CHAPTER 2

Working with Pedro Lassiter had its advantage and disadvantage as well. The man himself was envied by his peers because of his super qualities and extremely good looks, and she was only human! She was not a robot without any feelings at all, although, she mastered hiding her true emotions whenever they were together. However, as they spent a lot of time together, she was bound to develop some unwanted feelings for someone like Pedro Lassiter. Actually, the man was supposedly off-limits because of their differences in the financial aspect, but her heart has a mind on its own.

"Do you have any free time after work?" Pedro inquired with his secretary after he had signed the contract. Last night's meeting with Natalya has been a success, thanks to his wonderful assistant.

Due to the fact that she was recognizing Pedro's outstanding qualities as a guy when she returned to work, Adrienne regretted her decision yesterday. She tried her best to keep her feelings for Pedro Lassiter under control, but it was tough. Day after day, she learned that Pedro Lassiter was one-of-a-kind, and he possessed many admirable characteristics!

“Why?” She dreaded the moment when Pedro would come up to her and ask her that question.

"My mother had requested that you have dinner at home," he explained.

It was impossible for her to say no when Pedro mentioned his mother. Her mother, Mrs Lassiter, was always friendly to her, so she agreed and said, “Okay.”

An hour later, they were already in the parking lot of the building owned by Pedro’s family. As his assistant, it was her responsibility to drive his automobile. However, he stopped her from doing it this time.

“I’ll drive,” he declared.

When he said those words, Adrienne’s mind wandered to something else. How could his voice sound so seductive and manly at the same time? She reiterated to him that it was part of her job, but Pedro insisted on doing it.  Even though she disagreed with him, Pedro was adamant about driving. Adrienne screamed in despair when he turned on the engine and started driving! He went at breakneck speed, and he laughed like a maniac while behind the wheel.

“Will you please slow down a little? Do you have a death wish, Mr Lassiter?”

“Shhhh,” he said, and continued driving. Well, he missed driving at full speed but he was banned from doing so. His family was worried about his safety. After all, he was the Alpha of the Vagabond Warriors Pack. Regardless if they were active or not, their clan should continue to survive normally amongst normal humans.

A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination, and despite being nervous, Adrienne composed herself well. Pedro’s family were all nice to her, and they greeted her with a smile. However, there was one person whom she didn’t recognize at the moment. He didn’t look familiar to her but she was positive that he was related to Pedro.

“That’s my cousin, Keith,” Pedro whispered, but when he glanced back at his cousin, he noticed that Keith’s eyes were focused on Adrienne. He narrowed his eyes at Keith but the darn guy just stared at his assistant. “Keith? Is this your first time to meet my assistant?”

“Yes, and she’s my type,” Keith answered boldly.

Pedro growled at Keith but his mother was quick to stop an unnecessary fight between them.  Then, he glanced at Adrienne and noticed that the woman seemed uncomfortable in her seat. Did he say something wrong? No, it’s probably not his fault, and Keith should be blamed for making her uncomfortable.

“Are you alright?” Pedro whispered into her since they were seating next to each other.

“I’m nervous. What’s wrong with your cousin? He looked like he wanted to devour me right on this table,” she replied, and the man suddenly burst into laughter.

“Just try to ignore him,” he warned Adrienne because he was aware of his cousin’s flirting capabilities. 

Ignore him? How could she ignore such a virile man across from her? When she looked across the table, she noticed that Keith was still looking at her, which made her feel uneasy and uncomfortable. Fortunately, Pedro’s mother asked her something about his son. The woman was the one who gave her the job after they met unexpectedly in a critical situation. Her loyalty belonged to Pedro’s mother, but as a human being with conscience and dignity, she did her best to become the best assistant for Pedro Lassiter.

After dinner, she was meant to leave immediately, but Keith insisted that they spend the rest of the evening drinking coffee at the pavilion. The pavilion was located in their garden, and it was furnished with comfy chairs and a coffee table for their guests to enjoy. She came to the conclusion that the family must have utilized the pavilion on a regular basis, but when she glanced at her boss for approval, Pedro Lassiter shook his head to refuse.

“I’m sorry but I should go home,” she kindly refused Keith’s invitation to stay for coffee.

“Come on, Adrienne! It’s just coffee,” Keith said.

