“He told me he was a grouch on the job, but I never would have believed it if I didn’t see it.” It’s like someone shoved the stick right up his ass when we arrived, Chloe thought, turning her amusement internally to avoid disparaging her husband again.
“Yeah, he’s a real dragon on the set sometimes.” Abigail winked and glanced back at the crew without waiting for Chloe’s reaction. Saul had never mentioned whether or not his business associates knew of his true nature, so Chloe was unsure if Abigail was being literal or not.
“Yeah... he is.”
“Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet you Chloe. I need to get these folk back on set.”
Saul guided her back into the main building. Along the way, he pointed out people and offices of interest, naming titles and confirming familiar faces. From the first floor to the top, he showed her every aspect of the studio, introduced her to the legal department and to his direct subordinates in the business. Along the way, Chloe counted a handful of Hollywood stars and struggled to maintain her decorum.
Harris caught up to them as they stepped off the elevator on the top floor. “You have a video call waiting for you in the conference room, sir.”
“Excellent. Thank you. My office is beyond that door, my love. Make yourself comfortable and I’ll be with you in a moment.” Saul kissed her brow and followed Harris through an adjoining door, so Chloe let herself in to the indicated office.
The huge space housed only the necessities, holding a sprawling desk, executive style leather chair, and a pair of cushioned chairs. An exquisite view of the world below caught her eye. In a way, it was almost comical that LA’s gritty streets attracted her more than his empty barren room. It feels so cold and impersonal, she thought. Intimidating. Which, she supposed, was the point. He didn’t call people up for tea and crumpets.
With Saul gone, she slid behind the desk into his chair, leaned back, and let both hands rest against the hint of tummy beneath her blouse. Sometimes, when all became silent, Chloe imagined she could feel her little one moving.
But it was far too early for that.
“I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were you.”
Chloe jerked her head up toward the silken voice to see Saul’s ex framed in the doorway. The door behind Brigid closed with a soft snick as the immaculate female dragon moved toward her. Every red hair was in place, her makeup perfectly applied, and not a single wrinkle or smudge marred her pristine ivory outfit.
“Saul’s in a business meeting,” Chloe said tersely. I won’t be intimidated by her, dragon or not. She won’t harm me here in a building filled with people while Saul is a few yards away. Only a couple rooms. Don’t be afraid, she thought, giving herself a pep talk.
“I know.” Brigid’s catty smile unnerved her. “I know everything about his schedule and his business.”
“Good for you. That doesn’t at all make you sound like a stalker.”
Brigid’s eyes narrowed. “Saul belongs to me, little girl. He will always belong to me until I release him, and I don’t see that happening any time soon. We are Promised to one another. Our fathers struck a blood bond over fire and ash. Draconic Law says he is mine.”
“Why do you even want him if you don’t care about him? What’s in it for you?”
Brigid slid her fingernails over the back of a plain leather sofa by the windows. “Saul is a well-sought after dragon, my dear. Didn’t you know? Born of fire and storms... bronze dragons are a rarity among our kind. Prized as mates. Powerful. We’ll have a strong cub once we’re bonded.”
Chloe rose from her seat. “He’s bonded to me,” she spit out. “Saul told me how it works. He can’t have two bonds at once, and I’m not letting him go either.”
“Oh? I think he could be persuaded.”
“He’s my husband, Brigid, whether you like it or not.” Chloe thrust her hand out for Brigid to see the sparkling jewel, a priceless gift from Saul’s treasured hoard.
The redhead’s chuckle turned Chloe’s blood to ice in her veins. “Your mortal laws mean nothing. If you’re lucky, perhaps I’ll let him keep you and your bastard around as pets. Dragon males have large... appetites. Allowing him a toy will be my gift. And should your whelp be a girl-child, well, she’ll serve him nicely as well when you’ve gone all wrinkled and grey. I’ll train her myself in how to properly please him.”
