The Alpha's Hunger (3 page)

“Number six?”

She continued, describing her last three ideas, of which all but one seemed sound.

When she finished, he let her sit for a moment while he contemplated her in silence.

“So, as I said, I’m sure I can come up with two more—”

“Yes. I will expect you to. You can think about it tonight. You’ll start tomorrow. Karen will show you your new office.”

Her face split into a grin. “Mr. Stone! Thank you. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.”

He tapped the table. “See that I’m not.” He started for the door and stopped when he reached it. “Type up those suggestions and send them to me in an email, along with the backup data.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, still beaming.

He walked out, shaking his head, not at her, but at himself. Inviting her into his personal space was courting disaster.

Chapter Two

Ashley arrived at work the next morning by 7:15, since she knew Ben arrived at 7:30. Karen, his secretary, was already there, her French twist in perfect order, her manicured nails tapping on the keyboard.

“Good morning,” Ashley said breathlessly. “I baked some banana bread.” She set it on the counter of the wet bar.

“I don’t eat wheat,” Karen said without looking up.

“Oh,” she said, deflating slightly. “I’ll make it with rice flour next time. It tastes just as good—even better, really.”

“That’s all right. I don’t eat in the morning.”

So eat it for lunch.

She squared her shoulders and headed for her office. The top floor was set up with Ben’s large windowed office in the corner, and smaller offices all around, all empty, except for hers. Karen sat at the reception desk outside. From what she understood, when Leon Stone had worked here, these offices all contained top managers—the CFO and vice presidents—but Ben had moved them all down a level when he took over because he liked the quiet. Obviously it hadn’t been a popular move, and had set the tone for his leadership.

She had packed the things from her office on the fifth floor into a box the night before, so she began unpacking now, pinning pictures and cards to her bulletin board, and setting up framed photos.

The elevator dinged and Mr. Stone emerged. She lifted her chin and hurried out. “Good morning, Mr. Stone. I baked some banana bread if you’d like some. It has chocolate chips.”

His green eyes raked over her with a curious glint, but his “No,” was about as curt as it gets.

“No, thank you?” she corrected. She didn’t know what made her dare it—just disappointment and frustration at the rebuff, she supposed.

He stopped in his tracks, a muscle tightening in his jaw. “Is it your place to teach me manners, Ms. Bell?”

She felt the blood drain from her face as her body went cold. “No, sir.”

Then she saw it—the faint lift in one corner of his mouth. “No, thank you,” he amended and continued into his office. A shiver of excitement ran through her. What was that? Were they flirting? Why did she find his gruffness so darn appealing?

She exhaled.

Karen was looking at her with laughter in her expression.

Not sure whether she was laughing at her or with her, she braved a return smile, trying for rueful. “I’ll be lucky if I make it through the day, at this rate,” she said.

Karen seemed as silent as her boss, only smirking.

“I can’t believe I got the job. How many people applied?”

“I think he must have created it for you,” the older woman said, looking at her speculatively. “If you want to last, don’t stay out here and chit-chat. He hates noise. That was why he moved all the other offices downstairs.”

“Okaaay,” she said. “Got it. Thanks.”

She walked to her office. How would she survive up here with no one to talk to? She was, for the most part, a very social creature.

She finished organizing her desk, which didn’t take long, since her cubicle downstairs had been tiny. This big office, with the windows overlooking downtown Denver, seemed stark and empty. She would need to buy some paintings for the walls or something.

Her phone rang and she jumped, knocking the receiver over before she picked it up. “This is Ashley.”

“Come into my office.”

“Oh, ah, yes, sir,” she said. She started to put it down, then returned it to her ear to listen. Does one say ‘goodbye’ in this situation? The line was dead. Okay, clearly not. She grabbed a notebook and pen and headed into his office.

“Sit,” he said.

She didn’t attempt her doggy joke again as she settled into the chair across his desk.

“Thank you for the report, and the additional ideas you sent at,” he checked his computer screen, “five in the morning.”

Did she sense faint amusement there? She flushed. “I’m excited about this job.”

