“Tell Carol I’ll be there, and I’ll do what I can about a date.”
“An Omega.”
“What?”
“You always bring some ball-busting Beta or Alpha with you to these things. It would look better if you brought someone who looks more like a schoolteacher than a runway model.”
“Have you seen how teachers look these days?” Dane teased.
“You know what I mean.”
“I do, and I’ll consider it, but don’t hold your breath.”
“Hey, who am I to tell you what to do? You pay my salary, not the other way around. I’m just trying to help you look more like Ward Cleaver and less like Charlie Sheen.”
“Sheen has tiger blood. I’m all dragon, baby,” Dane quipped. Garrett was one of the few shifters he employed, trying to mostly blend into the human world where the majority of their interactions were based.
“Right. I’ve done all I can for Carol’s cause. I’ll leave you to do as you want, as usual. Just sign these, and I’ll get out of here.”
Dane signed the papers he had brought and said his goodbyes, watching for a moment as Garrett got back on the elevator to leave. Once the doors closed, he finished stripping and went over to look out one of the large glass windows that made up the southern wall of his penthouse. The view of the city below was magnificent, though it was better at night when it was all it up. Today would be the last day he’d see it for a while, as he intended to spend the next few weeks at his property outside the city.
He was looking forward to it. Life was quite different without the interruptions of work. Sure, they still sent emails or called, but he could ignore those a lot easier than them buzzing up on the elevator. It had not been his smartest move to live at the top of the building that housed his vast empire. While it was convenient at times, it was mostly a pain in the ass. It afforded him a very nice life, though, so he couldn’t complain about the nominal interaction he had to endure to keep it afloat.
Secretly, he loved it. If he didn’t, he’d step aside completely and just collect the profits as they rolled in. Still, it was nice to get away from it for a bit too. It was hard to stretch his wings in the city. He walked away from the window, stepping into the shower. Garrett’s comments about him bringing an Omega to the community outreach made him wonder if perhaps he should pursue that. He didn’t care for Omegas, as he preferred women with a bit more fire and drive, but it might be a good optic.
Later, still in his towel, he picked up his phone and opened the Alpha Meets Omega app on his phone. He clicked over to the Omegas looking for a mate and began flipping through their bios, swiping left again and again before finally giving up and closing the app. Maybe he’d look some more later.CHAPTER THREEAdriana
Adriana scowled down at her phone as she waited for the acceptance from Alpha Meets Omega to join their dating app. Setting the phone aside, she considered her conversation with her boss, Yvette.
“You need to take a couple of weeks off,” Yvette had told her the day after the incident with Parquo.
“Why? I’m fine.”
“He was a bad man and bad men deal with other bad men. Security dealt with the situation the only way we could to keep the magazine out of it, but there will be questions from them. Human reports that he was the victim of an animal attack will only pique their interest. His demise coincides with your article. Even if they don’t make the connections, there is still a chance that the article itself will expose them. You know that pack as well as any of us. They’re a vindictive lot.”
“I’m not worried about the Blue Snouts.”
“I am. You aren’t the only one in danger here.”
“So, they commit crimes, and I’m the one that pays? You can’t just sideline me, Yvette,” Adriana grumbled.
Yvette sighed and looked down at her desk for a moment. She flipped through some papers there and pulled one out, offering it up to Adriana. Reaching out, Adriana took the paper from her and look at it, her brows growing tighter together as she studied it.
“You’re putting me on a fluff piece?” she snapped angrily.
“You either work that from home or take two weeks’ vacation. Either way, I don’t want to see you in this office for the rest of this month. It’s for your safety and ours. Keep a low profile and use a fake name. I’ll get you some credentials for the app. Oh, and you’ll have security assigned to your house.”
“Security? I don’t need babysitters!”
“I think you do, at least for the next few days. We’ll see what sort of fallout we might be looking at after that. The police are already investigating Parquo’s company. That could flush more of his crazed pack mates out and bring them to our door. Just do as I ask, for once,” she sighed.