I found Mrs. Wilson waiting for me. This was not the day to get in my face about some petty thing that didn’t mean anything. If she thought I was good for the company, then she wasn’t doing a good job of showing it. I could only assume what Tom had said was another one of his lies.
“I hope you have a good reason…” I brushed past her like I was a football player trying to avoid being tackled at the ten-yard line.
“I know he’s in and I want to see him. You are finally going to get what you wanted, from the moment I started here. I’m going to leave a very big set of shoes to fill in my absence.” She was bitter and hardcore, but she had nothing to say in the face of my imminent departure from the company.
I was almost chomping at the bit, waiting to see the expression on his face when he read the letter word for word.
I was stopped by a hand that came out of a doorway. I was pulled into an office, where I was faced with Logan. I tried to pull free, but he was not about to let me go until he made me hear what he had to say.
“Tom came in looking for a fight this morning. I didn’t have to ask him what happened to know the truth. Word has spread quickly of the Alpha’s demise. Do you have any idea what kind of vacuum has been left behind?”
I shrugged my shoulders not really caring and looking toward the door for a quick and hasty exit. “I don’t want to hear it.” There was no way I was going to back down from getting the last word.
He paced back and forth, his custom-made shoes wearing a hole in the carpet. He stopped and looked at me with his mouth open. I could tell he was afraid of what was going to come out.
“It’s not my place to say this, but he’s not going to. The vacuum has always been filled by the person responsible for vanquishing the previous Alpha. Tom’s position has risen to where he’s looking down at the little people. I have no doubt he said some despicable things, but you have to know he was doing it to keep you from being put underneath a microscope.” He had my undivided attention.
“He could have told me, and we would have been able to deal with it together.” I still felt his words like a boxer leveling an opponent until he was lying on the mat looking at the ceiling.
“If he didn’t care for you and love you with all of his heart then he would have gladly put you to the test by making you stand up to the shifter community. He wants you to be happy and thinks letting you go is the answer. I want you to storm in there and make him see that the two of you are stronger together than apart.”
His white shirt was soaked through with perspiration. He was no doubt wringing his hands with worry about how the Alpha’s death was going to affect the life of every shifter. Tom would be temporarily paralyzed from losing my love, leaving the door wide open for somebody to take the power out of his hands, dead or alive.
Chapter Twenty - Tom
“I don’t want to hear this,” I said into the phone receiver. “I have everybody asking me for something and I haven’t even been formally introduced as the Alpha. I will put your grievances in the pile with the rest of them.”
I felt like I was burning the candle at both ends. It started last night when I returned to the office. I should’ve gone to a hotel and made sure to leave no digital footprint of my whereabouts.
I was delegating my duties by giving Logan more than he could handle. We were both juggling and trying to keep the balls in the air. I didn’t want the hassle, but I wasn’t given a choice. I knew the rules, but I killed the Alpha anyway, thinking it was the right thing to do.
“Don’t threaten me. I’m going to turn the other cheek and believe that things have been said in the heat of the moment. When you can be civil, call me back and we will hammer out the details of your merger with this company.” I wanted to slam down the phone with such force it would ring in his ears for years to come.
“You look like you’re under a lot of stress.” I put down the phone and saw Roseanne standing near the door. She closed it and waited for me to say something.
“I thought I made myself clear last night. There’s nothing here for you. A little birdie told me you are no longer going to be employed with us. It’s probably for the best. Your talents are being wasted and I wish you luck in your future endeavors.” I wanted to grab her and never let her go.
“I know what little birdie has been whispering in your ear. She was a little premature. I’ve decided to stay, but in a different capacity. I’m going to take over as a watchdog for your programs.” Her brow furrowed. “You are going to have your hands full with being the new Alpha. Did you really think I wouldn’t find out? I’m hurt you didn’t tell me the truth.”
I was speechless.
She walked toward me, and the skirt made me lick my parched lips. The slice up the side was new and no doubt was put there to get my attention. It made my staff stiffen inside my pants.
“Are you happy to see me or is that a stapler in your pocket?” Her seductive tone caught me in the snare of her words.
“I don’t own a stapler. I think that answers your question. It wasn’t Logan’s place to tell you anything. You’re not the only one who can read between the lines about birdies saying things they shouldn’t be.” I knew Logan better than anyone. I should have realized he was going to stick his nose where it didn’t belong.
“You can’t blame him. He was only trying to help you. He is the kind of friend everybody should have.” She was no more than a few inches away from me, and from this distance, there was no chance of missing the fact she wasn’t wearing any underwear.
The door flew open and standing with a revolver in his hand was Jason. I could tell from the way he was swaying on his feet, liquor had come in contact with his lips–a lot of it. He needed that liquid encouragement to make a stand against something he couldn’t possibly understand.
“I’ve been giving… this a lot of thought. I don’t know if this is going to kill you, but I can’t let you put your hands on me without some kind of retaliation.” His words were slurred and his finger was shaking. It didn’t take much to verify my suspicion he had never been responsible for taking someone’s life.
