Chapter 7 #2
A table was positioned several feet away, a light hanging directly over it. There were two chairs, two yellow pads with pens on the top, and two bottles of water. What the fuck? Was this a meeting for two potential love interests or an interrogation?
I had it in my mind to turn around and walk out when I heard an ethereal voice coming from some undisclosed location.
“I’ll be right with you.”
Soft, seductive. Inviting.
Hmmm… At least she didn’t have a screeching voice like nails on a chalkboard. That would have been a deal breaker. I took long strides forward, staring down at the table. She’d gone all out, the metal table straight out of a nineteen-fifties war movie.
Obviously, she wanted to intimidate me. She’d soon learn very little did.
Five minutes passed.
Now ten.
The woman was purposely testing my patience. Well, she was doing a damn good job. Not that I’d allow her to know it. Not a chance.
I started humming. The song was something I’d heard on Spotify, some crap band Eric was always listening to.
Another two minutes passed. What the hell?
I started singing. Another benefit to being a wolf shifter was that I had a photographic memory and even if I wasn’t paying close attention to something, I memorized every word.
The ability used to drive my teachers crazy.
I’d been accused of cheating numerous times in my life. So maybe I had used the skill to my benefit a time or ten.
The words came easily. The tune? Not so much. There was the little issue that I couldn’t hold a tune to save my life. Now I was the one who sounded like a cat howling while scratching his claws down a blackboard.
A plus was that with the state of construction, my voice echoed. When I heard footsteps, I kicked up the volume a few notches.
My ploy had worked.
As if out of the mist came an apparition of beauty, a creature so refined she took my breath away.
Or as my buddies would say, she was the kind of woman so tight that she had a stick stuck up her butt. While her frown was tight, contorting her features, her eyes were so hooded I could barely tell she was even looking at me.
But I sensed her fury. Oh, boy, I did. I did a mental jig for winning point one. While she stood and stared at me, I finished the song, even annoying myself.
The quiet was refreshing, although I was able to hear the rapid thud of her heart. And that had nothing to do with her attraction to me.
“Mr. Masters. Why don’t you sit down?”
While she posed the words as a question, her statement was a direct command.
What the hell? I yanked out one metal chair, flipping it around so the back was against the edge of the table and straddled the seat.
When I folded my arms on the back of the chair, I gathered a quick glimpse of daggers in her eyes.
I grinned even harder. I was already getting under her skin.
The trouble was that the brute in me wouldn’t mind getting under her clothes.
Where I was dressed like a slob, she was dressed like a total professional.
The suit looked like it cost big bucks, form fitting in all the right places.
The silk blouse was buttoned up, not an extra inch of skin shown.
Maybe that was to prevent a savage like me from getting the wrong idea.
Her soft blonde hair was wound tight on the back of her head, only a few tendrils tickling the sides of her face. Since the suit was red, flaming red, her lipstick matched perfectly.
Good God. She was an angel in disguise.
Her lips were soft and full and I wondered if they were sweet like cherries. Somewhere along the line, I think she lifted her gaze, but I was too busy mentally fondling her luscious body to pay close attention.
She yanked out the chair and sat down, immediately placing an iPad on the table. “Let’s get started. I’m Lily Weathers. For the next few weeks, I’m going to reshape your career into something you’ll be proud of.”
Her condescending attitude did little more than create a flicker of annoyance, but I squelched it, leaning further over the edge of the chair. When that caused her to lean back, I realized just how nervous she was to be around me.
“And?” I asked.
“And what?”
“Isn’t there something else you’re going to be, something much more intimate?”
Sighing, she barely acknowledged I’d said anything, instead typing away on her handheld computer. “You’re going to need to provide me with a schedule of your practices and where they are.”
“Uh, the ice rink.”
She huffed. “And I heard you had some kind of an upcoming game doing whatever you do.”
“Play hockey.” I snorted loudly enough she dragged her tongue across her bottom lip. “You don’t know a damn thing about hockey. Do you?”
“I know enough to say I’ll never be a puck bunny.”
The comment alone forced my balls to tighten. This girl was a spitfire. Enough so my blood was boiling. “Well, then that’s something. I’ll teach you the rest.”
