14: The ultimate ultimatum

**Tristan**

*How did one go about seducing a man more seductive than Himeros?* I wondered this for the past hour as I sat in my office cubical- extremely early, with Damon's coffee already on my table and my own in my hands.

I'd never been equipped in the art of seduction. In fact, I was about as seductive as a brick wall. The only thing I had to my benefit, was my ability to learn quickly. So, in essence, I figured out that by observing Lucien who, by nature was the epitome of seduction, I could learn a few things myself. That, and I took special care in my appearance, even wearing make-up to enhance my already beautiful features, and styling my beautiful, dark long hair into a messy ponytail- something I hardly ever did. It was, however, not uncommon for me to use my appearance to my advantage, and although it was a method I loathed, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to utilise my face.

The door opened and I arose in anticipation, only to be disappointed by another co-worker of mine. Her name was Pearl, and although she was very plain in appearance, she had a beautiful smile. I found Pearl to be the least annoying person in this place. She always greeted me, but even better than that, she never spoke a word to me more than was necessary. Just how I liked the people around me to behave. If only Lucien could take a few tips from her. I swear the man had verbal diarrhoea.

"Good morning, Miss Creed." Pearl uttered softly before taking a seat at the desk next to mine. I nodded at her in acknowledgement. And then rested my eyes back onto the elevator doors.

Another five minutes passed by, and I found myself tapping my heels on the floor impatiently, waiting for the Damon and Lucien to enter. And when they finally did, I found myself unprepared at the reaction Lucien had given me. He literally glanced at me indifferently and then quickly looked away, staring forward with his hands in his black trousers. *Did he just pretend not to see me?*

I brushed off my confusion though when Damon's emotionless eyes caught mine in surprise.

"Ah, Miss Creed, here early?" He asked with a pair of raised brows.

*It wasn't by choice*, is what I wanted to say. But what came out was, "Of course sir. And, I have your coffee, too."

He sported a look I could only describe as impressed, and when I walked up to him and handed him the cup, he took it from my hands and lifted the cup to his lips, taking a sip. As he drank his coffee, I tried to get a peek at Lucien who now, had his eyes cast down to the floor. Was that little *asshole* actually ignoring me? After everything he'd done yesterday? I couldn't believe his audacity. And so, quite loudly I yelled out, "Mr Lucien Michaels, could I speak with you for a moment?"

He didn't even acknowledge that I had spoken. Instead, he brushed past me and stood in front of his brother before saying quickly, "Come on Damon, we have a busy day ahead of us."

*That fucking son of a bitch*.

Damon shot his brother a surprised glance, but continued, nonetheless, following Lucien into the Damon's own office. And as they left, I realised that the entire room had fallen silent and that everyone had their eyes fixated on me. *Great, because I wanted to make a huge humiliating scene.*

With a sigh of annoyance, I went back to my desk and began gulping angrily at my coffee.

"Don't worry," I suddenly heard Pearl utter from next to me, "judging by your appearance, it won't be long until he's drooling over you like everyone else."

I smiled falsely at her attempt at *comforting* me. But now I doubted the power of my appearance. Lucien barely even noticed me. And it was then that I remembered what he'd said and how disappointed he was that I was, in fact beautiful. Was he expecting me to be plainer?

By lunchtime I'd still not seen Lucien, and so I decided to go and "investigate" his whereabouts. By that I meant I tried to subtly stalk him.

He wasn't in his office, nor was he hovering around Damon's office. I then checked the breakroom and still found absolutely nothing except other colleagues of mine. The damn man wasn't even in the male bathroom.

Tired and not in the mood for more interactions with the staff, I decided to sneak off into the one room that would be quiet- the empty boardroom. Perhaps if I was lucky, I could fall asleep for a few minutes. After I'd come home last night, I spent the rest of it trying to organise Damon's day. He had an early morning meeting with the marketing team at about eight, a merger discussion at ten, lunch at one with a client of his and for the rest of the day, he needed to finish reading the various reports which I'd need to collect after my lunchbreak. Working for him was near torture.

When I arrived at the empty boardroom, I was surprised to see Lucien inside, sipping away at a chocolate milkshake and reading a few messages on the phone in his hand. Immediately, I took it as my golden opportunity to get the slippery snake alone. Slowly, I walked into the room and gently closed the door behind me. I then began nearing him, and, within seconds, found myself sitting right next to him. But his eyes never left his phone, and his lips never left the straw of his milkshake. Was I going to need to *make* him notice me? How absolutely degrading!

I tried a more subtle way first, clearing my throat and calling his name. But even then, he ignored me.

Fed up, and on the brink of brutal murder, I gripped the milkshake from his hands and took a long swig. Immediately, I regretted it.

"What the fuck... is that vodka?" I coughed out. And finally, Mr Silent Treatment looked up from his phone and began laughing at me. Again, the audacity of this man.

"Of course, it's vodka. Did you think I'd spend the whole day with my brother sober? Please, that was the only way to sneak a little contraband in here." He uttered with a smirk.

"Y-you spoke." I whispered out, astounded at his amused outburst.

