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He reached the main access terminal for the company’s systems. There were half a dozen cameras on him, but he’d already seen to it that they were hacked to feed the security screens a loop. He punched in a few access codes and slipped a thumb drive into the computer loaded with a less-than-simple program that would download the computer’s data within minutes. As the program did its magic, Joe stood back and admired his handiwork.
He did well for himself, considering his was a one-man show. At least, until now, he reminded himself with a smile.
What was he to make of this new woman he’d hired? Why on earth had he hired her anyway? The last question he knew the answer to, if he was honest with himself. He had a sense for unique individuals, and there was something special about this Rose woman.
Rose.
He rather liked the name. He almost laughed to himself as he realized he’d hired her on a whim. But he followed his instincts, and his instincts were never wrong.
Besides, there was something in her that he found … maybe it was a little early to be having unprofessional thoughts about her full, curvy figure. He wondered how those hips would feel under him, a fistful of her hair in his hand as he bent her back and…
The screen flashed as the program finished its work on the computer, and Joe smiled, removing the device and returning the system to the state he’d found it in. Silently, he slipped the drive into his pocket and headed for the doors.
He stepped out of them, his mind focused on his escape route, and a sharp intake of breath to his right alerted him. Looking over, he saw a lone guard standing there—a young man, some rookie that had probably wandered off of his assigned route. He was looking at Joe wide-eyed, still in the half-seconds of panic before his training kicked in.
Joe was faster. “This is your unlucky day, kid,” he mused with a hint of pity in his voice. The guard reached for his gun, but a swift blow to the neck from Joe knocked the man unconscious. Glancing around, Joe picked the body up and hauled it just inside the computer room. He propped the man up against the wall, taking out a flask in his pocket and sprinkling some of the alcohol along the man’s face and shirt before tucking it into his hand. The unfortunate man’s boss would be too furious over his drinking on the job to believe his insane story, especially when the evidence was so damning.
Without another word, Joe slipped out of the building, the rest of his route unimpeded, and he made his way out of the complex and back into the streets, pulling his collar up to mask his appearance for any cameras or onlookers that might have been monitoring the area.
He walked through the streets for at least another hour, just as an added precaution. He’d been followed too many times in his life to give the benefit of the doubt to a soul out there. That, and he had to admit, for everything he didn’t care for about the city of Cleveland, it boasted a beautiful sunrise.
His walk wasn’t entirely just to see the scenery and throw off imaginary followers, though. By the time the sun was already piercing through the skyscrapers of the city, Joe was ambling up towards the strip club where he’d tracked the IT admin to last night. As he crossed through the nearly empty parking lot to his car, he let the cardkey quietly clatter to the asphalt.
***
Oh, I did tell her she’d start today, didn’t I?
Joe was pulling up to his office right around 8 AM, and he found his newest hire waiting outside the door with a confused look on her face. He smiled. That punctuality was something to be admired, at least; now to see if she had a taste for what she was being punctual for.
His sleek black sedan pulled up next to the curb beside the door, and he stepped out of the vehicle, smiling at Rose cordially despite the look on her face. He couldn’t blame her for looking more th
an a little taken aback. He was still wearing his outfit from the night’s work—a black coat and long-sleeved shirt with tight-fitting pants and black shoes. He only started to remove his gloves as he got out of the car.
“Busy night?” she asked finally as he stepped up to her, and she had to look up to face him. From the moment he walked up to her, he could smell her attraction to him in the air.
Quite literally.
Joe’s abilities—the way he could move, his immense strength, his keen senses—they were derived from more than just excellent training. He had good genes. Exceptional ones, in fact, and he was more than human.
And few women were able to resist the magnetic attraction it generated around him. Rose wasn’t the first woman he’d seen give him those eyes as she gazed at the way his figure showed through his snug-fitting clothes, the confident stride he had as he approached her, and most of all, the piercing, enchanting gaze he had that seemed able to hold a person immobile as he looked at them.
That, he owed entirely to his superhuman nature. The blood of a lion ran in Joseph Sandford’s veins. It was part of him, and it had become dearer to him than his old, weaker humanity ever had been. He was far more than a mere man, and he knew it. He embraced it. His nature gave him an edge over others they couldn’t possibly hope to meet—much less so for the women who deeply desired him.
But would they appreciate his true nature as much as he did? Joe didn’t suspect as much. So to everyone he met, he was simply what he presented himself as—a highly talented private eye.
“I always work late nights, Rose,” he said, smiling brightly as he made his way past her to the door.
“Aren’t you exhausted?” she said, surprise in her eyes.
“Not entirely.” He smiled. “You could say I’m something of a nocturnal creature. In my line of work, you have to train yourself to shun the daylight hours. Nobody does anything interesting while the sun’s up,” he added with a wink, and he was delighted to see a little color in her cheeks. “I usually come into the office around 9, work until about 6, and make it home in time to sleep through breakfast.”
“Oh!” she said, suddenly flustered as they made their way down the hallway to the elevator. “Should I come back later, then?”
The elevator doors opened, and the two of them stepped inside. It was a cramped space, and Rose had to stand rather close to Joe. He smiled down at her as he sensed her nervousness. The poor woman must have had a lot of tension and anxiety to be so tightly-wound. She’d be amusing.
“I’m happy to see you any time of the day, Rose,” he said in his deep, silky voice.
She chewed her lip and seemed to be struggling for the words to reply with.
