He was good-looking and tall, with a mane of thick brown hair and eyes like chips of blue ice that softened as he took possession of the girl, slowly bringing her to arm’s length and peering into her face.
Except it wasn’t the Lockwood who’d caught my attention.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!
Not all of the Lockwoods like the limelight, letting their brother,Tobias, take centre stage. Beau I recognised from the social papers, the gossip rags lapping up his blond, boyish good looks, especially when he was out with some socialite or supermodel, but it wasn’t him I stared at either.
Lucien frowned slightly at the sight of Crystal, pushing himself away from the back of the lift, then brushing past the men who were no doubt his brothers as he exited the lift.
I didn’t see it then, his resemblance to Tobias. Why would I? Why would I have ever suspected him as one of the Lockwoods? He unzipped the leather jacket he was wearing, striding across the floor with the grace of a panther, until something stopped this big cat mid stride.
Me.
Crystal’s sniffles faded away, her sobbing confession to her former boss fazed out by the sharp whining sound inside my head.
Lucien was Lucien Lockwood, my Howlr hook up, and now? My boss.
Part II
10
Icouldn’t take this job.
I could almost see all the zeroes that they’d put against the position in the job ad swirling in my head, but I couldn’t take it.
Could I?
No, this would be ridiculously inappropriate. I’d experienced a moment of dreamy pleasure before I met Miranda, before I found out who my bosses were, imagining myself in the position, visualising the way this job would boost my profile. I let out a long sigh as chaos reigned around me, Max Lockwood comforting a hysterical Crystal, Miranda reading her the riot act, Tobias asking what the fuck was going on, Beau chuckling at the whole circus, and then there was Lucien. His eyes were as silver as the moon as he strode closer, his face like thunder.
My lips parted, my mouth opened, breath was sucked into my lungs, ready to remove myself from this situation, when his deep voice cut through mine and everyone else’s.
“Max, let go of the girl. We all agreed this was the way forward.”
“I’m not sure I agreed,” Max said with a frown, those ice chip eyes turning silverish, but when he looked down at the sobbing Crystal, he nodded and took a step away from her. “Though it is probably for the best. What you want…”
I frowned slightly, hearing the pain in his voice.
“Don’t, Max,” Crystal said, clawing at his lapels. “Don’t do this. We were so good together. You know we were. Remember the other night…?” She nestled into his chest, but his arms remained resolutely by his side. Her head came to rest on his shoulder, his suit blotting her eyes before she angled her head upwards. “Remember when I did that thing you like?” Her voice had somehow transformed into a feline little purr. “We could do that again. Right here in the bathroom, we could—”
Oh god, this had gone from awkward to horror show, and I blinked, realising there was no need for me to watch this scene unfold. I didn’t know what was going on with Crystal, what she had with Max, or why she was finding out about the end of it in such an abrupt way, but I also didn’t need to know. I did need to follow up on some of those contacts in other offices though.
“I’m sorry,” I said, clearing my voice, trying to be heard over the insanity. “I can’t—”
“Have you offered Ms Davies the position as our personal assistant?” Lucien asked, spearing me with his gaze. So much seemed to burn there, something I was glad Miranda was too distracted to see. Two employees—or a former one and a potential one—fucking the bosses was probably too much for even Ms Stick Up Her Butt to survive.
“I have,” Miranda said, casting him a quick look over her shoulder before reaching for her phone. “Security? I need several people up on the executive floor right now.”
“Have her contract sent to my office immediately,” Lucien said.
“That won’t be—” I started to say, but his hand shot out and he grabbed me by my arm, hauling me over to one of the office doors before punching his code in and pulling me inside.
“Lucien?” I heard Tobias Lockwood’s voice coming in muffled through the door, but the big alpha just threw himself down in his massive upholstered leather chair and regarded me.
“Sit.”
This was Lucien’s alpha bark. My knees went out from under me, and my butt hit the seat on the opposite side of his desk without thought.
“Let me take a look at your résumé.”