Undercover Secretary
Summary
An undercover agent shouldn’t fall for her werewolf boss, no matter how hot he is.
Penelope Hughes was doubling as the secretary for the CEO and an undercover operative for The Agency—the police equivalent of the supernatural world. But here she was, stuck babysitting Vincent Abbot-Seif—a business savvy extraordinaire.
She was determined to put any speck of attraction she felt for the man behind her. He was her boss and Penelope had an assignment to complete. She didn’t need the distraction or unprofessional conduct hindering her.
A CEO shouldn't mix business with pleasure with his secretary
Vincent had stepped into his mother's role as CEO after she’d resigned. It wasn’t a position he had ever intended on taking, but his mother had forced his hand. It wasn’t like the vacancy to go to just anyone—not when the pack was so intertwined with the company. It had to be him—the sole heir of the Abbott bloodline and now Alpha of the third largest pack in the country.
At least he had his beautiful fire-wielding secretary to take his mind off of his cheating ex and the stress that comes with being the face of a multi-billion dollar company.
With a murder that rocks the entirety of the company and her secret revealed, Penelope and Vincent have to figure out how to move past the hurt before it’s too late.
Contents
Summary
Contents
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
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Ready For More?
Acknowledgments
Copyright © 2021
All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
For Josh, Chloe and Jalesa.
ONE
Penelope
The sky was flooded with blended hues of pink and orange—the sun barely breaking the horizon—when I arrived at the office. In accordance with my boss’ schedule for the day, it was going to be a long, strenuous shift at work. I was already feeling a bit of dread pooling in my stomach at the thought of what all I was in for as I walked into the brightly lit lobby.
It was empty apart from the night guard, Jasper.
“How has your morning been, Penny?” The head of security inquired as I approached him.
Jasper was among some of the oldest vampires on this continent and being over several hundred years old he was almost completely indestructible, but then fire could destroy almost anything if it was hot enough. I flashed him what little bit of a smile I could muster. It was just too damned early in the morning to start the day, but I didn't want to come across as impolite. While he wasn't the only vampire working for NATURALIST Inc., he was the only other employee that I was aware of who was also on payroll for the Agency. And thus, I found myself more at ease in the presence of a fellow ‘undercover’ colleague.
"Not great, unfortunately he needed me to come in early this morning," I grouched, referring to the bags of food I was currently juggling.
"Sounds fun," Jasper teased, waving me through the metal detector.
I still questioned the use of them, because honestly, if someone wanted to hurt anyone it wasn’t necessary to resort to human violence. I mean, maybe the humans would have to, but none of the higher ups were human. Nor did any of them use this entrance, but if it made HR happy, whatever.
“I’m running a bit late,” I replied as I walked through the metal detector haphazardly—my arms full of coffee, my purse and Mr. CEO’s morning breakfast.
“You better hurry up then. Don’t want to make the boss man unhappy."
“Right, don’t wanna do that. See you later Jasper,” I threw him a brilliant smile over my shoulder as I continued through the lobby and towards the elevator.
Vincent's office and my desk were located on the twenty-eight floor of the building and while I didn’t quite like heights, I could definitely appreciate the view. It was one of the tallest buildings in the city, thus towered over most of the surrounding buildings.
There weren’t many in the office just yet, since it wasn’t even seven in the morning. I made it a habit to memorize schedules; I liked to know who was supposed to be in the building so I could be on the lookout for any suspicious activity. All a part of my other job description.
Vincent probably wasn't even out of the bed yet, let alone headed for the office. He was late, more often than not, the lazy man.
It didn’t take long to reach my desk after the short elevator ride and unsettle the burdens in my arms. Glancing at my phone, I figured I had a little time before he arrived to get settled in and some of today's paperwork done. Brushing my loose ebony curls over my shoulders, I shifted towards the incoming stack, thumbing through the pages before skirting my desk and taking a seat. I needed to organize them by order of urgency which wouldn't take too long.
"Penny."
I jumped at the sound of my name. Glancing up from the paperwork I was going through, I spotted my boss—the alpha of the third largest pack of shifters in the country, current CEO of NATURALIST Inc, and my current cover for the Agency—towering over my desk. Color flooded my cheeks as embarrassment churned in my stomach.
How in the world did I miss him approaching? What kind of incompetent agent was I to let him sneak up on me? And he wasn't all that easy to miss either, standing at a whopping six foot six inches and built like a linebacker.
I was going to have a serious word with Jasper for not informing me of his arrival in the first place.
He didn’t dawdle and began striding towards his office. From the brief view I had of him, he didn’t look rested at all, and I could see bags under his eyes.
