Chapter 2 – Aline
Chapter Two
Aline
M y hands shake as I grab Emerson’s paperwork from Dread’s desk. I’m not sure where the line is of how much magic I can use without being caught, and I have no interest in finding out.
A quick slide of my palm over the signature makes sparkly pink magic fill the air. It looks so innocuous, it’s hard to believe what I’m capable of. I pull my hand to the side, and a little focused intent does the job nicely.
I’m examining the repurposed signature when large hands cup my hips and the papers slip out of my grip. A familiar scent hits me, and I let out a breath of pure relief.
It’s not the hunters.
“Are you supposed to be in the boss’s office?” Atlas asks against the shell of my ear. His deep, growly voice sends a shiver down my spine.
I smirk over my shoulder at him. “What if I’m not?”
“Then, I’m pretty sure your behavior would require some type of punishment.” His warm breath tickles as it fans over my neck.
The way his calloused hands scratch over the silky material of my dress makes my nipples tighten. Atlas smells like pine and evergreen. It’s reminiscent of home, which is strangely comforting, considering I’ll never go back.
Atlas manages to pin both of my hands to Dread’s desk with one of his while the other runs over my hip to my ass.
I grin at him. “Do you want to get both of us fired?”
“The bosses are distracted with whatever went down tonight with Arsyn.” Atlas gives me a look that’s pure fire. “Meaning, not one of them is in the building.”
“Oh, hell,” I grumble, frowning. “That means I can’t leave.”
“Let’s see if we can’t find something to pass the time,” he murmurs, bending to nuzzle my cheek. His lips barely brush mine in a light tease of a kiss, and then his massive palm is landing on my hip. “You seem like you need a bit of a distraction.”
“Atlas...” I start, but I don’t know how to finish.
It’s complicated.
I want him in a way that’s difficult to explain, but letting him any closer would only set us up for heartbreak.
We’re stuck in this playful zone that’s one step above friendship and one below hooking up.
He’s affectionate and continually makes an effort to look out for me, which I love, but I’m keeping a lot of important information from him.
It doesn’t seem fair to let things progress when I’d be putting him at risk if the fae hunters track me down.
“You’re thinking too much again, sweet fae.
” His hand lands on my ass several times in quick succession.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I bite my lip to keep quiet while attempting to convince myself that lighthearted and flirtatious isn’t my type.
And that I don’t love how he draws me out of my own head.
Not that I’m successful. I don’t know how to fight the pull Atlas has over me.
“How about one or two more?” Even though my eyes are still closed, I have no trouble detecting the smile in his voice.
I nod my agreement, whimpering when he lands a few more smacks. My head falls back against his chest as the shock of pain sizzles through my system before it quickly transforms into blissful pleasure. His woodsy scent is heavy in the air. My knees clench as I breathe him in.
Atlas chuckles, and a silly smile breaks across my face in response.
“Hey, boss lady,” Saber yells through Dread’s closed door, causing my eyes to pop open. “We’ve got a problem.”
The toe of my shoe bounces against the carpet as I have an actual fit. “This job sucks.” I carefully pull my hands out from under Atlas’s grip.
He laughs, low and throaty. “Come on. I’ll help you handle whatever it is, and we’ll get a couple hours of sleep on the couch in your office.”
He’s so tall, I have to crane my neck to look up at him, despite my height. He’s such a good male, and I dig my teeth into my lower lip to keep from admitting something ridiculous, like I don’t know what I would do without him.
I shake my head. I’m being unfair to him, and I know it.
“Boss?” Saber calls again.
Atlas tosses his arm around my lower back, leading me out. “We’re coming.”
“That’s something you don’t see every day,” Atlas snorts. His fingers tease up the back of my dress, but all I can do is blink at the scene before us.
There is a line of four men wrapped up in webbing.
All four of their cocks seem to be the only thing left unbound.
They’re stuck just below the ceiling, and despite how wild the scene is, my brain is still focused on how they got fifteen or sixteen feet off the ground.
How the hell didn’t they fall while they were being webbed in?
Atlas pinches my ass cheek, and I squeak, swatting at his hand as I get myself together.
The female arachnid demon climbs off the man on the end and moves to the second to the left. Saber shutters out a breath, glancing away as Sorsha sinks down on the next erect dick with zero concern for her audience.
