Chapter 4 - Nic

My day was going damn well until now. Although I was a little nervous, starting a new job, Rachel and the others made me feel right at home. It's a temp job, but I'm in New York, working for one of the best names in business. But never in a million years had I imagined that my new boss was the same sexy, handsome stranger I'd met at The Sitting Duck on Friday night. My blood froze in my veins when I walked into the office of Alexander Hutchinson III and saw Lex. I'm sure I made a perfect fool of myself by staring at him with my jaw hanging open. It was only a small consolation that he seemed extremely surprised as well.

I wondered many, many times over the weekend if I'd been a fool running away from a supremely sexy man I'm strongly attracted to, but now I feel as if I dodged a bullet. It would have made everything too damn complicated. And the whole purpose of moving to New York was to avoid complications and have a fresh start.

I feel the warmth of his palm on my elbow as he leads me out of his office. Will it just be a business lunch or something more? Will he want to pick up where we left off on Friday? I let out a silent sigh, trying to get my erratic heartbeat under control as we walk down the corridor and take one of the private, glass-enclosed elevators. Only the five partners, their executive assistants, and the office secretaries have access to this floor.

The views from the top floor are breathtaking. I am constantly amazed every time I enter a new space and look at a different portion of the NYC skyline. LA was alright, but New York is something else.

Lex notices my wide-eyed appreciation as we move through the hallway with large, tinted glass windows that leads to the elevators.

"Spectacular, isn't it?"

I nod.

"I know I'm gawking, but I'm so awed. I've only been to New York once before. Very briefly. To visit Penny. Penelope. You remember Penny from…" I leave the sentence unfinished, coloring slightly. I wonder when it'll stop being awkward. But I can't pretend that Friday night never happened. Just like I can't pretend that I'm not extremely, madly attracted to my boss. He looks mouth-wateringly handsome in his charcoal gray suit and a matching tie. But once again, I sense that hint of danger under the veneer of polish. Just like the other night, there's an alarm blaring in my head, urging me to run far and run fast.

"Yes, I remember Penelope," he says with a lopsided smile that makes my heart skip a beat.

"Well, she's my roommate now. She has always been a very good friend, so when I landed this job, she kindly offered to let me move in." I know I'm babbling, but can't help it.

"Are you nervous, Nic?" he asks, leaning in really close. So close that I smell the scent that is uniquely Lex. His scent is making me light-headed, and his smoky gray eyes have gone dark. My breath hitches in my throat. I have already forgotten what he asked.

"What?" I ask, rooted to the spot, unable to step away, to put some distance between us. On the contrary, I find myself leaning in closer, my gaze firmly fixed on his lips.

But the elevator comes to a halt just then, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I almost kissed my boss on the very first day of work. I need to get a better grip on my emotions, I tell myself as we walk through the busy lounge on to the equally busy sidewalk.

"Never mind," he says with a grin as he puts an arm casually around my waist, walking me out of the building. "The place I have in mind is only a couple of blocks away. Shall we walk?"

"No. Yes. I mean I don't mind walking."

I groan when his grin gets wider. He does not let go of the arm around my waist, guiding me briskly through the throng of people on the sidewalk.

Soon, we are at a trendy Italian restaurant on the rooftop of a skyscraper. The ma?tre d' greets Lex by name and takes us to a corner table. Obviously, Lex is a regular here. Does he bring all his girls here, I wonder, feeling an unexpected stab of jealousy. I push it aside and look around. Once again, I am awed by my surroundings.

The rooftop restaurant is on the 70th floor. It is dizzying to be so high up, but the view is beyond amazing. The restaurant itself is charming, with natural stone floors, wrought iron tables and chairs, and the potted bonsai plants placed along the perimeter. From our corner table, we have an excellent view of the Hudson River and Central Park. Since it is early summer, the weather is mild with bright blue skies.

"Do you ever get used to the view?" I ask, doing a 360 degree turn and taking it all in.

"Well no, but you sometimes forget that it is there," Lex says, and him and the ma?tre d' exchange a smile as he hands us the menus.

My eyes bug out when I look at the prices, almost choking on the sip of the water I have just taken.

"Are you alright?" Lex asks with concern etched upon his face.

"Yes. Are these prices for real?" I ask with wide eyes.

He grins and shakes his head.

"Don't worry about the prices. Like I said, business lunch."

I look at him suspiciously over the rim of the menu.

"Do all the other partners bring their assistants here?"

"Sometimes," he replies nonchalantly as his eyes rove over the menu.

"Good thing I didn't get my purse," I murmur more to myself than him. But he laughs at my comment and probably the disgruntled look on my face.

"Look, don't worry about it. It's your first day at work and I want to get to know you better. Executive assistants are required to work really closely with their bosses," he says with one of his lethal smiles, placing his hand over mine reassuringly. I groan inwardly. How am I going to manage to not spontaneously combust when Lex makes me so hot with just one touch, one look?

"Sure," I say with a shrug, trying to appear unaffected. I withdraw my hand from under his as unobtrusively as possible, then reach for the glass of sparkling water, just so that I have something to do with my hands.