"Yes Mr. Abbott-Sief?" I inquired as I surged to my feet, rounding the desk to follow the CEO into his office, the door clicked shut behind us as I trailed him to his desk. It was a struggle to keep up in my pencil skirt with his long strides in my high heels. The muted sound of rustling silk followed me.
"I'm going to need you to forward my calls this morning, I have another conference call in just a few minutes,” his throaty instructions sent a pleasant shiver down my spine, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. He had been sounding a bit too appealing for my tastes here lately.
I shook my head, forcing myself back on task. Just because he radiated sex appeal and had a pretty face didn’t mean I could allow myself to get distracted.
Because apparently I didn't already know that
even though I'm the one who scheduled it. I felt my eyebrow twitch, but otherwise didn't allow my irritation to slip through. Resisting the urge to sigh, I nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir." Smoothing down my black skirt, I wait patiently for him to continue.
He flopped into his seat without a care in the world or concern for the expensive Armani suit he was dawning, before rolling his neck and shoulders. It appeared that he was deep in thought, brushing his fingers through the wild black locks of hair, grumbling after a deep yawn, "Oh, and if—when Melanie calls, tell her I'm busy."
At that, I stilled, taking a moment to get a good look at him. It didn’t look like he was wearing the same clothes as the previous day, but that didn’t mean anything, so with a short glance at the sofa I immediately spotted a brightly colored blanket carelessly thrown askew.
Meaning he had slept here after working all night. Which only happened when he was going through a breakup.
Shit. Not again. I barely hesitated before replying, "O-of course, Sir."
Without another word, he waved me off. I shuffled out of his office without hesitation.
Why couldn't he just break up with his girlfriend like a normal person? Leaving me to deal with the fallout since I was the ‘guardian’ of the gateway to Vincent Abbott-Sief.
I held in a groan as I skirted back behind my desk, slumping into my seat feeling dejected. Sure it was kind of great when he went through this phase, because he became more productive and got work done in a timely manner. What sucked the most was that I was going to have to deal with the ex and I knew from past experiences this wasn’t going to be pleasant.
“Great, just great,” I grumbled.
This meant I was going to be screening calls from her for at least the next two weeks or so. It honestly just depended on how persistent she was going to be about this. From what little I have seen of her, I knew that there would be a fight on his hands.
Vincent Abbott-Seif was a very wealthy and powerful man. Melanie Palmer wouldn’t want to lose her clawed grip on him. From what little interactions I had with her and what I did know about the woman, I could tell she wasn’t above sleeping her way to the top of the societal ladder.
How she couldn't see it coming, I don't know. But they never did. I guess love just does that to you. Completely blinding a person so they don't see what's coming. Although, it's not like his dating pattern was a secret or anything. Hell, I've only been working for the man for just over six months and could see it plain as day.
I wasn't sure if it was a shifter thing, or just him. Probably him, honestly. Maybe it was because all his past lovers had been human and that never worked out because it was strictly forbidden to reveal anything about the supernatural. I had theorized that as an explanation for his behavior. If that was the case, it would explain a lot. After all, the supernatural world was a highly secretive society.
It definitely kept me on my toes. After all, I did also double as an agent for the Agency. Not only was I his secretary, but I also had to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity that could end up exposing the supernatural society.
Humans just weren’t ready for all that comprised the supernatural world—hell, they still couldn’t get past skin color. How could they accept people that changed into animals at the drop of a hat? Or people who needed to drink blood to survive?
And don’t even get me started on the fae.
And his dating habits, at my superiors' insistence, counted as a security risk and needed to be supervised.
It seemed like almost every day, I was questioning my decision to stay on after Johanna Abbott-Seif stepped down and her son stepped into her position as CEO of NATURALIST Inc. Vincent was a piece of work, in my opinion, and didn't treat the position with the respect it was due. I couldn't just leave my assignment without permission from the Agency, but damn did he have me wondering if I could put in for a transfer.
Before I could get back to my paperwork, I noticed his food and drink still sitting on my desk untouched. I must have forgotten to grab them at his unexpected appearance.
I bit back a groan.
* * *
“Mr. Abbott-Seif?”
He glanced up from the papers in his hands, his dark eyes giving me a once over. “Yes, Penny?”
I gestured with my hands, bringing attention to the hot cup of coffee and food, “I have your breakfast, Sir.”
He nodded before looking back down over the papers, waving me in with his empty hand. “Oh, I forgot about that. Bring it in.”
I don’t see how he could have forgotten, since he texted me at five in the morning, deliberately asking for this.
“Yes, Sir.” Placing them on the desk, I couldn’t help but frown at his strange behavior.
When I didn’t immediately move to leave, he glanced back up at me, eyebrow cocked. “Is there something else you need, Penny?”
