SEDUCE MY HEART Read online

  Brian was still in his spot, but he seemed even angrier than before. Annie's golden eyes met mine and she gave me a sad look.

  "I didn't mean to break the vase, Anastasia and Liam. I wanted to see why Brian was frozen and then the kitty poked his head from the vase and it freaked me out," Annie explained.

  Liam walked over to help gather the broken pieces from the ground. "It's fine. We'll order another vase."

  "Wait, Annie knows about you two?" I asked Liam.

  "Ya. Lilith does too. Everyone else who works in the building does not," Liam replied.

  "Intriguing." My phone began to ring, and I knew from the ringtone that it was Alexander.

  "Hey, I'm still working. You okay?" I asked.

  "Yeah, I was just wondering if Pix is there? He wasn't in the bags or carrier that Liam's driver brought." Alexander said, worry lacing his tone.

  "Oh, he's here. Hissing away." I strolled over to Pix who stopped his ongoing hissing when I gave him my attention,

  "Alright. I guess you'll be back tonight?" he asked.

  "Yes, for sure. We're on for dinner. Just wrapping up a few surprises today, but it shouldn't take long. I'll call you if I'm running late."

  "Is Liam coming?"

  "Um..." I trailed off, watching Liam and Annie continue to gather the glass pieces.

  "I think he has some family business to deal with...which reminds me," I replied, realizing Brian was still frozen in place. I turned on the switch to my power and looked at Brian's back.

  "You can move now, Brian."

  He let out a grunt, lowering his hand that had been raised for five hours straight. He turned to glare at me, and his eyes practically glowed.

  "Why the fuck did Lesley hire a succubus?!" he snapped.

  "Who's that, Sia?" Alexander asked, but the tone of his voice gave me the impression he knew who was speaking.

  "It's just Evil Liam. Nothing to worry about. Anyway, I'll deal with it and see you later."

  "Okay. See you tonight, Sia." Alexander sounded hesitant on the phone as if he wanted to say something, but I knew with the current situation of Brian appearing as if he were about to erupt, I'd have to handle the situation at hand.

  "See you," I whispered and hung up the phone. I slipped it into the pocket of my black blazer before I gave Brian my full attention.

  "Now, are you going to act like a mature adult or do I have to play dirty?" I questioned.

  Annie seemed a bit shocked by my tone while Liam looked amused.

  "Hold on. You can't talk to him like that, Anastasia," Annie said in a low voice. I lifted an eyebrow at her.

  "Why not? He almost murdered my cacti," I revealed, pointing to Rin and Saturn. Annie followed where my finger was pointing and gave me a confused look.

  "You mean your two cacti?"

  "Yes! I got Rin, who is the big one by the way, from Liam, and the small one from Alexander. Brian had the audacity to try and knock them off Liam's desk, which technically is Brian's but we’ll get to those details later," I explained.

  "But...he's an alpha. You're not supposed to talk to him like that," she whispered. Liam chuckled. "Annie. I don't see the point of you whispering when all of us heard that."

  "Huh? Really?!" she shrieked, glancing around at all of us.

  "Meow." Pix agreed. He reached up for me, tapping his front paws on my dress pants which was a sign he wanted me to pick him up.

  "Annie, can you leave the three of us alone?" Brian sighed, sounding tired.

  "Sure! I'm sorry. I'll work on ordering that other vas-"

  "NO!"

  She blinked, taken aback by all three of us responding in unison. I guess I'm not the only one worried about Annie doing anything around here.

  "I'll handle it, Annie. The dealer for the vase is quite a character, and he's going to be a pain in the ass when I tell him I need another vase made. Do you mind grabbing us lunch? We just came back from the meeting and didn't get anything to eat. Brian's probably hungry as well," I suggested.

  "Sure! I can do that. I'll get a bit of everything. I'll be right back." She gave a sharp nod and exited the room in a hurry. When she closed the door, we all let out sighs of relief.

  "Brother, you seriously need to get another assistant." Liam groaned, walking over to the garbage can and placing the broken pieces inside.

