Page 15 of Craving Carla

I stop behind Alexis’s chair, close enough to smell her perfume mixed with fear-sweat. “I pay my people what they’re worth. Proper benefits. Down payments on first homes and cars. Real paid time off. Bonuses that actually mean something. And you know what? My profits have never been better.”

I lean closer, my voice dropping to a whisper. “Corporate greed, lining the pockets of shareholders—that’s not a priority here. You should be learning from my success, not trying to tear it down.”

I straighten, my voice reaching every corner of the room. “But what you’re doing is wrong, and I won’t stand for it. Amir wants to coexist peacefully with humanity. But not me. I’d paint this city red with blood if I sat in the royal chair.”

I smile, and it’s not a pleasant expression. “But I know war won’t fix this. Destroying you from the inside will.”

The file Sarah provided is a thing of beauty—evidence of turncoat employees, financial irregularities, safety violations. All obtained through the simple expedient of treating people like human beings.

“You should invest in better staff,” I continue, “or at least pay them correctly. Your employees are so easily swayed it’s pathetic. I shouldn’t be able to get them to turn on you justby offering to pay some medical bills. For such a powerful corporation, you’ve got too many cracks in your foundation.”

Alexis hisses, her composure finally cracking. “You fucking asshole.”

I chuckle and turn toward the door. My lawyers fall into step behind me, while Bobby moves to intercept any potential threats from the vampire.

“I need to be on my way,” I say, not looking back. “But I’ll be back in a week or two to deal with you properly. That’s when the real fun begins.”

“You won’t win,” Alexis calls after me.

I pause in the doorway, a smug grin spreading across my face. “I’m hoping you’ll prove me wrong.”

My eyes drop to her ass one more time, and I frown slightly. “Such a pity. With an ass like that, I’m sure you could make kings fall to their knees. But you reek of radical hatred, and that’s worse than sour pussy. I’ll pass this time.”

I can smell her arousal despite the anger. She’s turned on by the confrontation, by the push and pull of power.

“Fuck you,” she snarls.

I turn away, laughing. “No, thank you.”

The elevator doors open as I approach, and I step inside with my lawyers. As the doors close, I catch one last glimpse of the conference room—Alexis standing at the table, the vampire glowering, the witch whispering furiously.

They think they know what they’re dealing with. A corporate vampire, perhaps. A successful businessman who’s gotten too big for his britches.

They have no idea.

I’m heading to Wintermoon—the gilded cage, as I prefer to think of it.

My fated mate is there. I can feel it in my bones, in the restless energy that’s been building for weeks. And once I findher, once I claim what’s mine, I’ll have the motivation I need to burn Brookstone and Blackburn Enterprises to the ground.

The elevator descends. Above us, the corporate vultures circle, thinking they hold all the cards.

They’re about to learn how wrong they are.

5

Carla

I’m sitting at my desk giddy that I have a date. Not a care in the world right now as I pull a rose out from the bouquet and bring it to my nose, giggling again. Kade groans and rolls her eyes, and Damon seems to share a look with her.

Oh, this seriously pisses me off. I finally have a date—a real date—and they can’t even be happy for me. What gives? I don’t have the fated scent, everyone in the world shuns me for who I am and my connection to arachnids. It’s not fair, and I deserve to be happy just as much as everyone else.

Tired of the silence and eye rolls, I stand from my desk, my rose still in hand, and storm over to Kade’s desk. She stares at me from her seat, relaxed against her chair, her long blonde hair braided back with a satisfied grin on her face.

“It’s interesting how the two of you, who both happen to be fated, have a problem with me going on one date,” I grumble to her. Kade looks to Damon for a moment, then sighs, sitting up and meeting my eyes.

“It’s not that, Carla,” Kade explains. “It’s just that we think you should wait. We haven’t really figured out why we can’t detect the fated scent on you.”

“I think we should look into this, Carla,” Damon chimes in, holding his coffee mug. I glare at him. “It’s not natural for a supernatural to not be paired.” He takes a sip from his mug, then sets it down at Kade’s desk. She reaches over and grabs the mug, finishing it. My face scrunches up because I know there’s blood laced as creamer. “Even your children are paired.”

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