Page 6 of Saving Penny
Drake blewout a deep breath and ran a hand along his tired face. The fucking dream had been coming to him every night for the past few months. Only now, it was getting more intense. For the first time, a vision of a woman entered the dream, but he was unable to see her face. He would be able to see flashes of her silhouette, her hair color, her smile, and her eyes, but he never saw her face. After having the dreams for so many nights, he had memorized all the snippets of her.
Was this his subconscious telling him someone needed him? Someone named Penny? Did she mean something to him?
He would wake up now, not only drained of energy, but sexually frustrated. Morning wood had taken on a whole new meaning for him. Even if he had all-night relations with one of the countless women that he frequented, he would still wake up from the dream with a raging erection. None of the women satisfied him.
He turned to his computer and tried to concentrate on the screen in front of him. It still amazed him how far technology had come. He could remember having to use pigeons for communications. During WWI, it was a form of communication that had been frequently used. Now with a push of a button, someone around the world could receive a message from him within minutes.
Throughout his life, he’d had to adjust to the world around him. Fighting wars had definitely changed. It used to be fighting hand-to-hand combat with knives and swords, where now the military was so advanced, most fighting was done behind a computer, sending in drones to bomb the enemy.
The phone on his desk rang, grabbing his attention.
“What?” he growled into the phone.
“You sound like shit,” his brother Doru announced.
“And you sound like a breath of fucking fresh air,” he retorted with a snort.
“The dream?” Doru’s voice dropped.
His brothers knew of the dreams and how they affected him. Even they had been puzzled over the years of what they meant. He refused to go see anyone for help in regards to the dream. Drake didn’t want to appear weak in front of anyone, knowing that he was strong enough to take on whatever was coming for him, but the addition of the woman left him confused.
“Yeah.” He blew out a breath. “What did you call for? I’m sure it wasn’t to see how I’m sleeping at night.”
“Log onto the video of the lobby. Spencer called me and said that a woman came in and presented a card.”
Doru had Drake’s full attention now. He tapped a few keys on his keyboard and brought up the lobby on his monitor. A curvy woman with long dark hair stood in front of the desk, speaking to Spencer, their receptionist.
Who was this woman, and how would she have gotten one of their cards? He studied her, only able to see her back, and looking at her, she had a delicious back side. Her curves had him loosening his necktie as he silently pleaded for her to turn toward the camera.
“How did she get a card?” he asked. Imperial Knights had only handed out a few business cards over the past few decades. The significance of the business card was major. Whoever held a card in their possession would never be turned down. Only someone a Knight trusted would be given one.
“Not sure, but it’s one of yours,” Doru announced.
“What?”
“Want me to go down and check her out?” his brother asked.
“No, I’ll take care of it.” The longer he stared at the woman, his gums burned as his incisors tried to break through. He had to fight to prevent them from descending. His wolf snapped, demanding that they go to investigate the woman.
“I can have Spencer send her away, and she can set up an appointment for later.”
“Nonsense. If she has my card, she must be in trouble. Someone gave it to her for a reason.”
“Fine. Let me know if you need me,” his brother said before the line went dead.
Drake clicked over and dialed an extension.
“Yes, Mr. Ransly?” Cynthia’s answered. If she was using his surname, his next appointment must be sitting out in the waiting area. She was always a professional in front of their clients. They were paying his company large sums of money, and Cynthia was the consummate professional when it came to business.
“Cancel my next appointment,” he announced, still staring at the monitor.
“Yes, sir,” she acknowledged before disconnecting the call. He knew that she would take care of the client. Right now, he didn’t care what she did with them. If they were important, she would have one of his brothers deal with the guest.
He stood from his desk and grabbed his suit jacket. Throwing it on, he made his way out the back door of his office. Being the CEO of a major corporation such as the Imperial Knights came with benefits. A security firm’s own building would be one of the most secure buildings in the city. He could leave from the building without a trace and no one would know any better. He walked down his private hallway to his elevator and hit the down button. Immediately, the doors opened. He got in and pushed the button for the main lobby and peered at his reflection in the steel doors while fixing his tie.
This would be unusual for him to meet a potential client in the lobby. He was Drake Ransly and could do as he pleased, and if greeting a client in the lobby was something he wanted to do, then he’d damn well do it. But he knew in the back of his mind that this was different. Not only did one of his trusted associates give this female his card, there was something about her. The image of the curvy woman left his wolf pacing. It wanted to get close to her, breathe in her scent.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. This was a potential client. Someone had sent her to them because she was in trouble, and he would find out the who and the what soon enough.
