Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
B illy
“Get the financials on these three newcomers in superconductor and battery tech I identified for possible acquisition.” I give Noah, one of our top analysts, a handwritten list. “Prepare a full analysis for the next executive meeting.”
“Yes, sir,” Noah answers.
He’s a wolf, but he’s not part of our pack.
He secured a job at Moon Co the conventional way–through an Ivy League degree and excellent references.
Once he was in, we recognized him as one of our kind by his scent.
Sully, our head of security, ran a thorough background check to make sure he wasn’t one of the Adalwulf’s spies, but we found no connection to our enemy pack.
After that, he rose quickly through the ranks.
There’s nothing this company appreciates more than a bright, competent young employee who is also a wolf.
That’s why I would never fuck Annabeth, my assistant, even though she’s gorgeous. She’s too valuable to the company.
Noah won extra favor this past winter with Brick for lipreading a video of Aiden and Madi that proved me wrong about their meeting, a mistake I’m still paying for.
Still, Noah isn’t part of our inner circle.
Brick hasn’t even asked him to join the pack–something about him being pissed that Noah didn’t present himself to join immediately when he came to New York.
Brick takes it as either a sign of disrespect or that he was playing both sides and was going to join the Adalwulfs if they offered him a job.
I was suspicious at first, but now that I know the guy, I think it was out of integrity. He didn’t want to use wolf connections to get a job on Wall Street. He might be someone determined to prove himself after facing discrimination at some point in his life for being deaf.
Now that I’m sure he’s trustworthy, I’ve come to rely on him because he’s smarter than most of the people who work here and observant as fuck. I ordered my team to learn American Sign Language and took lessons with a private tutor until I was fluent myself.
I’m tempted to open the topic of him joining our pack, but it’s a rocky time right now. The pack is still settling after all the challenges to our Alpha.
“That’s all, thank you,” I sign to Noah and follow him out of my office to stand in front of Annabeth’s desk.
“I need you to arrange Mr. Blackthroat’s bachelor party in Monte Carlo,” I tell Annabeth.
She looks up at me, startled. There’s a trace of fear in her scent. She’s competitive like me, so she doesn’t like surprises she doesn’t know how to handle.
“I know you know nothing about these human rituals.”
She’s already recovered, picking up a pen and angling her notepad to face me. “I can research it. Of course,” she assures me. She writes “Bachelor Party” at the top of the yellow notepad.
“It’s a joint party with Ms. Evans. Her maid of honor will want final say on everything.”
Annabeth nods. “Would you like me to reach out to her now to start the process?”
I hesitate. I should say yes and wash my hands of this. But I know Aubrey wouldn’t let me off the hook so easily. She didn’t want me to offload this project or make it go away with money alone.
I was a fool to disclose the fact that this is punishment for me. She loved the notion way too much.
But then, I like seeing her turned on by something, even if it is torturing me.
Of course, I intend to torture her right back.
At this point, just being around each other seems to be torture enough for both of us.
“No.” I blow out my breath. “I’ll be the intermediary for now.”
Annabeth fails to mask her surprise.
“I’m Best Man,” I say, as if that explains things.
Of course, Annabeth doesn’t understand these human ceremonies any better than I do.
“Mr. Blackthroat wants me to liaise with the human side.”
“ You , sir?” Annabeth doesn’t manage to hide her incredulity.
She knows I was behind getting Madi fired because she executed my orders for the full security investigation I ordered.
She knows I only surround myself with wolves.
I’d rather have a wolf at my back than a human any day.
I don’t work with humans unless I absolutely have to.
No humans work on my floor or my department.
“Me. As homage to our luna.” The only reason I’m explaining this for a second time to someone outside the circle of me is because I trust and expect Annabeth to protect my interests.
“Ah. Of course.”
“All arrangements should be charged to my personal gold card. We’re looking at the week of the wedding.”
Annabeth nods. “Taking the company jet?”
“Yes.” The one with enclosed sleeping beds.
I know nothing about bachelor parties, but I’m suddenly picturing the party starting on the jet. Champagne flowing. Music pumping. Aubrey removing her clothes like a stripper who pops out of a cake.
No. No, no, no. That’s so wrong. Aubrey will not be the bachelor party entertainment. No one will be watching her strip.
Unless it’s me. In the private sleeping pod.
“How long will you stay?”
“You determine what is ideal.” Now I’m picturing Aubrey in a white string bikini, her skin sun-warmed on the beach. Her nutmeg and honey scent would carry a salty taste. My dick starts to harden.
I clear my throat and try to push the image out of my mind. “We’ll need a few days to enjoy the beach, as well as the nightlife.”
“Understood. Number of guests?”
“Ms. Evans will provide a list.” I walk away before Annabeth sees me tugging at my tie to cool my neck.
Irritation spikes as I enter my office.
The desire to make the annoying human pay for being so colorful. So larger than life. So fucking all-consuming eats at me.
I pull my phone out and hit her number.
“William White the Third.” She bites off the consonants in my distinguished name, loading it with sarcasm.
My cock gets hard picturing her tossing her hair and smirking like calling out my full name is some kind of insult.
“Cafe Girl.”
“Is that what you call me?”
“I don’t call you anything. But you can call me ‘boss.’” She did take a commission from me, after all.
She scoffs. “You’re not my boss. I’m an independent contractor. And I haven’t even started.”
“That’s why I’m calling. I need to know when you’re starting.”
She hesitates. “I have to go back to Sentience tonight.”
There’s a thread of tension in her voice I don’t understand. But it also doesn’t make sense that she’s painting a mural for them. They seem like exactly the kind of company she’d thumb her nose at.
“I thought you were finished.”
“I just need to paint a top coat to make sure it lasts.”
“At night?”
Something about this feels wrong.
“I’m a part-time student. Besides, I like being there when no one else is.”
That part rings true and makes sense. But my wolf doesn’t like the idea of her being there alone at night. Walking to the subway afterward. Walking home from the subway.
“How late?” I demand.
“What?”
“How late will you stay? How long will it take?”
“Why? ” She sounds annoyed now.
“I’ll pick you up.”
“No, thanks.”
I end the call, too irritated to negotiate further. I’m losing my touch. It’s usually easy for me to manipulate any situation to get what I want. For some reason, I lose all rationale with this absurd female.
I cock my arm back to hurl my phone at the wall then restrain myself and grind my teeth instead.
I will have that little temptress on her knees begging for my cock by the time I’m through. I hold that vision as my end goal. This may be a long game, but it’s a game I will win.
Because coming from behind to steal the entire game is where I excel.
My father never saw it coming.
Aubrey Cook thinks she is impervious. Immune. Uninterested.
She will soon find out just how wrong she is.