The Beast Inside of Him Read online

  The Beast Inside of Him

  By:

  Ella Hart

  Table of Contents:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Copyright © 2017 by Ella Hart

  All rights reserved.

  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited, and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

  Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  Chapter 1

  He was glad that he had bought a first-class ticket for this trip. The confined space of the plane combined with the amount of people on board was making him feel claustrophobic. He wasn’t looking forward to going, but it was something that had to be done. The pilot announced that they were about to take off, and he braced himself. Flying wasn’t something he did often, and definitely not one of his favorite modes of transportation. The older woman sitting to the left of him looked over and gave a reassuring smile. He forced a smile back and tried to relax for the ride. At least it wouldn’t be a long one.

  Max stepped out of the airport and immediately felt as though he couldn’t breathe. He could already feel beads of sweat forming on his chest and forehead. The air felt thick and heavy, as if there was an invisible weight on his skin. He was pretty sure he now understood what people mean when they say, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.” It wasn’t too far of a walk to the car rental place, and he was thankful for that. He didn’t want to arrive looking and smelling like he had just come from the gym. He had an important meeting first thing, and wouldn’t have time to go to the hotel to freshen up first.

  As he arrived at the rental dealership, he lingered a little by the adrenaline collection. The corvette that they had looked so inviting that he couldn’t help but picture himself behind the wheel. Max knew better than to choose a car like that, so he picked out a Cadillac Escalade. He needed something that would give him a lot of leg room. Having one’s knees in one’s chest while driving was not a very pleasant experience. This was the best vehicle out of the selection he was offered to pick from. Tossing his suitcase in the back, he put the office’s location in the GPS and pulled out the parking lot.

  Teagan was the first one to arrive for the big meeting with the new company owner. The packets were neatly laid out and had everything in them from each department. She was the newest hire, and in charge of getting this all together. With nothing left to do, she took her seat, picking her nails and tapping her foot nervously as she waited for the others to arrive.

  Max parked in the visitor’s space on the first floor of the parking garage. After getting out, he straightened his suit and headed for the lobby. There was a blonde woman wearing too much makeup seated behind a desk. He was hit with an overpowering stench of perfume as he approached her, and tried not to breathe in too deeply. She smiled at him and asked how she could be of service.

  “I’m here to speak with Mr. Perry, please.”

  “One moment, Sir,” she said as she picked up the phone. There was a brief conversation and then she was apologizing. Taking the phone away from her mouth she asked, “Who shall I say wants to speak with him?”

  “Well, dear, you can tell him Mr. Maximus Kemp would like to speak with him, if he has the time.”

  The receptionist spoke into the phone. Her face turned red and more apologizing came out of her mouth before she hung up. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Kemp, I didn’t realize it was you... I mean, I didn’t recognize you. Of course, go on in. They are waiting for you in the conference room. Sara will show you the way.”

  The woman reached for the buzzer for the door and knocked over a container of pens. Frantically, she put the pens back and hit the buzzer. Max didn’t know what to do other than smile. It wasn’t his intention to get her all flustered. After walking through the doors, he was met by another woman who he assumed was Sara. She was a nice-looking lady and a bit older than the office assistant there. They shook hands and moved down to the room where the meeting would be held. Max could feel the employees staring as he moved down the hall.

  Everyone was there and waiting. Teagan tried to stop her leg from bouncing up and down. She really wanted the nerve-wracking meeting to be over with. The door opened and she sat up straight as Sara escorted their guest into the room. Teagan had to make sure her mouth wasn’t open as she laid eyes on the big boss. He wasn’t at all what she had expected.

  Jonas Perry stood up as Max walked in. He moved over to him and shook his hand, then introduced him around the room. Max smiled and nodded at each employee as he was introduced. His eyes stopped on one employee in particular, as Mr. Perry introduced her. Max mumbled under his breath, “Incredible.” She sat perched on the seat with her long red hair flowing in waves down to the middle of her back. Her skin was almost porcelain-white and her green eyes looked like emeralds. Max had to shake his head in order to concentrate on the others in the room. It was going to be a difficult meeting with her sitting across from him. He reminded himself inwardly to think with the head that was on his shoulders. This was business and very important. He didn’t have time to fantasize about this incredibly gorgeous creature.

  Teagan picked at her nails until one fell right off. Did he keep looking at her, or was it in her imagination? This man was certainly not what she had thought he would be. In her mind, company owners were men in black suits with ties that were red or blue to give them a touch of color, so they didn’t look like funeral directors. They were middle-aged or older, and their closely-cropped hair was predominantly grey. This man wasn’t anything like that. Either he was really young-looking, or he was actually in his thirties. She could be wrong, but she had a definite feeling that she wasn’t.

  “Ms. Morgan? Oh, Ms. Moran? Don’t you have something to share with the rest of us?”

