by K. S. Martin
“Good catch.” He says. He seems jealous that he didn’t see her first. My stomach growls. It wants food or her blood, either is fine. I can see the elevator feed and the top of Jake’s head. I grin stupidly. If he pushed me up against the doors, the video wouldn’t see us. He’s getting off and I see him and a lot of guys on the stairs. Jake looks up and I switch cameras to see up the stairwell. That’s not her. That girl is wearing a wig. Now that I can see more of her, I know. We’ve been duped. Why? This makes no sense until I see her on another camera.
“There!” I scream. He jumps. “Sorry.” I mumble.
“You’re really good at this, you should go into security.” He smiles. I’m a decent hunter. I can spot my prey. Then there’s another. Shit. There are at least twelve blonde women on various feeds around the building. Peter is talking into a black radio. I start pointing to all of the monitors and he freezes mid-sentence. Pete starts shouting into the radio when I see another one in the elevator. That’s the real one, I’m sure of it. The rest are decoys. I put my finger on the screen and he stops talking.
“That’s the real one.” I say calmly. I pull out my phone and text Jake. Peter’s on the radio again.
“I can’t stop it, she’s used his code.”
“I thought he changed it.” Peter nods. So she is either somehow intercepting the codes or she’s a hacker. I’m not as tech savvy as Jake so I wouldn’t know. The elevator stops and she gets off pretty as you please. “What floor is that?”
“Software. She’s a thief.” Peter says. He’s on that damned radio again. I watch her walk effortlessly through the empty floor. Nobody is working on Saturday. She goes straight for one of the offices and plugs a device into it. Within seconds, she’s inside. I see Jake now. His eyes flash and I wonder if Peter saw that. Peter scents as human. “Jake better get it together or the rest of the team is going to be exposed.”
“Exposed?” I ask. I’m not sure what he means.
“To the big bad wolf. I know. You don’t have to pretend. My wife is a Jaguar.” Pete winks. What the heck? Is everyone in this damn building something? I’ve come across the occasional shifter in my life besides pack mates. I met a Coyote once, he was a little weird and skittish around me. This is shifter overload though.
“How many are on this team?” I ask. He considers answering me for a few seconds then decides it’s okay to tell me.
“In security in this building there are about twenty, give or take, we lost two earlier.” He chuckles. That’s the thing about shifters, they can’t keep it in their pants until their mated.”
“I know. Jake got around.” He makes a face. Then shakes his head.
“I’ve never seen him with anyone. I mean he goes out with arm candy for events but I’ve never seen one come back here with him.” Peter may be trying to make me feel better but I know Jake. I know how many women paraded through our upstairs that fall.
Jake is moving toward the office and the team is behind him. He’s just outside the door and I’m holding my breath. The lights come on suddenly and the team crowds inside. A minute passes and they come out looking confused. Jake looks up at the camera in the hall and shrugs with his hands up. I don’t understand. Where could she go? I look around at all of the monitors and I don’t see her anywhere. I don’t see any of them anywhere. I see Jake’s nose twitch then his head shakes. I watch the monitors. The ones inside and around the outside of the building. How does someone just disappear? The monitors all freeze for a second and I narrow my eyes. Suddenly, there is a man on a screen that was not there a second ago.
“She’s hacked your security system.” I say quietly when Jake comes back.
“Impossible.” He’s looking at the feeds and ignoring me. I cross my arms over my chest. I want to scream at him but I know he won’t like it if I do that in front of Peter.
“Can you roll these back?” I ask Peter. He grins at me because he appreciates my talents already. “This one?” I point at where the man popped up. “And this one.” I point to another random camera. “Um.” I shrug. “Ten minutes? Is that how long it’s been?” Peter nods then does what I asked. Jake is furious that Peter is taking orders from me. I know that’s only part of it. He’s really upset because he can’t find her and he couldn’t sniff her out. I stand up and go to him. I rub my hand over his chest and he tenses. Shit. We are borderline nuclear. “Just watch. I could be wrong. I probably am but you should see what I saw.”
