Page 38 of Obsessed Wolf Daddy

"Wow," she purrs, stepping back to look at me with a smile. "You've been working out. Nice." She bites her bottom lip suggestively before taking a seat across from me. "So," she begins as she crosses her legs, and I get a deliberate glimpse of black lace beneath the dress, "any progress on the Franklin proposal?"

Unbelievable.

Carmela never does anything half-hearted, and this sex-bomb display feels very deliberate—her cleavage practicallyspilling out of her dress, those seductive eyes boring into mine. She leans back in her chair, smiling, and I see the faint crackle of her powers running along her fingers. She may appear laid-back and flirty, but I know Carmela, and there's intense emotion bubbling beneath her carefree attitude today.

"Do you want to talk about last night first?" I ask, pointedly refusing to even engage in our usual back and forth. I’m simply uninterested. "Annie was waiting for you."

She rolls her eyes. "Let's not sour the mood, Cole. Can we not just do a little business and have a little fun?"

My frustration builds. "Of course, we can talk about Franklin. But I want to talk about Annie first."

"Annie is absolutely fine,” Carmela says dismissively. “She loves me. I know you don't want to admit it, but we've had a lovely time together, and she's going to visit me soon. I can show her my new place in Singapore."

"Over my dead body is she going to Singapore," I snap.

She laughs, the singsong melody sounding at odds with our conversation. "Obviously, you're invited, too. We can make it a family trip. Bring your own nannies, or I can get an agency."

Now I'm the one rolling my eyes. I should know better by now than to even try with Carmela when it concerns her role as a mother. She's simply not built that way. "If you grab the tablet," I say, indicating the desk, "I'll run through the changes to the Franklin proposal. Then, I assume you'll be thinking about heading back?"

She pauses in her reach for the tablet, her gaze flicking to mine. "Mmm, perhaps," she says, pausing as she appears to search for the right words. "I do have something quite special I'm almost ready to share. It could be really extraordinary. A game changer, if you will."

As much as I want this meeting to be over and Carmela to leave, the one thing we share is an insatiable desire for newtechnology. She heads up my main competition, but we share many crossover projects within the US due to her company’s international position. I'd be an idiot not to be interested in anything she brings to the table.

"I've heard nothing from our usual pipelines. Is this something else that will just get tied up in government red tape, like the other project?" I ask, not wanting to waste my time.

She chuckles. "No. No red tape for you because it's a US-based development." She leans forward, her breasts pushed higher. "Imagine revolutionizing cyber security with an AI protocol that constantly updates a user's system with each use. Every phone is completely secure, and hacking as we know it is rendered useless."

I'm interested. Who wouldn't be? "This has been attempted before, but there's always a workaround,” I point out. “It never sticks. Show me what you've got, though. You know Brite Corp will be happy to consider a serious proposal."

She sits back again, looking more contemplative than usual. "I don't have anything with me, obviously. I'm here about Franklin today. But I should have something to present in the next few days."

I nod, but internally, I'm writing this proposal off as a time-buying exercise. Carmela loves to play games, but I'm just not interested this time. "Whatever you say," I reply dismissively.

She obviously doesn't miss my tone, and I see her eyes flash. "Don't dismiss this, Cole. You'll regret it." The temperature in the room has noticeably dropped, a common occurrence whenever Carmela is displeased. However, it soon returns to normal as she flashes me another perfect smile. "Perhaps we can discuss it over dinner...and drinks."

"I don't think so, Carmela,” I say. “Not this time." I remain determined not to let her see me shiver as thetemperature drops again. "Let's not confuse business and pleasure. We are only about business and Annie."

Her perfect smile and beautiful face don't falter, but the power crackling in her fingertips alerts me to her changing mood. "Funny, I hear you've been mixing business and pleasure with your skinny little intern." Her fingers tap on the leather arms of the chair as she shakes her head. "Naughty, naughty. I heard she was drunk on shifter alcohol, and you whisked her away to take advantage. The pups can't handle the good stuff."

Don't rise to the bait.

"I think you've misheard, Carmela. There's no drama here. No scandal.”

“So you’re not fucking the little college pup, then?" She smirks.

I don't answer. It's not in my nature to lie, and honestly, I have nothing to hide. It's true that Saffy and I haven't made public that we've been intimate, but then, why would we? I don't care what any of these people think. I'm the boss, after all. But I'm not stupid. I know this could affect Saffy more than me, especially at Brite Corp.

I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks of me, except Annie. And possibly Diego and Zack, if I'm considering the smooth running of my business here. Ever since my parents died when I was only ten, my wolf developed overt lone-wolf characteristics. Meaning, I don't bow down to Diego the way most do around here. But I'm also no fool. Deliberately hurting the beta's little sister would not go down well.

Even if I don't hurt her, Carmela sure as hell knows how to hurt people. The longer the silence stretches, the thicker the magic emanating from Carmela becomes until it's almost stifling.

"Who I fuck is not your concern, is it?” I snap.

"Annie's my concern, naturally," she replies, and I have to bite my tongue. "She might like the girl, get used to her, and then you'll get bored. You always get bored, Cole, though we always kept each other entertained. I can't see how that shy little pup will interest you for more than a few weeks."

"Perhaps I got bored of ourentertainment,"I quip.

She throws her head back, laughing. "Wow, Cole. I didn't realize you'd moved back here and completely lost your edge." She's still laughing, but her eyes are dark. "You'll be running the parent association soon, baking cookies, and running local IT support. You can marry this small-town girl who probably thinks wild sex is doing it in the car on the way home from prom."

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