Sapphire (Rare Gems Series) (2 page)

“I think you could have not tipped him
and he would have been thrilled.” Jade reached for another slice as she continued.
“I never seen anyone so overwhelmed by us as he was. You’d think he never saw a
girl before.”

Sapphire looked around the room,
thinking about her earlier statement about them being sexy woman. They were,
she supposed. All of them were tall, at well over five foot ten inches, thin as
rails as her grandmother called them, but muscular and toned. Dark hair graced
the head of each of them, and the dark brown eyes of their kind. They were all
wolves, thanks to their heritage, and could withstand much more than humans
could, as well as eat more as they burned a great deal more energy. She smiled
at her grandmother when she commented on the state of their clothing.

“If a man walked in this house right now,
he’d swear we’re all a bunch of slobs. I never knew that moving could cause a
person to get so nasty and messy,” Grandmother said. Opal snorted. “And you,
young lady, where on earth did you get that shirt? I think we should put it out
to pasture.”

They kidded around a great deal more as
they finished off the last slice. Sapphire only hoped that once they were all
settled in jobs and the house that they’d see this for what it was. A new
start.

Her cell rang when she was putting the
mattress on her bed. She started to answer it without looking, but decided at
the last minute to look. She felt her wolf stir at the name that popped up. Jeffery
was still trying to reach her. Letting it go to voicemail if he wanted to leave
her a message, she started to fill the tub to take a long soak. Her room, like Jade’s,
had its own bathroom and huge tub.

An hour later she was wrapped in her
favorite robe and sitting on the bed when she finally reached for the phone
again. There were eight messages and ten missed calls. When she looked at her
recent history, seven were calls from Jeffery, two from her aunt, and one
unknown. She groaned when she realized she had to listen to all the messages
before she knew who the unknown was.

Jeffery had left her the first three
messages, and in each one he got a great deal nastier to her. Simply deleting
them, she listened to her aunt going on about pack loyalty and rules on the
next two. She was another reason they’d left so quickly. The woman was so deep
in the pack that Sapphire always wondered why she wasn’t the alpha. The next
two were from Jeffery again, which she didn’t even bother listening to before
deleting. The last one was from someone at the office she was going to work at.

“Miss Erickson, this is Blair Henson
from Flair Marketing. I was wondering if you could give me a call. I know it’s
sort of late, but I need to speak to you about an important matter concerning
your working for my firm. There have been a few calls from a Jeffery Benetton.”
He
left his phone number and ended the call.

“Fuck.” Well, she supposed that this
would have happened sooner or later. When her grandmother had notified the
alpha here about them being in the area, he would have called Jeffery to find
out all he could. It wouldn’t have taken Jeffery long to figure out where she
would work after getting the address of the new alpha, and he’d call there as
well. She wished now she had listened to his messages. Then again, maybe not.

Tossing the phone to the bedside table,
she didn’t bother calling Mr. Henson back. What would be the point? Jeffery had
fucked that up, and the man more than likely wanted to tell her to forget it. She
would start looking for something else tomorrow. She added job hunting to her
mental list and turned off the lights.

Tomorrow, she decided she was going for
a long hard run and tried her best to forget everything else. She was rolling to
her back when her phone rang again. When it shut off, she reached for it again
and turned it to mute. Closing her eyes, she decided that in addition to
everything else, she was going to have her number changed, too.

She didn’t toss and turn as she normally
did before finally falling to sleep. She knew she was tired beyond words, and
her body, after the bath, was so relaxed. She yawned twice before she felt her
body falling into restfulness. She only thought of the job twice before succumbing
to sleep. Once to think she wished she had been able to meet the owner before Jeffery
fucked it up for her, and then again when she thought of Mr. Henson’s voice.
There was something so warm about it that made her toes curl even then. She was
definitely going to make use of the vibrator if a voice could make her wet. Smiling,
sleep claimed her.

Chapter 2

“The number you have dialed has been disconnected
or no longer in service. If you feel you’ve reached this number in error
please—”

Blair slammed the phone down in the
cradle and looked up when someone cleared their throat. His dad was not anyone
he wanted to talk to right at the moment. But when he sat down, Blair simply
waited.

“I take it she’s not returning your calls.”
He nodded. “Wonder what changed her mind. You think she heard about you being
the new alpha, or she heard you’re a pain in the ass to work for?”

“I’m not a pain in the ass to most
people. Just the stupid ones.” He flushed when his dad laughed. “Okay, I’m a
pain in the ass, but I’m a very wealthy pain in the ass and have made the
people who work for me rich, too.”

