SELENE
I had to hand it to Rocco and his sweet Scandinavian counterpart, they knew how to run an event. Very professional, who knew a pair of burly, muscular sex gods could do good business too? I keep drinking my vodka cocktails despite knowing they won’t get me drunk. It takes an extraordinary amount of alcohol to get a shifter inebriated but it was better to play along.I watched Jax gamble away her thousand immediately, the utter randomness of the roulette wheel her swift undoing. I managed to persuade her not to withdraw her life savings at least. It took everything I had not to let me eyes rest on Rocco. That dark hair and olive skin looked too good to be true. Tall, dark, handsome and a voice so sensually rich it made my hair stand on end."You're no fun sometimes Selene," she grumbled, folding her arms in protest."I know," I sighed, switching my mind back to the party and not my panties, "but I can't be bothered to pick you up for work if you gamble your car away."Instead we shared some more drinks, watched the other gamblers, cheering as some from our department scored some big wins.Greg and some of the other male managers seemed to be on a bit of an ego trip. They took that scotch display as a mission statement. By the time the fleet of taxis I had organised started to roll up in fifteen-minute slots the party was coming to a natural close. Half the men were in scotch-coma's and the others were bouncing into their taxis like lottery winners. I decided to let Greg have a little sleep, he could get the last taxi and then I’d head back with Jax.It meant that I found myself, at the bar watching Rocco on my own. I could have sat anywhere else, but it was as though a magnet drew me in. I didn’t want to resist anymore. He moved silently like an assassin around the stacks of bottles, glasses, and accessories. His eyes kept meeting mine and I found my gaze lingering longer each time.“I am sorry if I have been hard work,” I said eventually, lowering my eyes to the glass and wood bar.“No problem, you have a lot on your plate organising everything…Miss Wilding,” he said a smirk.“It’s Selene,” I replied blushing, remembering how I’d cut him off. My self-defence had kicked in, him being so hot he'd sent my stomach fluttering I lifted my head and looked at that handsome face some more, trying to stop my eyes silently betraying my attraction. “So, where are you from then? I'm from Silverlake”“Blackfoot originally but I’ve lived in the city for the past ten years,” he said briskly, continuing to dry glasses and avoid my eyes.“Do you go back?”“Not if I can help it,” I replied a bit too quickly.His eyes shot to mine, a glimmer of understanding between the barricades. “Same here," he murmured. I longed to ask why, but then I would have to answer the same question.“Why do you work in this end of the city?” he ventured.“Same reason as you I assume,” I answered vaguely. As his lovely dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion I elaborated, leaning in towards him to keep my reply low and discrete. His gaze briefly flicked downwards where the jacket buttons strained under my leaning pose. “I don’t mix with my own kind if I can help it.”He placed the towel underneath the bar, and leaned onto the glass and wood countertop, matching me, crossing his strong, muscular arms across his chest.. It brought his face closer to mine, speaking in a hushed, yet still richly deep voice he said “I avoid it at all costs too.”“It’s never a good idea,” I agreed after what felt like an eternity, though it sounded less convincing than when I told myself it earlier. Instead I found myself inhaling deeply, taking in that cologne of his mixed with his natural earthy scent like a shot of adrenalin.The way he was looking at me made me wonder how true his declaration was. Would he really not want to ‘mix’ if I let down my guard? If I told him I was only a minute away from asking him to take me somewhere private and rip this jacket straight off me? He could take the skirt too to be honest I'd be fine with that.His face was only inches from mine, each trying to work out where we stood. Heat and desire raced up and down my body in waves as his proximity made my skin tingle. Even his name, Rocco, was ridiculous, yet it rolled around my mind like a roulette ball. All my mind could do was think of what it would feel like to just let go and pull him by that crisp white shirt for a kiss.His pupils widened, his deeply dark coffee-eyes shimmered with a hint of gold. Someone’s wolf wanted to come out. Without thinking my arms shifted, pushing my cleavage a little bit more. Against my better judgement I knew my eyes would be kicking out a kaleidoscope of colours but then my wolf was a horny little devil at the best of times."Do you want to get…" I started, intending to suggest a drink, but actually meaning fuck me senseless. Thankfully there was an interruption.“Selene, come and help me!” screeched Jax and in that second, I snapped back to reality, standing up and smoothing down my jacket and hair as if the blush that covered my face could be wiped away. We were only talking i told myself, but it felt as though anything could have happened. Like something should have happened.Greg had woken up, waving his arm flaccidly towards me, still clearly drunk, “Selene! Finally!” he shouted. I smiled politely as I sat down at the other side of the booth. Jax suggested getting him some water and trotted down to the bar out of sight.