Cadence. Jasper liked the name. It suited her. His lion was growling, wanting to meet her. He turned away and walked round behind his desk.
"I'd like to speak to her. Could you ask her to come in?"
"Sure." Jolene smirked. "I hope you can give her the marching orders."
Jasper gave her a sharp look, making her smirk slide off her face.
"I'll decide that, not you." He said coldly. He sat, effectively dismissing her. "That will be all, Miss Jackson."
Chapter 2: The First Spark
"Oi! Steel!"
Cadence jumped back to reality and quickly clicked off the website she had been staring at. She turned and faced Jolene, who was glaring at her with her arms folded.
"Sorry, Jolene. I was researching a story."
"About things that go bump in the night again?" Jolene scoffed and sneered at her. "Why don't you do us all a favor and go work for one of those magazines that deal with ghosts? You'd be much better there."
"I don't believe in ghosts."
"You believe in The Howling. If you believe that you believe anything." Jolene glanced towards the chief editor's office. "The new boss wants to see you."
"Now?"
"That would be preferable. You don't want to be dismissed on his first day."
Cadence sat up. She had had no need to see their old editor before. James Toynton had been there long before she arrived and they had got on. He even didn't mind her eccentricities with the supernatural world. Now the new chief editor was in charge and she had a feeling she was in for a bollocking, if she had to go by Jolene's expression.
Cadence had no idea what she had done for the woman to be so spiteful towards her but Jolene made it a point of making snide comments in her direction, usually about her weight. Cadence had no problem with her curves - she had big hips, small waist and large breasts, big deal - and she loved to flaunt them but Jolene seemed to think Cadence was not one for the beauty pile. She had to work hard to get male attention while Cadence didn't.
Not that Cadence wanted the attention. She had no time for relationships. The few one-night stands she had had were lacklustre, anyway, so it was no big deal to miss out on sex. If Jolene wanted men, she could have them. Cadence wasn't interested.
The reporter at the adjoining desk glared at Jolene's back as she walked away.
"Smarmy cow." She muttered. "She's probably sucked up to him already. Preparing to worm her way into his bed to get a fast-track promotion."
"He's not that bad, is he?"
Mattie Eyre snorted. In her late forties and thin, she was an old-fashioned reporter who put her nose to the grindstone. Despite their personalities and beliefs, the two women clicked. Cadence saw the Deep South lady as a mother-figure to replace the woman who had brought her up but seemingly at a distance. They shared many an evening with a glass of wine. Mattie was a good sounding board as well as a good friend.
"Honey, if you've never heard of Jasper Webster, you really do need to listen to the real world. He's a multi-billionaire and he makes it all on newspapers and magazines."
"He owns multiple companies?"
Cadence had heard Webster's name several times but had never really paid any attention. She was too busy researching for her book.
"He's an investor but he gets his main earnings going all over the country shaking up papers that are going down the toilet or with low ratings. He turns everything around and gets them back at being the best." Mattie put on her glasses and tapped away at her laptop.
For a woman who had started her career on a typewriter, she had found her way round a computer quite easily. "When he's not charming women and leaving a load of broken hearts in his wake. Rumor is he's a demon in bed."
"Does a man like that really exist?"
"A lothario?"
"Someone who's a demon in bed."
Mattie laughed.
"You need to get out more. Your love life sucks."
"You make me sound like a nun."
"Sweetheart, I'm getting more action than you are and I've got twenty-five years on you."
Cadence rolled her eyes. Mattie was always teasing her about she had more relationships than her younger counterpart. She wasn't in a competition with the woman; she just wasn't interested.
She turned her mind back to Jasper Webster, ignoring the comments about the lothario bedding hundreds of women.
"Making each place best of the best is tough considering the amount of news outlets across the world."
"Majority of the papers have had him give them a makeover, as such. There's a lot of competition now." Mattie looked over her glasses at Cadence. With her pale brown hair cut short and tousled in curls and her hazel eyes behind her glasses, she looked like every man's fantasy of a sexy librarian, right down to the conservative trouser suit and blouse. "Like we need a shakeup. Our reader numbers have dwindled in later months."
"Might explain why he wants to see me." Cadence rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "I've been off my game lately."
Mattie raised an eyebrow.
"Off? You haven't had your head screwed on for months. You know your reports haven't been up to scratch."
Cadence groaned. Since Dorian's attack, she had been burrowing deeper into her research and her articles had been sliding. No one had commented but a couple of the senior editors had told her to do complete re-writes. James had assured her that she was okay and to take her time with things but Cadence hadn't listened. She was too focused on her book.
"Thanks for making me feel better, Mattie."
"That's what I'm here for, honey." Mattie glanced across the room. "You'd better go see the big boss. Claw Lady is watching you."
Cadence glanced over her shoulder and saw Jolene standing at the edge of the sea of desks, watching her with a scowl. Cadence had learned long ago not to be too bothered with her attitude. Apparently she was like that with all the women who showed any signs of prettiness and attitude. She wanted to be top dog.
Cadence didn't mind; she had more important things to worry about.
