Alpha Adrian parts 9-11

“Calvin, I need you to rob someone tomorrow.”

Calvin spewed out his coffee. He looked at his demented alpha and shook his head. “Oh no. No, no no. If this is another one of your…”

Adrian lifted a sky mask and a pair of scissors. “I already made your mask.”

“You’re a millionaire!” Calvin whined as if Adrian forgot that very important detail. “What the hell do I have to rob someone for.”

“To get Eva’s attention. You’ll rob her, and then I’ll rescue her. I went through Lana’s Kindle tablet and saw this scenario in one of her novels. This is supposed to be romantic.”

“Why can’t you just ask her out like a normal person?”

Adrian glared. “Come here and try this mask on.”

A defeated Calvin slumped his shoulders and walked to his side. Adrian shoved the sky mask over his head and stared.

“Well… go on, look intimidating.”

Calvin raised his arms. “Yarrr, I rob fair maidens in broad daylight.”

Adrian smacked him upside the head. “You’re not a pirate, idiot.”

“At least my mate wouldn’t rather walk the plank than date me,” Calvin sassed.

Adrian’s eyes flashed, and the next thing Calvin knew, he was being chased around the apartment.
 
“Alpha, please, I was joking!”

He ducked when a MacBook laptop was tossed at his head.

“Stop breaking equipment!”

A desktop missed him by inches.

“Please, let’s talk about this!”

– • –

Adrian watched from the corner of the block. His intelligence agents told him that Eva walked her dog every morning at eight AM. He showed up twenty minutes early, just in case. He couldn’t miss this chance. Everything was planned out carefully.

Calvin was in position a few feet away, his black eye and scowl covered by his sky mask. 

Adrian stared at the entrance to Eva’s apartment complex. It looked like a middle-wage– not the worst, but definitively not what he was used to. He hoped Eva wasn’t too attached to independence because he had lengthy plans of spoiling her.

Come on, mate. Your three days are over.

As if she heard his summon, Eva pushed the door opened.

Good girl.

He could swear that his eyes watered for a second. Even with her hair shoved into a bun atop her head and her clothes baggy, Eva looked stunning.

He watched on like a creep, waiting for her to reach the target.

If another Alpha saw him crouching like a creep and going to such desperate lengths for his mate’s attention, he would end himself right then and there.

When she passed Calvin, he rose from the bushes and screamed “arrg!” like a fucking pirate– although Adrian specifically told him not to.

Eva’s dog barked up a storm. Adrian watched his damsel in distress shriek, and then– begin to beat the shit out of Calvin.

No! This was not how this was supposed to work out! He was supposed to run over there and save Eva from the villain, not save Calvin from the five-foot, hundred-pound sack of human anger.

He ran out to save his secretary. He wrapped an arm around her and peeled her off a screaming Calvin, and used his free hand to bind her wrists.

Her dog growled, and he shot it a glare that made it whimper and lower its head in submission.

“You– Adrian?!” she was panting against him, her breasts feeling flush against his chest.

“Hey. You alright?”

Calvin took that chance to stand up and run for dear life. Eva watched him go and then made the connection.

“You had something to do with this?” She fought to push him off, and he let go to avoid hurting her.

“Not at all. I was just on my way to talk to you,” he lied.

She squinted, not believing a word.

“There’s no need for you to be here,” she replied, looking down to check on her dog.

“You owe me dry cleaning, remember?” he joked.

Eva reached into her back pocket, pulled out a fifty, and threw it at him. “Keep the change.” She turned to walk away, but his hand found her waist again.

Not so fast.

He did not make Calvin a sky mask, destroy three computers, and plan for this spectacle like a damn fool, to just watch Eva’s sweet little hips sway as she walked away from him.

“I came to talk about your cousin.”

“Please stop touching me.”

He dropped his hand, although it physically hurt him.

“We don’t have any business with each other. I thank you for being kind to me while we were in the elevator, and for getting the rescue team to dig us out so quickly, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t cross my path again.”

