"And everything will remain fine?" I ask, pointing at his manhood.

Graham snorts. "Trust me. No part of me is interested in you touching my cock."

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be offended by that statement," I say dryly.

After chuckling, Graham continues as if I'd never interrupted. He leaves his belt unbuckled and his pants unzipped, but instead of pulling them down, he shrugs off his jacket and neatly folds it over the sofa. His gaze locks with mine as he slackens the knot of his tie and pulls it over his head. Next, he begins to unbutton his shirt.

"What are you doing?" I whisper, licking my suddenly very dry lips.

Graham finishes unbuttoning his shirt and then lets it slide down his large shoulders.

I clear my throat. Or maybe it's one last cry for help that can be heard for miles away. I'm not sure. I can only stare at the washboard abs in front of me. Is he seriously a hybrid? His muscles are unreal.

"Don't be alarmed," he says gently. "I don't want to ruin my clothes."

Graham removes his shoes next, socks following the same fate.

I hold my breath when I realize that he'll take off his pants and underwear now. Okay, this definitely doesn't look like any hookup I've ever had.

Where were we? Right. Graham taking off his underwear.

I'm almost afraid to watch. I can't tell if this is part of his prank to humiliate his employee or if it's something else entirely.

With his head bowed down, Graham removes his pants and then stands in front of me, butt naked. I should tell him that this is a great sexual harassment case if I've ever seen one. But there are worse things than seeing your hot boss's six-pack.

I should at least try to look him in the eyes, but I can't. Not when his cock is right there. So long, and...holy shit.

A high-pitched whimper escapes me.

Suddenly, Graham straightens his back and lets out a low laugh. The muscles around his stomach contract, bulging and distracting me with their perfection.

My gaze is pulled up until it meets his dark eyes. They're alive and twinkling with mischief.

"Ready for this?" he whispers, but not to warn me. It's almost as if he's not talking to me.

I nod, licking my lips. And then I gasp when I see a shift in his form. His entire body tenses, followed by a soft howl. The muscles on his chest move, a ripple under his skin, like something wild is trying to break free. There are popping sounds next, and then, fur bursts out from his skin. It's entirely black in color.

The soft floor beneath my feet creaks as I accidentally slide the rubber bottom of my shoe against it, and that's when I realize I've gotten up and have been slowly backing away until I'm against the screen that's been mounted on the wall. I had to let go of the empty glass at some point because my hands are empty.

In the blink of an eye, the man disappears.

Now, the beast is in front of me. A wolf. Graham. Him.

I'm in the presence of a beast.

I’m not aware of when I fell, but I’m looking at him from the floor up. There's a dull ache on my hip from when I had fallen down to the hard surface.

I don't quite believe my eyes when he moves toward me, but he doesn't attack. He's a lot bigger than any wolf I've seen in pictures. I can feel the way his paws press onto the floor, making it seem like he's trying to lighten his own weight. His steps are short and measured. Whatever he's doing, he's making an effort not to scare me, but it's futile.

I turn my head to the side when he comes closer to breathe my scent in, his nose is less than an inch from the side of my face. Warm air hits the sensitive skin of my ear, and I flinch.

Fear wraps around my throat as if a hand is clutching at it. The pressure doesn't allow air to reach my lungs properly, but before I can freak out even more, the wolf stops moving. Graham pulls back, a worried expression etched on his wolf's face.

It’s him, and yet, it's not him.

It's the beast. The wolf within him.

At this moment, I realize that he will not hurt me. But the panic that he provoked in me is real, and not being used to feeling that terrified, I have no idea what to do next.