Hunter's Prey, A

by Cameron, Sarah

  Being a shifter had allowed him and everyone else at the meeting table to smell Zoe's blatant arousal for all of one second, as though a wave of lust had washed over her, dissipating as soon as it had come. He – much like most red-blooded males present, he assumed – was very much interested in the reason she had felt that way. The very odd thing about the whole situation was that he was feeling jealous that the room seemed to be coated in pheromones now, a blend of scents that spoke of the lack of disinterest from his fellow board members. Frowning, he wondered how to keep them from approaching her, shocked by his possessiveness.

  His brother was the first to break the awkward silence after her detailed description of Akiko, a robot he admitted he was very impressed by. The fact that every time she mentioned its creator she smiled did not please him as much.

  Growing surlier by the minute, he decided to stay out of the conversation, as he always did when she was present. With the exception of a few words, he always managed not to get into a conversation with her, because he didn't know how he might react.

  She didn't belong there, he concluded.

  “Thank you, Miss Jameson,” Jones said, smiling at her the way a proud parent smiled at their child, which appeased his instincts. That they were scattered at all mad him nervous. And edgier than usual. All he wanted was to return to his lab and work on the new formula he was developing. His work was the leading research in the pharmaceutical industry, but virtually no one knew it came from him. MedFuture had a classified division that came up with the most revolutionary drugs and formulas, and he was in charge of it. Research was his passion, his highest priority, although there were a few other things that came in as close seconds. Still, he had dedicated many of the last years to his work, positively consumed by the need to develop cures for different diseases and solutions for different problems of the locomotory system. He'd used shifter genes in the attempt to speed up the healing process, but so far there was no luck of maintaining human DNA while doing it – shifter genes were entirely too aggressive, triggering chain reactions of DNA mutation instead of just doing their job. Still, he felt he was close to a solution and it kept him going.

  “However, I fear you have not presented the risks of such a huge step as thoroughly as you have presented them to me in private. Please do so, Miss Jameson.”

  Damian was startled by her secretive smile and the surge of emotion the sight of it brought through him. That he was letting a woman affect him in such a way proved he was off his game.

  “Mr. Jones, for that part I will invite Professor Ikeuchi himself.”

  Wondering if that was the man he had felt arrive fifteen minutes prior, Damian had to admit he was intrigued. She'd staged her speech in such a way that she could invite her good friend just in time for the details. Of course, he was curious to meet the Japanese genius even he had heard of before, but he had to admit to himself that he disliked her familiarity with him.

  Opening the door, she spoke in a hushed tone, inviting 'Kuro' in. He noted she was speaking to him in Japanese, which impressed him.

  “Douzo,” she said to Professor Ikeuchi as she held the door for him to enter, closing it behind him. Immediately, the atmosphere in the room changed. It was clear that Ikeuchi was not as equally unintimidated by them as Miss Jameson was – although she was not completely unfazed, either. And when a predator smells fear, he pounces. Visibly, the board members' stances changed. They leaned forward in their seats, their eyes trained on every detail. The poor man was a prey, and he had no idea. There was a thrill one couldn't control as a shifter, a power surging through the body like electricity, begging to be unleashed whenever there was prey nearby. Damian was no stranger to it – had lived with this instinct his entire life.

  “Welcome, Professor Ikeuchi,” Dominic greeted, shaking his hand and congratulating him for his idea and thanking him for sharing it with them. “Miss Jameson tells us you can give us the full extent of risks we would be taking if say yes to your pet project.”

  “Yes, w-well, first of all, thank you all for having me here. It's a – I mean it's the greatest... it's an 'onor,” he finally managed, his words jumbled together as though he were a schoolboy unnerved by a particularly daunting teacher, the thickness of his Japanese accent giving them a sharp sound. “Thanks to Zoe my work reached all of you and I am very grateful.”

  Damian's jaw clenched at the familiarity with which the 'nerd' – as he had taken to calling him in his mind – addressed her. For a moment all eyes were focused on the woman in question, who was smiling warmly at her genius friend in a way that made Damian want to square his shoulders, grow some fur and frighten the shit out of the guy. That was unacceptable, though. Or so his brothers told him.

  “Kuro, please tell us the risks we would be facing if we were to give Akiko the green light,” she requested warmly, launching the nerd into a lecture that lasted a full twenty minutes.

  “Thank you, Kuro,” she said at the end of his speech, touching his arm in an intimate way that sent Damian's blood boiling. “Now are there any questions?”

  A few of the board members pertinently asked the accomplished Professor about a few matters of safety and security, and he answered to each, offering satisfactory solutions. Damian could already tell that Akiko would be given a go, which meant that the illustrious Professor Ikeuchi was going to be spending an awful lot of time in the headquarters of MedFuture – close to Miss Jameson, one would be correct to assume. Damian refused to think about that longer than necessary, his reaction to this woman growing more alarming by the second.

