Page 8 of Mating at Midnight: Book 1

“Thank you, daddy. I love you.”

“I love you too,” he says before we end the call.

Placing the cellphone back in my purse, then picking up my leather portfolio and bottle of water, I take a calming breath to prepare myself to face Mr. Hillard.

Chapter 6

Nyah

I arrived at Mr. Hillard’s office with four minutes to spare. Fonda was Mr. Harris’ secretary but was able to keep her position when he sold the company. Personally, I think the two of them had something going on, but it wasn’t my business. I’m sure the blonde bombshell has already set her sights on Mr. Hillard. Why did the thought of her doing that made me want to snatch her ass from across her desk and let my wolf scratch her eyes out? Get it together, Nyah!

“Hello, Fonda. Mr. Hillard is expecting me,” I tell her, trying to sound polite.

“Yes, Ms. Lightfeather. Please have a seat and I will let Mr. Hillard know you’re here,” Fonda responds.

I take a seat while Fonda begins to speak quietly into her earpiece. A few seconds later, she says, “Ms. Lightfeather, Mr. Hillard will see you now.”

“Thank you, Fonda,” I returned, getting up, then walking to his office door.

I count to five before opening the door. My feet feel like I just stepped in cement. Mr. Hillard is on his cellphone, standing at his office window with his back to me. His suit jacket is gone, leaving him in his black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Even with the fabric covering his back, I could see the definition of his muscles. Shit.

He turns around to see me in the doorway and waves me in, then points to the empty chairs in front of his desk. After closing the door, I take a seat.

“Send Levi and me specifics on the hotel. I think it’s time for me to expand my brand overseas. Turks and Caicos is the best place to start.” He nods his head up and down as the person onthe other end says something to him. “I look forward to checking them out. Thanks, Mario,” he says, then ends the call. “Sorry about that. I have a new venture in the works and needed to take the call,” he says, sitting in his chair.

“No need to apologize, Mr. Hillard,” I responded, opening up my portfolio. “These are the notes that I have taken of the areas in the hotel that need improvement.”

I handed him the portfolio. Mr. Hillard moves his chair closer to the desk as he lays the portfolio on the mahogany wood. I try to read his demeanor as he turns the pages but can’t tell if he likes my notes or hates them. Since he wasn’t throwing them back at me, I’ll assume he likes my ideas.

“Your notes are very thorough and detailed, Ms. Lightfeather,” Mr. Hillard praises, which puts me somewhat at ease. “Since you’re the new General Manager, I’m going to give you a budget to execute all of the enhancements you have listed.”

Stunned by his words, I quickly put on a smile. “Thank you, Mr. Hillard and I promise you won’t be disappointed.” New ideas begin to pop in my head.

Mr. Hillard slides the portfolio back to me. “I hope not. I’m entrusting you to bring this hotel up to date. I don’t have time to babysit my staff which is why I have General Managers. Your job is to make sure my hotel is running smoothly and effectively. If you can’t do that, then...”

Did he just challenge me? Oh, Hell no. I might be new in my position, but I would never let his ass mess with my mind. Mr. Hillard was trying to get in my head, and it wasn’t going to work.

“You don’t have to worry about me getting the job done,” I inform. “Once all of the upgrades are finished, I’m sure they will be to your liking. I’ll have Fonda make copies of my notes for you to use as a checkoff list.”

“Very, well,” Mr. Hillard counters as I rise from my seat. “Our meeting isn’t over, Ms. Lightfeather. Please re-take your seat.”

Reluctantly, I sit down, staring at the man who is slowly becoming the bane of my existence.

Mr. Hillard smirks, intertwining his fingers on top of his desk. “Now that we’re done with hotel business, we need to address the incident at the elevator earlier.” His eyes seem to twinkle with amusement as he peers at me. “I saw your Alpha wolf through your eyes, so I understand the way you reacted. But as an Alpha male, it was a sign of disrespect.”

Did he really just say that to me? How the Hell can he talk to someone about respect? Daddy didn’t raise a docile female, so I counter with, “Just like the same respect you showed my Pack by coming onto our lands uninvited?”

Mr. Hillard frowns as he leans back into his chair, giving me the opportunity to continue.

“Yeah, I sensed your ass earlier and I should have informed my daddy about you, but I chose to keep it to myself. Not to protect you, but because I don’t like to mix my personal life with my business. To me, I’m doing you a favor because my Pack doesn’t take kindly to unknown wolves venturing on our lands.”

Mr. Hillard momentarily eyes me before breaking into a fit of laughter. He stands from his chair then makes his way towards me. “Is that all you got from our interaction?” He asks, clearly invading my personal space.

“What else is there to get?” I “defiantly” inquired as my wolf went haywire under my skin.

“I think you know the answer to that,” Mr. Hillard leans in close to my ear and whispers. Goose bumps appear on my arms as he lets out a low rumble. “Mate,” he says in a deep raspy voice.

What the absolute fuck?! Now it all makes sense. The way my wolf and I reacted towards him earlier and the way I wanted to physically harm Fonda. How did I not see the signs? Fuck my life! I just got this new promotion; I didn’t think a mate wouldcome with it. I’ve worked too hard to let the antiquated beliefs of other shifters keep me from reaching my stars.

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