Page 8 of Their Alpha

The office was filled with its usual buzz when I arrived. I pretended like nothing was out of the ordinary as I got my coffee, chatted to a few co-workers, then made my way to my office and had a seat at my desk. I couldn’t sit still for the life of me, which made the first couple of hours drag by.

Finally, as we were closing in on eleven o’clock, I got the call.

“Hello, Artemis?” Fletcher’s strained voice sounded as soon as I answered.

“Is it time?” I asked.

“I think so,” Fletcher replied, blowing out a breath like he was either relieved I was on board or he was trying not to panic. “Gid is restless and overheated, and the bed was wet with slick this morning.”

“Say no more,” I said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I’ll text you the address,” Fletcher said. “It’s a good forty-five minutes’ drive outside of Barrington without traffic.”

“I’ll speed if I have to,” I joked. Although my inner alpha and my cock weren’t joking.

We said a quick goodbye, then I waited a few seconds before the text with Fletcher’s address came through. Ishifted it into my map app and was surprised that it was a rural location out in the farmland west of Barrington.

As I stepped around my desk, I sent Victor a quick text letting him know the fantasy was starting. Even though I felt that this heat was different from the casual fantasies I’d played in the past, I was a stickler for protocol.

As I headed for the door, grabbing my coat on the way, my phone rang. I assumed it was Victor calling back about the fantasy, or even Fletcher with more details, but when I looked at my phone, the name Justice Goode popped up.

Everything screeched to a halt, and I hung my coat back up as I tapped to answer the call with, “Hello?”

“Hello. Is this Artemis Montgomery?” a deep, rich, alpha voice asked.

“This is. Justice Goode?” I asked in return.

“The one and only,” the alpha said with a good-natured chuckle. “I’m so glad to finally get to speak to you, Artemis. May I call you Artemis?”

“Absolutely,” I said, trying to sound upbeat, like I would make a good CFO for his company, but glancing at the clock on my wall.

“Perfect,” Goode said. “I’m sure you know why I’m calling. I’ve been over your CV and spoken with my recruiter. He was mighty impressed with you and insists you’re the best candidate for CFO of Arise Financial. I knew I needed to speak to you and interview you in person.”

It was everything I’d been hoping to hear coming at exactly the wrong time.

“I can’t wait to meet with you in person either,” I said, shifting a nervous look around my office. “There’s just one problem.”

“Oh?” Goode asked, still sounding pleasant. “You haven’t changed your mind about joining the family already, have you?”

“No, sir,” I said, throwing in a half-laugh. “It’s just that I received a call about a, er, family emergency not more than fifteen minutes ago. I’m on my way out of the office to take care of something now.”

“Ah,” Good said, a knowing note in his voice. “Family emergenciesare always important for us alphas. I completely understand. I’m married myself.”

My face heated a little at all the assumptions my potential future boss was making, but I couldn’t worry about that now. Holding my phone with one hand and doing some minor gymnastics, I got into my coat and headed out the door, still engaging with him.

“I might not be available for the next couple of days, but I’m eager to speak with you,” I said, trying to keep my voice down as I passed other offices. “Would Monday work for an in-person interview?”

Goode laughed. “I like your initiative. Usually, I’m the one setting the meetings.”

“Sorry, sir,” I said as I reached the elevator and ducked inside.

I worried that I would lose the call, but stayed connected as I traveled down.

“No worries,” Goode said, still sounding cheerful. “Monday is pushing it, but we’ll see what we can do.”

I wasn’t entirely happy with that answer. I worried what would happen if I didn’t meet the man’s demands. He could be telling the truth when he said I was the best candidate for the job, but he could also just be buttering me up.

“You go take care of your omega now,” he said as the elevator slid open on the ground floor. “Family is the cornerstone of life and the gateway of spirituality,” he added.

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