The Demon's Song: Paranormal New Adult Romance (2 page)

“I can certainly do just that,” Cadence told her.

“Excellent,” Suzanne nodded. “Now, we do offer competitive benefits that you’ll be put on at the end of your first week. Payday is every other Thursday. All I need is for you to sign the employment agreement and you’re all set.”

With her name on the dotted line, Cadence officially had her first real job.

“No time like the present to get started,” Suzanne said before she picked up her phone and dialed. “Olivia, if you could come to my office. Cadence is here.”

Olivia arrived within seconds and like the other secretaries, she was wearing the same black and white ensemble, but unlike the other secretaries, the young woman that Cadence was taking over for was tall, slender and had beautifully styled hair. She could have been a model, rather than a secretary.

“Hi!” she greeted Cadence and leaned down to give her a friendly hug. “Oh my god, you are adorable.”

“Um, thanks,” Cadence said as she awkwardly hugged Olivia back.

“I’ll let you two ladies get to know each other,” Suzanne said. “I’m sure Olivia is capable of showing you the ropes.”

“Totally,” Olivia assured them both. “Come with me, I’ll show you where you’ll be working.”

When they were out of the HR manager’s office, Cadence stopped Olivia. There was one question that was burning inside her and she couldn’t put her mind at ease until she asked.

“Listen,” Cadence said. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Olivia told her with a smile.

“Everyone here seems so nice,” Cadence said. “That’s awesome, but if it’s so great here, why are you leaving?”

“Me?” Olivia laughed. “No, I’m not going anywhere. I love it here!”

“So why am I taking your job?” Cadence asked.

“I’m getting promoted,” Olivia told her with pride radiating from her. “At the end of this week, I’m officially becoming Mr. Crane’s executive secretary.”

“Wow.” Cadence couldn’t help but be impressed. “That’s awesome. Congratulations.”

“Thanks!” Olivia grinned. “Now come on, let me show you your new desk.”

Cadence’s new desk, or Olivia’s old one, was just like the others. Hers was at the back of the right row of desks and as Olivia went over Cadence’s new duties, all the other secretaries stopped by to say hello and remind her about getting a drink over lunch.

“God,” Cadance breathed after an hour of going over what were, admittedly, very simply tasks. “I can’t believe I was so nervous. I thought everyone here would treat me like, well, the new girl.”

“Oh you’re so cute,” Olivia laughed. “Seriously, we’re all friends and we stick together. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“I know that now,” Cadence said. “I just can’t believe how lucky I am.”

“Hey,” Amy said as she came by her desk. “Ramona just called. She and the big man are on their way down.”

“Thanks,” Olivia said.

“Does she mean Mr. Crane?” Cadence asked.

“Yeah,” Olivia nodded. “He’s a little intimidating, but he likes to make an appearance down here with the peasants once a week or so. Probably to meet the new girl. You know, you.”

“Oh god,” Cadence said, her nerves instantly returning.

“Oh don’t worry,” Olivia assured her. “He’ll just say hello and then head back upstairs. Just be yourself.”

The warning that they were given wasn’t far enough in advance for anyone to prepare for Mr. Crane’s arrival. As the elevator opened up, all the secretaries stood at their desks and Cadence followed suit.

From the back of the office, Cadence couldn’t see much over the other secretaries’ heads. She was the shortest one in the office and even on her toes, she couldn’t see a thing until the other secretaries began to sit down.

“Mr. Crane,” Suzanne greeted the head of their firm as she left her office. “Glad to see you.”

Their voices echoed in the open office and Cadence couldn’t help but stare as Mr. Crane and his soon-to-be-former secretary met with the HR manager. Cadence struggled to keep her eyes down, but she listened to them intently.

“I believe my firm has a new employee,” he said.

“Yes sir,” Suzanne said in her cheerful voice. “Right this way.”

Oh god
, Cadence’s mind raced. She didn’t know why she was so scared, everyone else had been so nice to her, but she couldn’t help it.

“Look up,” Olivia said under her breath before she stood to greet Mr. Crane. “Sir,” she said as she shook his hand. “Ramona.”

“Good to see you,” Ramona said. “I can’t wait to get you upstairs.”

“Me too,” Olivia agreed, her voice a much more formal candor than earlier. “And this is my replacement, Cadence.”

