Once Upon A Beast Read online

  Zachary had a similar look in his eyes that told me he viewed me as prey, something to entertain him, though the way it made me feel wasn’t in the same ballpark as Carlton. I shifted in my seat as I thought about his eyes on me, the way they skimmed up and down my body. He seemed to do it almost on instinct. Should I have been flattered or offended? Hell, I had no idea.

  Apparently, it had been a while been so long since anyone else had seen him, and it was hard to tell whether he would’ve done that to anyone or if I had something to do with it.

  I tried to recall the last time I felt desired like that. Back when I was with Aston, of course. Not that he ever truly wanted me. Aston probably just wanted my virginity as some kind of trophy. Fucker.

  I flushed with humiliation every time I thought about it, even though none of it was my fault. No one would have blamed me for falling for him the way I did. He did everything he could to make me fall in love, coaxing me out of my shell until I was dead certain he was the one, that I was the lucky girl to stumble upon my soulmate in college.

  As I drove home, I zoned out, my thoughts back in the law library. The day after I’d given myself to Aston, I was sore and a little proud. Surprised at how normal everything felt after such an incredibly important event. But I soon learned it was only me who saw myself differently. I had a secret little smile as I picked out the books I needed to study for my next final, wondering if I should have texted Aston to ask him to join me at the library.

  He’d left quickly that morning, without kissing me goodbye, but people had warned me that sometimes when guys got emotionally involved, they could withdraw. I wondered where our relationship would go from there. Would he propose? That seemed like the logical next step, and I knew both his family and mine were already expecting him to ask me the big question.

  I’d been lost in foolish fantasies at the library when I’d heard a noise. It sounded like someone was panting. I frowned and got to my feet, clutching my books to my chest like a protective armor, as though someone might spring at me from behind the rows of bookshelves. What the hell was going on? The noise came again, louder this time, and it was clearly a woman’s voice, but I couldn’t tell what she was doing. She sounded as if she was in pain, and I’d wondered if I was about to walk in on a sinister scene I’d wish I’d never seen.

  I’d followed the sound, slowly, quietly, down a couple of rows of bookcases, and that’s when I saw them.

  Becky, the bitch from the year below me who’d been hanging around Aston That he’d assured me time and time again that she had nothing more than a silly schoolgirl crush on him. I believed him, but what I saw thoroughly contradicted that.

  She clutched the bookshelves, her eyes squeezed shut and her skirt pulled up over her waist. Her panties were around her ankles and my fucking boyfriend, Aston fucking LaChase, was gripping her hips and slamming into her hard, railing her from behind with gritted teeth and his eyes screwed shut. She’d been the one letting out the odd, strangled moans of pleasure, the sound I’d heard from across the library. I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, but it was long enough to know it wasn’t a mistake, that I hadn’t stumbled across some kind of mirage. No, my boyfriend was fucking someone else the day after he’d taken my virginity and told me he’d loved me so much it hurt.

  I’d dropped my books and ran. He must have heard me. Because he called out to me, the last words from him I ever heard. I was gone. Never to go back to that fucking prick again.

  Tears pricked my eyes as the agony played over and over like some sick nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

  God, I hated thinking about that day. I rolled my shoulders back and focused on the road. I’d never let anyone hurt me like that again. Not a snowball’s chance in hell. Not ever. Nope. Never.

  When I felt that little jolt of attraction for Zachary, I did my best to ignore it. Getting involved with a man like him could only end up one way, with me feeling exactly as I had standing in the law library, wondering how the hell I’d gotten suckered in like some stupid girl all over again. I was going to go home, work on a strategy, and ban myself from thinking about him. He was nothing more than a professional colleague. I took a deep breath and continued my journey home, forcing him and his enormous cock to the back of my mind.

  Chapter 5

  Zach

  As I slipped into bed that night, I expected the usual difficulties drifting off. Most of the time, I stared at the ceiling for ages, going over everything repeatedly and trying to figure out what I could’ve done differently. But I fell asleep almost at once, my head filled by the young woman who had stormed out of here a few hours before.

  I wasn’t sure why, but Jessibelle had hooked inside my thoughts like no one else had since Alana. And even then, when I’d laid eyes on Alana, it was a different kind of attraction. She was stone cold gorgeous, no doubt, but in a more explicit way models often were, the kind of sexy that hung on the bedroom walls of dozens of teenaged boys. Jessibelle was a little different, a little more delicate, and it wasn’t until I went over the contours of her sweet body in my head that I realized how attracted I was to her.

  I woke up early the next day. Well, early for me, at least. It was before noon when I rolled out of bed, and without thinking, I headed straight to my bathroom to deal with my facial hair. It wasn’t until I was halfway through trimming it that I realized what I was doing, and I blinked at myself a couple of times in the mirror.

  I was actually getting ready for work. It had been so long since I’d gone to the office. I stared at myself and cracked a smile. This was the closest I’d felt to human in longer than I cared to admit.

  I showered and headed to my walk-in closet. I hadn’t been in there for ages. What, with wearing t-shirts and sweat pants all the time, I hadn’t needed a suit.