  “Damian, what do you think?” his brother asked, leaning back against the back of his chair in a posture that spoke of relaxation. In contrast, he was feeling completely on edge, his shoulders tense and his forearms on the table, his face a complete mask of hostility.

  The tension in the room was raised by a notch, everyone anticipating a caustic or surly remark of some sort. He tried to ignore Miss Jameson's gaze on him in particular, but found it impossible. Her focus on him behaved like a magnetic force drawing all his molecules toward her, making him feel as though his skin was trying to peel itself off his body to get to her.

  With a calm voice at odds with his inner conflict, he spoke. “It's quite a bold project. I like Akiko as a concept, though I'm weary of things that have that much power and of the fact that a single man is the authority on it – so that's something I think will need to be addressed – but my vote thus far is a yes.” Great job, Miss Jameson, he would have said, but the words hadn't come out.

  “Spoken like a true wolf,” Dominic commanded, making his brother frown at him menacingly. All men from the table smiled conspicuously, while the two humans in the room were oblivious to the exchange.

  “I can ensure you that entrusting Professor Ikeuchi with MedFuture's future will not bring problems. I vouch for him.”

  “And who will vouch for you, Miss Jameson?” Damian couldn't help but ask, his eyes hard and his gaze unrelenting, relishing her sharp gasp and the way her heart suddenly lurched into a marathon.

  “I-”

  “Professor Ikeuchi, thank you for coming and presenting your idea,” Dominic interrupted, “we'll take it from here.”

  With a tight-lipped smile, Miss Jameson led her Japanese friend to the door and spoke a few quick words to him, both of them nodding. “I'll be in touch,” she said just before she closed the door behind him.

  “Mr. Hunter, regarding your earlier question, I-”

  “Your explanation is not necessary, Miss Jameson,” Damian spoke, his deep, gravelly voice carrying across the room smoothly. “My point was to make it clear that this is an important matter, and even if you vouch for your friend, that would not be sufficient reason to believe he would not abuse the power entrusted to him.”

  Gulping in a way that was audible to everyone in the room who was not human, Zoe sat down in her designated seat, clutching the small remote control so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Noticing t
hat Damian's gaze had followed the move, she forced her fingers to unfurl and spread them on the table to settle her nerves.

  “I understand that completely. However, please consider my proposal and the revenue it would be bringing MedFuture. That is not the only thing. With so much time on our hands, since more routine tasks will be done by robots, we will be able to invest more energy into research without having to hire more staff. I know how particular you are about your staff.” And they were. Dozens of interviews and tests were performed before one was deemed fit to work for a HUNTER Holdings subsidiary. “I'd say we have a win-win on our hands, gentlemen.”

  “Even so, I think Mr. Hunter may be right. But thank you, Miss Jameson, for coming up with such an audacious proposal – we all respect that,” Bernhard Eerkens, a blond Dutch board member said. “I propose we remain for a closed board meeting and discuss this further.”

  Damian noticed the young woman's hands started shaking softly from the tension of being under the proverbial magnifying glass and he was struck by the unusual urge to comfort her. Maintaining his gaze averted, he locked eyes with his brother.

  “Agreed,” Dominic said and Damian nodded. “Of the interior MedFuture directors, Herrero will remain. The rest of you, thank you for being here today.”

  Nodding, the C-Suite left, with the sole exception of MedFuture's CEO, Maximiliano 'Max' Herrero. Miss Jameson was the first to exit the room after saying goodbye, her nerves much more at ease.

  With her gone, it was time to discuss and decide whether to let her in on their secret – and never let her out of their grasp – or risk losing her and her sharpness.

  Chapter 2

  Zoe was nervous. For the second time on the same day she felt like she was being followed. The mere thought was ridiculous, and yet she couldn't shake the apprehension.

  Clutching her purse tighter to her side, she entered the tall, contemporary glass building, nodding at the porter who held the door open for her.

  Her thoughts felt scattered, but she knew she had to pull herself together, because this was a big day.

  Akiko had been given the green light and her dear friend Kuro was coming to settle himself in his brand new lab. After that decisive meeting where she had introduced Kuro there had been no more meetings for a month – at least none that had concerned her. Instead, she had been informed that Ikeuchi Kuro was going to be hired and she was going to be his direct superior instead of the CTO or someone from the technology department. Of course, with their close relationship that would not be a problem.

  “Hold my calls, Marissa,” she said to her PA just before entering her large office that overlooked a beautiful lake.

  One of the things she had always loved about MedFuture was the dreamy outdoors that surrounded them. The Hunter brothers believed in having the nature close, and so each and every company they owned was surrounded by greenery, even those positioned in the heart of large cities.

  Dropping her bag on the couch close to the door, she opened her coat and hung it on a hanger, exhaling fully to soothe her nerves. Walking to the floor to ceiling window, she crossed her arms over her chest and smiled at the children playing by the lake.

