Secrets Of The Alpha: (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (His Secrets Series Book 1) (3 page)

“Where’s Vincent?” she asked, looking at me.

“Upstairs, in his room,” I said.

“Okay, listen to me very carefully,” Penny started before she frowned uncomfortably, shaking her head. The frown quickly turned into a polite smile. “I’m sorry, you are?” she asked.

“Winnie. Winnie Campbell,” I said. “I’m the new maid,” I added as I looked around. I was still shaken up by the situation.

“Alright, Winnie Campbell. I need you to clean this up,” Penny instructed.

“But the police…and the blood…” I started before Penny shook her head.

“Never mind that, Winnie. Just clean up and go back to bed, okay?” I looked at her, confused.

“How can I sleep after all this?” I asked as I breathed heavily.

“Don’t worry about anything, Winnie. Just clean it up and go back to sleep. Ophagia and I have everything under control. I promise.” I just looked at her speechless and finally nodded. Penny then turned around and began walking upstairs.

What is happening here and how exactly are those two going to handle everything? Are they going to fuck his wounds till they heal?
I wondered as I felt the anger in me getting to a whole new level. I wanted to talk back at Penny, make her realize that I was not just a maid, but that I mattered. But the fact that this was the best gig I’d had in a while held me back. I was frowning as I swept up the glass and mopped up the floor. When I was done, I stood at the bottom of the stairs wondering what was going on upstairs. I wanted to go up there so much if only just to find out what was happening with my new boss. To say that I was worried about Vincent was an understatement.

My eyes wandered to where the screen door once stood and shrugged.
Just go to bed. There is a guard,
I thought as I walked to my room.
But where was the guard when the door was broken?
My heart was beating so hard I could almost hear it in my ears. It was not until I got to bed that the events of the evening fully registered on my mind. I was shivering in bed as I stared up at the ceiling and worried about Vincent. The guard…where was he when everything happened? I was struggling to stay awake, in case anything happened, but I was too tired. I drifted off to a deep, peaceful sleep.

Chapter 2

“Hey there, sleepy head,” I heard a soft feminine voice. It was almost like I was dreaming it.  “You are most definitely still very, very sleepy.”

This time, my eyelids fluttered open and I saw one of the women who had gone up to Vincent’s room the previous day holding a tray. I sat up and looked at the woman in confusion. She had a warm smile on her face as she talked to me.

“Good morning. I thought I should serve you your breakfast in bed. After all you did last night, you deserve it,” she said. Her words were the trigger I needed to bring the previous night’s events flooding back.

“Oh my God…last night…” I started as I ran my fingers through my hair. The woman laughed and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Hey, that was a lot for you. I totally understand,” she said as she placed the tray on my lap. “Just eat.”

I looked at her and then at the great breakfast. She had made all my decadent favorites: sausage, crispy bacon, eggs, a side of canned beans and a glass of fresh orange juice. She gave me a look that urged me on.

“Go on, you need it,” she said. That was it. I didn’t need a second bidding. I dug into it like a refugee. Until then, I really didn’t know just hungry I was.

“By the way, kudos for how you handled everything last night,” she said as I ate. “Most people would have just stared in a panic. God knows I have seen my fair lot,” she added rolling her eyes. I looked at her, worried.

“What really happened last night? And is Vincent okay? He looked hurt and…” My words trailed off. I just didn’t know how or what to ask. The woman looked at me and smiled.

“You are just like my brother. Putting your head first before your stomach,” she said she took the glass from the tray and held it to me. “Come on, drink up.” I looked at her, more confused than ever.

Did she just say just like her brother? Who’s her brother?
I wondered as I looked up at her. “Your brother?” I asked. The woman smiled and nodded.

“Fran’s the name. Nice to meet you, Winnie, is it?” she asked. I was in a daze. All that time I had spent thinking Fran was one of Vincent’s bimbos…this was embarrassing. I could feel my cheeks getting hot as I looked at Fran.

“Vincent’s your brother?” I asked again as if I needed one last confirmation. Fran smiled and nodded.

“Why do you look surprised?” she asked as she looked at me.

“I thought that you were his…you know,” I said as I felt my cheeks getting flushed, Fran raised one eyebrow over the other and laughed.

“That is…disturbing to say the least,” she said. Her forehead was creased. I looked away, blushing. “I thought that the fact that we looked alike was enough to prove to the world that we have some sort of kinship ties,” she added. I shrugged again, still self-conscious.

“I’m sorry,” I said as I bit into a sausage. Fran smiled.

“Don’t be. Eat up,” she said. “Vincent wants to see you when you’re done with breakfast,” she added.

I was suddenly not hungry. I looked up at Fran and decided I could go at that very moment. I was almost done with breakfast anyway. I took a long sip of the orange juice and I put the tray aside before I jumped out of bed.

“I said
after
breakfast!” Fran called out but I was already at Vincent’s door.

I took a series of deep breaths trying to calm myself before I softly knocked on the door. I opened the door slowly and stood at the doorway, unsure of what I was supposed to do. I forced a smile at Penny who was just walking out at that moment. Vincent was looking so much better than he did the previous night, but I still felt strange being there. I had never seen anything like what I had seen the previous night and it was not like I had a handbook on how to act.

“Hey,” I said as I walked in. Vincent looked at me and smiled.

“Hey there. Come on in,” he said. I was feeling weird as I walked into my boss’s room considering I had literally seen him in the nude and covered in blood just a few hours earlier. “How are you feeling?” Vincent asked as he looked at me. I shrugged. I should have been the one asking him that question.

“I’m good, I guess,” I said in a soft voice.

“Have you already had your breakfast? Fran told me she was going to bring some up to your room.” He said as he struggled to get comfortable. I looked at the bandages on him and felt the need to go over to where he was and help him.

