Claimed by My Ruthless Alpha Boss

Chapter 5

Lyra POV

I’VE MANAGED to avoid all my managers the last few days, and I’ve nearly forgotten about my elevator man, who, through some light internet stalking, I later learned was Dominic Rheaumes, CEO of Alpha Cybersecurity.

Oh, who am I kidding? I haven’t forgotten about him. How could I? Those sapphire eyes keep showing up in my dreams, which have turned decidedly steamy since our encounter. Which is pathetic, I know. We hardly even exchanged glances, yet everything about him is branded into my being. I don’t know any other way to describe it. I…I feel him, even though I haven’t seen him since the elevator that day.

I know I’ll have to face the man himself at some point, but at least it won’t be today. I’m just packing up my stuff, ready to head home and dive into a bowl of piping hot Top Ramen.

“Lyra?” Tracy, my manager, calls out to me in that shrill voice of hers.

“Oh good, I didn’t miss you. Mr. Rheaumes wants to see you for some reason.”

There’s more than a little bitterness in her tone.

“Me?” I say stupidly.

I’m not ready to see him again so soon. I haven’t recovered from the first time. And then it hits me. This isn’t about the elevator. This is about my job performance. Crap.

Tracy answers me with a nod and an eye roll, then points to the elevator and shoos me on. Stepping onto the elevator, I hit the button for the top floor, noting that it has been replaced since Dominic busted it with his crazy strength.

I attempt to take a calming breath, but I end up coughing and sputtering. My heart thrashes around inside my ribcage, each beat making my temples throb.

I wonder how they found out I wasn’t qualified for this job. I’m still just going through the training modules and shadowing my mentor. Surely, I haven’t messed anything up too much. I vow right then and there to do extra research on weekends and weeknights to make sure I’m performing my job correctly. It’s not that the training is bad, it's just that I don’t have the same knowledge as everyone else. I can fix that, though. I’ll just have to prove I can hold my own until then.

I can’t lose this job. Elowen makes good money as a designer, but it’s still an entry-level position. Plus, it’s my duty to protect and provide for her, not the other way around. No, getting fired isn’t an option. I’m smart I can catch on quickly if they just give me the chance.

The elevator slides to a stop, and I close my eyes, taking a deep breath as the doors open and I take a step out.

I almost run right into Dominic, and I jerk to a stop, my eyes wide as I stare up into his. I can’t help but look to see if they’re glowing, but they aren’t. It must have been a trick of the light the other day. A tremor works its way down my spine as I get caught up in those deep blue eyes. Glowing or not, they’re captivating. Breathtaking. And yet somehow, heartbreaking, too. Clearly, Mr. Rheaumes is a complicated individual.

“Hi,” I whisper.

I clear my throat, trying again. “Hi, Mr. Rheaumes. I was told you wanted to see me?”

“Yes, come in, Lyra,” he says with a wide smile, and for a moment, my breath stalls in my throat.

I envision my name slipping off his tongue as he sounds out each syllable. I’ve never cared all that much for my name, but hearing it fall from Dominic’s mouth makes me reconsider.

I try to hide my blush, hurrying into his office, but when my body brushes against his, I have a feeling it gets a lot worse. My whole body is tingling, like when your foot falls asleep and it’s starting to wake up. With each step that I take away from him, those tiny pinpricks get worse, and that empty, throbbing ache blooms between my legs.

I try to shake off the feeling. I try to remind myself that I can’t be attracted to the guy who’s about to fire me.

You don’t have time for guys. Shut. It. Down!

“Have a seat,” he says, and I look around his office as I head over and sit down in one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

Everything in the office is warm, and I’m surprised. I expected some kind of glass-and-steel, minimalist-type space, but instead, he has a wood desk and a bookshelf lining one of the walls. There’s a fluffy gray rug underneath the wooden coffee table over in the seating area, and a comfortable leather couch and chair next to it.

“How long have you worked for Alpha Cybersecurity?” Dominic asks me as he takes the seat next to mine.

I was expecting him to sit behind the desk, and my body started to go haywire again at his closeness. I have to shift in my seat, hoping he won’t notice that I’m rubbing my thighs together to ease some of the pressure there. I can’t help it. That voice like liquid gold poured over gravel. It’s somehow both elegant and gruff, and I feel it scrape against my skin, making me shiver.

“Um, a week or so?”

“Do you like it here?”

“Yeah,” I say, but I sound more confused than believable.

What is this? Some kind of trap? Maybe he’s luring me in by being nice, making it so I’m not as upset when I leave and don’t cause any waves. That has to be it. I bet he’s going to fire me any minute now.

“Good, I’m glad that you like it here.”

He reaches over, his fingers brushing against my hand, and I freeze. My heart starts to race, and before I know what I’m doing, I start to lean toward him in my seat.