Chapter Six
Stacey drummed her fingers on her desk. “If I ask him to submit his resume to me would that undermine Max’s firing of him?”
“What? Why?”
“Because I need him.” She looked at Patrick. “He picked this up quickly and in order to get to the bottom of this I need all the help I can get, but I know Max can’t lose face.”
“If you want to hire him for a different position then Max won’t lose face.”
“And it would only be for this one assignment,” said Stacey.
“You have to ask Max,” he told her.
“Must I?”
“Yes.” He touched her face. “In order for him to save face you must be the one to make him aware of what you want to do. You can’t do this behind his back.”
She sighed but stood and nodded. Patrick realized she expected him to accompany her when she waited for him to take the lead. Then it dawned on him. She had no clue where Max’s office was.
He took her to the top floor and to the opulent doors that led to Max’s office. His secretary looked up as they passed but didn’t move when he realized it was Patrick.
Max sat back when he saw Patrick and raised a brow when he realized Stacey was with him. Patrick stepped aside and gestured for her to step up.
Clutching her tablet to her chest she stared at the floor. “Um, sir, I read the file your ex-employee Mark sent and he found another person playing with the books. I’d like him to work for me on this.”
“You don’t think he’s the one funneling the money away?”
“No.” She lowered her tablet and started working on it. Once she had what she wanted opened she set it on Max’s desk. “These are the files from his office, and Patrick’s office.”
Max picked up the tablet and looked at the data. He flipped between the files she had opened. “These don’t add up properly.”
“No, sir, and if it’s now in two of your business it will happen in others.”
“So Mark caught the same thing Patrick’s CPA caught.” He set the tablet down. “You know I fired him because of the way he treated you. Why would you put yourself through this? You know how he feels about you.”
“Yes, but it doesn’t change the fact that he found the problem faster than anyone else. I need him to help me go through all the books. We need to stay ahead of this and I believe he will help me accomplish that. I only need him for this one assignment, and I will make sure he knows that you were against me hiring him. Once the assignment is done, he will be released to pursue work elsewhere.”
Max looked at Patrick then focused his attention back on Stacey. “I will allow this because catching the culprits is more important than his insulting you but understand that you must control him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Patrick stepped up and touched her arm, letting her know it was time to go. She followed him out of the room quietly. “You okay?”
“My knees are knocking, and my heart is pounding but I made it through.”
“Yes, you did.” He wrapped his arms around her. “And I’m so proud of how you handled it.”
“Then let me face Mark before I lose my nerve.”
Patrick brought her to Mark’s office. He had just finished packing his personal effects in a cardboard box when he spotted them.
“I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Do you have your resume ready?”
“Wow, you going to rub my face in it too?”
Stacey blinked a few times. “I want you to submit your resume to me.”
“Why?” He furrowed his brows.
“Because you might have stepped in it in front of Mr. Santos, but you caught an error that I’ve been hired to find. I need you to help me find more.” She took a breath. “This isn’t sanctioned by Mr. Santos. Once your assignment with me is done you will leave the company.”
“Why should I help you?”
“You’re not helping me, you’re helping Mr. Santos. You’re helping your pack.”
***
Max walked to the door and called his secretary into his office. “I want you to pull all the employee files for anyone hired in the last year.”
“Am I looking for anything in particular?”
“I want to know why they were hired and what pack they’re affiliated with.”
“Can you clarify what you want on why they were hired?”
“Whether they were recommended or just applied because that office had an opening.”
“Yes, sir. How fast do you want it?”
“I’d like it by the end of the day.” Max leaned back in his chair. “I know that is a tall order, but you can use anyone you need to get the job done.”
“Thank you. Is there anything else?”
“No.”
***
Stacey felt her heart pounding in her chest. Her father had trained her to stay in the background, to go unnoticed, but her new pack wouldn’t let her hide anymore. Max was right, she was part of their pack now. Her friendship with Alicia brought her in and now she was so embedded into helping them she wouldn’t be able to just walk away when it was all said and done.
She looked at Patrick who was escorting her to her office. He hadn’t left her side. That spoke volumes on the type of person he was. She knew he couldn’t be serious about her. He was Max’s second and had obligations to fulfill but she liked the attention.
