The Trouble With Two Alpha's

by Brenda Westfall

  “Do you think she is your mate?”

  “Yes, I do. That is the only reason I can come up with for my wolf to be pulled toward her. I know the minute she pulls into the parking lot out back. I know the minute she walks into the casino. My wolf is up wagging his tail trying to get her attention. To sit here night after night and watch other men around her is more than I can take. I don’t like it one bit.”

  “But if you take her to the den, she will see us shifting. Do you think she is ready for that?”

  “I don’t think it matters if she is my mate, she will have to get used to it. If she turns out not to be my mate, I have an idea you’re going to go after her. Either way, she will be part of the pack. She will be bitten.”

  “True. I really like her. She would make the perfect mate. She is gorgeous. She is sweet and kind yet able to take care of herself if necessary.”

  “She is an Alpha female. She will make anyone the perfect mate. My wolf is ready to claim her now. See to it, she is gotten off the floor immediately. I can’t afford to go all wolf on the humans who pay our bills.”

  Irwin hurried downstairs to find Gabi. He would go ahead and lead her to Mrs. Bixby’s office. He would sit in on their talk to make sure Mrs. Bixby was nice to her.

  Gabi was busy with a full table of patrons when Irwin stepped up behind her. He bent down and whispered in her ear that she was needed upstairs. He then had another dealer take over for her.

  He told her to follow him. Then he led her to the elevators.

  Mrs. Bixby’s office? I wonder what I have done wrong.

  Chapter 16

  Gabi was led upstairs to Mrs. Bixby’s office. Irwin didn’t give her any indication why she was being called into the office. Just smiled and said she was supposed to follow him.

  Once upstairs her nerves kicked in. She didn’t like Mrs. Bixby. Mrs. Bixby seemed to hate her, and she had no idea why. She followed Irwin in the old woman’s office and took the chair he offered her. Then he stood behind her somewhere.

  “You wanted to see me?” She asks the old bat, Mrs. Bixby. Gabi tried to be pleasant, but it was hard the way the old woman treated her last time she was in her office.

  “Yes, I have been told to give you a new position. Seems I need a personal assistant. You will now have your own office next door. It is being set up as we speak. I thought I had till morning to get it prepared for you. I see I don’t. You will be helping me with typing up letters to employees and such. You might have to help deliver things to the other floors. Maybe help make up flyers to advertise special going on in our restaurant or in the casino. We do have show’s that we send out flyers for. Sometimes I will send you on errands as well. We put ads in the newspapers as well as phone books. We will play it by ear, I guess. I haven’t made up a list of things to have you do yet. I just found out you were being given this position. I didn’t realize I needed help.”

  Her phone rang. The red phone. Gabi had learned the last time she was in her office that phone was the big boss calling. She tried to listen in, but Irwin stepped up to talk to her distracting her.

  “Don’t mind her, she is a bitter old woman. You have earned a better job and a bigger paycheck. The big boss likes your work. It’s an honor to be moved up into an office. Have you ever worked in an office before?”

  “Yes, actually I have. I used to work for a Cabin rental place and helped with the books as well as a tour guide and customer service. I guess I am a jack of all trades.” Jack? That one thought took her back to him. Her depression must have shown.

  “Are you all right Gabi? You seemed to get lost there for a moment. Gabi? Hey, why are you crying again? Did I upset you?” Irwin watched as tears slid down her cheeks.

  “No, sorry. I don’t know what is wrong with me. I got lost in my thoughts for a minute. Sorry, it won’t happen again.” She wiped her tears away. She smiled up at him as if nothing had happened, but he had seen.

  “You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here for you. I am a pretty good listener. I won’t judge. Just listen. I won’t even give advice unless you need some.” That made her laugh. At least he thought he helped some.

  “Mrs. Bixby your pushing your luck. I told you to make her your assistant not to burden her with why she got the job. Just give her a job and do it quietly. I think you’re in enough trouble as it is. You will be receiving punishment for not doing as you were told.” He hung up on her and continued to watch.

