Mr. Case
*6 Months Later*
~Janessa~
*BUZZZZZZ...….BUZZZZZZ*
I roll over and turn my alarm off. I lay on my back and stare at the ceiling. Some days I wish I could just relax, stay in bed all day. Of course, being who I am, that is never an option. I am Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack at 25 years old. I'm in charge of 750 wolves with this pack being one of the biggest in America. Yes, I have my Beta and my Gamma, but we all know I have to be more hands on than most being that I am a woman. You would think that it wouldn't be so 'new' to have a woman Alpha, but here we are and here I am. Besides all of that I am the CEO of Nemes Industries, my family's security company. My life seems to be always on and there aren't many chances to turn it off. Oh well, another day, another dollar.
I roll out of bed and head for the shower. I have a bit of a luxury bathroom, if I do say so myself. I designed it almost like a personal spa. I'm not one for baths, preferring showers, but I do have a huge jacuzzi tub. I don't get to use it much, but when I do I am usually in there for a while. My shower is my favorite part. It is a huge shower with a built-in bench along the wall. I have 3 rain shower heads; 2 on each end and one in the middle. I also have smaller shower heads that are lower on the walls that give out extra streams along the body. I have his and her sinks with a vanity area between the two. I hop in the shower and bathe quickly.
I have a bunch of meetings today so I decided to wear a blue skirt suit with a black silk shirt underneath and black pumps. I do minimal makeup; just some mascara and eye shadow. I don't like to do too much because by mid day, I'm itching to rub my face. I take a look in the mirror to do a final check. I stand 5'8 without heels. I would say my skin tone is umber or a natural brown. I actually love my skin tone. I always felt that it was flawless. The mascara accentuates my brown eyes. I cut my black hair a while ago into a bob. It is long enough to put up when I train. I have the hips, butt, and chest though I don't like to draw attention to all that when I go to the office. My outfit is good for work so I head down for breakfast. Everyone is already seated so I guess I took too long to get ready. "Good morning Daddy."
"Morning peaches. How did you sleep?"
"It is never enough." I greet my father as I sit down at the head of the table. My father sits on my left and my mother next to him. "Mother." I nod to her and she nods back. We really don't get along all that well. She and I have different views of what it means to be a woman these days. My dad, however, fully supports me. My parents had me a bit later than wolves usually procreate. They decided, or I should say my mom decided, it would be best to go a few years with no children after joining together. I took over the Alpha position from my father about 3 years ago. I could have done it earlier, but I wanted some time before I jumped into it. My father never doubted that I would be his heir to the pack. My mother on the other hand, well she didn't want me to worry about it until I had a mate so HE could take over. As if I would have some random ass be the Alpha of MY pack that I grew up in. Mother believes that women are meant to support not to lead. To my right are my Beta and Gamma. Beta Lana usually stays with the pack. She was never really into business so I never forced the issue. Gamma Gemma is the business head and my VP at the office. She is who I lean on when I have matters here that keep me from the office. "Ladies, how goes it?"
"You know, I'm starting to rethink this whole 'taking over training for you on Mondays', just to let you."
"Awww, did Lana party a bit too much this weekend?" I tease her. Lana is known to enjoy her…..free time when she gets it. She is prone to attend all of the good parties and be the center of said parties. That has never really been my scene, but sometimes I like to live through her. Lana laughs.
"Let's just say I enjoyed myself."
"Understood," I say, winking at her.
"Gemma, is everything ready for today?"
"Yes. All of the materials are printed and ready for the clients. We also have your new assistant starting today." I shake my head. I really have not had good luck with assistants. They just never seem to catch on to what I need from them. I sigh and Gemma giggles. "Come now 'Nessa. Don't act like that. You know you are hard on these assistants. You need to give them a chance." I just roll my eyes and start to eat.
"You know, you wouldn't have to worry about assistants or training if you had listened to me and found a mate." Here she goes. I swear my mother just can't help herself. It's way too early in the morning to have this same argument. "Lana, maybe you can teach Janessa how to enjoy life and have fun. Maybe if she had more experience, she would come to her senses and….."
"Enough, Tasha!" My dad, always coming to my rescue. My mother just rolls her eyes and sips her coffee. Lana and Gemma always ignore my mom when she gets like this. They realized long ago that it isn't a fight they want to have. I suddenly am no longer hungry. I stand up from the table.
"Well, I hope everyone has a good day today. Lana, if you need me, you know where to find me. Gemma, I will meet you at the car." I walk away from the table and out of the room.
~Unknown~
It has been a busy 6 months. I have been through about 2 cities and rescued more kids. I am closer than I was 6 months ago, but I still have more work to do. I start my new job today. I will be an assistant at a well known security company. I figure this would be a good place to be and may get me more information to help with my endeavor. This is my first time in California and I'm enjoying it so far. It seems that what I have been searching for can be found here. If I work everything right, I should be able to snatch it up and lay low for a while. I was able to find the security corporation that they use and secured a job there. I hope to get some inside information to get me what I need.
