How dare Talia treat her with such disrespect? Alexandra took a deep breath, ready to tell her what she really thought of her, but Lukan sprang to his feet, eyes blazing with anger. He was quite impressive when he stood; just under seven feet tall. Even in his Earth-style business wear, an expensively tailored charcoal suit and a crisp white shirt, she could see his muscles tense and bulge as he clenched and unclenched his fists. With luck he’d show that fat little cow the door.
“Talia came in here because I asked her to bring me the files on the latest prospects,” he said. “Do not speak to her, or anyone else who works for this agency, in that manner again. And now, you will apologize to her at once.”
Alexandra’s mouth dropped open. “I will not! She is an employee, not a partner!” she fumed, eyes blazing with anger. “I will speak to her any way I damn well please! And you of all people should understand the importance of ensuring that your underlings show respect, given—”
She saw the way he was looking at her, and stopped herself immediately. She was so furious that she’d almost spewed out something about Lukan being the Reginar of his pack – his people’s word for leader.
“I understand that a leader must behave in a way that commands respect, if they want to be treated with respect. She will not be fired, and you will apologize now, or our partnership will end.”
Alexandra spluttered furiously. Would he really do that? She was his only contact on Earth. His people needed to find human females to mate with – desperately. It was their only chance to repopulate their world after the deadly Population Wars had devastated Ilyria thirty years ago.
She’d already had a well-established dating agency when he’d approached her. How would he find women on his own? He already stood out way too much, with his height and huge size, and there was always the risk that he would spontaneously shift and expose himself.
If he left, would Treffon, the other business partner from Ilyria, stay?
Whatever. She couldn’t risk it. Lukan paid her a fat monthly retainer just for referring women, and he paid her a bloody fortune every time she made a successful match. She was making too much money from this…and anyway, Lukan was hers, damn it! She wasn’t letting him walk out.
She forced a smile. “Talia. I’m sorry I said those things. I shouldn’t have called you a fat cow. I’m under a lot of pressure right now, making this business the best that it can be, and I behaved inappropriately.”
“Of course,” Talia said calmly. “I don’t expect it will happen again.”
Is she kidding? She should be kissing my feet with gratitude right now!Alexandra strangled on her rage, then looked at Lukan and saw him raise an eyebrow.
“Of course not,” she said, turning up the wattage on her smile.
“You may leave us now,” Lukan said, his tone icy, and Alexandra felt a rush of relief. Something about Talia being so close to Lukan made her nervous, for no logical reason at all. Lukan couldn’t possible prefer Talia to her. No way.
“You heard him. Get out. Please,” she added, smiling through bared teeth.
“I was talking to you,” Lukan said to Alexandra, and shoved the photographs into her hands.
Alexandra stared at him in shock for a long, long moment, and finally, when he cleared his throat impatiently and scowled, she turned and walked out, head held high.
She snuck a quick glance back at them. Lukan was sitting back down behind his desk, frowning, not meeting Talia’s eyes.
As Alexandra pulled the door shut behind her, she felt a sharp twinge of worry. Lukan could not possibly, in any way, be interested in Talia, could he? A year ago, when she’d first pointed Talia out to him, telling him that she would be his assistant, he’d actually said to Alexandra, “She is most attractive.” Of course, he was just being polite, but nonetheless Alexandra had rushed to tell him…what she’d told him. She wasn’t leaving anything to chance.
She’d been pleased to see how shocked and horrified he was. She’d chosen her lies well.
Not that Talia had ever stood a chance, of course.
Alexandra barked out a brittle laugh as she stalked down the hallway, which earned her a startled glance from Rosamund, Talia’s equally chubby friend, the staff photographer and web designer. Rosamund was rubbing her arm as if she’d just injured it, and walking quickly away from the studio where she shot her pictures.
“What the hell are you looking at, Miss Piggy?” Alexandra snapped, and was pleased to see Rosamund flinch and shrink back. Her pale face turned bright red.
“Nothing, Ms. Van Der Willig,” Rosamund murmured, and hurried off, glancing back fearfully at Alexandra.
Alexandra smiled to herself.I’ve still got it, she thought, and headed back to her office.
Chapter Two
Talia breathed a sigh of relief when Alexandra left the room.
I need this job, I need this job, she repeated over and over again in her head.
Still, there were limits. Her late mother, her biggest cheerleader, had raised her to stand up to bullies. She might be making triple what a personal assistant fresh out of college would normally get paid, but she wasn’t going to work anywhere with a boss who belittled her. If it came to that, she’d quit and work two or three jobs somewhere else.
She’d done it before. Hell, sleep was over-rated. Her father was disabled from his on the job accident, and needed medication and physical therapy. He’d get everything that he needed, if Talia had to work a hundred hours a week.
