The drive to work isn’t too bad, and I park in the underground parking garage at Behan Communications. Making sure my pass shows on the dashboard, I power walk to the elevator.
“Can you hold it, please?” I call out, my high heels clicking against the concrete floor.
There are people chatting in the elevator, and a pair of piercing green eyes is the last thing I see before the doors close.
Shit.My lips purse as I count to five in my head before pressing the elevator button. Checking my watch, I sigh as I wait for the damn thing to come back down. There’s a stairwell thatyou couldn’t pay me to get inside, not when I have a fear of small spaces.
The elevator is a scary enough space. A dark stairway isn’t something I feel like conquering today. My jacket is open as I wait in the parking lot, and someone comes to stand beside me. The scent of bergamot and spices flows over my senses, and I take a deep breath to settle my nerves.
“Are you okay?” the alpha asks.
Turning, I gaze into a pair of green eyes identical to the ones that just left me waiting for the elevator.
“Yes,” I say with an apologetic smile. “Just a little frazzled on my first day. I don’t want to be late.”
“You still have…” the man glances at his watch. “Twenty minutes before the day starts. These elevators are notoriously slow, so no one will judge you if you’re a tad late on your first day.”
“I might judge,” I say under my breath before I can bite the words.
The alpha barks out a laugh, shaking his head. Holding out his hand, he introduces himself. “I’m Aled Behan. You must be our new hire, Olivia Quinn?”
Heat rushes to my face as I shake his hand. Ugh this is absolutely embarrassing. A light zap sparks at where our fingers touch, and he glances curiously at them.
“I am. It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I say.
“You too,” he says, his voice sounding a million years away. “You know…I think I forgot something important. A meeting… I’m going to hit the stairs.”
Aled gently tugs his hand away from me as if he’s worried I’ll break and then turns away and jogs to the stairwell. My lips are parted in surprise as I watch him, and the door opens for the elevator.
“Better get that!” Aled calls, disappearing into the stairwell.
Confused, I step through the doors of the elevator, waiting until they close to sniff myself. Do I smell?
I don’t think I do…I’ve always smelled like angel cake. I used to think it was amusing because I’m not an angel. Far from it, honestly.
Shaking my head, I remind myself that I am forty-eight years old and too damn grown for an alpha to make me feel small. I’ve paid my dues, more so than others. I am going to put Mr. Behan’s odd behavior behind me and focus on the rest of the day.
While my daughter’s pack has shown that not all alphas are terrible, I have too much experience to the contrary to believe it. This is why I’m on alpha and heat suppressants.
My heats may be less frequent, but very painful. I know it’s not a good long term solution since my resource for them is a mob connection, but it lessens the cramps to a moderate level.
Feeling a little lost, I walk out of the elevator and head to the third floor to find Mrs. Newbury. Apparently, she’ll be showing me where I’m working.
My job is straightforward, and that’s what I need after this odd encounter.
ALED
“We have to fire the new hire immediately,” I growl, pacing back and forth in my brother’s office.
“Olivia has all the qualifications needed for her job,” Maddox reminds me. “What the fuck is going on? Did she fuck up your coffee order?”
“She’s not responsible for my coffee order,” I grumble. I feel as if I’m going to crawl out of my skin. “She needs to go, man.”
“Why?” Cai asks. He’s my fraternal twin and is enjoying my misery way too much. “Olivia is pretty. Is that the reason?”
“If she’s so fucking pretty, why did you leave her behind in the elevator?” I ask in return.
I’m freaking out. All I can think about is her sweet scent, and how much I wanted to bury my cock inside of her. I’m disgusting. I shouldn’t feel this way about her.
