by Ann Gimpel
She squared her shoulders. If she went through with her plan, her life was about to change in ways she’d never be able to reverse. Yeah, it’s not as if I get a do over on this one if things don’t work out. She’d typed a letter of resignation, e-signed it, and sent it to her in-basket at work. Once there, she’d take it to Max.
Audrey shook her head. That was the hard part. Max. She’d never see him again, and it scored her soul down to its very roots with bitter acid. “It’s not as if he’d want me, anyway. Other than maybe to bed and forget.” She spoke aloud to steady her resolve. Not that she wouldn’t love a roll in the hay with Max, but she had more important obligations than being a slave to her libido.
The shifter underground needed help. They’d reached a pivotal point where it looked as if they might develop enough momentum to stage an effective counterattack. Maybe, if they were successful and the governmental edict was repealed, she could return to Sacramento and see if Max might be interested…
Too many maybes. Besides, I’d still be a shifter, and he’s not.
But Dad married Mom. He was a shifter, and she wasn’t…
Audrey quashed the ray of hope. It would just divert her and might pose a threat to her resolve.
“I still say we should find him and give him a run for his money,” her wolf murmured. “He’s one fine looking man from the image in your mind last night.”
Audrey rolled her eyes, grabbed her briefcase, and walked out the door. It didn’t help that her wolf, while the most wonderful creature ever, loved sex. She trotted down the steps, pushed the main building door open, and stopped dead.
Not Loren. Max.
He stood outside the car, holding one of its rear doors open. As always, he was impeccably dressed in a tailored dark suit, white shirt, and abstract-patterned tie. His blond hair gleamed in the midday sun. He grinned, and her heart did odd things.
“Boss. I expected—”
“Yes, yes.” He held out a hand to help her into the car. “I’ve been at the office since seven. Needed a break, so I rustled up Johannes—that’s who’s in the driver’s seat—and we headed your way. Not to worry, Loren’s team is here, too.” He gestured toward a car idling behind them.
Audrey got in and arranged her skirt. Suddenly, she wished it were just a little longer. Her throat tightened when Max walked around the rear of the car and slid in next to her. She wondered if she’d be capable of talking if he asked her something. His intoxicating scent filled the car; it set her nerve endings on fire. Her nipples hardened, and all the moisture in her body headed south. Mouth dry, thighs slick with arousal, she bit back a moan.
What the fuck is wrong with me? I’ve never had to hold myself back from jumping a guy’s bones.
“Hi there. I’m Johannes.” The man in front half turned and looked appraisingly at her with eyes that probably didn’t miss much. “Max has told me so much about you—”
“You said you were going to behave,” Max cut in.
“The mademoiselle is truly charming.” Johannes was still gazing at her.
She tugged at her skirt again. “Nice to meet you. I’m Audrey.” She nodded in his direction without exactly looking right at him. Her cheeks were warm, and she knew she was blushing.
“I thought we’d grab a bite as long as we’re out and about,” Max said, smiling at her with a ten-thousand watt grin that made her want to throw herself into his arms.
“Uh, sure. Fine.”
“Any preferences?”
You mean like stripping off all our clothes and— She pressed her thighs together to quell the fire raging through her nether regions and shook her head. “Whatever you feel like is fine.”
“Are you all right?”
His voice was full of compassion. It nearly undid her. Focus, her inner voice hissed. Remember my decision. “Yes. Thank you for asking. I’m just tired.”
“Are you sure you feel up to working today? You really could take the whole day off.”
She couldn’t meet his sea-blue eyes. If she did, all bets were off. “It’s only half a day at this point, boss. I’ll be fine. Really. Besides, I need to rescue my car.”
She looked out the window. How am I ever going to be strong enough to march into his office and tell him I quit?
More to the point, will I even make it through lunch without embarrassing myself?
