Chapter Seven
“Well, hello, stranger. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me,” Jim insinuated as she walked into his office. He stood from his desk and walked to her, pulling her into an embrace. She knew right away what the slimeball was thinking when her chest smashed against his from the force.
Hell yeah, she’d been avoiding him. She’d hoped to escape his creepy advances and assumption she was interested in an affair. Bile churned at the feel of his skin against hers. She guessed he wasn’t picking up her subtle hint of unanswered text messages and emails he sent her every hour.
“Hi, I got here as fast as I could. Not avoiding you. Just busy with my workload. What’s up?” Liv asked, pushing gently against his chest. She squirmed out of his death grip and walked to the wall of windows across the room. He had one of the best views of the city, and her eyes scanned the nightlights of Chattanooga.
Hearing the door shut behind her, she turned to see Jim opening a bottle of white wine. Seriously, this guy didn’t waste any time. He poured two glasses and made his way to her side, handing her one of the crystal goblets.
“Well, I don’t want to be accused of working you too hard. Kick off your heels and relax. I just thought we should touch base on your progress with the shifter. Lawson, I think. Isn’t that what you wrote in his file?” he asked curiously, but she didn’t miss the sharp intonation regarding Lawson.
“Yes, his name is Lawson. I can’t say I’ve uncovered a great deal of information yet,” she offered, knowing she couldn’t share everything Lawson had told her. She agreed with him that his life was at risk where her boss was concerned.
“However, he’s warming up to me. I can tell he’s more comfortable and has shared trivial things, such as food likes and whatnot. Oh, and he’s seventy-seven. That floored me. There is definitely something to their DNA because he doesn’t look a day over thirty,” she informed her boss.
That little tidbit had left her speechless, and it did make her wonder if Jim’s theory was right about their blood.
“Oh, he did mention hearing others in the room next to his. Are there more shifters besides him?” Liv asked innocently, taking a sip of her wine.
“No, there are no others. Not sure what your friend is implying but he is the only one. If I had others, I wouldn’t need him, now would I?” Jim snapped, and Liv knew right away he was lying through his less than perfect teeth.
Searching for a distraction from her line of questioning, Jim reached over and lifted the locket attached to a chain around her neck. The pendant nestled between her cleavage and he lingered a little too long between her breasts. Her fists balled and ached to sail right into his kisser, but she knew that would be a mistake she couldn’t afford.
“This is lovely. Are there pictures inside?” he asked, studying the gold oval. Yeah, right. He might as well have been fondling her nipples the way he was undressing her with his wicked sneer.
Grasping the locket from his fingers, Liv took a step back. He was sucking the air out of the room and she felt like she was suffocating under his scrutiny. “Yes, one of my mother and one of my grandmother and I,” she revealed, remembering the day her mother had given it to her.
It was her sixteenth birthday, and she hadn’t taken it off since. It was in desperate need of a new chain, but she didn’t have the money to replace it. One of these days, she often told herself.
Moving closer, he crowded her personal space again. Could he not stay out of her bubble? She got a whiff of his overpowering cologne and thought she might start choking.
“Back to Lawson, Olivia. I could give a rat’s ass about the man’s food choice or his fucking age. I need more than that,” he scoffed, before running a hand through his silver hair. He wasn’t bad looking for a man in his late forties, but his personality and aggressive nature made her skin crawl.
“I know, I know. But I have to gain his trust, and any offer of personal information is a sign it’s working. And, speaking of that, why is he wearing such filthy clothes without access to a razor or clippers or something. The man looks awful, I can only imagine how he feels,” she countered, hoping Jim would be reasonable. “Maybe let him take a shower and give him clean clothes. A hot meal, even. Ever think that might be a better approach than treating him like an animal,” she practically yelled.
Jim’s eyes narrowed, and he set his glass of wine on a nearby credenza. “Need I remind you that he is an animal? He’s wild and savage, not to mention, he’s killed men. A man that you knew was murdered by him. Don’t get too close, Olivia. He could turn on you in an instant. And, there’s no way in hell he’s leaving that room to shower. Some clean clothes, maybe, but don’t push me on this,” he commanded.
Setting her glass down, Liv’s hands went to her hips. “All I’m saying is that we can’t expect him to cooperate unless we play nice. A haircut and shave would probably go a long way with him. If he can’t leave the room, I’ll take clean clothes to him. I’m just trying to get on his good side,” she implored, hoping Jim would see the benefits of what she was saying while praying he didn’t see how attached she was becoming to Lawson.
