Calvin’s POVSurely she must be aware of my interest by now. I wanted her in my bed, even if it was just the once: my rules. Yet that vulnerability made me want to kill whoever had put it there.I could sense her reluctance to be seen in my company. Was it partly because of the boss/employee relationship as she had implied? No, there was something more, something I hoped I was wrong about.When I mentioned having dinner together her face changed completely.I had to put my foot down or it would never have happened. It rankled, too, that she looked on it as her doing me a favour. Maybe she was … but not in the way she imagined.“Won’t people talk?”Was that what had been bugging her?“Let them,” I said. “It’s not a date.”I drove us to my favourite Italian bistro, the one with the checked tablecloths and aroma of garlic. Tori seemed to know her way around pasta, ordering farfalle with chicken, while I had my usual calzone.She opted for sparkling water rather than wine, correcting me w
Tori’s POVEllie got sick the evening before the party.“It’s just a flu bug,” she said. “You go and enjoy yourself, Tor.”That was hardly the word I would have used to describe an evening spent with the Alpha. I wondered again about what ‘work’ I would be doing as his plus one.My flatmate started going on about my being a ‘paid escort’, making me extra nervous when she told me the North Shore pack were notorious for holding wild parties.“You’re just making it up,” I scoffed.“No, honestly Tor, I’ve heard that anything goes.”“Looks like you’re fated not to make the Alpha’s acquaintance when you’re sober.”It was a cheap shot when she was feeling low, but I knew my friend was nothing if not resilient. The comments she’d endured over the years from patients and her peers alike, not to mention some other pack members!“Don’t,” she said, wincing, which was when I realised she was probably more ill than she was letting on.The Alpha was picking me up for work soon. It was already after
Tori’s POVSo, he was prone to errors of judgement after all, the Alpha I despised so much. And he still wasn’t off the hook. Maybe there were other pack books, the ones Aiden wasn’t permitted to see.Should I volunteer to take his place? It might seem suspicious this soon.“Take no notice of what she said. Miss Pearl’s the jealous type.”“Well, you lied to me. Why all the cloak and dagger?”“Because I didn’t want you to worry about running into my ex mistress.”“So you set it up?”“Hardly. But Jewel has a way of finding things out.”“And auditing Aiden’s work. What was that about?”“I didn’t give you a head’s up in case you panicked.”I sighed. “You know me too well.”“So, are you up for some fun at ‘Remus’?”“Depends what you mean by that,” I said. “Will Glenn not feel slighted that you left his party?”I’d been wondering about that, as well. How come the Beta hadn’t made the connection between the date and Alpha Calvin showing up unexpectedly? Maybe he was the self-effacing type an
Tori’s POVFull dominant mode. I recognised the signs. Yet all of them were different. Travis, with his innuendoes; Oscar, mostly silent; Calvin, hard to read; and Alex, the bully.“I’ll do it,” I said, “but only because I need to fully understand to be able to help the others.”This time I was lying to myself. And this wouldn’t bring me any closer to finding out if he was the monster responsible for the demise of Black Gold. All it would do was help me to see if I’d recovered from the other traumas of my past.It bothered me that I’d not been able to watch the second demonstration for long.“The scene will last no longer than twenty minutes. During that time you are highly unlikely to need a safe word, but use the traffic light system. Red for stop, yellow to pause, green if okay to continue. At no point will I use a gag. However, you will speak only when I ask you a question. Call me ‘sir’ and I will sometimes address you as ‘pet’.”“Am I your plaything, sir?”“Ah-ah, pet, what did
Tori’s POV I’d just finished prepping lunch – homemade soup with croûtons – when the intercom rang. Ellie picked up, heroically since she still had her duvet wrapped round her slim frame. “It’s him,” she whisper yelled. I rolled my eyes. “You’ll have to be more specific, Els.” “The Alpha.” Sometimes, she could be hard work. Two could play this game. “Why would Alpha Joseph be coming here?” “There’s no way. Achoo!” “Goddess bless you.” An awful thought struck me. “It’s not Tobias, is it? You know, the rival.” “Tori! Is there something I should know?” I gritted my teeth. “Grant him access, whoever he is.” “Are you sure?” “You should know better than to keep an Alpha waiting,” I scolded. When she uttered the words, “Come on up, Alpha Calvin,” before making it possible for my nemesis to ascend to us, I froze. Was this some kind of wind-up? Ellie hopped back to the couch and reached for a tissue. I waited for the cheeky grin in vain. Then I was answering the door to him in
Tori’s POVMy stepbrother kept me waiting. I was on my second espresso by the time he showed up. I needed the fix.“Lookin’ good,” he said, taking the seat opposite.I didn’t care for the knowing smirk.“Cut to the chase. And stop staring, will you? The waitress is coming.”He ordered a soda and fries. Maybe I could leave when his food came.“You ignored my messages. Why was that, Vicky?”His intense green gaze was meant to intimidate. And he knew what I felt about denim.“Because I’m not playing your games any more, Alex.”“Yet you’re here now.”Unbelievably, he took out a comb and began to sweep back his light brown hair. He knew what buttons to press.“So, how is Fran? Have you seen her?”“Not recently, no. Can we have some ketchup here, lady?”I was rapidly losing patience.“Your text said you had news.”“I do, sweet thing. But it comes at a price.”This was how he operated, the old carrot and stick approach.“Will you please stop checking me out, Alex? It’s creepy.”“Aw, can’t I
Calvin’s POVSometimes it felt like two different people were warring inside me.No offence, Thaddeus.We need our mate.Tell me about it!It annoyed me that I’d shown weakness by turning up at Tori’s flat following my selfish and self-indulgent treatment of her the night before. Yet I still had my concerns about her vulnerable state and, though I’d left a message on her phone saying she should take the day off, I was antsy enough to visit her place.There was no reply when I pressed the buzzer.Then I was fortunate enough to spot her climbing into a cab and raced back to my car. Where the fuck was she going?At least this area of Maunville wasn’t as rundown as some of the other parts, though it had its fair share of seediness.When I saw her go into that café alone I was so tempted to join her. Fortunately I waited in time to see her with another man. For some reason my wolf took a dislike to him.I felt like I was intruding now and was about to drive off when Thaddeus counselled me
Tori’s POV I’d never opened up to someone so honestly, so completely, other than Ellie. And this was Alpha Calvin, once my number one suspect, my employer, and now my saviour. He’d even kissed me, for love of the Goddess! Or, rather, it was mutual. Having him on board with the investigation was beyond my wildest dreams and I would pay any price to achieve that. Yet, somehow, I sensed that things would be different with this man. “Shouldn’t I sign something, even if it’s an NDA?” I pressed. “Are you still trying to delay heading downstairs with me?” “I just want to do the right thing.” “Do you trust me?” “I think so.” “Not good enough. Tori, can I trust you to use your safe word if something becomes too much?” Well, he’d definitely turned that one on its head. “Count on it,” I said. It was obvious he was going to get me naked. If I could become comfortable with that, even with a virtual stranger like him, who knew what other obstacles to pleasure may disappear with time. “Do