He touched his fingers together. “I’m glad.” His face looked anything but glad, the firm lines of his jaw looking as stony as usual. “I’d like to begin to implement some of your suggestions. Arrange a meeting with the advertising agency to talk about our new campaign and get me a list of your recommended cuts from middle management.”

She gaped. “Um… okay. So, do I invite sales and marketing to the advertising meeting?”

He cocked his head. “What do you think?”

She licked her lips and found his eyes on her mouth. Her heart picked up speed. Did he find her attractive? The idea came as one part thrilling and one part disappointing. If she’d landed this job only because he wanted to get into her pants… She shifted in her chair. Not that she was entirely opposed to letting him in her pants. Or skirt, as the case may be.

With effort, she dragged her mind back to the rather overwhelming issues at hand. “Well…”

“Talk through it out loud,” he said, circling his finger in the air. “I want to hear how you think.”

Okay, maybe she had won this position fair and square.

“Well, I’m thinking they bring a certain close-mindedness to things. I mean, they’re set in their ways about what they think we should be doing, and we’re trying to do something new. On the other hand, to go around them would totally ruffle feathers and make it harder to get buy-in.”

Mr. Stone regarded her with cool assessment. Not surprisingly, he said nothing.

“I guess, selfishly, I’d rather keep them out, at least initially, because I’m afraid all my ideas will get trashed.”

“I appreciate your honesty, Ms. Bell.”

She rubbed her lips together. “So what do you think?”

“The choice is yours.”

She gaped. “The choice is mine?”

He nodded. “Make a good one.”

Oh, God.

She looked down at her notebook where she’d written down his direction. “And for the second one—I’m not sure I’m qualified to make that sort of assessment.”

“Well, do what you need to do to get qualified. I’m asking you to make it.”

“That’s a pretty huge responsibility; I mean, you want me to make a recommendation that affects people’s livelihoods.”

“And the future of this company. Welcome to my world, Ms. Bell. Do you want to be my assistant or not?”

She flushed and looked down at her paper to compose herself. “I do,” she said quietly. “I appreciate your faith in me.” When he said nothing, she amended, “Or maybe this is a test, in which case, I plan to pass it.” She lifted her chin.

A smile flashed around both corners of his mouth, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. “Go,” he said, with his characteristic curtness.

She stood and walked to the door. Grasping the knob, she screwed up her courage and turned around. “Mr. Stone?”

He turned from his computer screen and raised an eyebrow.

“Did you hire me for this job because you actually think I show promise or is it because—” She stopped.

He didn’t help, gazing at her with both eyebrows raised now.

She swallowed. “Because you like the way I look in a skirt?”

The smile flitted across his face and his eyes dropped to her skirt and down her legs.

She flushed, wishing she hadn’t said it.

“Get out, Ashley.”

She actually laughed. Well, it was more a gasp for breath, or a sob. But it came out like a bubble of laughter. He’d called her by her first name, which felt like a success. And she loved the way it sounded in his deep, rich tones, evoking intimacy and… heat. She pushed the door open and stumbled out, relieved to be out of his intense presence. But the moment she shut the door, she missed it.

How would she survive working for this man? He stole her breath with every glance.

* * *

Jack came into his office without an invite and plopped into the chair opposite him. “What’s with the new girl?”

For some reason it bothered him Jack called her a girl. “Ashley Bell. She’s my new assistant. She was working in marketing.”

“Hmm.” Jack looked at him.

He knew what he was thinking. It was what Karen thought. Even Ashley thought it. He found a hot piece of tail and he wanted her to parade in and out of his office in short skirts to brighten his day.

Well, hell. It might be true. Every time he caught her scent, his body heated like it wanted to mark her. But she wasn’t just a pretty face. The girl had all kinds of bright ideas, and her fearlessness intrigued him. He didn’t know why he, a natural alpha, had been such a nancy at running this company. Not at managing the people, but at making changes and shaking things up. Ashley’s ideas all affirmed his natural instincts, which he had been ignoring.