His expression softened and his dark blue eyes hooded. “Tell you what. I’ll agree to some of your demands, but you have to do something for me first,” he drawled, a sly grin spreading across his face. Oh, shit. This wasn’t going to be good.
“Okay, sounds reasonable. What do you want, Jim?” she questioned as tiny pricks itched at her neck and arms, like a million ants feasting on her skin.
Jim grabbed her hand and placed it against his crotch. “You’re a smart girl, Olivia. Use your imagination,” he leered, his tongue swiping across his lower lip. Liv could feel the erection straining through his black pants. Jim ground against her palm, indicating his expectation.
So this was it. The moment she’d been dreading, avoiding like the plague. Did she tell Jim what a piece of shit was he was, and leave his office, and, her job? She should. This man was so low that even snakes stood higher off the ground.
But if she rejected him she would never see Lawson again. And what would happen to him then? She couldn’t take that chance. Not yet, anyway. She needed to know more about what was going on behind the scenes at PRL.
Reaching into his waistband with her other hand, she undid his belt then pulled down his zipper. She was disgusted with what she was about to do. It was beneath her to succumb to sexual harassment, but she was going through with it. A quick hand job shouldn’t take long with how worked up he was, she amended.
When she touched his flesh, and he moaned, she almost ran from the room. Instead, she blocked everything from her mind and pasted a smile on her face. He leaned his head back and groaned, probably thinking she was enjoying this when all the while she envisioned castrating the motherfucker.
* * *
Liv perused the hallway outside Lawson’s room. Since her last visit, someone had covered all the windows from the inside. She was certain this was something Jim had ordered. She had questioned him about other shifters, and now she couldn’t see into the other rooms.
Excited to show Lawson what she had brought today, she wasn’t expecting the sight that greeted her. Lawson was lying on his stomach across his mattress, huge welts slashed across his back. He wasn’t moving, and she threw down her bags and rushed to his side.
“Lawson!” she yelled, touching his arm. Up close she could see how deep the cuts were and they appeared infected.
Groaning, he turned and lifted his head in her direction. His lip was swollen and cut. “Liv,” he muttered then his head flopped back to the mattress.
“Jesus, what happened? Why?” she asked, not understanding any of this.
“Apparently, your boss doesn’t like us getting too friendly,” he answered slowly. She could tell it hurt to try and talk around his swollen mouth.
That sonovabitch! She had lowered her standards and jerked him off, and he had the audacity to turn around and do this. Oh, he was going to pay. And pay dearly, she swore to herself.
“You need a doctor, I’m calling someone,” she said, trying to stand. He placed a large palm across her knee, stopping her movement.
“No, please don’t go. Stay here. Talk to me,” Lawson whispered softly, but his grip on her leg was firm.
“I really think I should get you medical treatment. These wounds look bad, Lawson. Real bad,” she confessed, putting her hand over his on her knee. He was warm, almost feverish and she wondered again about infection.
“I’ll be fine. They’ll heal by tomorrow. Just stay with me,” Lawson begged, looking over at her. How could she leave his side? Those beautiful gray eyes had her cemented in place. She couldn’t get up and leave if she tried.
“Well, so much for a haircut today,” she cooed, smiling at him as she lightly touched his matted hair.
Suddenly, he sparked to life. “What? What are you talking about?”
“I brought a clipper with me. I was told no scissors or razors, but I figured if you wanted to cut your beard and hair I’d help you with that. Aaaaand, I have some clean clothes for you,” she added triumphantly. She prayed Lawson never found out what she had to do to obtain those items. Her stomach still turned at the memory.
Sitting up, he grimaced, squeezing her leg from obvious pain. “Oh no. There’s no way I’m turning down that deal. Let’s do this,” he responded, meeting her gaze. She could stare into his eyes for hours and not get tired of them. They were the most beautiful shade of gray with flecks of silver, making them sparkle.
“Liv, you there?” he asked, drawing her out of the trance. Embarrassed that she was gawking at the man, she quickly jumped to retrieve her bags she’d brought with her.
She had a few towels, two clippers (one for his hair and a smaller one for his nails) and a few guard attachments, sweatpants, sweatshirt, and a pair of underwear and socks.
As she unloaded the supplies for his haircut, he shook his head in disbelief. “Wow, you come prepared. You sure you haven’t done this before,” he asked curiously, cocking his head to the side.
“Ha, that would be a no, trust me on that. And don’t thank me yet. You might be disappointed,” Liv replied, carefully wrapping a towel around his shoulders. Lawson flinched as the terry cloth touched his injuries but said nothing.
