Page 1 of Billionaire Wolf Needs an Assistant (My Grumpy Werewolf Boss #2)

KATIE

I stared at the half-finished crochet hat in dismay. After an hour of stress crocheting, I realized that I had made a wrong stitch at the beginning. The entire thing had to be pulled and redone.

Ugh, there was no salvaging it. Giving up on any more attempts to put my employment offer from Discreet Talent Connections Agency out of my mind, I shoved the hat and my crochet hook into my craft basket.

My mind replayed the conversation I had with Gladys at the employment agency, "Ms. Clark, before you sign the contract, I need to be transparent with you about your new employer. Mr. Song can be... difficult to work with. His last assistant quit suddenly, crying as she ran in the middle of her shift. She didn't even bother to come back for her things." The agency specialized in job placements for rich and powerful men who were also supernatural creatures. I heard rumors that some of the men they served were werewolves and even vampires. To say that some of the clients they serviced were difficult was like saying Mount Everest was a hill.

Unfortunately, my need to keep a roof over my head and food in my belly overrode any hesitations I had about accepting the job. My gaze landed on the old television standing on top of two milk crates at the other side of the living room. Despite having graduated from one of the top universities in the country, I was still unemployed and living like a broke college student.

Think of the money, Katie, I repeated to myself. Besides, Lacey was currently flying around in private jets and living up the good life in a ski resort with her billionaire boss. If a bit of my roommate's good luck rubbed off on me, then maybe working for Mr. Reeve Song wouldn't be so bad. With that thought to bolster my confidence, I got ready for bed.

The gleaming glass windows of Alpha Fang Technologies towered before me. A woman dressed in a tailored gray skirt and flowing silk blouse strode out of the automatic double doors. Her stiletto heels clicked a steady rhythm and as she walked past me, she scanned my figure in disdain. My stomach flip-flopped. This was my first 'real' job after school, and dressed in my thrifted blazer and polyester dress pants, I felt like a little girl playing dress-up in my mother's clothes.

Just thinking of my mother filled my head with her voice.

"Why can't you be like your cousin Janice? She's going to get a PhD and an M.D."

I shook my head to clear away her negative words. My mother's constant disappointment in me was the last thing I needed today.

With a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and marched through the front doors. It was still technically thirty minutes until I was supposed to start my first shift. I wanted to give myself plenty of time to find my way around my new workplace. The security guard at the door glanced at me and shook his head as I passed by.

My sensible shoes clicked against the polished marble floor on the way to the front desk. I absorbed the sleek modern lobby with its soaring ceilings and abstract art. Everything screamed money and power, from the custom water feature that drew the eye upward fifty stories to the metallic Alpha Fang logo that seemed to float in midair behind the desk.

"Mr. Reeve Song, please," I said to the receptionist. "I'm his new assistant, Katie Clark."

She typed something in her computer system and clicked through the results before she picked up her phone. After a few muffled words that I couldn't hear, she ended the call.

"Floor 50, Ms. Clark," she said with a smile. "Mr. Song's office is waiting for you." She pulled a plastic card from a drawer and ran it through a machine. "This is your pass to operate the elevator. Good luck," she said as she shot me a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you." My hands shook as I grabbed the card. Everything in the building was made out of cold glass and metal. The grand lobby made me feel like I tiny ant as I scurried toward the elevators. The doors opened as a car arrived. I entered and scanned my pass before I pushed the button for the top floor.

After accepting the position from the agency, I had spent a sleepless night looking up my new boss on the internet. Every article described him as a ruthless genius with zero qualms about cutting inefficiencies from his business. He started his Alpha Fang in his early twenties after college and by the time he was twenty-five, he had built it into a company worth billions. His company was known for collaborating with some of the biggest corporations in the country including Wulfthorn Baked Goods. The photos of him in press releases showed a distinguished, handsome man with jet-black hair, strong cheekbones, and cold gray eyes that seemed to burn through my phone screen. My stomach flip-flopped, but I couldn't let Reeve Song's intimidating reputation dampen my excitement. This was finally my chance to prove to my family that I could make it on my own in the big city.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened directly into a clinically stark white reception area. A svelte blonde in a figure-hugging black designer dress that probably cost more than everything I owned in my apartment looked up from her computer. Her perfectly styled eyebrows rose when I stepped into the room.

"Katie Clark?" She stood up and walked around her desk with a fluid grace that should have been impossible in her heels. "I'm Sophia Roberts, Mr. Song's secretary. He is waiting for you in his office."

I followed Sophia down a hallway of glass windows past a couple meeting rooms to an imposing metal door. Sophia shot me a knowing look that made me stand a little straighter. Everybody in this building thought I didn't belong. I was going to prove them wrong.

Sophia knocked sharply before she opened the door. "Your new assistant is here," she announced.

I stepped past her into the massive office.