  The one thing he noticed was that Irwin had moved up to talk to Gabi. Then he noticed her wiping tears from her face again. What was upsetting his mate? His mate! He watched as Irwin got a little laugh out of her. “Well, my son, you do seem to have a way with her. Not good for you.” He didn’t like it that his son was the one comforting his mate. It should be him.

  “Why don’t we step next door and see how your office is coming along. I ordered a desk to be put in and a computer. I don’t know if they have had time to set it up yet.” See if he can watch me talk to her from there, Mrs. Bixby thought. She had no idea he had every room already with cameras. He had every room in the casino where he could see and hear everything.

  When they moved next door, Gabbi found she had a tiny little office with no windows. “Small isn’t it.” That was before two men came in carrying a huge desk.

  They sat the desk in the center of the tiny room then ask her where she wanted it. She suggests they put it over against the wall, so it faced the door. That gave her just enough room to walk around one side. Then they brought in a computer, a desktop. Then a phone was added.

  “Now should I need you I will just call you. For now, I guess you just have a seat till I can come up with some work for you.” Mrs. Bixby left the little closet size office without another word.

  Irwin looked at the little room, he wasn’t very happy. “I will see about getting you a bigger office. This one isn’t big enough to breath in. I am pretty sure we have more empty offices on this floor. Hang in there till I can find out. For now, just try to do what she tells you. I am sure this won’t last too long. Not if I have anything to do with it.” Talking to himself as he walked out of her office, “this is ridiculous.”

  Irwin looked up at the camera in the hall knowing where it was and growled at his father hoping he was watching. He even showed his teeth. Then he headed for his father’s office.

  Alpha Redwood hadn’t been watching to see where Mrs. Bixby put Gabi, he had been on a conference call. When his son stormed into his office with an angry expression on his face, he told the person on the phone he had an emergency to take care of. That he would take care of what they had been talking about and get back to him.

  He hung up the phone, then turned his attention to his son. “What’s wrong?” He didn’t even have to ask what it was about he was pretty sure it had to do with Gabi.

  “Have you seen where Mrs. Bixby set Gabi up? Have you even looked at that shitty little broom closet, she called an office for Gabi? Why she can’t even turn around in there. There isn’t even enough air to breath in there. I can’t believe you would approve of that little space.” Irwin paced his father’s office in front of his desk. He was furious.

  Alpha Redwood got up and walked over to the big wall of monitors then pulled up the floor Gabi’s new office was on then pulled up her new office. Irwin was right, it looked like a broom closet.

  “That won’t do. Mrs. Bixby has gone too far this time. She was already going to be punished for the way she had treated Gabi before. Now she is really going to get it. See to it that Gabi is given a much nicer office. Maybe Gabi will be taking over Bixby’s position soon. Find out what all Gabi knows about office work. Has she gone to college for anything? I haven’t had time to look up what all she has under her belt so to speak. I want to know all there is to know about Gabi Cross.”

  “I will be happy to. I will find her a better office first. That broom closet is an insult. I know for a fact we have at least three other offices on that same floor that are
empty. They’re just being used for storage. One of them can be emptied and made into a nice office for her.” Irwin left his father’s office in a hurry to get things set up for Gabi. He couldn’t stand seeing her in that broom closet one minute longer than necessary.

  Gabi was a little claustrophobic being in such a tight-fitting space. She got up and propped the door open for air. She had sat still for as long as she could stand it. She had been in the tiny little office with nothing to do for four hours now.

  She got up and went next door to Mrs. Bixby’s office. She knocked and waited to be asked in. But either the old bat didn’t hear or was ignoring her. Finally, she gave up and walked in.

  Mrs. Bixby looked up to see who dared walk into her office without her telling them to come in. Of course, it would be the human bitch. “What do you want?”