“Have breakfast with me and I’ll drop the lawsuit,” he blurted.

Eva turned around. “What?”

“Your cousin won’t have to pay me a penny.”

She blinked at the handsome, mysterious, dangerous male. She couldn’t understand his obsession. There was nothing extraordinary about her– not in beauty, not in talent. She was just the chick that practically sexually harassed him when they got stuck in an elevator.

But did it matter? She could help Sam out, and all she had to do was drink coffee with this guy.

“Not a cent?” she hesitated.

“Not a cent,” Adrian assured.

She licked her lips and looked behind him in search of signs that this was some kidnapping plot.

“Okay… but I’ll have to bring Ares back inside.”

Adrian nodded and shot her a smile that did strange things to her insides.

“I’ll wait right here.”

She walked back into her building, looking over her shoulder to check on him. He was still standing there, hands in pockets, eyes intense.

She looked down at Ares, who seemed just as baffled by this man’s presence. She walked up the stairs and shuddered when she realized that her waist could still feel the presence of his large hands.

She didn’t care to change out of her clothes. This wasn’t a date– just an awkward get-together with a rich guy that wanted to ruin her cousin’s life.

God, Eva. Why can’t you meet a nice guy at a library like a normal person?

She gave Ares a treat as an apology for skipping their morning walk and grabbed some cash on her way out. She’d need to pay for more of Adrian’s dry-cleaning if he did something stupid and got himself a bloody nose.

Part 10

He stood right where she left him, hands still in pockets and gaze still a black hole. He was dressed in a suit, although he was missing his tie. She wondered if the guy ever relaxed and tossed on jeans, or if he considered that peasant attire.

“Thanks for coming,” he smiled.

“Thirty minutes, right?” she asked.

“What?”

“Thirty minutes and we go separate ways?”

Adrian didn’t answer. He pulled his cellphone out and sent a text. A car rolled up within minutes, and she couldn’t even recognize its brand. When Adrian held out the door, she hesitated before sliding inside. Adrian slipped right beside her, and suddenly, she felt like she was in a crammed elevator all over again.

“Take us to a cafe,” he told his driver.

“Right away, alp– sir.”

Eva zipped up her sweater and shoved her hands into her pocket.

“Are you cold?”

She arched her neck to meet the gaze of the giant. Those eyes– damn, those eyes. They could stun medusa herself, bring shame to the moon, bring life where there was death.

“Eva? Are you cold?”

“No.”

No, not cold. She was horribly hot, and it was all because his presence burned with an intensity that melted her body and thoughts.

The drive was silent but thankfully short. He held the door open for her again, as if she was the queen of England. She was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn’t notice the sign hanging atop the cafe.

It was when she looked up and saw the menu that she realized the mistake.

John’s Cafe. 

Her ex’s workplace.

She turned around, ready to bounce.

“Eva?”

Of course this fucking happens when she’s wearing a hoodie two times her size, has a rat’s nest for hair, bushy eyebrows, and leggings that were hanging onto her waist for dear life.

John– he had such a basic name, and an even more basic personality. A typical cheater.

“Look, I told you that you can’t keep coming back here.”

She winced. Yeah, he broke her heart so badly that she showed up twice afterward to beg him to take her back. Her self-esteem was bad back then. So bad that she removed her camera icon from her home screen to avoid the risk of opening it, always faked an illness to avoid her friends, stared at famous Instagram models for hours, and filled her browsing history with plastic surgery.

She lifted her head, showing off her rat’s nest proudly. 

Fuck basic John. She was a new woman now.

“Babe.”

Babe?

An arm slid around her and rested at the small of her back.

At the small of her back?

Lips touched her rat’s nest.

The rat’s nest?

“Come on and feed the little one. We have to go. The helicopter just left the base.”

Adrian lifted his phone to his ear. “Yes, we’re coming. Keep the helo warm. I’m at some trashy cafe right now. Eva’s morning sickness is delaying us again.”

