BXBX NOVEL Chapter 17 - A Difficult Decision
«Hello, I have an appointment with Manager Cooper,» she said. «At nine o'clock...»
The girl who welcomed her the day before glared in silence while the other accompanied her to the elevator.
«When you reach the fifteenth floor, walk a few metres forward. On your left, you can find a waiting room. Tell the girl working there you have an appointment and wait a few minutes. The Manager will soon come to fetch you.»
Lara nodded, pressing the button with the number fifteen.
It took her three whole minutes to reach the floor. She wondered how much it would take for the top floor. A quarter of an hour?
She found the waiting room and the girl. She just got a nod, not really concerned.
Relieved she didn't need to talk too much, she sat in a corner and waited. She couldn't know that Manager Cooper and Roxy were racking their brains in search of a solution for her case. She thought her job was already decided.
When the Manager came looking for her, it was fifteen past nine.
The HR Manager of such a big company sure had a lot of work, so she didn't think much of such a delay.
«Good morning, Manager,» she said. «I'm honoured you considered employing me. Especially after the scene from yesterday. Thank you for considering me even after that!»
Bass Cooper nodded, opening the door for her.
He couldn't tell her that she was hired precisely for the dramatic incident with the pups. He had to find a way to inquire about her private life, for that was the reason Nate wanted to employ her.
«Miss Clayton, please have a seat.»
While he sat behind the clean, empty desk, Roxy poured tea to Lara and the Manager, moving her eyes on the woman, searching for clues about her identity.
«Oh, thank you!» Lara replied, not expecting such a treatment. She was going to become a part-time employee, after all. She wasn't a client nor anyone important.
Maybe, her job would be serving tea. She couldn't know that.
«Now, now... Your working time will be from eight to midday. Is it all right?» he asked, taking a few papers from the drawer. There was a pre-filled contract with general clauses and a few notes from Roxy about what to ask the woman.
«Yes, of course. It's perfect,» Lara replied, wondering if it was some kind of test. She would have worked when she was needed.
Even though Nate did tell her they started at nine. Maybe it was the time for clients to come in? Or maybe it was Nate's working time.
«This is a fixed-term contract. Three months, and we'll extend it to six months and then two years if everything proceeds all right.»
He repeated the words Roxy taught him a few minutes before.
There was no way they could have a human around for that long, but they had appearances to keep on.
He moved his focus on the woman, trying to figure out if she knew she was surrounded by wolves.
She seemed wary of him, but her reaction to Roxy was completely calm. It was as if she didn't like him as a person rather than as a wolf.
Or maybe, she couldn't notice Roxy's nature? It was a possibility.
Lara was so calm that it was impossible she noticed that every single employee wasn't human.
She would be trembling, ready to leave at any moment.
Even if she lived with the two pups, there was no way a human wouldn't be at least nervous in such a situation.
Yet, she was as relaxed as all the clueless clients they had.
He couldn't put her in a department where they would fight or growl at each other. He had to find somewhere where she wouldn't be in danger and, at the same time, where the wolves behaved.
The best place was somewhere where humans could visit often. The wolves there knew how to behave.
«For today, you can just take a tour of the company. Roxy will show you around,» he said.
Then, he saw his mate straightening her back and widening her eyes. She curled her lips, wrinkling her nose.
Bass Cooper understood Roxy had sensed something.
He sniffed as well, careful not to be caught by Lara. And he knew what had startled Roxy.
He could feel Nate's scent on the human.
His heart stopped beating, and he wondered if the Alpha had a hidden agenda with that human girl.
Geez, she had two pups! How could he aim at a taken girl?
Oh, but humans do not mate for life, he realised. She did lose her partner, but that didn't mean she wouldn't accept another one.
In the end, Nate lost his mate as well. They could make it work if they wanted it.
Lara Clayton also had the scent of medicine, probably somewhere on her back or shoulders. Along with it, entangled and not very loud, there was Nate's.
She probably got hurt and was treated by him, and then she couldn't wash his scent off because of the medications. It did make sense.
But it also meant there could have been more than a simple contact between them. The feeble scent signalled a few hours from the last approach.
Bass would say twelve. So... Yesterday evening?
His plan to send her to any department full of girls disappeared. He couldn't do that.
Especially if something was going on with the Alpha: that human woman would have his scent other days as well. If the girls smelled it, he wasn't sure how they would react.
Losing the Alpha to a human woman wasn't as easy to accept, and there were quite a few competitive females in the pack.
Not to mention the rumours that would be difficult to stop.
«For this week, you will help in the sales department,» he said.
A place without many girls was the best.. Other than a loud exception, but that she-wolf wouldn't cause problems for the human.