Naima: A SciFi Alien Mail Order Bride Romance (TerraMates Book 7) (24 page)

"Sir, you have Miss Valsek from Varetec coming at two today. Just a reminder." Sandy stood from her desk and smiled at him.

"Yes. I'll be ready for her when she arrives. Make her wait for ten minutes or so and then show her in. Give me a notification when she arrives."

"Of course, Sir."

Alec walked back into his office and closed the door before moving to look out at the sun. He wanted to get away for a few days. Just go up to the mountains somewhere and lose himself. How fun it would have been to take Sonya with him, but she wasn't the girl he wanted her to be.

"That was ten years ago, you idiot," he grumbled to himself before pressing his forehead to the glass. He was lonely and wanted companionship, but it had to be the right woman or it would end in disaster. What made him think it would be Sonya?

Because it had been before.

Her laughter set his heart on fire, her smile leaving him breathless and wanting to make her feel so much over and over again. Her moans and the taste of her. He groaned and closed his eyes as a fire started in the pit of his stomach and spread along his nerve endings.

God, the way she tasted.

He licked his lips absently and tried to slow his racing heart. He couldn't be the man he wanted to be in front of her. He wasn't that boy anymore. He didn't have the luxury of being carefree and wanting to run around the world, making love and experiencing life. He was the Alpha of the Black Bears and responsibility weighed him down heavily. It was ironic that he was in the position that she had been in so many years earlier when she rejected him.

Her father was renowned for being an icon both in the human world and in their world. He was benevolent and fair, kind and good, but vicious when necessary. Sonya was all of those things too. Alec would put her through a time of testing, breaking her if he must, in order to create something new between them. A union was the end goal. One where their packs could share equally in the spoils of Varetec.

That was one of the goals, at least. The other was that she would be his. The idea of such a union pressed hope into the center of his chest. How beautiful life would be with her in it again. Even if she was pissed and resented him. Passion could be fueled by many things. In the past, it was love. Perhaps now it would be hate.

It didn't matter how it happened, but the fact was that her passion would soon be his.

Sonya parked outside of the large glass building. The structure was beautiful and very much Alec's style. It wasn't racing toward the sky but took up enough of the grounds to require attention. She pushed the door open to the building revealing a receptionist sitting at a large ornate desk.

Alec was expecting her to be the same silly girl that believed in love and hope. She wasn't that girl anymore and the woman she had become wasn't someone he was going to appreciate. He wanted to bring her to her knees with his threat to take over...she was going to play his game and make him realize that some things are far worse than death.

Brushing her chestnut locks over her shoulder, Sonya stopped at the receptionist desk and placed her glossy nails on the glass, tapping softly.

"Yes, ma'am? How can I help you?"

"I have an appointment with Alec DePort at two."

"You must be Miss Valsek."

"I am," Sonya spoke with control. She didn't want to give anything away, but couldn't be sure how much Alec had shared with the rest of the company about the takeover situation.

"It will be about ten minutes. There is coffee to your left and a restroom to your right, just down the hall on the left." The woman smiled.

Sonya nodded and walked toward the restroom, wanting to check her appearance one more time. She knew exactly what Alec enjoyed most about her and damn if she didn't work hard to accentuate it for him. He was going to play hardball and she was just going to play him and with his balls if he wasn't careful. She was a strong woman and would use her sex appeal as a weapon to bring down the man who thought he owned her.

She walked into the bathroom and set her handbag down on the sink before leaning forward and checking her teeth. Her make-up was perfect, making her looking almost exotic and daring. Her cream-colored dress stopped mid-thigh and left a lot of leg to show. She worked out daily and her genes left her in pristine condition. The dress dipped into her breasts and accentuated the cleavage created by her bra. A small brown belt around her waist was pulled tight, the division line giving her a long sleek look while drawing his eyes to how small her midsection was compared to the deep curve of her hips.

