Romance: Loving The BillionBear: BBW Bear Shifter Romance Standalone (Spicy Shifters Book 3) (8 page)

PREVIEW OF ‘THE TIGER’S HIRED MATE’ BY ASHLEY HUNTER

Chapter 1: Amanda

Heart beating like a jackhammer, Amanda bolted down the subway platform.  It was no mean feat in high heels, and she considered herself very lucky not to have broken her neck in the process.  Of course, it would have been more sensible to take off her shoes altogether, but the thought of pelting barefoot through New York City like a mad woman made her grimace.

Scott would just love watching that.  In her mind she could already hear his grating voice calling out to her.  “Run, pigsy, run!  You go big mama!”

Pigsy and big mama had been just a couple of the charmless nicknames he had come up for her when they were together.  He said it was a term of endearment, a sign of affection on his part, but the names had always been a gut-punch to her confidence.  Even after two years of freedom from his bullying and mind games, that festering heap of sewer waste was still calling the shots.

As a case in point, just thinking about him made her stop and check her appearance in one of the mirrored columns that lined the subway.  She smoothed down her auburn brown hair and made sure her ponytail was nice and neat, before scrutinising her small, oval face.  Her cheeks were a little flushed from the run, but the colouring seemed to compliment her looks. 

Aunt Debra always said she had a natural beauty, and her dainty nose and cupid bow lips lent her a petite, elfin quality.  She wore very little make-up.  Aunt Debra didn’t think she needed it, even though Scott liked his women all glitz and glamour.  For a time, Amanda had caked herself in all manner of cosmetics and fake tan just to please him.  Now he was out of the picture she had gone back to her old self.  It had been a liberating experience, though with her aunt no longer around to constantly reassure her, she still had lingering doubts about how good she looked.

Next, she made sure her outfit was not too ruffled.  She wore a smart black business outfit consisting of jacket and trousers complimented by a white blouse.  The ensemble was conservative but also complimented the rich curves of her figure.  Scott, predictably, liked a lot of flesh to be on show, but Amanda always felt that a woman should have an air of mystique about her.

It was always better to keep something back.  As with the make-up though, Amanda had dressed herself according to Scott’s more salacious tastes.  She shuddered now to think of all the compromises she had made for that man.

That’s enough
, she told herself sternly. 
I can beat myself up about all the crummy life choices I made later on.  First, I need to get fired from one of the best paying jobs I’ve ever have.

She glanced at her watch and let out an audible groan.  She was almost fifteen minutes late and it would take at least another ten minutes to get to the office, even if she managed to catch a cab.  It wasn’t her fault that she was running so late though.  Mrs. Jacobson, who lived in the apartment across the hall from her, had had one of her funny turns again last night. 

She hadn’t taken her medication and was convinced Justin Bieber was trying to break into the building to strangle her, and had screamed her head off as a consequence.  Amanda and Mr. Jacobson had been up most of the night trying to calm her down, and get to her sleep. 

Not that Amanda minded the inconvenience.  Mr. Jacobson was his wife’s sole carer.  It was taking a lot out of him, and he still hadn’t been able to find a suitable care home for his wife close enough to where they lived.  Amanda gave him as much support as she could, but as a consequence last night’s upset had left Amanda exhausted, leading her to sleep through her alarm clock.

As Amanda exited the subway and plunged into the chaos and swelter of downtown, she formulated what she was going to say when she finally got to work.  In her heart though, she knew any prettily crafted excuse was going to fall on deaf ears.  She was going to be fired.  She felt it deep in her bones.  Two weeks into the job too, that must be a world record.  It just went to show that she truly was as useless and flaky as Scott said she was. 

Anger bubbled inside her like lava as she pictured his smug, smirking face.  He’d just love it if she went crawling back to him.  He’d have been proved right that she couldn’t live without him.  The truth was a bitter pill.  She needed a man because she couldn’t make it on her own.

She balled her hands into fists so tight that it hurt and forced all the negative thoughts away.  Nothing was set in stone, and the boss could give her another chance if she proved she was genuinely committed to the job. 

Unfortunately though, it wasn’t just the lateness that was against her.  She was clumsy and awkward around the office, and there had been that massive mess-up with the Hendrik contract only three days ago.  Technically that hadn’t been her fault.  Sabrina, the other PA she shared her duties with, and the evilest woman in the known universe, hadn’t given her the right information and the data stick Amanda was entrusted with could have already been corrupted, but she had gotten the blame all the same. 

She suspected Sabrina had set her up for a fall on purpose.  The older woman had taken an instant dislike to her the first day she’d turned up at the office, and it had been downhill ever since.  In a way it was evitable.  People like Sabrina had always been trashing people like Amanda since the dawn of time.  Amanda tried to be philosophical about it, even though what she really wanted to do was tie her rival to a rocket and jettison her into deepest space.