Letting out a heavy sigh, she pushed away from her desk and stood up, picking up her phone. She made notes of everything on it; it never left her side. If she needed to take notes she would need it.
Aware that Jolene was watching her from across the room, Cadence walked to Webster's office, a feeling of apprehension in her breast. If what Webster did was true and he cleaned house, chances were she would be going.
She needed this job. She wanted a top reporter's place so she could write her own articles without being assigned them. She wanted to tell people about shifters, make them aware that they were dangerous.
She couldn't do that if she was fired.
Reaching the office door, she braced herself before knocking twice.
"Come in."
That deep voice sent shivers through Cadence's body. God, it was arousing and she hadn't even gone through the door yet. Swallowing, Cadence opened the door and entered.
And stopped short in the doorway. Seated behind the desk reading something on his laptop was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. He wasn't gorgeous in the classical sense - he would never grace the cover of GQ - but he had a ruggedness about him that drew Cadence's eye.
His dark hair was streaking with silver, away from a face that barely had an aging wrinkle. His body, from what she could see as he stayed seating, looked like he took care of it well. Muscles flexed in his arms under his shirt as he tapped at the keypad. He had to be in his mid-forties.
But Cadence hadn't seen a more perfect specimen.
Webster looked up at that point and Cadence's heart thundered in her chest. His eyes were brown with flecks of gold that seemed to swirl around. They were mesmerizing.
"Cadence Steel?"
Cadence's tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. She swallowed and nodded.
"Yes."
"Shut the door."
Cadence did as she was bid, noting that her hands were starting to perspire, an
d walked to the desk, standing before Jasper Webster as he carried on typing. He acted as if she wasn't there and Cadence felt the annoyance growing. The man might have been a billionaire but he had no right to treat her like she was a mere servant, even if he was her boss.
Webster glanced up and waved her into the seat she stood beside.
"Please sit. I'm sure you know who I am."
Cadence sat on the edge of the seat. She kept her back straight, hands in her lap and her face blank. It was something she had done as a kid when she knew she was going to get a bollocking. Something told her this was one of those moments.
"Jasper Webster. You like to give newspapers and magazines makeovers."
Webster glanced at her, one eyebrow slanted. Cadence resisted the urge to look away. Just two minutes in his company and the guy was unnerving her.
Webster's mouth twitched.
"That's one way of putting it." He reached for a stack of papers on the corner of the desk. "I thought I'd go over everyone's work to start with. See where we are and what we need to improve on."
"And you thought you'd start with me."
Cadence resisted the urge to squirm. Webster's closeness, even with a desk between them, was prickling across her skin. He exuded a sexuality that was very heavy on anyone's palate. And he was somehow working his magic without even batting an eyelid.
Webster picked up the top page and Cadence saw her name on the top.
"I've been looking at your most recent submission." Webster's mouth turned down in disapproval. He tittered. "The editor has put at the bottom that you're making so many mistakes, she's going to run out of red ink. And from what I can see, she's right." He frowned at her. "What's going on, Ms Steel?"
Cadence wondered if she should lie. She needed this job badly. Webster wasn't going to be sympathetic with her personal life. But the real reason came out of her mouth before she could stop it.
"My roommate was attacked six months ago. He was in hospital for a while. It's taken me a while to deal with the trauma."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Webster's expression softened a fraction. "Was he mugged?"
"Shifter attack. They virtually ripped him apart." Cadence swallowed as the memories came back to her. "It was a miracle he didn't die."
Webster was looking at her like she had taken a leave of her senses.
"Shifters? As in werewolves?"
"They class as shifters, yes."
Webster put her submission down and sat back, lacing his fingers across his flat stomach. Cadence couldn't help but notice that his fingers were long and smooth-looking, fingernails perfectly manicured.
"I've heard about shifters." Webster said. "Never actually met one. Very few are willing to admit beyond a select few who they are to the public. But what I do know, they wouldn't randomly attack humans."
Cadence gritted her teeth. That was exactly what the police had said to her.
"A shifter attacked Dorian and the police didn't do a damn thing." She said stiffly.
"Maybe there's a reason for that. The truce between shifters and humans is tenuous at best. No one wants to rock the boat."
"Somebody did." Cadence muttered.
Webster's brows dipped downward in a warning glare.
"And it will be you if you carry on spouting off that shifters are bad. We don't want a riot on our hands. Even reporters worth their weight in gold keep away from that one." He sat forward, leaning on the desk. "Have your beliefs about them - nobody's stopping you - but don't preach it to other people. It might be taken badly."
Cadence was mesmerized by his eyes. The gold was swirling round, almost obliterating the brown. They were beautiful.
Webster seemed to realize that he was staring and jerked out of his reverie. He held up her submission.
"But back to this. Much as I appreciate that you've been coping with your roommate's attack, I don't appreciate that it's being affecting your work to this stage. If I see any more of this atrocity, I'll have to ask you to clear your desk and go."
Cadence felt cold. She was so close to exposing shifters and their vicious behaviour. But if she slipped and let her paid work go she was not going to have a platform where it would reach everyone. She would have to watch what she was doing if wanted to keep it.
"Yes, sir." She said coldly.
