by Unknown
“I’ll take care of it, Lev,” he said, taking one last glance at the mountains. “Thanks for the warning.”
Lev gave a short nod and disappeared back out the door.
Lucas took a breath, glanced at his neglected work on the tablet, and decided it was better to clear the air with his father than to wait for him to come Lucas’s way. He locked the screen on his tablet, tucked it in his desk, and headed for his father’s office.
SparkTech took up a good fraction of the 32nd floor of the Russell Investments Center in downtown Seattle. His father grew it from a pack-only business, just him and his brothers, to one of the most successful business development companies for technology startups in the Bay area. He liked to say Seattle was on its way to competing with Silicon Valley as a premier ecosystem for tech startups. And the investment opportunities were getting better, with startups these days being spearheaded by people from Google or Amazon as often as not. The industry was maturing, and his father had the vision to take it to the next level. He was the kind of alpha who could see the possibilities and seize them—the kind Lucas had wanted to be—but success breeds competition, and Red Wolf had been nipping at SparkTech’s heels more and more in the last year. The competition was fierce to scoop up the next billion-dollar tech startup. For Lucas to have waded into that mess and possibly mucked it up even further with this business with the girl…
He took a deep breath and steeled himself as he pushed open the door to his father’s office.
As befit the alpha of a company, his father had the finest office, a corner with a view of Mount Rainier, luxurious wood furniture, and glass-and-chrome bookshelves to hold the many trophies and accolades their investments had won. His father waited until Lucas had fully entered his expansive office, and the door had swung shut behind him. Even then, he fussed with something on his tablet.
He was making Lucas wait. Not a good sign.
When his father finally put down the tablet, his expression was cool. “Have you had a chance to look at the numbers for LoopSource?”
“I… um…” Lucas was thrown. He had expected to account for the girl, not the project Lev had tossed to him last week. “Still assessing. Their new platform is interesting, and it seems to be gaining traction, but I’m still checking out the CEO and their execution team. And I’m not sure the market is ready for them.”
His father’s dark eyes drilled into him. “Red Wolf seems to think they’re ready.”
Shit. “They’re making a move to offer?”
His father let out a sigh, then came around his giant glass-and-chrome desk. Framed logos of their previous acquisitions, the ones that made his father millions and put him on Seattle’s 50 Most Influential People list, covered the surface like a small forest of Plexiglas-encased-money. And power. His father stopped in front of the desk, leaning back against it and folding his arms.
He stared at Lucas for a moment longer, then said, “Tell me about the girl.” It was a command, and that tone would have made all of Lucas’s fur stand on end if he was in wolf form. But he wasn’t. And he wouldn’t submit to his father ever again—not to be in his pack, or in any pack, for that matter. He had too much alpha left in him to allow it.
Still, Lucas dropped his head and winced, searching for an explanation that made any sense at all. When he looked up, his father was still waiting. “You know how the Reds are. They would have torn her apart.”
His father’s eyes narrowed. “You know her.”
“No.” Lucas swallowed. “Not really.”
His father’s face was stony, but Lucas could see the confusion flicker across it. His father had mated with his mother early on, before they were even out of college. His mother was a strong wolf from an allied pack, but more than that—they were in love even before they mated for life. Lucas knew his casual sex habits completely baffled his father.
“You’re not in my pack, Lucas.” His father lifted an eyebrow. “That offer still stands, any time you change your mind, son.” Then all tolerance fled his face. “If you were in my pack, we’d be having an entirely different conversation. As it stands, I really don’t care what you do outside this office. Unless it affects the company, and then I care a tremendous amount.”
Lucas flinched. He couldn’t bring himself to say it was a mistake to interfere, but his father was right. He had to fix this. “What is Red Wolf saying?”
“I had a very interesting phone conversation this morning with Crittenden,” he said, his voice rough with an unspoken growl.
Crittenden was the alpha of the Red pack and CEO of Red Wolf. Alpha to alpha. Shit. That had escalated fast. Lucas’s gaze dropped to the floor, trying to get ahead of this.
His father continued, “He says he’s willing to leave your girlfriend alone in exchange for us dropping pursuit of LoopSource.”
“What?” Lucas’s gaze snapped back up to his father’s. “That’s absurd. They can’t possibly expect—”
His father’s steely look silenced the words as they came out of his mouth. “I told them I had no intention of dropping LoopSource. And if they hurt the girl, Crittenden would personally be held responsible by my pack.”
Lucas’s mouth dropped open. Pack protection. For a girl whose name he didn’t even know. His father had gone way, way out on a limb for him, his wayward would-be alpha son. And if the Reds decided to push it, they could have a pack war on their hands.
Lucas shut his gaping mouth and stood straighter. “What can I do to help?”
His father cocked his head in approval of Lucas’s understanding of the situation. “I would find a way to keep your girlfriend safe. I don’t want her tempting some young pup in the Red pack into doing something stupid to make a name for himself.”
“Understood.” Lucas turned away, a calm filling him along with a peculiar shame. Protecting the girl is what he should have done from the start. It’s what his father, a true alpha, would have done, if fate had tossed him into the same circumstance. Before he reached the door of his father’s office, Lucas turned back to face him. “Just so you know, she’s not my girlfriend. She’s just a girl who needed someone’s help.”
