Lenni smoothed down her dress. She fidgeted in her seat and checked her makeup once more before unbuckling her seatbelt. She looked at the big imposing house and then took out her favorite tube of red lipstick.

She smoothed on another layer and pressed her lips together. She had a feeling lipstick would help in a house like this. She always felt like a real, responsible grown-up when she was wearing it. This lipstick gave her courage.

She had pulled together her outfit with great care. Clean crisp black slacks, a white blouse, and a black blazer. She wanted to look the part of high-class assistant to a billionaire.

She had gotten the blazer at her favorite secondhand store and the pants were brand-new. This was a little more formal than her normal outfit at Pat's Pages. She wanted to impress Beckett. She had to overcome the handicap of turning him down earlier. She could tell that it bothered him. He'd emailed her father twice and his own servant had taken it upon herself to find Lenni in person and offer a job.

Lenni wanted this job and she didn't care if she had to suck up to Beckett Hansen to keep it. She still hadn't told her father about it just in case it didn't work out. She also had no idea how she was going to explain it to him. He was going to get all excited about her working with shifters. She didn't need him coming up and bothering her while at work.

He'd never come into the bookstore more than a dozen times over the last few years, but this was different. This was Beckett Hansen. Reclusive billionaire bear shifter. Oh so mysterious and handsome.

Wait. Not handsome. Well, he was handsome, but her father wouldn't care about that. That was something her friends from high school were going to love hearing about. How handsome the legendary Beckett Hansen was in person. She wondered how tall he was going to be. Because he looked imposing in all the tabloid pictures.

She was stalling now. She needed to get it over with already. If he turned her away, he turned her away. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

She pushed the button on the intercom next to the gate. It crackled to life in a moment. "Yes?"

She didn't recognize the voice. It threw her for a moment. She had assumed that Mrs. Potter would be the one to greet her. "Lenni Belle?"

"Lenni Belle what?" The voice did not sound impressed. Christ. She wasn't even going to make it to the front door. Her father had managed to get inside and talk to the man, but she wasn't going to be able to get that far. This was going to be humiliating.

She took a deep breath to steady herself. "I'm here for a job."

"One moment."

Lenni waited patiently as a bead of sweat dripped down the middle of her back. Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. What was taking so long?

She contemplated putting on another layer of lipstick when the box crackled to life again. "Sorry about the wait, Miss Belle. Please come on up."

The wrought-iron gate swung open slowly with grinding and popping. Lenni nudged her blue Taurus to life and started the arduous trek up the hill. There were a few times that she had to pray for her car to keep moving but her calls were heard. She got up the hill without any stalls.

The mansion was even more imposing up close. There were so many more details than she imagined. She ran her hands along the brick next to the door. "Marvelous."

She had never seen decorations chiseled into brick like this before. There were swirls and whorls that seemed to have no direction.

"Lovely isn't it?"

Lenni jumped back and put her hand down. "Yes."

A man in a butler's suit was staring at her with an unreadable expression. He ran his hand along one of the bricks. "These are similar to what you'll find on Beckett's father's home up north."

"Really?"

"Yes, Beckett borrowed some of the designs from his childhood home." The man extended his hand. "I'm Patrick, the full-time butler."

"Lenni Belle, new assistant to Mrs. Potter, I guess?" Lenni pumped his hand firmly.

"Lovely name you have. So original. And so lovely of you to come to work for Potter." Patrick ushered her inside. "She can use a lot of help with Beckett at this wedding. It's going to be an absolute madhouse. I do not envy either of you."

"I'm pretty happy I get to go," Lenni said truthfully. "I've never been to such a fancy wedding before."

"You say that now, but wait until you see everything you're going to have to do." Patrick turned and looked at the stairs. "Mrs. Potter should be around here somewhere."

Lenni could see down the hallway in front of her and into the giant ballroom to her right. It was going to be easy to get lost in a place like this.

"We'll try the kitchen first." Patrick snapped his fingers. "Dollars to donuts she's in there making herself an evening cup of coffee."

