81. Never Let Him Go

Alisa - Stryga Inc, her office
Before entering my office, I stroll down a short hallway and pass my assistant’s desk. Official-looking diplomas and the like hang on the wall behind her. I catch a glimpse of FB reflected in one of them as she turns off her tablet and looks up at me.
Does anyone even consider this company an actual workplace? Every employee is a glorified receptionist, and most of them dawdle their time away in front of their computers without doing any real work. When did I become the most diligent person around?
“Good morning, Miss Cristescu,” she says, making a good show of turning toward her computer screen as if she has tons and tons of work to do.
Her voice is light and cheerful enough, showing that she hasn’t noticed my mood today. Or that she couldn’t care less.
If I were to say anything to her, I would fire her on the spot. But starting to dispose of the people who annoy me would leave me working all by myself. So I just nod and continue on my way.
Sighing, I close the door behind me and sit down at my desk. The pile of papers seems to have grown even taller. I am so tired of this.
I've been working here for weeks and still can't find my way through the maze of files on my desk. It's like a labyrinth. The more I try to find the way out, the more I get lost. The untangling of snafus consumes a considerable amount of my time.
I'm not even sure why I even bother. This company is so useless and unprofessional that nobody will notice if I disappear for a couple of days. And if I do disappear, the others won't raise a finger on their own.
My laptop’s screen blinks open as the operating system loads. I have to check my email before anything else. An important bank approval is pending for me to access the company’s funds. I need to be sure everything is in order before I can go about my business.
From fangirling for years over vampires to becoming the strigoi leader, it’s been quite a journey that has brought me to the top of the food chain. Well, almost at the top. Bureaucracy eats me alive. Too much bureaucracy is a bane of any business, be it Stryga Inc or anything else.
I look at the clock on my desktop and feel the dull ache in my head. I have spent the entire night reading and rereading the documents pertaining to the upcoming meetings. My eyes are red and swollen, and I feel a headache coming on.
Sighing heavily, I open my email. The echo is a bit loud, reminding me of my loneliness.
Is this what loneliness feels like? I bet Laura and Paul are happy now. Last I heard, they were about to go on a vacation; two lovebirds on a honeymoon.
I stare at the screen, feeling empty and alone.
[Dear Ms. Cristescu, we hope you are having a good day. We regret to inform you that your request is impossible to fulfill as per our policies. There are several steps to—]
“Ugh.” I stop reading and close the email. “Fuck this bullshit!”
“Angry at your new position?”
A step through the now open door, Dan scowls at me.
“No, angry at the whole fucking world.”
He sighs. “It’s a lot of work, isn’t it?”
I nod in approval.
After I treated him badly the last time I saw him in front of my building, he never called, and we didn’t see each other again. That was weeks ago.
“It’s been a while since we broke up,” I say coldly. “What brings you here?”
He slams the door shut as the space between his eyebrows creases.
“Huh? Since when we broke up? I didn’t get the memo.”
“When you vanished from my profile picture. You’re not really into social media, ha?”
My little joke is lost on him. He frowns and marches toward me. His eyes are dark and stormy, and unwillingly I find myself wanting to run.
“Do you even know how much ass-licking and bribery it took me to get here? Strigois are notoriously difficult to convince, especially when it comes to wolves.” Dan presses both fists onto my desk in front of me, leaning toward my face. “They thought I was coming here to kill you. Do you think the same way?”
Smirking, I leave my chair and walk around the desk to face him. I stop right next to him. His eyes are locked onto mine, and I can see the strain on his face.
“I know the difference when someone stares at me with a desire for sex or a desire to kill. I know the difference between a wolf who wants blood and a wolf who wants to mate.” My hand reaches out to caress his cheek as I realize how much I missed him. “I know you are the latter.”
With a ferociousness I didn’t know he possessed, Dan grabs my wrist and pulls me close into a savage kiss. He pulls my head back as his tongue plunges into my mouth. He tastes like cinnamon and musk. His lips are firm and demanding, and I let him take control.
“I love you,” he says, pulling away from the kiss.
The words pour from his lips. They’re bold and possessive, as much as his eyes and hands.
The reply hovers on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t speak it out loud. I’m too afraid to say the words that would make this moment real, the ‘I love you too,’ which would carve my feelings into his heart.
I stare at him with wide eyes, my lips parted slightly, but no words come out.
Instead, I turn away from him and stare at the tinted window. The glass reflects the outside world, which seems like another world from where I stand.
Dan forces me to turn around and face him. Maybe he senses my doubts and confusion, because he adds, “I won’t let love slip through my fingers like sand a second time. I’m here for the long run.”
I pull him back into another hungry kiss, pressing my body against his in response to his words.
Whooshing aside everything on my desk, he pushes me on my back and settles between my legs. The papers I was working on fall to the floor, and he leans over me, his hands gripping my hips. He looks at me with an intensity that makes me shiver.
“Let’s celebrate your promotion and partake in the mandatory inauguration of your desk.”
Before I can say anything, he kisses me again. His heat seeps from his lips to my skin, and I crave his warmth. He kisses me with a hunger and a madness worthy of a rabid wolf. I feel good at the thought that I am the one who made him like this—my rabid wolf.
He pushes himself inside me in one smooth motion, filling me completely. I gasp and wrap my legs around his waist, holding him tight as he begins to move. He looks down at me, his eyes twinkling, and I know I will never let him go.
We writhe against each other, our bodies meeting in a rhythm that feels so natural. We kiss, our tongues swirling and entwining. The sound of his rough moan vibrates together with his heartbeat inside my soul.