Heat Wave (Shifter Paranormal Dragon Romance) (The Fire Dragon Series Book 1)

by Faye, Amy

  "Can you talk?"

  She looked down at the books, piled, and marked one with her usual envelope. She stepped away from the pile but kept one reluctant eye on it, until she forced herself to tear her gaze away and fix it on David's face. "Uh, yeah. What's up?"

  "Please tell me you didn't say something to Mr. Blume."

  She blinked at him. "Say something? I don't, uh..."

  An image of herself, what Diana imagined she looked like choking on his cock, flashed through her mind. The way that she'd left awkwardly, without any real goodbye and certainly without any way to contact her further.

  "I don't think I said anything, no."

  Diana hoped that her boss wouldn't notice the blush that she could feel spreading across her face, or he would attribute it to something, anything else. Luckily, as usual, he drew the simplest conclusion.

  "You did, didn't you? Tell me what you said."

  "I told you, I didn't say anything. I'm just not feeling very good."

  "And you said, what? You said you weren't feeling very good?" He tightened his jaw and tried to look at her sternly. Somehow he failed almost entirely to manage it, and only made himself look less serious for trying so hard only to fail utterly.

  It struck a strange, uncomfortable comparison with Alex, who had done it so effortlessly. Whose entire demeanor seemed to be vaguely threatening in ways that she couldn't quite put her finger on. More than that, in ways that she couldn't deny finding terribly arousing.

  "I didn't say anything. He asked me to dinner."

  "And, what? You went with him? You turned him down?"

  "Why does it even matter? I'm out of that. I'm done. He's with Mr. Rosen. They seemed to be getting along just fine."

  David's eyes shot shut for a moment, as if he needed to calm himself down. As if the fury were threatening to overtake him at any moment. Diana felt remarkably unafraid by it. She waited for him to finish the temper tantrum.

  "Is there something wrong? I assume you wouldn't be asking me all this if there wasn't some good reason. Right?"

  Diana put an edge on the last word that maybe wasn't wise. She probably shouldn't be picking fights with her boss, particularly not when he seemed to apparently be angry with her, for reasons that he seemed intent on keeping as mysterious as possible.

  "Because he's here, and he's pissed, and he's asking to talk to you."

  "Pissed at me?" She blinked. There was exactly one thing that she could have imagined that she had done to piss him off. She hoped that he wasn't going to give her a dressing-down for being a cock-tease in her office.

  "No, Diana. He's pissed at me, pissed at Ian, and threatening to have all of the real lawyers here disbarred if we don't go get you immediately."

  She opened her mouth to ask if that were even possible, but the expression on David's face told her that whether it was possible or not, it would be wiser not to ask.

  "I don't know why that would be, but if it would help, then please, lead the way."

  David flared his nostrils in frustration as he let out a long, loud breath and gave her a look that he clearly thought could burn a hole in her chest. "Oh, I'm glad I have your permission, My Lady. This way, please, if it's not too much fucking trouble."

  He stalked out of the room and Diana followed behind. She hoped silently that he would manage to get himself under control by the time that they made it to Mr. Blume, because otherwise he was going to find out exactly how effective, or rather how ineffective, his anger would be compared to Alex's.

  The walk wasn't long. No walk inside the office was. The longest walk that Diana had to take on a daily basis was when David decided she ought to take a walk to Starbucks to pick up coffee, and that was only a trip to the elevator and down the street about three buildings over.

  "Diana," came Alex's voice. He sounded even and professional and not particularly like he was going to start screaming and tearing David's head off, which suggested to her that he'd managed to get himself under control.

  "We're very sorry if Miss Kramer's caused you any trouble, or..."

  "You can leave, now," Alex told him, without bothering to look at him. In the billionaire's eyes, it seemed, the other man had already started to listen. David stood there for a moment, too surprised to say anything at all. Then he realized that he really, truly wasn't needed and started towards the door with a muttered 'call if you need anything, sir' that Diana saw no sign that Alex heard.

  "Mr. Blume," she said, hoping to prompt some explanation for why he was here.

  "You can call me Alex," he said, not for the first time. Still, walking out on someone after you drank their cum seemed like a circumstance where social niceties reset themselves.

  "What did you need?"

  He looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed together in what appeared to be actual confusion.

  "You don't know?"

  "Know? Know what?"

  He huffed out a breath and clicked his jaw in irritation that she couldn't begin to explain. "I guess he didn't tell you, then."

  "Tell me what?"

  "As of today, Diana Kramer, you no longer work for Black & Rosen. You can go get your things as soon as you like. I asked Mr. Rosen to go and gather them up for me."

  Diana looked at him and blinked. "You just got me fired? You came here to tell me that you just got me fired?"

  He smiled, but the expression on his face was anything but pleased. If anything, he looked as if he were grimacing, baring his teeth. "Fired? No. Go on, get your things."

  She looked at him and waited for the other shoe to drop, for some explanation, for anything at all. If there was an explanation to be given, he wasn't forthcoming with it.

  "Now, Diana. I'm not as patient a man as you seem to think I am. Go get your things, I'll wait here."