"Try not to cry when you run out of here," she muttered. "His last assistant caused quite a scene."

I gritted my teeth, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of scaring me.

The door closed behind me with a click. Giant floor-to-ceiling windows provided a wide view of the ocean shores of Huntington Harbor. In the distance, ships bobbed in the gleaming water like they were toys floating in a bathtub. A tall man in a perfectly tailored slate-colored suit stood at the window with his back to the door. Even without seeing his face, his entire being projected power.

When he finally turned around, I gulped. He was even more overwhelming in person than in his photos. Reeve Song possessed a primal magnetism that pulled me to him even from across the massive room.

He was taller and more handsome than I had expected. As he moved toward his desk, his movements were graceful and decisive like a predator stalking his prey. In an almost imperceptible movement, he inhaled deeply as if he was catching my scent.

His gaze swept over me dismissively. "You're early." His voice was deep, with a growling undertone that raised goosebumps on my arms.

I shot him a bright smile as I marched to his desk. "Yes sir! I wanted to get a good start. I'm Katie Clark, and I'm thrilled to join your team." I extended my hand.

He ignored my outstretched hand, moving to settle into the leather chair behind his desk. "Your resume shows no relevant experience. The agency must be getting desperate. Give me one good reason why I should hire you." His fingers, strong yet elegant, drummed on the desk as he waited for my answer.

Even as my cheeks ached from the effort, my smile didn't waver. "What I lack in experience, I make up for in dedication and quick learning, Mr. Song. I'm ready for any challenge." I meant it too, if I lost this job, then I couldn't make rent this month. Lacey and I would be on the streets.

The edges of his lips curved, but it was a snarl more than a smile. "We'll see about that." He gestured to a mountain of boxes in the corner. "Those contain files and letters from my late father. They need to be organized and digitized. Get it done by the end of the day if you want to keep this job." Something darkened his expression at the mention of his father, but it was gone in a flash and quickly covered by his stoic mask.

I turned toward the towering pile of haphazardly packed boxes. The stack came up to the top of my head. There had to be more than twenty boxes. Random bits of paper and folders stuck out of the tops, and from the yellowed color of some of the papers, there was a good chance the documents were older than me. It was an intimidating mess, but I had experience digitizing my hometown's records during my last summer at home before I moved away for college. This was just a larger version of a similar problem.

"I'll get right on it, sir."

He nodded. "Sophia will show you to your desk," he said before he turned his chair toward the computer and began typing. I was clearly dismissed.

When I walked out of the office, Sophia was already waiting for me at a desk on the opposite side of the reception area as hers. Her smile was smug. "Don't get too comfortable. No assistant has lasted more than a week here."

While I settled at my new desk, Sophia went into Mr. Song's office with a push cart to retrieve the box of files. I examined the barren workspace and the generic computer screen. There was a yellow sticky note on the monitor with the login credentials and a box of tissues on the desk. Pulling open the desk drawer, I found a row of pens with Alpha Fang's logo on them and a half-empty bottle of ibuprofen.

Sophia came out with the files and dumped them next to my desk. I rolled up my sleeves. None of them thought I could handle the work, but I was going to show them what this small-town woman could do.

Eight hours later, my back ached from hunching over the documents and feeding them through the scanner. It was almost the end of the work day, but I finished scanning every last piece of paper. I'd skipped lunch, using the time to enter each file into a database. Satisfaction swelled in my chest as I knocked on his office door.

"Enter."

"The files have been digitized, sir. I've emailed you access to the database. Everything is categorized by date for easy searching."

He looked up sharply, disbelief flooding his face briefly before his expression returned to its usual stony facade. "Show me." He pushed back his chair and signaled for me to come closer.

I leaned over his desk and used his computer to navigate to the shared folder where I stored the system I had created. Standing so close next to him, I was acutely aware of the heat of his body. Our shoulders brushed as I maneuvered the mouse. A tingle crept across my skin, keeping me on edge. My voice shook as I described how I had organized the files.

Finally, he leaned back into his chair. Folding his arms behind his head, he studied me for an uncomfortable moment.

"That will do," he finally said. "You can go home."

I had barely reached the door to his office before his voice stopped me.

"Make sure your schedule is cleared for Christmas. I have an important project that will require your assistance."

If I wanted to keep this job, I would have to give up the one day of the year when I had the opportunity to see my family. Nothing could keep my voice from wavering when I answered him. "Yes, sir."

By the time I gathered my things from my desk, I noticed the office was empty. Sophia had already left. I rode the elevator down to the main lobby and walked out into the crisp late afternoon air.

My feet ached in my stiff shoes, but I couldn't help but smile as I texted Lacey. She was the only person who would understand what a victory it was for me to survive my first day at work.

I finished typing my text and hit send. As I put my phone away, I turned around and stared up at the tall glass building. It was too far away for me to make out any details, but I swore Mr. Song was watching me from the windows of his office.