“Is there a reason why you didn’t call me earlier this morning?” I asked, twirling a loose lock of hair around my finger, trying to find something to do with my hands and keep them occupied.
“What?”
“I mean, if you’re unsatisfied with my work, I can contact HR about finding a replace-”
His brow furled in confusion as he interrupted me. “What are you going on about now?”
I huffed, gesturing towards his mussed hair and unkempt clothing. “Clearly you’ve been here for hours, working. I can tell you slept on the couch.”
“Oh, that. It’s nothing for you to worry about, Penny.” He briskly waved my concerns off, snorting a laugh. “I’m not going to drag you out of bed at two in the morning just because I couldn’t sleep.”
“But Sir, it’s my job-” At the hand he held up, I broke off in the middle of my sentence.
“Penny, it’s fine. I do appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. And I’m sure I’ll be done with my conference calls to China soon, so I’ll probably let you go early today.” He stood, coming around the desk, barely a foot away from me.
The smile spreading his lips was concerning.
“Okay, but-”
He rested a hip on the edge of his desk, and I was abruptly reminded of his height. Even slouching as he was, the top of my head barely came to his shoulder. “After all, you’ve been such a big help since I took over as CEO and you definitely deserve some time off.”
My eyes narrowed on him as suspicions rose. But instead of looking a gift horse in the mouth and bickering with the man, I let it go. “Okay, fine.”
“Shouldn’t you thank someone when they’re letting you off early?” He inquired, eyeing me. Technically, I had come in early so he wasn’t really giving me much time off, but again, I wasn’t going to get into a debate with him.
“Thank you, Mr. Abbott-Seif,” I muttered before abruptly turning around and putting some much-needed distance between us.
He was definitely all too aware of how good he looked and how flustered it could make me. Damn that sense of smell of his. Why was he still able to affect me like this? Would I ever become immune to him? From the palpitations in my chest, I sincerely doubted it.
“You’re welcome, Penny,” he snickered as I grasped the handle of his door. “Was that so hard?”
With my eyes slightly crinkled in amusement, I gave him a small smile, replying, “Yes,” and shut the door behind me.
* * *
By noon, I found myself in HR, standing at Rebecca’s—an illusionist and non-threat—desk. She was considered the ‘Goddess’ of HR, and the public face for the small group of people that made up the Human Resources Department.
“Please tell me you guys have found a replacement for Sue?” I pleaded with Rebecca, hating the fact that while my assistant left me high and dry, HR still hadn’t replaced her in the past month since she’d turned in her resignation.
She didn’t even bother to glance in my direction before shrugging.
“I mean, I could tell you that,” she replied, raising my hopes ever so slightly, until she continued, “But it wou
ld be a lie.”
Throwing myself into the empty chair in front of her, I groused, “You guys are evil. It’s like you get off on my misery or something.”
Of course they hadn’t found a replacement for Sue. Anything to save a buck, the stingy bastards. Hell, they had issues approving my last pay raise—which was rightfully deserved—since the boss man liked to randomly drag me out of bed before the asscrack of dawn and keep me late all of the time. So, obviously they didn’t want to have to hire anyone unless it was dire. And since an assistant for me just meant a little less of the burden fell on my shoulders, well I was just SOL.
It was a lot to juggle along with my other assignment—finding out who was embezzling money from the company.
“I happen to eat misery for breakfast.”
“Well, could you feast on someone else's?” I inquired, twiddling with the top button on my green blouse.
Rebecca snorted, gazing at me briefly before going back to her work. “Nah, it wouldn’t taste as good.”
“Come on, can’t you help a girl out? He broke up with Melanie.”
That seemed to capture her attention. She stopped typing and turned towards me, a neatly trimmed brow raised. “Really?” She inquired; her voice uplifted in astonishment. And once again, I was reminded that maybe his patterns weren’t as obvious to others as it would be to someone with my background.
“Yes, really.” At my confirmation, she broke out into a smile.
She stood from her desk, rounding it and headed for the door of her office. “Well, looks like I just made a hefty sum of money.”
I stood to follow her out, brows furled in confusion. “What?”
“Yep.” She walked towards the break room designated solely for HR’s usage, a pep in her step as she led the way. Upon stepping inside, I could see a whiteboard towards the back that had dates on it along with the last names of the employees who worked in HR. Of course they had a betting pool. Ugh. I wasn’t even all that disgusted about it, if anything I was more disappointed that I hadn’t been invited to partake in it. There wasn’t much activity, since some of them were still in their offices, working through their lunch break. Those that were in the break room were either eating, or texting on their phones. None of them could be considered threats. They might as well have been human with their abilities. “Everyone, if I could have your attention, Penelope has an announcement to make.”
Undercover Secretary (Supernatural Society Book 1) Page 1