by Susan Bliler
Monroe paced in front of the Board of Directors while King read down the list of candidates who’d been successfully hired. With each name, the candidate stood from their seat to a round of applause. Surprisingly, every single candidate stood…every candidate but one.
“That’s it,” Monroe stated clearly. “The rest of you will be debriefed and then dismissed.”
Recker swallowed hard at the look of utter devastation that passed over Alex’s face. His eyes collided with hers and like the fucking coward he was, he had to look away. He couldn’t handle seeing her like that. It was too much. Hell, his inner beasts were barely in check right now, and a ferociousness pounded through his veins, demanding he go up on stage and tell Monroe and whoever else who was judging Alex to fuck off.
Steeling himself, he looked back up, but Alex had her chin tucked firmly to her chest. He knew what was running through that pretty little head. In her mind, Alex was most likely thinking that she’d once again been found lacking. He hated it. He hated every single fucking second of watching her self-doubt, and he had to unfist his hands and stretch them to keep from striding up to the stage and fighting every single fucker who dared to keep him from her.
Around her people started to move. Sentries congratulated their charges and hugs were passed around, but not for Alex. No, behind her Base kicked her chair, jarring her from her reverie. It took every single ounce of Recker’s self-restraint to keep from hurtling himself to Base and pounding seven shades of shit out of the fuck. The only thing stopping him was watching Alex as she tried hard to mask her hurt. She couldn’t hide it from Recker though. He knew her too well, knew her history too well.
When Alex stood, Base grabbed her arm roughly and jerked her away from the others.
Recker’s lip ticked up in a snarl, and he took a menacing step forward before James’ hand on his arm halted him.
“Let it go, bro. There ain’t shit you can do.”
Fuck that! He refused to accept that Alex’s fate was sealed. No, she needed this! She needed StoneCrow, she needed him!
“I’m not just gonna let her walk,” he snarled.
James’ grip on his arm tightened. “What else can you do, man? It’s over!”
“The fuck it is!” Recker jerked out of James’ hold and forced his way through the crowd. Everyone was celebrating except for Alex who was being led from the room, by Base.
Nearly to the door, Recker was halted by one pissed off little Skin Walker when Stoney Lydon planted herself in front of him and shoved him hard in the chest.
“How could you fuck this up so royally?”
His attention was on the door as Base led Alex out. “Not now, Stoney.”
“You had one job. One simple fucking job! She was a shoe-in!”
Lowering his gaze to Stoney’s, Recker growled, “Not. Now. Stoney.” He shoved past her and hurried to follow Base and Alex.
In the hall, Recker saw Base still gripping Alex’s arm as he stopped and spoke with King. Too many people were pouring out of the ballroom now though, preventing Recker from getting to Alex.
***
Alex hadn’t been afforded the opportunity to get dressed up like the other candidates who sat lined up on either side of her in cocktail dresses. In fact, she was still dressed in the black leggings and oversized sweater she’d had on when she’d left StoneCrow to meet Alise for drinks. It was just another pebble mounted on top of the heap of boulders that was her shame.
Seated up on the stage where everyone could witness her humiliation, Alex kept her head low and focused self-consciously on her worn ankle boots. She felt so damn exposed, and she didn’t understand Monroe’s need for all this public humiliation. It wasn’t fair. Worse, she couldn’t stop her stupid fucking heart from hoping that there was still some small chance that she’d be hired. Why else would she be up on the stage? Sure, she was shackled, but Monroe could have just banished her if he weren’t interested in hiring her…right? She swallowed hard praying that Recker had done her a solid and had met with Monroe on her behalf because the Dominant sure as shit hadn’t met with her.
Lifting her head, Alex looked around as she fidgeted uncomfortably. Her eyes scanned the room, and when they collided with Recker’s, she couldn’t help the small hopeful smile that tweaked her lips. He came! That one little flicker of hope was doused in an instant.
One second, her gaze was locked on to the one anchor she’d known this whole crazy ride, and the next, Recker swallowed hard before he tore his eyes from hers and looked away.
Holy shit! His dismissal knocked the wind right out of her and left her feeling gutted. It really did feel like someone had just taken a blade down her middle and all her insides had slipped free and were lying exposed on the floor.
It took Alex a moment to recover before she felt the heat of embarrassment fill her cheeks only to be just as quickly drained away by the pallor of humiliation. The blunt rejection stung like a motherfucker and without hesitation she ducked her head and started praying again, only this time, she prayed to go home. She didn’t want to be here anymore, she didn’t want to be one of these people anymore. She wasn’t a fit. They weren’t her kind.
Base kicked her chair, and where her typical reaction would have been a snarky comment or her own show of aggression, a retort was eerily absent. Hands still shackled, she was jerked up by the asshole, Base, before he led her roughly out of the ballroom. Alex didn’t struggle. She didn’t want to. No, she wanted this…whatever it was, done as quickly as possible so she could flee StoneCrow and never look back.
In the hall, people were already milling about, celebrating. Mortification still burned brightly in Alex’s cheeks though, so she kept her head down.
