Chapter Four

I had been sitting in my car for twenty minutes.

My hands were shaking so much that even opening the car door to get in and find refuge had been a huge struggle. My heart was beating so fast. The events were a blur. In fact, me standing up and hightailing the fuck out of that place was so blurry. I had acted on pure instinct when I woke up and ran out of the house. I didn’t even think I had locked Dimitri’s front door.

But if I was being honest, that was the last thing on my mind. He had all the top security in the world. He was going to be fine. The person who wasn’t going to be fine here was me. I was still traumatized and I knew it was more likely that I would call an Uber because my hands were still shaking so badly.

Calling an Uber would imply that I would have to come back here and with how my heart jumped at that thought, I knew that was not a possibility. I kept on looking up scared that the wolf (or whatever that creature was) was going to come out through the front door and pounce on my car and have a go at me. I wondered what had stopped it. Was it that submissive stance I had adopted? What was it?

I sighed and put my head on the steering wheel. I spied my phone on the passenger’s seat but when I thought of picking it up to call Kayla so she could come drive me home, my stomach rolled over. I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk about this experience to anyone yet. It was still too fresh and too traumatizing. Plus, with how Kayla had reacted to the red eye thing, she would probably tell me I had imagining the wolf tackling me and pining me down.

I wasn’t in the mood to feel stupid. She was my only friend so there was no one else I could call. So I was going to have to sit there until my hands stopped shaking, and risk the wolf coming out again to meet me and hurt me. I was holding the tears back so hard. I didn’t want my teary vision to blur the road as I drove back home. I had just narrowly escaped death. I didn’t need to put myself in a situation where I would be facing death again.

About ten minutes later, my hands were finally stable enough to drive so I started my car and drove out to the highway. I was on autopilot. I didn’t want to think about anything. I just needed to go home, change and rest. Maybe convince myself that it was just a bad dream. Or maybe call up Kayla so she would tell me that I had imagined everything. That it was probably just a very big, fluffy and playful dog.

I scoffed at my own thoughts.

That was no dog. That was a full-blown wolf. I knew that dogs and wolves were closely related and that some breeds of dogs resembled the wolf very much. But this was not one of those scenarios. I wasn’t dumb and I knew what I had seen. A fully grown wolf had tackled me. And I had survives. I shook my head. I needed to stop thinking about it. I needed to focus on getting myself safely to the house.

The rest of the drive was a blur. Just like I needed it to be. I reached home in record time and it got me wondering how I had not been stopped by any officer and gotten a ticket. Maybe I was lucky, I thought then I laughed out loud when I remembered the incident that had happened just about an hour before. Yeah, so lucky that I had a wolf tackle me and lick (!) me. I rushed into my apartment and went straight to the kitchen and washed my face with just water as thoroughly as I could.

It was weird because when I thought back to how the wolf had licked me, it was gentle. But then I was probably already running mad. That was why my thoughts were going in that direction. Because how did I go from completely traumatized to thinking a wolf licking me had been gentle because it was trying not to hurt me. Yeah, that incident had affected me way more than I thought.

I stripped slowly, then I walked to the shower, turned the knob then lifted my face up to the flow. The need to scrub my skin thoroughly was no longer there. The initial panic had already worn off. Now I was thinking a little further. I was evaluating whether I could continue doing this or not. Working for this man was becoming a little too stressful for my liking. From him screaming at me in his office to a wolf tackling me in his bedroom…

Was it even legal to keep wolves as pets?

Yeah. No. it was out of the question that I continued this. I had to resign. After what had happened, he would probably not even bat a lash. He would sign the letter so quick. I could even go the extra mile and threaten to sue him. Not that I ever would. I would lose woefully in court. I had no proof and he was rich. He would annihilate me. But I knew just how much Dimitri hated scandal so I knew he was going he was going to give me this easily.

I sighed and stepped out of the shower then I went straight to my bed and sat there, in a towel. I shivered when I thought of the moment when that wolf tackled me. I was probably never going to experience a moment as terrifying as that. Seeing death literally knocking on your doorstep? Yeah, I wasn’t going to take this life thing for granted anymore. I was going to do whatever was going to make me happy from that moment. Starting with the deadweight that was my boss.

***

“No.”

