Claimed by my Lycan Boss

Chapter 5 : An Agreement

*Hale*

"Take care of that. He's done enough," I requested, giving Dimitri's body a soft nudge with my foot.

Taylor, one of my most trusted friends, right behind my brother, nodded dutifully. He scooped the man up and disappeared from the bar.

"I finally found the shut off valve," Tasha called from the door to the kitchen. The water finally stopped pouring from the ceiling.

"Good," I nodded. I ran a hand through my hair, slicking it back out of my face.

Declan got close to me and looked at me with a strange eyesight.

“What?” I asked.

“If I were you,” he said, “I would call Amara right now and apoligized for what just happend and what you said.”

I didn’t bother to reply to him because my phone rang, and I pulled it from my pocket. I hit 'ignore' on the call; I didn't have time for whatever it was at the moment. I turned to find someone to take care of the mess, and before I had the chance to give orders, one of the bouncers came through the elevator and walked towards me.

"Sir, I already called the maintenance to make their way here as soon as possible. Do you need anything else?" he asked, clearly embarrassed for not being here when everything happened.

"No, that is all," I said before heading out.

I stepped into the elevator, punched the button for the top floor, and headed to the top floor office, clothes leaving a dripping trail on the carpet. Declan had kept changes of clothes here. We had similar body builds, so his outfits would suit me. For once, I was thankful for his need of unlimited clothing supplies.

I peeled off my suit coat, casting it aside. I unbuttoned my shirt, shucking it on top of my coat. My pants had miraculously stayed dry enough. I wasn't too worried about them, so I just pulled open the slim wardrobe at the back of the office and pulled out a clean pressed shirt.

I didn't bother with a tie, it was unnecessarily formal for this late at night. Or, early in the morning, I supposed.

I sat down at my computer and clicked through a few files until I found the personnel files. Judy Hayes was a skilled employee, and she promptly entered all employee data on the day they were hired. I appreciated that about her.

Now it’s silent, and I couldn’t help but think about what Declan just suggested to me.

I clicked on Amara Evans' name.

Normally, I didn't invade someone's privacy this way, but I needed to ensure she had made it back to her apartment okay. I knew Declan would be sure to safely take her to her car, and that should have been enough for me.

She was a peculiar woman. I had yet to determine how I felt about her. All her scowling at me that she tried so poorly to hide had me captivated. And that last name, Evans, I was sure I knew it from somewhere.

I jotted down her address and headed out of the office.

The navigation in my car directed me to an apartment complex near the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus. Most of the cars in the lot bore UNLV parking stickers, so I assumed most of the residents here were college students.

As I made my way up several flights of stairs, the puddles of vomit and the thumping music led me to believe I must be correct.

I stepped carefully down the long hallway, looking for her apartment number. The apartments on this floor were quieter than the ones closer to the ground level.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. What the f**k was I nervous about?

I guess it probably wasn’t normal for the employer to show up at this odd hour. However, I needed to ensure she kept what she saw today to herself.

I could hear footsteps within the apartment, padding quietly to the front door. She must be barefoot.

Two heartbeats passed and I turned around to leave. It was very late. This could wait until tomorrow. I started to question my decision to come here in the first place.

The dark green door swung open, and Amara stood in the doorway, barefoot as I suspected. I wanted to smile, but the next moment my face frozen.

A knife, used for cutting vegetbles or something else, was held in her hand. Amara lifted the knife and stared at me, just like she would cut me into pieces with that stupid knife.

Wait, what was I thinking about? It’s so ridiculous.

"Who…wait, why are you here?" she asked, tone unreadable, but I could see it in her eyes that she was surprised and unhappy to see me here.

I could understand her hostility. After what happened tonight, I was simply relieved to see her not just slam the door closed.

"Can I come in?" I asked. The public hallway wasn’t a good place for the conversation I was about to have with her.

She seemed to consider it for a split second, but said nothing and stepped to the side, allowing me to enter. She closed the door behind me, making it clear that I was not welcome past the entryway threshold.

While her face was annoyed, her eyes were still wild, the way they had been when Dimitri was holding her. It settled for me exactly what I knew I needed to do.

"I wanted to let you know not to worry about coming in for your shift tomorrow. I believe it's time we terminate our professional relationship," I stated plainly. She would understand. It was for her own safety. She would be relieved.

***

*Amara*

"Excuse me?" I demanded.

When I heard someone knock my door, the first thing I could think was the guy who almost killed me in the bar. To protect myself, I grabbed a knife and lifted it to open the door. But I didn’t expect I would see Hale outside my door.

What the hell was Hale doing at my apartment?! He was the last person I expected to see at this moment, and yet, here he was. And for some reason, I let him in!

I still couldn’t understand why I did that, but when I heard him asking me for permission to come in, my body reacted before my brain could stop it.

Yet, fury exploded inside me as soon as I figured out why he was here.

He must be joking! Not only did he show up on my doorstep at this hour, but he came all the way here to simply fire me? Couldn't he have waited until tomorrow morning?

So, a man pointed a gun at me and somehow that was my fault? I'd love to know how I lost my job because someone else tried to kill me. I considered asking just that, but I guess the events of the night got me completely exhausted.

"It would be unwise for you to continue bartending at the Eclipse." Hale's voice was infuriatingly level. He spoke to me as if he was explaining something to a child.

I wouldn't allow him to treat me that way.

"Yeah? Would it be unwise? Someone holding a gun to my head is my fault? I'm too inconvenient to keep around?" I finally sputtered.

