Aconite (The Elektita Series Book 1) (3 page)

"What the
fuck was that?" I knew my question would go unanswered by my empty room
but the release was all I was aiming for. I don’t know how long it took me to
remember where or why I was even here. When my legs began to regain their
feeling I changed into a pair of Puma tennis shoes, ran a brush through my hair
and checked my makeup in the mirror. I said a quick prayer that I would be
alone for my trip to work and headed out the door and was thankful that the
spot that had once occupied Sebastian now sat empty.

The cafe was only
a few blocks away, and I made it without acquiring another stalker. The closed
sign still hung in the front window but unlike this morning, a sleek blood red
Jaguar sat in front of the two-story building. But the main attraction was my
new boss leaning against the hood of the car. I pushed any thoughts of
Sebastian out of my head, focusing completely on the man in front of me.
Jonathon made a damn attractive hood ornament in his pinstriped business suit.
His dimpled smile and relaxed stance gave the high dollar car a run for its
money for who was the real show stopper. In a town like Reedsport, which prided
itself in its work in the fishing industry, I couldn’t figure out why there
were not one, but two men that could easily fit in somewhere like New York
City. Instead they ran small businesses here. Maybe they had close ties here
that couldn't be broken. But a more pressing question was how I wound up
dealing with both of them on the same day. In school I was lucky just to grab
the attention of the professors.

Jonathon looked as
though he was memorizing every aspect of my arrival as I closed our distance,
never once changing his leisurely stance. I saw his eyes hesitate over my chest
and stopping at my shoes. His eyebrows furrowed in contemplation. He didn't
seem to care for my choice in footwear but there was no way I could work in
heels. I just wasn't wired that way.

"Good
afternoon, Alexis," he purred.

"Good
afternoon, Mr. Evans."

Jonathon pulled
himself away from his car placing his chest right in my line of sight. The
tailored suit fit more like a glove, accenting every ripple that it was trying
to hide. Prying my eyes away, I noticed he had his hand extended and waiting. I
met his jet black eyes with embarrassment written clearly across my face but he
gave away little more than patient amusement. I clasped his outstretched hand
and without time to react he pulled me flush with his body.

"Why did you
change your shoes?" His breath fluttered against my cheek. I shuddered
from the contact, causing Jonathon to flash a mischievous grin in return.

I stepped back
without needing to feign confusion. I still held his hand which engulfed my
own.

"I don't know
about your other waitresses, but there is no way I could work in heels."
If I was going to be on my feet for eight hours, comfortable shoes were a must.

"Alexis, do
you really think I would hire you to be a waitress? Our manager left quite
unexpectedly and you will fill her position."

I mentally poured
over my resume to try to find any reason he would have to find me qualified to
run a café; nothing. He stared at me begging me with those sexy eyes to
question his decision.

"Thank you,
Mr. Evans," I said, my voice coming out shaky. His nearness had me
flustered.

"It has
always been my pleasure. Now please call me Jonathon." He finally let go
of my hand, giving us a little distance. His eyes grazed my body giving one
more obvious assessment before turning towards the cafe.

My shoes crunched
into the gravel as we wound around to the back of the building where three
other cars were parked. Thankfully, all of them were more like mine. He led me
through the employee only entrance that opened into a hallway, passing an
office and heading further into the main part of the building. I ignored the
loud squeak of my shoes as the sound traveled in front of us down the hall. He
was breathtaking even from behind. The thought of what must lie under all those
clothes fluttered across my thoughts, leaving as quickly as it came.  Finally,
the hall opened up into the cafe that I remembered from yesterday.

"Would you
like to meet your co-workers?" he asked, turning to give me a mind
blanking smile.

