at the mention of Kiera and picked the phone up with a heavy sigh.
“What do you want?” Dean sighed into the receiver.
“I just thought you might like to know that I forgive you,” Kiera said, her voice a taunting lilt.
“What do you mean you forgive me? For what?!”
If bringing the wolf out was her goal, she was already halfway there.
“You know. Your immature little outburst at the office the other day. I won’t hold it against you.”
“That’s very big of you,” Dean said. “But I don’t give a shit whether you hold it against me or not.”
Kiera gasped indignantly and Dean couldn’t help but grin. They could push each other’s buttons all day. It wouldn’t bother him any.
“You know what? My lawyers advised me to keep this to myself, but since you’ve been such a peach about everything, I think I ought to tell you. We’re going after the company. And from what I hear, it’s as good as mine. So think on that next time you want to take your pathetic temper out on me, because I don’t have to take it.”
The company? A cold chill surged through Dean. The company was a testament to his own survival; if she took that from, him he didn’t know what he would do with himself.
“You can’t take the company!” he snarled. “That’s impossible.”
“Oh, from what my lawyers tell me, it’s perfectly possible. So very possible, in fact, that I am going to call them up right now and ask them to speed the process along. They’ve got a lot to gain from it too, you know.”
Before Dean could say another word, Kiera hung up the phone. He could practically hear her self-satisfied laughter from across town, and he growled ferociously before bolting from his desk.
“Sir, where are you going? You have a meeting with-”
But Dean hardly heard his secretary. He was doing everything within his power to keep from shifting right there in the office. Kiera had pushed him too far, Kiera and those fuckin’ bear shifters, and now he was going to have to find a way to keep himself under control until he managed to get into the woods to let off some steam.
Nobody tried to stop him as Dean stormed out of the office, rage and anguish filling his breast. What had he been thinking, trying to get settled down with a good company, with a horrible shrew of a wife? He had always known it was doomed to fail. Why had he been stupid enough to try it anyway?
Never again, he vowed, pushing through the heavy rotating doors and walking briskly to the limits of the parking lot. There was a big open forest to the east of the building, and that’s exactly where he was going to go. God help anybody who tried to stop him.
A forlorn howl echoed through the open space of the parking lot as Dean’s body completed its shapeshift, and he growled again at the thought of Kiera. He would go for a run. It would help him feel better. Maybe, by the time he was done, he would know exactly what to do to get rid of the shitty feelings she gave him. It was worth a shot.
***
By the time Dean was starting to feel better, he had exhausted himself in his wolf form, running throughout the hills, valleys, and forests of his youth. It drudged up even worse memories; an abusive junkie of a mother, a father who wanted nothing to do with him and abused practically every drug in the book, and a life without money or resources. Nothing had ever been sure or reliable in his life. Not until he had finally earned his first dollar. Everything had only gotten better from that day on.
In high school, Dean had paid for his own uniform and cleats to start football; maybe to give himself an identity away from that of his parent’s child. It had given him something to live for. Even more importantly, it gave him a goal to strive for and, ultimately, accomplish. His coach had taken him under his wing and besides his relationship with Maurice, that had been the most cared for Dean had ever felt. It was nice. The team was almost like a family to him.
“Dean?”
Dean was shocked out of his thoughts by a familiar voice, and looked about himself as if in a daze. He hadn’t noticed himself shifting back into his human form. It happened like that sometimes, especially when the wolf had taken over of its own accord. Things kind of happened in a fog during those times.
“Dean… Mr. Resner… what are you doing here?”
Janie walked cautiously toward him, deep concern in her beautiful eyes. He had the absurd urge to hug her close to him. Everything felt awful, but somehow, maybe being close to her would make it better.
She froze suddenly. “And why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”
Dean glanced down at himself, half-heartedly covering his groin, and shrugged.
“Are you all right?”
Janie stepped forward carefully and crouched down so that she was easily able to meet his eyes. He realized suddenly that he was in a parking lot, and a sign was flickering above Janie’s head. “The best and only motel in town.” Apparently, the motel where Janie lived. What the hell was that wolf thinking?
“I’m fine,” Dean grumbled, getting to his feet.
“You don’t look fine,” Janie said, examining him closely. “Why don’t you come inside? I’ll get you some water.”
Dean opened his mouth to refuse, but Janie had already taken him by the elbow and was leading him
toward the doorway of her motel room. He felt horrible all of a sudden. As if, in a way, he was taking advantage of a young woman. Going naked into her motel room wasn’t going to look very good, after all. Shouldn’t he be more careful with his image? Especially with the bear shifters out to destroy him?
And even more to the point, it just didn’t seem proper. He was old, she was young… it was flat out inappropriate.
But Janie didn’t seem capable of taking no for an answer, so he quickly found himself sitting awkwardly on one of the motel chairs with a fluffy white bath towel wrapped around his waist. Janie was pouring him a cup of coffee and he had a cold glass of water in his hand. If she tried to pry into his mind, he knew it would vex him enough to bring the wolf back out again.
Instead of pushing him to talk, however, the way one of his nosy exes would have done, Janie just sat down across from him at the table and sipped her own coffee, not even looking him in the eye. She was minding her own business. He snuck a glance at her and felt an animal pang of longing electrify him out of his misery. It was clear that she was attracted to him, but she wasn’t like the other women. She had too much dignity to throw herself at him. In a way, that was even more alluring than anything else.
“I appreciate your hospitality,” Dean finally said. He had to say something. It wasn’t okay for him to just sit there naked and think improper thoughts about his young new intern. Even an awkward conversation would be better than this.
“I just want to make sure you’re all right,” Janie said, finally turning her beautiful eyes on Dean and smiling kindly. “Is there anything I can do for you? Something you want or need?”
Need? Had anyone who wasn’t being paid ever asked him that in his life? He was quiet as he stared at Janie, almost too choked up by the prospect of being cared for to respond. But he had a reputation to uphold. Dean cleared his throat loudly.
