Contents
WELCOME TO ACI
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Epilogue
ABOUT
WELCOME TO ACI
On the surface ACI looks like any other big corporation. What really goes on behind the scenes? Hot alpha guys taking care of business and finding true love, for a start!
From the company website:
We are Alpha Corps International
Always Forward
Committed to achieving mission-critical challenges for our enterprise and government customers. Specializing in areas of national security and cyber warfare, we innovate where others hesitate to lead. Our team of experienced professionals share our core values of ethics, integrity, and honor. We take pride in providing our customers with outstanding service and a job well done.
What we do:
Mission Support
Business & IT Systems
Engineering
PFD & Service Automation
Current Openings
Field Mission Consultant (in country - West Coast base)
Field Mission Consultant (in country - SE Asia base)
Logistics Analyst (WA - Sala Bay)
Intern (MN - St. Paul)
Sr. Logistics Analyst (FL - Southern Port)
Jr. Auditor (Sala Bay)
German Language Specialist (Washington, DC)
More …
Don’t fall asleep just yet… Nate is deep in a comfortable rut. But he can’t resist taking care of Aubrey. So turn the page already…
1
NATE
I fucking love solitude. Having no one to answer to but myself, (and that one bossy little chickadee that comes to find me when the feeder is empty.) I’m grabbing five more serene minutes to have one last cup of coffee on the deck, listening to the birds chirp in the nearby trees before I have to head into the office.
Giant ships made small by distance are moving silently across the bay towards the horizon. I’ve learned to value this peace and quiet more than just about anything. So much so, that I can’t remember the last time I went out after work. Or the last time I hooked up with a woman. Guess it’s my own damned fault that there’s no one to share this view with. On the other hand, if all she did was talk in my ear and not look, like my ex, than I’d rather be alone anyway.
I’m still in this unanswerable debate about a future hypothetical woman when my cell phone rings out an alert. “Bellamy,” I answer it curtly. Nobody using this extension is calling to chat.
“Commander? This is Smith. It’s Harrison, a sniper got him in the leg while he was out on patrol.”
“He stable?”
“Williams is working on him now. Says it’s 50/50 but only if we get him out of here soon.”
“I’ll get a chopper moving now. I’ll call you back as soon as I’m in the office. Should be about 20.”
“Yes, sir.”
Fuck. This is the other reason I’m single but that’s beside the point right now. I make the necessary calls to get a helicopter in the air and head out. I need the equipment in the office to have the secure coordinates of where it needs to go and then I’ll have to requisition more boots on the ground. Things have been quiet there, maybe too quiet and now our guys are paying the price.
I drive as fast as I dare to ACI and run up the five flights of stairs to my office. The chopper is now ten minutes away from picking up Harrison, reinforcements will be arriving at the camp tomorrow and things are almost back under control. When I finally take a minute to check my email I realize I’m late for yet another meeting with internal audit. I swear they get their kicks from siccing the newbies on me to see who’ll crack whom. I don’t know why they try. I’m still here and I’ve never seen the same auditor twice.
AUBREY
Nathan Bellamy is late. And I’m stuck here in this tiny windowless conference room waiting for him. There are parts of my job I really like: the detailed research into files, tracing problematic paperwork, and not spending another winter in North Dakota.
On the other hand, nobody wants to be friends with people in internal audit. It’s like Internal Affairs on TV cop shows, except without the guns, uniforms or high drama. The part that is the same? People don’t like other people looking through their shit. So it’s a bit lonely and I’m a bit sick of the travel between offices. I never thought I’d say this but the idea of staying in one place and having my stuff around me without having to take it out of a suitcase is starting to sound almost divine. My only hobby is reading romance books on my phone. Oh, and I hate conference rooms.
The door snaps open and the most mouth-watering gorgeous man I’ve ever seen walks in. The photo in his personnel file did not do him justice, not by a long shot. At all. Hands down, he could star in each and every romance I’ve ever read and I would not be disappointed. I’m staring in the most brazen and unprofessional way. I suspect you would be too. First of all, he’s massive. Easily six and a half feet tall with thick muscles. His high cheekbones and bronze skin hint at an eclectic ancestry and his almost black eyes are regarding me with calm command. His short black hair has the barest hint of silver at the temples. Nobody pushes this guy around.
“Sorry I’m late, Ms… Schmidt is it?
“I’m Aubrey Schmidt, yes. I have several questions we need to get through Mr. Bellamy.”
“Call me Nate, or Commander if you prefer.” He sits down in the chair opposite me and leans back, relaxed. He shouldn’t look so enticingly hot in the typical manager uniform of dark trousers and a blue dress shirt, but he does. Maybe because the collar is undone and I can see that lickable dent in his collarbone?
I’m trying to keep my breathing even and not sigh like a love-sick teenager. I force my eyes to my open laptop where I have a file open, ready to capture information.
“Mr. Bellamy. You tagged a wedding invitation as Highly Classified. Can you explain that?”
