by Alexis Davie
Humans were frail, so vulnerable that you could puncture their lungs and they would die. They could be shot, stabbed, crushed, drowned, burned, or thrown from the air, and their chance for survival was very small. The only way Oryn or any of the other immortals could die was by decapitation. With the exceptions of wolves, who could only die by a silver bullet to the head.
Even vampires were crafty little fuckers. Holy water and sunlight had been deemed ineffective, so the only way to kill them and ensure they stayed dead and buried was also by having their heads sliced off. Nothing had given Oryn as much satisfaction as slicing the heads of a group of vampires in his hometown of Lunca, but that had been a long time ago, and honestly, Oryn shouldn’t be thinking of that right now. At that moment, he had bigger problems.
The door of his office flew open, and Naomi stood in the doorway, holding the contract for Adley’s promotion to lead marketer.
“Hey, Naomi,” he greeted her innocently.
“‘Hey, Naomi’? That’s all you’re going to say?”
Oryn nodded and sat back in his chair. “I see you received my instructions.”
Naomi took a quick breath and approached his desk. “Have you completely lost your mind? She has zero experience! She does not have the right skills to just get promoted to lead marketer! She doesn’t work for GreenVeil. You do realize that, right? She’s an employee of the marketing firm you contracted to work on a specific project. Are you crazy?”
“Maybe I am, but I spoke with her, and she has great ideas, things I hadn’t even thought about,” Oryn answered.
Naomi threw the contract on the desk. “You honestly want me to believe that woman impressed you so much that you are willing to promote her, just like that?” She snapped her fingers.
“I know a good employee when I see one, Naomi,” he contested.
“So, it has nothing to do with the fact that you want to fuck her?” she asked.
“No, it doesn’t. And please, don’t be so crass.”
She shook her head and scoffed. “What did she do? Did she give you a little action or something? Is that how she persuaded you?”
“Naomi, don’t overstep your boundaries,” he warned.
“Why? You clearly did.”
“I would never do something like that, or allow it, and neither would she,” he replied.
“I don’t believe you,” she whispered.
“And I don’t believe you, right now. Why are you acting like this?”
“I am just looking out for you, Oryn. Is that such a crime?”
Oryn narrowed his eyes and said, without even having to think about it, “You’re jealous.”
“Jealous? I’m jealous?” she shrieked.
“There’s no other reason why you’re carrying on like a complete nutcase,” he said calmly.
“So, I’m the nutcase. Right. That makes sense, and apparently so does promoting a woman you’ve only met once in your entire life to lead the marketing team. What do you even know about her, Oryn? What if she’s a spy for one of our competitors? Did you even think about that?”
“She’s not.”
“You’re always so confident about everything, and I am sick of it! One day, it’s going to come around and bite you right in the ass. I know you’ve been alone for a long time, but it doesn’t mean that you can allow a pretty little face to manipulate you with sex! If it worked that way, I’d be sitting right there!” she exclaimed angrily and pointed to Oryn’s chair.
Oryn, who had had enough of her tantrum, stood from his chair and stared at her sternly. “That is enough!” His voice echoed through the office, and even Naomi looked at him with wide eyes. “I will not allow you to speak about me, or about Adley, in that way again! You are my assistant, and you will do as I ask. I made this decision based only on her ability as a marketer, nothing more. There was nothing sexual involved, and she is not manipulating me in any way. I am the owner of this place. I decided what happens, who gets promoted, and who gets let go. If you don’t like it, there’s the door.”
Naomi nodded at him and lowered her malicious shield. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. I just know a lot of women who do that sort of thing to get ahead, pardon the pun, and I just thought she was one of those women.”
“She’s not.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I checked. She’s clean.” Naomi’s shoulders eased. “She moved to Auckland from the United States a few months ago. Her mother and older brother are still there. Her mother owns a bed and breakfast and a small store, and her brother is in college. Adley’s record is clean, and she has only worked for one company here in New Zealand since her arrival.”
“Mottler and Caine.”
“Exactly.”
Naomi dropped her head in shame and clasped her hands together. “I am really sorry, Oryn, okay? But I care about you. I care about your wellbeing and the wellbeing of this company. We’ve been working together from the very start of this venture. We’ve been through so much, but I would never resent you if you started dating someone. Never. You deserve to be happy. I guess I was maybe a little apprehensive, since I know nothing about this woman, and I think it may have taken me by surprise.”
“It’s okay. She took me by surprise, too,” Oryn admitted and cleared his throat. “But let’s not get carried away, you know. It’s not like we’re dating yet, or anything like that. I don’t even know if she’s interested in me or not.”
“Well, just don’t come on too strong. We don’t need a sexual harassment lawsuit,” Naomi suggested.
Oryn nodded. “I’ll be careful.”
“Great. I am going to fully support this decision. Even though I know you don’t need my support; I just need you to know that you have it. I trust you, Oryn.”
“Thank you, Naomi. I am really lucky to have someone like you, even if you accused me of sleeping with everyone.”