“She’s really good at this boss.” Peter says without turning around. Jake swallows and shifts on his feet but I don’t let go. I have my arm anchored around his waist and my head tucked into the crook of his shoulder. My body wants the safety and protection that he can offer. The monitors play simultaneously.
“Watch this one.” I point to where the man will appear. “This guy has skills.” Jake watches. The camera freezes for a micro blip then the man appears out of nowhere.
“Fuck me.” Jake says. I raise my brows and he kisses the spot over my nose. “Good girl.” Jake pulls his phone out and starts texting someone. I’ve never seen fingers move that fast.
“She’s a hacker right?” I ask. Jake nods and walks away from us. My stomach growls again. Peter reaches into a drawer and hands me a granola bar. He winks when I take it. “Thank you.” He nods and goes back to his screens. I eat it quickly and throw the wrapper away. I’m not sure how long I will be sitting in this little room but I don’t like it. There are no windows and it feels closed in.
The big guy from the stairwell comes into the room and Peter leaves. It must be time for a break. Mack sits without acknowledging me. I get up and walk into the hall. Jake is over in the corner on the phone talking to someone. I go to the fire door and head back upstairs. I need more to eat. The granola bar wasn’t enough and I can feel myself getting shaky.
When I get upstairs there’s a different man there and he is scowling down at me. I keep climbing. “Hi.” I say as I go for the door. He’s on my then. Two hundred pounds of Cheetah. Oomph, the air hisses out of my lungs as I’m pushed up against the door. “Stop.” I cry. He doesn’t care and he doesn’t speak. My wrists are put into zip ties and they are cutting into my skin. “No.” I tell him and he hoists me from my feet by the ties. That hurts. “You’re hurting me.” I say.
“That’s the idea you little cunt.” The wolf surges and I crumple to keep her in. It takes all of my effort and I nearly black out. He’s dragging me down the stairs. Jake is bursting out of the fire door now and he is pissed.
“Jake.” I whimper. He lunges toward me and I hear his fist connect with the asshole’s jaw. Good. Jake gathers me in his arms and orders the guy to untie me. I can’t help the tears streaming down my face and I try to wipe them off before they both see them.
“Did he hurt you?” I nod. “Jane, look at me.” I lift my eyes to see worry and anger. “What happened?”
“I was hungry. I went upstairs and he threw me up against the door and tied my hands then he called me a cunt.” It was the last part that hurt most and I spit the word out with venom. No woman wants to hear that. Ever.
“She didn’t identify herself sir. We had a perp still in the building and I thought…”
“Did you ask her who she was?”
“No and she didn’t volunteer.”
“You assumed that a woman with long dark hair in a thousand dollar blouse was your perp?” A thousand dollars? I look down at it. Really? Who pays that for a shirt? The Taj Mahal tee shirt was ten bucks originally and I got it half price. He’s nuts. Jake is texting someone again. I sigh. I’m still starved.
“Can I go upstairs now?” I whine. Jake looks up.
“Do you need to pee?” I shake my head. “Then?”
“I’m starving and I feel like I might pass out.” I get a woozy feeling and put my hand on the wall to steady myself.
“I’m sorry.” Jake says and shoves the phone in his pocket. He grabs me around the waist and ushers me through the door to the security floor. “Back
to your post Jared.” He calls over his shoulder just as the door closes. We go to Jake’s private elevator and go down. He’s holding me to his chest and texting with one hand. I hate that phone. I want to crush it under my heel. I guess that I should get used to it but if he’s already on it that much this soon…I’m afraid eventually he won’t see me at all. He will only have eyes for that phone.
We cross the lobby when we land and go across the street to a diner. It’s small and looks as though it just arrived from 1950. We go inside and the scents overwhelm me. I sway and Jake puts me in the closest booth. A glass of orange juice is placed immediately in front of me. I gulp it down. Coffee follows then seconds later a bowl of fruit and a plate of scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, and bacon. Yum. I grab my fork and dig in. Jake is eating the same breakfast. When I look up, he is watching me. “I’m sorry Jane.”