She turned and smiled. Her ass was Alec's favorite part. Her dress curved beautifully in the back, her running sprints having given her a very feminine look. She hadn't cared at all what she looked like before and probably wouldn't after. As long as she was fit and healthy, everything else was useless cargo. Men would ogle as they always did, but it was a hassle and she quickly shut them down to save their dignity and her time.

Today she would harness that power, that ability to draw in the man of her dreams and strangle the life out of him quickly. She licked her lips and turned, glancing down at her brown heels, the straps running gracefully up her calf and tying in the back of her knee. He would love them. If he didn't, then he had changed dramatically over the years.

She walked from the bathroom and glanced at the secretary as she moved from the desk.

"Mr. DePort will see you now. Just follow me."

Ten minutes had turned into four at most. Looked like he was anticipating their reunion. She, on the other hand, was not. Slipping her bag over her shoulder, she nodded and walked toward the large door at the end of the hall.

The view from all angles was breathtaking. Alec had always loved the outdoors much more than being cramped up. The glass window-walls gave a sense of being outside although she was trapped in the middle of a building. She paused at the door and took a soft, shallow breath. It had been a long time since she had experienced such a sense of anticipation and fear. Her heart beat so quickly that it felt as if it might burst from her chest any minute.

The blond in front of her opened the door and stuck her head in. Sonya was left to stare at the back of the girl.

"Miss Valsek is here, Sir. Are you ready for me to show her in?"

"Yes. Thank you, Sandy."

The sound of his voice brought bumps racing along her arms and legs. Her stomach tightened and she slipped her facade in place. He would never know that he was the core of her fantasies and the center of the most delicious dreams she had held over the last ten years. He would never know that if love were to happen in her wildest dreams, he would be at the center of it.

Everything changed two days earlier when he thought it would be wise to step into her life after ten years of nothing and think that he had the right or the power to take everything from her.

He would have to die, plain and simple.

Sandy held the door open and moved back. "He's ready for you."

Sonya lifted her chin and walked into the room, her eyes locking on Alec as he moved from behind his desk to greet her. His suit was black and fit him beautifully. He had aged incredibly well. The boy that stole her heart and caused her body to drown in ecstasy was a man now, a very distinguished looking man. His dark brown eyes rolled over her as she stopped in front of him.

"Mr. DePort." She extended her hand, her eyes holding none of the emotion she felt. She wanted him to believe that she had forgotten him. That he meant nothing to her.

"Please, call me Alec."

"As you wish." She shook his hand and moved back, glancing at the small table beside his desk. The slight tick on the side of his mouth gave him away brilliantly. He was nervous – terribly so. She could smell the fear on him and it excited her.

"Please. Have a seat and we can talk. I hope I didn't surprise you with my request to meet. I assume you knew this was coming from some angle or another. I would suspect I'm not the only one with the desire to step in and assist Varetec in surviving, correct?" He spoke softly, but the strength of his position with his people bled through his tone.

She sat down, crossing her legs and pulling out the packet of papers he referred to. She set them on the table in front of her and leaned forward, the top of her dress opening slightly. Sonya glanced up at him as he watched her closely. Lust swam in his gaze and she wanted to laugh. He was beautiful, but taking him down would be a delight.

"That's none of your business, but what is your concern is what we're going to do about your offer."

"It's not so much an offer as a demand. I have the funds to buy you out. I thought it appropriate because of our past to offer you the option to join me in this venture instead."

"Our past?" She rose her eyebrow at him and leaned forward. "Have we met before?"

"Sonya. I know you know who I am." He growled softly and her body reacted violently. He might be the enemy, but memories of how good it felt to be taken hard and fast by him washed over her. She laid the papers on the table and stood.

"You must have me mistaken for someone else." She shrugged and walked to the window near his desk. The edge of the bay sat just beyond her reach, its beauty leaving her wanting more than she came to get. "Tell me how we know each other."

