Page 2 of Kidnapped By the Beast (Beasts of the Kindred #11)

But what else was left for her to do? It was at this point that she called her best friend Natalie.

She didn’t expect her friend to loan her the money—Natalie didn’t have an extra twenty thousand lying around either.

She just needed a shoulder to cry on and she missed her best friend.

Ever since Natalie had been called as the bride of a Blood Kindred and moved up to the Mother Ship, Lexi hardly ever saw her anymore.

To her surprise, though, her best friend had an idea. She told Lexi about a job she’d heard about—a dangerous but high-paying job working for a Kindred scientist named Dr. Brandt.

“He’s interviewed lots of women for the position, but it seems like he can’t find one he likes,” she had told Lexi.

“I don’t know what your chances are, but if you come to interview with him, at least you and I can spend the day together on the Mother Ship.

There’s so much I want to show you up here! ”

Lexi had agreed to come for the interview. It was the start of Spring Break at her school, so she had a little time to spare. After showing her around the Mother Ship, Natalie had taken her to the interview and left her there with a kiss on the cheek and a “good luck, bestie.”

Lexi had knocked on the silver door with 3-D letters floating over it that read simply, “Dr. Brandt.”

When the door slid open, she got her first look at her prospective employer.

She’d been awed by the big Beast Kindred who looked down at her coolly from his great height.

Natalie had told her that Beast Kindred were supposed to have fiery tempers, but Dr. Brandt seemed the exact opposite of hot-tempered to Lexi.

He had nodded her inside, noted her name on a digital clipboard, and asked her to roll up the sleeve of her blouse for some blood tests.

“Er, can you tell me what this job is about? I mean, what does it entail?” Lexi had asked him as he stuck her expertly and removed two vials of blood.

“You’ll be given the details of the assignment if and only if you qualify for the position,” he had rumbled in a deep voice. “Which is highly doubtful—so far none of the human females I have tested have the capacity for production which I need in a test subject.”

“A test subject?” Lexi had exclaimed. “What kind of tests are you running?”

Dr. Brandt had simply given her a look.

“Please remain here in the waiting room,” he told her. “I’ll be able to ascertain very shortly if you’re an acceptable candidate or not.”

Lexi sat and fidgeted for what seemed like an hour but was probably closer to twenty minutes.

She was already thinking that she wasn’t going to get the job.

After all, if every other applicant had already failed to qualify, what were the odds that she would be the one person the huge Beast Kindred was looking for?

“Slim to none,” those are the odds, she had muttered to herself.

She had just decided that there was no way she was getting the job and she ought to just leave and spend a little more time with Natalie before she had to go back to Earth, when the inner door of Dr. Brandt’s office opened and he came out again.

This time instead of being cool and composed, he had an excited look on his face. His golden eyes, when he stared at her, were intense.

“Ms. Tatum—I can hardly believe it after testing so many candidates, all of whom failed miserably—but you have passed the first of the trials! I think you might actually be suited to be a test subject!”

“But…what are you testing?” Lexi asked uncertainly. The big Beast Kindred’s look of intensity was almost scary. Before, it was as though he was staring right through her, barely even seeing her—now he was focused on her with a laser-like interest that made her feel almost naked.

“Come in and I’ll explain everything. Come in!” He motioned for her to follow him through the back door to his office, so Lexi did, though she still felt uncertain about the whole thing.

“Be seated, please.” Dr. Brandt motioned to a chair across from his desk. But instead of going to sit on the other side of it once she was seated, he leaned against the front of the broad metal desk so that they were scarcely three feet apart. And that was when he said,

“Let me see your breasts.”

“Excuse me?” Lexi stared at him in disbelief. “Did you just ask to see my breasts?” she demanded.

“Yes, of course.” He frowned at her as though she was being unnecessarily difficult. “You have the necessary chemistry to perform in the way I need you to, but I must see if your equipment is adequately functional.”

“My equipment? You’re calling my breasts my ‘equipment?’” Lexi stared at him with her eyebrows raised. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious.” He frowned at her impatiently. “I’m very close to a break-through here—why wouldn’t I be serious?”

“But a break-through in what? And whatever it is, why would you need to see my breasts?” Lexi shook her head.

“You know what? Forget it. I think you’re just some kind of creepy perv who’s luring women up here with the promise of a high-paying job so you can get them to take off their tops for you. I’m leaving.”

She got up, intending to leave the office at once, but Dr. Brandt was suddenly in front of her, blocking the door.

“No, wait—I said that the wrong way,” he said, frowning. “You human females are so temperamental! Please, just let me explain and I promise you’ll find my proposal worth your time.”

“I’ve heard all I want to,” Lexi said coolly. “Thanks, but no thanks. Now could you please step aside?”

“But you’re the first female I’ve found with the necessary chemistry!” he growled, sounding extremely frustrated. “Look, just listen for a moment!”

Lexi was already brushing past him. She might need money, but she didn’t need it badly enough to take off her top and let him perv on her! She had standards, damn it!

She was almost out the door when he called after her.

“As you said, this position does pay extremely well.”

That stopped Lexi in her tracks.

“How well?” she asked, turning her head to look back at him.

“I’ll pay you a thousand Earth dollar-credits just to stay and listen to my proposal.” His deep voice sounded desperate.

Lexi turned around.

“A thousand dollars just to listen?” she asked skeptically.

“Yes.” Dr. Brandt nodded.

“And I don’t have to take off my blouse to earn the money?” she probed, raising an eyebrow.

He blew out a breath in frustration but finally he nodded.

“Agreed. You don’t have to show me your equipment unless you agree to my proposal and we make a deal.”

“All right, then.” Lexi nodded. “I’ll stay and listen. But one thing—stop calling my breasts ‘equipment’. That’s creepy and weird—they’re breasts. Or boobs or tits or titties or ta-tas or whatever else you want to call them but not equipment. I’m not a robot—I’m a person!”

“Ta-tas?” Dr. Brandt looked confused. “Never mind,” he said, shaking his head when Lexi opened her mouth again. “Just come sit and listen. Please,” he added, when she hesitated.

Lexi nodded and went back into his office and sat on the chair.

“All right, I’m listening,” she said. Not that she expected anything the big Kindred said to make her willing to take her top off for him.

She had no idea how wrong she was.