“I never said that,” she pointed out. “Besides, I know you don’t. You’re tense all the time, so I’ll know if you’ve gotten a bit of action.”
“That’s a little unsettling,” Oryn shuddered.
Naomi burst out laughing and folded the contract in half. “I’ll get you some more coffee.”
“Thank you.”
As Naomi retrieved Oryn’s empty coffee cup from his desk, she turned to the door and smirked. “Here comes your girl now. Shall I give her a warning about getting too close to her new boss?”
“There’s no need for that. Just get me my coffee,” Oryn ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Naomi answered and slipped out of the office. She briefly greeted Adley in the hallway and rushed back to her desk. Adley raised her hand to knock on the door but noticed Oryn looking directly at her.
“Good morning,” he said with a smile.
“You’re not busy, are you?” she asked.
“No, not at all. Come in, please. Close the door. There’s something I want to talk to you about,” he answered and motioned to the door. Adley closed it and quietly sat down on the bucket chair she had sat in yesterday.
“The contracts are on their way to your boss at Mottler and Caine. You will soon be the lead marketer on this project.”
“Thank you so much,” she beamed. “This really means the world to me.”
Oryn smiled. “Ideally, I would like to bring you on as an employee, but I don’t think that is the best idea.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. “Why would it be a bad idea?”
“Because I would like to get to know you better, in a non-work environment,” he said diplomatically.
Her eyebrows raised slightly, and her arms dropped to her sides. “You’re interested in me?”
“Yes.”
“You think that I am not the kind of person who can manage their work life and their personal life? Is that what you think?” she asked.
“That is not at all what I think. You are the kind of woman who can easily manage both.” Oryn stood as
well. “I don’t want to sound forward or anything, but I’m having a little get-together on my yacht, and—"
“Firstly, thank you for the promotion, but I really had hoped that you respected me because of what I could offer professionally. You do realize how going to parties with you will look, right? You change contracts to get me promoted. Then, you start inviting me to parties on yachts. Then, rumors get spread about you and me. I get the bad reputation, and you just get to go on with your life. I need this job. I am not a little plaything to be toyed with.”
Before Oryn could answer, she turned on her heel and marched out of the office, slamming the door loudly behind her.
Oryn cringed, not only at the sound of the loud banging of the door, but at the words he had said to Adley. Those were not the right words to choose at all, and he may have alienated her for good now. He wouldn’t be surprised if there were a sexual harassment suit against him—he was being pretty inappropriate, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to get to know Adley, get close to her and be with her.
The only problem was that she definitely didn’t feel the same about him.
It was a few minutes after five, and the offices had already started to clear out. Most of the staff was saying their goodbyes and heading to the elevators. They were all in good moods, and they waved through Oryn’s door, and he politely waved back at them. Some of the lights were being switched off—by Naomi, no doubt, as she was the only one who actually knew where all the light switches were located.
Oryn looked down at the heaps of paperwork neatly piled on his desk. It would be another late night at the office.
Naomi walked in, holding a takeout bag from his favorite Mexican restaurant, and went over to him. “I had this delivered for you, since you’ll be spending most of the night here.”
“Thanks, Naomi. I appreciate it.”
“Do you want me to stay and help you go over all this?” she offered.
“And let you sit at your desk doing nothing tomorrow? I think not,” he chuckled.
“Oh, you make sure I have plenty to do out there. Besides, the interns are adorable. They’re like little puppies.”
“I’ll be fine here on my own. Go home, enjoy your evening,” he encouraged her.
“Okay, but if you need anything, let me know.” She winked at him. “Oh, how did it go with Miss Murdoch?”
Oryn’s face turned grim. “Well, I told her she is getting promoted. And then I asked her out. It didn’t go over well, so I am going to die alone.”
Naomi giggled and shook her head. “You’re so dramatic. It couldn’t have been that bad.”
“Wanna bet? I am convinced that I am going to face a sexual harassment suit,” he sighed.
“This is your company,” Naomi frowned.
“But I have a zero tolerance for sexual harassment,” he countered. “I acted inappropriately. I should have never asked her out.”
“You don’t think she will…” Naomi gasped and slapped Oryn’s arm. “What the hell did you say to her?”
“I told her I was having a get-together on my yacht.”
“You dumb idiot! That is such a douchebag thing to say!”
“I know,” Oryn muttered.
“Well, if you’re getting sued, I will vouch for you,” Naomi said and walked to the door.
“Thanks, for everything.”
“Good night,” she said, leaving his office.
Oryn opened the takeout bag and pulled out a burrito. He took a few bites and sat back in his chair, relishing the delicious taste of his dinner, even if it came from a takeout container. He carried on with his work, pausing once in a while to take a bite.
There was a knock on his open door, and when he saw who was there, his eyes widened.
Adley stood in the doorway, looking nervous to step inside. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he mumbled with a mouth full of food, and he quickly swallowed it down. “I didn’t think anyone was still here.”
