The Alpha CEO's Human Mate

Late

“I-I’m sorry I’m late,” Nikita squeaked out, looking at everyone in the CEO’s office.

She already knew Chris, who smiled at her encouragingly. Pam, Executive Director of Marketing, was a powerhouse of intellect, but Nikita had never formally met her. And behind the desk sat the man who held her fate in his hands.

Nikita’s heart missed a beat as her eyes fell on him. He was the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on. Of course, she’d seen him in the magazines and in real life at big company seminars where he would give grand speeches on an enormous stage to all the employees. She’d always thought he was breathtakingly good looking from so far. But up close….he was utterly irresistible. He possessed a striking countenance, with chiseled features that seemed to effortlessly captivate.

Never had she been this close to him. And never had he made her heartbeat stutter before going into overdrive the way it did now. His eyes were a unique shade of dark blue that Nikita felt she could drown in. Giving herself a mental shake, Nikita looked away quickly, noting the tense expression on her boss’s face. The big guns of her company surrounded her and she had to stay focused.

“I…I’m never late. This won’t happen again,” Nikita assured softly, clasping her shaking hands together and doing her best not to stare at the devilishly handsome CEO.

Her thumb instinctively ran over her ring finger where her diamond ring was missing now. She’d taken it off before the meeting, hoping for some good luck. All that rock had ever brought her was misery.

“You were in an accident barely an hour ago,” Pam stated sympathetically. “Please don’t worry about it. Though it is a pity, you missed the meeting with our newest client.”

“I’ll bring her up to speed so she knows what’s supposed to be done,” Chris cut in smoothly, his eyes moving to Kyle.

Kyle was mostly rendered speechless. He pursed his lips together, afraid to speak lest he proclaim her as his mate.

‘Get a grip’ he scolded himself. ‘She’s a human and a mother of two kids! This is never going to work!’

Kyle’s gaze swept her over. He vaguely recalled seeing a headshot of her when they’d been hiring chemists. Hers was the only picture he’d given more than a cursory glance at. However, her dark brown hair and light brown hazelnut eyes hadn’t called out to him the way they did now. Not to mention the way her scent intoxicated him. She smelled like jasmine, Amberwood and...Kyle inhaled deeply....there was a hint of cedar. It was a powerful scent with a hint of delicate florals lingering in the background. He inhaled deeply again, unable to stop himself from consuming the mouthwatering aroma, and clenched his fists, trying to control his wolf from going to claim her. This was a disaster. She was his employee! There were about a hundred different legal ramifications to this entire scenario. He had worked so hard to build up a successful company. Jeopardizing the wellbeing of Rising Phoenix Inc. for one woman was not justified.

He’d dated leggy blondes, models, and even a couple of movie stars. Nikita was someone easy to miss….easy to forget. Unless you saw her in person. She was attractive no doubt, but she also emanated a silent strength. It was evident in the way she held herself, firm and resolute. There was a pureness emanating from her eyes, it was in the way she held her hands to hide she was nervous. A pureness he’d never sensed in any other girl he’d been with before. She was…different. And the most beautiful part of her seemed to be the resilience which came from within. The resilience which even his wolf could sense and what called out to him.

Kyle cleared his throat and gestured for Nikita to take a seat across from him on the opposite end of his huge custom built desk constructed using six different types of wood. In place of traditional iron legs, his desk was propped up by sinuous marble pillars. The desk’s curved shape was specifically designed to accommodate team meetings, allowing executive employees to be seated around it in a circular manner.

Kyle’s gaze held steady on the young woman, who warily made her way over and sat down in the middle seat. Pam and Chris were both sitting off to the side on the leather couches in his office. There was a tense silence in which Kyle noted the way Nikita’s eyes flew to Chris, who gave her a discreet thumbs up sign, trying to assuage her nerves. For some reason, that pissed Kyle off more than the fact she was late. Why did this woman automatically look to Chris for comfort?

“So other than the fact that you tend to be late,” Kyle clipped out more harshly than he’d intended. He ignored the guilt he felt when Nikita blanched under his censure. “Tell us a little bit about yourself. Why do you think you deserve this promotion….Nikita?Kyle uttered her name, feeling it on his tongue. He despised how effortlessly the syllables slipped off his lips.

He hated his body’s protective reaction to the way she looked at him with wide doe eyes, as if she was afraid of him. She had nothing to be afraid of. Least of all him.

In truth, Nikita was a jittering mess of nerves. She needed this promotion. It was too important to mess up. His voice was like a sensual melody, her name sounding erotic when spoken from his lips. Why was she feeling this way? Why was she reacting like this? Nikita decided it had been way too long since she’d last had s.e.x. and even longer since she’d had good s.e.x. But this was not the right time for her body to be demanding some sort of release.