Chapter 6
Max settled against the butter-soft leather seat. He’d shrugged out of his suit jacket before getting into the car. He needed something to fold over his lap to hide his erection. The front of his trousers belled out. No way to mistake what was under them. He swallowed hard and tried for control. When he’d seen Audrey waltz out of her building and down her steps, it had taken every shred of willpower at his disposal not to race to her and sweep her into an ardent embrace.
He wanted to pull her hair out of its clips and pins and run his fingers through it. He needed to close his mouth over hers and taste her, craved feeling her breasts pushed against his chest. Holy Christ! I’ve got to stop this. I’ll come in my pants.
What’s wrong with me? This is way worse than it was last night.
“Sir.” Johannes’ tone had a sharp edge.
Max focused with difficulty. “Yes?”
“I’ve asked you twice. Where are we going for lunch?”
His brain felt muddled. “Maybe that fish place. It’s between here and the office.”
“Excellent choice.” Johannes fiddled with the onboard computer. The car moved forward. “I’ll let the rest of the security team know our destination.” He tapped his wrist computer and held a hurried conversation.
Max wove his fingers together under his jacket to keep himself from reaching out and touching Audrey. She was inches away. If his nose were a judge, she was just as aroused as he. The musk of her sexual heat made it almost impossible to think. He turned toward her. “Did you sleep well?”
“In fits and starts. You?”
“About the same.”
“Why are you making small talk?” His wolf sounded outraged.
“To be polite.”
“You can be polite later. She’s our mated one. Do something before I do it for you. Remember the first mating always involves me.”
Max sat straighter. His wolf couldn’t possibly be correct. Audrey wasn’t a shifter—well, not one with enough blood to shift. 35 percent wouldn’t do it. Some 50 percenters couldn’t even shift. His mated one had to be a shifter, just like him. “We’ll talk about this later.”
“I want to talk about it now.”
Sharp points of claws pressed against all his digits. If Max weren’t vigilant, the wolf would force himself out. “I’m having a hard enough time. Leave this alone for now.”
A deep, snarling growl reverberated in his belly. The wolf was retreating, but probably not for long.
“Did something just happen?” Audrey looked away as soon as he raised his gaze.
“Not really. Guess I’m more tired than I thought. Why do you ask?”
She shook her head. “Not sure. For a moment there, you looked a bit, uh, rattled. Not as composed as you always are.”
The car slowed, and Johannes pulled into a loading zone. “How about if you get out here? I’ll find a better parking place and join you inside.”
“Sure.” Max got out with his jacket draped over an arm held close to his body and moved to Audrey’s side of the car. She didn’t wait for him, though, and was already out on the sidewalk before he got anywhere close to her door.
The car with Loren’s men stopped inches away. One of the guards got out. “I’ll take over until the other guys figure out where to leave the cars.” He let out a grunt. “Downtown parking. I swear. It gets worse every day. Don’t know how places like this stay open. It’s not safe for patrons if they have to walk several blocks to anywhere.”
A hovercraft flew low overhead. The guard cursed and radioed something from his wrist computer, probably on the police scanner channel.
“They’re not allowed inside the city limits, are they?” Audrey asked.
“No. Air quality’s at stake. It’s not their electric engines, but the onboard generators that do damage.” Because he wasn’t thinking, Max took her arm. A pleasure-laden shock traveled from his fingers directly to his groin. Thinking the relative dimness inside would be welcome, he tugged gently. “Come on. Let’s see if they have a table for us.”
She leaned into him so close it was hard to breathe. “Even if they don’t have one, I’ll bet they make one for you.”
Max bit down on a reply. He’d never been comfortable with having people fall all over themselves to serve him. That was one part he definitely wouldn’t miss when he left the governor’s office behind. He led her into the establishment and was greeted by an enthusiastic maître de. The rotund man with short, graying hair led them down a hallway and into a spacious dining room. There were only about ten other customers. “Would that be a table for two, sir?”
“Three.” Max kicked himself for not telling Johannes to wait with the car.