I’m not sure what he’s apologizing for, the guard, the sex show I saw, not believing me about the security hack or how long it took to feed me. I decide it’s probably about the food. The sugar and cholesterol are coursing through my blood now and I have a little high. I shrug. What else can I do?
“What does that mean?” He shrugs back.
“I’m not sure what you’re apologizing for but whatever, okay.” He narrows his eyes. “There are a lot of things.” I say. I go back to my sausage and fork a link into my mouth. It’s so good. I get the other one ready for when I finish chewing this one.
“What things?” He asks sipping coffee. I know he is on the edge and I need to tread lightly.
“How about a thousand dollar blouse for one? Really? That’s a lot for a shirt.” Jake grins over his cup. “Um, subjecting me to porn this early in the morning. Not trusting me in the security room. All that banging.” I roll my eyes and then promising me breakfast but taking all damn day to deliver. The hog tying. Didn’t like that, or being called the C word. I don’t want to ever hear that word again or be zip tied either.” Jake sets his cup down and picks up his phone then snaps my picture. He texts again. I roll my eyes and stir sugar and cream into my coffee. It smells strong. “And that damned phone.” I mumble.
“I just sent your picture to the security team and office. I gave your name and position. You shouldn’t be bothered again. You have free reign to every room in the building. If anyone zip ties you they will be dismissed instantly.”
“Good, but I don’t need free reign, just access to food would be okay.” I smirk.
“You have it. This diner belongs to the company. If you come here and show your ID you can order anything you like and you don’t need money to buy it.” I like that. There is a picture of a milkshake that I’ve been eyeing on the wall behind Jake.
“I don’t have an ID.” I frown and he laughs.
“I will get you one today. You should know they make a mean Frappuccino and the best hot fudge sundae ever.” I narrow my eyes. “Better than Earl’s. Swear.” He puts his hand up. “It’s why I bought it.” He texts again and I sigh.
“That’s stupid.” I say and he looks surprised. “It was more cost effective to just buy the sundae.” Jake grins.
“When I bought this place, they were failing and about to close. I refurbished it after I bought it and it has paid for itself already twice over.” I think about that. He has vision, I have to hand it to him. Jake has always been able to see things that I can’t. I sip more of my coffee while he taps away on his phone. I stare outside at the passing foot traffic. Secretly searching for blondie. What is her game anyway? There are a lot of people out there but none go into the building. It will be different on Monday, I’m sure. A waitress comes to the table and refills my coffee then takes my dishes. “Helen.” Jake says and she turns around. “This is my assistant. She’s newly hired.” She smiles. “Anything she wants.” He nods and she smiles again.
“Of course sir.” She says it sweetly then leaves.
“She’s the usual waitress Wednesday through Sunday for breakfast.” He’s back on that damn phone. I put more cream and sugar in my coffee. The diner is somewhat busy. There are old fashioned pictures on the walls and I’d like to look at them but I don’t want to disturb the other diners. I reach across the table and touch Jake’s wrist. He is still tapping away and he has only eaten half his breakfast.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” He grins then looks up at me and the smile fades.
“Just you. What’s wrong?”
“You haven’t eaten and all you do is text on that phone. Is this how our life will be? If so, I’m not sure that I want it.” I say seriously. He finishes what he was writing then puts it away.
“Jane you are my life. If there is a plausible threat to my business, I am going to do everything I can to protect it. When things are happening, like this I will be busier than usual but know that you are always at the forefront of my mind.” I huff out a breath. “I mean it Jane. Everything I do is for you, us.” I give him a little nod but it’s hard to believe.
“Come on, I want to show you the office. The sooner you take on your responsibilities the sooner it will free up some of my time.”
“Finish your breakfast.” I don’t move. He looks at it and stabs his sausage with his fork. Before I can finish my coffee he has cleared his plate. “Good boy.” I say and smirk. He grins.
“Now come on.” We get up and I walk beside him back into the building. The security guard at the round desk waves us over. What now? Is she skulking around somewhere? He spins a clipboard around and points. It’s digital.