All of Chloe’s hatred and fury boiled to the surface at once. She flew across the floor as the office door exploded open, practically knocked from the hinges. Instead of clawing Brigid’s eyes out, she collided with Saul’s muscular chest. He caught her before she reached her target.
“You fucking bitch! I don’t care if you’re a dragon. I don’t care!”
“Control your pet human, Saul.”
“I’m his wife!” Chloe launched herself at Brigid again, unsuccessful for the second time. Saul remained between them but slid back across the sleek tiled floor. He grunted and spun Chloe around into the sofa, where he planted her firmly and held her down by the shoulders.
“Chloe, stop!”
“How charming. No better than a wild animal.”
Brigid’s husky chuckle renewed Chloe’s anger. Saul’s grip tightened against her shoulders, burying his fingers into her skin.
“Leave, Brigid. I will not ask you again,” Saul growled.
“As you wish, my promised one. Never say that I am cold-hearted and completely without remorse.” Brigid stepped toward the door. “Keep your pet on a leash, Saul, lest she get hurt. I am not to be held responsible for what happens if she chooses to behave like an unruly child.” The she-dragon’s laughter lingered in the air like a foul odor long after she was gone.
“I am sorry, Chloe. When Harris told me Brigid arrived to see me, I did not realize he sent her to my office with you. This is my fault.” His hand lowered to Chloe’s shoulder. She jerked from it instinctively and twisted, placing her back to him as she cried. Uncontrollable sobs shook her entire body.
“Why are you protecting her?”
“She baited you. She wanted you to strike her, and had I not arrived in time, she would have killed you without batting a lash. Chloe, please. Look at me.”
She swiped at her eyes uselessly. “I wanted to hit her! She should have her tongue ripped out for the things she said.”
“Nothing is worth death—”
“You don’t know the things she said! She told me she would take you away... that she...” Her breaths came rapid, and despite her great effort, Chloe couldn’t force herself to repeat Brigid’s words.
“Brigid can’t have me, and you have my word that I won’t leave you for her. Nothing in this world could convince me to end our bonding.”
“She told me that you’re required to by Draconic Law.” Chloe wiped the tears streaming down her face and sniffled until Saul crouched beside her with a handkerchief in his hand. For every tear that she wiped, two more took its place until Saul’s tender strokes dried her cheeks for good.
“I love you beyond the worth of my own life, Chloe. Brigid will neither harm you nor lay claim to me. I swear this to you.” After taking a seat on the sofa beside her, the dragon pulled Chloe onto his lap and held her close. She lowered her cheek to his shoulder and breathed him in. The subtle scent of his natural musk never failed to soothe her.
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Do you wish to go home?”
“No.” Chloe shook her head and drew in a steadying breath. “I want to learn more about what you do.” Screw her. I’m not gonna let her drive me away.
“Come with me then. Let us find an adequate task for you to perform.”
Saul carried her to the desk where he set her in the high-backed leather chair. With one hand, he pecked out the password to open his desktop menu. “Harris scans each screenplay. I review new arrivals once a week to give the final approval.”
“So what will I be doing, exactly?”
“My job.” Saul guided Chloe to the enormous seat. “While I deleg
ate much of my authority to Harris, Mahasti, and my other subordinates, I would like you to become accustomed to my work.”
“Saul, I’m a paralegal. Not a big honcho executive.” She laughed and settled into the oversized chair. Luxurious leather stretched over expensive cushions and molded to her unique shape in a comforting embrace. Despite her intentions to merely humor him, she relaxed and closed her eyes.
“You are far more than a paralegal. That life was beneath you. Now you are my partner in all things and that includes the maintenance of my hoard.”
“So I get to swim around in the vast ocean of jewels you keep beneath the estate?”
“If you so desire. Now, as I was saying, Drakenstone Studios produces no less than a dozen movies each year. As you know, we specialize in fantasy...” His voice trailed as Chloe dissolved into a fit of giggles. “And horror. What amuses you so deeply?”
“You’re so serious. Come on, baby, can you really imagine me sitting here behind your desk pretending to be you, doing whatever it is you really do in this room?”