He shrugged. “She’s brilliant. I don’t know why her talent wasn’t being put to better use, but it is now.”

“I see,” Jack said drily.

The hairs on the back of his neck bristled, but he drew a deep breath to regain his temper. “What do you need, Jack?”

“Listen, I’ve been thinking. Everyone knows you don’t really love running this company. I’m willing to buy out your share of the company. I mean, I don’t have the money now, but I think we could come to an arrangement—some kind of payment plan for the controlling interest. You and Leon’s family would be taken care of for life, and I would take over the nitty-gritty of running things.”

Jack had suggested this before. Ben didn’t know why he was trying it again.

“No.”

Jack’s face flushed, his eyes narrowing. “You don’t know anything about running a gaming company. You’re taking us into the ground. Suma Games is about to run us over and everyone on the board of directors knows it.”

He swallowed back a growl, standing up. The alpha in him wanted to threaten Jack’s job, but the truth was, losing Jack would be a huge blow to the company. He steadied his breath. “I’m about to start making changes,” he said, putting a note of warning in his voice. “I have no intention of leaving this company or running it into the ground, so get used to my leadership.”

Jack stood up, the muscle under his right eye twitching. “You have no clue what you’re doing,” he said as he stalked to the door.

Ben didn’t answer, but he gave him the alpha stare all the way out the door.

When Jack had disappeared in the elevator, Ben left his office and walked into Ashley’s.

“Hi,” she said, flashing him that brilliant smile. She had perfect teeth, gleaming white between her glossed lips.

He liked that she didn’t jump to her feet or look ruffled this time. As if they already had a casual relationship, where one of them leaned against the doorway of the other’s office. He did just that, folding his arms over his chest. “What did you decide about the advertising meeting?”

“I invited them,” she said, looking slightly defeated. “My own ego is far less important than getting cohesiveness back in this company, especially where you’re concerned.”

His eyebrows shot up to his forehead. “What do you mean
back
in this company?”

She flushed. “I just mean, from what I’ve heard, the company has lost morale and divided into factions in the past few years.”

“Since I took over, you mean.”

“Yes.” She met his eye.

He admired her courage in telling him the truth. “So you think it’s important for me to stroke some egos?”

“Well,” she said thoughtfully, rising from her chair and coming to sit on the opposite side of her desk, facing him.

Her scent enervated him, and the sight of her long legs crossed loosely at the ankles fired a jolt of lust through him.

“I think there’s a delicate balance. It isn’t your role to stroke egos, necessarily, but if people don’t feel like you’re looking for their valuable contribution, they’ll just get in the way. You want them working hard to please you.”

I definitely want you working hard to please me.
“I certainly do,” he said.

She must’ve caught his thoughts because her eyes shot to his, widening slightly. Her pupils dilated when their gazes locked and he caught that heady whiff of her arousal.

She tore her gaze away, touching her lips with her fingertips, and looking over her shoulder at her desk, as if something important might be there. “Anyway, I figure if my ideas get stomped on, I can always campaign privately with you.”

He wondered what a private campaign would look like. Strip tease in his office with the door shut? The image of her crawling across his desk on her hands and knees rose in his mind, unbidden. Damn. He needed to get a grip.

She’s not a shifter.

“That’s awfully cocky of you,” he murmured.

She flushed, but must be catching onto his humor, because she smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be putting me in my place on an hourly basis.”

For the first time in ages, he laughed—actually threw his head back and laughed. “Count on it,” he said, still smiling as he walked out.

Karen watched him emerge with interest. He supposed the sound of his laughter would be completely foreign to her.

* * *

Ashley slipped out of her dripping swimsuit and dried off in the YMCA locker room. Before she became Ben’s assistant she swam in the mornings before work. Now she got to work so early that she had to go in the evenings, sometimes quite late.

Not that she minded. Her first week had already given her the most exciting work of her life. Only working for the president of the United States could be more interesting and thrilling than working for Ben Stone. Hell, he exuded as much power as she imagined the head of state did, maybe more.