Her office beckoned and she couldn’t wait to get into the safety of its walls. She was so out of her element, but the only person she could talk to about this was Alicia and it was rare when it was just the two of them.
The moment she heard the door close she sighed, feeling the pressure lift from her shoulders. Not something she was used to feeling. Patrick had been quiet, and she wondered why. “Are you okay?”
He didn’t say anything just took her tablet out of her hands before he crowded her back against the closest wall.
“Patrick?” She looked into his eyes and saw desire for her swirling in them. His desire pulled at hers. Need filled her. No one had ever looked at her like that before.
“I’ve never been so turned on by someone who was so scared they did the performance of their lives before.” He pressed a kiss against her throat. “I know you were scared. I could smell it, but you didn’t back down. You didn’t let anyone get the upper hand on you. It was beautiful.”
“Um, thank you?” The soft brush of his mouth against her jaw fueled her desire.
He continued to press his mouth all along the column of her throat. She felt his hands slide up her legs, inching her skirt up along the way.
“I love the way you smell.” He positioned his nose close to her skin and inhaled.
The feel of his fingers on her thighs as well as the way he was aroused by her scent aroused her. No one turned her on the way Patrick did.
He grinned against her skin as his finger found her core. “I see you’ve gone commando.”
She didn’t want to ruin the line of the tight skirt he had helped her pick out so had gone without underwear. Whether or not that was a smart move was the question right now. The moment she felt his fingers stroking her she had to think it was a smart move.
He freed himself and positioned their bodies to enter her.
She moaned when he filled her. “Patrick.”
“I know. We’re at work, but I can’t help myself.” He started moving, filling her again and again. Her body was on fire. He was hitting all the right spots.
She inched a leg up to give him a better angle. He wrapped an arm around it and brought her other leg up as well. Soon all she could do was feel him pounding into her and her wanting more. Each time he filled her she felt it to her toes.
“Patrick.” Her voice soft. Her body quaked as more need filled her. The wolf in her called to the wolf in him and he responded. A soft howl escaped her, and she heard him howl in return. Only mates did that. Oh, this couldn’t be good.
***
Max took one whiff and growled. “Patrick.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t seem to help myself with her.” He plopped into the chair in front of Max’s desk. “She’s amazing. I keep seeing different sides to her. She is strong and frightened. Beautiful and shy. Elegant and innocent.”
“Well, I’d say you’re smitten.”
“What? No.” Patrick sat up. “You think?”
“You had sex with her while at work. Something you’ve never done before no matter how pretty or how horny the woman was.”
Patrick nodded. “Okay. So normally I can keep my libido under control.”
“You’ve never mixed business with pleasure before.” Max watched him. “I didn’t either, until I met Alicia.”
Patrick wanted to slap himself. Was he falling for Stacey? If this were just some sort of odd fling, Max would kill him. That was the one thing he needed to remember. She wasn’t a woman whom he could fool around with, then just walk away. Max and Alicia would do him bodily harm. He didn’t want to harm Stacey though. The real question was if he was falling for her.
***
Alicia picked up the phone on the third ring. “Hello? Oh, hey, Stacey. How’s the new job going?”
She held the Tears in her hand staring at them as Stacey told her about the rendezvous she just had with Patrick. She closed her hands into a fist. Damn him, she was going to kill him.
“Ow!” The diamonds cut into her palms, which forced her to open her hands. The stones fell to the thick carpet while she grabbed a napkin to staunch the blood. “No, I’m okay. Just did something a little stupid. That’s all.”
She paused as Stacey said something. She looked down at the floor and found the stones all around her. “Oh my god, Stacey, I know how to put the necklace together. I’ve got to go.”
Alicia set the phone down and crouched down beside the circle of stones. It was beautiful. All this time she had been trying to shape them in a circular design where they would lay in the front. She never thought to do something that circled the neck. Ideas zipped through her head.
First, she sketched the design. It took her a few hours to get what she wanted. Once she was happy with it, she went to her computer and created the image digitally. Max came in just as she was finishing up with the computer.
“Is that the latest design?” He kissed her on the cheek then turned his attention to the screen.
“Yeah. What do you think?”
“It’s unique.” He studied it. “I like the simple yet elegant design.”
