by E A Price
Carly grunted in frustration, rattling the blender. “This thing isn’t working.”
“Well, it has been sitting in the cupboard for a few months,” murmured Mia absently.
Carly took the top off and peered inside. “Maybe I put too much stuff in, here hold this.” Carly passed the lid to Ling before disappearing under the desk again.
“A-ha! It wasn’t switched on at the socket,” cried Carly, seconds before the blender started whirring.
The mixture flew into the air, splattering all over Ling, who screamed in surprise and banged the buttons, trying to make it stop. It did, and Carly emerged from under the desk with a sheepish look on her face.
She took in the green, slimy mixture currently adorning her best friend. “Whoops!”
“Whoops?!” shrieked Ling.
Carly shook her shoulders trying not to laugh, and noticed Mia was doing the same. “Green’s a good color on you…”
“Ugh!”
The bell on the door tinkled. “Having fun, ladies?” asked a silken voice.
Ling felt a little tingle at the voice; she spun around and gasped. Her panda mewled in fervent glee. Holy hell, the man stood before her was gorgeous! His dark green eyes bore into her, and god, she felt him pierce her soul. He stood at six feet tall; he was lean and trim, clothed in a well-cut black suit. A wry smile played upon his dark lips. Damn, he could be an angel… if he weren’t a snake shifter. She felt a little trepidation at that, but her panda soon soothed her. There was an innate stillness and sense of restrained power that called to her on a base level. Her little beast was already besotted!
“Oh… ummm… I…” Ling grasped at words; she knew she had a name lying around here somewhere.
“You must be Ling,” he purred.
Yes! That was it!
“It’s nice to meet you; I’m Marcus.” He held out his hand, but Ling didn’t move to take it.
“I would, but I’m covered in goo,” she said, blushing furiously.
“So I see.”
Her sex fluttered at his velvety voice. Oooh, he should do books on tape… erotic books… that she would listen to, over and over again. No, down girl!
He cocked his head on one side. “Why don’t you take a few moments to… freshen up, and then come into my office so we can start the interview?”
Great, just great. She was standing in front of the hottest, most attractive guy she’d ever met, and she was covered in goo! And he just happened to be her new boss. Terrific – as experience had taught her, dating the boss generally didn’t turn out all that well. “Maybe, I should go home and change,” she suggested quietly.
His jaw twitched. “There’s really no need; it doesn’t matter what you look like.”
She deflated a little at that. Apparently, he could give a crap what she looked like, he didn’t think she looked nice and clearly he wasn’t attracted to her. “Okay, just give me five minutes.”
He nodded and disappeared into his office. She shot to the bathroom, pulling Carly with her. After a few minutes or primping she reemerged with her short hair tied back with a band, a fresh coat of make-up, and she was wearing Carly’s clothes. The fox shifter had put up a bit of a struggle at first, but Ling had been determined. Alright, so the black shorts and the She-Ra vest top weren’t exactly her style, but teamed with her pumps and her purse, she just about pulled them off. Carly trailed after her, scowling and wearing her gloopy shift dress.
Squaring her shoulders, she knocked on his door and quivered when he told her to come in.
He was sat at his desk; he’d taken off his jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves, unveiling his ropey arm muscles. His deep eyes watched her carefully, mercilessly taking in every detail of her body. Hell, she felt naked in front of him. Her panda was practically dancing up and down, getting naked sounded like a good idea…
If he was surprised that she was wearing Carly’s clothes, he didn’t show it. In fact, it was kind of hard to get a read on him, he seemed pretty emotionless altogether.
He motioned for her to sit down, and she did. He tapped his fingers on the desk, staring at her for a few moments.
She smiled nervously, and he smiled in return.
“So, when can you start?” he asked unexpectedly.
“Oh! Ummm, today?” The sooner, the better! Her beast yipped in approval.
“Great, welcome aboard.”
