Secrets Of The Alpha: (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (His Secrets Series Book 1) (6 page)

“I don’t think you should be driving,” I pointed out. He had only had one drink but if the wine was anything to go by, then Vincent’s taste in alcohol was definitely not a good idea if he planned to drive. Nathan looked at me and shook his head.

“I can find my way home. Don’t worry about me,” he said.

“Never mind. I’ll call you a cab,” Vincent said as he reached for his phone. He sent a quick text and then put the phone aside. “It should be here in a few minutes.”

“Thank you so much Vincent. It has been a great honor getting to know you,” Nathan said.

“Well, I look forward to spending more time with you. Maybe if everything goes well, I can get you out from under Nick’s thumb and into my inner circle,” Vincent said.

“That would be great, Vincent,” Nathan said.

When the cab came around, we walked him out to the front door and waved as the cab drove away. I could feel a buzz coming on as we made our way back into the house. I had barely closed the door and armed the alarm when Vincent suddenly, out of nowhere, pulled me to one side of the room pinning me against the wall. I looked into his eyes that seemed to be shining in the dim light.

“You scared me,” I said, my heart beating hard in my chest.

“I’m sorry, Winnie. That was most definitely not my intention,” he said in a soft voice as he looked at me. “Thank you for accepting my offer to have drinks with Nathan and me.”

“It was a pleasure,” I said in a low voice. It was almost a whisper.

“I didn’t just do it for the sake of doing it, you know,” he said. I wanted to sink into the wall. He was standing so close I could smell him.

“No?” I asked. He shook his head.

“No. I wanted you to be my eyes and ears.” I was not sure whether it was the fact that he was standing so close to me, or that I was wildly infatuated with him. Either way, I found myself thinking,
kiss me.
“I wanted you to hear and see what I couldn’t.” Now I was totally confused. Why would he task me with something so sacred, so personal? I looked at him and shook my head.

“Why me?” I asked.

“Because I trust you,” he said without thinking.

“But I have only been working here a few weeks. Why would you trust me with something so big? You hardly know me.” He looked into my eyes and shrugged.

“That has definitely been enough time for me to know who you really are and I can say that from the little time I have spent with you, I can honestly say that I really trust you and what you have to say,” he explained. But it was still not enough for me to be convinced of why he would put so much trust in me. Hell, I had worked for my last employer for almost three years and she never trusted me with her grocery list, let alone her career’s secrets.

“But, still, Vincent,” I started before he pressed a finger to my lips.

“When you are a man in my position, life teaches you to be wary of everyone, save for those who you have complete trust in,” he said as he looked at me.

“And you have complete trust in me?” I asked, still not believing my ears. He smiled and nodded.

“I do,” he said. I smiled and he took a step back. He was still standing close to me, not as close as he was earlier, but he was close enough for me to smell him all around me. “So what do you think of Nathan Hughes? Did he say anything that perhaps set off any alarms for you?” he asked. I took a long deep breath and sighed.

“Well, he…” I started but then shut up unsure if I should give my honest opinion or just sugar coat the truth.

“Go on, Winnie. Just tell me what you really think,” he pressed. I sighed again.

“For a new intern, he certainly seems to know a lot about your business,” I started. He nodded knowingly.

“Yeah, I picked up on that too,” he said.

“It could very well be innocent excitement…you know, getting to work with his mentor and everything.” I looked at him wondering if what I had said was what he was thinking.

“It could be,” he said. “But something else tells me that he doesn’t really know as much as he pretends to.” I raised an eyebrow over the other.

“Pretends?” I asked.

“Yes, pretends. I have been working in this business long enough to tell the real from the fake and honestly I don’t think that Hughes boy knows that much, but he is quick on his feet and that is a definite plus,” he said.

“I guess you’re right,” I said.

“Oh, I am sure I’m right. That intern is really cutthroat. I’m sure he would try to sell my head off if I couldn’t feel it sitting on my shoulders,” he said. I smiled.

“Then I am sure he will have no problem fitting in with your people, now will he,” I said. Vincent looked at me and immediately the depth of my words hit me. I clapped a hand over my mouth as I looked at him but Vincent laughed off my gesture.

“Don’t worry about it. You are actually right. Maybe that is why I don’t trust him,” he said. I looked at him confused. “I don’t know why but I can’t shake the feeling that he is up to something more.”

I frowned and began rubbing my hands together nervously. “I’m sorry, Vincent. I wish I had picked up something more,” I said in a whisper.

“Never mind, Winnie. I think you told me the most important thing anyway,” he said looking at me. Even in the dim light, I could feel myself beginning to blush. I wanted to look away, but somehow I couldn’t. Suddenly, Vincent turned away and pointed to the window.

“Wha...” I started saying before he pointed a finger at me. “Vincent, are you okay?” I asked but I didn’t think he heard me.

“Go to the window! Tell me what you see!” it was more of a command than a request, and surprising too. I ran to the window and looked outside. Everything seemed normal. I didn’t know what he wanted me to see exactly. I was panicking.

“The lawn…the pool…clouds, stars…a big full moon…” I turned to look at him and, to my surprise, he was leaning over the wall as if he couldn’t hold himself up.

