Chapter 195

The day after I found the rat in my car, Andrew decided to work from home so that he could spend more time with me. He pretended to be busy with a presentation on the state of vampiric intrusion so that he could ignore the constant phone calls and texts from his Beta and his media advisor. I knew that he could only half-pay attention to the PowerPoint on his laptop, though, as I rubbed his neck and shoulders, my breasts pressing into his back.

“Mmmm,” he hummed as I pushed down on a particularly bad knot. “Right there, love. Yes, that feels like heaven.”

With one hand, I held Andrew’s body still as I kneaded the heel of my other hand hard into the knot.

“Ow, yes, ow…right there.” Andrew’s head lulled back as the knot began to loosen. “I didn’t know you were such a talented masseuse.”

“Oh, come on. You must have known that I had magic hands,” I said with a cheeky grin.

Andrew chuckled.

“I suppose I did.”

I finished massaging that knot and moved back to his neck briefly, running my thumbs in small rapid circular movements up either side of his spine. He groaned loudly. Suddenly, I was glad that only the guards at the doors to the home office could hear us, and even they seemed like two too many.

“Okay,” I said, removing my hands from his body, “try it now.”

Andrew seemed reluctant to have me stop, but he followed my instructions and moved his neck to first one side and then the other. Each time, his neck makes the loudest crack that I had ever heard. He sighs in relief and relaxes back in his seat.

“Is that better?” I asked.

“Much better. Thank you, my love.” He looked up at me with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Later, I’m going to need you to give me a full-body massage.”

I leaned down and draped my arms over his chest.

“I might consider doing that for you, if you reciprocate.”

I winked at him, then kissed him gently on the lips.

A knock at the door startled me out of my position. I quickly took my spot standing by Andrew’s side, my hand placed on his shoulder in a show of support. I glanced over at him, and he subtly nodded his approval.

“Come in!” Andrew called out.

Parker entered with Andrew’s Beta—Antoine Boucher—and his media advisor—Dennis Andreas—trailing in behind him. Neither the Beta nor the advisor looked pleased.

“Your Highness, I have Beta Antoine Boucher and Media Advisor Dennis Andreas here to see you,” Parker announced.

“Thank you, Parker,” Andrew replied. “Please ensure that we are not disturbed.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Parker bowed to each of us present in turn, then left the home office. The doors closed behind him, guaranteeing our privacy except for the possibility of eavesdropping guards on the other side.

“Antoine, Dennis, what can I do for you today?” Andrew asked, forcing pleasantness into his tone.

“You aren’t answering your phone,” Antoine said in a deep, gruff voice.

“No, I have been hard at work on my presentation regarding the growing intrusion of vampires in the werewolf community.” Andrew turned the laptop toward them, as though for proof. “I would actually appreciate your feedback on it—”

“If you don’t mind, Your Highness, we have more pressing matters to address,” Dennis interrupted. He cringed the moment that he did, but he did not offer any apologies.

Andrew sat back in his seat and arched a brow.

“Oh? And what could that be?” he asked. “I would think that vampires trespassing on our territory would be considered top priority.”

“So is your reputation as a stand-up werewolf,” Antoine asserted.

“What do you mean?”

“Have you looked at any of the links that I texted you, Your Highness?” Dennis asked.

Andrew shook his head.

“As I said, I have been busy with my presentation. It has does not leave time for much else.”

I pursed my lips, but I did not do much else to react to Andrew’s half-truth.

“Look,” Antoine said, his voice far more commanding than it should have been when addressing his Alpha King.

Andrew crossed his arms over his chest.

“Pardon me?” he said.

Antoine took a deep breath.

“Please look, Your Highness,” Antoine repeated, his tone more submissive.

Andrew nodded in acknowledgement of Antoine’s submission. He picked up his phone and checked his texts. His eyes widened momentarily before returning to neutral.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He held the phone up so that I could see the tabloid article on the screen. The headline read:

ALPHA KING MAKES DIRTY DEAL WITH CRIME BOSS MATTEO BARONE

My nails dug into Andrew’s shoulder. I tried to minimize my reaction, to not give any credit to the accusations until Andrew could talk to Antoine and Dennis, but I knew that I had paled as well. This could mean the beginning of the end for Andrew’s political career if it wasn’t handled properly.

“So, the tabloids have come up with a new way to try and drag my name through the mud,” Andrew said, setting his phone on his desk, “and not with a very convincing take this time.”

He grinned, as if daring Antoine and Dennis to challenge him.

“You two don’t believe the rumors, do you?” he asked.

“They have insiders, Andrew, for both you and Barone,” Antoine said, stabbing the wood of the desk with his forefinger for emphasis.

“It’s not looking good, Your Highness,” Dennis added, “especially not with…”

As he trailed off, Dennis’s eyes drifted to me.

Andrew glared at him.

“Surely, you’re not saying that Crystal is part of the problem,” he growled.

“No, of course not,” Dennis said. “I’m just saying—”

“Yes, we are,” Antoine interrupted. “She’s the one with a criminal record. She’s the one that everyone seems to be after, including werewolf crime bosses—”

“What are you trying to say?” Andrew demanded.

“We’re saying that she is a bad influence on you and has been since the moment that you met,” Antoine snapped.

Andrew leapt to his feet and stormed around the desk to Antoine. He towered over his Beta, snarling down at the smaller—though still muscular and intimidating—man.

“You listen here,” Andrew snarled, poking his forefinger in Antoine’s chest, “Crystal is not, and never has been, a bad influence on me. I have not made any deals with crime bosses, and I will handle this situation BY MYSELF.”

Andrew grabbed Antoine’s and Dennis’s shoulders and shoved them towards the door.

“Now, get out of my house before I am forced to remind you why I am the Alpha King!”

Andrew kicked open the doors and shoved the two men out into the hall.

When he caught the attention of the guards, he said, “Make sure that these two make it off my property safely.”

The guards nodded and escorted Antoine and Dennis down the hall.

Andrew reentered the home office and closed the doors behind him. Heaving a sigh, he plopped down behind his desk and hid his face in his hand.

I stood behind the chair, my breasts pressed against his back, and started rubbing his neck again.

“Maybe it’s time for that full-body massage,” I breathed in his ear.