  I ran my fingers over the fabric, tilting my head at my collection of high-end suits as I decided what to wear. I hadn’t worn a suit in so long, I felt like I was going to prom, jittery with nerves at the thought of heading in to the office and seeing her once more. She’d be with the executives in the legal department, no doubt, figuring out how best to get me back to work.

  It turned out, all they had to do was send a pretty lady and have her chew my ass to snap me out of the bullshit I’d been going through.

  I headed down to the garage and eyed the various cars in front of me. I loved this damn garage. It was one of my favorite places to be. I didn’t know a whole lot about cars, but I knew what I liked. Sometimes luxury, had a ‘17 Rolls Ghost for that. Sometimes I liked sporty. The Viper was good for that, but right now—I wanted fast.

  So, I chose the black Bugatti and got in.

  I closed the door, placed my hands on the wheel, and let out a long breath. Was I really going to work after all this time? Just to see some girl I thought was hot?

  I guessed I was. I started the engine and pulled out of the garage, blinking in the light of the day. It had been so long since I’d been out in the morning, and it was beautiful.

  I had an hour-long drive to the office, plenty of time to talk myself out of what I was doing and turn around. But I didn’t. My mind was oddly clear this morning and I focused on the feel of the power beneath me and the crisp morning air on my skin, which seemed to lift my spirits.

  I pulled into the parking lot, and my reserved spot had a black BMW sitting in it. Couldn’t blame them, I’d been out for so long. I pulled in next to the Beemer, and took a long deep breath. This was it. Running my hand over my stubbled chin, I grinned. I wasn’t sure how long this feeling would last, but I’d take it for the time being.

  I got out of the car and walked up to the glass double doors, steeling myself before entering. The receptionist glanced up and blinked at me before her eyes widened. “Wow. Good Morning, Mr. Rose.”

  “Morning, Chelsea,” I responded and she went for the phone on her desk, probably to alert my brother that I’d just walked in.

  I knew they’d lost faith in me. The thought churned in my
stomach, a reminder I’d fucked things up, maybe beyond all repair. When my depression took over, I’d let my business go to shit. I could barely get myself through the day, much less a billion-dollar business. The shareholders hadn’t taken long to start asking questions, to start shifting the power within the company. Luckily, I could rely on my little brother to keep things relatively steady, but I was swiftly losing my grip on the deals being negotiated, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I was phased out entirely.

  I marched up the stairs to the executive suite with a sense of resolution I hadn’t come across in myself for a long time. It was an amazing feeling, the power pulsing through my veins at being in the office again. It was probably a dangerous concept, throwing myself straight back into work like this, but I had to see her again, the woman who hadn’t taken my shit, the woman who had kicked my ass into feeling at least a little less depressed for a day. She’d done what so many people couldn’t, and I had to see what it was she had that made her different.

  I arrived outside the legal department door, paused, took a deep breath and then pushed it open. A dozen heads lifted, and all of them stared at me in complete shock. But, there was only one person I was interested in.

  Jessibelle.

  “M-m-mister Rose?” She got to her feet, my sudden appearance throwing her off. She offered me a stunned smile, and her eyes traveled slowly up and down my body. I enjoyed the little hint of her attention and reveled in it a good few seconds before I replied.

  “I’m here to follow up on our meeting yesterday.” I took a step toward her, ignoring the rest of the eyes on me. “About our strategy?”

  “Of course.” She blinked up at me a couple of times. Her eyes were outlined with a dark liner that made them stand out against her pale skin, and her hair was swept up on top of her head. I wondered what it would look like down, falling around her shoulders, but dismissed the thought. I could fantasize about her all I wanted when this meeting was over, but not before then. I was still here to do a job, after all, to make sure my company stayed under my control, even if a small part of me enjoyed the surprise on her face.

  She led me through to a small meeting room, opened the door for me, and took a seat on one side of a heavy, old-fashioned polished wood table. I watched her shift back and forth in her seat, trying to get comfortable under my gaze.

  “It’s good to see you,” she blurted out. “In the office, I mean. Good to see you in the office.”

  “Well, I figured it was about time,” I conceded, looking at her expectantly. “So, that strategy we were discussing yesterday?”

  She ran her fingers over her hair, and her eyes lit up. I grinned. What in the hell did she have planned for me?

  “I was thinking about everything last night,” she admitted, lowering her voice as though she didn’t want anyone else to hear. “About your case.”

  “I’m listening.” I nodded for her to continue.

  “Well, the shareholders are planning to challenge your continued control of the company on mental competency grounds,” she began.

  I kept my composure, to keep from yelling or saying something I’d regret. Logically, it made sense, given my behavior over the last few months. But to hear those words out loud? After all I had done for this company? All the money I had made for those bastards? That was a kick in the balls. But I just said calmly, “And how do you plan to stop that?”

  “I think we need to challenge them on the same grounds,” she replied excitedly. I opened my mouth to protest, but she held her hand up to stop me.

  “I know it sounds ridiculous,” she continued, “but it buys us some time and forces them to turn in on themselves. It could cause some squabbling and fighting, enough that they’d have a hard time presenting a united front. And we could use that for now until we can come up with something a little stronger—more definitive.”