  "You know I'm doing Mom a favor. I don't have time for mating and shit," Brian replied with indignation. Mating? Aww shit! I need to talk about that with Liam later. So much to keep track of.

  I decided to sit down, a bit exhausted from the day as well as famished. My mind told me Annie wasn't going to come back for a few hours and the acceptance of that was killing me.

  Liam frowned, immediately walking over to me while Brian observed us. Pix climbed into my lap and sat down, peering up at me with worried eyes.

  "Meow?"

  I gave him a tired smile and lifted my hand to pet his head. "I'm okay. Just tired and really hungry," I reassured Pix who curled up in my lap. I continued to stroke his head, and Liam reached my side and sat down.

  "Are you sure you’re okay? I can go get you something to eat," he suggested.

  I wanted to say I was fine, but I hesitated. We hadn't eaten breakfast, and during the meeting break, I'd gotten a quick snack for Liam while I set up the documents that needed reviewing and signatures from everyone.

  I figured this conversation was going to be a long one, and I might as well prepare myself for it by having at least something to nibble on.

  "Do you mind getting me something just from the cafe across the street? I'd go myself, but I'm just a little light headed. That meeting drained me," I confessed.

  Liam nodded and placed a quick kiss on my forehead. "Blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee with two sugars. I'll be right back," Liam announced.

  I smiled, and Pix lifted his head up. "Meow?"

  Liam chuckled, shaking his head. "And a side order of bacon strips."

  "MEOW!" Pix cheered happily, looking like he won an award. This made me laugh, and I gave Liam an appreciative smile.

  "Thank you. I appreciate it."

  He nodded with a small smile on his face before he turned around and headed over to his brother. Brian had been watching our exchange.

  "Don't be a bully, and act serious around Sia. She's not your push over secretary or trying to get your number type," Liam warned Brain in a deep tone. The second part of his comment reminded me of Lilith, making me wonder if he was talking about her.

  "Got it. Go get her food. She's a bit pale," Brian mumbled. Even though his voice was low for the average person, I caught onto the last comment and the hint of worry.

  Why would he be worried about me? I thought I pissed him off with the five-hour standing in place issue.

  Liam nodded and was out the door in seconds. The room was quiet, and Pix began to roll around on my lap before he playful nibbled on my finger.

  "You're a succubus," Brian stated.

  "Yup," I replied.

  "Aren't you supposed to be able to attract any species?" he questioned.

  "That's what they say. Don't know if it’s true or not. If you are questioning my power, I could let it out of its cage, though I doubt you'd want to be made a fool twice in one day," I retorted.

  "Do you treat all your bosses like this?"

  "Nope. If you introduced yourself politely to begin with, I would have played nice. As a CEO of multiple companies, you should know to analyze your environment before picking your prey."

  "Can't believe I'm being lectured."

  "Me neither. Don't get how you and Liam are twins when you’re quite different. As in you’re on the opposite end of the spectrum. I understand why he was a jackass in the beginning," I replied, the last part more to myself than to Brian. He seemed irritated but didn't make a comment.

  The door opened, and Liam entered with a tray of coffee and a bag of food. "The number of stares I just got was rather amusing, to say the least."

  "Y
ou went through the front door?" I knew there were two other entrances that led to the gold elevator, but I didn't think he'd just go straight out and back in using the main entrance.

  Pix rolled onto his stomach and wagged his tail with excitement thanks to the smell of bacon wafting in the air.

  Liam shrugged. "Ya. Didn't really think about that being seen as odd until I got so many looks. At least five employees offered to go get my order. I just brushed them off and said Annie was on a lunch run."

  I grinned at the comment. Everyone in the building knew if Annie was sent to get anything, it would take two to five hours before she returned. I seriously wondered how she’d lasted this long without getting fired, but I figured it wouldn't matter since I wouldn't be here for much longer anyway.

  "CEO grabbing coffee and food. Not odd at all." I smirked and looked at Brian. "How did you get inside without anyone noticing?"