He leaned back in his chair and placed his feet on the table before sighing and saying, "It was becoming difficult to ignore you completely. Especially since you began stalking me. And so, I ask the most important question of the day, why are you following me?"

I fell silent for a while and slowly the proximity between us began to sink in. His skin was so close to mine, I could feel the heat and electrical pulses radiating between us. My heart began to thud erratically beneath my chest, and I found it almost impossible to breathe. Goddess, I *hated* having a mate.

"I... I'd like to accept your proposal." I said sternly, setting his milkshake down on the table. Lucien kept his eyes frozen on my face for a while, staring at it intensely, and I found myself beginning to wonder what in the world he was thinking. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, he wheezed and then began chuckling, leaving me beyond stunned.

"I'm sorry, did I say something funny?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

He chuckled for a while longer before finally answering. "Yesterday you wanted nothing to do with me. Now today, after I spent the entire day ignoring you, you decide that you actually *want* to be in my company. I'm sorry Love, but it doesn't quite work like that. I offered you my company yesterday, unfortunately today that offer no longer stands. Mate or not, you had a man like me begging... and I *don't* beg."

And as he said that last sentence, I saw it in his eyes- that dark, bloodthirsty beast flashing with red across his irises. It was by far the most interesting little shade of red I'd ever seen and for a moment, I found myself lost in his eyes, wondering just how dangerous this man could be. Admittedly, the thought of his dark side had me excited to the point that I had heat pooling between my thighs, and I gulped. It was a feeling stronger than desire, stronger than lust... something almost *insatiable*.

He leaned in closer, with his lips inches away from mine and I studied them. They were perfectly shaped- full and plump with a slight, delicate cupid's bow bordering his upper lip. Would he kiss me? Would I let him? The questions flew by so quickly and were soon proven unnecessary.

"The only way I'll repeat my offer, is if you *beg* me, Love. Get down, on your knees and beg." He whispered lowly. The tone of his voice had also changed slightly. It was deep, dark and demanding and although nothing, but my body was attracted to this man, I found him immediately more *tolerable* like this. But begging was something I refused to do, not even in this scenario. And so, I had to think quickly of a way to get Lucien to rethink his offer. It took a single moment for me to come up with what I thought to be the best possible alternative: an ultimatum.

"From what I've heard and seen with my own eyes, a man is only ever desperate enough to chase after a woman he doesn't even like, like you chased after me yesterday, if he's trying to get someone else off of his mind... say, his brother's mate." Immediately, when it left my mouth, his eyes widened, and he retracted. I knew then that I'd gotten him exactly where I needed him. "You can play hard-to-get, but I know the truth. You're in love with Damon's mate- it's written all over your actions, in every little lonely act of yours. Now, you can either continue to be the pathetic third wheel, pining over a woman who isn't yours or, you can rethink your offer and the two of us can start over, this time as mates. It's your choice, Lucien, I won't ask again either." It felt good to manipulate him like this, to finally have the upper hand.

For a moment he stayed silent, deep in thought. Occasionally, his brows would crease and then relax as he pondered over what I said. Then, finally, he spoke again. "Why is this important to you now? I mean, honestly, you can't tell me you've fallen for me overnight."

And then came the most deceptive piece of truth I'd ever uttered in my life, and what I believed was the reason he was eventually convinced. "Perhaps I find you interesting, Lucien Michaels. Perhaps I can't stop thinking about you. And perhaps, you've become someone important to me." As this left my mouth, his eyes, once again, widened in astonishment. I'd done it. I'd finally done it. And now that I was one step closer to his heart, I was also one step closer to that title of Alpha I so desperately craved.

Lucien tilted his head a moment, trying to figure out whether or not I was lying. But my face was emotionless and unbreakable and eventually he gave up.

"Mates, you say?" He uttered out.

I nodded, "Yes, let's restart this entire little 'relationship'. I want to know what it's like to be mated to someone."

"You do know I can't guarantee that I'll love you? My body craves yours and my mind is occupied with you, but my heart still belongs to someone else."

"Challenge accepted." I said. Of course, I meant this literally. My entire reason for existing was now based on my ability to somehow make this man fall for me, and I'd be fucking damned if I didn't end up with him wrapped right around my finger.

Lucien chuckled at my little comment, taking it lightly and then he suddenly froze and stared directly into my eyes, catching me off guard. "You just might be exactly what I need, Love. *Exactly* what I need."

He took another sip of his vodka laced milkshake and then chuckled once more before getting up from his seat and heading for the door. However, before he exited the door to the boardroom, he turned toward me again.

"7p.m. sharp, my place."

I stared up at him confused and then questioned his cryptic words.

"You're hopeless sometimes Love. I'm asking you out on a 'date' at my place. I'm sure you're familiar with Damon's pack grounds. This time, you won't have to sneak around like a little stalker though. I'll let Henry, the security guard, know to give you my house number when you get there. Don't be late, and don't eat anything before you get there. I want to treat you to the best meal you'll ever taste." And with that, he was gone, leaving me completely stunned. A 'date'? What the hell did people do on a date?