Draven's Crossing: Tempestuous Crossings (3 page)

She gritted her teeth and gripped the wheel tighter, letting the solidity anchor her in the here and now while pushing away her desire. “First off, I accept your offer and second, you’ll have to get blue balls first before I sleep with you. I don’t fuck clients. Period.”

“That’s other clients. Not me,” he countered smoothly.

His arrogant statement infuriated her. Using her anger, she pushed back more of the wave of need that had robbed her of her brain cells. “You may be the mayor and the great-grandson of Dracula, but I’ll be trussed up like Little Bo Peep in pink before I get on my knees and suck you off or fuck you. I take my job seriously, sir. I’ll meet you for dinner to discuss the ads, but I will be leaving with all my clothes intact and not having had sex with you in any form. You want in my pants, give me some respect. I’m not some empty headed, sex-on-the-brain airhead.” She almost reached over to the end the call, but waited. Her body shook with barely restrained emotion. The lust she’d felt had been fully tamped down, the fire mere embers now as her body cooled. Sweat slipped down the side of her face and the back of her neck.

“You are so fucking glorious. Fuck, I wish you were with me right now. I didn’t think I could get any harder than before.” He paused and drew in a loud breath. “I also understand what you’re saying. I’ll try to behave myself tonight, but know this; I’ll be thinking of you naked and spread out on my table, ready for me to eat you out like the tender, delicious morsel you are.”

The phone call disconnected, and she let out a shriek of frustration. Desire flared to life, burning through her like an out of control blaze.

“Asshole! I’m so going to make you pay for that.” Rose gunned the engine and drove like a demon to her apartment rather than back to the office. No police were in sight, and David didn’t phone her to demand to know where she was, much to her relief.

Once inside her apartment, she wasn’t sure what to do first; take the edge off the sexual need simmering through her body or find the sexiest dress she owned to wear to dinner. The dress came first. Next, she grabbed her waterproof vibrator and headed for the shower only to be stopped by a knock on her door.

Grumbling about interruptions, she hid the sex toy and answered the door. David stood before her, his face bright red, his eyes glistening.

“What the fuck did you do? The mayor’s office called to say that he would be working with you exclusively and that our services as a firm were no longer needed.” He pushed his way into her living room.

Rose stumbled back. Her shoulder ached from the contact. For the first time since the meeting, she was glad to run into someone.
Finally, a punching bag for my rage.
Smiling, she shut the door.

“First of all, that was the mayor’s decision, not mine. Second, how dare you invite yourself in—”

“You’re fired. I knew it was a mistake hiring you. You’re hot and all, but too damn young to understand anything. Clean out your desk, but first, call the mayor’s office and resign from the campaign.”

She ignored the first part of his statement and focused on the last bit. “The hell I will. He offered me a job, and I’m taking it. I’m also taking all of my clients with me.”

“You don’t have any clients. Stupid bitch. I’ll ruin you if you try to take even one of my clients from me.” He growled at her, his lips quivering and his face morphing into something more lupine with a longer chin, mouth and nose.

Another knock at the door sounded. Swearing, Rose darted around him and opened the door. Two tall, imposing men dressed all in black stood in the doorway with sunglasses covering their eyes. “Ms. Andrews? The mayor assigned us as your security during your time as part of his P.R. staff. Is there a problem?”

She glanced over at David, who’d returned to something humanlike.

“No, no problem. Is there, David?” She smiled sweetly at him.

The werewolf shook his head.

Smart move.
“I’ll clean out my office tomorrow. Don’t worry about contacting my clients. I can do that myself.” She waited for him to lash out.

Like a dog with its tail between its legs, he nodded and headed for the door.

“I won’t forget this,” he hissed.

She shrugged. “Neither will I.”

He brushed past the two men and left the apartment.

“Okay, did Draven really send you here to protect me?” She crossed her arms over her chest and took in the two goons from head to toe. They looked like tall blocks of onyx. She sensed there wasn’t something entirely human about them. “I’m just organizing and promoting the charity ball. I’m not some high ranking member of his cabinet.”

“Yes, ma’am, he did. Mr. Draven felt that you weren’t safe,” the man on the left said.

She rolled her eyes and didn’t push the issue about not being part of his cabinet. “I do know how to handle myself. Thank him for me, but your services aren’t needed.”

The goon on the left shook his head. “Sorry, ma’am, but only Mr. Draven can take us off this assignment.”

Rose headed to her phone to call Draven. She stopped when she realized she didn’t know his number. In fact, she didn’t know where the mayor’s private residence was. Throwing her hands up in the air, she groaned. “How am I supposed to go to dinner?”

“We’re to take you,” Mr. Clipped murmured.

She gritted her teeth in frustration. “Great. He’s thought of everything. I don’t suppose you have his private line?”

“Yes, ma’am, but we’re not to give you the number,” Mr. Obstinate
 
answer.

“Why?” She threw up her hands.

Mr. Obstinate smiled. “Mr. Draven’s orders.”

“Oh, of course. I don’t suppose you have to stay here in my apartment?” Rose wasn’t entirely sure she wanted them in her home. For all she knew, Draven had given them a set of private orders they weren’t to tell her about. Orders that could have them snooping around her things.

Mr. Obstinate nodded. “Yes, ma’am, for your safety.”

“You two enjoy your job far too much.” She stomped over to the bathroom and shut the door, not bothering to retrieve her vibrator. The yearning had burned out.