I pull up to the building and head into the parking garage. It is a tall building and my research tells me that the security company is housed in the top 10 floors. I haven't met the woman I will be assisting, but I hear she is exceptional. She has taken the security industry by storm and deals with very big companies. I park my rental and head to the elevators. I'm supposed to be on the top floor to meet my new boss. I know all of my papers are in order and my new identity is intact. As the elevator climbs, more people get inside. A few women get in and eye me up and down. I'm used to this and I tend to ignore it. I reach the top floor and the elevators open. A big sign reads Nemes Industries. I walk up to the receptionist. "Good morning. I'm the new assistant for Ms. Janessa James. My name is Justin Case."
"Ah….Mr. Case. It is nice to meet you. Please take a seat and she will be with you shortly."
~Janessa~
"Ms. James, your new assistant is here."
"Uh, remind me of their name please."
"Mr. Case. The file is under your keyboard."
"Thank you Katie. Please send him in." I'm sitting at my desk, dreading this entire meeting. I hate meeting new assistants because I know they will always disappoint. Gemma is sitting opposite me trying not to laugh. "Cut it Gemma, you know I hate this." Gemma shakes her head.
"Look, it won't be all that bad. He seems like exactly what you need." The door opens and the scent of pine cones and the ocean practically knock me on my ass. What the hell is that smell? Just then, a man walks through the door. DAMN! What a man.
'MATE!'
'You can't be serious, Sky.'
'What do you mean? That's our mate.'
'Hell no, it can't be.'
'What do you mean, Janessa?'
'He is human!'
The man smells amazing, but he also smells very, very human. This is so wrong on so many levels, but damn does he look delicious. He has to be about 6'0 tall and he has rich, espresso colored skin. His hair is cut short and he is sporting waves throughout. He has the sexiest light brown eyes and I feel like I am going to pass out. His body looks extremely cut in his gray suit. The jacket and pants mold his body to perfection. The black shirt he has on is unbuttoned at the top and I just want to rip it open to see all of him. I'm glad I'm sitting down because my legs have turned to jelly. I don't know what to do. Part of me wants to run away and the other part of me wants to throw him on my desk and have my way with him. Goddess please help me because this man is killing me right now. I'm so caught up in undressing this man that I didn't realize anyone was speaking to me. Gemma clears her throat, shaking me out of my thoughts. She turns to me to mindlink.
_Earth to Janessa! The man was speaking to you and you are looking at him like you are stroking out. What the hell is wrong with you?_
_Uh….nothing I'm fine._
I almost didn't close my eyes before I responded. I take a deep breath and open my eyes. I get up from my chair and reach my hand out. "Good morning. I'm Ms. James and this is Ms. Stone, my VP. It is nice to meet you." When he took my hand, I swear I could melt. I can feel the sparks all over my hand. I try to keep my face neutral and pretend nothing is happening. I can tell he feels something, but he doesn't call attention to it other than the slight clenching of his jaw.
"It is very nice to meet you both. I'm excited for this opportunity." I pull my hand back and take my seat.
"Please sit down. I have gone over your file. You understand that you will be working directly for me, correct?" Mr. Case unbuttons the button on his jacket and sits across from me. He puts his right ankle on his left knee and gets comfortable in the chair. I can see his muscles tensing through his jacket as he gets settled.
_Girl! Stop drooling!_
I quickly give Gemma a look, silently telling her to shut up. "I understand that I will be your assistant. I'm prepared for the job." I nod at him and try not to continue to stare.
"Well, we will have time to get into specifics later. I will send you out to Katie, who you met when you came in. She will give you the lay of the land and a few other specifics that I will need. I would like you to join me in my 10 o'clock meeting so you can get an idea of how meetings go around here."
"That sounds good. I will see you then." Mr. Case gets out of his chair and nods to me before turning to the door. He nods to Gemma then walks out of my office into the waiting room.
"Girl, what the hell was that about?" Gemma turns to me as soon as the door closes. I turn around in my chair and place my head in my hands with my elbows on my knees.
"Why….why….why? Why the hell did this happen to me?"
"Girl what?!" I turn my chair back around and look at Gemma.
"He is....my mate." Gemma's eyes get big and a smile spreads across her face.
"That is a good thing! Why do you look like it's the end of the world?"
"He is HUMAN!"
"Ok….so…..what's the problem?" I look at her with shock all over my face. How does she not see the problem?
"Here I am, a female Alpha in a world of men. There are already people who feel as if I'm not up to the job for that reason alone, including my mother. And now, the Goddess has paired me with a human?! I can hear it now: 'look at the inadequate, weak woman Alpha who has an equally weak human mate.' Oh yeah, this is going to go well." I get up and start pacing the room. "There are already people who want to see me as a Luna only and now I'm going to bring in a human. He has no wolf, so how will he be able to compete in a world of wolves? I will constantly be challenged and he may too. So how would he be able to meet those challenges? Hell, how would I even tell him about me and my world anyway? This is a disaster!" Gemma walks up to me and puts her hands on my shoulder.
"Listen to me. Screw your mother and anyone else who questions your worth. You know better than that. The Moon Goddess paired you with him for a reason and she knows he is a human. The least you can do is take the time to get to know him rather than jump to any conclusions." All I can do is give a slight nod. This was too much to handle this morning and I'm not prepared for the mess. "Look, I will leave you now and get ready for this meeting. Just think about what I said." She turns and leaves me alone in my office to stew.