  "Sir?"

  He let out a hard voice and a yell. "Now! Go on!" His voice lowered, but it still held the same tenseness as he muttered to himself. "Are you deaf?"

  She didn't need to be told a third time. Diana left the room and ran smack into the partner of her firm, a man who had been well-respected by the Dakota Bar Association for over forty years, hand her a purse and a coat that he'd apparently been sent to fetch. And then she walked back to the conference room absently with no idea what the fuck was going on, except that it was apparently going to well and truly upend her life.

  10

  Alex Blume had lived the past twenty years as a human being, and it was beginning to grate on him, as it always eventually did. It wasn't the first time he'd done so, and it probably wouldn't be the last. He'd been drawn to it so many times, so strongly, that there was very little use in denying himself. But even then, a voice whispered in his mind that Alex Blume wasn't who he was, not really.

  Alex Blume was a fake. A fraud. A suit that he wore to interact with the world. He was Aleroth, and at the end of the day he always would be. But no matter how much Blume tore at him, he couldn't walk away. Not yet, anyways.

  The crown jewel of his horde was standing outside, collecting her things and apparently not understanding what was happening to her. It was understandable that she would feel a little bit confused. After all, few people were ever 'collected,' like bottle caps or trading cards.

  Yet that was what she was going to experience. He hadn't taken her, not completely. Not as much as he wanted to. He would take everything about her, every piece and every part. She was his, to play with and manipulate and use however he wanted. But it was more than that.

  She'd been Keleth's before; now she was his. He'd taken her. There were so many things that he wished he'd taken from his rival, over the years. Things that he couldn't take any more, in any meaningful way.

  Now he was just fighting to make sure that whatever Keleth had became his, as much to keep them away from the other vultures as it was a way to claim his victory over his centuries-old rival. The fact that Keleth had walked away from that rivalry, from their entire society, and lived as a human, out of reach of anyone, bur
ned in his chest.

  The door opened and Diana came back inside, looking something between confused and upset, and she waited for an explanation. Eventually, he would have to give it to her. She'd want to know why she should follow him, why she should listen to him at all, and eventually, he'd give her the reason that he'd invented for her.

  But for now, he would see how long it took for her to ask, and he wasn't going to tell her before she asked, pointedly, and demanded an answer so fiercely that she couldn't be denied any further.

  "Is that everything?" The words sounded strange coming out of his mouth. Everything about being human felt wrong. He wanted nothing more than to fit himself back into his proper body, to re-learn what it was like to keep a proper hoard.

  Even as a human, though, some parts of him were as scaly and draconic as ever. The desire for valuable things, for example. Not just gold, of course. Anything that had any value at all. And after last night, he knew more fervently than ever that she was valuable. The need went to his head and made him feel wild.

  "I guess," she said. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

  "This way," he said, brushing past her. He hoped that she didn't notice how stiff he moved. The pit of arousal and need that had opened in his gut. He needed her, and the simple smell of her shampoo was driving him wild.

  Absolutely the crown jewel of his hoard, and she wasn't even his yet. Not truly. But she would be, with time. It was only a matter of time, and he could be patient. He'd waited a long time, after all.

  There was a whole section of his roost that was waiting for Keleth's things to fill it, and he had the most important piece of that treasure. As long as he managed to get the rest of it, there would be no problem.

  She followed behind him, in spite of the lack of an explanation. She had a dim look on her face, one that wasn't the most appealing expression he'd ever seen on her. But it did little to tarnish her beauty, and did nothing at all to destroy her value.

  That would take a great deal more, and he was absolutely certain that he could ensure that she didn't lose value for quite a long time. The history of ownership helped, as well, and would keep her valuable longer still.

  She waited until the elevator had closed before she spoke, but when she did Alex indulged her by listening, already exulting in his victory. "Is this about last night? Because I mean... I really wasn't thinking that clearly last night."

  "Please," he said, his voice low and soothing. "There's no need to worry."

  "Oh, good," she said, her voice unsteady. "Because I thought I'd just gotten fired."

  "Hardly."

  She let out a nervous giggle, and he enjoyed that, too. The feeling that she was afraid, and that she was afraid of him, was just another cherry on top of the exultation of the hunt. She was perfect, and even if she was the only new piece of Keleth that he walked away with, she would be enough.

  "Okay, but when are you going to explain what's going on exactly?"

  "In due time," he told her. It wasn't an answer, but it gave a startlingly accurate appearance of having addressed her concerns. The feeling of stringing her along was all he really needed. It was more than enough. And he was loving it.

  "Oh," she said, and pressed herself back into the corner of the elevator and stayed there as they descended.

  Diana was nervous, Alex thought to himself. She was afraid of him, afraid of the elevator, afraid of whatever was going on. She was afraid of what she didn't know. Still, there was nothing to be afraid of. A dragon never lets any harm come to his hoard, and he was more focused on protecting her than many of the other things that he'd gathered in his long life.

  The elevator that they stood in was years away from any trouble; with maintenance, it would continue to work for decades. She was more likely to die in a car accident before that happened. The elevator let out a loud 'ding' that they had reached the ground floor, and opened.

