Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
When a billionaire hired me as his assistant, I assumed my new boss would be an arrogant bastard. But I didn't expect to be stripped bare and claimed savagely right there on his desk.
Or to wake up in his penthouse the next morning and discover that he's not just a businessman.
He's an alpha werewolf.
And I'm his mate.
Publisher's Mated is a standalone romance that includes spankings and rough, intense sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER 1
Kira
Nobody in this city knows I grew up in a trailer.
Nobody in this city knows I’ve only got four bucks in my checking account, because I gave the rest of it to my aunt to get my cousin out on bail.
Nobody in this city knows me at all, and that’s exactly how I like it.
I’ve risen above my humble beginnings, and right now I don’t look any different than any of the other businesswomen stepping into the Lupin Industries building.
It is my first day of work, and I know I was lucky to get the job. Right place, right time, right hiring manager at the end of her tether.
I think back to that interview. It was only yesterday, so it’s fresh in my mind. Also, I’ve been playing it over and over in my head, unable to believe it. This has to be what fate feels like, or good luck, or just something simply good. I haven’t had a lot of that in my life.
I responded to an online advertisement for a personal assistant at Lupin Enterprises. I have a degree in business administration and a few weeks’ experience interning. I couldn’t afford to do full internships. I had to go back to Wisconsin to help out my family. I’m hoping that making a good impression will make up for a lack of extensive experience.
On the way in, I check myself in the bathroom mirror. I’ve learned there’s not much I can control in my life, but I can at least look neat and tidy.
At twenty-three, I am a small statured woman, about 5'3" without heels. My hair is naturally dark, and I have brown eyes. I’ve spent a lifetime looking at tall blondes and wishing for what nature decided not to give me. Lately though, I’ve been working on trying to accept myself for all I am, rather than fixating on everything I’m not.
I’m wearing a white blouse and a neat pencil skirt with low kitten heels. It’s a minimalist, classic outfit, and I managed to thrift all of it. Most of my clothing is thrifted, which is getting more difficult all the time, but I’ve worked hard to build a little wardrobe I can be proud of.
I look good, wearing just enough makeup to indicate that I’ve made what corporate America considers an effort, but not so much that I seem as though I am trying to be seen as an overtly sexual creature.
The interview is with a very nice, very poised middle-aged woman, who has the air of someone who probably actually runs the entire company. She has dark brown hair with an auburn hue when it catches the light, and smile lines at the sides of her eyes which make me think she’s probably very nice when she’s not being ultra-professional. Her outfit isn’t all that different from mine, which makes me feel as though I have chosen well.
“You’re here for the personal assistant position,” she says, telling me as if I didn’t already know.
“Yes, I am. May I ask who I would be assisting? The advertisement didn’t specify.”
“It didn’t? No. I suppose it wouldn’t have,” she says. “The position is to assist Cain Lupin.”
I try not to look shocked, overwhelmed, or slightly horrified. I know I am in no way ready to assist Cain Lupin, the CEO and founder of Lupin Industries. He has a reputation in the media for being incredibly demanding and somewhat antisocial, but it’s widely agreed that he’s a genius of a certain sort.
“Let me look at your resume,” she says, clicking around on her computer for a moment. She glances over the one-page document, then her eyes come back to me.
“One thing you need to know about Mr. Lupin,” she says. “He fires assistants faster than I can hire them. So don’t expect this to be a long-term arrangement. The good news is, you get severance, and it’s generous. So do your best, ignore all his growling and snarling, and try to stay employed as long as you can.”
“I’ve got the job?”
“Getting the job isn’t the hard part,” she says, smiling at me with a you poor, sweet, summer child expression on her face. “It’s keeping it that will prove difficult.”
“I’m very used to working with difficult personalities,” I smile, absolutely thrilled. “I look forward to the challenge of working for Mr. Lupin.”
“Don’t wear anything silver,” she says. “He thinks it looks tacky. Gold only.”
“Gold only, got it.” I make a note.
“And stay away from strong smelling foods. Nothing with garlic in it.”
“No garlic,” I make another note, then look up, half-laughing. “Is Mr. Lupin a vampire?”
Her face darkens as outside, a heavy cloud moves over the sun in a rather dramatic but obviously entirely coincidental fashion.
“There’s never been a vampire as monstrous as Mr. Lupin,” she says. The cloud skids away under the effects of a strong wind, and the sun comes out again, just in time for her smile to return. “That’s what his rivals say, anyway, and a good number of people who have ever had to work for him. He’s a genius. And he’s got killer instincts that can’t be taught. Pay attention for as long as he tolerates you. You’ll learn a lot.”