The trip was quick, which didn't give Faolán time to even take a nap. A small child seemed to be stressed-out, as it cried the entire trip.
'Probably her ears are popping,' he thought, feeling sorry for the baby. The mother was alone, so he offered to help her out with her luggage, after they got off the plane. She thanked him and wished him luck in life.
In other conditions, he would have preferred to travel by car, so that he wouldn't have to rent one or even take a taxi, later on. However, that would be a six-hour road trip, and he couldn't afford wasting so much time only on the way there, while the pack was without their Alpha. Therefore, he went to the car rental desk and chose one that suited his taste and need.
When Faolán arrived at the hotel, he left his suitcase next to the bed and went to take another shower. July was a really hot month to wear such 'starchy' clothes. He would eat something and go to the meeting place with that CEO. He didn't even remember her name, but he would check with Zander, before addressing the woman. Since she wasn't very friendly, she might take his slip-up as a personal offense.
Once ready, Faolán checked if everything was in order. He was already used to humans, but he always made sure he hadn't forgotten his papers. After all, a mistake would make him seem suspect. Rafe was anxious, urging Faolán to leave soon.
'It's not like it's going to make much of a difference, is it? We have an appointment. My arriving early won't make her do the same.' He talked to the wolf, mentally.
'I know, but I feel like something is coming. Something big!' Rafe said nervously.
Faolán checked himself out in the mirror one last time. He was well dressed, but not too formal. The idea was to appear friendly, not intimidating. At least not at first. If she didn't willingly accept, he would use the Alpha aura to subdue her.
He then remembered Zander's words about the woman's appearance. Faolán had already fooled around with humans, of course. He hadn't kept himself pure and chaste for his female. Then, he also remembered the need for every pack to have a Luna, so that a new Alpha could be born. He pushed the thought away. 'One problem at a time'.
*
Zander had arranged with the woman's secretary that they would meet at a coffee shop downtown. It was a private but still public place. While Faolán sat at a table, waiting for the woman, he got a text message from Zander, containing her name. He glanced at his cell phone and opened Zander's message: Alanna Doyle. He repeated the name aloud, as if he could feel every letter on his tongue. The name sounded sexy, to him. Rafe agreed.
And then, a scent hit him hard. Mint, with chocolate and a pinch of pepper. And something else, however, he could not discern. Rafe started 'jumping up and down', and Faolán knew his mate was somewhere near.
'Go look for her!' Rafe urged him, in agony.
'But what about the appointment?'
'Screw it! You can say you had an emergency! Go, now!'
However, all of Rafe's urgency wasn't really necessary, since the scent was getting closer, instead of going away. Faolán, who was already on his feet, ready to go searching for his mate, stood still, waiting for her to show herself. The cafeteria door opened and a woman in a classic black dress, stiletto heels, with shoulder-length red hair, entered. She lifted her surreal white hands and removed her sunglasses, revealing eyes that were a blue similar to Larimar stone. Slim waist, hips slightly wide, aligned to the shoulders. Even in a dress like that, Faolán could see her beautiful breasts. 'Perfect,' he and Rafe thought, together.
'She's approaching!' Rafe said, excitedly. Faolán shushed him.
"Mister Quinn? I'm Alanna Doyle, nice to meet you." The woman spoke, and her voice was like music to his ears. She had her hand out for him to shake.
'The pleasure is all ours! Mark her!' Rafe said, and Faolán wasn't sure what to do, after all. She was that bad CEO, but also his mate. But she didn't seem to realize it, as she didn't reciprocate his feelings. He looked at her hand like an idiot, but he couldn't move. She raised her eyebrows and withdrew her hand. She twisted her her lips and sat down at his table, displeased.
'She is sad. She is upset at us. DO SOMETHING!'
"Shut up and let me think!" Faolán said, out loud. The people around him fell silent and looked at him. Alanna's eyes widened at him, and then squinted.
"What did you say?" she asked, incredulously, slowly getting to her feet.
"No, no! I was thinking of something else, I'm sorry. It wasn't meant for you!" He stumbled over his words, and she just stared at him, with a bored disbelief face.
"So, you have a mental condition? Otherwise, why am I not seeing anyone other than myself interacting with you." She said, trying not to cross her arms and look too hostile. The man was handsome, tall, tanned skin, killer green eyes and silky dark hair that was begging to be stroked. But she kept her gaze cold, after all, he didn't deserve anything good from her.
"I just… thought out loud about something I remembered. These last days have been hard on me, I'm sorry. My father passed away a-and—"
"It won't move me." She cut him off. He, who had his eyes closed, opened them and looked at her with a frown. She was heartless, indeed!
"It's not intended to move you. He actually passed away a few days ago." He said, seriously. Despite being shocked by her behavior, he still wanted to hug and kiss her, and make her his.
"My condolences. Now," she said, returning to her seat, whereupon he did the same, "you asked for a meeting with me, in order to discuss a piece of land that your company seems to be interested in. The problem is that mine is, too, and we have the preference for the purchase."
"Thanks. Well, my father and I helped some people and as their land burned down, those people were left homeless. That land is no longer any good, even if we built houses for them, they would no longer be able to plant anything."
"Are they natives?" she questioned.
"Oh, almost. These are people who live mostly in the nature, so they need cultivable land." He tried to explain. Of course, he couldn't just say, right there, amidst of a bunch of humans, that those people were a pack of wolves.
"I understand. But there are other lands." The way she spoke made him, once again, think she had a problem with him. Her coldness was not like that of a person who is just uninterested in other people's problems, but that of someone who held some sort of grudge.
"But this land I want is close to theirs. There are several people, including the elderly and children. Moving elsewhere would be problematic."
"You are not poor, Mr Quinn. If you are willing to buy such an expensive land, one of the most expensive in the market, by the way, why not pay for a proper transport for these people? The elderly and/or disabled can use an airplane, or more comfortable buses. They've developed a lot. You can barely even notice that they are moving." She said, her voice still cold and listless.
Faolán looked down, pondering. Indeed, he was not poor. And her solution was viable. But the issue was the land, which, more than anything, offered the isolation they so desperately needed.
"These people do not like to expose themselves, to be in contact with society. So that land is what they need." He insisted. She smiled.
"I'll think about it, because my company needs that land which suits our new project perfectly, Mr Quinn. But I promise you I'll talk to the board and give you an answer as soon as possible." She stood up, straightening her dress, and held out her hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you." He swallowed hard, looking down at her hand. He followed her movement, and when their two hands touched, they both felt the electricity coursing through their bodies. She widened her eyes and he smiled. He knew she had felt the same. But soon her expression changed, now showing something that made his heart ache: contempt.
She let go of his hand with a subtle brutality, put her purse on her arm and turned around to leave. She hadn't even touched the coffee he'd left on the table for her as a courtesy. She didn't even notice it.
'Go after her!' shouted Rafe. Faolán wanted to, but she'd rejected him, in a way, when she'd felt the connection and became unhappy.
'She doesn't want us.' He replied to the wolf, mentally.
'Yes, she does! I smell her and so do you. Now stop being an idiot and go!' Faolán thought it over, but decided to head back to the hotel, for the time being, making Rafe irate. He didn't want to scare her for two reasons: the first was that she was a human and he needed her to be open to accepting him as a wolf; second, if she got angry, she might refuse to give up the lands, and the pack would suffer the consequences of his lack of tact.