Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
VALERIA
I couldn't shake the restlessness that consumed me throughout the day and night. Kai's refusal to speak left me feeling unsettled, my mind consumed by thoughts of him. Kai’s lingering scent in the workplace only added to my unease. Within the confines of the office, I continued to feel his frustration and anger, but I failed to find a reason behind those emotions.
I was feeling optimistic about Parker Tower, so I decided to take the job. Besides, I couldn't ignore the fact that I had found my fated mate. He would have to accept the connection between us sooner or later. I saw no point in continuing the job under Lucien's dad. I contemplated the pros and cons of the situation as I lay in bed. My phone started to ring and I eagerly anticipated hearing Luke's voice on the other end, but to my surprise, it was Lucien who asked, "Valeria, why did you leave the job without informing me?"
Instantly, I felt a pang of regret for not checking the caller ID before answering.
Anger rushed through me. “Why should I inform you about anything in my life?”
Lucien responded, “Listen, I know I hurt you, but we can talk it out. You can’t shut me out like that.”
“Lucien, you fucked my best friend behind my back! It’s not hurting someone it’s called betraying someone who loved you to the moon and NO there is nothing to talk about,” I corrected him.
Lucien sighed, “If you want I will never see Morgana…”
“Oh please, I want nothing to do with you and your shenanigans so feel free to do anything that pleases you.”
Lucien was just about to say something when I abruptly ended the call and blocked his number. I closed my eyes. Fate had presented me with a greater challenge to overcome. I wasted no time heading out to contemplate the do's and don'ts. It had become abundantly clear that Kai Parker was the one I saw myself with in the long run, and I needed to take the next steps.
The next morning I arrived at the office earlier than the standard time. It was an important day for me as it marked my official first day of working solo. Rachel had warned me that Mr. Parker was known to be very strict with his schedule. I really appreciated Rachel's kindness in offering her assistance in training me whenever I needed to call. However, I also understood that this was her wedding week, and I didn't want to bother her.
As I finished sorting everything I leaned back in my chair and suddenly caught a whiff of his scent. I knew he had entered the building. As he approached a surge of excitement coursed through me, but I had to maintain my composure. He walked in and seemed shocked to see me. Does he truly think I’m so weak that I would turn away from my fate simply because he lacked the bravery to communicate or embrace what fate had to offer?
I stood up and walked with Mr. Parker to his office to inform him of his schedule for the day. When he walked past me without acknowledging my presence I swallowed my anger and greeted him with a fake smile on my face, “Good morning Mr. Parker.”
He nodded and without looking at me replied cooly, “Morning.”
I kept walking by his side. “You have a meeting with California's warehouse manager at 10 a.m. to discuss the details of the loss of raw material. After that, lunch with Mr. Frank, who flew in from Argentina, at 1 p.m. to discuss and finalize the contract details. Later, there is a project review session scheduled with the New York quality control team at 3 p.m.”
He nodded and continued to remain silent. But when I crossed him in front of him and kept the door open, he had no choice but to look at me. “Anything else, Miss Davis?”
I nodded, “Yes, Mr. Parker.”
He raised his brow, “Care to share what it is?”
I sighed, “Can you please not call me Miss Davis? I prefer Valeria.”
He nodded, continuing his douchebag attitude. “Alright, Valeria, you can go now.”
I was on my way to but thought better of it and turned around. “Mr. Parker, don’t forget you have a conference call with a Paris partner at 4 p.m. for expansion.”
He nodded and when I was about to turn around he called my name, “Valeria?”
I looked at him, “Yes, Mr. Parker.”
He exhaled, “Call me Kai.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “But everyone calls you Mr. Parker.”
He tilted his head. “But I want you to call me Kai. Is that clear?”
I nodded, “Of course Mr. Par….” He raised his brows and I corrected myself, “Kai.”
“Valeria, would you mind pouring me a glass of whiskey?’
I opened my mouth to tell him it was too early for a drink but then I recalled Rachel’s guidelines, “Refrain from asking questions”.
I sealed my lips and smiled. "Sure." I approached the bar and continued to ponder his true identity hidden behind so many questions, yet I chose not to inquire.
As I reached for the bottle and twisted off the cap a wave of Kai's scent enveloped me. It was so strong that I almost stumbled. But then I felt his warm breath against the back of my neck and I steadied myself. Pouring whiskey into a glass, my hands trembled slightly as I carefully put the bottle back and picked up the glass. I shut my eyes briefly and gathered the strength to face what stood behind me, my movements sluggish.
I had to put the glass back on the table because there was not enough room between us for the glass. I found myself breathing against his lean chest. He put a finger under my chin and moved it lightly up my face. He cupped my face with both of his hands and cursed, “Fuck.”
