Beauty and the Wolf

by Lynn Richards

  BEAUTY

  AND

  THE

  WOLF

  By Lynn Richards

  Beauty and the WolfCopyright 2012

  Patricia Mason

  Wolf Publishing

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  WARNING: This book is intended for mature audiences only.

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my husband, the man who inspires me every time I write, but who truly inspired this story because he looks so damn good in a white dress shirt and red tie.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “When are you going to tell him how you feel?”

  Sophie busied herself serving the pepperoni pizza that had been delivered just moments before, ignoring her best friend’s question.

  When she continued to be ignored, Mary Ann snapped her fingers in front of Sophie’s face. “Hello, anyone in there?”

  “Have I told you lately how annoying you are?” Sophie took a bite of her pizza.

  “Not in the last few minutes.”

  “Well, then I guess I need to step-up my insulting. You are annoying.”

  “When Sophie?”

  She put down her piece of pizza and picked up her diet drink. “What am I suppose to do Mary Ann? Bat my eyes over morning coffee and say ‘Oh, Jake, would you be my boyfriend?’”

  “No, but you could say, Jake would you be my fuck buddy?”

  Soda spewed from Sophie’s mouth. “You are so bad!”

  Mary Ann just grinned and took another piece of pizza from the box. “Yeah, but can’t you just image having Jake Anderson as a fuck buddy?”

  Both women were silent as they ate their pizza and imaged having sex with Jake Anderson, CEO of the Anderson Trading Company in Roanoke, Virginia.

  “He’s my boss, Mary Ann. I can’t have sex with my boss.”

  “No, he’s my boss.”

  “He’s the freaking president of the company.”

  Sophie worked in the legal department of Anderson as a paralegal. Jake was the company. Rumor was he’d owned a multi-million dollar European company which he sold to take over the business from his father about five years ago. No one really knew anything about his life before he moved to the United States, just the basics: attended an Ivy League college and dated willowy, long legged blondes. The total opposite of Sophie.

  She was happy with her life most days. Her job was fulfilling, researching patent and intellectual property law for the company. Her family was close and boisterous and her friends might be few but they were people she could count on. Her only complaint would be she had no close relationship with someone of the opposite sex. She dated, she had sex on occasion, but she had no one to share her life. Unfortunately, that close personal relationship she wanted, she wanted with Jake.

  Yeah, she was happy with her life most days. Today, however, was not one of those days.

  Jake Anderson was the perfect man. Well, perfect in her eyes. She knew Mary Ann didn’t exactly share her heart-pounding, panty wetting attraction for the man. Her friend preferred taller, leaner men. She loved men built like Jake – broad shouldered and big. Oh man, she hoped he was big all over.

  “What put that gleam in your eye?” Mary Ann poked her.

  “Just thinking about Jake.”

  “And?”

  “And that’s all.” She knew her face turned a bright shade of red. She’d been thinking about how he’d look without his navy suit and red striped tie. He was big enough to make even her size eighteen feel small. She could just image his broad chest with its slight mat of dark hair. She’d had the pleasure of seeing that chest in the company gym one afternoon without a shirt. She’d been walking by and he’d been exchanging his sweat soaked t-shirt for a dry one. That had been a fine day indeed.

  “You were thinking about the size of his cock, weren’t you?”

  “No.” Sophie vehemently protested. “And you should watch your language.”

  “You love me when I talk dirty to you.” Mary Ann winked and grabbed another piece of pizza.

  Sophie took another from the box as well. She knew if she didn’t it would all be gone before she had her share. Mary Ann was her best friend, but she could eat her under the table any day of the week. This was saying something since Mary Ann stood only five foot one and had weighed just over a hundred pounds her whole life.

  Sophie sighed. What she wouldn’t give to have that fast of a metabolism. It seemed as if she just walked into a room with food and she gained weight. She went to put the piece of pizza back.

  “What are you doing?” Mary Ann asked.

  “I don’t really need that.”

  “Sophie.” Her friend’s voice held a warning.

  “Really, I’m full.” She loved the fact that her friend accepted her just as she was. And always would. Now she just had to find a man who loved her the way her best friend did.

  Lying back on the sofa, she sighed again. They were in their apartment holding what had become, sadly, their Friday night ritual of pizza and a chick flick. In the background Sweet Home Alabama played silently.

  “What am I going to do Mary Ann? I really do love him.”

  “The first thing we’re going to do is get you a date with him.”

  “A date? He doesn’t even know I’m alive.”

  Mary Ann laughed. “I keep telling you, the man can’t keep his eyes off you when you come visit me. He knows you’re alive, believe me.”

  “But how do I get him to ask me out and more importantly how do I get him to stay the night?”

  Mary Ann sprawled out beside her. “Believe me, it’s not difficult to get a man to stay the night and if it’s the weekend, he’ll stay two nights.”

  “Whether you want him to or not!”