With a light bump of her hip, Olivia motioned for Cadence to stand up and introduce herself.

“Hi,” Cadence said, but her voice caught in her throat when she finally got to see Draven Crane in person.

The first thing that struck her was how tall he was. He was at least a foot taller than her petite five-foot-two frame, with dark hair that fell to just below his ears. His piercing blue eyes gazed into her own and she found herself staring at his soft lips. He was imposing, intimating, and all too sexy.

“Cadence Lowry?” Draven Crane confirmed in his deep, almost seductive voice.

“Yes,” she nodded as she managed to stop herself from staring.

“She comes from us from Cornell,” Suzanne said, skipping the part about Cadence neither graduating nor having had a job before.

“And you’re taking over for Olivia?” Mr. Crane confirmed as he watched her. Cadence refused to look up, but she could have sworn that his eyes were burning into her very soul.

“Yes sir,” Olivia cut in. “She’s picking things up very quickly and I can see her working on her own by the end of the day. I’m sure I can begin my training with Ramona by tomorrow.”

Mr. Crane seemed to completely ignore Olivia as she was speaking. Instead, he turned back to Suzanne.

“Suzanne,” he said, his voice a silky, sensual purr. “I think we’re going to have to make some changes to the staffing.”

Cadence’s heart sunk. She’d only just met the man and couldn’t make a good enough impression to keep her job. She’d failed again. The sting of tears overwhelmed her as she struggled to keep from crying, her humiliation topped off by the presence of the other secretaries who turned to watch what was happening at the back of the office.

“I’m sorry, sir?” Suzanne asked, her happy voice now dark and worried.

“Did I mumble?” he asked, his purr turning into a growl. “I need the staffing changed. Olivia, I apologize, but you’ll be staying with Mr. Norsworthy for the time being. I’d like Miss Lowry to be my new executive secretary.”

“Sir?” Suzanne questioned, but she corrected herself before he did it for her. “Of course. I’ll have the paper done up immediately.”

“Excellent,” he said before he turned to Cadence. “Miss Lowry, you can accompany us back upstairs. I’d like Ramona to start your training immediately.”

Cadence couldn’t even muster the words to answer. She just did as she was told, following Ramona and Mr. Crane back towards the elevators while everyone else silently stared at the back of her head.

Chapter Two

The elevator ride up to the third floor was the most awkward thirty seconds of Cadence’s life. She stood at the back of the elevator while both Ramona and Mr. Crane kept their eyes on the door. No one said a word, no one discussed what had just happened, they just stood in silence.

Even as the doors slid open, revealing the wide open third floor with its expansively high ceilings, no one said a word. Mr. Crane stepped out first with Ramona on his heels and Cadence shuffling behind them.

“Mr. Crane, your noon appointment is in your office,” Ramona said as she moved towards her own desk.

“Thank you, Ramona,” he said without looking back. “Please be sure Cadence gets settled in.”

With no other instruction, Draven Crane entered the only office in the building that didn’t have windows for walls and it wasn’t until the door was closed that she finally let herself breathe a sigh of relief.

“Sorry about that,” Ramona offered once they were alone. Mr. Crane’s secretary was a pretty, if not a little plain, brunette that was only a few inches taller than Cadence. Ramona wore the same uniform as the rest of the secretarial staff, but somehow she looked so much more polished. She had small eyes and a pleasant smile that she only offered once Mr. Crane was out of the room.

“I’m so lost,” Cadence said. “I’m just supposed to be a secretary downstairs. Now I’m up here. I don’t get it.”

“Mr. Crane sometimes makes snap decisions,” Ramona told her. “Don’t worry, this job isn’t any more difficult than working under Mr. Norsworthy. The hours are a little more erratic and you do need to follow Mr. Crane’s schedule, but it’s mostly making phone calls. That, and exercising a heightened sense of discretion.”

“Um,” Cadence mumbled at hearing the word discretion. It kept coming up and it was starting to worry her. “I understand the need to keep clients’ private lives private, but everyone keeps warning me about discretion. Are we doing anything...?”

“Illegal?” Ramona finished with a laugh. “No, but we have some very, how should I put this? Very special clients. Some of them are well known men and women, which is why Mr. Crane chose to move our office out of the city. Being in a small town allows our clients to come and go without the fear of some photographer snapping away while they discuss private matters.”

