Secretary’s Obsession (Obsessions #4)

Chapter One

Scott

Brushing back his hair, Scott listened to Christa with half an ear, that was all he needed because he could easily keep up. His fingers flew over the iPad. He was taking notes for the concert that required organizing for the latest up-and-coming band. The music wasn’t to Scott’s taste, but he could understand the human appeal when the band was made up of handsome men in their early twenties.

“We need to speak to Vince and ask if we can have the venue for an additional night because the tickets sold out in three minutes, and the demand suggests it would be financially worthwhile.”

Scott nodded, making an additional note to contact Vince. As a multitasker, Scott had learned long ago how to focus and prioritize what he needed to do first.

Dakata, a demon friend of his family, had built his music business from the ground up. When Scott had heard him complaining to his father about struggling to find someone in the human realm who was equipped to deal with Dakata’s demands, Scott had offered to work for Dakata. Even though his family had scoffed at him, he excelled and had quickly become Dakata’s right-hand demon.

Scott now knew the business inside out. Loved how he could slot all the pieces together to assist in making a band, or an event, reach its full potential.

“Are you listening to me?” Christa, Dakata’s sister, questioned, one shapely brow arched to perfection while she swept her black flowing locks over one shoulder.

“Of course.” Christa and her brothers did not focus on the details like Dakata, which was irritating, to say the least. Scott liked things organized and was not used to this current chaotic state the office was in.

But since Dakata had met his blissful one, which most demons, himself included, thought was more of a myth, things had changed. Scott had hardly recovered from the shock when Merihem, Dakata’s best friend—who had become forced by the Demon King to come and work for Dakata because of a minor issue in the demon realm—had found his blissful one, too.

It was as if it was catching…

“Are you going to go? It seems rather urgent?” Christa’s voice penetrated past his thoughts, and he kept his expression totally neutral at being caught—for the first time—not paying attention.

He stared at Christa, hoping to gauge what he’d missed. When he got nothing, he ignored the smug smile at not being able to read her and swallowed his sigh of frustration.

“Merihem reached out. He’s been in an accident—"

“What!” Up off the seat, his concern for Merihem, who he genuinely liked, his sleeping demon stirred for the first time that day. His demon side hated office work so much that he spent most of the day sleeping when Scott was at work.

“He’s fine, as is Peni. They need you to go to them because of the cab driver, George, he needs to go to the hospital,” Christa explained as she wrote on a piece of paper.

A moment later, she pushed it over the table towards him, and he picked it up, seeing an address for a street he didn’t believe was that far away. He gave her a searching look, his concern for those he knew well held in check.

He didn’t jump to conclusions. “This cab driver, why is he important?”

Christa’s expression grew grave, and Scott’s demon paid attention. “He is a friend of Silas’s and injured seriously enough that he isn’t able to shift to heal. Merihem wants to ensure he’s looked after. Can you do that?”

“Of course.”

“Get him whatever he needs,” Christa added, like Scott needed the added instructions, when he didn’t.

Scott used his iPad to search for the details of the nearest hospital to where the accident was, working out the logistics. He often chose not to translocate, he much preferred human travel. It was less taxing when his demon wasn’t always awake.

The movement of Christa sitting back in her seat, crossing a silk-clad leg over the other, got Scott meeting her gaze. A light of amusement was there in the depth of her eyes. “Are you going? He’s unconscious and has no one to advocate for him.” She pointed at his tablet. “What are you doing?”

“He may have healed before I get there. But I’m looking at the hospitals in the area, assessing likely courses of action for the paramedics.” Shifters, like demons, had the ability to heal themselves. The bear would probably be gone before Scott got there. Clearly, it was going to be a waste of his time.

He expressed none of his thoughts on the matter, while he considered what he would have to shuffle around to make sure he met all the personal deadlines he set himself to keep everything in order.

Christa gave him a seductive smile, one that would never work on Scott, as he wasn’t interested in females or dating another demon. They were all arrogant, and he’d had enough of that to last him a lifetime with his family. He liked calm and orderly, not chaotic or rampaging. It just wasn’t him.

“Possibly, but our guys are worried about the bear, so just check on them and him. I’ll sort through what’s needed here, so don’t worry.” She clearly got what his reluctance was. Christa or her brothers had no talent for organization, to Scott’s mind.

He nodded, spun around on his Italian loafers, and left the room, keeping the worry about how she’d achieve the things on the long list he’d established to keep her on track. When Christa went off in the opposite direction from Scott’s way of working, it was troublesome. But he got paid handsomely, so he didn’t complain.

At his desk, he tidied everything away in its place and tucked the iPad in his laptop bag. He would work at the hospital while they did whatever was needed so as not to waste time.

Scott released a quiet sigh at thoughts of this disruption and messaged Dakata’s driver.

With his laptop bag slung over his broad shoulder, two minutes later he slipped out of the building. Dakata’s car and driver were waiting for him. He moved swiftly and got into the back seat, the scent of leather greeting his nose. He settled back and immediately pulled out his laptop, resting it on his knees before giving the street address to the driver.

Minutes passed, and Scott lost track of time as he sent emails and re-organized his workload. When he glanced up as the car slid to a stop next to a police car, he looked at the scene of carnage. His pulse leaped at the mangled car.

Seeing Merihem holding a small goat, Scott tucked his laptop away and got out of the car, striding past the wreckage, and considered that Merihem and Peni were lucky to escape.