"Have you decided?" he asks, clearly amused, after I have flipped through the menu about a dozen times.

"You order for me," I say, finally laying down the menu.

"Do you share your food?" he asks.

"I don't mind sharing."

"I knew I would like you," he says with a grin. My stomach does a little somersault at the combination of his words and his boyish grin.

"Are you allergic to anything?" he asks.

"No," I shake my head.

He gestures to the waiter and places our order. Lobster pasta for him, and the burrata and black truffle tortellini for me.

"Oh cool. I've never had burrata before. Or truffle," I say with a shrug, resisting the urge to pick up the menu and see how much each dish costs. Is this really a business lunch? Or will he expect something more in return for bringing me to this expensive place? I dismiss the thought immediately. While I have my doubts about this being a purely business lunch, I know it in my gut that Lex is not the kind of person to expect special favors in return for fancy lunches.

"You'll love it," he says, leaning back in his chair. He appears completely relaxed, completely at ease, whereas I am a bundle of nervous energy.

"It's lovely out here. Is it always this lovely at this time of the year? LA is warm and sunny all year round, but the weather can be a bitch for a redhead such as me. I break out into the most awful freckles." Once again, I'm talking too much.

Desire pools in my belly like hot lava when one corner of his mouth lifts slowly. The nerves and the lust have me so tightly wound up that I'm afraid I'll snap.

"Relax," he says with a grin. "Just enjoy yourself. This is an informal business lunch. Nothing else."

I nod and try to smile. My mouth wants to start shooting out random information again, so I pick up a breadstick and chew on it while I turn my head and pretend to take in the view again, simply to avoid looking at Lex.

"You need not worry about your freckles. I find them charming."

"Th..thank you," I stutter, but I'm inordinately pleased that he likes my freckles. I am quite self-conscious about them, so knowing that he likes them makes me very happy.

"So tell me, Nicola Roberts. Why New York?" The way he almost purrs my name has my skin tingling.

"Why not New York?" I counter, neatly avoiding answering the question. I don't want to dwell on my reasons for the move just yet.

He simply looks at me steadily.

"Well, I have always wanted to work and live in New York, the pay you're offering is significantly higher than my last employer even considering the cost of living here, and I've never been an exec assistant to a billionaire before. Those are good, solid reasons," I say a little defensively.

His eyebrows shoot up his forehead at my tone for a fraction of a second before he smiles his charming smile again.

"And I've never had an exec assistant from LA before. I take it that Rachel has briefed you already?"

He is suddenly all business-like, for which I'm glad. He must've surely sensed my discomfiture over talking about the move. So he's considerate in addition to being charming and hot.

"Yes, Rachel did brief me. It's pretty much what I am used to doing, so no worries. Once I learn your schedule, it will be smooth sailing," I say with a smile, relieved that our conversation is finally out of dangerous waters. Now it's starting to feel like a business lunch.

"Good. I don't want you to be intimidated by me. I'm easy to work with, but I don't tolerate tardiness. We, as a company, are constantly reinventing ourselves, so there's a lot to be done. I highly value organization and efficiency," he says with a serious look on his face.

"Got it, boss," I say with a grin.

His gaze immediately darkens with desire when I say ‘boss'.

I blush and look away. He is my boss. I am his assistant. Ergo, there can be nothing between us. It is forbidden. It is taboo. And that's why it is all the more enticing. I want him so badly. But I can't forget the promise I made to myself when I moved here. No entanglements, no complications.

His thumb is now caressing my palm and I bite my lip to suppress a moan. The air between us is so thick with sexual tension that it can be cut with a knife.

When our waiter brings our food, my shoulders sag in relief. But I don't understand why I feel so bereft when he withdraws his hand, allowing the waiter to place our food in front of us.

I think it is time that I get a grip on my emotions, and spell it out for Lex as well.

"Lex, I find you incredibly attractive, but I don't want to act on the attraction. You are my boss. My career is too important for me to do something stupid and jeopardize it," I say with worry etched on my face. I don't want to disappoint him, but it is better to be honest.

"I have never been called stupid before," he says with his lips twitching slightly.

"What? I never said you were stupid!" I say, aghast.

"Well, you said you didn't want to do ‘something stupid', and since you don't want to do me, I assumed you were referring to me," he says, cocking one eyebrow.

"Lex!" I am half-amused, half-shocked as my hand flies to my chest, and I look at him with wide eyes.

"Alright, alright," he answers, holding up both his palms as his lips twist into a wicked grin. "That was a really poor joke. I'm sorry," he says, not meaning it at all.

I huff and cross my arms under my breasts, but my lips are twitching. I bite my cheek to stop the smile from spreading on my face.

"Even though it pains me greatly to admit it, you are right," he says after a small pause. "I cannot jeopardize your career or ruin your reputation. So no matter how much I want you, it's going to be a strictly platonic and professional relationship between us. Let's shake on it," he says and holds out his hand.

I take it, but the moment our hands touch, we feel that spark again. He withdraws his hand from mine and groans.

"How are we going to make it work?" he asks with feeling.