“So what does Mr. Crane do?” Cadence found herself asking, realizing only after the words were out of her mouth that the question was probably ridiculous. She should already know that, but she didn’t.

“Well, we’re a legal firm,” Ramona explained. “But we don’t handle settlements or go to court or anything. Mr. Crane and the firm work exclusively with contracts. There is very little paperwork on our end, so mostly you’re in charge of showing in clients and running any errands that Mr. Crane might have for you, though he doesn’t often need much.

Most importantly, we call clients one week ahead of the end of their contract to book their appointment for renewal. They get one phone call, and then it’s up to them to call back if they don’t answer. All the contract dates are in the black binder in the top drawer.”

That’s when it hit Cadence, and she was surprised she hadn’t seen it earlier. Despite the modern look of Mr. Crane’s office, Ramona’s desk was missing one key feature. There was no computer.

“So, do you have a laptop or something?” Cadence asked.

“Finally noticed the lack of computer, huh?” Ramon said with a laugh.

“Yeah,” Cadence admitted.

“I know, I know,” Ramona nodded. “Mr. Crane is very particular about privacy. If he catches you with your phone turned on while you’re working, he’ll probably fire you.”

With that warning, Cadence dug her hand into the pocket of Jane’s blazer to turn off her own phone.

“My suggestion,” Ramona told her. “Is bring books. You’re going to have a lot of down time during office hours. The girls downstairs usually just go on Facebook or Twitter, but you don’t have that luxury.”

The thought of the secretaries downstairs reminded Cadence about her promise to go out for lunch with the other women in the office. Something told her that their offer was off the table and Ramona somehow sensed her sudden apprehension.

“It’ll be tough,” Ramona nodded. “Mr. Crane put you in a rough spot. Olivia’s been gunning for my job since she started here and she won’t make things any easier for you, but they aren’t allowed up here without being requested. I’m done as of Friday. After that, you’re on your own.”

“Can I ask why you’re leaving?” Cadence asked.

“My husband got a job in Chicago,” Ramona told her. “I’d stay on, but there’s really no room for advancement. I mean, my salary is amazing, but money isn’t everything. When he got the job offer, we agreed the time was right. I’m a little sad to go, but I’m excited too.”

With a guiding hand, Ramona showed Cadence the schedule book, and the big black book full of contracts. There wasn’t much to learn, it was exceptionally simple and she wasn’t sure why Mr. Crane needed a separate secretary for just for a few simple tasks, but she kept her mouth shut and did as she was told.

It quickly became apparent that Ramona had a memorized script that she followed when she made her phone calls. Cadence pulled out a pen and paper and jotted it down, word for word, to use when it was finally time for her to make the important calls.

Just as she thought she could breathe a little, the heavy black door of Mr. Crane’s office swung open and someone stepped out. For a moment, Cadence rubbed her eyes, thinking they were playing tricks on her again, but the person in front of her was really real and she couldn’t help but let her mouth hang open.

Ramona gave her shin a light kick and Cadence shut her mouth and put her eyes towards the desk. She had one job and she’d already failed it.

Thankfully, Ramona wasn’t Mr. Crane and she let the indiscretion slide. “Don’t let it happen again,” she said once they were alone, her voice uncharacteristically stern.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Cadence groveled. “It’s just, that was Hayden Adams. I’ve seen all of his movies!”

“You need to get over the star struck thing quickly,” Ramona said, relenting just a little. “They come and go almost daily and expect you to be professional. And of course, you can’t tell a soul that they’ve been here.”

“Definitely,” Cadence agreed. “It won’t happen again.”

Cadence’s apologies were cut short when the buzzer on Ramona’s phone rang. Quickly, she snatched the phone out of its holster and didn’t speak, just listened.

The call was brief, but when she hung up the phone, Ramona turned to Cadence and said, “He would like to see you.”

Cadence gulped hard as she stood up from the desk. She thought she might get at least a little more time before she had to face Mr. Crane on her own.

She attempted to smooth out the wrinkles in her oversized blazer, but it was no use. The thing would never look right on her, no matter how much she tried and she didn’t want to keep her new boss waiting. She had no choice but to go in there and face him, even if there was something about him that scared her.