The cafe was a
writer’s dream. Soft lighting gave the cafe a laid back quality. Two plush
sofas surrounded a refurbished wooden coffee table and about a dozen free
standing tables were randomly placed throughout the space. A small stage lined
one wall. I wondered if they had karaoke or a poetry night. It was quaint and
cute and fit perfectly in this small town. Our entrance caught the attention of
two girls that looked not much older than myself. They barely gave me a second
glance as they set out condiments and table cloths on the various tables. Sweet
smells of pastries and coffee wafted from the kitchen causing my stomach to
grumble with unexpected hunger. Jonathon whistled and waved the staff over to where
we stopped by the sofas. A tall muscular man in a cook’s uniform caught my eye
as he came out from somewhere in the kitchen that sat just out of sight.
Everything from his mocha complexion to his honey colored eyes was attractive.
I wasn't into older guys, but even his salt and peppered hair cut short against
his scalp made it easy to bend my normal standards for him. He reminded me of a
football player but the softness in his face and deep laugh lines said he had
stopped long ago. The cook gave me a polite wink and smile as he came to stand
next to me at the sofa. He smelled delicious, like freshly baked pastries with
a hint of spice mixed in.

His entrance made
Jonathon stiffen visibly; standing up so abruptly the sofa that he was lounging
on made a groan in protest.

"Alexis."
The thick irritation in his voice was almost palpable. His arm curled around my
waist, herding us to the farthest side of the lounge area as far from the cook
as possible.

My instincts
vibrated with defiance, so instead of conceding I strolled back to my original
spot. My eyes locked with his in complete challenge. I didn't know how long we
stood there, both of us stubborn in our own right. I could tell he was at war
with himself; whether to let it be or grab me and jerk me back to his chosen
spot. But if he knew me at all by now he would know he couldn't win. Finally in
defeat, he poured himself back onto the sofa regaining his carefree presence.

Everyone else in
the room seemed to have found something way more interesting to hold their
attention. By their expressions they must be used to him being the Alpha; but I
didn't do submissive. Alexis one, Jonathon zero. My score caused a small smile
to bloom across my face. Jonathon arched one manscaped eyebrow clearly not
getting what I found amusing.

Throughout our
impromptu meeting I learned that the two waitresses were Jo and LeAnn, and the
cook was Mack. The girls normally took separate shifts unless it was Sunday
rush and Mack was the only cook on staff. Jonathon stood to introduce me,
placing his hands lightly atop my shoulders. The warmth from his hands felt
natural against my skin. My body reacted in delight—almost like it had been in
mourning all these years, making concentration necessary to not relay my
reaction to the others. It became harder and harder to maintain normalcy when
he pressed the length of his body against my back. I forced myself not to
reciprocate by arching myself into him. The world tried to spin, forcing me to
inwardly pull all my self-control front and center. That helped me think and
assess the situation a little better. He acted as though I was a possession
that needed to be claimed and my brain adamantly denied that thought while my
body wanted to melt into his possession.

With my
introduction complete I vaulted out of his grasp while working to maintain a
relaxed smile. Judging by the pointed stare and Jonathon's I won this round
grin. I did not do a very good job. How could I possibly be affected this much
by a man I just met? I have never been one to believe in instant anything;
whether it be love or attraction. Well, maybe lust but never anything else and
this definitely didn’t feel like lust.

"Follow me,
Alexis." The hint of mischief bled into the tone of his voice. If I were
twelve I'm pretty sure it would count as stomping off in a hormonal temper
tantrum the way I followed him back down the hall.

Plain. That’s how
I would describe my office. It was void of any life. The cafe held such an
interesting and homey feel that this office was a shock to the system. Even the
hallway carried warm colors into bathrooms that sat next to each other. Nothing
translated the same entering this room. It felt lifeless and wrong compared to
everything else.  A small oak desk sat against one of the plain white walls while
a small safe and filing cabinet took up space against another wall. The chairs
sat sporadically around the room, not even at the desk, making the office feel
even more alone. It didn't look like they ever had a manager.

"Please,
sit." He motioned to one of the rolling chairs while taking up another
identical one.