  Diana relaxed a little bit, but there was still a great deal of nervousness in the set of her shoulders as Alex started to walk away from her. She followed a moment later. After all, she still had no answer to what was going on, except that she was apparently no longer employed here.

  She followed him out through the doors, too. He smiled at his driver, an elderly human who had no idea who he worked for except that his employer paid well and preferred not to have a whole lot of questions asked. The old man smiled and slipped into the driver's seat of the car, turned the engine over, and waited.

  Alex opened the rear door for himself, as he generally preferred to do, and turned back, which is when he got his first real surprise of the day.

  Diana stood a few steps away, her hands balled up at her sides. He'd expected at least a few minutes more before she decided that she was done blindly following. He silently congratulated her, but put her to the test all the same, even though he could see the determination in the set of her shoulders.

  "Come on, this way." He imbued the words with just a little bit of magical persuasiveness, enough to make her lean forward and nearly take a step before she caught herself.

  "No," she told him. "Not until you explain what's going on."

  "I told you," he said, his voice soft and warm. "I'll explain everything in time."

  "It's time that you explained now, if you want me to get in that car with you."

  Alex smiled. "Very well, then. Consider yourself headhunted."

  She looked confused. "Did you want to stay out in the cold like that? I must say, I love what it does to your nipples, but it can't be comfortable."

  The way that Diana clapped her arms across her chest made Alex smile. Keleth had himself a perfectly good toy here, and he probably hadn't even realized it. He had no originality, no real spark. Aleroth had never had that problem, and playing Alex Blume had only made him feel that much more creative.

  "Come on," he repeated. "It's very warm in here, I promise. If you've still got questions, I'll answer whatever you like. Once I'm not freezing my ass off."

  She looked down at him, clearly trying to decide how honest he was being, and then seemed to make a decision and slipped into the rear seat beside him. He moved over for her and buckled himself in as the door closed behind her.

  "Fine," she said, trying to make her voice hard and threatening. It was terribly cute when she did it. "Get talking."

  11

  Alex smiled at the positively wicked enjoyment that he got out of Diana's expression. Regardless of how long the explanation, regardless of how clear he was, it was never quite enough to wipe that sick look off her face. Like she was going to be ill. Alex was going to change that.

  "So what's really going on? You wanted some kind of fuck doll at your beck and call?"

  He smiled. Not exactly, but he certainly wouldn't refuse. "I haven't mentioned pay, have I? How unfair of me."

  He waited a long moment, relishing the look on her face, the uncertainty. The worry. "Doesn't matter."

  "You haven't heard the number yet."

  "I don't have to," she said. Her expression told him differently. The scent of her pheromones set him on edge from the beginning, but he didn't need those to tell him that she was seriously considering the whole thing.

  "It's not becoming of you to lie to me, Diana. Be honest, now, and I'll be honest with you. I'd say that's only fair, wouldn't you?"

  "I'm not lying," she said. But the lie told itself right on her face. She didn't need to keep going any longer, but he would let her continue if she wanted to lie to him so badly.

  "Very well, then. Driver?"

  They slowed to a stop, and the old man pulled them into the first convenient parking lot. It happened to be a big box store, one that sold products priced for people who couldn't afford anything better. Products of such low quality that it was generally easier to do without.

  "I can leave you here, I'll call you a cab. They'll be here for you in ten minutes. Or, you can listen to my offer, and get yourself a ride home."

  She sucked in a breath. It
wouldn't have been hard for her to turn him down. In fact, it would have been the easiest thing in the world. But just that little bit of push, he knew, was going to be enough to put her over the edge.

  "Okay, then."

  The driver eased the car back into gear and started to crawl through the parking lot, turning around, without needing to be told.

  "Ten thousand dollars."

  "You're kidding. Ten thousand? I may have been part time, but I was at least making that at the firm."

  "A month," he finished, after a pause far too long not to have been intentional. "Plus expenses."

  That got her attention. The girl opposite him took in a deep gasp. "That's..."

  "That's not chump change," he said, smiling. "Now, as to the work."

  "You already said," she cut in. It was partly true, but as with every other part of the conversation he had strung her along as slow as he could manage, hoping to keep himself entertained for as long as possible. "'Various simple tasks, gofer duties, making calls, in addition to other duties that remain to be named.' Is that right? I'm not an idiot. Ten thousand a month for an errand boy? You could have anyone doing that."

  "And they'd be doing it for the money, I might add," he told her, though he had other tasks in mind for her. It was that much more entertaining to keep pretending that he had nothing to do for her, the more offended she got. The more angry she was, the more he kept doing it.

  "Well, I'm not just some schlub from the street. I've got actual goals, you know."

  "To be fair, you won't just be an assistant. But understand, the main parts of your job won't be particularly demanding, most of the time, so..."

  She cut him off, not for the first time, and he had to rein in the instinct to finish there and not continue when she gave him space to speak once more. "You're absolutely right. I've just got to lie back and think of England, is that it?"

  He clicked his jaw. It was a bad habit, but not one that he intended to make an effort to fix. Not after twenty-odd years of doing it.