“Do whatever you want with me, but don’t hurt her.” I stood in front of her, shielding her body with my own. I could’ve closed my eyes, but I wasn’t going to give death the satisfaction of sneaking up on me.
“I will do whatever I want with her after you’re gone, and there’s nothing you are going to do about it.”
Roseanne managed to get in front of me. She took a breath and walked with a purpose with her hand outstretched. “This is not the way to solve our problems. Deep down, you already know being with me is hurting the both of us. You can’t get the help you deserve without admitting you have a problem. Give me the gun before you do something you’re going to regret. Do you really want to go to jail for the rest of your life for premeditated murder? I can only imagine what they would do to a pretty boy like you behind bars.” She was giving him something more to think about than my death by his hand.
“I never thought of that. There’s no way I’m going to jail.”
I thought he had made a decision and it was going to result in all three of us dead at his hand. Then the gun dropped from his hand, and he fell at Roseanne’s feet, unconscious. Logan was standing where Jason had been, wielding a piece of metal art. There was a bit of blood staining the base.
“It’s about time to take out the trash. You probably don’t realize it, but you left your phone open for me to hear everything. I took the liberty of calling the authorities and they should be here momentarily to collect this garbage.” He took Jason’s hands and dragged him out of the room closing the door behind him.
Roseanne locked the door. “I should’ve done that when I came in. I won’t make the same mistake again.” She ran into my arms, and I fell back until we were sitting in my chair with her on top of me.
“I was too quick to believe you. You did make a compelling case. It makes me worried by how easily you can lie through your teeth.”
>
In response, I kissed her with a very tight and passionate embrace. “Actions speak louder than words, right?”
Her lipstick was smeared, no doubt painting me with her mark. The door was locked, but the police would obviously have questions. There wasn’t time to do much more than rub her hot little pussy along the crotch of my pants.
“If it makes you feel any better, I was biting my tongue the entire time. I thought being the Alpha was going to be a huge mountain to climb, but with you by my side, it doesn’t seem so daunting. I was planning to make some subtle changes, but it looks like they’re going to have to accept you regardless of their own personal opinions.” I would dare anybody to say anything disparaging about my relationship with Roseanne.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Love will conquer all.” Her cheesy statement made us begin to laugh, knowing there was a long road ahead. We could weather the storm together.
2. Dominated by the Shifter
By: Faye Saunders
Dominated by the Shifter
© July 2017 – All rights reserved
By Faye Saunders,
Published by Passionate Publishing Inc.
This is a work of fiction. All names and characters in this novel are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.
This book is for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Warning
This book is intended for adult readers, 18+ years old. Please close this e-book if you are not comfortable reading adult content.
Chapter 1
I sighed as I squared my shoulders to get ready for another day. Another day, another dollar. That’s my motto. It isn’t fun to be a museum tour guide – at one point, I thought it would be. I was sadly mistaken – but, to be fair, not many people have day jobs that they love. As long as I keep this job, I can keep a roof over my head and work on my art pieces after work.
That’s the thing I need to tell myself to get through another day. One day my work will be loved like Picasso or Da Vinci. I can just feel it down to my bones. I’m going to be amazing someday. But for now, discussing artwork with Museum patrons and giving tours, that’s as close as I can get.
The next tour group is coming in. They didn’t want to be disturbed, donating so much to the museum that I am really the only person here other than custodians and the like. That’s just to give them a tour, and I was told I would get time-and-a-half for working when no one else was working today. Especially because today was technically a holiday. Does Earth day even really count as one at this point? Never mind. Not the point.
The point is, the extra money can go to buying me some new paint, as I’ve almost run out. Sometimes food and shelter have to go over your passion, I paid for food so I couldn’t pay for new paint supplies. That being said, I psyched myself up for whichever clients we would have and their behavior. Rich customers were never that pleasant in my experience. Always willing to mock a chubby girl for her weight, for her curly hair. Her short stature. They were jerks, they knew it too. They knew I would lose my job if I fought back. I just had to grin and bear it.
I looked up upon hearing the door open. There were only three people. One looked to be uninterested in anything going around him. He had the stature of a gorilla and the scowl of one as well. The second was a severe looking woman. She was much shorter and had a wiry stature, but no less terrifying.
The third gave me pause, my voice catching in my throat as I was about to greet this, rather unfriendly, group with my standard bubbly façade.
This is… quite possibly the most attractive man I had ever laid eyes on.
His hair was cropped short and looked curly. He was clearly muscular under the tailored dark blue suit he inexplicably decided to wear on an excursion to an art museum, yet not overly so like the other man. His lips were pink and so kissable, contrasting the soft caramel hue to his skin. His skin was flawless and smooth. With a defined bone structure and the slightest stubble. I wonder what it would feel like tickling my chin as we kissed? He just looked soft and hard and beautiful and handsome all at once.
A subtle sniff to the air filled my senses with this indescribable aroma. It was what I would imagine that money and power to smell like. Completely and utterly alluring. I was halfway to just pressing my nose to his collar and inhaling.