He shrugs and I see a slight twitch at the corners of his perfectly molded lips. I know from his file he’s forty-six, almost exactly twenty years older than me. I’ve never had a particular ‘thing’ for older men but I seem to have one for him. His eyes are almost hypnotic, so dark his pupils seem to meld with the iris. I wonder what his eyes look like when he’s thrusting into a woman? Shit, I think my eyes are crossing.
He’s regarding me a little strangely. “Are you okay? You look a little um, overheated.”
“I’m fine, just concerned with the schedule. If you’d been on time…”
“One of my men in the field needed medical transport. I promise if you’re ever in danger of bleeding out, I’ll be late to the next meeting without thinking about it.” He reprimands me lightly.
I frown down at my notes, embarrassed. Of course, he has a perfectly rational business excuse. I’m the one that can’t keep her mind on her job. I need to get through this interview and then I won’t have to see him again. Problem solved. “The wedding invitation?”
“As I understand it, there’s a rule that says if two or more embedded field operatives are referenced in a document, it must be assigned Highly Classified. Am I wrong?”
“No, that’s correct.”
He shrugs. “The two people getting married are embedded operatives. What am I missing?”
“They are? How did they find time to…?”
Nathan Bellamy isn’t even trying to hide the grin. “Ms. Schmidt? It’s a remote desert location. The ratio of men to women is something like one hundred to one. And there’s no TV. I’ll let you use your imagination.”
I’m blushing, I can feel it. “Fine, thank you for the clarification.” I check the box on the form displayed on my screen. “There’s also no personal res
idence listed in your file. I’m not sure why that hasn’t been addressed in previous audits but I need to add that information.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I do. Your file is incomplete.”
“You have my mailing address and my cell phone which is more than sufficient to get in touch with me. My home is personal. ACI is not welcome there.”
“It’s not like I’m planning an impromptu visit on Sunday morning with banana bread.” I vent. “I just need to type in the address.”
He leans forward across the table, his hypnotic eyes steady on mine. “No, you don’t. However, if you want to bring me banana bread in a personal capacity I can make arrangements. I’ll even make coffee.”
I can feel my thighs clenching together. His voice is low and rough and the thought of waking up to him and coffee is giving my pussy ideas it has no business having.
“You can always try to get a subpoena from the county.” He adds helpfully.
I grit my teeth, now I know why the previous auditors didn’t fill it in and didn’t flag it. I’m tempted to do the same but I’m not giving up quite yet.
Nate looks at his watch and grimaces. Yes, I’m already calling him Nate in my head and I suspect I’ll be gasping it out loud tonight alone in my hotel room.
“Look, I’m sorry I was late but I need to grab lunch before I go into a four-hour meeting. We can continue this in the cafeteria if you’re done with the classified questions.”
“The rest are personal questions so if you’re okay with that, it’s fine.”
He stands up casually. “Divorced, blue, and nowhere.” There’s a twinkle in his eyes that is disarming. And for some reason makes me want to snuggle into his chest and stay there.
“Hunh?” I stand up too and flip my laptop closed, grabbing my bag from underneath the table.
“Aren’t the usual personal questions, ‘are you single, what’s your favorite color, and where would you like to go on vacation?’”
He’s teasing me, gently it’s true, but I’m so wound up being in his presence I’m not able to respond in kind. So I follow him out of the room without a word. He must think I’m an uptight bitch and I don’t know how or even if I should convince him of anything different.
NATE
I swear the auditors get younger and more scared every year. This is the first time one has been adorably better looking than all the rest combined, though. That makes this round of questioning a lot more interesting. I’m enjoying messing with her a little, it’s a break from my usual routine. And now that I know Harrison is going to survive I could use a little stress relief. Not the kind my throbbing cock would like to indulge in, unfortunately.
I’m old enough to be her father and she’s not showing any signs of wanting anything but official answers from me. But you can’t blame a guy for looking and she’s definitely worth taking a long close one. I want to watch her green eyes change when I take her hair down and find out what she’s hiding under the boring business clothes. Would she still have that proper little frown if I were sinking balls-deep in her or would she be whimpering with need, her hair spread out in a wanton display?
I can hear her low heels clicking on the polished floor behind me as she hurries to keep up with my long legs so I slow down, even though my stomach is threatening to start eating my other organs. And since hunger is the only appetite I’m in a position to satisfy, I’d like to get on with it.
The cafeteria is five floors down and it’s just hitting the hour before it closes for the day, when everyone gets the afternoon munchies and rushes down to see what might be marked half price. What is it about half-price baked goods that can mobilize an entire office?
The result is a packed elevator and Aubrey is pushed by the crowd until she’s pressed up tight against me at the back. My cock thinks this is a great idea and it’s not like I can do anything about it. All I can do is not do anything more. Her head comes just to my shoulder and her toffee-colored hair is up in some kind of bun so I can see the nape of her neck. And the slowly rising blush. She doesn’t even try to turn around.
When the elevator empties she hurries into the cafeteria and waves at a round table in the corner. “I’ll wait for you over there.”
I nod, “Do you want anything?”
