The Last Silver Wolf

Chapter 5: Sexy Stalker

Jordan

Excuse me? Who does he think he is? What does that even mean? I felt anger pulsating through my entire body. I didn't care if he was now the company's new owner, I wouldn't put up with this type of disrespect.

"Mr. Tate," I spoke slowly, my anger seething through my clenched teeth. "I am a woman who has sacrificed everything to get to where she is today. I am damn good at my job and I don't need you or anyone to question me or treat me like I'm nothing more than a piece of ass!"

Alexander stepped away from me and sat on the edge of my desk. He put his head in his hands and breathed deeply. I was amazed a man of his massive size could lean on my desk without it shattering to wooden pieces. Even though I was furious at him, I could help but notice that he looked like a Greek God, frozen as a statue. The light from the window reflected on his hair and the side of his face, making his skin glow a dewy light bronze. The type of tan that could only come from being outside. Despite being afraid of him and his lack of boundaries, it felt like my body ached for him. I wanted to walk over to him and wrap my arms around him, making him feel better. I shook the thought from my head. My reaction was completely disproportionate to the situation at hand.

After several minutes of awkward silence, he abruptly stood up and walked towards me cautiously. I tried to look away but I couldn’t stop looking into his deep caramel eyes. "Miss Ellis, I promise I did not intend for any of this to happen. I apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I would like to speak to you again but I don't feel this is the right time. I would appreciate it if you didn't mention this to anyone for the time being. I promise your job is not in jeopardy and I do not require you to do anything that you don't deem suitable. Again, I'm very sorry for this unfortunate situation." He used the most professional tone as he spoke and despite my anger, I found myself slowly losing resolve.

I opened my mouth to say something but quickly closed it. I couldn't think of anything to say so I just nodded. He hesitantly opened the door and gave me one last glance before leaving. His eyes were filled with an emotion I couldn't describe and, against my better instinct, all I wanted to do was follow him.

I watched his retreating figure and was surprised when I felt his absence like the wind was knocked out of me. For a moment, I thought I heard a whimper somewhere in the back of my mind. Jordan, first you let a stranger put his hands all over you and now you're hearing voices in your head. You're officially losing your marbles.

The rest of the day went by in a blur and I couldn't stop thinking about Alexander. The more I thought about the things he said in my office, the more confused I became. After a few hours I began to question if the interaction even happened. Maybe it was all a figment of my imagination from reading those dirty romance books… there was no way a man of his power and influence would do something like that.

Charles entered my office suddenly, pulling me out of my destructive thought cycle. "Jordan, you did an incredible job today! I knew we made the right decision to put you in charge. How are you feeling?"

"Well, Mr. Tate... he..." I trailed off, not sure what to say. I knew that I didn't want to tell him what happened, but everyone in the conference room saw how he reacted to my presentation.

Charles chuckle to himself. "Don't worry about him. Yes, he was standoffish during the meeting but as he left he expressed how impressed he was with ChatFix and said you did an exceptional job. You should be proud." He beamed at me.

I breathed out the air I didn't realize I was holding in. I'm pretty sure Alexander wouldn't hold my rejection as a means to get me fired, but I felt so relieved that he kept his word. Charles didn't seem to know anything about our private interaction and I would keep it that way.

"Thank you so much Charles, that is so great to hear!"

"Well, I'd like you to take the rest of the week off and I'll see you on Monday... where I'll announce your promotion to the rest of the company."

—---

I walked into my apartment building with my favorite Chinese takeout in hand. I hadn't been able to stop smiling since I called my mom and told her the good news. To say she was excited was a major understatement. She was so proud of me and hearing her words made it all feel so real. I owed her everything and felt like I was finally beginning to return the favor. She was a single mother who worked her ass off to give me all the opportunities and the best education. She was my inspiration.

As the elevator closed, I heard a voice yell "Hold the door!" so I quickly placed my arm out and managed to catch the door just in time. It opened and I couldn't believe my eyes. Walking into the elevator was none other than Alexander Tate, who was apparently my new stalker.

Seeing him again, I felt the electricity in my chest and the entire elevator buzzed with energy as he stood next to me in the confined space. "Hello," I muttered awkwardly.

