His Wolf's Desire

by Shannon Nydia

  “Wow. You cemented a meeting with him and then asked me if I’d let you on my team. You are good.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  “Let me guess: this is the baloney you fed Mr. Graybar so you could weasel your way into a transfer.”

  “You pushed me aside like I was beneath you. It wasn’t until after I landed the account that you were returning my calls. And now that you realize I knew what the hell I was talking about, you’re trying to play the victim and slander my name. You chose not to be a part of the meeting.”

  “I don’t have to try to slander your name, sweetheart; you do a phenomenal job all by yourself. And for the record, I refused to work with someone like you because of your low moral standards.”

  “I can’t believe you’d say something like that to me. After everything that’s happened between us, how can you think those things about me? How can you say those things to me?”

  “You’re so much better than this, Jayla. You don’t have to lie and cheat to get to the top. You have so much talent, you can do it without the theatrics and without stepping all over your colleagues in the process. Without stepping all over me.”

  “You don’t have a leg to stand on lecturing me about business ethics. You stood back and did nothing while Dave took credit for the ideas I emailed you. The funny thing is, I don’t give a damn. He can keep my accolades. Since I stopped trying to win your professional attention and sharing with you my ideas so you’d give me the time of day, he hasn’t brought one thing to this company. So thank you both for teaching me an important lesson about business. You can’t trust anyone. You’re both slimy and untrustworthy. I should have known you were the self-righteous son of a bitch I thought you were. Go to hell, Brad, for fooling me into giving a damn about you. Get the hell out of my house.”

  “My pleasure, Stanton.”

  * * * *

  Brad tossed and turned all night, more upset than he wanted to admit to himself. The more he replayed his and Jayla’s fight in his mind, the more she seemed to be looking like the wronged party. He’d been too prideful to admit to her he did remember her emailing him constantly, but he’d been an arrogant ass and never read them. He’d been so caught up in trying to land Maldonado, he’d pushed everything and everyone else aside. All his energy and focus had been wrapped up in that damn account and the promotion he coveted. The promotion he thought would finally fill the void he carried with him his whole life.

  When the time to go to work rolled around, Brad’s stomach wrenched. On his drive there, he decided to call Dave, not having the patience to wait until he got to work to talk to him.

  “Did Ms. Stanton ever email you or call you about setting up a meeting with me?”

  “Nope.”

  “You’re sure, Dave?”

  “I said she didn’t, Brad. What’s this all about?”

  “Nothing. I’ll see you at the office.”

  Once Brad got there, the first thing he did was go by Jayla’s office. Her fresh scent was proof she’d been there, but there was no sign of her. He went into his office and switched on his computer. Two new emails from Jayla flashed in his in-box. In the first e-mail was an attachment containing copies of all the e-mails she’d sent him. In the second e-mail was an attachment containing all the e-mails she’d sent to Dave. Knowing it was too little too late, Brad read each and every email from Jayla.

  “Son of a bitch,” he mumbled after he finished reading the final one. He started to see a pattern concerning all the great ideas Dave came up with.

  Usually one to knock out of professional courtesy, Brad barged into Dave’s office. “We need to talk.”

  “Yeah, sure; go ahead.” Dave looked confused.

  “I thought you told me Jayla didn’t email you about the Maldonado account.”

  “She didn’t.”

  “Then why do I have a whole file of e-mail communication with her? Scratch that. One-sided, unanswered emails from Jayla.”

  “I didn’t read them.”

  “Bullshit, Dave. I have delivery confirmation and read receipts.”

  “She’s efficient, isn’t she? So what?”

  “So it proves she wasn’t lying to me.”

  “Are you hearing yourself right now?”

  “She came to us with damn good ideas, Dave.”

  “And what’s your fucking point? You ignored her just like I did.”

  “I never read her emails. I deleted them as soon as I saw them.”

  “Oh, and it makes what you did better than what I did?”

