Mine to Protect Chapter 17: HIS SUPPORT

*Hazel*

Does he really want to have sex in here? With all these passersby! Most importantly, although he is incredibly handsome, and I kind of like him, it does not mean that I am going to be intimate with him. I haven’t even decided if I want to have any kind of relationship with him.

I place my hands on his chest and gently, but firmly, push him back a little. He seems to get the hint and moves back.

An awkward silence settles again between us. I feel overly tense, the only thing I want to do is disappear from this car. I looked out the window for an escape and noticed we had already got to our destination; I was not even paying attention to our surroundings. I hurriedly opened the car door and get off, then turn around to thank the Alpha and bid him goodbye.

“Thank you, Alpha, for driving me, and for the moral support. Goodbye, I guess.”

He looks at me pointedly, then gets out of the car from his side, and comes stand in front of me. “First of all, for you is Derek, and not Alpha. You are not part of my pack, and you are my mate. We are equals. Secondly, nice way to let me off just now, you literally ran from my car!” he says with sarcasm, laced with an undertone of disappointment.

I honestly don’t know what to say to that. Basically, that’s what happened.

He takes a breath, then continues in a calmer tone.

“Yesterday I said I will help you with your project, and you still owe me a date. Remember?”

I actually completely forgot about it, with everything that happened. But I did agree to it, and I can’t really back out now.

“Ok, then, let’s get started with work first!”

We walk side by side into the office, and this time I keep my hand clutched on my bag, it would be awkward if we entered holding hands. It’s not like I don’t want anyone to know about us, it’s just that it won’t look professional, although I am sure Mr. Jones would be elated by it.

Although it is a Saturday morning, the office is very busy, with employees tapping at their desks, teams discussing projects in the meeting rooms and common areas, even Mr. Jones is in his office, and Carol is chatting with her possie beside the coffee machine.

When she sees us enter, her jaw practically hits the floor, but she recovers pretty quickly. She catwalks toward us, her gaze focused on Derek.

“Alpha O’Brien, what a pleasure seeing you again so soon. Have you come to discuss the project? My team and I have made great progress; why don’t you come to my office to see the results of our hard work?” she purrs in her sweet fake voice.

Her tone changes drastically though, when she addresses me, “Hazel, I was waiting for your pictures and measurements yesterday, but you never sent anything in, and you didn’t come back to the office for the whole day. You know how important this project is, your behavior was very unprofessional, and…”

She gets cut short by the Alpha getting in between us, hiding me from Carol’s view, and shielding me completely from her metaphorical daggers.

“Ms. Lacroix, I don’t appreciate you talking to my mate in this tone. She was with me at the site yesterday, and didn’t have the time to send out what you required or to come back to the office, and I take full responsibility for it. Now, if you don’t mind, I still need to discuss some details with Hazel. You can feel free to join us later, to show us the results of your hard work, as you put it.”

That said, Derek places his warm hand on the small of my back, and swiftly guides me to the meeting room we used last time. He sits down comfortably on one of the leather chairs, while I go fetch my laptop, some papers and stationery.

When I come back in the meeting room, the table is occupied by coffee cups, pastries, water bottles and a plate of cut fruit. Mr. Jones and Carol are sitting at the same table as Derek, opposite him.

“Hazel, dear, come sit. Alpha O’Brien explained that you didn’t have breakfast, so we fetched something for the both of you. You should take more care of yourself, you have an important job to do, and you need all the energy you can get.”

The absurdity of this situation and of his words leave me completely speechless. When has he ever cared if I ate or not; he would often cut down my lunches just to have me finish my work on time. And now, he’s acting like he cares about me. This is just unnerving, but I can’t complain much, at least I am getting free breakfast now, it doesn’t matter if it is only for show.

And it is true that I haven’t had breakfast, I’m actually quite hungry, so I decided to play along.

“Thank you, Mr. Jones, that’s very sweet of you. And thank you, Alpha Derek, for being so attentive.”

“Derek, it’s Derek,” he says, with a pointed look.

“Alright.”

We tuck into the discussion on the compound design, while drinking our coffees and eating the pastries. I propose a combination of white, grey and sandstone for the exteriors, and white, grey, oak wood and micro cement for the interiors.

Derek seems very satisfied with my choice of colors and materials and agrees to everything I propose. I am not sure if it is because he wants to please me, or because he really agrees with my choices.

“Actually, I think that a combination of marbles would be a much better option. We are talking high class here, target customers will be people belonging to la crème of the city’s high society, so I think we must employ materials more adapt to their standards,” Carol interjects, sounding really posh and high-class herself.

“I don’t think I agree with you. Marble definitely looks opulent but is more suitable for a public place or restaurant. Houses should be comfortable, relaxing, that’s why I chose whites and wood. Comfort should not annihilate style though, and those would be provided by trending materials such as sandstone, grey stone, burnished platinum and brass. Additionally, these materials are less expensive than marble, this will lower the decoration cost and provide higher profits for the seller.”

I don’t know where I got the courage to say all this out loud to Carol’s face; maybe it’s Derek’s presence, the knowledge that he would protect me from anything and anyone.

“Carol is much more experienced, we should follow her idea, it’s the safest option,” Mr. Jones adds. He always takes her side; it doesn’t surprise me.

What will Derek decide? If he takes my side, they will think that he’s just favoring me because I am his mate, and not because he truly believes in my concept.

All gazes are now on Derek, waiting for his decision, and he doesn’t disappoint.