  "Secret entrance," he replied.

  "This makes me wonder about our security measures." I sighed. "I should check into that."

  "Why?" Brian asked.

  "Why? Because it's my job? As a secretary, I have to ensure your safety as well. That's in the contract. I'm assuming you didn't read it since it was your brother in your stead."

  "Are all secretaries like that?" Brian inquired.

  "I doubt it, but I'm my own boss and my services are different than your average secretary," I pointed out.

  Liam strolled over and placed the tray of coffee and food on the coffee table. He passed me mine before he dug into the bag of food and took out the blueberry muffin and a breakfast sandwich.

  "Thought you'd have a bit of an appetite since we rushed out early this morning," Liam whispered.

  I gave him a sweet grin. "Thanks, Liam." I purred.

  "Meow!" Pix patted Liam's hand lightly. He grinned, reached back into the bag, and pulled out a nicely wrapped foil. I could tell from the increasing smell of bacon that it was Pix's food.

  "I didn't forget, Pix. Here." Liam unwrapped the silver foil and revealed many strips of bacon. Pix meowed happily before he hopped off my lap and onto the table. He happily nibbled on the pieces, and I lifted my gaze to meet Liam's pleased expression.

  "You should eat, too," I said softly.

  "I will. Eat first," he encouraged.

  "You two are serious about each other, aren't you?"

  We both looked at Brian who had a guarded expression on his face. "Yes," We replied in unison.

  "Meeeooowwww," Pix added, clearly wanting to be a part of the conversation. I reached out to pet him before I drank a bit of my coffee.

  Liam picked up a cup of coffee and stood straight, staring at his brother.

  "So, Brother. Want to eat breakfast and give Sia an overview of what's going on?" Liam suggested. Brian’s eyes darted between the two of us.

  "Fine, but first I need to piss since a certain succubus didn't think about her victim's bathroom privileges," he huffed. I giggled, catching both the brothers off guard as they looked at me.

  "I actually did. When I said freeze, it included your needs for water, food, and the urge to urinate. The only thing it doesn't have control over is your breathing. That is, unless I wanted you to die," I explained with a devilish grin.

  They gawked at me before exchanging glances. "Succubi are more dangerous than I thought," Brian whispered.

  "Thrilling though. You're missing out." Liam chuckled and winked at his brother who blushed slightly—an expression that made him look more cute than angry.

  "Hmph," Brian replied and headed for the door. Once he was out, Liam smiled.

  "He likes you."

  "Likes as in?" I questioned. "Because it doesn't look like he likes me."

  "He does. Normally he would have lost his shit and made sure you were out of the building by now," Liam elaborated.

  "How eventful. I guess I should be honored to be drinking coffee and watching Pix eat bacon." I giggled.

  "My brother has trust issues, but he genuinely isn't a bad person, so to speak. He just has a hard exterior that you need a whole construction team to demolish before he lets go. Give him time and regardless, my offer still stands."

  "You mean for me to be your secretary?" I clarified.

  He nodded as he walked over to sit next to me.

  "Secretary and amazing girlfriend."

  I smiled and leaned in to give him a kiss. "Guess we'll have our long talk and head back to my place? I promised Alexander I'd have dinner with him."

  "Sure. I'll drop you off, so you can have alone time." He smiled.

  "You're okay with that?" I asked.

  My only concern was him thinking we'd do more than just talk and catch up. I still didn't know where our friendship was going, and I yearned for Alex to be upfront and tell me how he felt.

  I just needed confirmation to open my heart to him, but would I have to take the first move to hear those words?

  Liam ran his hands through my short black locks. "You want to see what Alexander is thinking, right? He can't lower his guard when I'm always around. If you’re there to talk to him like you used to, just you and him, it'll be easier for him to say what needs to be said. So yes, I'm fine with that."

  "I definitely got lucky with you," I whispered.

  "I feel the same way about you," he whispered back. I closed the distance between us, firmly kissing him on the lips.