"Hello," Alexander answered, giving me a polite smile.

I stood in silence for a moment, trying to give him an opportunity to speak. He owed me a big explanation for stalking me back to my apartment. Yet he stood there, his hands in his suit pocket, acting like it was completely normal to be there.

After a few more floors, I couldn't take it anymore. "Excuse me, can you please tell me why you're following me?"

Alexander turned and smiled at me, his handsome face making my stomach do summersaults. "Sorry Miss Ellis, I can see how this would seem compromising. I assure you I'm not following you. I actually just moved into this building."

My eyes bulged in shock. "You did what?"

He laughed at my reaction, "Yes, I thought it was best if I moved closer to the office to better keep an eye on things. This building had the only apartment available in this area on such short notice."

What a coincidence...

"I guess that’s one explanation," I muttered under my breath, not sure I bought his convenient answer.

"Aren't you going to welcome me into the building?"

I scoffed, louder than I originally intended. "uhhh... sure. Welcome to the building. I hope you enjoy your stay." Jordan, that was a stupid thing to say. It's not like it's a hotel.

"Thank you," he replied, ignoring my rudeness and sarcasm.

A few more floors blipped by as we stood there in silence. Why did I have to live on such a high floor?

"That food smells amazing. Is it local?" he inquired, suddenly very interested in my food. "I haven't had anything to eat in hours."

I stared at him incredulously for a few moments. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he wanted an invite to share my food. No way. That's crazy. I wasn't going to invite my stalker to eat with me. But slowly the people pleaser in me started to squirm and I started to make justifications. My mom taught me to be polite and I suddenly felt like I was being very rude. He probably had a long day and didn't have a chance to eat lunch. He was moving into a new apartment, which is always time consuming and exhausting. I could probably offer to be nice but I’m sure he would say no. No one in their right mind is going to say yes to an impromptu invite from a stranger.

"Yes it's one of my favorite Chines restaurants just two blocks from here," I explained. Before I could stop myself, I blurted, "Would you like to have some?" I almost covered my mouth with my hand, not believing I actually said that part out loud.

To my shock and utter dismay, he replied with. "Thanks, I would love that."

A few moments later we were in my apartment sitting at my small dining table, sharing my meal. Thankfully I always ordered extra food because I loved Chinese leftovers in the middle of the night, but I doubt even the amount of food I had would satisfy a man of his size. It was a surreal experience seeing a man like him in my apartment. I never had men over, let alone a 6'4" hulk. I never was a small girl, I was 5'7" and always had more curves and muscles than the other girls. But being around him, he made me feel small and fragile. Something I wasn't used to feeling.

"Thank you for the invite Jordan," Alexander said between bites. "You're right, this is probably the best Chinese food I've ever had in my life."

I laughed as I watched him inhale the food. "I'm glad you're enjoying it. It’s run by an old woman who came from Shanghai over 30 years ago. The recipes were passed down from her great-great-great-grandmother who she claims was a chef for the Emperor." I went to the restaurant so often that the sweet woman knew me by name. She didn't talk much, but when she did, she had such amazing stories to tell about her childhood and her heritage. I genuinely enjoyed getting to know her and learning about someone else's history.

I looked up to realize he was watching me with an unreadable expression on his face. "What?" I asked. "Do I have food on my face?"

He smiled warmly at me. "No, not at all. I just noticed how your eyes lit up when you shared that story. I can tell it's something you're passionate about."

I looked away from his stare, feeling a pink blush on my cheeks.

"Although, you do have a piece of rice right here," he said and before I could react, he reached across the table and touched my cheek. At his touch, my body immediately reacted, sending a tingling sensation to my very core. I was suddenly very aware of the air around us, it was buzzing and I couldn't control my breathing. It took me a moment to realize his hand was still on my cheek, but I didn't want to push him away.

"Jordan, I know this is probably very weird for you and I'm sorry about that." His words were sincere as he removed his hand from my face and grabbed his fork again. I thought I heard another whimper in my head as my cheek felt cold without his calming touch. "I wanted to come eat dinner with you because I didn't like how things ended today in your office and the… misunderstanding. I would really like to make it up to you."