"You wish to continue your employment with my company?" he asked, and I couldn't pretend I didn't notice the tone of surprise hidden behind his nonchalant demeanor.

I scowled. I pulled my hair away from my forehead, displaying the round bruise on my temple from the gun. There was still a throbbing there. I was positive that finding sleep tonight would be difficult.

Then I leaned toward Hale with a hand pressing against wall, almost touched him , and I saw clearly something like shocking appear in his eyes.

“What are you doing?” He asked, with a voice not so calm.

I grabbed his hand and put it on my shoulder, then answered, “I’ll call the police and told them you’re gonna do something to me.”

He was so shocked that couldn’t control his expression, “You are the one who got close to me. It’s ridiculous!”

I released him and let him go.

“Yes, ridiculous,” I said, “that’s what I felt when I heard you are going to fire me.”

"What I'm saying is that some maniac with a weapon shouldn't be allowed to determine if I'm fit for employment," I snapped.

A gasp almost escaped from my throat as he leaned in close, placing a hand gently on the side of my face. He smelled of leather and oak, a manly, earthy scent. His hair was still wet. He was close enough that I could see a little droplet of water hanging off of a lock of his hair.

Was this man going to kiss me?

As nanoseconds ticked past, I felt frozen. Would I want that? What would those full lips feel like on mine? I fought with myself, disgusted. It didn't matter. He was my boss, he was my enemy, and he was trying to fire me. He thought a kiss would fix all of that?

He gingerly touched the bruise, tracing its shape with his index finger. I felt that same electric pulse from my first interaction with him, when he had lifted my chin to look at him. His touch was gentle, though the skin of his fingers was rougher than I expected. A working man's hand.

Then, he let me go, stepping back and leaving me feeling almost cold in his absence.

Hale studied me carefully, those stormy sea eyes making me feel almost scandalized. Anger and arousal warred within my gut. Anger won. Anger that he thought I was this disposable. Anger that he had intruded on my home. Anger that I was struggling to fight the arousal that twisted my stomach.

"It would appear that there is a secretarial position available. The hours would be slightly different than the bartending position, obviously, but there is a small increase in pay. Your credentials make you more than qualified for the job," he offered. Still, that flat, unreadable tone left me scrambling to understand what he was thinking.

"I think I have whiplash," I muttered.

"From Dimitri? I can assure you, our worker's compensation will more than cover your care," Hale said quickly.

"No, from you. I'm fired and also promoted? I'm lost here," I retorted bitterly.

"Well, the choice is yours. We can part ways, or you can accept the secretary role. Either way, you'll no longer be bartending for any of the Rowe Properties."

I think the man would have shrugged if that would have been becoming of a big, intimidating businessman. Maybe he didn't because he didn't have the room to move those giant shoulders in that snug white shirt. He swallowed up the entryway to my apartment, dwarfing me where I stood. The cut of that button up made it clear that he had a heavily muscled chest, broad shoulders, and a fit waist.

I thought again about how his lips had been so close to mine only moments ago.

"Fine. I'll take it. When do I start?" I asked. I didn't want to seem too desperate, but perhaps a position closer to this man would make my life a little easier. This was why I wanted the bartender position in the first place, wasn't it?

"Tomorrow will be fine. You can speak with Miss Hayes when you arrive, she'll put you through orientation," he said.

And without another word, Hale turned to go.

I wanted to slap the man. He thought he could waltz in here and be some hero? I hadn't forgotten that he had tried to fire me just a few minutes ago. I wasn't kidding when I said I thought I had whiplash. A villain indeed.

"Thank you," I barked, causing him to stop short. It would be the polite thing to do, wouldn't it? If I really needed this job, I would have thanked him for changing his mind. It infuriated me that the man had that much power. If I really needed this job for financial reasons, it would have been too easy for him to wave a hand and destroy my livelihood. To leave me in poverty. I suddenly had a small amount of sympathy for Dimitri, no matter how unjustified his actions were.

Hale tipped his head toward me.

"Thank you for the job, and thank you for saving me tonight," I forced out. It was the right thing to do.

My parents had taught me that gratitude was one of the most important things a person could have. They had told me from the time that I was a child that if someone gave you something, if someone went out of their way for you, if someone showed you kindness, no matter how small, unnecessary, or unwanted it was, that you owed them the courtesy of a 'thank you'. I would honor their memory by forcing the words to cross my lips, no matter how much I felt as though I would choke on them.

"Don't mention it," he answered.

I couldn't tell if he was being humble, or if he genuinely was ordering me not to mention it. I wasn't sure if I should ask for clarification or not, so I didn't.

He placed a hand on the door handle. Hale paused again, and I thought he might have more to say. He stayed still for a heartbeat, then opened the door and stepped into the night. He pulled the door closed behind him, leaving no space for me to say anything, not even goodbye.

I didn't really have anything else to say to the man anyway. The fact that he made my heart pound so hard against my chest, the fact that deep down I really wished he had kissed me; none of this was any of his business.

What was I even thinking? Hale kissing me? What an absurd, insane thought. You should've known better, Amara.

I pulled out my phone, trying to forget about what just happened, and sent a text with the updated details of the evening. I shoved it back in my pocket and went to my bedroom. I pulled open my closet doors, studying my clothes. My heart still pounded in my chest as I picked out an outfit for the next day, trying to convince myself I was only happy because I hadn't lost my job, not because I was going to see Hale again in the morning.