  Soon, I'll find out more about Brian and what the plan is.

  It took three hours for Brian and Liam to explain their predicament while we waited for Annie to bring food. That was while I balanced the incoming calls and scheduled Brian's meetings. I had to negotiate and ensure said meetings wouldn't interfere with other plans for the month.

  It gave Brian some insight regarding what I could do, which was rather satisfying. It wasn't like I wasn't confident in my skills after years of completing multiple gigs for my company, Last Resort, but it didn't hurt to receive acknowledgement that you knew your stuff—whether the approval was verbal or silent.

  In Brian's case, he seemed to be more of the observant, silent type, but I could tell just from his hazelnut eyes that he was shocked and a bit pleased with how I'd handled every phone call and interruption during our conversation.

  Liam had explained that their family was a complicated combination of races. Their mother was a werewolf while their father was a vampire. It was even more shocking since their mother was Alpha of her pack and their father was the leader of his vampire clan.

  Two powerful individuals falling in love, and instead of having a hybrid, which was what many people assumed would happen, they had twins. Liam born a vampire and Brian a werewolf.

  They were raised together, and their parents tried to make sure, regardless of their differences, they would love and support one another. The main problem was that werewolves were currently more problematic than vampires.

  In all the fairytales and novels about their races, they always seemed to put a negative label on vampires, but recently things seemed to have taken a turn.

  Brian explained that there was a feud going on with a few of the packs, and they wanted one main pack leader to rule over all packs.

  Since their mother was one of the strongest Alphas among the packs, if the plans went through, she'd be the chosen leader. Some retained the whole 'females can't be the leader of all packs' mentality.

  As for their father, he was very laid back, which was a quality Liam inherited. The vampire clan didn't care about the childish rants of werewolves and steered clear of their issues. The current dilemma going on within the vampire clan was their father wanted Liam to take over as his second in command.

  That would have been a good idea, except that meant he needed to have a female companion or a woman who would eventually be his queen when the time came for him to take over.

  We didn't linger on the topic for long, my instincts telling me that Liam was uncomfortable discussing it, but I knew we'd have to talk about the mate thing sooner or later.
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  They then explained that because of their identical appearances, everyone confused them for each other all the time.

  The way I looked at it, Liam was the person who could make connections, did well in teams, and could land a business offer that combined ten companies when he had all the information provided to him.

  From what I'd learned and observed of Brian's behavior just by our first encounter, he was impatient, whiny, and I assumed he loved more hands-on tactics. That was the impression, anyway.

  The two of them were essentially mirror images on the outside, but rather opposites on the inside. Not to say all twins had similar or identical personalities and traits, but they normally had similar natures and personalities.

  I motioned toward Brian. "So, Evil Liam gets in a lot of trouble, and he has to deal with all the shit that happens from his hard-ass personality.” I paused and waved my hand in my boyfriend’s direction. “And Liam is like a blessing in disguise since he's your twin and can come in and take over so your company doesn't crash and burn."

  Liam and Brian looked at me with dumbfounded expressions, and Pix sat up from my lap to stretch before he curled up and began to purr.

  "I guess," Liam replied.

  "I'm not evil though," Brian mumbled.

  "Shouldn't you be focused on her comment on your company not crashing and burning?" Liam raised his brow and turned toward his twin.

  Brian shrugged. "She's somewhat correct, but I'm totally not evil. I just don't like taking bullshit from people and like to use my fists more than my brains," he grumbled.

  Liam sighed. "I can see where your priorities lie."

  I continued to watch the two of them chatter while I pet Pix. They're pretty close. Even with them being different shifter races.

  With the history between the vampires and werewolves, I had doubted the twins would be as close as they were. It wouldn't be their fault if they had grown apart. Blame could have been attributed to the society we live in and their standards of what was acceptable regarding strength and power.

  "Was it hard for you two to reach this level of success in your life due to your different shifter races?" I asked. They both looked at me, and Liam appeared as if he were deep in thought for a moment while Brian commented.