The Alpha and His Temptation

Chapter 2

The disturbing kind, I suppose,” he continues. Because no one that attractive should be that asocial. That is, it must have some serious defects. According to rumors, he never dates. They say he has no social life. It never comes out. He is a total recluse. He must be damaged. Or else, he's gay. I bet he's the type to keep his boyfriend tied up in a closet so he can spank him when he gets home at night.

Once again, a smile almost escaped my lips. "I'll show you what spanking is, little Batgirl."

"You seem to know a lot about him."

"Oh... I, uh... I guess I'm interested in him." He's kind of a celebrity among geeks. I mean, his original programming was pure genius, especially for the time.

This time, I do smile. His knowledge of me, aside from the spanking gay boy thing, makes my pulse quicken. Another anomaly. I don't care if I draw attention to her and she's right, I don't give out personal information. I have too big a secret to hide. But her interest in me has my wolf doing pirouettes.

"Mine".

—So what kind of geek are you? -asked.

—Apparently, the kind who chatters like an i***t to strange men when confined in elevators. But I'm sure you've already noticed that.

Sorry, I usually have a better than average filter.

It's lucky we can't see each other because I was quite embarrassed this morning.

It's getting harder and harder to avoid kissing her until you're tired.

I have never been so happy to sit and listen to human babbling. My wolf doesn't even mind being confined for more than ten minutes. It usually growls to break free and attack the threat. Which could be deadly.

My wolf seems more interested in protecting this beautiful, insightful human. It took me a moment to recognize it, but now that I do, my pulse quickens and I have to force myself not to put my arm around her. Bring her closer to her.

Especially when he leans towards me.

"Perhaps you could agree not to look at me when the lights come back on so we can meet later under normal circumstances."

I do not answer.

—Hopefully, I won't do this nonsense during the interview and I won't ruin it.

—Do you really want this job?

-Yeah. Yes I want it. It's strange because eight years ago I would have laughed in your face if you had told me I would like to work for SeCure, but I think I have changed. To me, Jackson King and the company he created represent the cutting edge of information security programming, and I want to be a part of that.

The lights turn on and the elevator starts moving. "Curse".

“Oh, thank God,” he breathes, standing up.

I get up too.

When he turns to look at me, the smile freezes on his face.

"Surprise".

She pales and staggers back.

The light illuminates her beauty. Perfect skin, full lips, big eyes, high cheekbones. And yes...her t**s and legs look just as good now as they did in the dark. It's a ten all around. And he's figured out who I am, which gives me an advantage.

—Well, now you're quiet.

“JT,” he murmurs, his voice bitter. She glares at me as if I had been the one talking about her instead of the other way around. What does the "T" mean?

—Thomas. —My mother gave me a decidedly human name.

The elevator stops at the sixth floor and the doors open. She doesn't move.

I hold him with my hand and gesture for him to get off.

—I think this is your apartment.

He opens his mouth and then snaps it shut. He squares his shoulders and walks past me, two bright pink spots on his cheeks. "Adorable".

Even though I'm late for at least twenty meetings, I follow through.

Not because my body can't separate from hers.

Certainly not because I need to know more about her. Just to torment her a little more with my presence now that she knows who I am.

“Miss McDaniel, there you are,” Stu says. She is waiting in front of the elevators; she must have gone upstairs. Luis, SeCure's security director, is next to her.

“Maintenance will take care of this immediately, Mr. King.” —Luis signals to one of his men, who takes his place in the elevator to prevent anyone else from getting on—.

We'll fix it in no time, sir. And I see that you escorted Miss McDaniel.

Stu looks at me guiltily.

"I didn't mean to leave her unattended." I went upstairs to make sure I would be here when he arrived. — Makes it seem like she deserves a medal for her heroic acts.

I do not answer.

—I'll take care of her now. Sorry to have bothered you.

“I'm going to watch your interview,” I say, surprising even myself.