  I raised my eyebrows and sat back in my seat. It was a ridiculous idea, but she was right. It might buy us enough time to get my shit together and reclaim control of the whole company. Technically, I still had power over most of it, but the shareholders had moved me out of any hands-on positions of power since I’d retreated to my place. I had just been too lost in my depression to give a damn.

  “Okay.” I said, leaning back in my chair. “And how do we go about doing that?”

  She launched into her plan to make everything work, and I sat back and let her talk. It had been so long since I’d been around anyone else that anything more than a few words here and there was more than I could manage. I grinned at what she was proposing. This was so ballsy, so out there, but it might just work. I loved the way her mind functioned, the way her eyes lit up and she gestured when she talked. She was far removed from my type on paper, but in person, there was something about her that made my blood run hot in my veins. I crossed my hands behind my head and listened, happy to hear her voice and more than happy to enjoy the company of this woman who got me going in ways I couldn’t put into words.

  Chapter 6

  Jessibelle

  When Zachary Rose walked into the office, I didn’t recognize him at first, but everyone else did. I’d had no idea who the crazy-sexy guy with the long, dark hair, sharp jaw was—or what he was doing in the office. Then he smiled that damn smile from the day before, and I sprang to my feet to greet him.

  I ushered him into a meeting room, trying to keep myself steady, and told him the ideas I’d come up with. He was instantly excited, nodding along with a big grin on his face, and I found myself growing in confidence, relaxing into the meeting. And then, suddenly, he asked me out.

  “You want to go for a coffee?”

  I just stared at him at first. Is he asking me on a date? No, it had to be about the deal. It made sense. After all, look at him. He could have any woman he wanted. Why would he bother with a woman he’d just met whose firm had sent her over to give his legal department some advice on managing assets? Like how low on the totem pole can you get?

  “Uhm . . . sure.”

  We headed to a small coffee shop down the street. He rested his hand on the small of my back as he guided me to a seat, his touch sending sparks down my spine. Zach commanded the room without trying, casting his gaze around and grabbing a table for us. A few minutes later a waitress arrived at his elbow to take his order while offering him a grin a half a mile wide. He looked so damn gorgeous. I knew his body was amazing from his private body building show yesterday, but this was a whole different ballpark of fine-as-hell.

  “So,” he turned to me once our coffees were in front of us. I peeped at him over the mug, holding it in front of my face like a defensive measure against his megawatt smile. “Let’s talk about how we’re going to implement this plan.”

  If I was expecting the standard business discussion involving planning strategies to outwit an opponent, I was caught off guard. Waaaay off guard. Usually, those chats were nothing more than polite pleasantries, then a laying out of the tried and true tactics to achieve a successful end. But this meeting was something different. Zach Rose challenged me, forced me to think fast, demanded methods and actions and timelines. He was sharp and smart and even made me laugh, tossing in a few dry comments about the upper management that told me he hadn’t lost his famous ruthless streak. I wasn’t sure how many coffees we had, but it was enough that the caffeine had me practically jittering on the spot. Or maybe it was being the center of his attention.

  I looked at my watch, and my eyes widened when I saw it was nearly five in the afternoon. He cocked his head at me.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “Did I keep you out too long?”

  “No, it’s not that.” I waved my hand. “It’s just the time went really fast.”

  “I appreciate you coming out here and giving me your time.” He nodded, clicking back into professional mode. “I guess I should let you get back to your work.”

  “It’s a little late for that,” I pointed out, and the flicker of a smile passed across his face, his eyes f
lashing with amusement.

  “In that case,” he suggested lightheartedly, “dinner?”

  I considered him, and he met my gaze, burning a hole in me that lit a fire. He raised his eyebrows at me as though daring me to turn him down. Was this a dating type of situation? Ugh. I hated being so inexperienced.

  “I know a place just down the street.” He shrugged casually, as though it wasn’t a big deal, and it made me relax. He probably wanted to discuss the case further, and I could handle that. I nodded. It wasn’t like I’d turn down a chance to get some alone time with a guy who could launch my career to new heights, was it? At least, that’s how I rationalized dinner.

  “Why not?” I agreed, and he paid the tab, despite my protests. We headed down the street a few blocks until he came to a stop outside a restaurant I recognized, and my jaw dropped.

  “This place?” I gasped, and he looked at me with his brow furrowed.

  “You don’t like it?” he asked.

  “This is,” I gestured at the storefront, “way too fancy. I come by here every day, but I never thought—”

  “Come on, I used to have a standing table booked here.” He waved away what I was saying. “Let’s see if it still stands.”

  “Whatever you say,” I muttered, letting him lead me inside the ridiculously glamorous—and ridiculously expensive—restaurant. Immediately, the host greeted him like an old friend and led him to a table for two. Lit by a single, small candle, the soft, warm glow bathed both of us like something out of a cheesy romantic movie. He even pulled my chair out for me. I took a seat, crossing and uncrossing my legs nervously. I wasn’t sure how to act in a place as classy as this, and I’d considered myself well-versed in fine dining up until now.