Sentinels are the offspring of heaven. Saber is usually a good sport with most of the demons, but there are a few innate impulses that he finds difficult to overcome. He isn’t fond of spiders or nagas or even basilisks, come to think of it.
“That’s actually kind of impressive,” Atlas says, wiggling his eyebrows at me. He tilts his head, appraising the situation, and tosses his thumb at the show. “But just to be clear, what exactly are we looking at?”
Saber swipes a hand over his face, taking a large step back. “Sorsha claimed a mate.”
“Which one?” I frown at the arachnid demon.
“All of them,” Sorsha hisses. “Back away, female.” She spits the last word like it’s an insult, but I’m far from offended. I’ve seen enough to know that mates are fiercely protective of each other.
All mates outside of mine, but I ignore the pulsing pain in my chest that comes when I think of them. I’m rundown, and it’s getting to me on all fronts.
I take a step back with palms raised. “I have no interest in your mates. As long as everyone is willing and in consensual agreement?” I make eye contact with the four monsters currently wrapped up in her web.
Gods, I don’t get paid enough for this. “Blink once for yes or repeatedly if you need help.”
Saber and I scan the men. They all seem to be on board.
“Okay, great,” I say, clapping my hands together. “Congratulations on your union.”
“That’s one way to put it,” Saber mutters.
Atlas snorts, grinning as he shakes his head.
“I’m calling it a day.” I give a forced smile.
I’m dead on my feet, and today has officially spilled well into tomorrow. It’s been a long one, and I tend to judge my days based on when I finally get to sleep.
“Why did you call for a supervisor in the first place?” Atlas asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
“We needed the boss.” Saber turns toward us while continually glancing over his shoulder. I think he’s making sure Sorsha isn’t getting any bright ideas, like trying to add him to her harem.
I’m surprised his half sphinx heritage doesn’t offset some of those innate impulses.
It finally clicks. “Damn, bonding requires upper management,” I grumble. “Sorsha, we’re going to need you to free their mouths long enough for Saber to ask them the bonding questions.”
“Why me?” he sputters, tossing up his palms.
“Because I’m female. My presence will only further agitate the newly bonded demon.”
“What should we do if we need someone?” Saber asks as I spin around to head out.
“Then you act like management and handle it yourself,” Atlas growls, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “Why did they even promote you? You know what? Don’t answer that. We’ll be in her office. Make sure you don’t need us. She was supposed to be off four hours ago.”
“Shit,” Saber says, shaking his head. He swipes his shoulder-length black hair away from his face with his thumbs. “Sorry. I’ll try to make sure you get some uninterrupted time.”
“Thank you,” I reply as Atlas leads me toward the door.
“Make sure you do,” Atlas says in a commanding tone that sends a shiver down my spine.
Saber’s light-gray eyes narrow for a split second before he shrugs. He’s generally easygoing for a sentinel, but both of his heritage species are known for being defiant and high-strung.
“All right.” Saber claps, spinning to face Sorsha and her mates. “I need to be able to speak to each one of them.”
“Come on, sweetheart. Climb me,” Atlas says once we make it into the hall.
I glance around, checking to see if anyone is watching.
This is dangerous territory.
It’s not necessarily frowned upon for employees to be intimately involved, but because I’m only one step below the owners, I feel like they have different expectations for me.
I adopted the policy of not mixing business with pleasure a few years ago, after I hooked up with one of the bartenders and it became a whole thing. Being a woman in a position of power can be tricky. We can’t get away with the behavior a man can under the same circumstances.
“Up, sweet fae.” Atlas gives me an expectant look.
I scramble up his chest and wrap my legs around his rear end. I’m too tired to care if someone catches sight of my ass.
Technically, I don’t know if anyone would even care if they saw us together. I used to be a lot more vigilant, but I’m at the point where I’d rather risk my job than gamble with the chance of losing Atlas.
It’s sad to admit, but I have pretty much no one here. I’ve got friends and co-workers. Certainly, there are people who would notice if I went missing. But with Atlas, it’s a different type of connection.
I’m so damn tired that it’s making me overthink everything. Not for the first time today, I remind myself that I normally do love my job. As my forehead presses against Atlas’s collarbone, I’m immensely grateful for my orc too.