Dylan
Alpha Rogan was standing just inside the door now and I knew that whatever plans I had about getting out of here without him finding out about this had just vanished.
Everyone in the room was now looking at the new guest and the look on Roane's face was filled with a mix of curiosity and frustration.
"Since when did people start entering offices without getting permission first," he blurted out as he stared back and forth between Noel and the Alpha.
I can't lie, I was pretty impressed by the way he carried himself and his lack of sheer care of who Alpha Rogan was and the position that he held. It helped that he probably had no idea who he really was, but still, I was impressed.
Now, if I can manage to get myself out of this without revealing everything to Alpha Rogan then maybe I can get out of here with a job and the ability to keep the little life that I'm trying to build for myself.
Noel was still standing so close to me that I could feel his breath on my shoulder, but so far he was just there, which was oddly comforting.
Roane was still looking towards Alpha Rogan and right now, I wished more than anything that I could link with Noel and tell him to play along with me. Since I had no luck in that department, I considered whispering to him.
The moment I tilted my head to attempt it, Roane immediately turned his attention back towards me.
"Finally ready to tell me what the f*ck is going on Ms. Solamier and why this a**hole has now joined our little party?"
Even though the tone of Roane's voice was angry, I honestly didn't think it was directed at me, because his eyes seemed a bit worried or concerned, and maybe that was his true emotion.
Stopping mid exhale, I knew that if I tried to say anything to Noel now, everyone in this room would hear. Hell, everyone on this floor would probably hear with how quiet it sounded.
Alpha Rogan seemed to be trying to puzzle things out because the look on his face was different, not mad per se, but just off somehow.
I've seen him angry, and thankfully, we were not there yet at least. Alpha Rogan hadn't attempted to link with Noel because I hadn't seen his eyes with that slight wispy haze in them and I could only assume that it was due to Roane's presence.
"Ms. Solamier, is there a reason why you have suddenly become mute? Are you afraid of either of the gentlemen here in this room," he asked while looking only at me, but speaking to us all.
No, I couldn't give him any impression that I was afraid of Alpha Rogan even though he scared the hell out of me at times.
Rae was speaking to me softly, "do not be afraid little one, he can not hurt you here and you have not done anything wrong."
I almost scoffed out loud, but I quickly caught myself. She knew just as well as I did that I didn't have to do anything wrong for him to lose his temper and "punish" me for one thing or another.
Roane continued staring at me, and it was starting to get a little awkward. The more time that I had to look at his face I was able to appreciate just how handsome he was.
Letting my eyes flick to the door, I saw Vit come up next to Alpha Rogan and another gentleman who I was pretty sure hadn't been outside when we first arrived.
The other man who joined him was a handsome looking older fellow with salt and pepper hair. While he had a similar build to Alpha Rogan, it was apparent that he was not only human, but he might possibly be ill or maybe extremely tired.
Wondering if he was the man that Alpha Rogan was supposed to have a meeting with, I watched as he observed the scene inside the office. His dark brown eyes took in all four of us and I could see the clench of his jaw as he just kept looking between us all.
How many more men were going to join us. I needed to figure out a way to talk myself out of here. Well, here goes nothing.
"I apologize, I might have mishandled the situation earlier and I think that I was just a bit taken off guard by this whole experience. I shouldn't have let my nerves get the best of me."
There, that should do it right? I said enough without saying too much. I turned to Noel, "I think it's time that we leave Mr. Winters office now." When I looked up at him I silently mouthed, please.
He didn't make any movement or say anything in response, but I knew that he saw it when he said, "of course little miss, I shall escort you to the car if you are done here."
Thank the Gods that Noel was the one beside me and not Vit because I was sure that he would not be trying to help me out of this.
Nodding at him, I moved and started walking towards the door when Roane walked right in front of me.
This close to him, I could see his eyes darken as he looked down at me, and I couldn't help the sudden hitch in my breath.
Gods he is a really, really good looking man, and he smelled divine. I took a deep sniff in through my nose and his smokey sweet scent filled my thoughts completely.
Just as quick as I sniffed him, yes, sniffed him, he leaned in and did the exact same thing to me, but covered it up by leaning in and whispering in my ear.
"If you are afraid of these men say the word and I will make sure that no one leaves with you," he softly breathed in my ear.
Gods! The heat of his warm breath sent a little shiver down my spine and I was sure that my cheeks were probably bright red by now.
When he pulled away from me, I felt like he expected me to tell him in one way or another that I was scared of one of these men. Little did he know that I wasn't just scared of them, I was terrified, of at least one of them.