“Listen, Winnie. I have to apologize for last night. I mean, I must have scared you…” he started as he looked at me. “That was not my intention,” he added. I didn’t know why but there was sincerity in his voice that made me believe his words. I found myself nodded.

“It’s…it’s okay, I guess,” I said in a low voice. Vincent could sense that I was holding back on him.

“Is it really? Because I would hate to drive you away,” he said. His voice was so much lower now, sultry even. “That’s the last thing I would want to do.” I felt my cheeks get flushed again. There was a long uncomfortable silence as he looked at me standing there dumbstruck. “Thank you for last night, Winnie. Your fast thinking might just be the thing that will make a difference in my recovery,” he added as he looked at me. I found myself blushing and panicking at the same time. I could feel my heart beating hard in my chest.

“I hope so,” I said as I looked at him. I didn’t know what to think or say.

“You are a far cry from the last girl. If it were up to that bumbling idiot, I’d probably still be lying here covered in blood,” he said looking at me.

“I’m not perfect either. I can be a little bumbling too…I don’t even know what bumbling even means, but I guess I can get that way sometimes,” I was spiraling.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Vincent said, his forehead creased in concern. I shrugged.

“I’m just glad you’re okay, Vincent. That’s all,” I said. “I mean after last night…”

I never got to finish my sentence. I had no idea how I was supposed to finish it. He looked at me and patted the bed next to him. I sighed and walked over to where he was and looked at him. He reached for my hand and placed it on his chest. I could feel his heart beating underneath his rib cage.

“As long as that is still beating, I’m fine, okay?” his voice was calming and perfectly relaxing. I nodded as he put my hand on my own chest. It was like he was trying to feel my breast using my own hand.

“All you have to do is worry about that one and I’ll worry about this one right here,” Vincent concluded as he used his other hand to point at his chest and let my hand go. I smiled at him and he smiled back at me, albeit a little weakly. I got up from the bed and began walking to the door when Vincent called out to me. “Would you ask Penny to come in here? I can feel some of the stitches coming loose,” he said when I turned around.

“Stitches…Vincent, are you…” I started before he gave me a reassuring look.

“I’m fine, Winnie. Just get me Penny,” he said.

“So, Penny’s your doctor?” I asked. I couldn’t help that the tone of my voice sounded more surprised than I hoped.

“She is more of an on-call nurse for me,” he said.

Boy, was I off,
I thought as I looked at him. “What about Ophagia? Is she a nurse too?” I asked. Vincent smiled and shrugged.

“More or less,” he said and I suddenly laughed. I didn’t intend to but I did. “Mind sharing what’s so funny?” he asked as I put a hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter. I shook my head and forced a stray strand of my hair behind my ear.

“I thought that they were…you know,” I struggled to say as I looked at him.

“What?” Vincent asked as he raised an eyebrow over the other.

“Well, this could very well be the playboy mansion and for all I care, the three women I saw last night could have been your bunnies,” I said. Vincent frowned. “Though right now I feel very silly, especially after meeting your sister.” It was now Vincent’s turn to laugh.

“They might be flattered if they knew what you were thinking, but to be honest I am a hopeless romantic. Still single, and after all,” he said as eyed me from head to toe. “They are not my type.” I felt my cheeks turning bright crimson and I suddenly giggled.

“I’ll get Penny for you,” I said as I practically ran to the door. My heart was pounding and I was feeling like an idiot for giggling like a teenager earlier.

“Hey, Winnie,” Vincent called out to me before I got to the door. I stopped and turned around. “Make sure you actually finish your breakfast. You need to keep your strength up,” he said. I nodded and smiled. “You never know when you are going to need it.”

I took a minute to relax myself. I needed to regain my composure. I walked out of his room and closed the door silently before I made my way downstairs where Penny was talking to Fran.

“Vincent is asking for you. He said his stitches are coming loose.” Penny nodded and began making her way upstairs leaving Fran and me there.

“Are you going to finish up on the food you got started on earlier, or are you going to just get on with your day on an empty stomach?” Fran asked as she looked at me. I opened my mouth to answer before I remembered that I had left my half eaten breakfast in my room.

“I got it right here, Winnie,” I heard Fran call out. I turned around and walked to the kitchen. I took a seat at the table and started on my now-cold breakfast. “I can heat it up for you if you want,” she said as she looked at me. I shook my head and smiled appreciatively.

“It’s fine, thanks.” I took a bite of my eggs and looked around wondering how I was supposed to clean up this mess. The beautiful spotless mansion had gone from being impeccably clean to something else I couldn’t even explain. It was as if Fran read my mind.

“Don’t worry about the door. I have a guy coming in to fix it and I’ll help you with the blood stains,” she said with a smile.

Someone who is so ready to clean up blood. Some freak show house,
I thought as I looked at her. “Can I ask something?” I started as I looked at her.

“Sure,” she said in a soft voice as she leaned on the table.

“Does this…sort of thing happen often?” I asked. I needed to know what was going on, what to do in case I ever woke up to a screaming siren or to a bleeding boss. She looked at me and smiled. There was a gentleness in her eyes.

“You have been through a lot for your first day, Winnie. But you don’t need to worry about anything. You have already proven yourself,” she said. I didn’t know why but somehow, her words made me feel comfortable, relaxed. I looked up at her and shrugged.

“So, a lot then?” If her words were anything, they only proved that she had answered in the affirmative. She smiled at me.

“I’ll get the bleach,” she said before she walked away leaving me alone.

I took a long, deep breath and took a sip of my juice. Why was I still here? Why wasn’t I leaving? Normally, the first sideways thing would have pushed me out the door but this time, I was lingering here even after everything had happened.
Vincent,
I thought as I took a bite of my bacon. Maybe he was the reason I was staying.