  Sophie’s comment sent the women into uncontrollable giggles.

  * * * * *

  Jake Anderson hit save on his laptop and slumped back in his leather chair. He’d spent the last two hours trying to save an account gone bad. Even though he had surrounded himself with top people, every now and then he had to step in.

  Night had fallen over the city and he was ready to go for a run.

  Literally.

  He rose from his chair and walked to the bank of glass windows that took up one entire wall of his office. He wanted to get away to his home on the outskirts of the city. He wanted to feel the wind against his face and the ground beneath his paws.

  Yes, his paws.

  He watched the people scurrying down below like insects in a child’s ant farm, so oblivious to the things around them. Only a few knew the legends of Hollywood’s box office hits were real. That he was real.

  That Jake Anderson was a wolf.

  Thanks to the invention of electronics such as the camera phone and the internet, it was more difficult to hide, but they had been doing it for hundreds of years and would continue to do so for hundreds more. Despite the popularity of movies and books that featured vampires and werewolves, the world was not ready for the supernatural. They just thought they were.

  His family had been in the Roanoke area since the first settlers had made their way from the Mayflower. His ancestors, hell, some of his family members had watched the fledging human fort flourish and grow into the metropolis spread out below. On the outside he looked like a typical thirty three year old man but he was way older than tha
t. Way older. He’d lived through protests and wars, economic booms and busts.

  His grandfather had wanted to retire but his father refused to be named alpha. So it had fallen on Jake’s shoulders to take on that mantel of responsibility. Since the death of his mother, his father didn’t want much to do with anything. The running of the company had suffered from his lack of interest. Over the years the pack’s holdings had diversified, but the bread and butter of the income came from Anderson Trading. Not only was Jake named alpha, but he was forced to drag the company back from the edge of bankruptcy. A challenge he relished, but still found unfulfilling. It had only been a few years since he’d taken over the pack but it felt like forever. Maybe it was because he had no one to share his successes and failures. No one to call his own.

  Thank goodness the older employees were faithful individuals who had been in the service of the pack for decades so they didn’t question why father and son looked more like brothers. The youthful features of his father had been explained away to the newer employees as good genes and becoming a parent at a very early age. Usually a change in leadership at Anderson Trading involved the unfortunate, fictitious demise of the CEO.

  Some days Jake wanted to kill his father off – for real. These latest shenanigans had him pulling out his hair. His father thought it was time he settled down and he was determined to find his son a mate.

  Little did the old man know, he’d already found his mate.

  She came in a package full of curves who worked down in legal.

  He’d hid his attraction to the lovely burnett from his father and his pack for months. He’d thought he’d been successful in hiding it from everyone but he knew he didn’t fool his assistant. She knew all about the hard-on her friend gave him every time she walked through his office door.

  If he didn’t know better he’d accuse her of being in cahoots with his father in finding him a mate, but she knew nothing about his true lineage. Neither did her best friend. And he planned on keeping it that way.

  Taking a human for a mate was not against pack law, but it was not readily accepted by some members. When his grandfather had mated a human, he’d faced challenge after challenge. Of course, his grandfather had remained alpha. And married his mate.

  Jake just didn’t know how the new generation would react to the alpha having a human mate. More importantly, he didn’t want to mate. Not yet.

  Hell, he was still a pup by some standards. Was he ready to commit to one woman? Start a family?

  He ran his fingers through his hair disrupting the solid black locks. In wolf form he was a dark grey. What was it about the woman that attracted him? Granted she was pretty, but not at all what he had envisioned as his mate. He’d expected to be mated to the type of woman he’d been draw to all his life – tall, blonde, and gorgeous. Here he was lusting after a woman who barely came to his shoulder with hair the color of a mouse.

  But God how her full, voluptuous figure made him pant like a wolf.

  * * * * *

  Sophie looked at her reflection in the elevator trying to determine if her hair was straight and nothing was stuck between her teeth. She’d eaten some gummie bears right before she left her desk. With her luck one of the little boogers might have lodged in her front teeth.

  Oh why, oh why, had she let Mary Ann talk her into this insane idea? The plan was to thrust her in Jake’s face as much as possible until he broke and asked her out. She moaned. Why had she used the word thrust? All that brought to mind was the image of him surging inside her body as he held her to his bed and claimed her.

  She couldn’t do this. She had too many issues with her size. How could she possibly attract a man like Jake Anderson? The society papers were filled with him escorting one beautiful blonde after another. He went to sporting events with ex-Dallas cowboy cheerleaders and charity events with southern debutantes. One of her thighs alone was bigger around than any of those women.

  Just as her hand came out to stop the elevator and this insane quest, it dinged to let someone on.

  “Good morning, Sophie.”

  Sophie smiled back. She couldn’t help it. The elder Anderson was too much like his son – the man she loved. But this Anderson didn’t make her insides turn to jelly or give her the nervous heaves.

  “Good morning, sir.”

