Page 18 of Mike's Assistant

Jake jumped to his feet and fumbled with his phone before sliding it into his beige slacks. “Mr. Doy,” he replied. I could hear the nervous tremble in his voice.

“Mike, please. Good morning. Seems we’re both early birds,” I said with a smile.

“Um, Mike. Good morning. I…um, wanted to make sure I was here on time.” A faint blush spread over his cheeks.

My smile widened. “Why don’t we make our way up?”

“Jake,” a voice called as Jake opened his mouth to reply.

I internally growled as I spun around. Ryan from H.R. hurried across the lobby toward us. I’d always liked Ryan and his easy going nature. He was part of the pride, and his lion was more passive than most. If we were wolves, I’m sure he would’ve been an omega. We’d even had a bit of fun a few years before I started my relationship with Vanessa, and I considered him a friend, but right now, he was just a cock blocker, and I wanted him gone.

“Good morning, Mr. Doy,” he said merrily.

“Ryan, morning,” I said, annoyed at his interruption.

Ryan ignored my icy greeting and gave a brief nod before cheerfully speaking to Jake. “Good morning, Jake. Glad to see you. You’re super early.”

“Morning, Ryan. I wanted to make sure I was on time,” Jake replied with more confidence and happiness than I’d seen earlier.

My lion rumbled, jealous of the affection and happiness our mate showed to another. Relax, I urged internally. He doesn’t know what we are to him yet. My lion rumbled in my mind again before huffing and receding to the back.

“Well, you’re not late. That’s a good thing.” Ryan said with a chuckle before continuing. “Why don’t we get you settled, and I’ll introduce you to Katie, who’ll get you acclimated to things.”

“I was going to take him up,” I interrupted.

Ryan peered back at me. “I’m sure you’re very busy, Mr. Doy. That’s why we hired this guy. I’ll get him set up, and you can start your day.”

“I don’t mind taking him up to Katie,” I said firmly. I allowed my authority as a stronger lion to creep into my voice.

Ryan’s eyes widened, and he bowed his head slightly. “Of course. I didn’t mean any offense. I was going to show him around first.”

I felt like an ass seeing Ryan’s sparkly attitude fade. He was just trying to be nice. He didn’t know what Jake meant to me, and I shouldn’t have used my authority to pressure the weak.

“You’re right, Ryan. I’m sure you can show him around better than I can. Maybe show him the break room with the best coffee.”

Ryan’s smile instantly returned. “I can do that.” He turned to Jake, who’d been watching our interaction intently. “You do like coffee, right?”

Jake nodded. “Oh, yes, can’t start my day without a cup.”

“That’s great.” Ryan turned back to me. “I’ll show him around, get him settled, and I’m sure Katie will bring him by afterward.”

I smiled and looked toward Jake. “I’ll see you later.”

The faint blush was back, and he quickly nodded as the pair made their way toward the elevator. I grinned again, thinking of the adorable blush. It gave me hope he wasn’t unaffected and even attracted to me.

“Whatcha staring at? You look like the cat that ate the canary. You didn’t, did you?”

I spun around and glared. “Talon, what are you doing here so early? What are you doing here, period?”

Talon was my dad’s right-hand man. He was an enforcer and guard of the royal family. Recently, he took the position of the king’s consort’s guard. He was young, strong, and an all around good lion.

“Needed a break. The king and the king’s consort were getting visitors again. So why were you watching Ryan and that cutie?” he asked fast. A little too fast. But the word ‘cutie’ is what caught my attention.

I snarled and grabbed his shirt. “Watch how you speak about my mate.”

“Your mate. Shit, man, congrats. I’ll be more mindful.”

I released my grip and straightened. I looked back toward the elevator, and Jake had already disappeared. I sighed. “Come on. You can tell me why you don’t want to be home while the prey princess has guests.”

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