“Sign there Miss.” He says. I look at Jake, he nods and smiles. “And press your thumb there.” He points again. I do it but I’m not sure why. He turns around to a computer and types something then the printer springs to life. A plastic card drops out. He slides it into another machine and presses a button. The new ID badge is presented to me. It has my picture. I think it is the one that Jake snapped earlier. My name is at the bottom with my new title. Personal Secretary to Mr. Jake Williams. I’m a personal secretary. That was never my goal. Wait until Laurie Tickle finds out she won’t be getting on her knees for Jake and ensuring her success. I grin. Wait until she finds out I took her job. I almost laugh. I didn’t even have to interview.
“What is it?” Jake asks pulling me away from the desk toward the elevator.
“Laurie Tickle.”
“What about her?” He pushes his code in.
“I took her job. Remember? She had an interview.” He shrugs.
“The job is filled. My new assistant can cancel all scheduled interviews.” The door opens and we step inside. He pushes the floor he wants, it’s three below the apartment.
“Why did you have them scheduled if this job was for me all along?”
“I wasn’t sure that you would accept the position of assistant or mate.” His eyes are soft and I lean up to kiss his cheek. “I hoped but you have a mind of your own Jane.”
“I was looking at the video earlier of the elevator.” I say quietly. He raises a brow. “If you pushed me up against the doors they couldn’t see us.” Jake purses his lips.
“No.” He says sharply and I narrow my eyes. “They have imaginations and I don’t want them imagining you. That’s for me only.” I cross my arms. He’s right. I don’t need to be their sick joke. I am supposed to be his professional personal secretary. I was supposed to work in a museum. I wanted to be a curator someday but even I know those positions are hard to come by. I more than likely would’ve ended up as a tour guide and maybe moved up in a few years. I still love art. Jake said that I could have anything I wanted, I want to hang paintings in our home. There isn’t any art anywhere in the apartment. No nick knacks, no pictures, no statues or figures. Nothing. That decorator needs to go back to school.
~13~
The doors slide into the walls and we walk out into a space is that is wide open. I think this is his floor or something. Off to the right is a very comfortable looking waiting area. There are plants and plush looking couches. Off to the left there
is a large two sided desk that makes an ‘L’. The chair behind it is white leather, the computer is the latest in tech and the desk has a glass top. I like wood. Why does he surround himself with all this modern glass and steel? It’s so un-wolf-like. “Do you like it?” He murmurs against my ear and I shake my head. “No?” He seems surprised.
“It’s too cold.” His lips purse and he exhales.
“She assured me that any woman would love it.” He thinks out loud.
“Who is she?” I hiss suddenly jealous.
“Michelle. The decorator. What would you like?” He wraps his arms around my middle and leans against my back. I’m suddenly deliciously warm. “Wood?” I nod. “High backed leather chair?” I nod again. “Hmm.” He hums sending a shiver down my spine. “Come with me.” He takes my hand and leads me to the left to a frosted glass wall.
There is a panel built into the frame. Jake puts his hand on it and part of the wall slides away to open into a spacious office. The floor is wood like it is behind me but this floor is much lighter. I would call it blonde. There is a massive wooden desk set up facing us from across the room and a high backed leather chair sits behind it. The chair is a deep red with brass buttons on the seams. Three huge computer screens are lined up, a phone, a photo that I cannot see and stacks of paper neatly sit to one side. “Like this?” He’s behind me again and I nod then go around the desk. I sit in the chair and spin around.
“This will do.” Jake laughs. I know it’s his desk but I want to play with him. “Oh.” I say when the computer springs to life and a beach fills all three screens. “That’s pretty.” I say and watch the water move.
“That’s Fiji, I think.” I look down at the photograph on the desk. It’s of me. I feel my cheeks heat and reach for it. I’m with someone but I don’t remember who. I’m laughing and I’ve just popped a bubble. I can see the pink smeared on my lips. It’s fall and I’m wearing a white sweater with the black flannel shirt that I spent so much time in. My bag is slung over my shoulder and my hair is lifting in the breeze. It’s long and straight. I used to blow it out and make it that way. It’s wavy now. I stopped blowing it out in college. Sleep was more important than a hair-do.