Morning sickness?

Adrian hung up and slid his phone into his pocket. When he pulled his hand back out, he held a wallet. He made sure that his Rolex sparkled under the lights as he slipped out a few crisp hundred dollar bills.

“Hey buddy, can you get us coffee and orange juice? Straight black, thanks.”

He shoved the bills into John’s hands. “Keep the change.”

“Come, baby. Do your ankles hurt?”

John looked like he was boiling as hot as the nearest cup of coffee.

Adrian– her newfound baby-daddy, led her to the nearest booth and sat next to her as if he couldn’t bear the thought of separation.

“What did you just do?”

He shrugged. “You didn’t want orange juice?”

“Adrian!” she whined. “What was that back there?”

He shrugged again. “I arrogantly flashed my wealth to make it look like you surpassed your insufferable ex. So what? I’m just sprinkling a healthy dose of karma in the world.”

She facepalmed. “Look… thanks, but you didn’t have to do that. I’ll pay you back. I’m not poor.”

“Didn’t say you were,” he said, picking up a menu and scanning it.

“These pancakes look good, but your ex would probably poison them.” He looked at her and frowned. “Why do you look upset?” He pursed his lips. “Was that not enough? Should I make him go bankrupt instead?”

“Are you crazy?” she hissed, reaching for his phone when he pulled it out.

“It’s no big deal. I’ll just call up my lawyer.” He was joking, but he kept his face straight to mess with her.

“No lawyers. No bankruptcy.” She said, placing his phone at the edge of the table. A person walked by right then, and the phone went crashing.

“Shit! I’m sorry!” the passerby said, picking it up and handing over the cracked screen.

“Aw, fuck,” she whined. “Sorry, Adrian. I’ll replace this, okay?”

He was just about to tell her that the cracked screen would hurt Calvin more than him, when a despicable idea crossed him.

“Hmm… this date is becoming costly.”

“I know a girl that has a shop. She’s great at fixing things like this. She’ll hook you up, don’t worry.”

“I can’t hand my phone over to anyone. I’ve got classified information on it.”

“Oh, hmm. Okay. We’ll go to a professional, then.”

“Or we could extend the date for a few more hours and I’ll forget this ever happened.”

“Hah. No thanks. I can afford a screen replacement.”

“You scuffed the edge,” he smirked. “That thing is gold plated.”

“Extending the date sounds great!” She corrected herself.

Adrian smiled with satisfaction. “Good. Here come our drinks. Make sure to drink it all. We don’t want to upset the munchkin, do we?” 

She groaned. This guy was delusional.

He tossed an arm around her shoulders when John came to deliver the beverages.

A distant rumbling made her look out the window.

“That must be the helicopter,” Adrian said arrogantly.

No, not delusional. He was fucking insane.

Part 11:

They finished their drinks. As she left the cafe, she felt John's eye follow her.

Adrian took her for a walk. Their conversation was slow, both of both of them lost in their thoughts.

“I need to explain myself,” Adrian blurted. 

She turned to look at him, her clothes shifting. Although she told him a million times that she wasn’t cold, he slipped his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. She looked like an idiot, but something told her that’s not why Adrian kept sneaking glances at her.

“What do you mean, explain yourself?”

Adrian sighed. “Why I lied about the whole Albert thing. That was a mistake, alright? It’s just that women start acting different once they hear my last name. I wanted to get to know you and didn’t want you to feel intimidated.”

That wasn’t exactly a lie.

“So you’re telling me this had nothing to do with my cousin? You didn’t lie because you had some evil plot?”

“Nothing.”

They passed a bench, and he tugged her to it by the waist, trying to minimize their skin contact.

“I’m sorry about the lie, okay?”

She swallowed, hard. “Okay.”

“Your dog was cute,” he said to change the topic.

