Chapter Seven
Dristan
As soon as we entered the stairwell, I knew I was right to get her out of there as soon as possible. I’d instructed my brother to get everything arranged and he’d finally let me know that I could make the offer.
It had been tedious for me to wait, but he’d handled the mess I’d dragged him into like a champ. Penelope wouldn’t be working for my business any longer. She would be more personal . Her contract contained all her benefits and ensured that anything she could ever need was covered, but what I’d made very clear to Rudgar was that I needed to make fraternization a direct possibility.
If she’d stayed on with Everlock Financial, I would’ve had to have some consideration for HR and appearances. Now, I could fit her into my plan—into my life without worry. The pull I had toward her wasn’t a coincidence.
My mate.
I’d had a niggling sensation in the back of my head since the first moment I’d laid my eyes on her. My father hadn’t been able to have the conversation about what meeting my mate would be like, but it hadn’t hit me like the ton of bricks I thought it would.
It was more of a slow awakening. I settled into the knowledge with ease. She was mine and there was no way I was going to let her go. Ignoring the stench around me, I climbed the stairs with her, careful not to touch anything. I distracted myself by staring at her phenomenal ass.
Five flights up, she stepped onto the floor and turned right down the short corridor. The chipped paint on the front door told me everything I needed to know about the type of maintenance that was done on this building.
I blew out a breath of relief that I could finally get her out of here. After Rudgar’s research showed me pictures of this place, it’d been everything I could do to not toss her over my shoulder and keep her safe inside my penthouse.
She looked over her shoulder at me as she unlocked the front door. “You can wait here,” she tried, opening the door and trying to close it behind her.
I held the door behind her with no effort and it was so flimsy it almost snapped like a twig in my hands. My mind boggled at the lack of basic security in this place.
Penelope was glaring up at me, clearly ready to ream me a new asshole for barging my way inside when a tiny chirp of noise came from behind her.
The tiny human had a plate in her hand that she looked like she was on the verge of dropping and the sheer terror on her face told me I needed to explain my presence, stat. I raised my hand in a wave at her and she started backing away.
“Hi Kelly,” Penelope called from next to me, slowing the female’s escape. “This is my boss. We’re just stopping by to—”
“Penelope will be moving out.”
Two pairs of bugged out eyes turned my way and I hid my amusement.
“You’re moving out?” Kelly squeaked, keeping her eyes on me, but I figured it was more because I was a strange male standing in her space than anything else.
“I’m sorry about how last minute this is, Kel,” Penelope moved toward the female, glaring over her shoulder at me. “But I just received the job offer of a lifetime and it’s a live-in position.”
For the first time, Kelly took her terrified eyes off me to turn to Penelope. Her brows furrowed and she reached her hand out for her. Penelope took it into hers and I was touched that she’d formed a bond so quickly. After all, she’d only been here for a few weeks.
“Congratulations,” Kelly’s smile seemed forced now. “I can’t say I won’t hate losing you as a roommate, though.”
“Lose who as a roommate?” A human male’s voice called out from somewhere inside the apartment and I watched in confusion as Penelope’s shoulders went as stiff as a board. Every instinct in me screamed to protect her. My fists clenched beside me and it was everything I could do to stop from swinging them at the male.
“Pen’s leaving,” Kelly said, turning to face the human male that appeared in the tiny hallway. He stiffened as he spotted me and I was gratified by the response.
There was something about this male that I didn’t like. It could also be Penelope’s reaction that skewed my opinion, but I was fine with hating someone right away without reason anyway.
“This is her boss,” Kelly explained. “She’s taken a new job and it’s a live-in position.”
My lip curled as the male turned to look at Penelope, a possessive gleam in his eyes. I even took a step toward him, but when Kelly turned wide eyes my way again, I stopped. I imagined that having a strange orc in her home was new to her. Having one string up her boyfriend by his testicles for no apparent reason wouldn’t help her opinion of me in any way.
“It isn’t really fair to leave us hanging on your part of the rent without warning, though, is it?” he said in a whiny voice that grated on me. The gleam in this male’s eyes made my fingers twitch. I could snap his neck with one flick of my wrist. I was itching to give in to the urge.
Maybe I can ask him to help me carry something out. Then I can throw him down the stairs. It’d be an accident. No one would know.
I wasn’t sure why I was having such a visceral reaction to him, but just as I was about to say fuck it and step between him and Penelope, she spoke.
“I won’t leave you in the lurch. I’ll pay the next month’s rent as soon as I get paid, so you have time to find someone new.” Her voice was colder than before, her eyes narrowed in annoyance.
“Oh, you don’t need to do that,” Kelly shook her head, taking Penelope’s hand again. “Dave and I are so happy for you. We’ll just miss you.”
“How much is a month’s rent?” I asked, my eyes narrowed on the male named Dave . I glanced down at his sweatpants, noticing that there was barely a bulge and I hid a smirk. Dickless Dave sounded about right.
“That’s none of your business,” Penelope turned to hiss at me, but Dickless Dave was already calling out a figure.
I had my checkbook out before he could finish, already scribbling the number across one. Penelope’s gasped breath made my cock stir, and I wondered how often she made that sound in bed.
“You can’t—” she started, but I handed the check over to Kelly without looking at her.
“Thank you for your hospitality. She’ll be moving out tonight.”
Penelope’s lips parted to argue, but I cut her off.
“Can you do me a favor?” I sent a charming smile Kelly’s way and with the way her lashes fluttered, I knew I’d hit my target. She nodded at me without a word, a blush pinkening her cheeks. “Can you pack everything that’s out here into a box?”
“Pen doesn’t leave anything out here except food,” she breathed, her eyes on my lips.
“That makes it easier, then.” I turned to Penelope who was glaring at me again, her eyes shining with her fury. It sent a jolt of lust through my body. “We can pack up your room now.”
Her breathing was becoming erratic and I shuffled us forward with my hand on the small of her back, restraining myself from copping a feel of her, so that we could have some privacy before she blew up at me. I knew it was coming—and I had to admit I was looking forward to it.
She released a low growl that made my cock jerk in my pants, turning to stomp off toward a door down the corridor. She opened it, holding it open for me, scowling as I stepped inside. When Penelope shut the door, she shoved her finger into my chest so hard that I figured she was trying to puncture a hole into me.
“You can’t just go around spending money like that. I would have paid for it myself. You have no right to just throw yourself into my personal business.” She kept her voice low enough that she wouldn’t be overheard by Kelly and Dickless Dave—probably because the walls in this poor excuse for an apartment were paper thin—but her words shook with fury.
“I offered you the job knowing that it’s very sudden,” I said in a placating voice, because there was a lamp on the desk next to her and I was almost certain she’d given it the side eye. I didn’t want to be bashed across the head. “I don’t want you to be inconvenienced at all during the transition.” Sucking in a breath, I forced out a word that I very rarely said. “Please. Allow me to make it smoother in any way I can.”