“Umm, not that I’m complaining, but don’t you want to… ummm, know why I was fired from my last job.” She looked at her feet as her panda gave her a growl. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she didn’t really want him to know about her relationship with Myron. It didn’t feel right talking about a past lover with him for some reason, and not just because he was her boss, there was something else. She didn’t like the idea of him picturing her with anyone else…
His jaw ticked. “Jackson already told me.”
She harrumphed. Ugh, stupid Jackson!
Seeing her discomfort, he was quick to reassure her. “It doesn’t matter to me. And don’t worry; you won’t get fired for sleeping with your boss here.”
She sucked in a breath. Was it her imagination, or did his voice just turn husky? Was he suggesting they were going to sleep together, but she definitely wouldn’t get fired for it? Excitement coursed through her. No, stop, easy girl. He probably just means he’s never going to sleep with you. That thought was a real bummer.
Marcus gave her a curious look. “You’re not still… I mean, you’re not still dating your old boss, are you?”
“No! Absolutely no, hell no! Not in a million years, even if he hadn’t fired me, we wouldn’t be dating,” she blurted in a rush. Heavens, she sounded like a lunatic. She had to do something to make her seem normal. “I’m actually single right now.” She gave herself a mental kick, how did telling him that help?
He nodded. “Yes, me too.”
She raised her eyebrows. Okay, that wasn’t her imagination; he wanted her to know he was available. Her little animal swooned.
Marcus cleared his throat. “So, a red panda shifter, huh? I don’t think I’ve ever met one before.”
Ling grinned. “Yeah, we’re kind of rare in Playa Lunar. Although both my parents are red pandas, they were lucky to find each other… not that I think it’s necessary to mate with your own species. I certainly don’t care about that kind of thing.”
He gave her a warm smile, and she almost melted. “I agree; my brother mated with a rabbit and they seem happy.”
“That is one brave rabbit,” she muttered and Marcus burst into laughter.
“I’m sorry,” she stammered as her cheeks burned red.
“Don’t be,” he said soothingly.
His eyes caught hers, and she was locked into their intense gaze. It was hypnotic. He was about to say something and… Mia burst through the door.
Ling thought she saw a look of fury wash over his face, but it was soon smothered by cool indifference.
Mia grimaced. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Detective Leeman’s on the phone, and he says it’s important.”
Marcus breathed in and out a couple of times. “No problem, we’re finished. Mia, Ling will be starting work for us today, can you show her what to do?”
The rabbit shifter brightened. “Absolutely, come with me.”
She disappeared into the outer office, and reluctantly, Ling followed. She thought about asking him out on a date. She’d never made the first move with a guy before, but seriously, how hard could it be? Her panda was all for it.
Yes, yes, she would do it now. She turned back to speak to him and found he was already on the phone.
He smiled at her but turned away from her to concentrate on his call. Her beast whimpered in defeat and Ling soothed her. There was no rush; after all, she was going to see him every day at work…
Chapter Seven
Marcus replaced the handset and rolled his shoulders. He was amazed he had managed to get through a conversation with the Detective, althou
gh, truth be told, he had barely listened to a word the lion shifter said. His thoughts and his beast were focused on one thing, and one thing alone. Ling.
The moment he saw her, no, the moment he scented her, his whole body had come alive in heated need, and his snake had been hissing at him to take her. He just hoped he had managed to appear normal in front of her.
He chuckled, thinking of her covered in that green slime. It hadn’t detracted one iota from her beauty. He’d never had such an instant and overwhelming reaction to a woman. To a red panda no less, he’d never considered anything small and fluffy as anything other than prey. Although, he’d never admit that in front of his niece, Mia, or his brother for that matter. But there was no denying the attraction he felt to her. From her heart-shaped face and inky-black hair, right down to her delectable curves, she was perfect. Her dark red, pouting lips just begged to be kissed…
Marcus flexed his jaw and concentrated on breathing. Years of self-discipline had taught him control, but he feared that even he had his limits. He groaned and pushed his arousal into a more manageable position, or at least less obvious. Fuck, he was rock hard, and he had been since he caught her scent. It had been a little distorted by her perfume and that god-awful mess she was covered in, but there was no mistaking her delicate, jasmine scent.
