Werewolf ceo 4, p.28
Werewolf CEO 4, page 28
I slept through the night pretty peacefully, and I’d put that down to the training going so well. We had more than enough auto-injectors and inhalers to make sure all of the wolves who had come had plenty.
I stirred as I heard my phone vibrating and prematurely ripping me out of my dreamless sleep. I groaned as I reached over to the bedside table, and I swiped answer on the phone before I lazily brought it up to my ear.
“Yeah?” I said groggily.
“Josh, I hate to do this with everything going on but… Robert Payne has made a move,” Victor said. “A big move.”
“What do you mean?” I asked as I wiped the sleep from my eyes. “What’s he done?”
“He’s made a public speech denouncing Lunar Corp.,” the gray-haired wolf said with a sigh. “He’s pledged that Payne-Less is increasing production and is releasing a new product at the end of this month that will ‘change the lives of the everyday American more than Lunar Corp. ever could.’”
I gritted my teeth at the quote, and I could almost hear his grating voice through Victor’s. This was the last thing I needed right now, but then I remembered the realization I’d come to the other day.
I was a CEO and a Supreme Alpha, and I needed to maintain that balance, even if it did feel like a fucking ballache right now.
“I’m coming into the office,” I said as I tried not to crush my phone in my hand. “I’ve got a plan to fight back with.”
“If you need me to handle this while you deal with Z-TECH--”
“No, I’m coming in, and we’re gonna deal with this now,” I quickly cut him off. “I can’t ignore the business because of Mitch. We’re not moving in until nightfall, anyway.”
“Very well,” Victor replied. “There’s something I need to discuss with you, regardless, so I suppose it will be two birds with one stone.”
“Set up a meeting for an hour’s time with the board,” I said. “We’ll be there.”
“I shall,” Victor said. “See you in an hour.”
I hung up the phone and dropped back down against the pillows for a moment as I fully woke up, and my girls stirred beside me.
“Are we going into the office?” Mia asked as she tried to open her eyes.
“Yeah, it won’t be for long,” I said before I leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I just need to deal with some Robert-Payne-In-My-Ass shit.”
“Average day at the office, then,” the blonde mumbled with a lazy smirk. “Let me get a shower first.”
“Sure thing,” I said as I rolled out of bed and stretched my arms above my head. “I’m gonna go and speak to Samantha. There’s something I need to ask her.”
“Oh, yeah?” my mate asked as she climbed out of bed, too. “What is it?”
“The whole Robert Payne thing,” I mumbled. “I want someone to focus on the human side of the company. And I don’t want to stretch the board out too thin, so I was thinking of asking her to become a Human Relations Manager.”
“Josh, that’s a great idea!” Mia said with a wide grin. “Samantha would be perfect for that! She loves helping people, given her volunteer experience.”
“That’s what I thought,” I said. “It saves us from scouting out someone and dragging out the process.”
“Yeah,” the blonde agreed. “Especially if you want to nip this thing in the bud.”
“I can’t believe you’ve got to do business on the day we’re taking out an evil drug lord,” Emily grumbled into her pillow.
“That’s what I get for being a CEO--”
“And an Alpha,” the cherry-haired Beta finished off for me. “We know.”
I reached over and playfully pulled on her ankle, which made her shoot up in bed.
“Hey!” she complained with a cute pout.
I leaned over the bed and kissed her pouting lips before I slipped on my clothes from yesterday.
“Don’t miss me too much,” I teased.
“Oh, I won’t now,” Emily joked as she laid back down on the bed.
“When are you coming back?” Hallie asked sleepily.
“We won’t be gone long,” I said. “I’ll be back before the evening.”
“Good,” the reporter grumbled. “I don’t want to be running down those sewers without you leading the charge.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, babe,” I said with a soft smile. “I’ll see you girls later.”