“How are you feeling, boss?” I laughed, watching as he tried to adjust to waking up, straightening himself out of his slump.“A lot better now you’re sat here. You need to wear that jacket to everything. Fucking knockout.”“Ah, thanks,” I said, wondering if the taxi was outside yet, “you think you can get outside and wait for a taxi with me?”His eyes lit up like Christmas Day, shit, he thought I meant I was getting into the taxi with him. Nope, not a chance, just going to wait with him. “You know what,” he replied with a wide smile, “I think I can definitely do that, let’s get out of here.”As I offered my hand to help him stand up he lurched towards me. Wrapping his arm around my waist, grabbing me so tightly to him my breath hitched. He needed the support and I wanted him out of my hair as quickly as possible, so reluctantly, we walked through the casino together with him draped on me. A few hours ago I would have loved the feel of his hand on my bare skin, now I was freaking out that he was going to be sick.Stood outside in the fresh air he seemed to sharpen up. He released my waist and stood up properly, rubbing his eyes with his hands as we waited in the chill of the late night for a cab.“Selene, you know you’re heading for good things at Godiva, don’t you?”“I hope so, I love my job, but we can talk about that at work. Have you enjoyed your birthday?” I found myself looking past him up the road for a taxi, my body wanting me anywhere but here.“I have, I don’t think I got a birthday kiss from you though,” he said, his hand lifting to twist one of my blonde curls through his fingers. Just because my head had been severely turned tonight by Rocco didn’t take away the fact I was attracted to Greg. I had spent months imagining this scenario. His eyes seemed to linger on my cleavage, neck, lips and finally my eyes as he sized me up like a menu. His breath reeked of scotch, and I shivered in the cold. Tonight was not the night for any workplace fantasies to come alive.Thankfully before I had to make an awkward reply, a cab turned into view.“Taxi Greg! I’m taking Jax home, so I’ll see you Monday - thanks for a great time!”As I quickly shut the door on him, I trotted down the steps back into the casino. My pulse racing and imagination bubbling with images of debauched naked naughtiness. Rocco wasn’t going to know what hit him. Without a second thought I had callously dumped my boss in a cab and scurried back down the stairs like some giddy teen dreamer. He was was drunk to remember, I tell myself. My wolf desires were pulsing me forward, like an inescapable whirlpool. My view was tunnelling, nothing else mattered.Except for the other massive cliché I ran into. Jax and Rocco having a very close conversation together at the bar, exactly where I had been sat fifteen minutes earlier. Nice. He stood up on seeing me re-enter the room and at least had the good grace to look embarrassed. She was oblivious and instead came running up to me, wittering about cabs and the late hour.Jax headed outside first, insisting she sneak a final cigarette before the cab ride home. As I stood in the foyer, cursing my foolishness, Rocco appeared with my long coat and silently assisted me in putting it on. The tension between us returned and was undeniable but now it irritated rather than tantalised me.Maintaining an icy silence, partly fuelled by my own humiliation I prepared to head upstairs to the exit without a second glance. Screw him and his cheap games. As I took the first steps his hand landed upon mine on the handrail causing me to stop in my tracks. A lightning bolt of desire fizzled down to my toes, I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. I quickly turned and looked into his eyes, knowing my glance was ice cold. Less confident than before, those coffee-coloured pools of his looked wounded but I wasn’t falling for any routine he had now.“Look, I enjoyed talking, sparring whatever you want to call it with you,” he said.“I’ll pass on the message to Jax too,” I said coldly, lifting his hand from mine and running up the steps, bolting into the waiting taxi and grabbing a yelping Jax in with me before he could say another word.This sickly, horrible feeling. This is exactly why I don’t mix with shifters. Clever, sleazy, alpha-male ego-driven bastards.ROCCO Not my smoothest move I'll admit. There was something happening at the bar between us, even though she would probably deny it. There was a tango of back and forth, trading tiny nuggets of information, little steps back and forth to the flow of the music. I could see her eyes following me up and down the bar, sizing up my shoulders wondering what my build was like under my suit jacket. When we leaned closer together over the bar, eyes meeting, her hazel irises dancing with curiosity, there was a possibility of something. I know I know I have made my rules clear, I don’t mix with shifters. She said she didn't either, let's don’t forget yet the ruby shards in her brown eyes said otherwise. You can call me foolish, but I know for certain, somewhere in a different reality it went differently than tonight. In a world where drunken friends and bosses didn't interrupt crucial moments, I would have been popping open those jac
