“Executive Director of Projects. Is that your new position?” Walter asked.
I nodded.
“Jamison does not give promotions lightly. You must have really impressed him,” Walter said.
“She gave a presentation today, and then he gave her the promotion,” Michelle said.
“Must have been one hell of a presentation,” Walter said with a smile.
I blushed.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked Walter.
He smiled. “Certainly, dear.”
“How did you make time for your work and your personal life?” He had been married for sixty years to his high school sweetheart. She’d passed away two years ago.
He smiled, and his eyes got a little misty. “It wasn’t easy. There were several years when I thought Missy would leave me. But, just like with work, anything worth having is worth fighting for. Towards the end, I made a rule that I would only work until six at night, and after that it was my wife’s time.”
“That’s so sweet,” Michelle said, her eyes glassy.
“Walter,” a deep voice said from behind me. “I thought you weren’t here, since there were others at the table.”
“Can’t an old man have friends?” Walter asked, smiling wide.
The man sat in the empty seat to my right, after shaking hands with Walter. He was younger than I expected, late twenties or early thirties at most. Had gorgeous blue eyes, and blond hair styled nicely. Overall, he was a handsome man, but add a fitted suit into the mix, and he was a prize any woman would want to take home.
Walter turned to us. “Ms. Vincent and Ms. Easterson, this is Mr. Alonze.”
My throat dried up and I froze. Mr. Alonze was another big wig in the tech community, a competitor for Walter and Bane Industries. He wasn’t as rich as Walter, but nearly.
“Nice to meet you, ladies,” Mr. Alonze said, smiling politely at us, but I caught his eyes lingering on me a moment.
“Nice to meet you, as well,” I somehow said. Michelle mimicked my statement.
“The ladies here are celebrating, and since I wasn’t sure how long you would take, I offered for them to eat with me,” Walter explained.
“We can leave,” I offered. “We don’t want to intrude.”
“Nonsense!” Walter said. “We don’t discuss business at these meals, and we can always use new faces at the table.”
“Stay,” Mr. Alonze said. “We rarely have anything entertaining to discuss.”
“Thank you,” I said, then picked up my menu, to cover my face.
“What are you celebrating?” Mr. Alonze asked.
“Milena received a promotion today,” Michelle announced.
“Oh?” Mr. Alonze asked. “What is your new title?”
Setting the menu down, I smiled and said, “Executive Director of Projects.” My menu had pushed my silverware askew, so I fixed it quickly.
“Congratulations,” Mr. Alonze said, smiling warmly at me. His smile warmed me, all the way through. I hadn’t been so affected by a man in a long time.
“Thank you, Mr. Alonze.”
“Please, call me Lucas,” he said, his smile turning into a slight smirk.
“Thank you, Lucas,” I said, glancing at Michelle who was practically beaming. What was she so happy about? I mean, it was amazing that we were sitting at the table with two powerful and intelligent men, but she was too happy.
“Walter, what’s the deal with the new app you released? It has way more bugs than your products usually do.” Michelle asked, leaning her elbow on the table so she could face him.
“Michelle,” I hissed.
Walter chuckled. “I take no offense, Milena. She’s quite right to question me. I was actually very upset when I heard of the issues, myself.”
“I know a good project manager if you need one,” she said, looking my way with a smirk.
You little turd!
“So, Milena, what’s the first thing you’re going to do as Executive Director of Projects?” Lucas asked.
“Well, first I need to review all of the current projects, their statuses, and budgets. Once I’m familiar with them, I’ll be doing another review to see if there are some that need revamping,” I explained. I knew for certain there were two projects that were being poorly managed.
“Sounds boring,” Lucas said with a chuckle.
I shrugged. “I like finding problems and fixing them.”
“So, what would you do if you had a project that was three million dollars over budget and a year late?” Lucas asked.
I tensed. That was a hell of a delay. “Does the project have the potential to recoup the costs?” I asked.
He and Walter smiled, which meant I had said something right.
“Yes,” Lucas answered. “It has the potential to recoup three times the cost in two years.”
“Then I would see what cuts were possible to keep costs down until the project went live. I’d see what I could do about the timeline as well. Surely there is a way to close the one-year gap,” I said.
Walter tilted his head to the side and asked, “Do you want a job?”
“What?” I asked.
“Hey, I inquired first,” Lucas said.
“Um, what?” I asked again.
“She can’t work for you, Mr. Alonze,” Michelle said, peeking at me from her peripheral before continuing. “But, she could work for you, Walter. She’s always dreamed of working for you.”
“Is that so? Well, I have a project that needs someone like you,” Walter said.
“Uh—”
“Why can’t she work for me?” Lucas asked Michelle, glancing at me.
Yes, I was still here, and they were all treating me like I wasn’t.
“Can’t reveal that information,” Michelle said. “But, she can’t.”
“It would violate my contract,” I said.
“What?” Michelle and Lucas asked at the same time.
“I work for Parthenon Industries,” I explained. “We aren’t allowed to go work for your company unless we’ve been separated for three years.”
Lucas leaned back, scowling. “When did that clause get added?”