"Damned if I know," I reply.

The rest of the lunch passes pleasantly enough. The food is great and although we do our best to ignore what's between us, there are moments when we are both tempted to break the promise we just made. Like when he feeds me a bit of lobster with his fingers. We take great pains to keep the conversation revolving around Druk Technologies.

Finally when the lunch comes to an end and we head back to the office, there's a strange and potent cocktail of feelings churning my innards. Relief, disappointment, frustration, sexual tension: it seems like these feelings are going to be my constant companions as long as I am working closely with Lex.

***

A few thousands miles away…

The setting sun cast a deep orange glow over the horizon, throwing dark shadows over the layered red-brown rocks of the north rim of the Grand Canyon. He stood near the edge of the precipice, stark naked, staring at the sheer drop below, oblivious to everything. In a rare moment of lucidity, he remembered the time when he'd stood right here all those years ago.

He had brought her here on their third date, had shown her what he really was. She had been shocked, but she'd also been awed by the beauty of his dragon. They'd ridden down to the very depths of the canyon that day and made love for the very first time under a star-studded sky. He'd known that night; they'd both known that night that they belonged together. She was his mate, his one true love. There would be nobody else for him ever.

She had been so accepting, so curious of what he was, wanting to know everything about him. He had told her all about himself that night as they lay in each other's arms on the sandy shore of one of the many springs in the canyon. He had told her that he was a Quartz dragon—the rarest and the mightiest amongst the dragon shifters. He had told her that if claimed her as his mate, he would be stronger, more powerful than he'd ever been. She had allowed him to claim her, to mark her, to bond with her, and he had felt invincible.

But he had not told her about the curse. He had not told her that if he were ever to lose her, he would lose his mind, that he would go mad with grief.

An image of her laughing blue eyes flashed across his mind unbidden. And suddenly, she was there! She was there right in front of him. If he reached out, he would be able to touch her, to hold her again. He would be able to kiss her and tell her that he loved her and that he'd never let her go. Taking another step closer to the edge, he reached out, extending his arm, wanting to feel her soft skin under his fingers. A few loose rocks shifted under his feet, dropping into the river below, bounding over the many hard, rocky outcroppings on the way.

No!

A cry of heart-wrenching agony escaped his lips as her image faded into nothingness before his very eyes. The grief he'd been trying to keep at bay ever since they had told him the news earlier in the day squeezed his heart in a vise-like grip. She was gone. Gone forever. Nothing he could do could bring her back. How could the gods be so cruel and take her away from him? He had done nothing to deserve this! As the realization of her loss hit him afresh, he felt his soul being ripped into two. The pain was too much to bear.

It couldn't be true. He would not accept it. He would bring her back. He had to bring her back, he thought, taking a step away from the precipice. All he had to do was find her.

She's not coming back, a cruel voice in his head jeered. She's dead, it said savagely.

No!

He cried out again as night descended and the first stars twinkled in the sky.

It's your fault she's dead, the voice continued to torment. You should have taken better care of her, it said viciously.

He fell to his knees, almost falling off the precipice, dropped his face in his hands, and sobbed miserably. The voice was right. He was responsible for her death. He should have prevented it. He had promised to protect her, and he had failed.

As his soul-shattering sobs echoed in the silence of the night, a sense of despair engulfed his mind. Sadness like he had never known before sliced his heart and mind into tiny pieces till the pain became unbearable. It broke him, shattering the last bit of his resilience and hope, and he felt strangely numb as he stood up once again.

How would it feel to take a step forward into the nothingness below? Would his dragon take over, prevent him from hitting the bottom, or would his mangled and bloody body be feasted upon by the scavengers? He did not know, and this made him perversely happy.

He looked up at the sky, then at the inky darkness below. Then he began laughing. Softly and hesitantly at first, then loudly and manically as he came unhinged, allowing the madness to take over his mind. The curse had caught up with him. The grief of losing his mate had driven him mad.

It wasn't so bad to be mad…

It wasn't so bad to be mad…

He chanted in his head, giggling at the little rhyme he had made up as he took a step forward and fell into the nothingness, screaming, laughing, crying.

His cries got fainter and fainter as he fell thousands of feet below, until there was complete silence. Then with an almighty roar, a golden dragon emerged from the depths of the canyons, its deep orange-red eyes glowing fiercely. It flew wildly as if unable to control its movements, banging into the rocks, bellowing in pain, breathing fire at the stones that had dared to hurt it. Minutes turned into hours, but it did not stop flying, dipping in and out of the canyon erratically.

Finally, as dawn broke, it dropped to the bottom and slaked its thirst, drinking deeply from the river. With tremendous effort, it rose again and flew into a cave, shifting back into a man as it landed.

There were cuts and bruises on his body from hitting the rocks. Many were bleeding. He knew he would heal faster in dragon form, but he welcomed the pain. It would be his constant companion as long as he lived.

But now he had a mission. He had a purpose. Something to live for. He needed to find other unmated Quartz dragons and stop them from bonding with their soul mates. If he could not have his soul mate, neither could anybody else.