Base pulled her to the bank of elevators and proclaimed, “Prisoner coming through. Move!”
God, how humiliating.
Base punched the elevator call button, and by the time the car arrived and she was shoved inside, her eyes were flooding with tears.
“Shhhit,” she hissed and swiped her cheek on her shoulder just as the elevator doors slid closed, and she heard Recker call out her name.
“Alex!”
He didn’t get to the doors before they closed, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t want to see him. Glancing up, she prayed the elevator moved swiftly.
One flight down, the elevator doors breezed open. Base yanked her out.
The third floor of StoneCrow Estates was relegated to office spaces with Monroe’s main office and family suite taking up a majority of the floor. This space belonged to the Dominant, and now Alex felt heightened anxiety, knowing where she was being taken.
“Alex, wait damn it!”
It was Recker’s voice calling from further down the hall. He must have taken the stairs. Alex didn’t wait though. She couldn’t. Base wasn’t about to let that happen. Even if he did, Alex wouldn’t have waited. She didn’t need Recker’s accusations, or pity, or his apologies, or whatever in the hell it was he was about to offer her.
Halfway down the long hallway covered in beautiful navy carpet with intricate gold designs, Alex heard Recker snarl as he called again, “Alex! Base, you fuck! Stop!”
Fuck! Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? Why was he always torturing her with the promise of what could never be?
They were nearly to an office door when Base released her arm and shoved her forward with a gruff. “Go to the office!”
She hated Base with the fire of a thousand suns and every fiber of her being raged for her to tell him to fuck off, but she didn’t. Instead, she followed his directive like a good little prisoner and hustled toward the office door while he turned to confront Recker. She hoped they fought. She hoped they punched each other so damn hard!
A tear slipped from her eye as she hurried toward the office, head low so no one would see her cry. Quickly, she dashed her hand under her eye and didn’t even see the large body in front of her until she slammed into it. She would have stumbled back if strong hands hadn’t caught
her. Those same hands didn’t let go even after she righted herself.
“Ms. Hayworth.”
She recognized Monroe StoneCrow’s voice but didn’t look at him. No, her gaze was focused on the towering beast who still had her clamped to the front of him.
“Chief, this is Alex Hayworth.”
Chief? Alex tried to step back, but the man refused to let her go. He was handsome in that terrifyingly severe way that whispered no human male should look this good or feel this damn dangerous. His eyes reminded her of a glass of whiskey held up to the light. Molten gold and dark amber swirled as the man studied her. She watched as his nostrils flared and then dark brows were spearing down over those beautiful eyes.
“Someone hurt you.”
His voice was deep and animalistic as he said the words. They weren’t a question.
“Alex?” Monroe asked, stepping closer, but before he could ask her any questions, Recker and Base went at it down the hall.
Chief’s head snapped up, and his eyes narrowed on the fight over her head. “One of you boys do this?”
Oh, dear God! Alex shoved at Chief’s chest, her shackles jangling loudly with the movement. “No. I’m fine.” She kept pushing at him because he refused to release her. “Please, let me go.”
The fighting behind her didn’t last very long, and then Recker was there, his warm body pressed close behind hers as he snarled, “Do what? And who the fuck you calling a boy, dog?”
Chief ticked his lip up in a growl.
Behind her, Recker warned, “You got two seconds to get your fucking hands off her.”
“Gentlemen,” Monroe placated in an almost amused tone. “What seems to be the problem?” Alex glanced at Monroe and caught him flash a grin like he already knew what the “problem” was.
Recker growled, “Your new pet is manhandling Alex!”
That fast, Chief lifted Alex and set her to the side so he could go chest-to-chest with Recker. “I ain’t no fucking human!” He jerked his chin down the hall, and Alex was shocked to realize he was referring to Base.
Base is human?
Chief pushed his nose into Recker's. “You think you got the minerals to take a real beast, boy?”
“Beast?” Recker countered, “You mean mangy fucking mutt?”
“No!” Alex tried to insinuate herself between the two behemoths. It wasn’t happening. She tried to placate Recker with a, “He wasn’t manhandling me. I ran into him!”
Recker wasn’t listening to her though because he was too engrossed in Chief’s warning of, “Call me a dog one more time, mother fucker!”
Both men were eyeing each other intently, and Alex knew that any second they were going to go to blows. Turning to Monroe, she begged, “Do something! Make them stop!”
Chief’s head turned, and he frowned down at her. Recker was slower to give her his attention, but when he did, she jammed a finger in his face, both arms lifting because they were still shackled together.
“It’s none of your business who manhandles me.” She turned her scowl on Chief. “And I don’t need you sticking up for me. I appreciate it, but I’ll take care of myself.”
“Ms. Hayworth,” Monroe cut in, his tone calm and smooth. “In my office, please.”
She didn’t want to give him a moment, she wanted to run out of the building, off the mountain, and back to the city, but right now with Recker and Chief about to throw down over her, she decided hiding in Monroe’s office was as good a place as any.
Silently, she followed Monroe’s extended arm and made her way to his office.
Before she got there though, Recker caught her arm and lowered his mouth to her ear. “We need to talk.”