I shrugged. “I just saw it when I signed today.”
“How long is your contract for?” Walter asked.
“Six months,” I answered. “With the option for renewal as long as Mr. Jamison signs off on it.”
“Jamison, that prick is going to get an earful from me the next time I see him,” Lucas grumbled.
Walter handed me a business card. “Call me in six months. I’ve got the perfect position for you. I’m not joking, Milena. I need you to work for me. As soon as your contract is up, call me. That is my direct line.”
My mouth was dry again, so I nodded mutely.
“Things are too serious,” Walter said with a wide smile. “Let’s order and talk about things other than work.”
I slid the business card into my purse, feeling numb and happy at the same time, if that was possible.
Music started playing, and Walter stood, holding his hand out to Michelle. “Dance with an old man?” he requested.
She stood, smiling warmly. “Anytime.”
I watched them walk away, then became very aware of Lucas beside me.
“Would you like to dance?” Lucas asked.
“I…” I did want to dance with him, but everything felt wrong. How had this happened? How had I ended up at a table with millionaires?
“I won’t bite,” he said, standing and pulling out my chair for me. He leaned down until his lips were beside my ear and whispered, “Unless you want me to.”
A shiver zipped down my spine. Oh, he was flirting with me!
I stood and smiled at him. “Only if you’re fine with me returning the favor,” I said.
His smile widened, and he bowed to me. The movement was smooth, and elegant, and he took my arm in his as he led me to the dance floor. There were only a handful of couples on the floor, and I saw Walter and Michelle
, dancing slowly. Michelle threw her head back and laughed loudly at something Walter said. Most would have assumed she was trying to charm him into sleeping with her and getting his money. I knew better. Michelle genuinely liked people. She was a very low percentage siren, so making people happy made her happy.
“I haven’t seen Walter smiling so much in years,” Lucas said, drawing my attention back to him.
“Michelle likes making people smile,” I said and set my hands in their appropriate places for dancing.
Lucas led us into the dance, his hand warm where it lay on my lower back. Our eyes locked as we spun around the dance floor and everything contracted to just the two of us.
“You’re quite beautiful, Milena,” he said. “Please tell me that you’re single.”
“Thank you. I am single. What about you, Lucas? Is a handsome gentleman like you really single still?” I asked. I highly doubted it, but my metaphorical fingers were crossed.
“I am single, something I would like to rectify,” he said. “So, Ms. Executive Director of Projects, would you accompany me to dinner tomorrow night?”
“Well, Mr. CEO, it depends,” I said, coming to a stop and staring at the entrance to the room.
“On?” he asked, his eyes focused on my face.
“If we survive tonight,” I whispered.
The entire room silenced then, as people finally noticed the demons who had entered the establishment.
Chapter 3
There were four demons, wearing suits and had their hair slicked back, exposing their horns. They looked suave, for demons, but their eyes burned red, and I didn’t need to be a shifter to sense their bloodlust.
“Stay close to me.” Lucas stepped towards me, focused on the new arrivals.
“No problem,” I muttered.
“Please, don’t stop the festivities just because we’ve come to join in,” the middle demon said.
“Sirs, we don’t have a reservation for you,” Martin said.
The demon smiled. “No problem. I see an empty table right over there,” he said, walking around Martin and taking a seat at the empty table that was next to ours.
“What are they playing at?” I asked softly.
“Quiet,” Lucas ordered me.
I glared at his back but obeyed.
The demons surveyed the room, and the one who had been speaking, saw Lucas and smiled. “Mr. Alonze.”
Lucas bobbed his head in acknowledgement. “Bartholomew.”
“Have we ruined your date?” Bartholomew asked.
“Not at all,” Lucas said. “Though, I would ask if you might leave for the evening. You’re scaring the humans.”
Humans? Was Lucas not human?
I looked through his back, peering at his soul. This was my one gift. I was mostly human, but I was able to see people’s souls and discern what they were. His soul was golden, which meant he was a shapeshifter.
Hot damn! He was one fine catch. How was he single?
Bartholomew sighed. “We haven’t done anything illegal.”
“No, but you are well aware of how your presence affects those with pure hearts,” Lucas said.
Bartholomew laughed. “But how many here actually have pure hearts?”
“A couple,” Lucas answered, his back pressing closer to me.
Me? I had a pure heart? That was news to me.
“We haven’t eaten yet,” Bartholomew said.
“I recommend Rita’s two blocks over. It’s just as nice, but they offer meals more suitable for demons,” Lucas said.
Bartholomew stood. “Very well, but you will owe me, Mr. Alonze.”
I tensed, wanting to tell Lucas to just leave them be, and we would go somewhere else, but I held my tongue.
Lucas nodded. “Agreed.”
Bartholomew looked at me, and then he and his two companions left. The room let out a collective breath, and sound resumed.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I whispered.
Lucas turned and smiled down at me. “I’ve dealt with Bartholomew before. He’s not too bad, for a demon.”
“You have no idea what he could ask of you for your debt,” I said, the music and other dancing people seemed to pale in comparison to the seriousness of what was going on.