“I don’t need to know about the game as I couldn’t care less. All I need is the schedule for the game.”
“Does that mean you’ll come see me play? I could use a ringer.”
She muttered something under her breath that I caught given my keen hearing.
What an arrogant asshole.
She had no idea how much.
“If you insist,” she answered.
“I insist. On that night, you’ll be my personal puck bunny.”
Her lips tightened into a thin line, which spurred me to push her buttons even more.
“Have you given an interview with any of the reporters lately?”
“Not yet.”
“You aren’t going to. I’ll speak for you, but only when necessary.”
The lovely Lily was going straight down a list. Up to this point, she still hadn’t looked me in the eyes. “Fine. I don’t like to talk with the piranhas anyway.”
She checked a second box. Was she always this organized?
My guess was she was.
“You’re going to dress nicely in public, not like the way you look today.”
“And what do I look like?”
“A slob.”
“And you look stuck up, like you’re too good for everyone else. Lighten up. We could end up having some fun. You know, together. Just you and me.” The slight tremor in her lip told me I was getting to her. This was becoming fun.
She blew away the tiny bit of hair she believed was getting in her face. “I’m a professional, Mr. Masters. I’m not here to have fun like you seem to crave every day of your life. If you’d had more control over your repulsive proclivities, we wouldn’t be in this position.”
“We, Ms. Weathers? What the hell are you in the middle of? You’ll be getting paid a hefty salary while enjoying watching me squirm and dance like a seal to keep my place on a team I’ve worked damn hard to be a part of.
As far as my proclivities, you haven’t seen anything yet, sweetheart.
Wait until you see me wrestling buck naked in the mud.
Or how about when I receive the dozens of sex toys at my doorstep that you’ll need to sign for? ”
She bit her lower lip to keep from laughing.
“I assure you whatever I am paid is none of your business.”
“Of course not. At least buy a blouse with the money that doesn’t make you look like a schoolmarm.”
That forced her to shoot a hateful look at me. But only for a split second.
“Back to the list of instructions and what I’ll need. I need to test your skills so I can prove that you don’t have some superhuman qualities.”
“Like what?”
“Running a couple laps. Lifting weights. Maybe shotput.” Her answers were bringing obvious discomfort.
This was something I could work with.
“Shotput? Seriously.”
“I’ve yet to determine the best testing mechanism. Of course, you’ll need to go through another round of steroid testing. I’ll check to see if there are other tests that can be run as well.”
Why was my cock throbbing? “Like what?”
“Blood tests. We can rule out you’re an animal.” She bit her lip again and I could swear she was about ready to burst into laughter. Or draw blood.
Little did she know what could be found. Why did I enjoy toying with her so much?
“Now, I’ve been paying attention to your social media accounts. I think we should limit comments as some of them are incredibly sexual in nature. You don’t need that. I’ll be in control of uploading content that will be in your best light.”
I rubbed my jaw, an idea popping into my head. “So you’re testing all my abilities, strengths, weaknesses. Everything? Is that so you can report the findings to my fans?”
“Yes, and to extinguish the ludicrous accusations that you’re anything but human.”
“Hmmm… Okay then. I guess you’ll want to be thorough. You seem very committed to your job after all.”
“Of course I am. The more thorough we can be, the sooner the nightmare will end for both of us.”
I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. She’d walked right into this one. With my heart beating much faster than normal, I posed a question.
“Then you’re going to need to prove some people wrong.”
“Yes, but what in particular are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about my dick. You need to find out if what my past girlfriends have said is true. Do I have two cocks?”
That did it. She snapped her head in my direction, slamming her iPad on the table.
She rose slightly from her seat, leaning over to stare me directly in the eyes.
Her cheeks were a warm shade of a blushing rose, her mouth open in a perfect O, but I continued to be drawn back to eyes that allowed me to see straight into her soul.
Holy hell. Electricity zapped every ounce of energy from my system. I took a deep breath and every nerve ending in my body became alive.
Staring back at me were the most incredible eyes in the shade of vibrant green like rolling hills on a spring day, irises flecked with rings of gold and silver.
The girl I’d kissed.
The pretty little librarian with a body meant for sin.
But there was something else. Something that could threaten everything.
Lily Weathers was my mate.