“Hmmm, I don’t think so, Mr Keith Lassiter. Since dinner, I noticed the way you stared at me. Come on, be honest with me,” she copied his tone earlier.

“Whoa, this is unexpected, but since you wanted me to be honest, here it is. I like you, Adrienne, and I think it’s love at first sight,” he admitted.

“Really? Wow! This is unexpected as well, but why do you like me?”

“Because you look gorgeous and ripe for the picking.”

“W-what? Ripe for the picking? I’m not a fruit, sir.”

“I was kidding, sorry,” he said calmly.

Adrienne was intrigued by Andrew's interest but she didn't believe any of his words. He’s a playboy for sure, and he was used to sweet talk a woman to have sex with him. “I’m glad that you were kidding, sir, but I’m not.  If you are doing this to fuck me, then I’m sorry to say this but I’m not interested.”

“But why? Don’t you find me attractive?”

“Of course, you are attractive! However, I don’t feel like doing it with you,” she admitted the truth. When it comes to her future experience with a man, she wanted nothing else but Pedro Lassiter. Oh damn!

“I understand, Miss Mcbride, but still, please stay for coffee. This won’t take long,” he said. “Did I forget to tell you that you look cute in that outfit?”

For a moment, Adrienne narrowed her eyes at Keith for subtly flirting with her. “These are my work clothes, sir,” she answered.

“Regardless. You look damn gorgeous in that dress!”

Adrienne implored Andrew to stop flirting with her because she was already feeling uncomfortable. "Stop it, please," Adrienne requested.

“As you wish, gorgeous. Well, I’m glad to join tonight’s dinner because I saw a goddess,” Keith continued.

“Oh God, will you please stop saying those words? You lied just to get my approval to have sex, am I right?”

Keith laughed at loud, and Pedro heard them. He immediately regretted his action for laughing out loud because Pedro strolled towards them. Actually, he wondered why his cousin was so protective about Adrienne Mcbride when the woman obviously didn’t mean anything to him. Then, an idea popped up inside his head and he wanted to test Pedro Lassiter once more.

“Where do you live, Adrienne? I will be glad to drive you home,” he said, and as expected, when Pedro heard his statement, a line developed between Pedro’s brows, and he frowned.

"I have to take Adrienne home now since we still have to go to work in the morning tomorrow,” he suddenly announced.

Keith looked at her wristwatch and expressed displeasure that it was just nine o'clock in the evening. "Please let her stay for another hour," he asked Pedro.

 “Better luck next time cousin,” he said. “She was not feeling well today but Mother insisted that she should join us for dinner.”

Keith pouted his lips, and then he moved closer towards Adrienne. “Can I get your mobile number? You know, to keep in touch after tonight,” he said.

“I don’t have a phone,” she replied.

“Come on, Miss Mcbride! Let’s get moving,” Pedro instructed.

Adrienne felt sorry for Keith, but she was relieved that Pedro had arrived to save her from his cousin's clutches. The fact that Keith Lassiter was openly flirting with her made her feel uncomfortable, and she didn't know what to do if it went on for another minute.

“Thank you for saving me earlier,” she said while they were inside his car.

“No problem. Sometimes, my cousin is just a pain in the ass. Ready?” He asked to check if she wore the seatbelt.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Good,” he said.

Pedro was not one to boast, but he felt it would be fun for Adrienne to get a taste of what it was like to ride in a luxurious car. However, Pedro's attempt to impress his secretary did not go as well as planned. Adrienne didn't even bother to glance at his automobile for more than a minute, and he didn't say anything about it either. He really wanted to ask Adrienne a question, but he knew it would make him appear horrible.

They were on the road when he decided to ask her about Keith Lassiter.  "It appears like Keith has a thing for you," he remarked.

Adrienne raised an eyebrow at the man who was sitting behind the wheel, indicating that he was being nosy. "Yes, he said I am gorgeous, and I think he is a sweet guy,” she said. 

However, Pedro admonished himself a few seconds after flashing his brightest smile. "Do you think you'll be able to hail a cab from the highway?"

Adrienne clenched her lower lip in disbelief at the abrupt changes, yet she couldn’t tell him the truth. "Of course,” she replied.

“Then, get out,” Pedro ordered he pulled over. 

“W-what?” Adrienne asked in disbelief but Pedro already pulled over, opened the door, and told her to get out of his vehicle!