  “No. Of course not. I was an ass. I was so fucking focused on the goddamn Maldonado account that I ignored her. Hell, I ignored everything but that account. Why didn’t you come to me and tell about the emails? You’ve done it on many other occasions, making sure I didn’t miss something important. That’s what you get paid to do.”

  “I’ve been in this business a long time. If you think I’m going to let her roll in here and push me out of my job, you’re mistaken.”

  “Push you out of your job? Since when is your job in jeopardy?”

  “It’s not because I made sure it wasn’t. The bitch was trying to get your attention, and I did what I needed to do.”

  Brad’s body tensed in reaction to Dave’s words. “Watch your mouth.”

  “I don’t owe her shit.”

  “You owe her respect.”

  “Oh, I see. Like you’ve suddenly given her. Oh…wait. You mean the respect you have for her now that you’re sleeping with her? She got lucky, Brad. She’s used her female persuasion to get what she wanted. She probably slept with Maldonado to get him to switch to Graybar and Associates. She obviously sexed up Mr. Graybar to get her transfer down here. And now apparently she’s satisfying your cock to get you to be her champion.”

  “Watch your fucking mouth.”

  “Oh, right. Well, then I guess she didn’t have to seduce you to get what she wanted from you.”

  “You’re a piece of shit, Dave.”

  “And you’re a typical man. Put some new pussy in front of your face, and you lose your mind. Get over yourself, Brad.”

  Clenching his fists, Brad asked the question he suddenly knew the answer to. “Did you send Maldonado the sex basket?”

  Dave smiled. “Too bad. Kind of let all the steam out of the Stanton freight train. I heard they were considering her for an executive position until that happened. She may earn every award this company has to offer, but no one will forget the embarrassment surrounding the Maldonado account. You can’t have scandal at the top of the food chain.”

  “How the hell could you do that to her?”

  “Easy. The same way you ignored her for almost two years.”

  “If I’d read just one email, I would have done the right thing.”

  “Well, you didn’t. And I’m not so sure I buy your after-the-fact valor. Enjoy the pussy until you’ve gotten Stanton out of your system. Until then, go fuck yourself. Or better yet, go fuck your whore. I’m done with this conversation.”

  There was a definite shift in Brad’s demeanor, and Dave seemed to notice it immediately. Quickly putting his hand on his office phone, Dave engaged the Speakerphone button and pressed the security extension.

  “Security. This is Chuck. What can I do for you, Dave?”

  Brad stood immobile, glaring at Dave. Every inch of his six-foot-five frame was ready to beat the shit out the weasel sitting in front of him. Knowing this was the wrong time to settle things, he turned and walked away with his teeth bared and claws threatening to expose themselves. He hated that the spineless sack of shit thought he cowered down because he called security. By the time Brad reached his office, he already knew exactly how to deal with Dave.

  * * * *

  Later that evening, Brad stood outside Dave’s apartment with his black gym bag over his shoulder. Dave hesitantly pulled the door open as far as his door chain would allow.

  “We need to talk, Dave.”

  “I don’t think
so.”

  “I realize the mess I’ve created, and I have to clean it up. Make things right. Starting with you.”

  Weighing Brad’s words, Dave seemed satisfied their hostile exchange from earlier would now be water under the bridge. It took a few moments, but Dave finally shut his door, took off the chain, then opened it.

  Brad dropped his bag by the entrance as he entered Dave’s house. Dave closed his door and walked farther into his home, assuming his guest would follow.

  “You want a beer?” Dave sauntered into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed two cans of beer. “I’m glad you came to your senses.”

  When Dave returned to the living room, Brad had taken his leather jacket off and laid it on top of his gym bag. He stood menacingly, eyes slowly taking in Dave’s living room. Brad’s wolf accessed his environment, taking stock of every avenue of escape.

  “You’re going to make things right. You’re going to come clean to Mr. Graybar and tell him how you’ve been stealing Jayla’s ideas and targeting her maliciously.”

  “Stealing her ideas?”

  “I went through all the emails, Dave. You took her recommendations without ever giving her credit. You stole her hard work.”