“He’s going to pay for this, dearly.” Rose turned on the shower and stripped, doubtful that she’d enjoy her time under the water.

Chapter Two

Draven looked over some of the requests the various business owners of Draven’s Crossing had put onto his office. After awhile everything started to blur together. A glance at the clock told him it was almost time for dinner with Rose. His arousal flared to life from the dormant state it had taken after he’d ordered a security detail for her. His early anger manifested as well. After calling David to inform him of his decision, Draven had gotten the uneasy idea that the werewolf would pay Rose back for the humiliation by doing her bodily harm. He hadn’t missed the way David had watched her during the presentation. Ownership was clear in his eyes, and Draven hadn’t liked it one bit.

To werewolves, ownership was non-negotiable. Things had progressed to where women and men had a say, but some of the old-fashioned caste still believed once claimed, it can’t be undone.

“Sir?”

Draven didn’t jump at the deep voice that came from a shadowed corner of his office. Hamilcar, stepped forward, swathed from head to toe in black. Only his dark brown eyes showed behind the mask he wore.

Draven eyed the most trusted member of his staff. “Yes?”

“David Vanderbuilt has been taken care of. His business partner, Eli, has been informed of our decisions. Due to your concerns over Mr. Vanderbuilt, an investigation has been launched. The pack alpha has informed me that if you prove to be wrong he’ll demand a public apology for the insult done to his pack.”

Draven shrugged. “The man is arrogant. I don’t doubt for a second the wolf has been skimming off the top and using others to maintain his very expensive lifestyle. The suit he wore to this meeting cost a small fortune. A look into the firm’s finances told me they didn’t make that much last year or the beginning of this year. If I’m wrong, I’ll not only apologize, but personally approve of their request to expand their running grounds.”

Hamilcar nodded. “Shall we keep monitoring him in the meantime?”

“Yes, and make sure he stays the hell away from Rose. Put pressure on the alpha and the firm to speed up the investigation. I have a feeling David is going to try to clean things up.”

Hamilcar went still. He placed a finger to his ear, or at least where Draven assumed his ear would be. The man nodded. “The investigation has brought forth fruit. The alpha is not pleased. It seems the convertible David was driving is not a rental as he told his pack. It’s actually brand new and bought two weeks ago. Also, recent renovations on the werewolf’s house were not paid for by insurance, as he claimed. He actually paid everything in full yesterday, almost fifty thousand dollars worth of renovations. Several members of the staff have come forward to claim he took credit for work he didn’t do on some of the firm’s biggest clients.”

Satisfaction purred through Draven. “That was fast. Where is David now?”

“Being hauled before the alpha. A tribunal has been called forth. This should take a few days to clear up, sir.”

“Wonderful. That gives me time to concentrate on Rose. Call my car around. I’m taking my work home with me. Inform her security detail it’s time for dinner.” Draven stood up and started to gather some of his paperwork.

“Yes, sir.” Hamilcar melted back into the shadows.

“Damn, black dragon. Can’t even say goodbye.” Draven straightened. Anticipation buzzed through his legs and arms. His hands itched to touch Rose. Fire burned through him, demanding that he finish what was started on the phone earlier. He’d lied when he told her he hadn’t been jerking off. Draven had unzipped his pants to relieve the pressure and caressed his cock to ease some of the aching. That made things worse. He’d had to stop or he would have come right then and there. Tonight’s dinner would test his control. Seeing her had been one thing. Sparring with her verbally had been something completely different. He’d enjoyed challenging her, enjoyed the verbal chess match they’d been engaged in. Every move he’d made, she’d countered. Part of him had hated that he’d resorted to going into the gutter a few times to knock her off her guard.

There was little doubt that he’d been pushy and downright arrogant in his dealings with her. During their meal this evening, he knew Rose would be turning the tables on him. Draven looked forward to it. He wanted to be pushed and challenged by her, needed it. It had been decades since he’d been tested by a woman. Having to work for something made the reward so much better in the end. After putting his papers into his briefcase, he headed to his private elevator. On the ride down, he thought about the meal request he’d put in with his chef. The food would be the best his private kitchen had to offer. Nothing less would do. He wanted to impress her. It didn’t make sense to him as to why he needed to affect her in some way, but he did.

This invitation was important to him. Never during his tenure as mayor had he brought a date to his private residence. Rose was special. He wanted to get to know her in a setting that he was comfortable with and would hopefully put her at ease. His staff was unobtrusive, unless it was an emergency. Nothing would come between him and his time with Rose. Nothing.

His emerald green Jaguar XKR coupe stood idling at the curb in front of his private entrance. The driver exited the car and Draven slid into the driver’s seat. The door closed and the world became smaller. No more demands and answering to the people. Just him. He reached over and pushed in the CD waiting for him. The first strains of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata floated through the speakers. His muscles relaxed as the stress and strains of the day melted away. He sank into the plush leather comfort of the seat and let out a sigh.

His thoughts drifted to various subjects on the drive home, but all came back to Rose. He could see the form fitting tan suit with the ruffles at the hem of the jacket and sleeves, and the pencil skirt with the ruffles in the back that she wore this morning. The color complimented her smooth, mocha skin. She wore shiny, black patent shoes. The thin metallic heel had made his cock jump. The delicate straps drew attention to her ankles. He’d wanted to kiss his way up her leg, starting at her feet. The shoes had made him think prim and proper in public, but a wild woman in the bedroom.