I felt my heart go out to him, but I was not really sure what I was supposed to do. My heart was beating hard and fast as I looked at him. He was now making his way over to where I was. His steps were slow, almost too slow. It was almost like he was hobbling …and he was groaning.
Oh my God…is he in pain…is he hurting right now?
I could not help but wonder what was going on with Vincent at that moment. I looked at him when he got to where I was.

“I have something to ask you Winnie,” he started as he looked into my eyes. I shrugged and then nodded.

“Okay. What is it?” I asked, still worried about his well-being.

“Would you be so kind as to accompany me to dinner?” he asked as he looked at me.

“Are you asking me out on a date, Vincent?” I asked in surprise.

“Actually, yes. That is exactly what I am doing,” he said as he looked at me grinning widely. It was the first time I was seeing him grin this much.

“Now?” I needed some kind of clarification because if there was anything I had learnt from my short time with Vincent, it was that he was unpredictable. He smiled and shook his head.

“In a month’s time,” he said. I wanted to smile and laugh at the same time, nod and shake my head all at once.

“Oh…sure. Of course,” I said excitedly. Vincent smiled at me.

“It’s a date,” he said before he walked away.

That night, like many nights before, I went to bed with Vincent on my mind. Every time I tried to think of something else while in bed, I almost always ended up picturing him in a pair of briefs: Beautiful, hip-hugging briefs that outlined every little detail of his private region. I had found myself thinking of what it would feel like sleeping in his arms, waking up with his eyes on my face. I looked at the ceiling for as long as I could before I fell asleep with my ever so sexy boss on my mind.

The next minute I was standing in the bathroom. But it was not my bathroom. It was a bathroom I had seen so many times, one that I had cleaned so many, many times. It was Vincent’s bathroom. I looked down at my body and gasped silently. I was wearing a short red and black silk gown that outlined every curve of my body. My short hair was hanging loose around my face and I was barefoot. I looked at the shower cubicle and gasped again. Vincent was inside there, naked. I could see every contour of his body as he stood under the running water. I looked at him as I breathed hard and deep.

“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to join me, Winnie?” he asked. His voice was beautifully sultry, beckoning.

I took off my gown and slowly began heading towards the cubicle. My heart was pounding harder with every step I took. I opened the sliding door and walked in. He turned me around and held me against him as the water soaked our bodies. I closed my eyes and felt him slowly running his hands up and down my arms. I turned around and looked at him. I wanted to look at him, I wanted to see him, but somehow I couldn’t. He was right in front of me but I couldn’t see him. It was like I was looking at a shadow. I held my hand out and held the side of his face but I couldn’t reach him.

“Why can’t I see you? Why can’t I touch you?” I asked in a whisper. He leaned in closer.

I could almost see him. I could tell through the fog that he was opening his mouth to speak, but instead of words, he was howling. I looked at him, shocked, as he howled at me. He was like a wolf. I reached out to touch him and that was when I woke up and realized that while the shower with Vincent had been a dream, the sound I was hearing wasn’t. I clutched the covers over my chest as I panted for breath. I suddenly saw something flash outside my window. It was like something big and extremely fast had passed by my window. I sat up and looked around. Everything was happening so fast.

Shit,
I thought when I heard the alarm go off.
Not again.
I jumped out of bed wondering if Vincent was okay. My heart was threatening to break free as I ran down the stairs. I ran to the phone and called the police to keep them from sending a unit to the mansion. I was not very sure I knew how to do it, since I had only seen Ophagia do it once, but two minutes later when I hung up, I realized that the few minutes I had seen Ophagia shoo them off was enough.

At least, there is no broken glass this time,
I thought as I walked to the front door. I was scared at what I would find. I stared at the clean floor and slowly made my way to the kitchen, and that was where I found it. Blood on the marble floor but this time, there were no bloody footprints.
What…what is happening,
I wondered as I looked at bloody paw prints. And they were not cute and small, like a cat’s. They were big. As big as a giant Rottweiler’s. I followed the paw prints up the stairs, wondering which of the neighbor’s dogs had made its way into the house.
But how would it have gotten in?
I wondered. There was no open window. I made sure of that before I went to bed and there was no doggy door. The paw prints seemed to have suddenly disappeared because when I got upstairs there were no more prints. I stood there, pumped up with adrenaline and wondering what I was supposed to do next.

Five minutes later, I was still standing there with a blank stare when I heard the doorbell ring with a resounding dong, interrupting the peaceful serenity of the house. I made my way down to the front door and caught a glimpse of the time on the grandfather clock. It was almost three in the morning. Who would be visiting Vincent at that time of night? It couldn’t be Ophagia, Penny or Fran because they all had keys. I took a deep breath and looked through the peephole.

“You?” I asked when I opened the door to find Nathan Hughes standing on the doorstep. “What are you doing here?”

“Winnie, I’m so sorry to bother you at this late hour, but I had some files for Mr. Muse,” he said gesturing at the files in his hand. “I just finished with them and I thought he would want them back as soon as possible,” he added. I raised an eyebrow and shook my head.