  “Fuck off, Brad.”

  “Funny things is, you’re all the things I thought Jayla was. But she’s none of those things. Not even close.”

  Dave cackled. “Oh, really?”

  “You’re going to put in your notice and leave our firm.”

  “You’re delusional, Bradford.”

  Brad said nothing.

  “I overheard you and Jayla speaking to Mr. Graybar. His office is next to Grant’s, and since Grant is in New York, it’s conveniently empty. I utilized his office and was able to rig a ceiling vent so I could overhear what the old man had planned. I wanted to give you and me the jump on Jayla, but imagine my surprise when I heard you two claiming to Mr. Graybar you have been in a relationship for a while.”

  Brad continued to stare in silence.

  “You might have everyone else fooled, but not me. You two hated each other. I’m not buying this boyfriend-girlfriend shit.”

  Brad’s silence seemed to unnerve Dave. He continued nervously with his threats.

  “Okay, Brad. So tell me, how does a woman you’ve been dating email me begging to have a meeting with you? So if you take your so-called evidence to Mr. Graybar, you expose your own lies. And you’ll be once again throwing her into a sex scandal.” Dave smiled in apparent satisfaction.

  “You’re not listening, Dave. This isn’t about me. I couldn’t care less about any potential harm that could come to my career. This is about Jayla. You’re never going to hurt her again. Her name will never be attached to another scandal. You’re going to make things right.”

  “Get the hell out of my house. Try to fuck me with me, Brad, and I’ll… I’ll get legal representation. Sue you for slander. I’ll take you for every penny to your name.”

  It was Brad’s turn to smile at Dave. His face spread into a wide sneer of satisfaction. “I want to explain something to you very carefully. You crossed a line you should never have crossed. You’re a piece of shit. I think you haven’t a clue how close you came today to feeling the full extent of my rage. Never again will you disrespect Jayla. You’re lucky I didn’t rip your throat out earlier. You’re damn lucky I was thinking about her while in your office. If I had done what I wanted to do to you, she would have no doubt been a casualty of the aftermath of my actions. She doesn’t deserve to be punished a second longer because of you. But we’re not at the office now, Dave. There’s nothing here stopping me, so there’s no escape for you.”

  Dave’s eyes opened wide. Fear oozed out of every pore of his body. Brad could smell the foul stench. His wolf celebrated in anticipation.

  Brad flexed his biceps as he fisted his hands in front of his body. “Since Jayla’s not here to witness this, I want to hear you apologize to her for what you did to her career. She’s never going to be able to hear your words because you’re never going to be in contact with her again. Do I make myself clear? So I want to hear you apologize. Apologize for disrespecting her. And apologize for the way you spoke about her.”

  Dave nervously began looking around his house for a place he could run and get away from Brad.

  “Just so we’re clear. You’re resigning from Graybar and Associates. You’re coming clean and giving her credit for every fucking idea and every goddamn shred of information you stole from her. You’re confessing to sending the basket of filth to Mr. Maldonado. You’re going to beg for Jayla’s forgiveness until I feel it’s sufficient. Then you’re out of her life. Forever. One way or another.”

  Crouching down, Brad exploded out of his clothes, shifting into his wolf. His large powerful wolf bared its teeth, issuing a deep, menacing growl. Dave screamed, dropping his cans of beer on the floor. He took off running, and Brad pounced easily. Using the full weight of his body, he propelled Dave forward, knocking him off balance. Dave fell hard, smacking his face on his wood floor. Blood sputtered out of Dave’s nose, and he instantly curled himself into a fetal position.

  “Fuck. You’re a shifter. Fuck.” More screams ensued as Dave begged for his life. He rocked himself like a child, chanting over and over again. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please. I’m sorry.”

  Brad’s wolf circled slowly. Stalking. Watching. Waiting.

  FINALLY OPENING HIS eyes, Dave blinked furiously. He didn’t see the wolf anywhere in sight. With shaking limbs, he slowly pushed up onto his hands and knees and began crawling toward his bedroom. He only covered a few feet before another deep, threatening growl caused him to freeze in place.

