Page 57 of Forsaken Desire
Lucian held the glass door of the hotel open for me. The same hotel he incessantly insisted I no longer worked at. On the entire car ride here, he’d been on a mission. Now I had a glimpse of the businessman, he had a way with words.
I smoothed my palms down the fresh outfit that had been delivered to his house. It fit perfectly, just as he did everything else, with precision and focus.
My mate was a force to be reckoned with.
“You can be my assistant.”
“You already have an assistant.”
“You’ll be my second assistant.”
So tempting . . .
I shook my head and tugged at the pashmina scarf knotted at my throat to hide the bite mark.
If he managed to convince me of that, he’d eventually have me at home. I couldn’t give in so soon in our relationship. Not to mention the fact that losing my job this quickly would be a mark against me as far as my parole officer was concerned.
Even though we were mates, there were plenty of fateds that hadn’t worked out. As rare as it was, it was still possible, which was why there were second-chance mates.
My short heels clicked on the tile of the lobby.
“You don’t have to do all this,” I muttered, sweeping past him. He quickly caught up, arm wrapping around my waist. We crossed the front desk, and Ms. Zhao, Sasha, and Karol watched us approach with gaping mouths.
I couldn’t deny it. I kind of hated them looking at him. I stepped out of his embrace and slipped behind the desk.
He stood on the other side.
“Come work from my office.”
“No,” I said firmly, rolling my eyes to the ceiling with a shake of my head. The gasps of the three women echoed around us.
I slid my phone into the drawer under the desk. Since I hadn’t walked, I hadn’t had to bring my backpack. “Shoo, I’m working.”
His frown became more severe. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to get walking.
He rubbed his thumb along his jaw as he stared at me without blinking. A beat later, he strode away, offering me a warning look. I didn’t look away from him until the elevator doors swung shut. It was like the room took a breath with how quickly Karol hurried over.
“What is going on?” Her eyes were wide, and she kept blinking like it could bring clarity to what she’d just seen. “How do you know the Alpha? Wait, let me backtrack. Why did you come in with the Alpha?”
“They’re fated,” Sasha murmured. Karol’s eyes almost popped out of her head, and she peeked at Ms. Zhao standing near the entrance, far enough not to have heard, but she was getting closer now. Karol pointedly cleared her throat, andSasha’s eyes flicked side to side with panic. “Is it true you’re a convict?” she blurted.
My shoulders immediately tightened. I’d just gotten to work and these were the questions? Discomfort swirled in my gut. Maybe I should have taken Lucian up on his offer . . .
The phone rang and I sprang forward to answer it, grateful for the distraction
“Crescent Hotel, how may I help you?”
“Do you need anything?” Lucian’s voice echoed into my ear.
I frowned and peeked at the number marked on the compact corded telephone. An extension.
“No,” I replied slowly. Damn him, I was trying to be good, and all that hearing his voice did, was make me want to be in his arms.
I gritted my teeth and hung up on Lucian, a hot flush spreading across the bridge of my nose. A guest approached, and Sasha quickly ducked her head, scampering over to help him, copping out. I could only stand still.
Karol stayed, frowning in dismay. Was she mad that I hadn’t told her? Maybe she saw me differently now?
I pressed my hand to my stomach. Honestly, I didn’t expect the intense curiosity or questions. Or how quickly the news had spread.
