Page 38 of Shifted Desire

The jittery, almost bird-like, frail woman gives me a vague sound of affirmation and closes the door again. No more than thirty seconds go by before there’s another knock on the door.

I stand, smoothing down my tie. “Come in.”

The door swings open and my knees go weak, forcing me to clutch the edge of the desk to stay standing.

She’s trying to kill me.

Samantha stands in the doorway, wearing a fitted cream sheath dress that is by no means inappropriate for the office, but still mouthwatering with how it clings to her curves. Her matching shiny patent leather pumps make her legs look miles long, and my dick twitches at the thought of her making me kiss them. Her long, white-blonde hair is pinned up in some kind of fancy twist, and my wolf enjoys seeing the exposed line of her throat.

“Morning, Mr. Dubois.”

Gods, has her voice always been so raspy?

When I don’t say anything, her lips curve into a slight smile. “I hope I’m not late.”

I swallow hard. “No. I got here early.”

“Whew, good. Didn’t want to make a bad impression on my first day!”

There’s another long, awkward pause while I try to get my brain to do anything but think about how good she looks and how I can’t believe she’s here and we’re actually doing this and that I must be crazy to think this is going to work and I’m going to ruin the only friendships I have and⁠—

“Looks like we’re set on coffee for the morning.”

I blink, only now registering that she’s holding a tray with two to-go cups.

“You didn’t have to bring me coffee,” I say weakly.

She smiles, teasing, but there’s something soft there too. “Neither did you.”

She sets the tray down on my desk and swaps one of her cups with one of mine.

I fumble for something to say. Anything to make me not seem like a leering dolt. “No pancakes today?”

Samantha shakes her head. “Alas, those are only for days when I really need to impress someone.”

I snort, some of the tension bleeding from me. “You don’t need to impress me today?”

Her smile turns knowing. A little heated. “We both know you’re already more than impressed, Sir.”

Fuck, there’s that word. The one that’s like catnip for my horny brain. I could tell her not to call me that, but I don’t, because I like it too much.

“True.” I clear my throat, my voice far too thick with lust for 9 in the morning. “If you’re ready, I’ll give you a quick rundown on how things work here, and then we can get started with our day.”

“Oh, no need, I already got a tour and all the basics when I came in on Friday to finish my paperwork. I’m ready to start now, just point me in a direction and I’ll get to it.”

My brow furrows. She was here on Friday and she didn’t tell me? She should’ve at least stopped in for a second to say hello so I could⁠—

I grit my teeth, pushing away that thought. She has no obligation to interact with me when she’s not on the clock. I should appreciate that she’s ready to jump into things because I’m drowning.

“Perfect. You can start by sorting out my emails. I have calls back-to-back until lunch, but it’ll probably take you that long, if not longer. Once that’s done, we can have a quick meeting for you to go over any pertinent information or questions you might have after seeing what I’m dealing with.”

“You’d be surprised how fast I can get things sorted,” she says, having the audacity to wink at me. “I’ll whip your emails into shape and order us some lunch for after your calls. You still like Thai food?”

My mouth falls open a little. How does she know what I like to eat? It’s not like we’ve had many conversations about our likes and dislikes over the years at the Samhain celebrations. Did she ask Shane?

I shake my head. “I do, but I need to watch my macros, or my nutritionist will be unhappy. I brought my lunch.” There’s a strange thrum of embarrassment for being so particular and guilt at not bringing her something to eat as well. “You can put your lunches on the company card, though.”

I fully expect her to roll her eyes at my dietary needs, but all she does is nod. “Got it. I’ll need the details of your nutritional plan when you get a chance, but that can wait since you’ve already got your lunch sorted. Though I can still help if you want any dessert.”