After the women mumbled their goodbyes, I crept down the stairs so I didn’t wake up any of the other sleeping wolves. Then I scanned the sleeping forms that were tucked under blankets until I spotted Samantha curled up on one of the couches.
I made my way over to her, and to my surprise, she didn’t smell as sweet as she did the night before. I frowned in confusion until I saw the corner of a pill packet sticking out of her pocket, and I realized someone-- probably Mia-- had given Sam scent suppressants at some point last night.
Which was probably a good thing, but I still silently mourned the loss of her sweet aroma before I gently shook her shoulder.
The dark-haired Omega’s brow twitched as I roused her from her sleep, and she slowly started to blink her dark eyes open.
“Josh?” she asked as she groggily sat up. “What’s up?”
“Hey, I wanted to talk to you,” I whispered.
“What about?” Sam asked as she wiped the sleep from her eyes and pushed the blanket off her legs.
“Step into the kitchen with me,” I said, and I flicked my head over to the door on the left.
“Sure thing,” she said as she pushed herself off the couch and headed into the kitchen. “I’m not in trouble, am I?”
The playful smirk on her sleepy face almost sent me to my knees, but I managed to crack a smile and shake my head.
“No, you’re not in trouble,” I said. “On the contrary, actually. I wanted to ask if you wanted to work with me at my company.”
“Wait, what?” Sam asked in a confused tone. “You… What are you saying? Or am I still dreaming right now?”
“I’m offering you a job, as Humans Relations Manager at Lunar Corp.,” I said like it was obvious. “Think about it, you would be handling the human side of my company, making sure everyone’s happy, not just us wolves. You know how humans think, and you also know about our wolf secret, so I think you’d be perfect for the job.”
“You… You’re serious,” the dark-haired Omega said breathlessly. “You’re seriously offering me a job?”
“Yeah,” I said with a grin. “Human Relations Manager Samantha Parker.”
“Josh…” Sam whispered. “I…”
“Is that a yes?” I asked with a nervous wince.
“Yes!” she suddenly cried out with a squeal of excitement and threw her arms around my neck.
I managed to catch her and wrapped my arms around her with a surprised smile. She had some serious strength and almost took me off my feet from the sudden attack, but I could feel her excitement and enthusiasm as she squeezed me tightly.
“I figured since you love helping people so much, maybe you could do it at Lunar Corp.,” I mumbled into her hair. “My business needs it, and so do my customers.”
“It would be an honor,” she said as she finally loosened her arms and dropped back down onto the ground.
“Not to mention, it’s really good pay,” I stage whispered behind my hand.
The Omega giggled and shook her head, which made a lock of her black hair fall in front of her face. I instinctively reached out and tucked it behind her ear again, and her dark brown eyes darted up to meet mine.
“We’re heading in soon,” I said. “Mia’s just showering.”
“No time to lose then, huh?” she asked softly.
“Duty calls.” I grinned.
“Well, I can’t wait. But… the only problem is, I only have this to wear.”
The Omega gestured to her black skinny jeans and loose white shirt.
“We’ll stop by my apartment,” I said. “I’m sure Mia won’t mind if you borrow something of hers for today?”
“Totally fine with me!” the blonde called out from the shower upstairs, but thanks to our wolf hearing, it was clear as day.
“There you go,” I said with an amused smile. “Don’t stress about it. Besides, the board is gonna be more than aware that this is a little… spontaneous.”
“Yeah, you’re telling me,” Samantha snorted. “This is one hell of a kindness, Josh.”
“It’s not necessarily a kindness.” I shrugged. “It’s a… shared business opportunity.”
“Wow, way to make it sound so corporate,” she teased. “Either way, I’m grateful. Volunteering at the homeless shelter is amazing, but it doesn’t pay. My mom’s been kind enough to let me live with her rent free while I figure things out, so this has taken a lot of pressure off my shoulders.”
“Well, I’m glad,” I said. “Be ready to leave soon, okay? My penthouse isn’t too far from here, and then we’ll be straight off to Lunar Corp.”