“Yes, I can,” Saul insisted. “Trust in me as I trust in you, Chloe.”
Their gazes met and held, his golden eyes twinkling with warmth, reassurance, and love that she’d never experienced before with another man in all of her life. At times, it was so funny to Chloe that a dragon could give her the world and succeed where so many human men failed. “Okay, so I read these and tell you if I think they suck?”
“Never read the entire screenplay unless you are truly riveted by the plot,” Saul said. “Read the first and last ten pages. If that fails to intrigue you, the middle will be an absolute waste of time.”
“Really?”
“Really,” he told her. “While I have employees dedicated to this role, I prefer to give every submission my personal attention. Sometimes my staff passes over one that has hidden potential. A diamond in the rough, as you might say.”
“So this is what I always see you reading at home when I wake up at night.”
They devoted the morning to Saul teaching Chloe the ropes of his big-time executive job. When Harris brought them lunch around noon, it took every ounce of willpower Chloe possessed to wait for the man to leave before she attacked her plate. She was starving and the bacon-wrapped steaks smelled divine.
“No wine for you, Mrs. Drakenstone?”
“Chloe, please, and water is fine.” She dipped her head, tucking her chin briefly. It wouldn’t take long for her to become known to the public eye. People would see her swelling belly and know. Secrecy could only protect her for so long. “We’re expecting,” she confessed.
Harris opened and shut his mouth twice before he articulated an appropriate response. His eyes cut over to Saul first, no doubt gauging his boss’ reaction to Chloe spilling the beans. “That’s terrific news. Congratulations to both of you.”
When Chloe turned to Saul, his satisfied expression surprised her and lured a smile to her face in return. “Thank you, Harris. We are thrilled to await the little one’s arrival. Kindly keep this news to yourself for now.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll be outside if you need me.”
Harris played gatekeeper for the rest of the day, canceling most of Saul’s appointments while Chloe became accustomed to everyday life at the office. By evening, she didn’t want to read another line, meet another actor, or hear another audition. She slept most of the drive to the estate, sprawled on the backseat while Saul rode in the front and engaged Leiv in casual conversation.
Once they hit the open roads away from the Los Angeles traffic, Mahasti sped their way home.
Chapter 10
Contrary to Chloe’s initial expectations, she took enjoyment in learning the role of an assistant studio executive. Over the course of the week, she helped Saul draft documents with her superior typing speed, and they giggled together at terrible storylines. She also coaxed him into sex on his office desk and scandalized his assistant when her hand landed on the intercom button.
“Many of these recent submissions are beneath our standards,” Saul muttered. “Unfortunate.”
“Oh come on. You should make this one, baby. It’s so horrible it’ll be funny. It’s like a parody of a true horror movie.”
“Perhaps.” Saul stroked his chin. “But it was not intended as a parody.”
“Okay, what if I tell the writer that if they intentionally cheese it up a little more, we’ll produce it for them?”
“Excellent idea. You have complete autonomy. Do as you will.”
“One of these days you’re going to say that, then I’m going to greenlight a big budget porno flick with a dozen kung fu transvestites shooting cocklasers.”
Her words scandalized Saul, but he left her at the helm during a meeting with his casting director. She spent the rest of her morning chatting with Harris until Saul returned at lunch. Her husband’s personal assistant excused himself from the room to partake in his own lunch break and left them alone.
“I have a private meeting to attend this afternoon with Brigid and her father. You may remain here in the studio or go to the estate with Leiv and Mahasti.”
“But I want to go with y—”
Saul cut her off. “No you shall remain here or at the estate. You have proven thus far that you are not to be trusted in Brigid’s presence.”
“Fine,” Chloe snapped. “I’ll have Leiv take me home now then.”
“Chloe—”
“Go deal with your dragon politics.” She brushed past him on her way to the door and didn’t stop until she reached the elevator. Leiv greeted her at the front doors and escorted her to the waiting car.