  “I was just wondering if you had anything for me to do. I feel like I am wasting company money just sitting there. If I am not going to have anything to do, then perhaps I could go back to dealing cards?” Gabi was hopeful anyway. She would much rather be dealing cards, then sitting there with nothing to do but think of Jack and Elliot.

  “I am working on things for you to do now. I told you when I had something ready for you to do, I would let you know. Now go back to your office and wait.” Mrs. Bixby snarled.

  Gabi did nothing that shift. She just sat at a desk and twirled her thumbs. She didn’t understand why she had been given a desk job if there was no work for her to do.

  The next day Gabi got up and ready for work. She dreaded going in. If she didn’t have anything to do this time, she was going to beg Irwin or Brett to see if they couldn’t get her Blackjack job back for her.

  Irwin found a space and had it cleaned out for Gabi a better office. It wasn’t that big, but it was certainly better than the broom closet she was in now.

  He had her new office carpeted then a nicer desk put in it. He had it all fixed up before morning. When Gabi showed up for work, he would escort her into her new office. This one even had her name on the door.

  Gabi went to her little closet of an office ready to stare at the walls again. Yesterday she didn’t do a single thing. It was the most boring day ever.

  She had barely sat down when Irwin knocked on her door. It was open so she just looked up to see his smiling face. “You need me?” She was so hoping there had been a mistake and he wanted her back downstairs at the tables.

  “Yes, there has been a mistake, this isn’t your office. Come, let me show you to your new office. This broom closet just won’t work for anyone’s office. I had your office set up down the hall. I even had your name put on the door. No one will mistake whose office it is.”

  Irwin led her two doors down. Sure enough, there was her name on a gold plate on the door. She smiled at him, then he opened the door and led her into her bright cheerful new office. This one didn’t have a window either, but at least it had room to move around in. It was way nicer than the broom closet had been. There was carpet and a new desk with a swivel chair. A very padded swivel chair on rollers.

  “Wow, this is really nice. But Irwin can I ask you why I am in an office instead of at the tables? I mean I didn’t do anything all day yesterday, but stare at the walls. I feel like it was a waste of the company’s money. I mean, who pays me to sit and stare at the walls? I feel like I was doing more working at the blackjack tables.”

  “I am sure there will be stuff for you to do today. Yesterday we were still getting things together. Now don’t you worry about getting paid for nothing because the company told you they were moving you up and you will get paid for sitting here no matter what.”

  He went on to tell her about a few other things that came with her new position. He had talked to his Alpha and father about these other arrangements.

  After being assigned a new office, I was then given my own private personal parking spot on the fourth-floor deck of the parking garage. The spot where I parked was right close to the door that entered my floor.

  My office wasn’t that big, but it was mine. In the beginning I did a lot of typing company memos. I typed up the employees' work schedules and then delivered them to the employee’s locker room. Each employee had a locker with a slit in it for mail to be stuck in.

  I found myself on occasion, delivering papers upstairs as well. I had no idea what went on upstairs, but there were several more floors above the casino and my floor.

  I figured some of the rooms were like hotel rooms, but I had no idea. I never saw inside most of the rooms. When I delivered papers, I usually left them in a box hanging outside the doors in the hall.

  I didn’t have to see Mrs. Bixby very often. Most of my orders were emailed to me once I was in my new office. I liked that. I did get lonely because I hardly ever saw anyone, but I got used to it.

  I was out running errands one day when I got into a little trouble. I got into an argument with a lady at a coffee shop. I was in a hurry to get back to work. I had just delivered some packages to an address in a building across town and was grabbing a coffee before getting back in my car. Some lady decided she was going to cut in line. Me being me and having a temper, I sort of lost it.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I ask her. She ignored me. Well, that was the wrong thing to do. I grabbed her and tossed her out of line and went on to order my coffee. The people in line behind me who like I had been waiting for a while started clapping.

  The lady I had tossed got up in my face and told me she was going to press charges for assault. I told her to go ahead. She had the police there before I got my coffee.