“I’m not interrupting you, am I?”
“No, not at all.”
“I wanted to come talk to you about what happened earlier, and about what I said,” Adley winced and approached him, but she didn’t sit down. “I believe that you really did promote me based on my ideas, and that asking me out was something separate. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested.”
“I want to apologize if what I said came out wrong or if it was inappropriate. You deserve to be treated with respect, and even if you don’t want to go out with me, I believe you fully deserve the promotion and we can keep it strictly professional.”
“Thank you,” she said, fidgeting with the strap of her wristwatch. “The thing is, I’ve never been on a yacht. Ever, in my life,” she uttered uneasily. Oryn studied her carefully. “I’m terrified of water, so I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”
“Why are you terrified of water?” he asked, motioning to the chair in front of her.
She nodded in acknowledgement and sat down. “When I was four, we lived in this house with a big backyard. It was so much fun running around it with my older brother. It had a pool, too. One afternoon, about this time of the year, Jeremey and I were playing around it, completely ignoring my mother warning us that it was dangerous, and we could fall in. I fell in. My brother ran into the house to get my mom, instead of just crying out for help and trying to get me out of the water. My mom said I was unconscious for about five minutes. I don’t remember it at all. I almost died that day, and I carry that memory, along with that fear, inside me. It’s been twenty years, and I haven’t been able to shake it. I just can’t let it go.”
Oryn sat motionless, staring at her. He couldn’t believe it. Twenty years ago, he had been in Thailand, and he still remembered a strange feeling come over him, as if something was wrong. In his mind, he remembered a vision of person underwater. The feeling was so overwhelming and vivid, he still thought about it from time to time. He didn’t know it at the time, but it had been his True Mate almost dying. Of course, he couldn’t tell that to her, despite how desperately he wanted her to know this.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” he finally said.
“It’s not your fault, so don’t feel bad,” she assured him. “You couldn’t have known.”
“Still. It’s a traumatic thing to live with. I know how that feels.”
“What happened to you?”
“A lot of things. It’s way too much to tell, you know,” he shrugged.
“You should write a book,” she suggested with a smile. “A hot guy like you, you’ll hit the bestseller’s list in no time.” A small smile formed on Oryn’s lips as he watched Adley’s cheeks flush, and she averted her gaze to the fireplace. “Do you ever light that thing?”
“The fireplace?”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes, when it gets really cold in here, or if I want to relax after a stressful day. The sound of the fire and the wood crackling is really relaxing for me,” he told her.
“For me, too. It reminds me of going camping with my dad and Jeremy. I absolutely hated sleeping in a tent, but sitting by the fire with the two most important men in my life was the best feeling in the world,” Adley sighed sadly. “Did you go camping as a kid?”
“Sometimes, yeah. I went with my brothers a few times.”
“How many brothers do you have?”
“Three. They’re all younger than me.”
“Brothers are the best, or mine is,” she chuckled. “Are they here in Auckland as well?”
“No, we’re scattered all around the world. Dax is in Canada, Nyx is in London, and Pyre was in Mexico last time I heard. He likes to move around a lot.”
“Why is that?”
“Who knows. He could never stay in one place for long. He probably tries to get away from all the women who want him,” Oryn scoffed.
“Oh, so he’s a ladies’ man?”
“Yeah. He’s the best looking of all of us.”
Adley’s pink lips curved slig
htly. “I highly doubt that.”
The sight of her sent shivers throughout Oryn’s body, and he straightened his shoulders. Her eyes were fixed intently on his, and he stood from his chair. He slowly walked towards her and took her hand. She stood from the chair and gazed up at him.
“I promised myself I wasn’t going to do this, but I just can’t help myself. Can I kiss you?”
She nodded.
Oryn pulled her close to him, one hand on her waist and the other cupping her chin. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, allowing the warmth of her body to light the spark he had thought would never burn.
Surprisingly, her lips parted, allowing him access to her mouth, and she tasted even better than he had imagined. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and he pulled her even closer to him, melting into her.
A seductive moan escaped from her mouth, which drove Oryn crazy, and he wanted more of her, but all in good time. His grip loosened, and she slid out of his embrace, their lips separating. She glanced up at him in a trance-like state. Her lips were swollen from his kiss. Both of their breathings were ragged, but their stares were not awkward at all. It was clear that Adley felt exactly what he felt inside him, because she looked at him the same way he looked at her. Her brown eyes sparkled in the light overhead, and the corners of her mouth curled upward, revealing the dimple on her right cheek.
Oryn reached out and brushed a lock of hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear.
“I have to go,” she mumbled. “But before I do that, there’s something else I’ve been wanting to do.”
“And what’s that?” he asked, intrigued.
Adley reached over the desk and grabbed a pen. Then she took his hand and flipped it over, palm up. She gently pulled up his sleeve and wrote a number, which Oryn believed was her personal number, on his skin. When she was done, she stepped away, handed him the pen, and smiled. “Call me.”