  “Now didn’t I tell you to call me Robert?” That trademark Anderson smile spread across his face. She bet he’d had more than a few women wetting their panties when he was younger.

  Good lord, her obsession with Jake was turning her into a nympho.

  It wouldn’t do for this man to know what she was thinking. It was bad enough that she had the hots for his son. Even though no one could really blame her for the somewhat inappropriate thoughts. Father and son could easily pass for brothers. Sophie knew if she were ever lucky enough to have Jake as her own, this was what he would look like in thirty years.

  He frowned as he looked down at her. “Are you okay, Sophie? Your face is very flushed.”

  She groaned silently. Why did he have to be such a hands on employer? He knew everyone’s name and made an effort to keep abreast of what was going on in their lives. “I’m fine, Mr. Anderson. It’s just a little hot in here, don’t you think?” She fanned herself with the folder she held in her hand to lend credence to her claim.

  The man didn’t answer just kept staring at her with those intense grey eyes. For a moment it felt like he was reading her mind. “I think you’ll do fine, just fine.”

  The ding of the elevator stopped her from replying to cryptic comment.

  “I’ll see you later, Sophie.” The man left with a big smile on his face, making her frown even more.

  She walked down the hallway to her best friend’s office feeling as though she were Daniel about to enter the lion’s den. A cliché she knew, but that’s how she felt. Hand on the door, she took a deep breath before stepping inside. Jake was supposed to be in the office going over a project with his vice-president of acquisitions, hence the covert call to bring the legal file. Her friend was determined to give Sophie a chance with her boss. And Sophie, love-sick fool that she was, was going right along with her.

  She hadn’t expected much to come of this little adventure, but she had expected Mary Ann to be behind her desk waiting to facilitate the meeting so to speak. When she opened the door, no one was around. Frowning, Sophie came completely inside and closed the door behind her. She had warned Mary Ann not to leave her alone with Jake, not yet. So where was her friend?

  They usually did everything together – even bathroom breaks. Mary Ann said it gave her a chance to stretch her legs and walked down the hallway to use the main bathroom. There was actually a bathroom for visitors off the waiting room and the CEO’s suite had a separate full bath.

  She walked to the small hallway that housed the guest bath and knocked on the door. “Mary Ann? Are you in there?”

  When no reply was forthcoming, she twisted the handle. Nope. No Mary Ann there.

  Going back into the lobby, she placed her hands on her ample hips and frowned again. She was actually a little worried about her friend. She should have been there. She walked to Jake’s door and listened intently. Of course, she could hear nothing through the solid oak which left her one of two choices. Turn tail and run or open the door. Sophie voted for door number one, but knew she’d regret it if she didn’t choose door number two.

  No Jake, no vice-president, no Mary Ann.

  Hearing a sound toward the back where some of the files were stored, she walked across the plush carpeting. To her deterrent she didn’t stop to remember that the private bath was also located in that direction. “Mary Ann? What are you doing, girl? I brought that file you wanted.” Might as well keep up the pretense. Jake must have left before she could get her butt in gear and bring the file.

  “Get out of here!”

  Sophie instinc
tively took a step back as the words were growled – yes, growled – and the bathroom door opened.

  Jake stepped outside, his hair disheveled, his shirt unbuttoned. His eyes glowing.

  OMG – his eyes were glowing.

  Sophie blinked rapidly as she continued to back pedal to the door. She dropped the file and a hand flew to her mouth to stop the squeal that threatened to erupt.

  When she dared to look him in the eye again, the glow was gone. His features were set in a taunt, angry mask.

  “Get out of here, Sophie.” His voice was low and deep.

  Sophie retreated until her back pressed against the office door.

  “Now.”

  His hands clenched at his sides. He made no move toward her, but Sophie was suddenly afraid.

  Twirling, she opened the door and fled.

  * * * * *

  “Damn it to hell!”

  Jake strode to the door to stop her. He’d smelled her fear. Fear was the last thing he wanted Sophie to experience. At his hand or any other.

  He hit the wall, making a fist sized dent in the oak paneling.

  Like a randy teenager, he’d been in the bathroom fantasizing about his mate. The mate he’d just scared. He hit the wall again.

  He’d had to take a cold shower in the middle of the damn day to relieve the lust he felt for Sophie. Hearing her voice so soon after ejaculating to the image of her on her knees sucking him off had him shifting. He knew she’d seen the glow in his eyes. He picked up the file she’d dropped and flung it across his desk.

  The outside office door opened and his father walked in.

  The older man couldn’t help but notice Jake’s distress. “What happened, son?”

  Jake buttoned up his shirt and walked to his desk. Last night he’d tried to have sex but he couldn’t. He’d known even before he’d picked up the bleach bottled blonde, he wouldn’t be able to satisfy his lust. But he’d tried. Lord, how he’d tried. Nothing had happened. Nada. Zilch. His wolf hadn’t come out to play so to speak.