Alpha Rogan walked over to me and placed his hand on the middle of my back. I tried to hide the sudden stiffness, but even though I smiled, I know that both Alpha Rogan and Mr. Winters caught my response.
Vit stayed outside, but the other person walked in as well, but he walked over to Roane's side.. They quickly exchanged a few words with each other and then Roane laughed quite loudly.
"So, it seems Xavier thinks that I should formally introduce myself to you. Rogan right? While I do not see the importance of this, I will accommodate his request."
He winked at Alpha Rogan and said, "I go by Roane Winters, but my legal name used to be Gabriel Aspen, the son and heir of Gideon Aspen."
The look on everyone's faces was definitely something to behold. Noel looked surprised, Vit looked annoyed, but Alpha Rogan looked completely unnerved.
As shocked as I was about their reactions, the one who surprised me the most was Rae, she couldn't believe what she was hearing and I could feel her wishing that she could shift for some odd reason.
Unsure of why everyone was having such a weird reaction to his name hit me a bit later than it probably should.
Aspen? Aspen?
Why did that sound familiar for some reason. I must have had some stupid look on my face because Roane, or Gabriel, whoever he was, smiled at me with a look of utter satisfaction.
It hit me then. Aspen. That was the name of the company.
Wait, if that was the name of the company, then that means.
"You're my boss," I blurted louder than I would have liked.
He cocked an eyebrow at me, "I've always been your boss Ms. Solamier."
Okay, now I understood why he had an office on the highest floor of the building and why he had a whole entourage this morning.
"No, you're not just my boss, you're like my bosses bosses boss."
The husky laugh that he let out was different than his laugh from earlier, this one was deep and throaty like he hadn't expected it.
"Yes, Ms. Solamier, that is one way to say it. Another way is to say that I am the owner of Aspen Communications, but I kind of like the boss of all bosses. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Joking at my expense was not really nice, but I was honestly confused. If he was the owner of the company, why would he work as my manager for so long. Why would he honestly work at all?
Alpha Rogan cleared his throat and inclined his head to Roane or Gabriel, whatever his name really was.
"It seems congratulations are in order Mr. Winters. I would love to set up a meeting with you soon to discuss what type of opportunities that I can help you with."
Though Alpha Rogan was smiling at Roane, I could feel that he was bothered for some reason by this revelation.
Roane seemed to think over his words for a moment then looked over to Xavier. "If you think that there is anything he can do for us let me know and then you can set something up. If not, don't bother."
Alpha Rogan let out a disgusted snarl, but didn't lash out like I could see he wished to. Not only had Roane disrespected him, he had blatantly ignored his offer.
Vit spoke up suddenly, "Sir, it seems that we may be late for your next meeting if we do not leave soon."
I honestly wasn't sure if there truly was another meeting that they had to attend, but Alpha Rogan nodded in his direction, "yes, thank you for reminding me Vit."
With the hand he still had placed on my back he pressed just enough to let me know that he wished for me to leave this office.
Roane didn't step in front of me this time. As I headed towards the door, I turned back before walking out.
"Thank you again Mr. Winters. It was a pleasure meeting you and I thank you for the continued opportunity to be apart of this, I mean, your company."
Bowing to him, I then turned around and walked out the door completely surrounded by Vit, Noel, and Alpha Rogan.
We stood in front of the wall that held the elevator and when the door finally slid open Roane and the other gentleman walked in with us.
To say that the ride down was uncomfortable was an understatement. I was disappointed that I couldn't watch from the back wall as we traveled back down to the first floor.
As we all got off the elevator there was small pleasantries exchanged as we said our good byes and I was excited that I had managed to get out of this without Alpha Rogan finding out any of Roane's plans.
Vit had gone to get the car and had pulled it up right in front of the door. We were walking out when a voice called after me, "Oh and Ms. Solamier, please let me know if you ever choose to reconsider my offer."
I winced, but did not turn back to look at him because I could feel the eyes of Alpha Rogan burning holes into my back.
As soon as Noel helped me into the car and had gotten into the front passenger seat, Vit was driving away from the property.
Even though I didn't look at Alpha Rogan, I knew that he had not just heard what Roane had said, but he was dying to know what he meant.
The second that we passed through their guard station and were back on that long stretch of road he leaned over and grabbed my face.
His fingers squeezed so hard that I knew that I would have finger shaped bruises by tonight. Snapping my head towards him he squeezed even harder and then practically growled at me.
"What the f*ck did he offer you Dylan!"