Her mouth opens then snaps closed. She squares her shoulders and marches past me, two bright-pink spots on her cheeks. Adorable.
Even though I'm late for at least twenty meetings, I follow her off. Not because my body can't be parted from hers. Certainly not because I have to know more about her. Just to torment her a bit more with my presence, now that she knows who I am.
"Ms. McDaniel, there you are," Stu says. He's waiting in front of the elevators--must've taken the stairs. Luis, SeCure's chief security officer, stands with him.
"We're getting maintenance up here right away, Mr. King." Luis signals one of his men, who takes his place at the elevator to stop anyone from boarding. "We'll have it fixed in no time, sir. And I see you escorted Ms. McDaniel. "
Stu glances guiltily at me. "I didn't mean to leave her unattended like that. I took the stairs up to make sure I was here when she got off." He makes it sound like he deserves a medal for his heroics.
I don't answer.
"I've got her from here. I'm sorry to have disturbed you."
"I'm going to sit in on her interview," I say, surprising even myself.
Both Stu and Kylie's heads whip around, and they gape at me. Kylie flushes further and blinks her big brown eyes. In the light, they are a warm chocolate-brown with a starburst of gold in the middle. Incredible.
The alpha in me doesn't mind her discomfort. I'm used to making people squirm. But my wolf isn't happy about the tinge of anger in her scent. An apology is on my lips-another first. Jackson King doesn't apologize. I don't owe her one, either. If I had my way, I'd pull her into the nearest conference room, spank her ass for the whipping boy comment, and spend the next three hours teaching her pleasure at the tip of my tongue. I'd go down on her until her screams of pleasure told everyone in the building that's she's mine. That would take care of her annoyance, and her nervousness. Or is it arousal?
"Oh, it's just a routine interview-no need to take up your time," Stu says.
I'll be damned if I let Stu-or any other male-get her alone.
Luis clears his throat, warning Stu he's on the verge of pissing me off.
I narrow my eyes at Stu. "I decide how to spend my time. Shall we go into the conference room, or are we interviewing her here in the hallway?"
Stu scowls as if I busted up his frat party.
~.~
Kylie
Holy awkward, Batman. So much for acing the interview. I didn't think it could go more wrong, but being caught in a tug of war between Stu and Jackson is another precious moment in this craptastic day. I can't believe I just had a meltdown in front of Jackson King. And gushed like a schoolgirl about what type of nerd he was and whether he was gay, and oh God did I really insinuate that he whips his sexual partners? What the fuck is wrong with me? Not even Interviewing for Dummies can save me now.
Of course, he let me think he wasn't the CEO. Kind of a dick move, really. I should be glaring at him, but no, I'm still flustered from him touching me. Too bad getting felt up by Jackson King isn't one of the perks of the job.
Damn, I really, really want this. Groping aside, SeCure is the pinnacle of cybersecurity. As a teen, it was the ultimate hack. After almost ten years of hiding, it feels like coming home. Like I've trained my whole life to stand here, and now that I've gone legit, I can step into my rightful place.
The fact that I'd be working under Jackson King has nothing to do with it. Well, maybe a teensy, tiny bit. My body would certainly like to be under him-right now. Lordy, I have to get through the interview without imagining his hands on me...
The death stare between Stu and Jackson has gone on long enough.
"Where's the conference room?" I chirp. I take several deep gulps of breath and follow Stu into a large conference room. I can do this. I've handled much more difficult things-major heists at the age of twelve, losing my mom and dad, being trapped in an air duct for ten hours… This is nothing. It's only an interview.
I sit down, and the three men position themselves across from me. The chairs are big and plushy but barely accommodate Jackson's muscular frame. He swivels a little, eyes on me. The man can intimidate even sitting down.
I allow myself a tiny frown in his direction. He lied to me. And now he's making me interview with him, as if this day could get any more awkward.
He meets my glower with raised eyebrows.
Why, oh, why did I say all those things in the elevator? It was like I'd swallowed truth serum.
Maybe that is one of Jackson's superpowers: making people tell him every thought that pops into their heads. I've never been so real with anyone in my life. I've told a million lies, but a little bit of comfort after a panic attack, and all my training fell away. My dad would lecture me-if he was still alive.
Stu shuffles some papers and shoves one toward Mr. King. "Here's her resume," he says. "You can see her qualifications are quite impressive."
Stu definitely overstated my resume. Sure, I'd graduated summa cum laude with an IS degree from Georgetown-after convincing them to let me take all my classes online-but my work experience was writing code for the gaming company where I currently work. At least, the only work experience that was legal. There's plenty of stuff I can't mention. The result: I don't look that impressive on paper.
"Her professors all gave her rave recommendations," he goes on, seeming a little flustered.
Not half as flustered as I am, though. It doesn't help that Jackson King gazes at me like he knows my life secrets. Now that's a terrifying thought.