“Hi, Leiv. I want the full drive home please... No magical rushing,” Chloe mumbled from the rear seat, where she laid her head against a silk-cased pillow. Sometimes, the feeling of movement eased her nausea. Saul had given her countless rides around the property and confessed to enjoying it.
“Of course. Will we make a stop for your usual?” Leiv asked.
“No Wendy’s today.”
It didn’t take long for guilt to gnaw more than her appetite away. Thirty minutes later as they left Los Angeles behind, Chloe pulled out her mobile phone.
I love you, she texted him. She added an apology to the next message and waited, holding her breath, for his response.
Saul: You were forgiven before the words left your lips. I love you, Chloe. Take the time to unwind and enjoy the use of our bank account. Spend frivolously.
I don’t want to spend frivolously. I want you to hold me, she texted back.
Saul: I must attend to business with Maximilian and Brigid. Once our negotiations are complete, I will return to share the news.
Okay. Love you, she messaged, before putting the phone away again.
Leiv’s concerned face peered at her through the rearview mirror. “Is something the matter, Chloe? You seem very changed today.” Despite all of the time Leiv had lived in America, he still struggled with English at times.
She chuckled quietly against her pillow, a humorless sound that didn’t assuage the cold dread spreading through her chest. “I’m worried about Saul.”
“Bah. Brigid and Maximilian are harmless. The only danger Saul faces is that perhaps Maximilian will talk him to death. Fear nothing,” Leiv assured her. He glanced back at her and flashed one of his boyish smiles.
“Have you met them?”
“I have met Brigid many times. She would come to abuse Saul’s good nature and generosity. She was much like... like a parasite,” Leiv said in his thick accent. The driver shook his head, disgusted. Chloe had noticed that as he became accustomed to her company, his natural speaking voice became all the more prominent. “He courted her desperately.”
“What happened to make him hibernate for five years? He won’t tell me.”
Leiv silenced. The bear shifter’s loyalty to Saul touched her deeply, but the secrecy created an urgent need to delve to the heart of the matter.
“Please, Leiv. What did
she do?”
“She took another dragon lover. Another volcanic dragon.”
“That’s cheating!” Chloe’s outrage flared, filling her with white-hot hatred.
“Not in the eyes of Draconic Law. It is not to be considered cheating until a bond has occurred,” Leiv explained.
“So it’s allowed but...” She hurt him. She refused him, wouldn’t take his mark, and then she fucked some other dragon instead.
“It is a very dick move to make,” Leiv said, speaking the words for her.
“Very. So what is this? She’s done with her play toy and decided she’s ready to accept Saul?”
Leiv nodded from the driver’s seat. “So it would seem. She likely came that first day to toy with him, but your presence threatened her.”
“I threatened a female dragon?” Her incredulous voice rose sharply. He had to be joking.
“Female dragons are not kind creatures,” Leiv said.
“Why can’t we wish her away? If I asked Mahasti—”
“A djinn may not take away another living being’s free will, Chloe. Trust me, were it so simple, Mahasti would do as needed to aid you both. Our hands are tied.”
The disappointment leached the remaining life from Chloe’s bones. She slept until their arrival when Leiv gently called her name, waking her, then they chatted for a while in the garage while Leiv wiped down the front of the car and cleaned the windows.
“Ah, I blame you. Mahasti drops hints daily about babies. She is excited about the idea of becoming a mother now that she knows it is possible. Yesterday she told me, ‘Leiv, if we have our baby now, Chloe’s child will have close friend.’ And I am the bad guy because I say we should wait.”
“Aww. That would be sweet,” Chloe said, a wistful smile on her face. “But that shouldn’t be the main reason. You and Mahasti can cuddle my baby if you want. Consider it practice.”
Leiv laughed and nodded. “Yes, that is a fine idea. Now go on inside, Chloe, before you catch a chill. I will be in shortly.”
“It’s summer. I’m far from chilly. You just want time alone with your baby,” she teased him as she passed through the door.
Mated by the Dragon (Loved by the Dragon, #2) Page 10