As he passed the ambulance, he noted the doors shutting as he reached Merihem. He saw a glimpse of a person on a trolley inside.

He’d barely come to a stop when Merihem demanded, “Scott, give this officer details of where to find me.” There was no waiting for a reply, Merihem stalked off with his blissful one in his arms.

Scott offered a polite smile, pulling out a card from his wallet. “You can contact this number, and I will organize a suitable time to discuss the accident.”

Scott didn’t acknowledge the blustering officer, he just repeated himself once more before leaving to go back to the car when the ambulance sirens blared as it drove off.

There were several bleats coming from Peni when Scott got into the back of the car. Seated, he glanced at Merihem. “Where to?” Scott tugged on the cuff of his suit jacket, crossing his legs.

“Take us to Dakata’s house.”

Scott gave the instructions to the driver while he listened to Merihem work to coax Peni to shift into his human form.

Scott watched in fascination when a rather giddy goat attempted to climb Merihem’s chest.

When they came to a stop, Merihem looked flushed, and his efforts to get Peni to shift had been unsuccessful.

“I need you to follow up with George, the cab driver. Go to the hospital and pay any bills for his care. See that they look after him.”

Scott nodded, knowing already that would be his next task. “Of course.”

Merihem got out of the car, buck naked. Scott heard a woman walking past gasp. Peni bleated and kicked his hooves in the woman’s direction when she stopped to stare.

Scott held back a chuckle when he heard Merihem whisper, “That told her,” which earned him a lick to his face from the goat.

When Merihem returned his attention to the open door and Scott, he grinned. “I’ll not be in the office for the rest of the week. Can you email me everything you want me to look at and courier over anything requiring signing?”

“Of course.”

Back with his laptop on his knee, Scott pulled up a schematic of the emergency department while tracking the ambulance via the street cameras. Not strictly legal, but it allowed him to know exactly where George was and would end up.

When they stopped behind the same ambulance, Scott closed down his laptop and set it aside. “Please find somewhere to wait, I’ll call you when I’m ready to leave.”

“Yes, sir.”

Out of the car, Scott strode into the emergency room, his nose twitched at the scents assaulting him. He went to the desk where people stood queuing. He patiently waited his turn.

The woman behind the counter didn’t even bother to look at him as he stepped forward. “How can I help you?” she asked in a bored tone.

“I’m looking for George Maybank. He was brought in after an accident involving several people.”

“Are you a relative?” She tapped at the keyboard.

“Yes,” he lied, not wanting to explain why he was there or who had sent him.

Gum moved its way around her teeth as she blew a bubble, and it popped as she finally glanced at him. When she got a look at him, the bored look disappeared. A smile appeared, he supposed she thought was flirty.

His blond good looks and dimples often got this reaction. “He’s in the emergency bay for assessment and observation.”

“Thank you.” He spun about and walked off, not needing anything more.

“Sir, you can’t go back there,” she called after him.

He merely nodded to confirm he’d heard her and continued on. He glanced about, looking for a place to translocate, unobserved into the emergency department.

He followed the signs and stepped into a side ward, then gave himself a moment to think about what he’d seen on the schematic before he translocated. No one noticed his arrival. How would they when it looked like a demon had been through the area on a rampage?

People moved franticly, darting past obstacles as they went about their business. Twice he tried to attract someone's attention and then gave up.

He walked to the electronic board that displayed patients' names and locations. He noted the one he needed and easily found the cubicle.

Scott glanced about, listening when he came to a stop at a half-drawn curtain around a gurney with a large pair of booted feet hanging off the end.

Scott’s demon chose then to wake up fully. Why are we in a smelly hospital? And who is that little honey?

Little honey? To whom are you referring?

His demon side chuckled at him. You need to remove that stick from your ass occasionally.

Behave.

Hey, I’m just saying it how it is. And who is the honey bear?

Scott glanced at the gurney, not quite seeing a honey bear, but then his demon could be whimsical occasionally. He’s a friend of Silas.

The enormous man smelled like a bear, but there was no sweet honey smell. Dark, wavy brown hair hung around a rugged face. A wound to the left side of his head showed why he was there. The black and purple bruising didn’t detract from how handsome he was.

Handsome.

Maybe he’d taken a hit to the head! Or maybe his demon was pushing the thought into his head?

He’s sexy, his demon purred, and Scott rolled his eyes heavenward.

You think any guy with legs is sexy. It was the truth.

The chuckling continued in his mind and made Scott reluctant to see what his demon would do when he got closer. But he had a duty to check on the bear, and that’s what he would do.

Stepping behind the curtain, Scott caught a flicker of eyelid movement from the bear. His body froze and something flowed through him, an awareness that made him hyper-alert and attuned to his demon. Something that so rarely happened, he braced—for what he couldn’t say—as he watched those eyes move with a sense of dread.

When they fluttered open, Scott forced his lips into a smile to give reassurance because he didn’t need the bear freaking out on him. Only the moment their eyes connected, Scott’s demon, who was not one to be a nuisance or cause trouble, wanted out. He surged so hard that if not for the gurney in front of him, he’d have been forcibly thrown to the ground. Instead, Scott had to reach out and grab the rail to stay upright.

He panted, his insides spiraling out of control at the need from his demon side to touch the bear. His hands clawed as he struggled to hold back.

What on earth is wrong with you?

Ours!