“I assure you it will be an improvement. Just a little off the sides, ma’am,” he joked, winking at her. She hadn’t seen this side of him, and it was endearing. Light and playful. She imagined this was closer to his normal personality.
“Alright. Here we go,” she stated as the clipper buzzed to life.
His hair was extremely long and matted and she was careful not to yank and pull too hard. It took several times around his head, going over some spots several times, but she got the job done. Next, she trimmed the beard, as well. She couldn’t give him a close shave, but it was better than nothing.
After she had finished, she stood back, admiring the finished product. Lawson was handsome. No, sexy as sin was more like it and she felt her jaw drop. Sculpted cheekbones and a prominent jaw curved down to a strong neck with twining cords of muscle. His buzzed hair matched the stubble on his face, and it was a rugged look he wore well.
“Wow,” she muttered. That was all she could say out loud because the words that were flying around her mind were rated xxx.
Chuckling, he rubbed his head. “Wow as in good or wow as in bad,” he said, grinning.
Remembering another item, she rushed to the bag and pulled out a handled mirror. “You decide for yourself,” she offered, walking over and handing him the object.
Taking the mirror, his chain rattled as he lifted it to look at himself. She couldn’t quite decipher what he was feeling, but he stood there staring at his image. She walked up behind him and glanced at his reflection.
“I don’t know about you, but I’d say I might have a new career ahead of me,” she teased.
He was silent as he stared at the mirror and she suddenly felt uncomfortable. Needing a distraction, she grabbed his change of clothes from the other bag and handed to them.
“Want to put on some clean clothes?” she asked, lifting her shoulders and offering them.
Handing her the mirror, he nodded and accepted the bundle. Without warning, he untied the drawstring and started to pull down his pants. Panicking, she turned her back to the sight, unsure if she was ready to see him in all his glory. Not that she wasn’t curious, but it seemed wrong to watch.
Moments later, his voice intruded her thoughts. “Um, Liv, I think we have a problem.”
Looking over her shoulder, she couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped. She had not given due consideration to the size of underwear she selected. The waistband of the boxer brief was cutting into his skin, and the bands at his thighs were about to give way to the bulging muscles of his legs. But what snagged her attention and had her gaping was his overly endowed manhood trapped by the thin fabric.
The white material left little to her imagination, and she easily saw every ripple, ridge, and vein. She had never seen such a large shaft on a man. Did all shifters have extra-large penises? Because human women around the world would want to know this information.
“I am so sorry,” she let out with a gasp. “I’ll bring another pair tomorrow,” she promised, turning around again.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll keep them on for now. It’s been so long I don’t want to give these back,” he admitted, and she turned back to see him slip on the sweatpants then sit down to put on the socks. Luckily, the pants fit him perfectly. He placed the sweatshirt off to the side then stood back up. “Come here, Liv,” he prompted, crooking his finger and motioning her forward.
Walking towards him, she was shocked when strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. She felt the cold metal of the cuffs around his wrists bite at her back, but she didn’t care. She locked her arms around his neck and held him tightly, feeling his hard chest against her own.
Leaning back, he held her gaze. “I don’t know what to say. You have no idea how I feel right now. Almost like myself. You’re incredibly kind, and I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you,” he declared, gray eyes causing her to tremble in his hold.
“Oh, there are a few ideas running through my mind right now,” she admitted, lost in a haze of desire.
Leaning down, his lips brushed across hers. Soft yet firm. A tender meeting of their mouths yet she tasted all the ruggedness of his strength. She had never felt safer than in Lawson’s strong arms. This man would never hurt her.
Suddenly, he pulled away, releasing his hold. Liv didn’t want the kiss to end. No, she wanted more, much more. Confused and dazed, she searched his eyes for answers, but he looked away.
“Have I done something wrong?” she asked, hurt slamming home at his rejection.
Snapping his head as if he’d been slapped, he blurted, “Fuck, no. You do everything right, Liv. I wish you had done something wrong. It would make life easier,” he confessed, rubbing his face with both hands, causing the chains to rattle again with his movement.
Liv could see the internal struggle splayed across his face and she stepped closer, linking a hand in his. He still didn’t trust her. He’d been a prisoner to humans for so long, why would he? Could she ever convince him she truly cared? Reaching up with her other hand, she placed it against his cheek, and molten silver eyes gazed down, burning straight to her soul. She saw need, raw and consuming and felt his strong desire for her.
At that moment, Liv’s feelings deepened for Lawson, and she knew she would risk any and everything to set him free.