Webster watched her for a moment, seeming to weigh up his decision. He turned to his computer and began typing, not taking his eyes off the screen as he spoke.
"There's an assignment I want you to work on. I'm emailing you the details right now. One-thousand words, allowing ten percent either way. Hand it in the day after tomorrow at midday." He glanced at her again with his gold-swirling eyes. "If it's not up to scratch, you'll have to answer to me."
"Sir."
Cadence stood up, smoothing down her skirt. Chances were he had emailed her a useless article idea that she would have to run with and would never get printed.
Whether to test her or humiliate her would be decided once she saw the email. But Cadence wouldn't let him do that to her. Other men had tried to humiliate her before and they had failed. Jasper Webster would have his work cut out.
"Cadence?"
Just saying her name had Cadence pulling up short. Her body betrayed her. It liked the way he said her name. It wanted him to say her name again. All the blood ran to between her legs and Cadence struggled to hide her discomfort as she turned back to Webster. He was leaning back in his chair, hands linked over his stomach. Why did the damn man have to look so good in that outfit?
For a second, Cadence wondered what he would look like without it and her mind conjured up an image that was so X-rated she had to mentally click away before the blush became apparent.
Webster was watching her, no indication in his expression that he knew what she was thinking about.
"I know you've got the stuff to be a good reporter. But you need to buck up. Just because you've got talent doesn't mean we'll hold onto you forever waiting for your muse to kick in."
Cadence smarted. He didn't know the half of it. Once he knew what she could write, he would be begging for her to stay if she didn't sell what she had to a better bidder. She straightened her shoulders.
"Sir."
#
The morning passed uneventfully for Jasper, which was how he liked it. He had meetings with each and every one of the reporters on the floor, telling them what he expected from them and warning three of them to get up to speed or they would be leaving. Everyone was eager to get on board and there were no arguments, not even a grumble.
Jasper's lion may have liked confrontation and as an alpha, he thrived on it but Jasper preferred to do things the easy way. You got a lot more cooperation that way.
All through the morning, he found his mind going back to Cadence and at how his body and his lion had reacted to her closeness. She was gorgeous and it was clear she was comfortable with her curves. His lion had wanted to rip her dress off and find out how good her curves were but the human side of him managed to calm it enough.
While he was beginning to become convinced that Cadence Steel was most likely his mate, with her attitudes towards shifters, he didn't want her running in the other direction screaming and threaten to expose him. He prided in keeping his identity a secret. It was well-known among his pride and other shifters but humans tended to have a slightly different reaction.
The last thing he wanted was to be exposed as something he wasn't.
Shortly before lunch, Jasper sent out for his dinner. He was craving a burger with all the trimmings and a side order of fries. Fancy dinners weren't for him, although he endured them for the sake of his sponsors and those who were trying to impress him. He would be happier at home with a large pizza.
He was working on an assignment one of his editors had sent through, making the final adjustments before he sent it up to the printer's room, when there was a knock at the door. Jolene entered, carrying a white carrier bag and a can of soda.
"Your
order, Mr Webster."
"Thanks, Miss Jackson."
Jasper didn't look up but from the corner of his eye, he could see that Jolene's shirt was undone another button. Now he could see more flashes of a skimpy bra. He mentally rolled his eyes and focused on his work.
He was opening a new email to send the article through when Jolene spoke. He hadn't realized she hadn't left the room.
"So, did you give that useless woman her marching orders?"
Jasper looked up in surprise. Jolene was standing there with a smirk on her face, leaning one hand on the desk, the other hand on her jutted hip. She was obviously posing for him. He wondered what it would take to tell the damn woman she was wasting his time.
Even if Cadence wasn't his fated mate, he wouldn't look twice at Jolene.
"I beg your pardon, Miss Jackson?"
"Cadence Steel. The girl has been daydreaming her way through her job since she started."
Jasper didn't like the way Jolene was talking about Cadence. He swallowed back a snarl and gave her a cold look.
"Not anymore. She's got an assignment. If it's not what I want, she's out."
"You're giving her a chance?" Jolene looked incredulous.
"If people can prove they really can do the job, I keep them." Jasper nodded at the activity outside his office. "There are some real gems out there."
He was certain of that. There were a couple of outstanding reporters he was considering putting forward to a national paper and several others brushed up well beyond standard. Those who were near the bottom had the potential; they just needed a kick up the backside.
Like Cadence Steel.
"Well, in my opinion, Cadence is not one of them." Jolene looked away and muttered under her breath. "Fat cow."
It was quiet enough that a human might not have heard it. But Jasper's extra-sharp hearing caught it and fury boiled.
"What did you call her?" He growled.
Jolene blinked in surprise and straightened up.
"Sir?"
"Did you just call Cadence a fat cow?"
"No, sir, I..."
"I heard you, Miss Jackson, so don't go telling me otherwise." Jasper stood up and sauntered round the desk, barely holding on to his anger. No one insulted Cadence. No one. "Is she fat because she's got curves? Because she can make it look good without trying?"
Romance: The Lion's Chosen Mate: BBW Lion Shifter Romance Standalone (Hunky Shifters Book 1) Page 2