ROCCO I think you've only seen the light, frothy version of me so far during these little interludes. Not today sorry, not in the mood. It had been a shit night, tossing and turning in frustration. Now I’m not saying I never strike out when I approach a potential conquest, date, romantic interest...whatever you want to call it. Not every woman I talk to is meant to be and that's just fine. My annoyance with last night came from a place I didn’t even understand. My wolf, who normally occupies a smaller chunk of my awareness was super fidgety as well which doesn’t help matters. Not like I can just head to the woods and sprint it off in the middle of the city either. We open in a few hours’ time, being a Sunday I’m not expecting big things so it’s just me running the show. Probably just a few regulars, some of the bigger fish. Often, it’s recently separated men, out to resolve some issues by splurging. I’ve never done that. I’m more likely to have a one-
SELENE Dragging my bag down the street I raged at myself, so many stupid decisions in succession. Leaving my bag at the club was the big one, so distracted by Jax and Rocco that I had to wake Troy up to let me in and pay the cab fare like a sneaking teenager. Error number two, massively offending Rocco by suggesting he had rifled through my things.Error three, looking into those dark eyes of his again. Dressed in just a white shirt and pants, sleeves rolled up and suit jacket flung over a chair he looked damn good. The whiteness of his shirt made that olive skin of his pop, his defined muscles easier to see with the jacket removed. That's two days in a row I've left that casino with soaking wet panties and zero satisfaction.It was too delicious a sight to take in and my attempt to be cold and business like fell away like ashes in the breeze. I do not know why but pissing him off and hearing the harsher edge of his ri
TWO WEEKS LATER ROCCO I consider myself fully dusted down and bounced back. Yes, it took me a couple of days but the familiar jolly, roguish Rocco is back in the building. It came to a bit of a head, both Jacob and Callum said they were worried about me. I couldn’t say why, because the reason was so flimsy. I've overcome a hell of a lot worse in my time, not that I dwell. My jack-in-a-box mind normally takes care of that Miserable and quick tempered because an arrogant female shifter thought I’d hit on her friend and gone through her bag? Pathetic. They told me to take some time off, go and get myself a date and let off some steam. I can’t lie, I wanted nothing more than to get down and dirty, rough, and hard with a woman who knew what she wanted. I know I’d have felt a hundred times better, for a couple of hours anyway. You know exactly what I mean, when you’re dazed, sweating and panting, ever
ROCCO Be proud of me here, I didn’t go charging in demanding to be seen. I didn't take a big bunch of flowers or an invitation to dinner. I am going to play her at her own cold game. I spent at least an hour pondering my next move. Admittedly fifty-eight minutes of it were spent trying to get hold of Callum to get his buy-in for the Alpha’s new venture. Business partners or hostages he'd grimly joked. A good portion of my time was spent fending off jokes from Jacob about the disgusting state of my office too. I ordered the new desk by the way.But here we are a week later, I have a clean, spunk-free desk and a suit made for seducing on. Fabulous. Getting up at a decent hour in the morning was a trial instead of my usual lazy lie-in but such sacrifices must be made sometimes. I went for a deep navy, almost black suit, white crisp shirt and a matching navy tie. The Godiva Corporate Entertainment office was as soulless and predictable as one would expect.
SELENEThere was no way to know it was him. Fuck my life sideways, upside down and back again when I walked out of that lift.He looked like a dream. That navy suit and tie was just what I loved a man to wear. His dark eyes looked me up and down and I knew he liked what he saw. A rush of excitement flooded straight to my panties and I just about managed to pick my jaw off the floor.It was getting increasingly hard to stick to my zero shifter policy. Not when he looked at me with those coffe-coloured eyes. So rich and warm I keep getting lost in them.So of course I made a shitty remark about the scotch. Standard pushing people away instinct. But he seems to enjoy the challenge, especially given the fact he looked at my lips for way too long.
SELENE“Honestly you should have heard Jax all afternoon,” I moaned to Troy as he sat on the end of my bed. His long brown hair fell down to his shoulders and his green eyes squinted at me as I put on some red lipstick.“You don’t need that shade,” he groaned, “it’s too much, I keep telling you.”“Just because you’re gay doesn’t mean you know everything about fashion you know. It doesn’t go hand in hand with liking guys,” I smirked, ignoring him as I applied the final touches.“I'm an expert on you, not fashion. You know that dress is going to wreck this guy. I’m very proud of myself to be honest,” he mocked as he lay back onto my mattress and looked up at the ceiling.
ROCCO "Rocco, you need to play it straight with this one," Jacob urged. "What do you mean?" I replied, delicately balancing a coconut and a bottle of ten thousand dollar vodka like a bloody magician. "You like her. So don't do anything too clever," he said. "Is this an intervention in my love life?" I huffed, ignoring their smirks. "You know what he means," Callum chipped in, "I know you think it's no consequence but you are hung up on this one. How many floozies have you turned down since she came in that time" "At least a dozen," Jacob helpfully chimed in. I only grunted and pretended to be too busy with my arrangement.