“No problem.” Samantha nodded. “I’ll just freshen up a little, and then I’ll be ready.”
“Okay,” I said with a dopey grin.
“Okay,” Samantha repeated and mirrored my grin with one of her own.
I realized we had just been staring at each other for a few moments, and I felt my cheeks burn. I cleared my throat and scratched the back of my neck as I finally pulled my gaze away from her.
“I’m gonna… I’m gonna make some coffee,” I said as I threw my thumb over my shoulder.
“And I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Sam said with a bashful giggle. “See you soon.”
“Yeah, see you… see you soon,” I said as I forced myself to turn around and head to the coffee machine.
I could hear her giggling as she entered the bathroom down the hallway, and I sighed at how easily flustered I got around her. It reminded me of how I was with all of my other girls, and I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of there maybe being something between me and Sam.
I wasn’t going to force anything, though, especially now that she was technically employed by me. I’d have to run it by the board first, but I doubt they’d complain about her joining. Not with Payne’s recent speech to try and burn us to the ground.
It was like I was fighting two different wars. One in the business world, and one in the wolf world, and that just further cemented how wrapped I was in both parts of me.
All I had to do was take it moment by moment and not let myself overthink anything. Today was a big day, and if I was going to live this double life, I couldn’t get too wrapped up in one half of it.
The coffee finally brewed in the machine, and I poured myself a large cup, which I drank leaning against the counter. By the time Sam was finished freshening up in the downstairs bathroom, Mia was finished upstairs, too, and the two met each other in the shared living space.
“You ready to go, Josh?” Mia asked.
“Sure am,” I said as I put my mug in the sink and started to lead the way out of the den. “I promise we won’t be gone for too long. But I really want to see to this business now rather than ignore it and it bites us in the ass.”
“That seems like the most practical thing to do, even with everything going on,” Mia agreed.
“Exactly,” I said as I stepped out into the early morning breeze.
We beelined for my Aston Martin, and after some squirming from the girls to fit in one seat, I quickly drove us to my penthouse so Mia and Sam could get changed. I decided it was best to put on a fresh suit, too, so I followed them up and picked out one of my dad’s blue suits. I wanted to be ready for later, and these things adjusted to my wolf form, so I figured it was best to just wear what I needed to now rather than change later.
Even if that did mean getting my dad’s suit dirty.
Mia picked out slim black pants and a smart black shirt, and she tied back her blonde hair in a neat ponytail. Sam was wearing a black pencil skirt that was cut off just above her knees and a white button-up blouse. She had also slicked back her black hair and pinned two of the white pieces back with black clips.
They both had flats on, and I figured that was so they could fight easier later on. And they both looked incredibly hot.
I knew they’d both noticed me checking them out, but neither of them said anything as we made our way back to the elevator.
Real subtle, Mia said down our bond.
Shut up, I teased.
Sam’s heart is beating real fast, the blonde pointed out. I wonder why that is?
I knew she was playing coy, but she did have a point. Sam’s heart was thrumming against her chest, and I noticed a pink flush on her freckled cheeks. I smiled to myself, and Mia turned her head to look at the wall so Sam wouldn’t notice the smile on her face, either.
I didn’t bring it up, though, for Sam’s sake and my own. We rode the rest of the elevator trip in silence. As we exited into the parking garage, I thought about our car situation and realized we needed the larger Porsche. So, after apologizing to Sam about the smell in the still filthy Porsche, we climbed in and headed to Lunar Corp.’s headquarters.
Sam fidgeted in her seat the closer we got, and I reached a hand over to still her bouncing leg as I pulled the car to a stop in the parking lot.
“Hey, don’t worry,” I said. “You’re gonna be alright, and my board members are gonna love you.”
“Yeah.” She nodded with a weak smile. “Yeah, I just… it’s been a while since I’ve had to do anything like this.”