His father’s face betrayed no surprise, if he had any. “That doesn’t matter now.”
“I know.” Lucas stared at the carpet by the door. “Just wanted to set the record straight.”
As he headed toward his own office, the heat in his face grew stronger with each step. He’d put a lot in jeopardy to save a girl he didn’t even know. However, he knew the failure wasn’t in that act, but in the ones that followed. When he failed to find permanent protection for her. A way to keep her safe from the wolves hidden just under the skin of Seattle’s most ruthless businessmen, now that she’d crossed onto their radar.
That was a mistake he was going to fix.
Chapter Four
Mia was dressed and ready to leave for the first day of her internship, but first she had to pass the Supreme Gatekeeper of Fashion, otherwise known as her roommate, Jupiter.
“Absolutely not.” Jupiter tsk tsked her plain black slacks and white collared shirt. It was perfectly respectable business attire—Mia had looked it up online—plus it had the benefit of pulling double duty on the black pants she would no longer be wearing for The Deviation.
“Jupiter, please.” Mia was already jittery enough, she didn’t need this. “I’m going to miss the bus.” The ride was only 23 minutes—she’d looked that up too—but if she didn’t leave in the next five minutes she would miss it and be late for sure.
“First day requires a higher dress code,” Jupiter admonished. “Then, if everyone else dresses like a bartender who just lost her job, then fine. Be that way.”
Mia had told her roommate she couldn’t go back to The Deviation because she would need help finding something new, but she’d been light on the details of why. She would keep her promise to Lucas, the hot shifter she spent half the weekend daydreaming about, but even without that promise, spilling to Jupiter about werew
olves on the streets of Seattle was just a little too close to home for comfort. Mia had only had the weekend to look for a job, but so far no luck. If something didn’t turn up soon, she could still go back to The Deviation. She hadn’t technically quit, and her next shift wasn’t until Wednesday.
Jupiter rummaged through the closet that housed both their clothes, but mostly hers. Articles of clothing started to sail across the room.
Mia watched as most missed the bed and landed on the floor. “Jeeter—”
“Hush!” Jupiter said, her voice muffled. “I’m finding you something decent.” After a moment, she came out with a silky something in brilliant blue. She held it up to Mia. “Perfect! Matches your eyes exactly.” She tossed that to Mia and returned to the closet.
Mia pulled in a breath. “Fine.” She knew a losing fight when she saw it, and maybe if she hurried, she would still make the bus. She rushed through the buttons of her white collared shirt and threw on the blue silk one. It was sleeveless and made her arms feel naked. But it draped just right everywhere else and instantly made her feel more professional.
“Great! Jupiter, you’re the best. I’ll see you—”
Her roommate pulled back from the closet with a set of blue pumps in one hand and a black jacket in the other. “Oh, we are so not done.”
“Jeeter, I’ve gotta go.”
Jupiter thrust the clothes at her. “Change while I get the pearls.”
Five minutes later, Mia passed inspection and somehow ran the whole way to the bus stop in her roommate’s heels. Thankfully, they wore the same size. Or perhaps not: if Jupiter hadn’t been an exact fit, maybe Mia wouldn’t have to endure quite so many mandatory makeovers.
But she couldn’t argue with the effect the clothes had on her confidence. She was dressing the part of the business entrepreneur, and while she would probably spend the afternoon fetching coffee and making copies, she hoped there would be more to it than that. She’d taken quite a few classes in her major already, and she’d done her research on the company: at least as much as could be found on their website. She was there to learn, to make a great impression, and eventually, to score a real job. One that paid.
Her arrival at the Russell Investments Center downtown, as well as the long, slow ride up to the 32nd floor, were enough to bring her nerves raging back. SparkTech’s name and logo were etched into the frosted glass doors, and when she pushed them open, her jitters took another jump up the nervous scale. She had never been in an office that was so… luxurious. The off-white carpet felt like she was walking on a thick, padded cloud. The walls were illuminated along the ceiling and floor, giving the effect that they floated on a glowing cushion of light. The dark burnished wood of the receptionist’s desk shone with such a high state of polish that it reflected her unsteady approach in her blue heels. There was no one behind the desk, and the frosted doors off to the side weren’t inviting. Neither were the glass tables and trim, off-white couches. A small fan whirred in the corner, an air purifier, then she realized the office had almost no scent—as if the small device had scrubbed all the normal human and office smells from the room. It was refreshing, comforting in a way she hadn’t experienced since her last trip to the forest.
“Hello?” she called quietly. When no one answered, she teetered, uncertain. She almost turned around and headed back to the elevator, when the frosted doors swung open, and an impeccably-dressed mid-thirties woman strolled out, all smiles. She gave an approving glance over Mia’s attire.
Mia kept her sigh of relief inside and silently thanked Jupiter for her wardrobe assist.
The woman shook her hand. “I’m Lena. Welcome to SparkTech. You must be our new intern, Mia Fiore.”
“I hope I’m not late.” Mia looked nervously for a clock, but there wasn’t any.
