The Alpha's Property

*** Salma ***

When I get to my father’s office, Alejandro is inside with a leggy blonde with far too much leg and breast on show. I stay outside and listen to what is happening.

“Bring me the files and leave them on my desk.” I hear a filing cabinet sliding open. “Is this all the stuff we have on social services, Erin?”

“Yes, sir, but my name is Bethany, remember?” There is a small silence followed by rustling and more drawers opening.

“Yeah, yeah whatever, love. Look, Ms Morales will be here any minute and she needs help locating a little girl. I need the contact we have for social services, child protection, the lot. Who is our contact?”

There is some page turning, “Oh, here it is, Mr. Suarez, it’s a guy named Gerry, he works in child protection.”

“Okay that’ll be all, Stephanie, could you please show Ms Morales straight in when she arrives? Thank you.”

I hear a huff of exasperation and some muttering under her breath. “My name is Bethany!” I can’t help but smile when the blonde comes out. Alejandro had not used his wily charm to get her to do what he wanted; he had commanded her. I admire that.

“Oh, Ms. Morales, I didn’t know you had arrived, Mr Suarez said to go straight through.” I give her a nod of acknowledgement before knocking lightly on the door to my father’s office.

Alejandro looks up before giving me a cheeky smile that would melt the hearts of most other fair maidens, but I fight to suppress my eye roll. I must be pleasant, I remind myself. I need his help.

“Come on in, Sal, can I get you a drink? Britney, can you arrange drinks please? What would you like?” I smile at him and his ‘apparent’ indifference to his secretary’s name and ask for coffee.

I refuse to sit at my father's desk with Alejandro sitting behind it. This was my family firm, he best not forget that. So instead, I head for the small table and chairs by the window that overlooks the view of the city below us. It’s a beautiful spot, which is why my father based himself here when we upgraded.

“I’ve got to say, Sal, it’s a pleasure to finally get to work with you. I have heard so much about you and of course you are legendary on the private clubs circuit which is why I advised your father to make Paloma Azul our flagship club. Shall we address the elephant in the room, or shall we get straight to business?” He is looking at me as he bluntly puts me on the spot.

I feel my cheeks get hot; I was expecting Alejandro to be timid, maybe even embarrassed like I am about the whole thing. Just the thought of that night three months ago makes me feel sick with mortification.  I still haven’t forgiven my parents for it.

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~*~ Flashback ~*~

~~~ Three months ago ~~~

I have been invited over to my parents’, Jose and Maria Morales’, house for a business dinner. I am not looking forward to it. They are usually quite boring but when my mother tells me the Suarez family are also going to be there, I can’t help but get excited. My friend Lucia Suarez is home visiting, and I haven’t seen her for a long time.

“Yes, Lucia will be here with her mother and father and her two brothers.” I don’t care about the rest of them, Lucia will be there! I cannot wait!

The Suarez family heads another mob but it's smaller than ours and obviously in a different area. Raul and Penelope Suarez have been allies of my parents since before I was born, an alliance they want us children to continue when our time to take over comes.

Lucia moved to Barcelona two years ago to marry the son of another associate and last year she gave birth to healthy baby boy Alonso, so in between settling into her marriage and a new country and then motherhood I have not seen her since her wedding.

When I arrive at my parents’ house, everyone else is already there and so I spend ten minutes catching up with Lucia and having some cuddles with baby Alonso.

As I cradle the baby, everyone walks into the sitting room and my father shouts as he does: “See, Alejandro, my Salma would make a perfect wife and mother, just think about it. You can help her take over when I retire, you and your brother would head the Spanish Mafia here between you.”

I almost drop baby Alonso on his head. My father is very brazenly planning my wedding to unite the mob and speaking about me like a doting housewife. He can fuck right off if he thinks that is happening.

“I don’t want children, papa, and I have no intention of giving up work to stay at home all day. I thought I would lead?” My mother is throwing disgusted looks my way, she will kill me when our guests have left.

I look up and see Matteo Suarez and his wife Elena looking at me in shock and then my face ignites when I notice Alejandro Suarez standing to the side of them, casually leaning against the doorframe with a stupid grin on his face.

“I don’t know, Jose, she doesn’t seem the settling down type, perhaps she has another husband in mind?” His deep, sensual voice causes a shiver throughout my body, but I am so annoyed by his mere presence, by my father’s backhanded ways, by the insinuation that I am unable to lead because I am a woman. And most insultingly, the idea that all I am fit for is childbearing and housekeeping.

I hand baby Alonso back to his mother and march out of the room. What I don’t expect is for Alejandro to follow me. “Salma, wait!” he shouts as I stomp upstairs.

“What do you want from me?” I yell at him as he slowly follows me up the stairs. His dark brown eyes don’t leave mine and I cringe at the way my body physically reacts to him.

“I didn’t know until I got here what our parents were scheming. I don’t want to settle down either, not yet anyway. I am only 26 years old, I have a lot of wild oats still to sow. I was hoping we could work together to show we don’t need to marry to be allies. It’s not the dark ages anymore, after all.”

“That’s all good and well Alejandro... what I don’t understand is why we need a further alliance when I take over from my father.” He huffs at me before looking back into my eyes.

“You already know the answer to that, Sal. The Mafia is a man’s world. Your father cannot leave you vulnerable, he tells me he wants to retire next year and go back out to Spain full-time. You would be vulnerable, and I know that’s not what you want to hear but that’s the blunt hard truth. So, what do you say? Can we work together to show we can do this without an arranged shotgun wedding?” I smile at his turn of phrase, and he smiles back at me in that cheeky way he has.

I go to turn on the stairs to meet him to shake hands on our deal, but I trip and as I start to fall headfirst down the stairs Alejandro catches me in his strong embrace.

“Are you ok, Chula?” I can feel his breath on my face, that’s how close we are. I start to feel warm inside, and I feel his body harden next to mine, holy fuck we would be stunning together in bed, I can feel the chemistry between us already.

As luck would have it, the rest of the guests walk out of the sitting room and immediately spot us in our compromising position.

My father’s voice echos out. “Miren! Ya se están enamorando. Pronto tendremos muchos nietos!” (Look, they are already falling in love, we will have many grandchildren soon.) As Alejandro starts to chuckle at my father, I snap myself away from him. I don’t need him. I don’t need any man.

“Go to hell, Alejandro, I don’t need you. I will run this firm alone or not at all.” I stomp up the remaining steps and go to my bedroom.

“Aww, Chula, don’t be like that!”

~*~ End of Flashback ~*~

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“I don’t think there is anything to say. You are being trained to take over from MY father because you have a dick and I don’t. You get to take my inheritance, my birthright, because I am a silly woman who could never cope in this man’s world.” He raises his eyebrows at me and I see a smirk starting to grow.

“Ok then, so the elephant stays for now but maybe later you will give me a few moments of your time to correct you on what is actually going on here. Until then, we have a little girl to track.”

As he starts to show me everything, he has collated in the time it has taken me to drive over here, I cannot help but be impressed with him. Our first port of call is one of our moles in Child Protection. I go to get out my phone when Alejandro places his hand on mine, and I feel like he has filled my body with an explosive.

Whenever I get near, I start to feel weird around him, like a desire like I’ve never known before. My vibrator is going to be pounded tonight and I’m sick to my stomach that he has the ability to make me feel like that.

“We need to do this in person, Sal, no paper trail remember.” I nod at him and then against my own principles I follow him to his car and allow him to not only accompany me on my mission but let him drive me there too.