His scent wasn’t even the best part of him.
The eyes of this man are what drew me into him most of all. They glittered like sparkling sapphires, yet seemed to hold so much. Wide and large, beautiful like a child’s but lacking any childhood innocence. They simultaneously said a million things at once and nothing at all.
No! Clarissa. Come on, Girl. Listen to your better nature. For once in your life, control yourself. It’s no good to grow crushes on guys so far out of your league! Has life so far taught you nothing?
“Are you alright?” He arched an eyebrow at me, his lips quirking up in a bemused smirk. Oh, and that chiseled jaw with that stubble. So rugged and manly, yet still beautiful in that aristocratic way that any woman would swoon over. No! Focus.
“Yes, I’m fine!” I declared, before clearing my throat. “My name is Clarissa Carr. I will be your tour guide for the day.” Ugh. My voice squeaked again. I have to just go back to that mousy demeanor that I thought I killed off in the presence of the hot guy, don’t I? Control yourself.
“So, she does speak.” The severe woman almost sneered, looking down her pointy nose at me. Ugh. She reminded me of other people, like my awful parents. She’s more what I was expecting to see today.
“Chloe. Behave or you will be made to behave.” The handsome man snapped, glaring at her. I hope that isn’t some kind of a euphemism. No! Focus! But on the other hand, his voice was so kind, yet his eyes had a steel. He was clearly not one to be trifled with. Even the severe looking woman looked away from him. I doubt he even gets how truly attractive his dominance is. Makes my stomach twist deliciously.
“It is nice to meet you Clarrrissa.” He purred my name, and I could feel my face flushing as my stomach filled with butterflies. Oh yeah, he knew exactly what his voice did. He was a smug douche about it too. Good. Good. That’ll make it easier to get over him. “My name is Damian. These are a couple of my colleagues. Chloe Carmichael and ‘Gorilla’.” He chuckled and my stomach flipped once again. Damn him and his funniness. “That is an inside joke. Now, on with the tour.”
I swallowed harshly, my throat feeling dry all of a sudden. God. No one that beautiful should really be alive. “Of course! Our museum is divided into different artistic eras and then subdivided into different cultures within the same general era,” I went through my usual spiel, thanking God at how many times I’ve done this. The words so ingrained into my head I barely stuttered over them at all, even as I was preoccupied looking at Damian’s face. Examining every expression his face made. He seemed to have no expression that isn’t attractive. Dude could probably make sneezing look good. He was so interested in the art, genuinely interested. But his eyes kept straying to mine, making me look away for just a moment while blushing a bright red before my eyes returned to him.
He actually had interesting insights into the artwork. I was impressed. Every time he made a clever comment, how the Greeks used olive oil for lube, the changing standards for beauty, Picasso’s perverted nature coming across in the art of his mistresses, my heart skipped a beat. What even is he? Clever, loves art, incredibly handsome, and clearly rich? What?
Nobody should be that perfect. He’s the kind of guy I would make up in a laboratory!
By the end of the tour, I had to admit it. I am smitten. Also, about 80% sure that this is an act set up by my mother to find a man. Though how she pulled off such an authentic act, I will never know. Even the aura of confidence that practically oozed off of him, that I would normally call self-obsession, did funny things to my stomach. He just
drove me crazy. Luckily, I was not a moron. I could save face because I didn’t drool. I barely made a fool out of myself and retained complete control of my mental facilities.
His colleagues left first, before him. He sent them off ahead of him. Why did he do that? To give me a bloody heart attack is the only logical answer I could think of. How could any woman stay rational at this point? When it was only me and him alone. When a man who basically embodies all my desires is staring into my eyes… and seeming to like whatever he sees reflected there. “It’s not every day a man is able to spend his time with such a beautiful woman. I am happy to get this opportunity.” His voice was a flirtatious purr that didn’t help me keep myself cool in any real way.
I froze at the unexpected compliment. I should have expected it, as he was flirting with me basically the whole time. But really? Beautiful? I know some of the things I create are beautiful. The artwork surrounding me is beautiful. Aesthetically pleasing at worst and soulful, deep creations at best. He is beautiful. But for me? I’m a chubby, barely-five-foot woman with thick spectacles who never really grew out of the nerdy look. Cute, I’ve been called. But never beautiful. It’s not like in the movies where the girl grows out of it and finally, she is noticed.
I am never noticed. And right now, I don’t know if I like being noticed. What if he changes his mind? All of a sudden decides to pick one of the gorgeous women he must know. Even that severe woman. She is incredibly beautiful; the way I wish I was.
He had an embarrassed smile on his face and I abruptly realized I was frozen like a deer in headlights for over a full minute while he continued to speak. “So, your answer?” He questioned me gently, and I found the light pink dusting his cheeks only made him more attractive. It lessened his intimidation, but I found he felt no less in control. His politeness made it a question and not a demand, but I felt that if I said no to whatever question he was asking of me, he would be able to roll it off his shoulders.
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