Chapter 3

Lancelin's P.O.V

I turned to face him sharply. "I don't need a new secretary. I think I'd told you and everyone else that specifically."

"Brother... please. At least have a look at her! She's already waiti-"

"You've called her here? At this ungodly hour?" Acelin's innocent look though, told me a whole different story. I was beyond outraged. How dare he barge into my office and try to control my life! "Acelin?"

"Ummm..." Ace scratched the back of his neck nervously.

A light 'ping' noise indicated that we'd reached the sixteenth floor, and as soon as the doors parted, Acelin's reasons for being nervous, became crystal clear.

He hadn't only brought a secretary to my office, he'd appointed her.

The impact slammed into me on a wave of raw emotions. Desire unfurled in my gut; spreading its wings with slow deliberation throughout my system as I got accustomed to the sight and scent of her. My eyes would’ve glowed from the inside if I didn’t have such iron clad control over myself. The visceral reaction startled me enough that I paused on the doorway to stare at her.

She wasn’t the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, not by a long shot. But she’d honed her beauty to perfection and something told me, it was all natural. From the kohl rimmed chocolate brown eyes to the stiletto she wore to gain height over most men. She wore a full sleeved blouse in light grey and a pencil skirt of darker grey, neutral colours to make sure she didn’t stand out and yet, she did. Something about her just made a man’s attention snap towards her the instant she walked into a room.

She was a professional through and through. And from what I’ve heard about her from Acelin so far, she was damn good at her job. Overall, she would’ve been the perfect choice for a secretary…if I didn’t feel this overwhelming urge to have her naked and writhing beneath me. It was the oddest behavior on my part. I did not mix business with pleasure, that rule was absolute. And yet…when it came to Sanaya Johnson, it made me want to break all rules and throw rationality out the window.

"What is your secretary doing here?" I snapped at Acelin, fuming at the thought that he must be testing my patience.

"Haven’t you read the notice? Ms. Johnson’s term expired at my office and you recently fired your secretary, so she was ordered to transfer to your office." Acelin sighed and turned to me. "Lancelin, give it a try. She's the best we've ever had. She'll be perfect."

I looked her over carefully, making sure to make eye contact with her chocolate brown orbs. But instead of squirming, like most people did in my presence, she held my gaze as if she was immune to our power. Was she really immune? Is that why Sanaya Johnson had managed to work for BlueStar for a whooping five years, as Acelin’s secretary nonetheless, without any complaints and a spotless record?

"Little brother, just consid-"

"You're hired."

"Wha-" My brother seemed to be lost for words. He hadn't thought I'd accept so easily. He had been ready to defend his little secretary at any cost. Watching his eyes widen and mouth gape open was a treat indeed. "Office hour starts at eight a.m. A second late and I'll fire you immediately. No questions asked."

"Of course, Sir." Sanaya spoke for the first time, and her voice sounded just as husky and mesmerizing as I remember hearing it for the first time four years ago. “It is a pleasure to be able to serve you.” She bowed low in a perfect courtesy and rose with equal grace, her posture something even models couldn’t perfect.

I gave her a small nod as she walked up to me and Acelin, her heels clicking on the marbled floor. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Eustein, sharp at eight o’ clock.” Then she turned to Acelin and bowed low before handing him a planner. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Sir. I’ve made a list of all your meetings and dinner plans for the next couple weeks. Unless there’s an emergency, things should go exactly as scheduled. Good night, Sir.”

"Good night, Ms. Johnson." I smirked as she headed past us to the elevator.

"Good night Mr. Eustein, Sir." She bowed her head a fraction as the elevator doors closed shut.

"Goodness brother!"

I winced at his outburst. He didn't wait long to pounce on me. He started as soon as Ms. Johnson was out of sight.

"She's human for God’s sake! She needs rest and she's already done enough by waiting for you till 3 in the morning! What on Earth were you thinking?"

"You wanted her to work for me so I hired her. And why exactly are you complaining when Ms. Johnson had no problem with the scheduling?" I raised my eyebrows at Ace as loosened my tie. I was tired and I didn't want to deal with Acelin's drama right now.

"There you go again, twisting my words into something else! I really hope that this isn’t some sick game you’re playing and you genuinely give her a chance, Lance, because if I hear that you’ve fired Ms. Johnson on some baseless ground, you’ll be dealing with me personally!” He turned and stormed out of my office.

Saved me the trouble, I thought to myself.

Sighing, I turned off the lights in the lounge area with a voice command and ran a hand through my hair. I moved past my office door and down the hallway through a camouflage door to my apartment. The moon shining through the huge glass walls of my living room greeted me with a warm welcome.

I took off my jacket and shirt and threw them into the laundry basket. A maid comes two days a week to clean everything, so I don’t have to worry about the menial tasks. I then went to the bathroom to wash off any trace or scents left by my last meal. Mixing with mortals was one of my least favorite tasks and even tiresome was keeping the mortal world from finding out about us.

Gone were the days when humans worshipped us as Gods and threw themselves at our feet to be our feed. To be selected by an Incubus was once considered a great privilege. People used to fight to become our Scribts, our disciples. And women erected and prayed in temples to be of service to us. But with the increase in numbers of the humans and the advancement of science and technology, we, the hunters are now the hunted.

If any researcher or scientist found out about us, then the only result will lead us torn apart on a table top under a sharp knife. That wouldn’t be the end though, because then the humans would hunt for more, until we became a slave to their thirst for power. Oh, how the roles have been reversed?

It’s not that the immortal world is scared of the mortals, but it’s better to avoid a war and conflict than to enforce power by force.

After a steaming hot shower, I came out of the bathroom in my robe and stood by the glass wall that overlooked the city. Several people in New York would kill to have this view in their daily life, but only a few get to witness this.

As I looked at the silver glow of the moon, the clock struck four in the morning and Sanaya Johnson’s face came to my mind.

The best day in the world for me would be the day my family stopped interfering with my life. But that day certainly wasn't going to be today and definitely not tomorrow.

"Let's see how long you last... Sanaya."