“I’m aware. As I said, I’ve dealt with him before.” Lucas smirked. “It’s touching that you’re worried for me, though.”
“I need a drink,” I said, turning on my heel and marching to the bar. “Martin,” I called to get his attention, since his back was to me as he cleaned some glasses.
He turned and sneered at me. “Yes?” he asked.
Why was he sneering? What had I done to make him dislike me?
“Can I get a margarita on the rocks?” I requested.
“Put it on my tab,” Lucas said.
I clenched my hands into fists. “No, please add it to mine.”
Martin frowned. “What?”
“I don’t want him to pay for my drink,” I said. “I’m buying my own drinks.”
“It’s to celebrate your promotion,” Lucas said.
I tensed. It was incredibly rude of me to already have declined his offer. I couldn’t decline it now that he used that reasoning.
“One drink,” I conceded.
Martin wasn’t sneering at me now, which I took as a win. He mixed my drink and made a second drink, which he put a cherry in. He handed the cherry drink to Lucas.
I arched a brow at him.
“What?” he asked. “Can’t a man enjoy a sweet drink?”
“You just don’t seem like the type of man who enjoys sweet drinks,” I admitted, taking a drink of my margarita.
Lucas led me back to the table, where our first course had been served. Walter and Michelle were on their way back from dancing, too.
“I like all types of sweet things,” Lucas whispered in my ear before pushing my chair in for me, and taking his seat.
Michelle and Walter chatted like old friends, which I found endearing. I had a lot I wanted to ask Walter, but now didn’t really seem like the time. My questions were business related, and it seemed he came here to talk about things other than work.
“Milena,” Lucas whispered.
I looked up, surprised to find all three of my table mates looking at me.
“Your plate, ma’am,” the waiter to my right said.
I started, not realizing someone had been beside me. “Right, sorry,” I said, moving my hands back so he could take my plate.
Our main course was brought out, and I savored the delicious food in silence. It was better than I remembered.
“Milena, I have to leave soon,” Michelle said.
I glanced at the time and sighed. “Right, sorry. I hadn’t realized how late it was.”
“Will you turn into a pumpkin?” Walter asked, smirking.
Michelle laughed. “No. I have to catch the bus, and they stop running soon.”
“Bus?” Walter asked, scowling. “No. That won’t do. I kept you out later than you planned, so I’ll give you a ride home.”
“That’s not necessary,” she said quickly. “The bus isn’t so bad and—”
“I won’t hear of it,” Walter said. “Once we’ve finished, I’ll take you home.”
“Thank you,” she said, not wanting to refuse a second time, as protocol demanded.
“Do you need a ride?” Lucas asked.
“Does she ever,” Michelle muttered.
I kicked her under the table and smiled. “No, thank you. I have my car, it’s just in the parking garage at our office building a block away.”
“Your dessert,” the waiter announced, setting crème brûlée in front of each of us.
I looked at it quizzically, since I hadn’t ordered it.
“Congratulations on your promotion, Milena,” Walter said. “I look forward to celebrating you joining my office in six months.”
I smiled, fighting the emotions swirling within my chest. “Thank you, sir.”
When everyone was finished eating, I dug into my purse for my cards.
“Please, don’t worry about the bill,” Lucas said. “My treat.”
“Thank you, but you already purchased my drink. I can’t let you pay for my meal, too,” I countered.
“For such a huge promotion, more than a drink is necessary,” Lucas argued.
The waiter came, but Walter intercepted him and gave him his card. “Dinner is on me. Considered it a bribe for you to come work for me.”
I laughed. “You don’t have to bribe me, but thank you.”
“Walter,” Lucas said with a sigh.
“You can pay next time if you’d like,” Walter said to Lucas. “Are you ready?” Walter asked Michelle.
Michelle hugged me and left, leaving me alone with Lucas.
“Thank you for the evening,” I said, drinking the last of my drink. The last swallow was a tad bitter.
“Here,” Lucas said, holding out the cherry from his drink by the stem.
I took it from his hand, swallowing the cherry in one bite, smiling at the sweet taste.
He leaned closer and said, “Now it’s your turn.”
I put my elbow on the table and leaned forward, until my face was right next to his. “You haven’t even taken me out on a date. I’m not that easy.”
“There’s nothing easy about you, which is why I’d love to see more of you,” he replied.
I slid my card across the table, kissed his cheek, and stood. “Then call me.”
I started to leave, but he followed me. “Let me walk you to your car, please.”
I wanted to argue but having him with me while I walked to my car would be reassuring. “Alright.”
He pushed open the door, smiling proudly. “Ladies first.”
We walked to the office building, and I stopped at the doorway, but he pushed it open for me and hit the button for the elevator.
“You don’t have to—”
“I know,” he said, smiling.
When the elevator doors opened, he exited first, swiveling his head from side to side before reaching back for my hand. I let him take it and lead the way to my car.
“I had a nice evening, Ms. Vincent,” he said, pressing his body closer to mine, pinning me between him and the car door.
“I had a nice evening as well, Mr. Alonze,” I replied, setting my hands on his chest.
Lion About: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Virgo Page 2