He claimed my mouth as if he had been longing for this moment for ages. As if my mouth was the only thing he had been searching for. I couldn't resist as his tongue gently parted my lips; I found myself unable to stop him. The instant his tongue slipped into my mouth I was overwhelmed by the taste of whiskey on his lips. I reached out and gently placed my hands inside his jacket feeling the warmth of his body. With the tenderest touch, I began to massage his back, my fingers gliding over the fabric of his shirt. I couldn't resist the allure of his warm body. The intoxicating blend of whiskey and musk that emanated from him. I found myself unable to control my desire as I let out a moan amid our passionate kiss.
His hand slid under my frock and behind my thighs. The warmth of his touch against my bare skin sent a surge of pleasure through me. My pulsating pussy touched his hard shaft as he lifted me up. I thought he was going to place me on the table, but he began moving me up and down his throbbing length and I was overcome with an immense thrill.
My hands moved up to his neck and when our lips parted ways my eyes landed on his neck. There were no scars or wounds there like I had seen yesterday. My eyes widened and he sensed my confusion “Valeria, what the fuck you are doing to me?”
I shrugged it off as his lips began to trail along my jaw and then down my neck and shoulders. Somehow, he constantly found his way back to my lips. I couldn't help running my fingers through his hair, lost in the sensation as his kisses ignited a fire within me. The gentle touch of his teeth against my skin sent a delightful tingle down my back. As my chest rose, he began to suck and use his teeth, bringing me to the brink of an orgasm. I felt his teeth on my skin, intensifying my moans as unexpectedly he took my hard nipples into his mouth through the fabric of my dress.
We were both on the brink of losing control and a glass suddenly fell to the floor. Our eyes met and at that moment he put me back on the floor while I adjusted my lipstick and straightened my dress. He picked up the suit jacket and fixed his hair. I was standing there clueless but when he told me to leave a question slipped out of my mouth, “What?” I asked in bewilderment.
He turned around so his back was to me, “I said you should leave now.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, “Why? Because you are done kissing me or doing stuff that you wanted?”
Kai didn’t even look at me.“Whatever happened, I guarantee it won't happen again.”
I sighed and threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t get it. One second you try to be oKai-ish with me and the other second you act like a pain in the ass.”
Kai raised his brow, “What did you just call me?”
I dipped my head. “I am done being a puppet. I am done with people taking advantage of me.”
My hands were at the doorknob when Kai asked “Wait, what do you mean?”
I didn’t turn around. “None of your business,” and stormed out of his office.
When I got back to my table I decided to immerse myself in my work. I wanted a distraction from the ongoing complications of my life like Lucien and Morgana's betrayal, and Kai's insensitive attitude towards our fated mate bond. After a few hours, a group of HR members approached me during my lunch break. They extended an invitation to join them as they were about to head out. Looking at my planner I noticed that I had free time so I joined them without informing Kai. I told them that if anything came up I would rush back.
After about half an hour my phone started to ring. It was Kai. The moment I picked up the phone he screeched, “Where the hell are you?”
I excused myself and walked outside. “I am out for my lunch break.”
“And you didn’t inform me? Do you still remember you have a job to do? That is to arrange your schedule according to mine,” Kai fumed.
I narrowed my eyes. "I've taken care of everything for the next four hours, so you don't need me. Taking a one-hour lunch break is a right that everyone deserves, and it's not fair for you to scold me for it."
Kai replied, "If you don't return within ten minutes, I couldn't care less about your rights. I will personally come over and drag you back to the office."
I opened my mouth to respond but he ended the call. Damn, you supercharged douchebag maniac.
I hurried back inside the restaurant, grabbed my bag, and paid for my order. As I was about to leave when Oliver stopped me and offered to give me a ride to the office because he was also heading there.
I couldn't help but keep checking the time. When Oliver asked what was going on, I didn't go into all the details. Instead, I simply told him that I had to be in the office within the next ten minutes. He exhaled, "Challenge accepted, Miss Davis,” Before I could request that he call me Valeria his car accelerated at an incredible speed we arrived at the Parker Tower in no time.
As Oliver and I stepped out of the elevator, he held my bag while I quickly rolled up my hair and tied it. Once I had finished, I took my bag from Oliver. Kai stood nearby and appeared visibly annoyed, his nostrils flaring. I felt a slight touch as Oliver and my hands briefly made contact. I sensed a wave of anger emanating from Kai, but I made the conscious decision to disregard it. After all, if he wasn't willing to talk about us, why should I concern myself with his emotions?