“No, dear, you’re right on time.” Lena ushered her toward the door. She had a light citrusy smell that Mia was almost certain wasn’t perfume… just her natural, clean-scrubbed scent. Oddly, it helped her relax even more.
Lena steered her down the hallway. The wide-open floor plan left plenty of space in the middle for groups to meet, while the offices ringed the perimeter.
“Most of the Managing Partners are out for the day,” Lena said, “but the Principals are all in, including the one you’ll be assisting for the term. You’re just with us for the summer, right?”
“Both summer terms, actually,” Mia said. “If that’s still all right?”
“I’m sure that it is.”
They stopped in front of an office at one corner with a name etched on the frosted glass. All the offices must have windows, or powerful internal lighting, because the same frosted glass that comprised both walls and doors seem to glow with an effervescent light from within.
Lena knocked.
A gruff male voice called, “Come in.”
Lena opened the door, and Mia put on what she hoped was a professional smile as she trailed behind Lena into the office. Mia kept the smile plastered to her face even as her eyes went wide at the incredible view out the windows. The city lay at her feet, with the Olympic Mountains in the distance. The noontime sun filled the lushly appointed office with natural light.
Belatedly, she pulled her gaze back to the man sitting at the desk.
Then the smile on her face died.
Lucas.
She struggled for something to say, confused, shaken, but it was nothing compared to the fire in Lucas’s eyes. He lurched to his feet but stalled out there, still standing behind his desk.
“Mr. Sparks,” Lena said, her voice wavering a little. “I’m sorry to disturb you. This is Mia Fiore. You said you wanted our new intern brought right to you as soon as she arrived.”
He knew? Mia’s eyebrows hiked up, but the pure shock on Lucas’s face said no, he was just as surprised as she was.
He was still frozen behind his desk. Finally, he said, “Right. Yes. Thank you, Lena. That will be all.” His gaze was locked on Mia, looking her up and down, like he expected to find something else, anything else, besides her standing before him in a suit and heels.
Lena seemed to sense the live-wire tension as well, but confusion ruled her face. Of course. Why would Lucas tell his office assistant that he had saved a college girl from two snarling wolves over the weekend? In fact, the freaked look on Lucas’s face had to be more than just shock at seeing her show up in his office. He had to be worried she was going to spill his secret—at his fancy investment job, no less. Mia force a brighter smile and tried to send him reassuring looks, but the intensity on his face just burned them away.
“Well,” Lena said, her voice strained. “I guess… just let me know if you need anything.” Surprisingly, she was saying this to Mia, as if she was hesitant to leave her alone with Lucas. But that was exactly what needed to happen.
Mia gave her a broad smile. “Thanks so much for your help!” The cheery enthusiasm was probably a bit too much. But it worked in nudging Lena to the door and eventually through it.
As soon as the door closed, Lucas tore around the desk toward her.
Mia threw her hands up, not so much to stop him, but to buy a second to get her apology out.
He still beat her to it. “What are you doing here?” His voice had growl in it, even more than she expected, and it sent a shiver through her. “How did you find me?”
That short-circuited her brain. “Find you? I wasn’t stalking you! I’ve had this internship lined up for months.” She snuck a look back to the door. Through the frosted glass, she could see his name etched there, in reverse: L. Sparks, Managing Partner. Her research came rushing back: Lucas Sparks was one of the founder’s sons in this family-owned business. Of course, she hadn’t thought twice that he might be her Lucas. Which made her frown even more: he wasn’t hers in any conceivable way. Except perhaps in her hot dreams about him over the weekend.
He was looming over her, emotions warring across his face, but he was holding something back. She jumped in with the apology, sudde
nly worried her internship might vanish in a puff of smoke, just like her job at The Deviation.
“I swear I didn’t know you were here,” she said in a rush. “I promise I won’t say anything to anyone. Please, don’t…” She swallowed as his frown just grew deeper. “Please don’t fire me. I need this internship on my resume. I promise I won’t be any trouble.”
At that, the expression on his face broke. It wrenched something inside her, but she wasn’t sure what, because he took a step closer and ran two fingers along her cheek, which completely stopped any thoughts in her head.
“Hey,” he said softly. “No one’s going to fire you. Stop worrying about that right now.”
His touch was a line of heat across her cheek, but his words worked through her, relaxing the tension that had hiked up her shoulders. That, and the nearness of him, was like a balm that washed away her concerns. His scent finally reached her over the near scentlessness of his office: a freshly-cut wood smell with a musky hint of baked-in-the-afternoon-sun. Her body was likewise warming to the richly masculine quality of it, completely without her permission. When she peered up into his dark eyes, they were hooded, and she could tell he was breathing her in again, like before, when they almost kissed in the alleyway. It wasn’t just her imagination. She was affecting him, too. Only now, he was her boss.
This couldn’t end well.
Before she could think of what to say, he looked over her with a gaze that almost felt like a touch. “Mia.” His voice was husky, and her name on his lips felt like a caress. “I’m really glad to see you’re okay.” He blinked, like he was coming out of a daze, then frowned. “I think perhaps we were destined to cross paths.”