“Remember, we have to make people believe that we’re a couple,” Drake murmured as he leaned across the armrest of the car. She was already thirty minutes late. He had pulled up to the front of her office building and parked, but she didn’t want to get out the car. She’d rather had stayed with him back at the safe house, in bed.
A little less than two weeks left at this job, then she would officially retire. Now that she was richer than she could ever imagine, it was time to figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her life.
She met him halfway for the kiss. She closed her eyes, becoming lost in the kiss. It was one that was hot, open-mouthed, and lots of tongue. She knew that anyone who was watching would have no doubts about their relationship status.
“Have a great day, Penny,” he murmured, pulling back. She sighed, not wanting the kiss to end. She opened her eyes and found his on her. She smiled at him.
A shifter.
Now that she looked deeper into his eyes, she now knew why his eyes were always assessing everything around them. She had assumed it was just because he was in security.
No, that wasn’t it.
It was the wolf in him.
He was a hunter, constantly looking for his prey.
“You too. What time are you stopping by?”
Drake had planned to stop by for lunch, just as a boyfriend in the neighborhood would. He wanted to make his presence known in the office. She had every confidence in what he planned, and was actually excited about seeing him sooner than later.
“I’ll be back around twelve,” he advised, pushing her hair back behind her ear. “Go, baby. I’ve already made you late.”
“See ya later.” She smiled as she grabbed her messenger bag and exited his luxury sedan before hurrying into the building.
Her heels echoed as she made her way to the elevator. She hit the button and glanced down at her watch.
Forty minutes late.
She smiled as she thought back to why she was late. Not only had Drake made her come on his mouth, but he had taken her again. She couldn’t remember the last time she was so relaxed and sexually satisfied.
The elevator finally signaled its arrival.
“Hold the elevator!” a familiar voice shouted. She turned her head and saw Lydia running toward her.
“Take your time,” she announced as she pushed the open door button.
“Thanks,” Lydia gushed as she rushed into the elevator. Penny hit the button for their floor.
“No problem.” Penny smiled at the department secretary.
“You’ve been holding back!” Lydia raised an eyebrow as the doors closed.
“What are you talking about?” Penny asked.
And it begins.
She would have to put up this front for everyone, pretending that Drake was her boyfriend.
For some reason, she didn’t like the word pretend. They’d already enjoyed the pleasure of each other’s bodies.
Multiple times.
She didn’t know how the shifter world worked, but she knew in the human world, their fast-paced romance was not the norm.
“So, who is he? The guy who dropped you off?” Lydia asked with a look of envy plastered across her face. Penny liked the woman, even considered her a friend, but she knew that Lydia could not keep a secret. She was the biggest gossip in the office. It had to be pure luck that it was her on the elevator with Penny. “Everyone saw that kiss. Shit, it had me fanning myself.”
Penny chuckled and brushed a strand of hair from her face, trying to procrastinate a little.
“Well, he’s someone I’m seeing,” Penny murmured, looking up at the digital display showing the floor numbers, trying to ignore the other woman’s stare.
“And why haven’t we heard about this someone?”
“It’s new,” she admitted, smiling sheepishly at Lydia. That wasn’t a lie; it certainly was new. She didn’t know what was between them. They hadn’t been able to really keep their mouths and hands off each other to be able to define their relationship.
“And his name…?”
“Drake Jameson.” Penny gave the false last name that Drake had instructed her to use. If she gave his real name out, then it may cause problems if her coworkers googled him.
The elevator finally announced their floor. Penny tried to make a beeline for her office, but Lydia followed her, still hounding her with questions.
“So, what does this Drake Jameson do for a living?” Lydia asked as Penny walked into her office.
“He’s in sales.” Penny placed her bag down on her desk and flopped down into her chair. She had a ton of work to do. Her time here was winding down fast, and she still had quite a few accounts to hand over. “Is Mario around? I need to meet with him to speak about a few accounts.”
“Yes, he’s around. We’ll have to talk later. I just can’t believe that you’re quitting. Such a shame. I’ll let Mario know you need to speak to him.” Lydia walked away, muttering under her breath.
Penny sighed with relief. Drake had gone over their cover story with her multiple times, so she was pretty sure she had it memorized.
She went ahead and got herself ready for the day, where she would have countless meetings. She typed in her password for her desktop and waited for her computer to come to life.
“Okay, let’s get to work,” she mumbled to herself as she sat forward.
She became engrossed in her work, sending emails to certain clients personally to let them know that she would be leaving the company. Many of them were trying to inquire to where she would be going. She smirked, knowing that if she were to go to another company, they would probably try to follow her. She had worked hard at these relationships, and it was good to know that her hard work had paid off to have such loyal clients.
But now, she would never have to work for anyone else again. She had planned to travel around the world while she decided on what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Of course, she would take Tori with her. Tori’s family was her second family, and she would ensure that Tori’s parents would be able to retire too.
Her email dinged, noting a newly received email. She clicked on it and froze.
‘You can’t leave me,’ the email read. The four simple words caused her heart to slam against her chest. She looked around her office, as if to make sure she was still alone. She looked at the sender’s name, but it was unfamiliar to her. Her hand shook slightly as she brushed her hair from her face, trying to stay calm as she thought of Drake and his instructions. She quickly forwarded the email to him. Per his instructions, any suspicious emails should be forwarded to him. He told her if she got anything, to not respond.
