Chapter 4: First Day on the Job
1074 Words
Helina had found a place that gave away clothing and she shopped for a few outfits. A church down the street from the penthouse held it once a year, the woman in the basement said. Thankfully she found a few business outfits to wear.
She didn't have anything like this at her home anyway so she would have had to buy them. With what money she didn't know. Her pack worked on the barter system. That was what made the situation with Kurt and the man he killed even odder. The pack had money for dealing with the outside world, but no wolf needed its own.
Any wolf could leave the pack and go into the human world to make money, but Helina didn't know anyone who chose that option. The wolves had everything they needed in Duncan's Woods.
She met Chase in the garage and they climbed into the limousine.
“Here's my schedule for today. You might want to take notes."
He handed her a notepad and pen and she began to scribble as he spoke. She didn't understand most of what he was saying, but she'd figure it out. She'd decided overnight that she had little choice but to play along for at least a few days with this job. She had nowhere to go and she couldn't return to her pack.
Having come to no decision about what she'd seen, she wouldn't be able to stand being in the same room as Kurt. Her options were limited and at least she had some food in the kitchen and a place to rest her head.
She only liked sleeping outside when the weather was nice. Last night a storm had come through and she'd been thankful for a dry place to sleep.
“Am I going too fast?"
“Yes. Could you slow down?"
“Sure. What was the last thing you wrote down?" Chase asked.
She blinked then looked down at her scribbling. “Stocks for Regenate."
“Right. We need to keep an eye on those stocks. They are a publicly traded company and I can only do a takeover if I'm the majority stockholder. I only have about ten percent more to buy than I'm that."
“You can't just buy the company outright?" she asked.
“If it was privately owned I could. This is a leap for me. I've never bought a company this big, but I'm a big believer in grasping higher and higher. To grow my company, I've always challenged myself to do something I've never done before."
She could understand that, but that wasn't her philosophy. She liked things safe and secure and that's why leaving Duncan's Woods had been so unnerving.
The limousine took them past a food cart and her head snapped in that direction because of the smell of cinnamon.
“Helina?"
“Sorry. That food car smelled good."
“Shall we stop and get something?" he asked.
“Uh," she said then her stomach rumbled. “If you don't mind."
Chase pressed a button on the door. “Jeeves, please circle around the block and stop by that food cart."
“Yes, sir," came the reply.
The car stopped and Chase helped Helina out of the car. She didn't have any money. How was she going to pay for this? “Uh. I don't really need anything."
“My treat for you on your first day of work," Chase said. “Pick whatever you want."
She didn't know what most of the items were. Wolves didn't eat anything but meat and maybe some fruit once in a while. She pointed to something and the man behind the cart put it in a bag.
“For you sir?"
“I'll take what Helina is having. A bear claw is a great choice."
Chase paid for their food and then they were back in the car. Helina bit into the bear claw and her eyes fell closed. She could get used to sweet things. Why didn't wolves eat these?
“Good?" Chase asked.
“Yes. I've never had one."
“Never had a bear claw?"
“Well, my mother didn't allow sweets in the house," Helina said, thinking on the fly.
It wasn't a complete lie.
She looked up and Chase was watching her eat, his food still in the bag. She couldn't read what was in his eyes, but she figured she had something on her face, so she swiped at it with a napkin. He didn't indicate if she'd removed it or not, so she swiped again.
He let out a deep breath. “Maybe we should stop there every morning on the way to work so you can try more things."
She'd like that. “Um, okay." She took another bite as Chase watched her. When she swallowed, she said, “Aren't you going to eat yours?"
He looked down at the bag as if seeing it for the first time. “Right."
Had he been so distracted by her that he forgot? He cleared his throat and pulled out his pastry. He took a big bite and she couldn't help watching him. Why was he so attractive and how much was this going to get in the way of her doing her job?
She wiped her hands when she was done. The food had been a welcome distraction from the sensory overload of Chase's instructions and his scent. It still intrigued her that she loved his smell. She shouldn't, and this seemed suspiciously like he was her mate. Her reaction to him was hard to hide, but she couldn't screw up this situation yet. She'd be out on the street.
Chase finished his quickly then rested his head on the back of the seat. “That was magnificent. I'm glad you spotted it."
She could see his pulse beating on his neck. She had a strong urge to kiss him right there. Her gaze went out the window to try to distract her from his neck. His was sexy, with his slight tan and she could see where he'd missed shaving that morning when she turned back to him.
She cleared her throat. Nothing could happen between them. He was her boss. He was human.
They were in different leagues since she was a wolf shifter.
She couldn't imagine how he'd take that news, but he'd never know.
She sighed. “Shall we get back to work?"
- Writer