“Actually five.” The security guard hurried to their side.
“How about this?” Max pressed a twenty in black market cash into the maître de’s hand. “Put the lady and I at one table and the other three men at a table close enough they feel they can protect me but not so close they hear every word I say.”
“I understand.” The maître de’s gray eyes glittered mischievously.
Johannes and the other guard strode briskly into the restaurant. “Where are we sitting?” Johannes asked.
Loren’s man looked down his nose. “The boss and his lady are dining privately.”
“She’s my secretary, not my lady,” Max corrected sharply. “We’ll be discussing work. Don’t worry, you’ll be close enough to lay down your lives for me if anything happens.”
Johannes shot him a knowing look and took each of the other men by an arm. “Where are the three of us?”
“Right over here, sir.” The maître de bustled them to a table near the center of the room. When he returned, he ushered Max and Audrey to a window seat overlooking a small, gated garden. “Will this do?” he inquired archly.
“It’s lovely.” Audrey sat without waiting for either man to pull out a chair for her.
“Yes, it will be fine. Do we have menus today?”
“No, sir. We’re serving salmon. You can have it cold in a salad, or warm with turnips and new potatoes. The soup is bouillabaisse. It’s also available as an entree with fresh bread.”
“Could I get the salmon salad and bread?” Audrey asked.
“Of course. And for you, sir?”
“I’ll have the bouillabaisse. A bottle of something white like a Chardonnay would go well, I think.”
After the maître de left, Audrey frowned. “Booze in the middle of the day? I really will fall asleep at my desk.”
He shrugged. “I spent a lot of time in Europe. They have large lunches and take off part of the afternoon to sleep.”
“Yes, but don’t they work until nine or ten at night then?”
He smiled. “I’m surprised you know that.”
“It’s a small world, courtesy of the vid feed.” She glanced up, eyes alight with interest just like they’d been the night before. “Seems like we have the worst of both worlds. We don’t get the elaborate lunches, or the naps, and we end up working till all hours anyway.”
He laughed. She had such a bright, inquisitive mind, and her analysis was spot on.
“Don’t laugh at me.” She laid her purse in an adjacent chair.
“I’m not. I was thinking how astute you are, and it tickled me.”
She leaned toward him. “I know it’s not proper, since I work for you and all. But if you could lay that aside for a few minutes and tell me about yourself, I’d love to listen. Who’s Maximillian Sigayev?”
It wasn’t proper. Beyond that, it had been a very long time since he’d shared much about himself with anyone, but to his surprise, Max opened his mouth and started talking. He used the carefully constructed background he’d developed for himself, but still, her interest blasted through his defenses and touched him in a place he kept under lock and key.
*
Somewhere between her initial shock at being face to face with Max and struggling to manage her arousal, Audrey had decided to let the lunch play out as it would. There’d be plenty of time once they were back in the office for her to tell Max she was resigning. Her wolf had kept up a running tirade about mated something-or-others. Audrey hadn’t completely understood what her bond animal meant. Thank God the wolf had finally subsided once Audrey stopped fighting her attraction for Max. A little shocked at how quickly she’d rationalized away a few hours of indulgence, she was mildly ashamed of herself, but she pushed the discomfort aside.
Because it seemed like the only opportunity she was likely to get, she’d asked Max to tell her about himself, never expecting he would. Guess today is one for miracles. She listened as the man who haunted her dreams with nearly as much frequency as her wolf, talked about growing up in Maine.
“I was an only child. My parents were older, and I think I was a bit of a surprise. We lived in the hinterlands north of Bangor, maybe fifty miles from Mount Katahdin. I spent my boyhood and adolescence hunting and fishing. Never liked school much, but I did all right. Went to Boston College and graduated in Economics. Dad and one of my uncles ran an international import business, so I went into the family business. I lived in Russia, Spain, and Italy for a few years each, but I missed the U.S. Came back here about three and a half years before I decided to run for governor.”