  Promptly, she remembered she should be considering a relationship more seriously. For a year and a half work had been all she'd done, though not intentionally. She had been extremely driven and particularly passionate about her secret project with Kuro that she had nearly forgotten about other needs. Of course, they had the habit to pop up at most inappropriate times, like when Damian Hunter was near her.

  Shaking her head of the dirty thoughts that were prompt to arrive, Zoe turned around, blonde locks among brown tresses catching the sunlight and enhancing their shine. At the same time, the phone rang – a nice, flirty tone that announced an interior call – and she picked it up.

  “Yes, Marissa?”

  “Your two o'clock is canceled. Do you want me to move it to Wednesday or next week? You have an opening at two o'clock on Wednesday, but then you'd be skipping lunch.”

  “Don't I always?” she answered cheerfully, all thoughts of stalkers and inopportune arousal gone for the moment. “Wednesday it is. The sooner, the better. Besides, it involves Akiko, so I want to get this done as soon as possible. And please check with Mr. Jones when the next board meeting is going to be. I am getting anxious whenever they leave me in the dark for too long.”

  “It's only been a month,” Marissa reminded her sternly.

  “Just check with him, yeah?”

  Without confirming, the ever helpful PA smiled as she said, “Oh, by the way. You have mail. It's from HUNTER Holdings HQ.”

  “Wow, really? What could it be? Where did you put it?”

  Before Marissa mentioned the table, Zoe's eyes fell on a small, golden envelope.

  “It looks intriguing,” she said, picking it up and ripping it open. “Thank you, Marissa.”

  “Well, don't forget to tell me what it is.”

  Smiling into the receiver, Zoe said, “That would be all,” before hanging up and sitting down.

  Leaning back against her chair, she pulled out a simple note, red writing on golden paper, the letters typed in a fashionable, handwritten-looking font.

  Heart already racing with anticipation, she read the few words.

  To: Zoe Jameson, MedFuture Enterprises CEO

  Invitation to join the HUNTER Club.

  “What the...?”

  A shiver went through her at the incredible thing she had just read, wondering if it was true. Flicking a lock of hair behind her ear nervously, she pulled out her smartphone and typed a number she knew by heart, praying she'd get her answer quickly.

  “Yes?” she heard the grave, male voice she'd sought.

  “Is it true?” she asked on bated breath.

  “Is what true?”

  “Jones, don't keep me hanging.”

  “Well, you're invited to join the club, if that's what you want to know.”

  “But... just... there's no woman in the club. Is there?”

  “Well, there will be, if you say yes.”

  She gasped. What a mindfuck.

  “And the other part?”

  Jones was obviously smiling - she could tell in his voice. “Congratulations, Miss Jameson, you are now CEO of MedFuture Enterprises.”

  ***

  Canada was lovely.

  She could barely believe she had been made CEO of MedFuture Enterprises and with no prior notice. She'd wondered what had happened to Herrero, but it seemed he had been given another equally important task. Apparently, the last month had been full of board meetings she had not been aware of, in which her suitability for the role had been discussed at large and voted by board members.

  For a moment, her gaze was stolen by the lush forests the driver was passing. She had been given a personal chauffeur to escort her to a Hunter brothers private property, one she had heard much about, but had never personally visited. Only HUNTER Club members were allowed. And she was aware of how big deal this invitation was.

  The HUNTER Club was composed of people that were in the Hunter's close circle of trustees. There was not a single female member on board, a fact that had always incensed the media, although the Hunters would not be budged when it came to it, despite how discriminating it seemed.

  Yet here she was, the first woman to have the privilege of knowing HUNTER Club from the inside. In a way, she felt like a contemporary Victoria Woodhull, the first to run for presidency. What she was about to do, though, surpassed that immensely. She was aware of the fact that she was now entering a world of ruses and schemes, a world she did not fully understand, but was one hundred percent prepared for. The HUNTER Club was the ultimate you could be part of, and she, above everyone else, appreciated that.

  'You said I'll never amount to anything? How's this for achievement, father?'

  Half a day later, she was sitting on a comfortable chair, anxiously waiting to meet the Hunters. So far, she had only interacted with Dominic
and Damian and had met Amar, an older brother of theirs, but Gabriel and Leon had been untouchable. From her research on the Hunter brothers, she knew that Gabriel was a serious traveler. He traveled all the time, making it hard for anyone to get him to stay in one place. She also knew that Leon was virtually unreachable by anyone except his brothers. In fact, there was not one picture of him in the media. Somehow, he had escaped public scrutiny completely. Her guess was, any paparazzi that dreamed of taking pictures of him were paid off to avoid leaks. She shuddered to think the power he had to wield in order to pull off such a thing. He had not once appeared in public, preferring to be the mastermind in the shadow. Everyone knew he owned forty-seven percent of HUNTER Holdings, making him the single richest man on earth, and the fact that he was so untouchable inspired fear and intimidation, at the very least.

  To meet the man who was basically the pillar of HUNTER Holdings would be a true honor.