  Mr. Perry’s voice snapped her out of her daydream. She moved to pick up her folder and it slipped from her fingers. Papers slid all over the table, and her face was instantly a deep red. She gathered her papers while stuttering about the report she had compiled on a new herb that could be the next best thing in alternative medicine. She looked up to see where the last paper had landed, and there was Mr. Kemp holding it out to her. She took it, her fingers brushing over his hand. She was caught off-guard for a moment before she thanked him and sat down again.

  The rest of the meeting went by without incident. Mr. Perry took Mr. Kemp down to his office to discuss a few details that didn’t concern the others in the room. Teagan waited for everyone else to leave before standing up. She hated the looks she received when people commented on her height.

  It was even worse when she was a child. Not only did she have an unusual name, but she was always the tallest kid in her class. They called her names like giraffe and tree, and she felt like a freak. By the time she got to middle school, she towered over most of the boys in her class. In high school, there were a few boys that were taller than her, but not many, so dating was difficult. Things didn’t get much better when she got to college. Everyone assumed she was there on a basketball scholarship. Of course, a woman this tall had to play basketball, because “all it took to play was height.” You didn’t need real talent to play. Teagan quickly tired of people asking if she played, and when she said she didn’t, they would always respond with, “well you should, you’re tall enough.”

  Chapter 2

  Sitting at her cubicle, she started to work. Her boss, Mr. Perry, cleared his throat to
get her attention. Teagan looked up and saw he was there with Mr. Kemp. “Can I help you, Mr. Perry?”

  “Yes, Teagan, you can. Could you please show Mr. Kemp around the building? I would do it myself, but I have an urgent appointment to get to.”

  “Uh... yeah... um, sure. I would love to show him around. That’s no problem.” Those were the words that came out of her mouth, but what she really wanted to say was “Why me? Can’t someone else do it? Or was I chosen because I’m the new kid on the block?”

  Max suppressed a smile. He could think of nothing more exciting than being with this beautiful woman most of the day. He waited as she rose from her chair. There she stood, this incredible beauty, nearly six feet tall. It was nice not having to look down for a change when talking with a woman. His eyes moved up and down her body, taking it all in. She had incredibly long legs – he could tell even though her skirt was well past her knees. He secretly wished that it had been shorter. These thoughts had to stop.

  Teagan took Mr. Kemp around the building, showing him the different departments and explaining as she went along. He would ask a few questions here and there, and his interest in the company seemed genuine. The ink on the signing-over papers was probably not even dry yet, and here he was, touring the offices and the plant. They made it back to the lobby, and Teagan asked him if he had any questions.

  “Just one. Are you free for lunch, Teagan?”

  Teagan didn’t know what to say. The owner of the company was asking her to lunch. This didn’t normally happen to someone like her. “Sure, I’d like that very much, Mr. Kemp.”

  He opened the door for her and they headed to the garage. Since he wasn’t familiar with the area, he allowed her to pick the place to eat. All he asked for was a restaurant with a good steak. Teagan knew just the place, and it wasn’t very far from the office.

  As they sat down, he looked at her and said, “Now, seeing we are here at lunch together, there is just one requirement that I have.”

  All sorts of thoughts went through her head. What had she gotten herself into now? Was he expecting her to go back to his hotel with her? She twisted her hair as she waited for him to talk again.

  “I insist that you call me Max.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I’m Teagan. Oh wait, you know that from the meeting today.”

  “That’s a beautiful name. Irish, isn’t it?”

  “It’s a strange name. It was my great-grandmother’s.”

  “Oh, I know the feeling. My full name is Maximus. It sounds like I should be a racehorse instead of a guy.” She giggled and he smiled.

  The waiter came to take their order and Max asked Teagan if it would bother her if he had his steak rare. She herself preferred her meat a little more on the well-done side, but she didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t have his done however he preferred it. Max then ordered some red wine to go with the meal. Teagan didn’t think that consuming alcohol while she was still working was the best idea.

  “I don’t think I should be drinking and going back to work, Mr. Ke-” She stopped and corrected herself. “Max.”

  “Well, since I’m the owner, I think it’s alright to have one glass of wine. Don’t you?”

  She smiled and nodded her head. He was confident and undeniably charming. It was a welcome change to go out to lunch with a man like Max. This was the first time in a while that she didn’t feel self-conscious and was really enjoying her time with another person. They talked about a variety of subjects, and she marveled at how at ease she felt in his presence. Maybe, just maybe... Her fantasy was interrupted when he asked her if she knew of a restaurant where he might take his dinner date that evening.

  It was silly for her to think that after going to lunch once with a man, he’d be interested in her. What was going through her brain? It had, however, been quite some time since she had had any man show her attention. Her head now cleared, she told him about a nice little Italian restaurant that had just the right ambience for a romantic dinner. He thanked her and then talked about ordering desert.