He moved in behind her, his hands sliding up the glass on either side of her vision. His strong front pressed tightly against her back and she stopped herself from rubbing against him. He was perfect, hard and full of everything she needed to make her life complete. Too bad they were once again on opposite sides of the fence.

She turned to face him as he leaned down, stopping just before pressing his lips to hers.

"Don't play games with me. It's me who holds you in checkmate. You want to do this my way, we play fair. If we're doing it your way, you'll find yourself on your knees with more than you're able to swallow."

She laughed and shrugged as if his words didn't fuel a rage inside of her. He would never dominate her – ever. "Sounds fun, but I'm not in the mood for childish games. You're not taking my company and the only one getting on their knees is going to be you."

Her nails punctured his chest just below his heart as she jabbed him hard, her teeth growing as a growl left her. He groaned and stumbled backward, hitting his knees and panting softly as he glanced up at her.

"You bitch."

"Not much has changed. Good luck surviving that poison on my nails, lover. Don't fuck with me again. My company will always be mine and no one, especially not you, will ever take it from me." She walked to the table and picked up her purse as he began to convulse on the ground behind her.

He was beautiful and all she had ever wanted.

Too bad he had to die.

"Hold on, Alec. We're almost to the ER. You're going to be fine." Jared leaned over the top of his body as Alec opened his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest.

He was in the back of a large metal box, the movement of being driven somewhere causing his stomach to turn. He licked at his lips and groaned.

"Where the fuck am I?" His voice was nothing more than a whisper.

"In an ambulance. Just rest and we'll have you taken care of in no time." Jared patted his chest. Someone he didn't know leaned over and pressed a stethoscope to his bare chest. He jumped from the chill and the man apologized.

"Your pulse is finally rising. We thought we had lost you there for a minute." The stranger smiled. "I have a sample of your blood being analyzed. We're going to know pretty quickly what got into your blood stream."

Alec nodded, closing his eyes and letting the pain of Sonya's attack wash over him. What would he have done if their situations were reversed and she was holding the cards to his future? The same thing most likely, but he would have at least kissed her first.

He wanted to smile at the thought, but his lips wouldn't respond to the dark humor lighting up his mind. She acted exactly as she should. He shouldn't have been so naive. Something about her left him willing to open himself up in ways that he wouldn't normally consider.

"You still here, Alec? They want you to stay awake." Jared squeezed his arm and Alec turned toward his Beta. The guy was far better of a man than Alec would have been.

"Yeah. Just thinking about the mistakes I've made that nearly led to my death."

"Tell me what happened. Sandy said that it was Sonya Valsek, but I have a hard time believing a kitten like her could do this to you. Tell me I'm wrong and I'll kill her myself."

Alec felt entitlement rise up and fill him. He growled softly as his eyes changed colors. "Don't ever touch her. Ever."

Jared moved his hand back and lifted both of them as if giving his surrender. "Not gonna happen unless you send me her way. I'm just here to protect you, Alpha. Don't shift in the ambulance. That would be bad."

"It was her. She's as vicious as the demons of hell. So hot and demanding too." He groaned and closed his eyes again before rubbing his fingers over her claw indentations on his chest. "I thought she had poison on her nails, but I'm guessing not?"

"No. I would assume not, simply because you're still with us. She tried to kill you?"

"She could have killed me if that's what she wanted. She threw a harsh warning my way. I'm fucking with her future and she's never been one to lay down and take anything without the most delicious of fights." He arched his back and let out a long sigh.

"Keep talking to me. The hospital is just a mile up the road. We need you awake."

"Why are we going to the hospital? I'm fine. I just need to sleep."

"You need to stay awake, Alec. We need to transfuse your blood and get the venom she pumped into you out of your body. Even if it's just a massive tranquilizer, we need to neutralize it. You're not out of the woods yet."

"She was angry and I think a bit hurt though she hid it well." Alec opened his eyes and tried to see through the haze. His voice sounded slurred, but he ignored it. "She acted as if she didn't remember me. Funny...I've never forgotten her for a second."