Glass Jaw - Falling for my Alpha Boss

Teagan The noise of the crowd almost has my ears bleed. It smells like sweat, polyethylene, and chalk. Most people must be on their third or fourth beer, judging by the look on their faces. And I definitely stick out like a sore thumb. My clothes are too clean and the jeans are definitely too long if I compare them to the short dresses most of the girls around me are wearing. Why the f*ck did I agree to meet him here? This ISN’T the right place for a first meeting. Especially not if this is supposed to be a professional relationship. Which is what I tell my best friend. Lyla just shrugs, the strap of her sequent dress slipping off her shoulder. She got the memo. Great. “He hired you to help him with his career.” She gestures toward the cadge in the middle of the room, surrounded by the raging crowd. “This is what he does.” “He hired me to set things straight now that he took over the position as Alpha from his estranged father.” I wrinkle my nose as someone bumps into me, spilling their cup over my light blue shirt. “Sorry.” The guy reeks of alcohol, and I take a measured step back. “All good.” When I turn to Lyla with a grave expression, she just laughs it off. “Try to have some fun.” She grabs my hand. “Just this once.” “I have fun all the time!” Maybe that sounded a little too defensive. “No, you don’t. You don’t even know what the word means.” “Lyla!” “What? Proof me wrong.” Her eyebrows raise in a challenge. “I can already see by your face you’re planning on turning him down.” Sh*t. She knows me too well. “I wasn’t- “Don’t even think about lying to me.” Lyla laughs. “I know you too well for that, T. Way too well.” And she’s right. We have been best friends since we met on our first day of college. And she’s the one that pushed me to take this opportunity when it showed up. Because she knows that going back home to live with my parents is not an option. Not even for a little bit. So, this job right out of college is what I need. I really do need this. So I better overlook the crowd, the beer stain, or that my shirt is basically see-through now. I roll back my shoulders and straighten—time to stop whining and get what I came here for. Peanuts crunch under my feet as I strut over to the closest one of the huge goons that seem to be responsible for security tonight. He turns around at my firm tap on his shoulder. “Excuse me, sir. My name is Teagan Hurst, and I have an appointment with Max Cummings.” The man’s eyes rake over me and stop at the wet stain on my shirt, revealing my bra. “Sure you do.” I get ready to give him a piece of my mind for that, but swallow it down when he waves for Lyla and me to follow him. The crowd split in front of him like he’s Moses parting the Red Sea, and it’s nice not to have to push and take the elbows to the ribs. Once we reach the other side of the ring, we stop. “Wait here. I’ll get him.” With that, he’s gone, and I ball my hands into fists. You can do it, Teagan. You need this job. Just take a deep breath and—- A hand slaps my a** so hard I jolt forward a little. “What the- Whirling around, I get ready to punch a guy. My eyes meet dark brown ones, and the smirk in them has bile rise in my throat. Jerk “What the f*ck is wrong with you?” “A lot of things, gorgeous. But luckily, my aim ain’t one of them.” His smile widens. “Damn that a**!” And this time, I actually do punch him. Right in the face. Blood spills from his lip and my insides freeze. Oh, hell no! F*ck. What did I just do? “F*ck.” Is also the first thing out of Max Cummings mouth. Max Cummings, who I just punched square in the face. The man next to him grabs my arm, and I wince when he twists it. I see Lyla shoot me a ‘what the f*ck?’- look over his shoulder before she tries to get the second guy’s attention. That’s it. I ruined my one chance at a normal life. Away from my parents… away from a shrine, a past I couldn’t run from until now. I- “Woa. Wait!” I crane my head to look at him past the huge man dragging me off. He stops in his tracks, and I can just about suppress the scoff. Goddess, he really is your typical alpha male. Everyone fawning over him, doing his bidding. “You’re packing a punch.” He levels me a look. Like he’s not expecting me to be able to hold his gaze. Waiting for me to look down, shyly look away. I raise an eyebrow at him. “Comes in handy when people momentarily lose control over their limbs.” The broad smile that spreads on his face has deep-seated dimples on both cheeks. “How could they?” I shrug as I watch him cross his arms over his chest. “What’s your name?” “Teagan Hurst, nice to meet you.” For a moment, he looks confused, one of his thick black brows going up. “Oh yeah, I was supposed to meet you about the position as your publicist. Guess that’s not going to happen.” Turning around, I get ready for the security guard to start dragging me again. But a throat clearing behind me has me stop for a second and look up. Max Cummings is smirking at me, and somehow, it scares me a little. That look in his eyes. “What makes you say that?”