Alex jerked her arm out of his hold. She didn’t look at him as she clipped out, “No. We don’t.” Hurrying into Monroe’s office, she heard him warn before he closed the door, “Play nice gentlemen.”
Chapter 27
Recker paced outside Monroe’s office, waiting for Alex to come back out. He and Chief’s pissing contest lasted longer than it should have, but fucking wolf shifters were literally like a dog with a bone when it came to challenges for dominance. The only thing that ended the standoff was when Base finally came around, hauling his ass up off the floor before trying to have another go at Recker. Luckily, King had arrived, and with Chief’s help, the two escorted Base to the infirmary to get checked over.
Now, pacing the hall outside Monroe’s office, Recker was debating just barging in. He knew Alex was pissed at him and…fuck! Just fuck! When he’d seen her being led into the ballroom, he’d been unable to take his eyes off of her. She moved like liquid grace and was the most elegant thing he’d ever seen, even shackled and defeated; she was a queen in his eyes. He remembered noticing the slender column of her throat and the way it convulsed delicately as she swallowed and eyed the room in uncertainty. He could tell she was feeling out of place, but all he could see was every detail of her beauty. The little dip in her top lip, the way the hair around her face tumbled into raven’s-wing black curls. Her dark eyes were bright in her rich mocha skin that reminded him of decadent coffee. He was a coffee addict and fuck if he didn’t want to lick every inch of Alex to see if the taste of her could sate his craving.
When her eyes locked on his, they filled with hope so damn fast. And boom! Like the selfish prick he was, he tore his gaze away and never gave it back. She didn’t understand that it wasn’t a rejection, but self-preservation. She couldn’t know how badly he’d ached to shove off the back wall and rush that damn stage. It was instinctual. This need to protect and defend her like he owned her had him feeling rabid.
Fuck!
She felt like his. It felt like he had a right to go to her, but he didn’t because she wasn’t his. So, he’d turned away from her and had to clench his hands into white-knuckled fists because his palms were actually fucking itching to touch her. All of his senses were on high-alert, focused on one thing. He was so damn sensitized to her that he scented the second her emotions crumbled. He’d looked up just in time to watch Base kick her chair, pulling her up roughly before leading her from the room. As she was led out, his inner beasts cried for a re-do. They wanted to go back just a few precious minutes and stand unwavering under Alex’s gaze. She deserved to see that he was in this with her, but he hadn’t even been Walker enough to gift her even that.
How can I ever be good enough for her?
He doubted he ever could, but it didn’t stop him from giving in to his urge and following after her. He had to. The compulsion to soothe her was too overwhelming to deny.
***
Inside Monroe’s office, Alex claimed a seat on one of two sofas that faced each other over a glass-topped coffee table. She knew she should have waited for an invitation to sit, but honestly, her legs were so wobbly that she thought they’d give out.
She heard movement behind her, and when Monroe circled around the couch, he held out a glass of water. “Drink?”
She accepted it and took a tentative sip of the water with shaky hands while Monroe smirked, pulled something from his pocket, then bent and removed the shackles from her wrists before he claimed a seat across from her. Pinching the material of his expensive looking slacks, he hiked them up before scooting further back and then leaning his elbows on his knees to study Alex intently.
“You alright?”
No! “Fine,” she lied.
“Funny,” Monroe’s lips pressed into a thin line a moment before, “Chief seems to think you were…wounded.”
“I wasn’t,” she shook her head and looked down at the clear glass of liquid in her dark hands. “I’m not.”
“If you need me to speak to Recker…”
Her head snapped up. Before she could stop herself, she barked an angry, “No!”
Monroe’s brows hiked, and Alex felt compelled to add, “I don’t need anyone sticking up for me. I can…”
“Yes.” Now it was his turn to cut her off. “You can take care of yourself. I heard.” He re
laxed back against the sofa and lifted one leg to rest his ankle on his knee as he pressed his knuckles to his lips and narrowed his eyes on her.
Being under Monroe StoneCrow’s scrutiny was just about the most uncomfortable place in the world. Hell, she was even more unnerved now than she’d been when seated on the stage looking like a criminal.
“Y-you wanted a minute.” She glanced toward the door and muttered, “Time’s almost up.” When she looked back at Monroe, he was smiling. It felt eerie because she didn’t think she’d ever seen him smile before.
“I like you, Alex.” He uncrossed his legs and lowered his arm. “You're direct and to the point, my kind of people, so I’ll just get to it. You fucked up.”
She swallowed hard but held his gaze, flattered by his compliment and not wanting to appear weak now.
“You broke the rules, and I’m obligated to uphold them, so you’re shot at employment here is out.”
“What…what are you going to do to me?”
His smile faded. “Nothing. Stoney vouched for you, and she’s agreed to accept your punishment?”
Alex shot up off the couch. “What? No!”
“Sit,” Monroe commanded and they way his lips thinned into a grim line left no room for argument.
Reclaiming her seat, Alex implored calmly. “I don’t want that. I don’t want anyone taking the blame for anything I’ve done. I’ll take my own punishment.”