  Let’s just say I didn’t make it back to work that day. I had to call and tell Irwin I was being detained. I might not have been if I would have gone along willingly with the police officer.

  “Irwin it’s Gabi. I um, have a little problem. I was out running errands and I sort of got in a bit of a bind. I’m at the police station being held.”

  I could hear his voice as he was yelling. I had to hold the phone out away from my ear about two feet to keep from breaking an eardrum.

  “Gabi tell me what happened?” Once he calmed down, I was able to explain to him what happened. He told me to hold on and he would come get me out of jail. I told him I was going before a judge in the morning.

  Irwin went to his Alpha for this one. He wasn’t going to be happy at all. Irwin stormed up to Alpha Redwood’s office knocked, then stormed in without waiting to be asked in.

  “You storm into my office like I invited you, it better be damn good.” His father turned around to see his son’s face. “It’s Gabi?” He knew something was wrong.

  “Yes, sir. She is in jail! Jail! She will go before Judge Wiggins in the morning. Something about assaulting a lady at a coffee shop.” Irwin was fuming mad.

  That was nothing compared to Miles Redwood. He was steaming mad and ready to fight anyone who stood in his way. He was on the phone calling the judge.

  Nothing Miles Redwood did seem to work. He couldn’t get Gabi out of Jail overnight. She would have to go before a judge in the morning.

  Gabi found herself in court first thing in the morning. Something about this seemed awful familiar to her. She stood before a judge that looked familiar too.

  “Well, well look who I have in my court, Miss Cross we meet again. It’s been a few years. I’m not surprised to see you in trouble again. Only surprised it took you so long.”

  “Judge Wiggins, I didn’t know you were in this town. It’s good to see you.” Not, Gabi thought. Of all the towns to decide to stay in she had to pick the one the Judge from hell was in.

  “Oh, cut the crap. Now it says here that you assaulted this woman (pointing to the woman who accused her). She says you attacked her for no apparent reason. Said you threw her across the coffee shop.” The Judge stares at Gabi.

  “That’s not so! Not exactly.” Gabi starts trying to explain what really happened, but the Judge shushes her.

  “Judge Wiggins if I ma
y.” Judge Wiggins is about to throw her gravel when she sees who is interrupting her court. She is well acquainted with the Redwoods. Alpha Redwood and his son Irwin helped get her elected. She knows not to ignore him.

  “Yes Mr. Redwood. You know something about this case? Damn, she was hoping to throw this little tramp in jail for thirty days or so. At least.

  “Judge Wiggins I have with me the two young ladies who were working at the time of this incident. They saw the entire incident. I figured you might want to speak with them before you make any judgment.” He smiled and nodded toward Gabi. He indicated that she had better think twice before punishing Gabi.

  “Step forward ladies. Let’s hear what you have to say. One at a time tell me what you saw and what you heard.” Judge Wiggins wasn’t happy that anyone was going to speak up for Gabi.

  The first young lady stepped up and told the Judge how they had been very busy. How they had had a long line of people waiting to be waited on when the lady who accused Gabi of assaulting her came in. Said the woman came storming in the front door like she owned the place. Said she stormed past everyone else who had been standing in line for a good long time. Said the lady had stormed right up to the front and shoved in front of Gabi then proceeded to order her coffee.

  Then the second girl stepped up and continued. “She (pointing to Gabi) told the woman to step to the end of the line and wait her turn like everyone else had to. But that woman refused to do it. She acted like Miss Cross hadn’t even said anything to her. She acted like she was the only one in the place and we were supposed to drop what we were doing and wait on her. Some of the people in line had been waiting at least twenty minutes.”

  She took a breath, then continued. “That your honor is when Miss Cross got upset. She didn’t throw that lady across the building she shoved her back out of the line. It was Miss Cross’s turn to be waited on. She didn’t push her that hard, but this lady acted like she had shoved her so hard that she sailed across the room a little over traumatic. That lady had just walked in and right up to the counter like she was Queen or something. Like no one else mattered or was there ahead of her.”