His Purrfect Mate(4)

“Fine. What exactly is the family history?”

“It’s rather murky and muddled, old sport. Perhaps you should ask your new girlfriend about it,” his father said, and hung up. Kenneth grumbled several four letter words, tucking his cell phone back into his jacket pocket. His father was miffed at Kenneth for ignoring his advice, and it would probably be another day or two, at least, before Kenneth could coax him into giving him the information.

Kenneth had been so sure this would be a pleasant, easy trip. He’d fly out to his grandfather Barrett’s old stomping grounds in the picturesque little town north of Syracuse, he’d get answers to his questions, Chloe Novak would swoon at his feet…

He’d done some research before he came out here, of course. There was nothing to indicate that Chloe Novak was completely crazy, or preferred members of her own sex, or had any other reason to rake him with that look of contempt when her eyes had met his.

In fact, it was his research which had led him to the impulsive decision to hop on a plane yesterday afternoon.

When he’d gone on the university website and seen the picture of Chloe Novak, Professor of Ancient Sumerian Culture, he’d felt an odd stirring inside. It wasn’t because she was a knockout, like the women that he usually dated – but when her faculty page popped up and he saw her wearing a slouchy brown sweater and staring at the camera with a serious expression on her small, pretty face, a strange sensation had shot through him. He’d suddenly felt that it would be a good idea to pay a personal visit to Chloe, even though she’d refused to take a single phone call from him.

And now Kenneth had about six hours to find a date to attend the ball with him that evening, or he’d look like a fool in front of Chloe. Not that it would be a problem finding a woman willing to be his escort for the evening, but he suddenly found himself not at all enthusiastic about spending the evening in another woman’s company.

As the limousine wove through traffic back to his hotel room, he made one more call, to the headquarters of Shifters, Inc...

“Shifters, Incorporated – please hold!” his computer security expert Tyler Witlocke answered, and in the background, Kenneth could swear he heard shouting, and crashing furniture, and then an angry roar of “Give me back my wallet – now!” followed by a taunting “Make me!”

He growled with impatience. The person behind the angry roar would be Dominick. And of course it would be Pixie taunting him. If only Dominick would figure out that the reason Pixie kept provoking him was because Dominick always reacted with such amusing predictability. If Dominick would just act indifferent, Pixie would get bored and stop aggravating him.

The growls and roars continued in the background.

“Tyler!” He snapped.

“Oh, Kenneth! Hold on – one sec –“

There was more swearing, angry words shouted in the background, then the sound of breaking glass. Then there were growls, and a thud.

A minute later, Tyler answered, out of breath.

“Kenneth! How’s it going in New York?” Tyler tried, and failed, to sound cheerful and un-flustered.

“Forget New York, what the hell is happening in the office?” Frustration boiled up inside him. He’d known that the shifters and humans he’d recruited to work for him were a mixed crew, handpicked for their special talents, but also very, well, individualistic, would be one way to put it. When he was in town, he was able to keep the chaos down to a dull roar. Apparently the minute he turned his back, however, they started fighting like cats and dogs. Which wasn’t surprising, since they were actually cats and dogs.

“What do you mean?” Tyler sounded wounded.

“Tyler, please. This is me,” Kenneth said impatiently.

“Fine. Dominick made the mistake of betting Pixie that she couldn’t steal his car keys from his pocket,” Tyler said. “He should have known better. It was a temporary tiff.I managed to separate them without bloodshed. Much, anyway,” he muttered. “And I should be healed by tomorrow.”

“Why are you answering the phone? Where is the new secretary?”

“She, ah-”

“Quit?”

“In our defense, we also went through three secretaries when you were in town. In less than a month. We need to find a unique individual. More open minded. Less afraid of the occasional – ah – what’s the word I’m looking for?’

“Free for all? Riot?”

“Yes, something like that,” Tyler admitted.

“If you’d all stop acting like animals…”Kenneth muttered irritably.

“Well, given our particular genetic makeup, that’s probably not going to happen.”