Her face brightened with a smile that added ten years to his life. She started ranting about her pet, pushing a stubborn lock of hair away from her face until Adrian did it for her and made her bit her lip. He shared random facts about dogs and wolves, and she ate that up. Their interest in animal was the one thing they could share about their worlds.

People passed and stared at her. She did look ridiculous, but was so lost in conversation that she didn’t seem to notice. With a sharp glare, Adrian had every asshole squirming away.

“Will you show me around your workplace sometime?” he asked.

“You want to go to the vet?” she raised an eyebrow.

He shrugged. “Hey, I showed you the bottom of my skyscraper. I think its only fair if you offer the same curtesy.”

She laughed and covered her smile guiltily. “Sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. That terrorist attack was horrible.”

He grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from her cute face. “There were no casualties. Don’t worry about that.”

“Did you ever find out what happened? Oh, is that confidential?” 

“It’s still under investigation. So… our next date?”

She hesitated. “I don’t know if…”

“Great! Does Wednesday work? I’ll take you to a restaurant.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever been told the word ‘no’?”

He chuckled. “The helo will pick you up at seven.”

“No!” she pointed at the outrageous male. “No helos, no jets, no hot air balloons.”

He leaned in to kiss her cheek, setting off a spark that had her gasping.

“Talking to you makes me feel like I’m on cloud nine. I figured you deserve to fly just as high.”

She ducked her head, unable to hold his gaze. This guy was smooth, and so was the warmth tricking between her legs.

“Let me take you home. It’s almost four.”

Damn, how did they lose track of time so quickly?

Adrian called his driver, and they were off minutes later. When her building rolled in, Adrian walked around and opened her door. She found herself hesitating to leave.

“Wednesday,” he smiled.

“Wednesday,” she repeated. 

– Wednesday – 

Fuck, it was Wednesday.

Last time they met, she and Adrian exchanged numbers last time they met. They hardly texted, though. It was like he wanted to let the suspense build.

He told her to dress nice– but she had no idea what “nice” meant. Casual nice? Formal nice?

She opted for a pencil skirt and a nice blouse. You can’t go wrong with that, right? Her hair was carefully straightened, and her lips glossy. She didn’t care to add more makeup. Applying it was complicated, and her foundation probably expired a decade ago.

She was dressed four hours early, not wanting to risk anything going wrong. She was a bit eager to show Adrian that she wasn’t a bum after all.

Her doorbell rang.

Why the fuck is he so early? 

Ares barked, and she pet his head before peeking out the door. A delivery man holding a bouquet of flowers stood there.

Her stomach did a weird little backflip, and she opened the door.

“These are for you."

She smiled. “Thank you.”

There was a note attached to the dozen red roses. She closed the door and tore through the envelope.

Thinking of you.
–Albert/Adrian

Her face hurt, and she realized that it was because she was smiling.

She plopped down on her couch with Ares on one side and her flowers in the other. The TV was on, but all she could do was stare at the roses.

He was thinking of her. The detail was so romantic.

The doorbell rang hours later, right on time.

She kissed Ares goodbye and then click-clacked out the door.

Adrian wore a suit as usual. 

He scrutinized her from head to toe.

“Wow. You look… wow.”

The educated, successful man was stunned speechless.

She laughed. “Thank you. And for the flowers, too.”

Adrian offered her an arm, and she linked hers to it.

“I’m glad you liked them.”

He led her to the elevator, and she amusedly wondered if he would even fit inside. His shoulders were way too broad to pass through the doorframe.

She fidgeted when she noticed that he was staring at her. Was he really that impressed?

The elevator arrived, and his hand found the small of her back as he led her inside.

“I like your tie,” she said, to trying to distract herself from her nerves. “The green brings out your–”

There was a stutter in the elevator, and she tumbled right into Adrian’s awaiting arms.

The lights above them flickered.

“No,” she said. “No. You’ve got to be fucking–”

Adrian boomed with laughter. “I’m starting to think that elevators don’t like us, Eva.”

They were stuck. Again.