Nikita pretended to cough into her hand to give herself a minute to gather her sensibilities.

Finally, the dark-hared beauty took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet me at a later time, Mr. Sinclair,” Nikita said politely and confidently, perfectly composed despite the tumult of emotions inside her. “I am a chemist with a Master’s in chemical and biomolecular engineering. The work I do now, is the same work your company funded research for in our university. I spent two years as a master’s student working in the lab and going over all of your formulas. I started as a lab tech in your company during my undergraduate studies. I worked my way up here. I have worked in various roles, including research and development, quality control, and production management.” Nikita spoke in a steady voice as she counted off the roles on her fingers. “I’ve been here for over four years. I think I’m the best candidate for Executive Chemist compared to a completely new hire who would have to learn the ropes of working here first.”

“Wait, didn’t we hire you a little over a year ago?” Chris interrupted, confused. “Our lab technicians work in labs off-site.”

Nikita smiled at Chris. Kyle bit back the urge to growl. He wanted her to smile at him like that.

“I used to work the night shift in one of your off-site labs,” she explained demurely. “It’s how I got short-listed for a job in our headquarters located within the city.”

“But the closest off-site lab is two hours away,” Pam said in confusion. “Did you live there before?”

“I worked the night shift so I could take classes in the mornings,” Nikita informed Pam primly. “My classes were usually Tuesdays and Thursdays 7 am-7 pm. The rest of the days I drove two hours out of the city, worked the night shift and took care of my daughter during the day,” Nikita ended, a dark look passing over her face as she remembered the sleepless nights and the handful of times she’d literally fallen asleep behind the wheel trying to get home to her baby after a long night at the lab.

Her shoulders slumped a little. Nikita couldn’t take much more of this. Outwardly, she was calm and composed for the world. Inside, she was a raging storm of emotions and running on empty. It was hard being the only one her daughters depended on. If only their father had stayed in the picture...

Kyle hid his hands under the table, his fingernails digging into his palms. She’d had a very tough life. That was evident from her facial expressions. And she’d endured. That made him look at her with newfound respect.

“You didn’t have any help?” Pam asked sadly, eyebrows furrowing.

“My mom….she was a huge help. She would keep Evie, my older daughter who’s six now, with her when I was at work. But she was old and had knee problems, so she couldn’t really care for an active toddler during the day. Especially when all Evie wanted to do was run around so, I would put her in daycare when I went to school,” Nikita explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

“How old is your younger daughter?” Kyle asked briskly.

Surprised that the CEO would even care, Nikita replied with pride in her voice.

“Mia is two and she’s just the most cutest baby girl ever.” Nikita couldn’t help but gush, her perfect composure slipping as her eyes shined with love.

She loved her children, that much was evident. Kyle heaved a weary sigh, feeling sorry for the rough time Nikita had been through. Hers had probably been a teenage pregnancy. Some i***t had probably seduced her and left her, promising her the world and then breaking her heart in the end. Leaving her to raise a child alone. And then the woman had probably gone and fallen for some other sucker who knocked her up and left her. Kyle did not want to look to closely into the protectiveness that flared in his chest. He’d do his best to keep her comfortable in his company. But he’d also have to reject her. Just how do you tell a human that you’re a werewolf? And that you’re not only their boss…but their mate that wants to speak the rejection lines to break the bond? This was not looking good.

“All of this is quite impressive,” Kyle said finally, massaging a point in the middle of his forehead as he thought for a minute. Then he looked back up at Nikita, holding her gaze. Keep in mind that this is a position for an executive chemist, meaning it requires a great deal of responsibility. Do you think you have what it takes to handle this role? It seems you already have a lot on your plate raising two girls.”

Nikita winced, afraid that this would be the consensus. However, she was ready with her rebuttals. The hardest days of her life were over. She hadn’t worked herself into the ground to let this opportunity pass her up. It was time to reap the benefits of her hard work. She’d be damned if some stuck-up CEO in a suit, who didn’t know half the amount of fortitude it took to reach her current position, hinder her advancement.

He sat there all high and mighty, not knowing what it was like to be throwing up from morning sickness and being late to work, nearly missing your deadlines. Not knowing what it was like to rush home only to have two kids attach themselves to your legs for ‘mommy time’ when all you wanted was to fall into bed exhausted after a long day. Not knowing what it was like when you came home to two hungry children who needed a hot meal instead of sandwiches like you’d originally planned because you were running on zero sleep from working an all-nighter. Nikita narrowed her eyes. No, he didn’t know what any of that was like. Which is why he doubted her.

Well ....she’d just have to set him straight. A/N: Few things are more scary than an angry mother ;-). What do you think so far?