I spluttered.

“What do you mean by ‘no’, sir?” I asked, annoyed.

I had spent over five minutes of my time explaining to Dimitri why I had to resign and basically telling him that he had no choice but to sign my resignation papers and sign a recommendation for me. It was definitely not as easy as I had thought it would be. Before I could even introduce the sue topic, the man cut me off with a dry ‘no’.

I swallowed and tried to rein my anger in. There was no need for the useless displays of temper. Plus I knew my boss. He had a terrible temper and if I showed even a hint of anger, he was going to show me why the media referred to him as The Dragon sometimes. He wasn’t even looking at me. But I saw his nostrils flare slightly a few times.

“Sir, actually that was no request. I can’t do this anymore. I go through a lot with you in this office, from your mood swings to your constant screams. From you telling me all the time that I am not good enough to screaming at me because of a godforsaken fragrance. I have tolerated all of that. But a wolf? Tackling me? I can’t. I could have lost my life yesterday and you’re sitting behind your computer acting like you don’t give a damn. Actually, not acting because you truly don’t. But I do, sir! I do and I have friends who as well.”

Yeah reining my temper in had not worked at all. And I could see that Dimitri was getting just as worked up as me. Or even more. But I did not even care at this point. I had more that I wanted to say. A lot more.

I took in a deep breath and continued. “Sir, with all due respect, I can’t keep doing this. I really cannot.”

Dimitri stared at me silently for about a minute straight. I didn’t know what to say but with the look on his face, I knew that he had already made up his mind and nothing was going to change it. But I didn’t care. I would use all the cards that I had up my sleeve, no matter how insignificant they seemed.

“Willow, let me make one thing clear…”

I shivered. I actually fucking shivered! I hated how weak I was. Just one sentence in that baritone of his and I was already falling? Shameful. I needed to keep my mind focused on what was important.

“I’m never letting go of you.”

I froze. It was no longer funny. That didn’t sound appealing at all. He was never letting go of me? I was not some possession! I was the boss of me. it didn’t matter that he was a bajillionaire and that I was nothing but his poor personal assistant. He had no right over me.

“You have no claim over me, sir. I can do whatever I want. And what I want to do now is leave so please sign these papers so I can leave.”

He chuckled. He actually chuckled.

I took in a deep breath. I was trying to control myself. If not I would burst into tears. I hated how callous he was being. He was treating me like I was some kind of joke. Like whatever I was saying was of no importance at all.

“I have no claim over you,” he repeated then he laughed again.

I cocked my head in confusion. Was there some part of the story that I had missed? Or telling this man that he had no claim over me was some of joke?

“There’s nothing funny. Please sir, let’s stop dragging this out. Can you just sign these papers? I don’t want to take drastic measures…”

“Drastic measures?” Dimitri asked, cocking his head.

“Yes. I will sue you,’ I said as firmly as I could.

“On what grounds?”

“Sexual harassment,” I whispered.

Dimitri stared straight at me for another creepy minute. Then he stood from behind his desk and headed towards the other side. I shifted back involuntarily and cursed myself for showing any form of weakness. He came towards me slowly until I was looking up at him directly. I held my breath as I waited for him to say whatever he was about to. It was nerve wracking and I hated myself for looking away. I was supposed to be brave!

Dimitri put his hand on my chin and lifted my head up. I was not exaggerating when I said I felt like some kind of current go through my body when he touched me. I was supposed to hate this man. I was supposed to be firm and angry. So why did it seem like my body was melting just because of one touch?

He let go of me thankfully and it was like I came back to my senses. I let out a small sigh of relief but my breath hitched when I heard what he had to say.

“Willow, before you dropped your files here for an interview, I believe you made extensive research about this company. You’re a smart girl. I know you are. So you most likely know the number of sexual harassment suits that my lawyers have squashed. Not to talk about the defamation suits… So let me make one thing clear to you. You are not resigning. I will give you today off work because it seems like your imagination is running wild. You will rest and you will come back tomorrow and you won’t mention this crap about wolves ever again. Don’t play with me. I’m not a man you should play with. Understood?’

I didn’t answer.

“Understood?’ Dimitri repeated. His voice was deceptively calm.

“Understood.”

“Good girl. You can leave now."