Werewolves of New York: Nathaniel by Faleena Hopkins Read Free Book Online Page B

intercom by the immaculate double doors leading inward. Before she had a chance to push the button, a deep, male voice graveled through the speaker. “Ms. Nero?”
    Momentarily startled, she glanced up to a tiny, round camera pointed at her, stationed in the ceiling corner to her right. She held down the intercom button to speak. “Yes.”
    “Come on in.” A buzzer sounded and she grabbed the long, sleek, silver door handle, walking into a hallway with five doors, two on either side of the hall, and one at the far end that led to stairs with a sign saying so.
    From the first door on the right stepped a very tall man with ginger hair and an appealing auburn beard. His suit was expensive, pale gray and fit his long limbs very well. She returned the smile he gave her and walked up to shake his outstretched hand, marveling at the strength and warmth of it. What is with these men and their warm hands? Have I just been out of the dating scene for too long and I’m having a reaction to them?
    “Come in. Please.”
    Glancing around the room to movie posters on the walls, she took a seat across from an oval silver desk. “Does your firm design movie theaters?” she asked, smiling.
    Blue eyes flicked to the posters and he shook his head a little, lowering himself jovially into a high-backed, gray leather chair that blended with his suit. “No, just an obsession of mine. My partners wish I’d put photos of buildings on the walls, but I ignore a lot of what they say.” He grinned, eyeing her with so much interest, it made her a little uneasy. “So, Ms. Nero. Tell me about yourself.”
    She hated this question in interviews, but she’d had enough to arm herself. She’d learned to always have a few sentences at the ready, something short and sweet that told a little about herself, but not too much, something that showed her dedication yet also sounded personable.
    “Well, I’m from Fremont, California and moved here five years after graduating from Berkeley with a marketing degree. I’ve got plants, but no pets. I devote so much time to my work, that wouldn’t be fair to them.” She smiled, very aware of the flirtatious smirk he wore. Most employers listened closely, but this guy, he was staring pretty hard and more than once glanced at her chest. She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name?”
    He leaned back and weaved his fingers together in front of his chest. “I’m Darik. One of the partners here. I’m the one who phoned you. So, tell me. A beautiful woman like yourself, are you married?”
    Surprised, she answered quickly, “What? Uh...no.”
    He looked very pleased with her answer. “Why not?”
    She sucked on her teeth and cocked her head a little. “Excuse me?”
    “Ever been?”
    What is this guy’s problem? “Do you only hire married people or…”
    “Ever been?”
    After a pause, she carefully said, “Not yet, no.”
    “Why not?” He leaned forward with narrowed eyes.
    A nervous chuckle escaped her. Glancing down to pretend-straighten her skirt, she explained as casually as she could muster, “I haven’t met the right man, I guess. I’m not sure what that has to do with my qualifications.”
    He nodded as if he were listening, but then boldly asked, “So, what are you looking for in a mate? Loyal? Strong? Could protect you…if you needed it?”
    Mate? On top of everything, who uses the word ‘mate?’
    She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. “I’m sorry, but what does this have to do with my creating a social presence for D.D.E.N. Inc.?”
    A sly smile tugged at his lips. “That’s a very good question. And there’s a very layered answer.” He rose up and walked to stare at the closed curtains as though through a clear window. “How would you propose to create a social presence for our company?” He turned with purpose as though he were playing at being an executive, and over-acting to boot. Was this guy even a partner here or was she being toyed