Patrick led her down the hallway into the kitchen. Lenni could spend hours exploring this house. It was too gorgeous for words. Everything was very dark and very masculine. It was the polar opposite of her decorating style, but it probably suited a shifter like Beckett. She had read so many things about him and this looked exactly how she would expect a home of his to look inside.

As they got closer to the kitchen there was an intense coffee smell. 

"Here she is," Patrick told Lenni. "Look at what I've got for you, Potter."

Mrs. Potter set down her coffee cup as they came into the room. "Oh, I must have lost track of time. I'm so sorry, dear. I meant to meet you at the door."

"No problem," Lenni assured her. "I'm just so happy that I get to be here."

"This girl is ridiculously happy," Patrick declared. "She's said excited and happy at least four times since I've met her and it's only been three minutes. I don't know about this one, Potter."

"Shush you," Mrs. Potter chided. "Don't let him get you scared, dear. Beckett is really just a pussycat."

"He's an actual bear," Patrick told her. "Never forget that. The man is a bear in his heart."

Lenni had no idea what that meant. When she thought of bears, she thought of Winnie the Pooh or Smokey the Bear. When she thought of Beckett, she thought alpha. Rich. Hot. She definitely didn't think bear though. She'd never even seen a picture of him shifted.

"Oh, will I be meeting him?"

"Not today, dear," Mrs. Potter said. "I have a stack of papers for you to sign first and I'd like to show you to your room tonight too. Where is your luggage?"

"My luggage?" Lenni's brow furrowed. "I wasn't aware I needed to bring anything."

"Well, you're going to be my assistant and I live here. I'd like it if you lived here too."

All the color drained from Lenni's face. "I live in town. There's no need for me to live here. I can come up every morning."

Mrs. Potter frowned. "It would be much easier if I could train you all day for the next two weeks. There isn't nearly enough time to get you ready, and I don't see how I can get you ready for this job if I only have you a few hours a day. You'll be able to get a better feel for Beckett's schedule and quirks this way. You'll be compensated for your time, and your food and housing will be free."

Lenni gulped. "I'm not sure if I can do that."

"Did you not hear? We'll be paying you overtime, dear. And all of your accommodations, food, and entertainment are free. You know there's a theater in the house?"

"We have a pool too you know," Patrick said. "This place is a dream. We barely ever see Beckett and he does most of the stuff for himself. This will really feel more like a two-week vacation than a terrible assistant job."

"I thought you said he was a bear?"

"That he is, dear, but he's also a very capable man. He just needs someone to make sure nothing falls through the cracks," Mrs. Potter chuckled. "It sounds more overwhelming than it is. If I have you here all the time, I'll be able to train you quicker is all."

"She doesn't want to stay here. She can stay in her own home. I told you that would be easier."

Lenni turned and saw Beckett in the doorway. She was taken aback for a moment. He was much better-looking in person than any of his pictures. Tall, dark, and so very handsome. He had a jawline you could cut glass on. And he had luscious hair that was up in a messy bun. She normally didn't go for long hair on men, but on Beckett it just seemed right.

"Oh well. Lenni, this is Beckett Hansen. Beckett, meet Lenni." Mrs. Potter introduced them.

"I have some work to do," Patrick said, and made a hasty exit. He shot Lenni a small smile before leaving the room.

"Nice to meet you." Lenni put out her hand. She gave him her most winning smile.

"You don't have to stay here." Beckett looked at her hand but didn't shake it.

Lenni withdrew her hand and dropped her smile. "If you don't want me to, I won't."

"Mrs. Potter shook her head and tsked. "No, no. You need to stay here. I need you with me."

"She doesn't need to stay here," Beckett growled. His eyes shot daggers at Potter. Lenni could feel the air turn stifling. "I've told you this a million times. She doesn't need to stay if she doesn't want to."

This was getting ridiculous. "I guess I can stay if she needs me."

Potter beamed. "Then it's settled. You can go back and get bags tonight. Let me show you to your room."

Potter took her by the hand and led her out of the room as Beckett stood there growling. Lenni's head was a whirlwind. She didn't know what she had gotten herself into, but at least she had an ally in Mrs. Potter. Beckett may not be friendly, but he was going to be paying her a fortune.