“This isn’t an interview, you know?” I asked. “You’ve already got the job. And if the board protests, I’ll convince them. I want you working for me, Sam.”
“Thanks, Josh,” the Omega said with a more genuine smile.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” I said as I squeezed her knee.
The three of us headed into the elevator and rode straight up to the meeting room floor. The board was already sitting down waiting for us, and when we entered, their eyes lit up in surprise at the new addition to my entourage.
Samantha fidgeted beside me, and the scent of her nervousness was thick in the air. When I glanced at her, I even noticed her dark eyes flickering into that bright Omega blue, and I realized she was fighting back a shift.
Then I looked to the board, and as their own eyes widened, I knew they’d seen her eyes and realized she wasn’t only just a wolf, but an Omega. I instinctively put my hand on her lower back as I felt a wave of protectiveness wash over me, and I was praying this wouldn’t change how the board felt about my decision to bring her into the business.
Mia had worked so hard to hide that she was an Omega when she first started here because she didn’t want anyone to treat her any differently. Omegas were seen as ‘lesser’ and ‘weaker’ in our world, but I didn’t want that to be a normal thing in my company.
Mia was just as incredible as anyone else at this company, if not more so. And so was Sam. And that was why I had to get them on board with this.
“Good morning, guys,” I said with a wide smile. “I’d like to introduce a new addition to our team, with your approval, of course.”
“A new addition?” Victor asked in surprise. “And what might her role be?”
“Human Relations Manager,” I said as I took a seat and gestured for Sam to take one in the seat beside me. “With Payne’s speech this morning, I don’t want to sit around and wait for things to get better. We need a bigger push in the right direction, and I think Sam is the perfect person for that.”
“Is that something we can do, Benjamin?” Lexi asked the Treasurer.
“I suppose,” he said with a slow nod. “We’ve got the budget for it. And based on what we’ve already gone through in previous meetings, I think having someone like that on our payroll is a good use of that money.”
“Go ahead, introduce yourself,” I whispered to Samantha, whose eyes widened.
“H-Hi, I’m Samantha, Samantha Parker,” the Omega greeted the board with a nervous smile.
“Pleasure to meet you, Samantha,” Susan said softly. “And welcome to the team.”
“Thanks! I’m really excited about being here,” Samantha replied. “This is definitely not how I expected today to go.”
“Oh, it’s far from over,” I joked. “Business first, then a big fight with the latest threat to New York later.”
“A busy day, just like every other,” Mia added with a playful smirk.
“Exactly,” I played along. “We’re not going to expect you to jump into anything straight away, Sam. Don’t worry.”
“Hey, I’m ready to go when you are,” the Omega replied. “Doing something might take my mind off the fight later.”
“I can help you settle into your new role, Samantha,” Lexi interjected. “I’m Lexi Peterson, I’m the board secretary here.”
“Nice to meet you,” the dark-haired Omega said with a polite nod. “And I’d appreciate that. I have a degree in Human Relations, but this would be my first proper job outside of college.”
“Then I’d be more than happy to help,” Lexi said with a warm smile.
“Great,” I sighed. “I’m glad I don’t need to convince you guys she’s worth it.”
“I think we’ve all learned to trust your judgment, Josh,” Victor said with a wink. “But, going back to the fight later tonight, I have something that I think you’ll be pleased to see.”
I immediately perked up at his words, and I leaned my elbows on the desk as I tried to get a peek at what the gray-haired Alpha bent down to grab. My intrigue only grew when he pulled up a small black briefcase and flicked open the golden locks on the outside.
“What’s in there?” Mia asked.
“This, Mia, is what we’ve been looking for,” Victor said as he pulled a small glass vial filled with blue liquid.
“An antidote,” I breathed out as I stared at it in awe. “Our labs actually did it?”
“They did.” Victor nodded with a warm smile. “It’s been safely tested in our labs, but we don’t exactly have any live test subjects that we can inject with the serum to see if it truly works.”