“It suits the stones. They seem to like it too.”
“Are they talking to you again?”
“You mean still. They never stopped.” She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ve gotten used to it.”
“I thought once we found them all it would stop.”
“It’s not like we carry on conversations,” Alicia told him. “It’s just I can sense them. I know where they are and if they’re safe.”
“So how do you know they like this design over all the others.?”
“I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like a feeling. Each time I created a necklace design I just knew it was wrong for the stones. Like they wouldn’t be in harmony if I created it. This time they showed me the design.”
“Really? How?”
“Stacey called while I was studying the stones again, so I had them in my hands. When she told me she and Patrick had sex again I sort of clenched my fists and they, um, cut me, making me drop them to the floor.”
“They cut you?” He took her hands in his and looked for wounds. “I don’t see any cuts.”
“But there was blood.” She looked at the hand she felt them dig into. No sign of the wound. “That is really weird. Anyway, they fell in a pattern. The pattern I created was really their design. It just seemed right.”
“So, Stacey told you?”
“Yeah. She seemed surprised that he wanted her, but she wasn’t complaining.” She looked at her hand again. Did she imagine it? “I just don’t want her to fall for him and him break her heart.”
“I thought you wanted them together.”
“I think they would be good for each other, but she still has a secret she won’t tell me, and until she is willing to tell someone I can see Patrick using it as an excuse to stop seeing her.”
“Like he has in the past?” Max asked.
“Yeah, I guess I’m as protective as you are.”
He laughed as he hugged her. “I spoke to Patrick right after.”
“Right after?”
He touched his nose. “I pretty much read him the riot act. He said he can’t help himself.”
“Really? Did he say anything else?”
“Um, he said she was different, I think. He kept seeing different sides to her.”
“Men! You didn’t really pay attention, did you?”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I guess I only focused on the fact that he has never mixed business with pleasure before. He always protected the pack first.”
“Okay, but the pack isn’t in danger right now.”
“But Stacey has been hired to protect the pack. Her skills will help us find out who is causing trouble for us. That should be his focus, not how much he wants her. He’s never allowed his libido to control him before.”
“So, there is something different between them.” Her wheels started to turn. “I’ve got some work to do.”
“Alicia,” Max growled.
“On the necklace, Max.” She pressed a kiss to his lips. “Now that I know what it should look like I’m anxious to get it done.”
“As long as that is all you’re going to work on.” He captured her mouth with his, brushing his tongue against the seam of her mouth. When she opened for him he swooped in, drawing her tongue to dance with his. It took him a few moments before he was willing to break the kiss and lift his head. “I have something to do really quick then we’ll continue what I started.”
“With promises like that I can forget about the necklace for now.”
“You could go and open up a bottle of wine.”
She gave him a promising smile.
***
Max went into his office and pulled out his cell. He put it on speakerphone while he pulled up the data his secretary gave him. “Catherine. I need a favor.”
“Of course, Max. What do you need?”
“You did some research on the different packs in the US a couple of years ago. Did you ever come across a pack led by a Dominic?”
“I still have the file and my research. The name is familiar. He was the one who believed in doing things old school.”
“He’s the one that challenged his father to take control of the pack,” Max added. “Killed his father with his bare hands.”
“I have more details in the file. I’ll pull it up and shoot it over to you.”
“Thanks.”
Max had discovered the departments where most of the accounting discrepancies came from had members from Dominic’s pack. He needed as much information about him and his pack as he could get.
***
Alicia had water running into the jacuzzi tub in their master bedroom while she lit candles. She had already opened the wine to let it breathe and had donned a fluffy white robe. She had lowered the lights and put on soft music. The last candle sparked and flamed as Max came into the room.
“Are we sharing a bath?” He started to undo the cufflinks on his shirt.
“We did enjoy it the last time.” She poured a little oil into the water then went over to help him out of his shirt. Alicia loved the feel of his muscles and always took any opportunity to touch them.
He wrapped an arm around her as he shrugged out of one sleeve. Pulling her close he captured her lips with his. His hold on her was gentle, caring. She always felt treasured when she was with him.
She slipped her hand down his torso until she hit his belt-buckle. Pulling on the belt she loosened the leather until she could release it from the buckle. Easing his pants off his hips she sighed into his mouth when they slipped to the floor.