  Chapter 3

  After he dropped her off at the office, Max went to his hotel to check in. He was happy with the way the meeting had gone, and also enjoyed being able to spend time with Teagan before he had to take care of the night’s events. The female clerk at the hotel’s reception desk was a little too polite, erring on the side of being flirtatious. On any other day, he would have flirted back with her, but all he wanted right then was a hot shower and to relax for an hour.

  He was more tired than he had thought he was, and completely against his intentions, he fell asleep. Luckily, he had had the sense to set his alarm before laying down on the bed. His dreams were filled with a certain Irish woman with long red hair, and woke with a strong erection. Time was ticking and he needed to get ready for his dinner date, although he wasn’t particularly in the mood for seeing another woman. He sighed. Rummaging through his still unpacked suitcase, he found a nice pair of black pants and a button-down shirt. Max ran his hairbrush quickly through his hair and took one look in the mirror. He looked acceptable, so he walked out the door, shutting it behind him with a click.

  Max stood at the door of his date’s apartment and took a deep breath. “Let’s try this again,” he said to himself. His hand reached out and his finger pressed the doorbell. He could hear it ring through the house. His body shifted while he was waiting. It seemed like an eternity, but really was only a couple of minutes before the door opened up. An attractive woman with long blonde hair opened the door. The dress she wore was temptingly short, and could hardly restrain her breasts. Before she even greeted him, she looked him up and down as if he were a plate of food. “Great,” he thought.

  “Well, hello there,” she said to him. “I’m Vanessa. You must be Maximus.”

  He forced a smile and said, “Just call me Max, that will be fine. Are you ready to go?”

  “Why don’t we skip dinner and stay here tonight, hmm? I have something to satisfy your appetite.”

  He brushed her comment off with a chuckle and led her to the Cadillac. Always the gentleman, he opened the door for her to get in. The skirt she was wearing moved higher up her leg exposing her inner thigh. Max tried not to shake his head. He still couldn’t believe that he got himself into this. However, he wasn’t going to think negatively about it. His thoughts were going to remain positive, and maybe dinner would be better. He was pretty sure that Teagan had made a good suggestion for a nice restaurant.

  The dinnertime conversation was meaningless and filled with sexual innuendo from Vanessa. His mind drifted back to the lunch he had with Teagan. It was nice to be able to sit back and talk about anything. The conversation with her was casual; there was no agenda to it. He zoned out, wanting more than what he was going to get from Vanessa that night. To make matters worse, it seemed as though Vanessa didn’t even care if he was listening or not. She continued talking on, and he continued nodding his head and saying, “ ahuh” and “sure” every now and again.

  They got back to her place and he walked her to the door. Vanessa invited him in and he reluctantly walked inside her house. An agreement had been arranged, and he had to go through with it. At least, he hoped he could keep up his end of the deal. He sat down on a comfortable-looking couch. Vanessa was sitting so close to him that she was almost in his lap. He took a swig of the drink she had made for him. He felt he was going to need it.

  “Shall we get down to business?” She asked, unbuttoning his shirt.

  “Yeah, but wait a moment. I know I made a promise, and I’m not backing out. However, haven’t you ever thought of having a relationship?”

  Vanessa laughed as she heard the words coming from his mouth. “Are you serious?” she asked as she opened up his shirt and ran her hands over his chest.

  He took hold of her hand. “Yes, I am. Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to be with someone for more than procreation? Having someone to talk to, spend time with, and do things wit
h?”

  She laughed again. “Darling, we are weretigers. It doesn’t work that way. I have no desire to have a relationship. I am here to continue the species. I need a mate, not a husband.”

  A heavy sigh escaped his lips. Maybe it made him a freak, but he longed to be with someone for things other than giving a female a baby. It was ridiculous. If Vanessa became pregnant, he would probably hear about it... but she wouldn’t most likely never allow him to see the child. That was the reason he had bought a business in town. He didn’t need it; he had wealth from his other company. His thinking was that he could move to the town in the hope that he could get a glimpse of the child. His child. Maybe he could even convince Vanessa, if she did have a child, to let him be a part of his or her life. He knew by now that this was unlikely to happen, but couldn’t help holding onto the shard of hope that it didn’t have to be that way. If it weren’t for this arrangement between his mother and hers, he wouldn’t be there. The only good thing about is the situation was that in coming to check on the new company, he had met Teagan.

  After releasing her hand, Vanessa continued stroking his chest. His body started to stir, through no desire of his own. It had been a long time since he had been intimate with a female. He was hopeful that his abstinence would be enough to get him through this. Vanessa stood up and did a slow strip-tease until she was completely naked before him. Her body was near perfect. Her curves were luscious; her breasts were firm and round. She was quite easily every man’s fantasy – so why was he having such a difficult time getting aroused?

  Her legs were positioned on either side of his, her hips hovering above his lap. It was instinctive that his hands reached for her. His pants were being unzipped and his hard member was free from the confines of his boxers. Lowering herself on to him, but not letting him inside just yet, her hips swayed back and forth. Her most intimate area was rubbing on his. Max closed his eyes and let the feelings wash over him.