By the time she reached the quaint brownstone house that served as their office, she had convinced herself all hope was lost.  The building was situated in a secluded, tree-lined suburb nestled away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  It was a pretty unconventional workplace for the man she worked for, but then, Joshua Tarran was a pretty unconventional man. 

Fear held her stomach in a vice as she headed up the steps to the front door.  She could just about cope if Sabrina fired her, but if it was Tarran holding the executioner’s axe, she was genuinely afraid she’d end up having a complete emotional meltdown.  It wasn’t every day one of America’s richest and most powerful men gave you your marching orders.

A reverential hush smothered the office as she typed in her personalised key code and stepped through into the hallway.  Her legs were like water, but taking a deep breath she forced herself down the sterile white passage, her heels clicking on the polished checkerboard floor.  Pausing at the door of the main office, she plastered on most apologetic smile she could muster and opened it.

Sabrina’s thick perfume hit Amanda full in the face, seconds before the woman’s icy gaze bore into her.  She was sat with elegant poise behind her dark wood office desk facing the office door.  Her face wore the usual expression of disdain reserved solely for Amanda, but glee danced behind her spider black eyes.

“I am so sorry I’m late, Sabrina,” Amanda gushed before the other woman could fire off an opening shot.  “I had such a chaotic night.  My neighbours, you know the Jacobsons?  I told you about them, remember?  Well, Mrs. Jacobson had a bad turn and – ”

“He wants to see you.”  Sabrina’s staccato tone cut her dead.  “He’s waiting in his office.  Don’t bother to knock.”

Amanda tried to keep the abject terror slicing through from showing on her face.  She glanced over to the heavy, black wood door that marked the entrance to Joshua’s domain.  She’d sincerely hoped he wasn’t in yet, which wasn’t that unusual given his lackadaisical attitude to timekeeping.  Apart from her and Sabrina, he was the only other person in the building which was another strange thing considering he ran a vast multinational company.  Still, that didn’t really matter such now.

Pointedly ignoring Sabrina, Amanda walked across the office and wrapped her fingers round the brass door knob.  Steeling herself, she turned it and plunged inside.

Passing through the other side of the door felt like stepping into another world.  Unlike the outer office, with its stark white walls and minimalist furniture, this room was steeped in character.  Mahogany wood panelling encased the space, making everything feel dark and heavy. 

The stylised baroque chandelier hanging from the ornate ceiling bathed the room in a deep yellow glow and created impenetrable wells of shadow all about her.  Amanda hovered in the door frame, losing her nerve at the final moment.  In the rare occasions she had been in here in the past, it had always felt like she was walking into the mouth of some monstrous cavern rather than through the entrance to a man-made room. 

“Close the door,” a masculine voice of rich velvet ordered.  Amanda almost jumped out of her skin, and instinctively obeyed.  As the link to the outside world sealed shut, the gloom rose up to engulf her.  She was trapped now, and had no choice but to accept her fate.

“You wanted to see me, Mr. Tarran?” she called out in a timorous voice.

“Sit down,” Tarran said, his voice laced with impatience.  He was nestled in the voluptuous leather chair behind his massive mahogany desk, an indistinct shadow creature waiting for his prey.

Steadying her nerves as best as she can, Amanda headed toward the other, more prosaic looking, chair that was set out on her side of the desk.  Her footsteps were muffled by the thick, dark red carpet that covered the floor, and her eyes snagged on the many exotic and highly frightening looking daggers and swords set out in lighted display cabinets against the walls.  She knew they were priceless antiques, relics of the Mughal Empire. 

Tarran was obsessed with everything to do with India’s history, and was an avid collector.  India was where his family had first made their fortune, during the eighteenth century, so maybe that was where the interest had come from.  When Amanda had first started working for him, she’d done her research like any other self-respecting corporate go-getter. 

Born into the English landed gentry, Tarran’s father had come to America to expand their many and varied business interests.  After Tarran senior had died suddenly from a heart attack six years ago, the nineteen-year-old Joshua had taken over the reigns of the company, and his commercial empire had gone from strength to strength.  He’d also found time to garner a reputation as a playboy and hell-raiser.  Amanda had many times read about his exploits in the gossip magazines. 

Back then she’d regarded him as a spoilt rich kid, though undeniably handsome, and had never dreamed she’d ever end up meeting him in person, let alone working for him.  Now she was going to be fired by him.  Irony could be a real bitch sometimes.

After what seemed an eternity, she finally reached the desk.  She sat down in the chair as she’d been ordered and risked a look over at the other side.  It was so dark in here she could only just about make out the tanned contours of his strong jaw line, but she could see his eyes only too well, glittering in the shadows like ice crystals.  Her gaze inadvertently met his, and her stomach somersaulted.  She was absolutely terrified of him, it was true, but there was also an undeniable frisson of attraction.  She swiftly dipped her eyes and focused on the patina of the antique desk.

“I’m so glad you could find time in your busy schedule to drop in and visit us, Miss Brooks,” Joshua drawled in his deep, cultured voice.  “It makes what I have to do next so much easier.”  

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