I smiled at Oliver and made my way back to my table. Kai followed me into my office, making sure to stomp on the floor. I was under the impression that he would summon me to his office and yell at me or search for any excuse to yell at me. To my surprise, nothing of the sort happened.
I continued to feel his bitter emotions. Why the fuck had he called me back to the office when he didn’t have anything for me to do? Margot, one of the HR girls handed me a parcel and when I opened it, it was my lunch... “Thank you, Margot, I was truly starving.”
As I got up, I made my way to the staff kitchen. My eyes landed on Oliver. “What are you doing here?”
Oliver tilted his head to the coffee mug he was stirring.
I facepalmed, “Stupid question.”
He smiled and shook his head. “It just so happens we often fail to see what is right in front of us.”
Yeah, tell me about it, answered a voice in my head.
“You hungry?”
Oliver squinted. I continued, “I remembered you hadn't eaten anything, so before you decline my offer I wanted you to know that I know you’re hungry as hell.”
Oliver set his coffee on the table. “Damn, I am starving.”
Then we sat together and ate. After lunch, I was throwing a packet in the trash when I accidentally got a paper cut. Oliver offered to help, and I informed him that I had a bandaid in my drawer. As I made my way back to my table a thought suddenly struck me, I couldn't help but wonder if Kai was a vampire, considering how quickly his wounds seemed to heal. We shape-shifters do have the ability to heal, but it's not as fast as vampires. Another thought struck me that Kai didn’t smell like a bloodsucker.
I was about to sit and open my drawer but the extension rang and Kai asked me to come into his office immediately. I stood up before he gave me another ultimatum and headed to his office. When I knocked. he opened the door and stood behind it. He immediately held my hand, “What happened?”
I was perplexed. I tried to get him to release my hand but his grip was firm. “It's just a papercut.”
Kai tucked his hand in a pocket retrieved a bandaid and placed it on my cut. “You should be more careful.”
I shrugged, “It's just a papercut and you know very well it will heal fast.”
Kai was taken aback and abruptly released my hand and walked away. This time I decided I wanted to talk about what he had been ignoring. Kai waved his hand in dismissal, “You can go, Valeria.”
He leaned back in his chair and was about to open a file but when he noticed I was still standing there he asked, “What is it?”
I walked over to his table, “Stop asking me questions when you already know the answer.”
Kai closed the file and looked the other way. “I don't know what you are talking about.”
I slammed the table with both of my hands and he seemed shocked by my strength. “That is enough Kai. You need to talk to me because it's getting beyond my limit to keep quiet about it.”
Kai sighed, “You don’t know anything, so just do as I say and get the hell outta my office.”
I pointed at him, “I am not going anywhere until you talk.”
Kai clenched his jaw. “What do you want to talk about?”
I pointed at myself. “I'm a werewolf and you're well aware of it, so there's no need for any more pretending. I'm sorry, but I'm having trouble understanding you. Your scent is quite unique. So why don't you just make it easy for me and tell me yourself.”
Kai opened his mouth and I knew he was going to deny it, but I walked toward his side of the table held his collar, and pulled it aside. “Your wounds, I saw them yesterday, and today there are no signs of anything like that. You’re also not a bloodsucker because while you do smell ruthless but you do not smell like not one of them, at least not to me.”
Kai stood up. “What do you mean not to you?”
I held him by his jacket with both hands and shook him. “Why the fuckity fuck is it so difficult for you to accept that we are fated mates? You supercharged douchebag maniac.”
Kai embraced me in his arms and, for a brief moment, I allowed myself to surrender, closing my eyes and holding onto his body. My tranquility was shattered, however, when he spoke in a chilling, icy tone. "I want to ensure your safety, Valeria, so it would be best for you to stay away from me. However, now that we have confronted that we are eternal soulmates, I cannot allow you to leave this job."
I pushed him away, “What the fuck did you just say?”
Kai tried to hold me, but I stepped back. “Trust me, Valeria…”
I cut him off, “After slicing my heart into a zillion pieces you want me to trust you?”
Kai opened his mouth, but I signaled him to stop by raising my hand. "Don't, because if you don't want me, then why the fuck do you keep approaching me? You say it's all about my safety, but what the fuck?"
Kai shook his head, “You won’t believe me.”
"You may be a successful businessman, but I am Valeria Davis, Jake Davis' daughter. My dad is not only a prominent figure in our community but also a well-known personality among mankind. You don't need to worry about my safety. I'm not someone anyone wants to mess with. People hesitate to even point a finger at me.”
Kai grabbed me by the waist and pulled me close. “Do you think I can’t save you from any Earthly danger?”
I was perplexed and about to ask, but his phone suddenly started ringing. We both paused before he took the call. Then he stormed out of the office, leaving me standing there, alone.