He eased the soft robe off her shoulders so it would pool at her feet. Max broke the kiss but not his hold. He shifted his hold to pick her up and carry her to the tub. Gently, he climbed over the lip and lowered them into the water. “I see you’ve used your favorite oil.”
“You like it too.”
“True, so does Patrick. He comments every time.”
“It clings to you that much?” The fragrance was earthy but light. It reminded her of a beautiful day at the beach.
“Our noses are that sensitive. I can tell who had sex and how long ago by a quick whiff.” He brushed a hand against her collarbone. “I know where you are in the house at any time just by following my nose.”
“And my senses will be just as sensitive?” She brushed her hands across his chest and stomach muscles. “Not sure if that is a bonus.”
“It is once you learn to control it.” He lowered his face to hers. “Right now, though, I only want to smell the need wafting off your skin then the orgasm you will have after I satisfy you properly.”
“I love how sure you sound.” She offered her lips to his. He took them with his then swept his tongue into her mouth. He pulled her against his body, trapping his erection between them. Alicia slid her hands over his hips to grip his buttocks. She felt a thrill race through her when she felt his member thump against her. He liked that.
He broke the kiss so he could sit in the tub then direct her to sit on his lap, facing him. The water swirled around them as he took her lips with his again. His hands slid along her body touching all the right places. She ran her hands up his chest, gently brushing her fingers against his nipples. Need filled her. This time she broke the kiss. Looking into his eyes she lifted herself and slid down his length.
“So much better,” she said, her voice soft.
“No foreplay?” He ran his hands up and down her back.
“I think I’ve been so keyed up worrying about my parents and our marriage to keep them happy I needed this. Foreplay would have just made me wait for what I really wanted. To feel you deep inside me.”
He laughed and she moaned. “Oh, you liked that.”
“Your laughter vibrated inside me.” She brushed her tongue along his throat. “And yes, I liked it.”
“Then you’re going to love this.” He growled deep in his chest as he watched her face. Her eyes widened as she felt it deep inside her as well.
“Oh my god.” She gripped his shoulders as she felt the vibration from the growl. “Keep that up and I’ll explode long before I should.”
“So, you don’t want two orgasms?” He pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“I didn’t say that.” She batted her eyes at him. “It’s just if I have one this early I might have more than two.”
“Oh, sweetheart. If you want to see how many you can have before your body cries stop, I can help with that.”
“What makes you think my body will cry stop.”
He grinned.
***
Alicia smiled back. They challenged each other all the time. Max was the alpha and used to being in control. He loved to challenge her when it was just the two of them. She loved his challenges too. It brought them closer and allowed her to be in control when she won. He might be an alpha, but he still understood that she didn’t like giving up complete control most of the time. That she was used to being independent.
She started to move, sliding up and down his erection. Little tendrils of delight filled her. Max’s hands moved around her body. Alicia would feel the brush of his fingers against her hip, the underside of her breast, her collarbone, wherever he knew aroused her. Her muscles tightened against him when he hit just the right spot.
He growled again and her whole body vibrated.
“Oh, God!” She was close. “Max, do that one more time and I won’t be able to hold back.”
He wrapped his arms around her and moved them to the edge of the tub where there was a small seat. He urged her onto it then started to drive into her. Each time he filled her, her body hummed. She met him thrust for thrust, grasping at his back as she got closer and closer to her release.
“Are you ready?”
She looked at him as he started to growl again. The moment the vibration filled her she closed her eyes as her orgasm soared through her.
“When did you figure this out?” Her body floated on euphoria.
“A little over a month ago.” He brushed a few hairs out of her face. “You remember the night when I chased you into the closet.”
“How could I forget. It was wild, but oh so worth it.”
“We were caught up in the moment and I growled my pleasure. I don’t think I had done it before or at least I wasn’t paying attention. But I was watching your face when I growled and I saw this look, then you had one of your most powerful orgasms. The grip your body had on me was amazing. I followed you with a powerful orgasm.” He pressed a soft kiss against her throat. “I found something that I knew would move our lovemaking onto the next level.”
“And you’ve been experimenting, haven’t you?”
He nodded.