Audrey listened carefully. She was pretty sure she was in love with Max, so she wanted to know everything about him. Something didn’t quite add up, though. His story was almost too practiced, as if he’d memorized a script.
“I tell you, he’s our mated one.” Her wolf was back with bells on. “That means he’s a shifter. He’s much older than that cock-and-bull story he just spewed.”
“Be quiet. I can’t think when you’re in my head.”
“I’m afraid you’ll let him get away. You don’t understand how critical this is. Our mates don’t grow on trees. We’re damned lucky if they show up at all.”
“Audrey?” He raised an inquisitive brow. “Earth to Audrey. Goodness, I’m telling you what you wanted to know, and it feels like you’re a million miles away.”
“Here we go.” A black-coated waiter sashayed to their table carrying a tray stacked with food. He arranged the dishes in front of them with skill and flair. “I’ll be back in a moment with the wine.”
“I’m sorry.” She met Max’s gaze and felt like she was drowning in the miracle of his eyes. “I was listening. Really.” She glanced at the food and unfolded her napkin in her lap. Everything looked expertly prepared and smelled delectable.
She took a bite of her salmon salad. “How do the restaurants manage? This has to be,” she lowered her voice, “black market food.”
He buttered some bread, dunked it in the fish chowder, and ate it. When he was done swallowing, he said, “Much of it is.”
“Why don’t the authorities do something?”
Max snorted. “Because then they wouldn’t have anywhere to eat.”
She felt naïve. Despite working at the state Capitol, the universe of privilege and special deals that benefited the wealthy, but no one else, was a world she knew very little about. The wine arrived. They ate in a companionable silence for a few moments.
Johannes walked to their table and pulled out one of the extra chairs. He smiled but looked tense. “There is a back way out of here,” he said very softly. “Exit the dining room, turn right and go to the end of the hall. The car will be waiting for you.”
Audrey opened her mouth to ask what had gone wrong. Her heart thudded heavily in her chest. Fear made it difficult to take even another mouthful. Max met her gaze and shook his head very slightly. “Thanks for stopping by,” he
said brightly.
“No problem, sir. Always a pleasure to see you.” Johannes rose and walked out of the restaurant with a deliberate pace. Not too fast, not too slow.
“You needed to visit the ladies room?” Max kneed her beneath the table. “It’s just down the hall. Think I’ll take advantage of the men’s at the same time.” He rose in a fluid motion, picked up his jacket and got her purse, which he handed to her.
“Yes, of course,” she murmured. Her legs shook. Balancing on her high heels as she walked across the room took almost more finesse than she could manage. The other security guards still sat at their table, but they weren’t eating. Their eyes were everywhere as they chatted with one another.
Finally, she and Max reached the doorway. She’d been expecting a laser to rip through her any second. Not that the hall was any safer, but at least it was a more manageable space. Once they were heading down it, Max took her arm and picked up the pace. He didn’t say a word, but he was so close his breath was hot against the side of her neck as he shielded her body with his.
“Governor, what a surprise.” A masculine voice boomed from the far end of the hall, back toward the dining room.
Max bent close and spoke right into her ear. “Keep going. Do not stop until you’re in the car with Johannes. He’ll take good care of you.” He gave her a pat on the ass and turned. “Senator. Thought I recognized your voice.”
Audrey kept moving. She was too keyed-up to listen in on Max’s conversation with one of the legislators. It had actually sounded like Senator Bellotti. Then the door was there and she pushed through it, ignoring the alarm that blared when it opened. The car was, indeed, waiting. She yanked the passenger door open and jumped inside.
“Where’s Max?”
“Someone he knows from the Capitol stopped him.”
“Goddammit.” Johannes slammed a fist into the steering wheel. He tapped furiously into his wrist computer and then spoke into it, “Keep a sharp eye. Do not let anything happen to him. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”