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My first thought is Black Industries is huge. The buildings are only four stories high, but what it lacks in height, it makes up for in volume. Three buildings surround an open courtyard with tons of shade offered by mature trees. Picnic tables and benches are placed throughout the parklike area.
Masen leads us to the building farthest back. The doors slick open as we approach. A pretty shifter female sits behind a large reception desk. Her smile falters just a bit when she sees Masen holding my hand on his arm. “Mr. Black, good morning, sir. Shall I have your guest escorted to your personal suite? Your eleven thirty is waiting in your office lobby.” Her tone is purely professional, only a woman would see and hear the cues of how bothered she is by me being here.
“No thanks, May.” Her face is triumphant for the briefest of moments until Masen continues, “She’ll be with me. This is Sophia, soon to be Black, my Luna.”
Her gasp is audible, I almost feel sorry for her. “I hadn’t heard you found your Mate.” She smiles, but her eyes are glassy as she says, “Congratulations Alpha.” She bows her head.
Masen has no clue he just crushed this woman. He pulls a beautiful white calla lily from a large floral arrangement to the left of her workspace and hands it to me before kissing my temple. A few others have stopped to watch us from afar. None have the visceral reaction of May, the receptionist, but I can tell many are surprised by his behavior.
“Everyone in the building is a shifter. This is where my offices are. You ready for a tour, Little One?” he asks me affectionately. I nod my head and smile at how proud he is of this place, it’s written all over his handsome face.
Forgetting the audience, I place my hand over his heart and lean up, trying to catch his lips. He dips his head so I can reach. “Yes, I’d love a tour.”
A throat clears behind us, and I look over. “Should I reschedule your eleven-thirty, sir?”
He looks at me. “Tour after my meeting, yeah?” I nod, agreeing.
I was worried that Roxanne would be in his office, but I haven’t seen her yet. His secretary is an older shifter female that greets me with genuine enthusiasm. Masen’s meeting is boring. It takes place in Masen’s office with Mr. Polenski, a stuffy old man wanting money for something. I lose interest within the first five minutes. Other than to take notes, the elderly man’s assistant hasn’t taken her eyes off Masen since we entered the room. She constantly crosses and uncrosses her long, toned legs. Her suit skirt is so short I’m sure Masen has seen her panties, if she wears them, numerous times. And to my dismay, I’ve recently discovered not only am I a brazen hussy, but I’m also a jealous cow, ugh.
He introduces me as his fiancée which gave me a huge thrill and explains my presence by telling them we marry this weekend and have lots of plans to finalize. Neither seems interested one way or the other why I’m here, both have their own agenda.
Thirty-five minutes later they leave, each disappointed for different reasons. Masen sighs when the doors close. I think he’s as relieved as I am. “Blah, that was a long time to listen to the old coot try and steal your money with your permission.”
Masen chuckles. “I’ve never thought about it that way, but I guess you have a point.” His face goes serious. “Little One, I need to let Roxanne know about her transfer. Why don’t you wait here for me? You can use my computer to order yourself a new iPad or a MacBook, whichever you want. Then do the rest of that online shopping you need done.” He seriously just tried to bribe me with shopping.
“How about if I promise to let you do all the talking and to be on my best behavior?” I counter.
“I knew that wasn’t going to work. Offer any other female my credit card and they disappear for a week. You couldn’t care less.” He stands and offers me his arm.
“Where is she, anyway? I was sure she’d be in here when we came in.” He’s very quiet as we walk out the door. Doris, his secretary, waves as we pass.
“I only take meetings with humans over here. My personal office is the top floor” —he swallows loudly— “She works up there.” He hasn’t looked at me at all, just leads us to an elevator across the lobby. I can feel his nervous tension through our bond.
“Why are you so freaked out?”
He runs his hand through his hair, leaving it sticking up in the front. I reach up, fixing it. He leans into my palm and closes his eyes. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
“What doesn’t mean anything?”
When the doors open, he guides us in. He lets the doors close but doesn’t push a button to select a floor. His white blue eyes are pained when he finally looks at me. “The whole top floor of this building is mine.”
There’s something I do not understand going on here. “I thought the whole building was yours?”
He nods his head. “It is, but the top floor of this building is my space, personal space.”
I take a step back from him. “What do you mean personal space?”
He moves forward, regaining the space I just put between us. Masen wraps his large hand around my neck and uses his other hand to pick up mine and places it over his heart. He needs me touching him right now, I just don’t know why. “I never let anyone come to our house. I built it for you.” He drops his forehead to mine then speaks so fast and softly I have to strain to hear him. “I have an apartment here. That’s where she works, not in the apartment but in my personal office.”
I think he was hoping to soften the blow, but not saying it loud doesn’t make it any less real. Ouch, this isn’t going to be easy. Every time he comes to work I’m going to be left wondering, wondering if he still thinks about all the women he’s brought here. Oh goodness, that’s what May was thinking. That he was going to stash me away in his fuck pad while he had a meeting. My hand covers my mouth, and I cough, trying to cover the sob that wants to come out. “You didn’t think to tell me this before we got here! So maybe, I could prepare myself for not only seeing your lover but finding out you have a fuck pad at work,” I say incredulously. “That’s why she asked if you wanted me taken to your suite because it’s not only Roxanne you’ve brought here but all the others. She thought I was like all of them.” I scoff. I’m so angry at his blatant disregard of my feelings. To let me find out this way is horrible.
“I didn’t want you to know,” he pleads.
I clutch my chest, covering the ache. “You were going to lie to me? I don’t know which is worse, your willingness to deceive me or your last minute honesty.” I close my eyes and shake my head, trying to dispel the thoughts of how many women he’s brought here. What else is he lying about?
“I was going to have it remodeled. I have no need for it now... I…” he stops, realizing how crass what he just said sounded, “I thought I was protecting you by not telling you. But, I can feel how betrayed and deceived you feel, and I know I was wrong.” He crowds me with his big body inching closer. “I’d never do anything to hurt you on purpose, Sophia. Please believe that. Don’t let my mistakes make you feel like this. Nothing has changed. All this is just details, details that will never matter unless we let them. I love you so much! Please, please,” he begs. In my head, I hear,I’ll take it. I’ll take it,over and over like a chant. He wants to take the pain away.
I touch his frowning face. “You’re right.” The bond we share simplifies things greatly. I can feel his remorse. “Nothing has changed. I knew there were other women, but it still hurts. Thank you for understanding why I’m upset. I love you, too, so so much. I feel like I’ve never not loved you. What we have is worth more than my jealousy, but please, don’t keep something like this from me again. I deserve to deal with it privately.”