He figured she was Carly’s age. He was a bit older than her, but it wasn’t that much difference. He wondered if she’d say yes if he asked her out on a date. His gut said yes, she had certainly seemed interested in him, and he was sure he had caught a whiff of her arousal. His snake had almost been unbearable at that. He wanted to leap over the desk and throw the little panda to the ground and…
He clasped his hands together as his muscles trembled. His beast was trying to force the shift, but Marcus was resistant. He had to stay in control. After Kelly died he swore he would never lose control again, and he swore he would never let himself be so affected by a female. Yet, less than thirty minutes after meeting a luscious red panda shifter and he was already in pieces.
Would Ling even want to get involved with him, after the way her last boss treated her… Just the thought made him want to hunt the man down and wrap his hands round the asshole’s throat…
Marcus groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. This was why he didn’t like to get involved with women. Attraction leads to lust; lust lead to love; love leads to jealousy and jealousy leads to him losing control and trying to hurt people…
It wasn’t good for him or his beast, although the snake was adamant that it was worth the risk. Marcus just wasn’t quite so sure.
He looked at his office door. She was out there right now. She was probably sat at the desk, her shapely legs crossed over one another, her breasts straining at the awful She-Ra shirt, just waiting for someone to come along and…
Ugh, god, he had it bad.
*
Ling flicked her eyes to Marcus’ closed door. He hadn’t come out once since she left him earlier. What the heck was he doing in there?
Mia had given her some work and she had, much to Mia’s delight, sailed through it. It probably wasn’t her best work. How could it be? All of her thoughts were directed at the delicious hunk hiding in his office. She would guess he was about 40-years-old. That was fine with her. Myron was 47.
Her panda growled. Ugh, stupid Myron. Although, if he hadn’t treated her like something you scrape off your shoe, she never would have come to work here. So it wasn’t all bad.
Jackson and Logan had returned and left again with Carly in tow, much to Jackson’s annoyance. But otherwise things were quiet, and she was left to obsess over Marcus. She seemed to think he had been married, but she couldn’t quite recall. Carly had gushed over her job at the bail bond agency, but Ling couldn’t remember everything she said. She would have to find a way to probe her best friend, unobtrusively of course.
Her phone buzzed. Oh, maybe it was Marcus! Wait, what? How could it be? He didn’t have her number, and besides, he was sat less than twenty feet away from her. Why would he be texting?
She groaned at her own stupidity, and then groaned even louder when she saw it was a text from her mother reminding her about her blind date that night. Awww, crap. Maybe she could just tell her mother she had the flu. Nah, her mother would come round to her house with pills and potions, and she might even bring the blind date with her for good measure. Her mother had this crazy idea that, at the start of a relationship, it was a good thing for people to see each other at their worst. She said it let you know what you were in for down the line. Ling disagreed. She liked men to see her at her best so that they had no expectation of things getting any better. Hmmm, maybe her mother had a point.
Ling started as she saw that Mia was beaming at her. “Quitting time. Listen, thanks for taking the job.”
Ling shrugged. “You don’t have to say that.”
Mia’s eyes looked desperate. “Trust me when I say this, you are a godsend.”
Logan, Carly and Jackson returned with triumphant smiles.
“Caught them all,” proclaimed Logan happily. “We’re going out for a drink to celebrate, you girls coming?”
“Definitely,” agreed Mia, flushing with pleasure at the bear. “How about you, Ling?”
Her eyes were drawn to Marcus’ door. Maybe he would come too. Then she deflated remembering what she had to do that night. “I can’t, I have a date.”
“What?” cried Carly. “Why haven’t I heard about this before now?”
