Page 35 of Mark & Don't Tell

I stand and straighten my cuffs, discreetly checking the hall running along the outside of the conference room. It’s empty. Good. While I’m not ashamed of smelling a chair, that sort of rumor could do damage to the company, and we’ve worked too damn hard for that sort of drama.

I stride out of the conference room and down the hall.

My heart slams against my rib cage, and I try to get it under control. It’s a risk to date again, but I make a point to take those all the time. Live life; don’t hide from it. Embrace the uncertainty. Take the chance, because you never know which day might be your last, and I know all too well the impacts of a sudden death.

I don’t want to live my life scared.

As much as I hate to admit it, there’s a trickle of icy fear flowing through my veins. Daria is our scent match. It’s fate. Our pack could use a miracle, but she might not want us. Or she could be like Felicia and try to poison us against Vic. I was stupid enough to ignore the warning signs last time.

I won’t make the same mistake again.

Mandy is standing at someone’s cubicle, but when she spots me, she scurries over with a placating smile on her face. “I can have new pitches ready by Friday.”

“That won’t be necessary.” I shove my hands into my pants. “The last presenter,” I begin, pretending I haven’t already memorized her name and rolled it around in my mind a dozen times.

“Daria,” she offers.

“Mm. Yes. We’d like to discuss the campaign with her and the possibility of her working on site for the duration of it.”

“But you have a three-month plan,” Mandy says.

“Correct.” I lift an eyebrow. “Will that be a problem?”

She chuckles nervously. “Uh, no. Not at all. Moon & Rock can matrix staff out to clients.” Pausing, she flicks her gaze toward a cubicle, then back to me.

“What is it?” I ask, trying to be patient when the beast inside me is demanding to see our mate again.

“If I subcontract Daria out to you, I’d like it to be for more than three months. She’s a hard worker and already up for a promotion, but a three-month stopover with your firm will put her behind her cohort. While I’m sure she’d be flattered that you want to offer her this opportunity, I want to make sure her career progression is taken care of. She’ll still need to come to Moon & Rock twice a week.”

My eyebrows slam together. “And if I say I want her full time?”

Mandy lifts a shoulder. “Ultimately, it’s Daria’s choice. You’re welcome to offer her that, but it wouldn’t be doing her any favors in the long run.”

I’ll admit, I admire Mandy for looking out for her staff like this. Some people wouldn’t be as protective, and now I feel a little bad taking Daria away. Not that bad, though. She’s our fated mate. She belongs with us. “All right, Mandy. You drive a hard bargain. If Daria agrees, she’ll work three days at Good Vibes and two days at Moon & Rock.”

“And she won’t be fetching any coffees,” Mandy adds quickly, narrowing her eyes on me.

I chuckle. “I already have an assistant who gets my coffee order right every time.”

Mandy blows out a breath. “Okay. I’ll send her into the conference room. Once you’re done, send her my way, and I’ll get everything situated on my end.” She turns to head off to find Daria but pauses to look back. “Oh, and if you’re thinking about sleeping with the pretty junior staffer, I’ll castrate you.”

“Daria will be in good hands,” I assure Mandy. Little does she know, I’m thinking about doing a lot more than just sleeping with Daria.

Drumming my fingers on the arm of the chair, I watch the hall for any sign of her. It’s been ten minutes since I talked with Mandy. What’s taking so long?

“You’re projecting your nerves,” Linc says with a sigh. “Maybe I should go get her?”

“No.” I clench my fist to keep from tapping. Leave it to Linc to call me on my body language. I swear the asshole can read a person with a simple glance. “She needs to come to us. What did you think of her?”

I’m not talking about her pitch, but he knows that.

“She was trying to hide. I thought it was because we were at her place of work, but now I’m questioning everything. She’s not going to come.”

“It’s not like you to be doom and gloom,” I tease.

He bristles. “I’m filling in for Vic.”

“Ten more minutes, then we can leave. We can’t corner her and bombard her with our scents.”

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