“I’m hired?”
“Yes, Ms. DeMarco, you are hired,” the striking blonde woman said as she stood up from behind a massive wooden desk piled high with papers and an open laptop.
The place was certainly unconventional, but from what she’d read about it online, they did great work. Cassie squeaked and jumped up out of her chair eager to shake hands with her new boss.
She’d never been one to contain her emotions, part of why she’d always loved music. Singing and acting had been her solace in high school and college, especially when that little sixth sense of hers went a little bit nuts.
Magic and the unexplainable were certainly everywhere. Cassie knew this even as she shook hands with the gorgeous she-Wolf. She was glad she’d learned to control or at least, hide that part of herself. Supernaturals had rules about who was permitted to know of their existence.
“You seem familiar to me, Cassie, I read your resume last night and you’ve been in a few shows on and off Broadway, is that correct?” Cat said as she strolled with her through the hallways to show her the music/drama room.
“Oh, well, yes, but no major roles or anything,” she said with more than a little embarrassment.
Cassie had wanted so badly to succeed on Broadway. She understood now that that kind of lightning struck rarely, and she simply wasn’t one of those few destined for stardom.
Still, she was happy for her experiences there, and that ache that she’d had a few days ago was lessened somehow. She was exactly where she was supposed to be now. She fully believed that.
She smiled at Cat as she told her a few of the shows she’d been involved in and shared some of her experiences in New York. She couldn’t believe how light she felt talking about what had almost broken her heart days ago!
She knew now that it simply wasn’t meant to be. Maybe the Fates had something else in store for her. Something involving a certain wolfy doctor…
For a second, she wondered why it had taken her so long to realize the truth. New York wasn’t for her. Perhaps if she hadn’t also been involved with Mark, the director of the last couple of shows she’d been involved in, she’d have seen it sooner.
Never one to quit, she had allowed herself to grow complacent. She was fine with him stringing her along, feeding his own ego, until he’d moved on to greener pastures.
But it didn’t hurt so much now. In fact, she was almost glad for it. She nodded and listened while Cat continued to escort her through the rather large, multi-level building where the Macconwood-Nighthawk Teen Outreach Center was situated.
“Here we are,” Cat said with a flourish and opened the doors to an auditorium complete with curtained stage, spotlights, stadium seating, and a band section.
“Wow! This is amazing! I can still smell the paint!”
“Yes, we received a rather large donation from a local benefactor to build this space for our more artistically inclined members. I can’t tell you how excited we are to have you on staff here, Ms. DeMarco.”
“Cassie, please, and I am the one who is thrilled!”
Cassie spent the next couple of hours getting situated and making introductions. She finalized her work week schedule with the HR director and snorted at the title. Human resources indeed, the entire staff except for three or four, were supernaturals.
She’d sensed Werewolves, Bear Shifters, Lion Shifters, and even a Dragon! It was going to be incredible working with these amazing people provided she kept her secret to herself.
She didn’t want them to know she could sense what they were, after all she might be breaking some shifter law or something. Not that she could help it.
She glanced down at her phone as she headed towards her car. With her schedule settled, she was able to leave for her lunch date. Nervousness had her biting her nails.
Cassie was slated to start work after the holidays, but she was invited to join the staff and some of the student members for a Christmas Eve party hosted at the local Castle Falk. She smiled warmly at the plus one that was engraved on the invitation.
It was two in the afternoon, but David had assured her that he would wait for her to join him. She sent him a text that she was on her way and drove her little, beat-up Volkswagen to the hospital.
She entered from the side door and waved to a passing nurse. She walked to David’s office and slipped inside. He’d already texted her to meet him there.
“Crap,” she frowned at the sight of the empty desk and sat down to retrieve her cell from her bag. She must’ve missed another text while she’d been driving.
Hey beautiful,
I’ve been called to a quick meeting, but should be done in fifteen minutes, please wait for me in my office. I have a surprise for you.
See you soon,
David
Cassie smiled, heat pooling in her middle at the sweet and simple text. A surprise? For her?
She sat back on the chair and continued to scroll through her work schedule. They had an amazing app for staffers that allowed them easy access to their schedules and the events calendar.
As the head, music teacher, she would be responsible for over forty students of mixed age and skill level. Some danced, others sang, and a precious few played instruments.
She’d met one sweet, shy teen that morning. The girl had wide set brown eyes and long wavy hair. She was a singer, she’d said, and Cassie could sense the Wolf inside of her bristling to come out. Shy and not terribly confident, Cat assured her the teen was a phenomenal singer.
Cassie had smiled and told the girl, whose name was Joanna, that she couldn’t wait to have her in her class that winter. What was amazing to Cassie, was that she’d been telling the absolute truth.
She would love working with these kids, she just knew it. She couldn’t wait to share the news with David. Hmm. That was interesting. A noise caught her attention. Cassie turned to the door with a full smile on her face.
The smile eclipsed when instead of David, a certain unfriendly she-Wolf stomped inside the room. Her entire lithe body vibrated with anger and hostility. The hairs on the back of Cassie’s neck stood on end. She didn’t need the reminder that this woman was dangerous.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the fat little nobody who failed to make it in the big city. I told you before to stay away from, David,” the woman’s cruel words were like a slap to the face, but Cassie had heard worse in her time.
“You know, you should try some perfume or something to cover up that eau du desperation. It’s a bit hard on the senses,” Cassie said narrowing her eyes.
“You bitch!” Madison lunged forward, but stopped short, head perked to the side. She plastered a bright smile on her face and laughed in Cassie’s direction as if they’d been sharing a joke.
What the fuck was going on? Her question was answered two minutes later as David walked into his office. Surprise registered on his handsome face as he took in the two women.
“I’ll look into that, thank you, Cassie for the info! Oh, hello Dr. Evangelos, nice to see you again. Well, I’ll be going now, you have a good day,” she said and managed to brush up against him as she walked out of the room.
David shifted away from the woman. His eyes on Cassie’s. All her thoughts about him and other women were forgotten. He hadn’t even looked at her.
No, his gaze was riveted to Cassie alone. She shivered with the knowledge.
“Hi,” he walked straight to her and dipped his head down, stealing a kiss before she could reply.