I kept my guard
up; I was a fast learner and with him I knew that I needed that internal guard
or I would be completely screwed. But he played nice and jumped directly into
what my job entailed. By the end I summed it up to a lot of paperwork and
negotiations. Since Jonathon was out of town on business quite frequently I
would be here at opening and closing. I could come and go as I pleased
throughout the day as long as I maintained regular contact with the cafe in
case of problems. I had freedom and a paycheck. This may not be so bad after
all.

Just before
opening he stood, heading for the door.

"Wait, you’re
leaving?" I couldn't help the panic that filled my question. Didn't he
want to know if I could actually do this? What if he came back and I had
ordered ten million napkins instead of a thousand or counted out the registers
all wrong and it looked like someone had stolen half the daily profit?

"I'll be back
at closing," he purred with wicked delight etched in his face. I wasn’t
sure how my panic could give him such delight. I mean I was far from delighted
and I was positive he knew it too. He left anyway without another word; leaving
me closed off from the rest of the cafe. I could kick myself. How could I show
him just how scared I really was? I drove to one end of this continent wanting
to prove just how grown I was and yet I still possessed the same fears of a
child who didn't want to make a mistake.

I barely had time
to hyperventilate before my door swung open letting in one of the waitresses,
Jo. That was definitely something that we were going to work on; knocking was a
must. I took in the girl that had plopped herself on the end of my desk. I
could just tell by the way she held herself that she had enough self-confidence
for the both of us. Her short pixie cut had every shade of brown woven through.
Large green eyes sat atop high cheek bones that were drastically exaggerated by
her milk white complexion. She wore a black short sleeve t-shirt with Shore
Side Cafe scrawled across her well-endowed chest along with a knee length black
bell skirt. Her most dominating feature was the dragon tattoo that laced up her
leg disappearing under her skirt. The dragon's rainbow of color sparkled in the
bright white room. I watched as her black flats tapped the air making her look
like an impatient child.

"Yes?"
God, I sounded irritated already.

She burst onto her
feet. "How do you do it?" Her squealed excitement caused me to
cringe.

"Do
what?" My tone made it clear I was irrationally irritated and truly had no
clue what she was talking about. I'd only known this girl for five minutes, but
I was absolutely sure she was on the verge of having an aneurysm.

"Jonathon,
our boss, the one who stars in most girls wet dreams. I've never seen him like
that."

Rolling my eyes
seemed like the only logical response since I really didn't have one. Jo began
pacing the length of the desk making it seem like a nonverbal demand. Her eyes
flicked to the tattoo and then back to my face.

"Maybe he
doesn't want to deal with sexual harassment in the work place?" I couldn't
even convince myself of that one so I knew for sure that Jo wouldn't be
convinced. I could use it though to squelch any devious thoughts from forming.

"Nope, I've
known him for years and have never seen him react that way towards anyone our
Mack flirts with." The look she gave me felt like something that you would
give to a cow that you were thinking about buying. Well so much for squelching those
devious thoughts. With one last completely inappropriate look she blew me a
kiss and headed for the door.

I braced myself
for anymore unwanted visitors, but when none came I let out the deep breath I
didn't even realize I had been holding. My thoughts pulled in a hundred
directions making it hard to concentrate on the to-do list spread out in front
of me. How was I supposed to know why he acted that way? I’d only known him for
less than twenty four hours. You'd think someone that had known him for years
would have a better handle on her boss’s mood swings. Then, there was
Sebastian, my newly acquired stalker. I had no idea what his deal was and I was
kinda hoping that he had fulfilled his need for redemption and would leave me
the hell alone.

It took me forever
to finally focus on the task that was going to keep a roof over my head and get
to work on today’s list. It all seemed very straight forward and it was a much
needed distraction when I finally buckled down.

Closing came and
went with the clock approaching six. Jo had shut away her curiosity and both
waitresses left without issue leaving Mack and I alone. I sat at my desk
finishing up my roast beef sandwich, potato wedges, and my third Dr. Pepper
while going over closing procedures. Mack knocked just before ducking his head
in. At least someone here had manners.