“Knock, knock.” Mario’s voice greeted her from the doorway, causing her to jump slightly.
“Hey.” She smiled as she waved him in. She swallowed hard and pushed back her fears. Nothing could happen to her while she just sat in her office.
She glanced at the time on her computer and couldn’t believe almost two hours had passed since she’d sat down. Between phone calls and emails, she had accomplished a lot.
“How’s it going, kid,” he asked as he sat down across from her.
“Ugh. I ran into Nolan when I ran out to get coffee. You would think with me leaving, he would be a little nicer to me,” she complained. She had taken a quick break and walked down to her favorite cafe to grab a coffee. Within two seconds of being at the coffee shop, Nolan was making snide remarks that she had probably slept her way into some rich man’s bed, and that was the reason for her quitting her job.
“Don’t let him get to you. He’s just an ass. I don’t think anything could make that man happy.” Mario shook his head. She chuckled as she blew out a deep breath. She would miss Mario. He always knew what to say to calm her down when Nolan got her going. “So, how’s the transition going?”
“It’s going great.” She grabbed a few files from the corner of her desk. “I had a few files I wanted to discuss with you in person. I thought it might be best, so that you could ask any questions while I’m still here.”
“Are you sure you want to quit? What’s going on?” he asked, sitting back in his chair, frustration lining his face.
“I’m sure. I had an opportunity presented to me that I couldn’t resist.” She smiled softly at her mentor. It would be hard to leave Mario behind, and that’s why she would be gifting him a nice present once she was gone. She wanted to show her appreciation for everything he had done for her.
“Well, I wish you would share. Maybe some of us want to move on with you.” He laughed.
“I wish.” She laughed with him. “Just because I no longer work here, doesn’t mean that we can’t keep in touch. Life doesn’t end when you leave Med-Well Corporation.”
“What? There’s life beyond Med-Well?”
“Apparently there is. I just found that out,” she snorted. They may have joked about not knowing of life outside of work, but it was the truth. This job demanded almost all of her time. There were many days that she didn’t know if she was coming or going when she was on the road. But now, her travel would all be for pleasure.
“Okay. I guess one day you’ll let us in on the secret.”
“Let’s go over this first case. This account is for the surgery centers in Atlanta,” she began, getting down to transitions. She pushed the creepy email to the back of her mind. It was now time to talk business.
Drake hung up the call as he pulled into the parking lot of Penny’s office building. His man, Royd Tate, had just left the building. Royd had been employed by Imperial Knights for about ten years. He was a black panther shifter who had served in the Army. His wild counterparts were known as the ghosts of the forest, making him the best person for undercover operations. He was an expert at blending into his surroundings.
Royd went into Med-Well Corporation as a Fed-Ex employee, delivering packages around the building. This allowed him to pretty much have access to all the departments.
According to Royd, he’d picked up on chatter of Penny’s departure, but most of the talk was of shock that she was leaving. He also picked up a few conversations that suggested one person was happy she was leaving so they wouldn’t have to compete with her.
Based on his investigation, there would be a lot of people benefiting from her departure. His mate had made a name for herself in the company, and would probably have went far in her career had it not been for her luck with the lottery.
He pulled into a parking spot near the entrance and quickly exited the vehicle. He wanted to get a look at her coworkers himself. If one of them was the culprit, then the situation could escalate. They could feel that their position with Penny was threatened.
He’d welcome the challenge.
There was no way that they were going to come near his Penny.
He entered the building and stopped near the elevators, looking on the wall directory for Penny’s office. He knew exactly where she was, but he wanted to blend in with the patrons in the lobby. He got on the elevator and hit the button for her floor. A few other people ambled on after him, so he moved to the back of the car as the door closed, remaining quiet, but observant as the car rose, stopping every so often to let someone on or off.
Finally, the car door opened for the floor Penny worked on. It was noon. He had left his office and came straight to Penny. He had received her email earlier and sent it over to his analyst department. His computer crime department was one of the best in the world, and should be reporting their findings soon. His wolf paced as he walked toward reception.
“Hello, welcome to Med-Well. May I help you?” the receptionist asked. Her nameplate denoted the name Lydia Allen. Her eyes widened as he stepped up to her desk. With the way her eyes perused his body, he knew that he would be able to win her over with his charm.
“Yes, I’m here for Penny Berkey,” he answered, purposely not giving his name. He smiled at her, and her face instantly flushed.
“Did you have an appointment?” she asked as she typed on her keyboard. She glanced at the screen before bringing her eyes immediately back to him.
“No, this is not for business. This is pleasure.” He drawled out the ending of his words, and Lydia hung onto his every word.
“Wow.” She gulped. “Hold on. Let me ring her and see if she’s free. I think she should be. Her last meeting began an hour ago,” Lydia gushed. The warm red hue remained on her cheeks as she grabbed her phone.
“Thanks,” he murmured as he stood back from her desk. He placed his hands in his pant pockets, appearing casual as he walked over to observe a painting on the wall. He appeared engrossed in looking at the painting, but thanks to his keen shifter hearing, he heard every word that Lydia whispered into the phone.
“Penny? Hey, it’s me. I think your new beau just showed up, and damn, girl. I see why you were late to work. Shit, I would have just called off—”
Drake held back a chuckle. He figured that Penny had probably cut off the receptionist.
“Sir! Miss Berkey will see you now. I’ll take you to her.”