My Grumpy Alpha

Ava

I can’t believe my luck.

A job that pays real money. A weekly stipend for food. They’ll even give me a place to live at the company apartment. I’m going to have my own bed. Maybe even my own pillow and some sheets.

I’ve got to be the luckiest girl in the world.

I straighten my spine, sitting up completely straight in my chair. Even though I’m running on two hours of sleep, half a donut and a can of Red Bull, I’ve never been more awake.

I need this job.

And hopefully this one won’t have a horrible, abusive boss that expects me to sleep with them. It’s insane how often I run into those types of men. The amount of times I had to quit because even reporting harassment to HR would get me nowhere is honestly heartbreaking. I think my mind has become numb to the horror of it all…

“He’ll be here any minute.” Gabe, the VP smiles at me as he gets up and walks out of the room. The way he looks at me makes me nervous. Not in a creepy way, just…it’s like he expects something to happen. Like I’m some sort of amazing person and he can’t wait to see what happens next.

What exactly he’s waiting for…I have no idea.

I fidget in my seat, unsure of what to do when I hear footsteps echoing in the hallway behind me.

Damn, those steps are heavy and purposeful.

The door swings wide open, I turn around, and that’s when I nearly die.

He’s beautiful.

Just, absolutely, stunning.

It should be illegal for a man to have caramel-colored hair that thick and a sharp jawline. I almost feel like I need to look away.

And then, of course, all of my fantasies are shattered within an instant.

“No,” he barks and slams the door, walks over to his massive mahogany desk and what I’m sure is a very expensive chair, and folds his arms. “Out.”

“W-what?” Is this part of the interview? A test? Is he sane?

His smile is lethal as he leans forward like his massive six-foot four frame isn’t already dominating the room along with that bulked up body. “I know Gabe hired you without my consent, and I know you have a great background, checked out your resume, but no. You can let yourself out.”

I’m crushed. My dreams of having a roof over my head and a bed to call my own disappears in a puff of smoke.

I keep all the tears in and thankfully recompose myself as he stares down at his phone. “Can I ask you why you’re already saying no? Especially if my credentials check out?”

He snorts down at his phone, then weirdly sets it calmly on his desk and inhales like he’s ready to orgasm on the spot. His blue-eyed gaze suddenly locks on me, and I can’t even blink. “Because you’re too pretty and you smell good.”

I nearly tumble out of my chair. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You should be.” He glares. “Sorry, that is.”

“For existing?”

“Yes, in my office, at this moment, breathing, you should be sorry, and the answer is no. I don’t care how many times you can prove you’re the best secretary on this planet, you’re too gorgeous for your own good. So, no.”

My brain stops working.

I’m not getting the job because I’m too pretty? That’s…new. Not that I think that I’m super pretty anyway, but I’m usually forced to quit because my bosses have been major creeps toward me.

What can I do?

I’m officially panicking.

I need a place to stay.

I need food.

I need a job.

And this was my last and only hope for interviews today.

“I’ll cut my hair!” I yell, even though it would kill me since it’s really the only thing I have going for me, my long black hair and my green eyes. I've been told by a lot of guys that the only reason they even dated me was because they were curious what my hair felt like.

Creepy.

Weird.

Gross.

“And!” I just have to keep talking. “I’ll put on cheap perfume, and dress down. I’ll do whatever it takes and, while this is the weirdest interview or conversation ever, I’ll do anything, seriously anything.” A tear runs down my cheek before I can swipe it away. “I really need a job.”

“Why?” He yawns like he’s bored.

I swallow my pride. “I have no parents. I’m in a homeless shelter, my last boss tried to take advantage of me in a very inappropriate way, then I was fired because his sister was head of HR and I just need—” God I would die for a French fry right now. “I just need…” I can’t stop the tears now. I’m so unprofessional I should just walk away.

So I nod my head again and hold out my hand. “Nevermind, thank you for your time, sir.”

He pauses.

Hesitates just briefly, then starts to move. I immediately think he’s going to try something, instead he stands and pulls a few bills from his pocket and instead of shaking my hand, puts them in my palm. “Eat.”

“What?”

“Eat.” His nostrils flair. “Where do you sleep?”

“What?”

“Sleeping. Humans do it to relax and not die. Where. Do. You. Sleep?”

My lower lip trembles because I’m embarrassed to tell him. I’m embarrassed that I’m standing in a multi-million dollar office getting money from the CEO and basically ready to fall to my knees for a job.

He sighs and comes around the desk, then grabs me by the face. “Breathe.”

It’s strange. When someone gives you permission to do something that your body should naturally already be doing but suddenly you feel like you can.

You can breathe.

I take a deep breath in as more tears fall and open my eyes.

“Better?” He asks, he’s touching me but I’m not afraid. It’s not aggressive, it’s caring in nature and it makes me want to lean in a little bit more, to a complete stranger, because he gave me permission to be human.

I nod my head and whisper, “Yes.”

“Good girl.” He gently pulls his hands back. “Take the money, grab some food.” He leans over and presses a button on his phone. “Gabe, can you please grab the fob key for the apartment on six?”

“Right away,” he answers back.

Within seconds, Gabe, with his short black hair and black-rimmed glasses, walks in. He’s beautiful too, but they don’t look related even though they’re brothers. Gabe looks like he’s from Asian descent and Eli, the CEO, looks more mixed with his strong features, but I can’t quite pinpoint what his background even is.

“Thank you.” Eli grabs the key and presses it into the same palm that has the money. “Gabe’s going to show you where to bring your things. The apartment building is across the street, all employees get free housing, you start at six.”

“At night?”

He smirks. “In the morning.”

Gabe cracks a smile. “Sorry, he just has weird hours.”

“Okay.”

I follow Gabe out of the office, the door closing with a heavy thud behind me. Gabe’s heavy sigh follows. “Trust me, it gets weirder during full moons.”

“His attitude?”

“Oh no, that’s always terrible… I meant the hours.”

“Why?”

He says nothing. “You should get some food in you, get a good rest. It’s going to be a long week of training.”

I nod and walk out the door, my thoughts a mess. Did I really just spill my life story to some strangers, embarrass myself crying, and somehow end up with the job? I’m almost to the front door when I realise that I didn’t even thank them for hiring me.

I walk back, wanting to let them know how grateful I am, when I hear voices on the other side of the door.

“What did I tell you?” I hear Gabe say. “She’s the one, isn’t she?”

“It’s not her.” Eli sounds furious. “It can’t be.”

“You can’t deny it. Even I could tell there was something different about her.”

“I don’t want to hear it, Gabe. I can’t risk it.”

Risk it? What were they talking about? My heart starts racing as I press my ear to the door, desperate to hear more.

“You can’t keep running from this, Eli. She’s clearly your m—”

“ENOUGH!” Eli’s voice booms so clearly through the door that it makes me jump. “Drop it. Not another word. It’s bad enough that I agreed to let her be my secretary.”

I step away, even more confused than before. Did they want to hire me or not? I shake my head, the exhaustion catching up to me. I got the job. I have a place to live, and some food to eat. For now, that’s all that matters.