She blushes harder and looks down. Interesting. Maybe she’s not completely disinterested.
“No, thank you,” she mumbles.
I grab a couple of sandwiches, one for now and one for the meeting which will probably run long, and a bottle of orange juice. That’s about all that’s left in the racks so it will have to do. Aubrey has her laptop open and her fingers poised when I join her. “So what office are you based in? I don’t remember seeing you around here.”
She frowns as if I’m not allowed to ask her questions. “I’m not. I travel between the West Coast offices and either stay in the attached hotel or nearby.”
I nod and start eating. She’s prickly. Or something. What would it take to get her begging for my cock?
“I’m almost done, Mr. Bellamy.”
“Seriously, you can call me Nate.”
“Actually I need to ask you about your name. Why do you ask people to call you Commander? That’s not your job title,” she clicks several times on her laptop, “and it wasn’t your rank in the Air Force either.”
“I don’t ask them to. Mostly they just do it and I’m okay with it. My guys are all ex-military and they’re used to a command structure. ‘Yes, project manager’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Some of them just started calling me ‘commander’ and the others picked it up. Doesn’t do any harm that I can see.”
She’s frowning again as she types. “I see.”
I can tell she doesn’t. There are a lot more interesting things I’d rather discuss with her. While she types I’m finishing my sandwich and looking around the mostly empty cafeteria so I won’t look at her and get my cock even more excited than it currently is. There’s a mousy security guy drinking a cup of coffee a couple of tables over. He wasn’t there when I sat down and he’s staring at Aubrey like she’s a display case full of donuts. It’s making the little hairs on my neck stand at attention.
“Hey,” I say softly to her. “Act like you’re reaching for your bag and look behind you. Do you know that guy?”
Her eyes widen but she does as I instructed. “No, I think I saw him around yesterday but I’ve never met him. Why?”
“Something’s off. Are you staying at the hotel here?”
“Yes, for another week.”
“Be careful when you go up to your room. Call me if you feel nervous.” I hand her my card. I’m not sure when I nominated myself her protector, maybe it was in the elevator when my cock all but claimed her, but I don’t like the thought of her being isolated here at night.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” But she takes my card and tucks it in her bag, surreptitiously looking at the guard one more time. “Has he been staring at me the whole time?”
The way her brow furrows when she whispers tells me she doesn’t have nearly as much experience in the world as she pretends. If I don’t leave now I’m going to fling her over my shoulder, HR be damned. “Since I noticed him, yeah. Look I’ve got to go, but call me if you need to. I’ll be here late and despite not telling you my address I don’t live too far away.”
“Okay, thanks.” She smiles a genuine smile for the first time. It lights up her face and softens the anxiety that’s been practically dripping off her.
2
AUBREY
I need a minute after Nate leaves the cafeteria to collect myself. He is so intensely charismatic. And impossible to read. Maybe that mystery is part of his appeal. If I hadn’t felt his erection pressing against me like a rock in the elevator I would think he wasn’t attracted to me at all. It took everything in me not to melt into him, wiggling until we fit perfectly together.
Maybe he’s already involved with someone that isn’t in his file and that’s why
he’s so cool. But if he is, it’s recent because his secret clearance was just renewed and that would have been picked up. Or should have been. I could pose it as a follow-up question? Only if I have something else I need to ask, I promise myself. Otherwise, I’m just being sad and obvious.
I can feel the creepy guy’s eyes on me and it’s making me uncomfortable so I gather my things and head to my next meeting early. A quiet conference room now seems like more of a blessing than a curse. Except when I get there the door is directly opposite a much larger room with a glass wall. Through which I can see Nate. He’s in command of the room full of large, ex-military men.
My fingers itch to trace his strong jawline. He seems to sense that I’m checking him out because suddenly he’s looking up and straight at me. His hard gaze lingers on my face and I see a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. As if he knows that I’m thinking about feeling his lips on mine and finds my sudden crush amusing. Then he drops his eyes to my chest and I can feel my nipples harden under my jacket, thrusting forward, wanting his attention. Desperately.
My next appointment arrives, pulling me away from my dangerous fantasies. Michael Young is a twenty-something analyst and absolutely full of himself. In the space of ten minutes, he repeats this silly stretch at least five times where his shirt rides up and shows bare skin. Then he looks over at me to see if I’m impressed. I’m not. I look up to see Nate glaring from the opposite conference room and suddenly I’m feeling better. Unfortunately, Mr. Young misinterprets my look and starts trying to invite me to his place for the night. I shut that down quickly by gently making sure he understands that I have access to his medical records and yes, I know about that infection. He leaves as soon as I dismiss him.
My next two interviewees don’t try to come on to me, but Nate is glaring at them anyway. Then I see him tell his room to take a break with a wave of his hand right as my last meeting ends. As that man leaves, Nate strides into my little room and without a word takes my phone out of my hand where I was quickly checking my personal email. He clicks a few things and then hands it back to me. I feel blazing heat where his fingers brush against mine. When they pull away I shiver. Nate nods and goes back across the hall.
Nate Page 1