  “I’m sorry, Jayla. I’m sorry. Please. I’m so sorry I wronged you.”

  Brad continued to advance on Dave, each powerful stride taking him closer to his prey.

  Dave began screaming hysterically.

  “I’m sorry, Jayla. Please. I’m sorry for dis-disrespecting you.”

  Through Dave’s sobs and gasps of air, Brad could barely make out his words.

  “Stop. Please. I’ll leave. Just like you said. Oh, God, don’t kill me.”

  Once again Dave squeezed his eyes shut, afraid.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll leave the company. I swear. Please don’t kill me. I’m sorry.”

  Dave cried like a baby, begging for his life.

  “I’ll leave the fucking country. Just please. I beg you.”

  Brad approached until he was mere millimeters from Dave’s right ear. He let out one last snarl. Dave could actually feel the warm exhalation of breath as the wolf’s growl vibrated in his ear. Looking down, he witnessed the massive paw positioned dangerously close to his hand. Its sharp claws were pointed toward him, emphasizing where they intended to go next. Dave passed out on the floor, urinating all over himself in the process.

  PLACING HIS LARGE paw next to Dave’s head on the wooden floor, Brad extended his claws. He dug them into the floor, leaving claw marks as physical evidence just in case Dave believed he’d hallucinated Brad’s visit.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning, Brad anxiously waited for Jayla to come into work. He couldn’t force himself to call her or go to her the day before. Instead, he agonized at home, enduring another sleepless night.

  Sitting at his desk, he picked up the phone and dialed Jayla’s office number. Once again he received her voice mail. Slamming the receiver down, he let out an expletive.

  The sound of a woman clearing her throat interrupted him. “Good morning, Brad. Mr. Graybar wants to see you right now. It sounds pressing.”

  Looking up, Brad saw Mila, Mr. Graybar’s longtime secretary, smiling at him. “I’m sorry, Mila. Sure thing. I’ll be right there.”

  Taking the long way, he walked by Jayla’s office; he found it still dark and void of her presence. Suppressing a growl of annoyance, he turned to go to Mr. Graybar’s office. Two quick knocks preceded his entrance.

 
; “Hello, Brad.”

  “Good morning, Mr. Graybar.”

  “Well, I’m just going to cut to the chase. I have some disturbing news to share with you. First off, I should let you know Dave is no longer with the company. He confessed to sending the inappropriate basket to Mr. Maldonado. He also confessed to stealing Jayla Stanton’s ideas and taking credit for them. He has resigned, and I want you to know he has been subsequently barred from entering our premises ever again.”

  Brad nodded, trying to appear surprised by the news. He knew he wasn’t doing a good job.

  “The other thing won’t come as a shock. As you already know, the Maldonado account is yours. Your employee file has been updated, crediting you with the acquisition. Ms. Stanton will retain any bonuses received before today. You will receive any bonuses accumulated starting from today forward.”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Oh. I just assumed you already knew. Jayla’s stepped down as the senior team member on the account. She’s requested you be given full credit and further bonuses associated with this account.”

  “No. With all due respect, sir, I don’t accept that. Ms. Stanton was the brains behind landing the Maldonado account. Does she know Dave came clean?”

  “Yes. I told her this morning. She took the news in stride. She doesn’t care about getting credit for what Dave stole from her.”

  “Mr. Graybar, it’s more complicated than you realize.”

  Picking up a piece of paper from his desk, Mr. Graybar began to read.

  My one and only reason for seeking employment at Graybar and Associates was to work with Bradford Dalton. His intelligence, dedication, and determination are beyond measure. I have worked with my professional idol, and for that opportunity, I will always be deeply grateful. Now it is time for me to move on to a new phase in my professional life.

  Mr. Graybar stopped reading, turning his back to Brad.

  “It is amazing how you two are able to keep your work life and your private life completely separate.”