Stu and Kylie snap their heads around and gape at me. Kylie blushes even more and blinks those big brown eyes. In the light, they are a warm chocolate brown with a flash of gold in the middle. "Incredible".

The alpha inside me doesn't mind making her uncomfortable.

I'm used to disturbing people. But my wolf is not happy with the tinge of anger in his scent. I have an apology on my lips, another novelty. Jackson King is unapologetic. And I don't owe him one either. If he had my way, he'd take her to the nearest conference room, spank her for the spanking boy comment, and spend the next three hours teaching her pleasure with the tip of my tongue. She would perform oral s*x on him until her screams of pleasure told everyone in the building that she was mine. That would take care of her annoyance and his nervousness. Or is it excitement?

“Oh, it's just a routine interview, no need to waste your time,” Stu says.

I'll be damned if I let Stu, or any other man, have her alone.

Luis clears his throat, warning Stu that he's about to make me angry.

I squint at Stu.

—I decide how to spend my time. Should we go to the conference room or interview her here in the hallway?

Stu frowns like I just ruined his frat party.

~.~ Kylie “HOLY INCOMFORTS, BATMAN.” Now I'm really not going to pass the interview. I didn't think she could get any worse, but being caught in a tug of war between Stu and Jackson is another wonderful moment from this horrible day. I can't believe I collapsed in front of Jackson King. And blabbered like a schoolgirl about what kind of nerd he was and whether he was gay, and my God, did I really imply that he spanks his s****l partners? What the hell is wrong with me? Not even Interviews for Dummies can save me now.

Of course, he let me think he wasn't the CEO. A pretty heavy strategy, really. I should be glaring at him, but no, I'm still stunned by how he touches me. Too bad getting groped by Jackson King isn't one of the perks of the job.

Damn, I really want this. Groping aside, SeCure is the pinnacle of cybersecurity.

When I was a teenager, it was the ultimate hack. After almost ten years incognito, it feels like coming home.

Like I've trained my whole life to be here, and now that I'm working legitimately, I can take my rightful place.

The fact that he would be working with Jackson King has nothing to do with it. Well, maybe a little bit.

Certainly, my body would like to be under him right now. My God, I have to get through the interview without imagining his hands on me... The murderous look between Stu and Jackson has lasted quite a while.

—Where is the conference room? —I intervene.

I take several deep breaths and follow Stu into a large conference room. I can do it. I've handled much harder things: major muggings at the age of twelve, losing my mom and dad, being trapped in an air duct for ten hours... This is nothing. It's just an interview.

I sit down and the three men stand in front of me. The chairs are large and plush, but they barely fit Jackson's muscular body, and he turns slightly and looks at me. The man can be intimidating even when he is sitting down.

I allow myself to scowl in his direction. He lied to me. And now he's forcing me to do the interview with him, as if this day could get any more awkward.

He meets my frown with raised eyebrows.

Why, sir, why did I say all those things in the elevator? It was as if she had drank a truth serum.

Maybe that's one of Jackson's superpowers: making people tell him every thought that comes into their heads. She had never been so honest with anyone in my life.

I've told a million lies, but I get some comfort after a panic attack and all my training is gone. My dad would scold me, if he were still alive.

Stu shuffles some papers and slides one towards Mr. King.

"Here's your resume," he says. You can see that his qualifications are quite impressive.

Stu definitely exaggerated my resume. Sure, I graduated summa c*m laude with a degree in information systems from Georgetown, after convincing them to let me take all my classes online, but my work experience was programming for the video game company I currently work for. At least, the only work experience that was legal. There are many things I can't mention. The result: I don't look all that impressive on paper.

"All of her teachers highly recommended her," he continues, looking a little agitated.

Not half as agitated as I am, though. It doesn't help that Jackson King looks at me like he knows the secrets of my life. Now that is a terrifying thought.

—Would you like to start? —Luis asks King.