Ling squirmed. “It’s not a real date; my mother set it up for me.”
Carly started giggling before it descended into bellows of laughter. She’d met some of the men Fang had tried to set her daughter up with over the years; they had not been pretty… “Good luck with that.”
“I guess I should get going.”
“Yes, we don’t want to make you late for your date.”
Ling froze at the soft yet firm voice behind her. Damnit, now Marcus knew she was going on a date. She opened her mouth to explain, but Marcus didn’t stop. He marched out of the office.
“You coming for a drink, Marcus?” offered Logan.
“No,” said Marcus shortly before slamming the front door.
“Good night to you too,” called Carly after him before muttering, “moody snake.”
“I guess I should get going,” mumbled Ling, reluctantly. The combined factors of going on a blind date set up by her mother and Marcus knowing she was going on a date, made her look like she was being led to the gallows. She was not a happy panda.
*
Marcus reread Norman, the camel shifter’s file. Or rather he pretended to read it; he already knew it inside out. In reality, he was trying to ignore his raging beast and stop thinking about Ling.
His snake hissed. She had lied to him! She said she was single, and now she was going on a date. He ought to hunt her down, and throw her over his shoulder, and march her right back to his bedroom and…
Marcus closed his eyes and breathed. She didn’t lie to him. She was single. She was just going on a date, and, thankfully, she didn’t sound overly pleased about it.
Who knows, maybe the date would be so bad that she would come running into his arms… yeah, he could get on board with that.
Marcus read the paragraph about Norman’s arrest over and over. He had to stop thinking of her. He wasn’t in the market for a relationship, and he doubted she would be happy with something casual. No, he doubted he would be happy with something casual. The idea of her dating another man at the same time as him was intolerable. No one was allowed to touch her but him!
He threw the file to back seat of his BMW and scrubbed a hand over his face. He was just going around in circles over her. He really needed to do something to take his mind off her, and he had the perfect plan.
His snake momentarily forgot about the panda and rumbled excitedly as he spotted Norman slinking down the alley of a sushi restaurant. Marcus’ lips twitched as he suppressed a smile. A nice lit
tle chase - that would make him feel better. And hey, if the camel resisted, punching him would be a pleasant bonus.
Marcus slid out of his car and slipped his jacket on. He stealthily walked down the alley. He saw the camel duck through a door, and Marcus followed.
Luckily, Detective Leeman had mentioned that Norman had received a number of parking tickets, and had been picked up for loitering outside this restaurant. Marcus figured the camel dealt pot to people who worked there.
The Detective had actually called to warn Marcus that Meyerson, the python shifter had broken the conditions of his parole, and his parole officer couldn’t find him. Meyerson had apparently left his mother’s house, and she hadn’t seen him in a couple of days. Marcus hadn’t really given it much thought. His thoughts were filled with Ling, with a tiny part given to catching the camel shifter. The python didn’t rate very highly on his worry list.
He walked down the corridor and came out into the kitchen of the restaurant. A couple of the cooks looked at him, wonderingly, but soon got back to work after a glacial smile from Marcus. He looked around the kitchen but couldn’t see the camel. His scent was mixed with fish, and the sweaty scents of the kitchen staff, but also something delicious and warming…
His snake practically sighed in happiness and arousal; he’d know that jasmine scent anywhere. Ling.
Marcus peered through the door into the restaurant. His heart almost stopped. There she was. Her sleek black hair was slightly curled and her wide, dark eyes were artfully smoky, and currently gazing into the eyes of another man…
He quivered with the effort of holding his snake back. He should leave; he should find that annoying, lanky camel and leave. He shouldn’t be standing there watching her. He shouldn’t watch as her fingers teased the straw in her drink, and as she lifted the drink to her pretty mouth, and as her date put his fucking hand on her leg. Right, that was enough.
All thoughts of the camel shifter were forgotten as Marcus strode out the door toward Ling and a soon-to-be dead man.
