HIS SECOND MATE

Chapter 5

Gregory

"Take down the article! I will pay you double! Just do it." I had spent the whole Sunday evening making calls to new stations, at first I was the one that had leaked the news of the meeting with Marcus (even the thought of his name sent tingles down my spine)

Focus Gregory! Focus!

Where was I? Yes! I may have let it out that I was having a meeting, I knew there would be reporters from tabloids around. I wanted to crush Marcus and have the whole world witness my victory, total humiliation.

Everything was set, I was finally going to show him who is boss, the joy and calculation on my face when he said hi to me and I realized he had no idea who I was. It was time for the kill, then I felt it.

The electric current flowing from where our skin made contact, that delicious tingle that had me shuddering involuntarily and then he was gone, face pale filled with panic but I was left there standing in the lobby face flushed.

See all the comments by netizens under the articles ridiculing Marcus made my heart hurt, that was a one hundred and eighty degree change. That morning I had been quite excited for this but now I hated every minute of it.

I did not like the thought of mate being hurt! I also knew he did not like me but the thought of this making everything worse made my heart clench in pain.

'How bad will he hate me after this?' I asked myself several times

I had never been one to care about consequences but this was getting to me.

"Congratulations Sir Gregory!"

"Way to crush the competition man!"

I had gotten several of these messages on my phone over the weekend. If the rest of the world saw me as the winner of this supposed battle the how did my mate see me?

Was I despicable? Scum of the earth?

I was supposed to be enjoying my victory right now, supposed to be having the last laugh but I could not bring myself to be happy.

Monday morning as I got to the office several more congratulatory messages came my way all the while I wished I could go back and change the happenings of that Saturday.

I heard stories on mate bonds, read about them, saw a few. On several occasions I had wished for love and loyalty like that. 

I had gotten it, had it right in the palm of my hands. Me a human had be blessed with my mate but my past transgressions had come back to bite me in the ass.

"Sir! a call for you from Giovanni Holdings." came the voice of my secretary Jessica on the intercom, yes that very same Jessica I had poached from Marcus, looking at her made me feel even more guilty.

"Redirect it to my office." I order, was in a terrible mood.

Just then my personal phone rang taking away all my thought from the call I had just asked to redirect. Only few people had this phone number so it must be an important person.

Caller ID unknown.

Who could it be? I have all important contacts saved but since they called me directly it had to be someone important.

"Hello?" I quickly answer

Silence..

"I am going to hang up if you do not say anything."

A loud intake of breath is what I get.

"I am hanging up now." I was really going to hang up. I hate prank callers, perhaps it was time to get a new number.

"Hello." that rich baritone voice, my body's reaction to that to that voice made it very clear exactly who it was on the other side of that call. I felt a shiver run through my whole body, did I affect him as much as he did me?

Marcus, Marcus was actually calling me. I fought the rising urge to let out a squeal, I was very excited that he had called me. I had craved hearing his voice even though he had only said two words to me. Marcus Harvey... what are you doing to me man!

"Hello." I reply trying to sound cool and collected on for my voice to crack making me sound an octave of two higher.

How embarrassing! I am very sure he heard that, at least he could not see my face that would have been worse.

"Gregory, we need to talk." ooh how my name sounded rolling off his tongue!

"Gregory?" yes sir!

"Gregory,"  call me again daddy!

"GREGORY WALTERS!" this time it was more forceful a growl. I could feel the blush creeping up my neck ears and cheeks. The growl instead of making me alert had my insides acting like jelly. I was a  complete mess.

"Are you listening to me or do you just want me to make a fool of myself." not the statement snapped me back into reality. I could not blame him for thinking that badly of me. I had not proved myself any better to him.

"Yes sir, I am listening." I have no idea why I was inclined to call him sir. Then I heard the sharpest in take of air, was he angry or did he like that I had addressed him.

"Sir, I like it. We could work with that." that voice again. Damn that voice, maybe I could keep him talking on the phone a while longer just to listen to him.

Wait! He had chuckled!

He liked it when I called him sir! OMG! Cue the internal squealing.

I was excited, I had done something he liked, I felt like a puppy begging for praises from his own but that did not deter my joy one bit. 

"So, you said you wanted to talk. Where and when?" I asked, sounding as nonchalant as possible trying to keep my excitement in check. Please say today, please say today of course the last part I said and my breath

(poor little Gregory, forgetting his mate was a werewolf with super hearing)

"Fine! We will meet today like you want. I will pick you up at 1pm, we shall talk over the meal. Wait for me in front of your building." then he hang up the call.

That was an order!

My business rival had ordered me to lunch, no my mate had and that was an order I gladly accepted. He sounded really sexy doing that.

I was not even angry that I had not been given a chance to agree.

Mating bond, here comes Gregory Walters!

"..."