King leans back in his chair and crosses his long, elegant legs. Curse. I've always drooled over his online photos of him, but he's even more handsome in person. The photos of him didn't do him justice, not even the issue of Time magazine where he was named "Man of the Year" for solving the world's credit card fraud problems. Actually, nothing about him makes him look like a geek at all.

With thick, dark hair that's a little long and shaggy, a square jaw, and jade-green eyes, he looks tough. He also has an air of danger, as if his expensive suit could barely contain the power of him.

He looks at me and his face is an inscrutable mask.

—What do you know about information security, Kylie?

I intertwine my fingers on the table. There's no point in being nervous. I ruined any chance of getting this job when I called him a deviant sociopath in the elevator.

He probably just wants revenge, and putting me through the most uncomfortable interview in the history of the world is his preferred form of torture.

“f**k this.” They're not going to give me the job. Why stay and suffer?

I push the chair back and stand up.

—You know, I don't think that's a good idea.

Stu stands up quickly, looking angry.

-Why not? Wait a minute.

—I'm sorry for wasting your time.

Stu stands between me and the door, like he's not going to let me go. Her job must be on the line if she doesn't get someone for this position. "Not my problem, friend." What are you going to do? Lock the door if I try to leave?

"I think I actually ruined this interview in the elevator." So I'm leaving myself. Many—” “Sit down, Miss McDaniel,” King orders, his voice deep and resonant like steel.

I stop dead. Damn, he's even sexier when he's serious. Like in the elevator, my body responds, my n*****s get hard and my p***y gets wet. His nostrils flare as if he can smell it. But that's ridiculous. He's still sitting, but there's no doubt who has the power in the room.

I take the chair, a little wobbly. And not just because of my heels.

-Yes sir. —I sit down again.

-Thank you. I asked him a question and I'm waiting for an answer.

Damn man. He is determined to make me suffer. He rubbed my thumb with the pad of his index finger and then dropped his hands in my lap to stop moving.

—Mr. King, I apologize for the things I said about you in the elevator; I was very rude and… disrespectful.

King's expression doesn't change. He looks at me with a calculating expression.

-Answer the question.

Very good. I guess you'll ignore my apology. She would respond sarcastically, but I promised myself I would keep it under control.

—My knowledge of information security is mainly practical. You won't see it on my resume, but I know all the areas of security: how to assess weaknesses, how to hide lines of code. No code is impenetrable, except perhaps yours.

—How long would it take to hack the average person's sss?

I allow a small smile to appear on my lips.

"That would be illegal, Mr. King."

—So, do you know how to hack or not?

"He knows". It's the first thing I think about. I fidget in the chair. He has discovered that I am Gatichica. "No, that's nonsense." Every information security expert probably knows how to hack. Perhaps it is an essential requirement. Like the way home security companies hire arrested burglars to upgrade their systems.

It's not that any security system, physical or virtual, has been able to keep me out. Although my skills may be a little rusty. My silent thief days died with my dad.

"If you knew how to hack, Mr. King, you certainly wouldn't admit it here, which is why you won't see it on paper." But if, in theory, I wanted to hack the average person's sss, it could take me ten to twenty minutes.

Stu gives him a tight smile.

—We have a series of tests that we will do on Ms. McDaniel after the interview. He directs her attention to me. Now, why doesn't she tell us about her programming experience?

King looks as bored as I feel as I recount my programming accomplishments. Luis responds with all the standard types of interview questions: Do I work well under pressure? In a team? Am I willing to work nights and overtime when necessary? How do I feel about moving to Tucson from Phoenix?

I respond automatically, studying Jackson King without making it obvious. He hasn't asked another question. What is he thinking about? Are you still angry about what I said in the elevator?

—Do you have any questions for us? —Luis asks me.

—How many candidates will you interview for this position?

Stu shuffles his papers while the other two men wait for the answer.

-Three.

—When do you think you will inform me of the result? —Probably a little presumptuous, but presumption is all I have left.

-In a couple of days. We are interviewing everyone today.