“Keep it up.”
***
Stacey sat across the table from Patrick, who was enjoying his desert. Why was he still with her? She would have thought he would have gone back to his own place. Instead he walked out with her when she left the office and asked where she wanted to go for dinner. She thought she was going to open a can of soup and put on her PJ’s, but it was obvious he had other plans.
He was taking his job a little too seriously. She just wasn’t sure how to broach the subject with him.
“You’re awfully quiet.”
“Oh, sorry. It’s been a long day.” She took a bite of the dessert she didn’t want.
“And I dragged you out to dinner.” He set his fork on his empty plate. “You could have said something. I would have brought dinner to your apartment.”
“Well, I didn’t want to sound ungrateful.” Should she ask him why he hadn’t gone home yet?
“I’m here to please.” He signaled the waiter for the check, which he signed when it arrived. He then ushered her to the company car. “Max has assigned us this vehicle until further notice.”
“Us?”
“Yes. Max wants you protected now that people know you’re there to find out who is trying to sabotage the corporation.” He opened the car door for her. “Word will spread quickly, and he doesn’t want any harm to come to you.”
“So, you’ll be with me all the time?” She couldn’t quite look at him as she digested what he said. Stacey slid into the car with Patrick climbing in right behind her.
“Is that a problem?” he asked as he secured his seatbelt.
“Um, no, but I know you must have better things to do than babysit me.” She noticed from the corner of her eye he had shifted in his seat to face her.
“I don’t consider it babysitting. You’re family and I enjoy spending time with you.”
“Really?” She looked at him. No one ever gave her the attention Patrick did and she had to admit she loved it. She also knew she was nothing more than an assignment with benefits and she had to remember that if she wanted to keep her heart safe.
***
Patrick realized she was questioning why he was there. He wondered the same thing. He could keep an eye on her from a distance, but he didn’t want to. The sex had been mind-blowing. He got her to howl the last time and he wanted to hear it again and again.
The car pulled up to her front door and he helped her out, but before he walked her inside he moved to the back of the limo and grabbed a suitcase. She arched a brow at him. He patted the bag he now had in his hand. “I can’t be wearing the same outfit day after day.”
She masked her features so he wasn’t sure how she felt. Her scent didn’t give off anything either. He had two choices: either back off and let her make the decisions or charge head on. Even though Max was the alpha of their pack, Patrick wasn’t exactly a beta. He just wasn’t as alpha as Max.
He looked at her and realized he needed to show her he was her alpha. Patrick smiled. This might be fun.
***
Stacey saw him smile and felt it to her toes. He might look like he was just doing his duty, but she knew by that smile that he was doing this because he wanted to.
She turned to the main door of her apartment building and used the keypad to unlock it. Patrick grasped the handle and opened the door for her. He didn’t say anything, just held out his hand for her apartment key. Stacey handed it over.
Once they were inside, she watched as he took his bag and put it into her bedroom. Now what?
Her nerves jangled as she kicked her shoes off. “I, ah, normally get comfortable when I get home.”
“Sounds good.” He pulled off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. “I brought a bottle of wine. How about I open it while you change?”
“Sure.” Relief washed through her. She dashed into her room and closed the door, leaning her head against it for a moment before she turned around to find Patrick’s suitcase on her bed. Choosing to ignore the suitcase she crossed to her closet and peeled off her suit. As quickly as she could she pulled on a pair of yoga pants and an oversized jersey shirt. She slipped on a pair of Ugg slippers then headed back to the living room area.
Patrick held out a glass of wine for her. She noticed he had removed his tie and opened several buttons while he waited for her.
“My turn.” He headed into her bedroom, giving her a few moments alone again.
Stacey stared at her door. What would he be wearing when he came out? Jeans and a t-shirt? Pajamas? Nothing? That last thought had her blood pounding. If that was all he wanted her for she didn’t have a problem with it.
He came out in a pair of lounge pants that left nothing to the imagination and no shirt. Which just might be worse than being naked. His well-honed chest muscles begged for her touch and his semi-erection was hugged by the soft material surrounding it. It made her want to drool.
“So, what do you normally do?”
“Do?”
“Yeah, once you get home. How do you unwind?”
