“Where is the environmental impact report?” I asked.
“Is it not there?” the CEO asked, an over-the-top look of confusion on his face. “That’s so strange.” He looked at the company lawyer. “Do you know what happened with that?”
“It must not have been finalized before the secretary printed the documents, but we do have it.”
The CEO nodded. “I was sure it was something like that. Kristen’s nice to look at but isn’t always the sharpest.” Several of his coworkers joined in with his laughter.
I wasn’t smiling.
“What I recommend is that we sign this contract tonight, since we’re all here,” the lawyer said. “With the understanding that we’ll add the environmental impact report as an addendum later.
How stupid did they think I was?
I steepled my fingers, the picture of calm even as every muscle in my body was lined with tension. “I can wait while you get the complete report.” I was in no rush to close this deal now that I had a reason to stay in Starlight Grove.
The CEO spluttered. “Kristen has gone home for the night. There’s no one to print the document.”
My jaw clenched and I made a mental note to have Caroline reach out to Kristen and offer her a job. She deserved better than workingwith these assholes. Besides, stealing their assistant would piss them off, which was just the cherry on top.
“Oh, I’m sure if you all put your minds together, you can figure out how to work the printer.” I gave them my practiced corporate smile—utterly bland with a sinister edge.
They spouted off excuses. I tuned them out.
Did they have the environmental impact report but wanted to hide what it contained, or had they never commissioned it, assuming I wouldn’t notice it was missing?
Either way, I was not the right person to fuck with.
I glanced at my watch, startled when the face read seven-thirty. My chest tightened, and my leg started bouncing before I could stop it. Lucy’s event.
Shit.
I was late and didn’t even have her number to let her know.
She consumed my thoughts, infiltrated my dreams, and now these assholes were encroaching on my time with her. This meeting should have finished over an hour ago, but every single point of the contract had turned into a long, drawn-out battle.
“Do you have somewhere you need to be?” The CEO’s smug tone made me bristle.
I adjusted my jacket sleeve and held his gaze until he cleared his throat and looked away.
“So, gentlemen, are we going to track down this report?”
32
Wilder
I tugged at my shirtas I looked in the mirror, wishing I owned something nicer. I spent all my time either on shift or in the mountains, so it wasn’t like I needed a suit or even a button-down, but it didn’t feel right to go to Lucy’s event in a flannel shirt and jeans.
I would never be Prince Charming, but it’d be nice not to feel like an ogre next to the pretty little omega.
I tied back my hair in a topknot and forced myself away from the mirror.
Get your shit together. It’s going to be fine.
I would just tell Lucy I needed her help with my wardrobe. Actually, that was perfect. It would give me a real excuse to spend more time together. Except…that was exactly what I shouldn’t be doing.
I snagged my bottle of rut suppressants on my way out of my bedroom. The max dose listed was one pill a day. I’d been taking two a day ever since meeting Lucy, and that was barely enough. I’d kept my alpha under control the other day at the diner, but yesterday at the grocery store, I’d been practically huffing the cartons of strawberries before realizing what I was doing.
I swallowed hard as I imagined turning feral during craft night, my alpha taking over until there was nothing of me left besides instinct. My self-loathing returned full force. What if I hurt her? I wouldn’t deserve to live.