I pondered his words cautiously. "Thank you Mr. Tate, that is really kind of you to say."

"Please, call me Alexander," he said. "I would very much like you to get to know me better and realize I'm not a total creep. After all, we're going to be working closely together so I'd like you to be comfortable. Plus, I would also like to get to know you."

I couldn't fight the smile that was glued onto my face as he spoke. Even though my brain told me not to trust the crazy guy who had his hands all over me, I couldn't help but feel warmed by his words. I did want to get to know him.. badly. "Alexander," I said, testing the word and the way it felt on my tongue. "I think that sounds like a great idea."

"Great! How about we play 20 questions?"

After making our way over to the couch, he started his turn first. "Okay, what is your favorite movie?"

I laughed at his quick question. "Well, I don't have just one... top 3 are Top Gun Maverick, Emperor's New Groove, and Ever After." I answered honestly.

"I half expected you to say The Notebook."

"No way!" I laughed. "I honestly don't like that movie."

"What?" he half-shouted, shaking his head. "I don't believe it. You'd have to be the only woman in the world who doesn't like The Notebook."

I rolled my eyes, expecting that reaction. No one understood this particular unpopular opinion of mine. "I mean, I think the old people part is super cute but when they were young their relationship was so dysfunctional. I don't think in real life they would have lasted until they were old."

Alexander sat there for a moment pondering my words. "You know... I think you're right about that. I never looked at it that way."

I smiled, glad he agreed with me and didn't try to argue with me or change my mind like others had. "Your turn. What is your favorite movie?"

He suddenly got a smirk on his face and raised one of his eyebrows comically. "Oh that's an easy one... it's Twilight."

We both laughed uncontrollably for a few minutes. I had to get a tissue for my eyes because I was crying from laughing so hard. "No seriously! What is your favorite movie?"

His hand went to his chest in feigned shock. "That is my favorite movie! I mean a movie with a hot werewolf and an annoying vampire, what more could you want from a Cinematic masterpiece?"

I started laughing again, eventually finding myself laying on the couch sideways, my legs draped over his. How did we get in this position anyway?

"Alright, alright, fine. My favorite movie is actually Saving Private Ryan."

Our game continued that way for a couple hours and Alexander continued to surprise me. I was completely wrong in my perception of him. I thought he was a stiff, boring, stuck-up, rich guy, but he was incredibly funny and I felt at total ease being in his presence. My stomach was starting to hurt from laughing so much.

I decided to go open a bottle of wine since things were going so well. As I twisted the bottle opener and pulled out the cork, the sharp end somehow ended up stabbing my thumb. Alexander was quick to jump up and grabbed a towel to stop the bleeding, but by the time he got the towel wet and was blotting my thumb, the bleeding had already stopped. I had always been a fast healer and I was embarrassed he would make a big deal out of it, like others had. He did give me a puzzled look and studied my face for a moment, but thankfully he quickly moved on and didn't bring it up again.

After a few more glasses of wine, our last remaining questions started to get deep.

"Do you believe in love?" he asked.

"Skip!" I responded, pouring myself another glass of Cabernet.

"Why? It's a simple question," Alexander prodded.

I sighed, feeling my last remaining walls crumbling to dust. "It's a very complicated question because love is complicated. I used to believe in love, but I guess I don't anymore. It just makes people weak."

He didn't respond and for a second I thought I had offended him. But then he spoke. "Where there is love there is life. Ghandi."

"Love is something sent from heaven to worry the hell out of you," I responded, not missing a beat.

"And which philosopher said that?" he asked.

"Dolly Parton."

He started laughing and I couldn't help but join him. Eventually we stopped and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Somehow we had moved closer on the couch that the sides of our bodies were touching each other. Damn it felt nice.

"Well I, for one, believe in love."

"You wouldn't say that if you lost it," I mumbled, so softly I was sure he couldn't hear me.

"I had lost it," he responded, looking deeply into my eyes. It was as if he was conveying a deeper message, but I couldn't decipher what it was. "I thought I would never find that love again, but I was wrong. I wish I had never stopped searching for it."

I looked into his eyes, trying to understand his meaning. I highly doubted any woman in her right mind would ever leave a man like him.