“Oh, I normally check my e-mail then sometimes will watch a movie or read if I’m into a good book.”
“Any particular shows you watch?”
“Not really.” She couldn’t tell him she watched a lot of reality shows. Alicia started it but she found she loved the cooking shows and some of the dance competitions. Normally, after she finished working, she would go to a local restaurant and have dinner and watch the people coming and going for a while. Then she’d fall asleep to one of the cooking shows she had recorded.
“Uh-huh.” He picked up the remote. “And if I were to check your DVR what would I find?”
“Nothing, really.” She tried to reach for the remote, but Patrick was quick in keeping it out of her reach. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled the remote behind him so the only way she could get it would be to wrap herself around him.
“We could wrestle for it.” He spoke softly in her ear.
The thought had her heart pounding. She needed to regain control. She wanted to move away but knew if she tried he would stop her. “There is really not much there.”
He flipped the TV on and pulled up her DVR listing. “You can learn so much from someone by the shows they watch.”
She looked at her listing of Top Chef, Master Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, Chopped as well as the junior versions of the shows.
“You weren’t kidding, were you? Are you a closet chef wannabe?”
“I do like to cook.” She shrugged. “I always cook for the family when I’m home.”
“What is your favorite thing to make?”
“Wow.” She blinked a couple of times. “I don’t know. I love cooking Italian foods. The one everyone keeps asking for is my risotto.”
“It must be something if you can get a bunch of werewolves asking for a rice dish.” He drew her with him as he led them to her couch. “Will you cook for me?”
“Of course.” The words were out there before she could stop them. He was just humoring her. Why was she promising something he was only asking to be nice?
They sat and he picked a sweet little Rom Com for them to ignore while he focused all on her. Stacey wasn’t used to the attention and wasn’t quite sure how to handle it.
“You have all these talents that you hide.” He brushed hair out of her face. “Why?”
How could she tell him that she had to hide or the wrong person could find her? “I don’t think of them as talents. It’s just stuff I can do.”
“You are amazing and don’t know it. Do you know how beautiful you are?”
“Beautiful?” She couldn’t keep the shocked look off her face. “Me?”
“Yes. You hide yourself behind the frumpy clothes and the mild-mannered persona but I’ve seen the real you and don’t understand why I can’t see her all the time. What are you hiding from?”
***
He waited. She could lie to him. He wouldn’t put it past her, but he hoped she wouldn’t. He knew she was hiding and if she would tell him why then he could protect her properly. If she gave him that trust he would guard that even more.
She blew out a pent-up breath. “What do you know about my pack?”
“That your father was the second of the alpha of a pack that was a bit old school. That the son of that pack challenged his father for control and killed him to get that control. That your dad didn’t want to have anything to do with the son and pulled his family away and several other families left with him.” He could tell by the shock on her face she didn’t expect him to know so much.
“Okay. So, you do know a lot.”
He could tell she wanted space, but he was afraid if he gave her any she would retreat completely.
“Dominic Senior was my father’s best friend. They worked together to create a strong pack. They wanted to make their families as strong as they could. Before I or Dominic’s son were born our fathers’ pledged us to each other.”
“You were supposed to mate with that maniac?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “But that was before Junior decided to kill his father because he didn’t want to wait for him to step down.”
“That’s why you keep trying to pretend you’re invisible. You don’t want him to know who you are so he won’t force you to mate with him.” He made sure she was looking at him. “You realize that he can’t force you, don’t you?”
“Right. I’ll tell him no and he’ll accept that.” She shook her head. “Patrick, he’s out of his mind. He’ll threaten everyone I love to get what he wants. I can’t allow that to happen.”
“He won’t harm you. I won’t allow it.”
“He killed his father, Patrick. He wouldn’t think twice to do the same thing to you.”
“I’m not trying to be callous, but his father was older. He probably didn’t train the way I do, and it was his son. I’m betting he let the boy win.” Patrick moved a little closer to her. “If I have to fight him. I will win.”
She shook her head.
“You doubt me?” Time to show her that he was an alpha, even as Max’s second. He moved fast, taking her to the floor and pinning her beneath him. “You are mine, now, Stacey. The moment he gets close enough he’ll know you’re mine. He’s going to come for me because we’ve been together.”