“If you think money is all the reason
they stay here, then you’re dumber than I gave you credit for.” He glared at
his dad only to have him laugh more. “You should also know that Jeffery
Benetton called here again. That man has a real hard-on for that woman. What do
you suppose she did to him?”

“Okay, I think I’ve said this to you
before. Don’t use the word
hard-on
in the offices. Someone could take offense
and sue. Secondly, and more importantly, I’d prefer you never say any words
like that to me again. I have no idea why you think it’s funny to make me feel
uncomfortable when you talk like that, but there you have it.”

“It’s what I live for.” Blair looked at
the doorway when his secretary, Justine Troy, walked in after a short knock. Before
his dad could make a no doubt dirty comment, Blair spoke first.

“Any information on the Erickson woman
yet?” She winked at his dad and sat down next to him across from his desk.

“She’s purchased the house on Manor
Hill. You know which one, the large mansion that you placed a bid on when you
were looking at houses. She and her family live there, but so far the only person
that has had any contact with them, other than the previous alpha, is a pizza
delivery kid.” She smiled as she continued. “I don’t think he’s going to be
very helpful either. All he could tell me was ‘wow’ and also ‘man.’ I have no
idea what that means in male terms, but I can only surmise that the women are
pretty.”

She handed him a file that he took and
opened. There was nothing in it more than a copy of the deed to the house as
well as the names of the residents. He looked up at her when he realized the
names.

“They’re all gems.” She nodded at him.
“And this odd ball out, I’m assuming she’s their mother or something?”

Annabelle Erickson’s name did not match
the others. When Justine didn’t answer him, he looked up at her. She and his
dad were flirting again. Damn it all to hell and back. Blair said her name and
she turned to look at him.

“Grandmother. She’s their grandmother. According
to what I could find, their mother died some time ago and the father died about
a year later. The oldest girl, Sapphire, was about ten, and the sisters all one
year younger than the next oldest. They’ve lived with her since their father
died.” Justine handed him another file. “This is the stuff you asked for about
their old alpha. He’s a piece of work, and it’s no wonder they left. Sapphire
Erickson fought him about two weeks before they moved here, and rumor has it,
she was torn up pretty badly. Jeffery Benetton nearly killed her, and she
didn’t do so badly tearing him a new ass either. I have pictures of him. Someone
at the clinic that he runs took them, and you owe me for paying for them.”

He nodded, distracted by the photos. If
this female did this much damage to an alpha, then he thought they’d have
trouble. She wasn’t projecting a very good picture of herself right now. But
this didn’t really seem like the girl he’d hired sight unseen either. Her previous
boss, Bruce Maxwell, had told Blair that Ms. Erickson was a hell of an artist,
and she could make a client so happy they could charge double their fee and
anyone would have paid it.

“You’ll be lucky to have her on your
staff. And not worry so much about her needing one weekend a month off. Shit,
if she had asked, I’d have given her every weekend off, but she said she needed
the money more.” Blair smiled, just realizing now why she needed the weekend
off. Her other boss obviously didn’t know what she was. But he did.

And it was all a moot point when he
couldn’t contact her. Blair stood up and reached for his jacket. If she
wouldn’t call him back, he’d simply go and see her. He was standing near the
elevator when he realized his father was standing beside him.

“You’re not going with me.” His dad
didn’t say anything. “I mean it. I want this woman to work for me, not sue me because
you can’t keep your mouth shut.”

His dad laughed. “What a way to talk
about your poor old dad. You know that I’m only teasing the women who work for
you. Hell, I think most of them enjoy it. You should try it sometime. A little
romance with a woman might get you laid more than once a year.”

“Dad, please.” He stepped into the wide
opening the elevator made for him. “Can you not just let me do this? I know
what I’m doing. I’ve been running this business for a long time.”

“And a good job you’re doing, too, but
you need to stop working so dammed much and have some fun. You remember what
that means, don’t you? Going out with friends and buddies, getting naked with a
woman?” Blair didn’t comment, and that only seemed to encourage his dad more. “You
do know that if you don’t use it, it’ll fall off. Then where will your mate
be?”

“A mate is the last thing I need,
thanks. And when I do need one, I’ll make sure she doesn’t care that I don’t
have time for sex.” His dad snorted again. “You should also know that I’ve a
good mind to get myself fixed. I really don’t care for kids either.”

That shut him up. His dad was still
standing there in the yawning elevator when the doors shut. Blair was still
laughing as he left the building. He’d have to remember that threat when he
wanted to get the better of his dad. He’d never do that, but it was a nice
threat all the same.

He drove himself to the address. He
really didn’t mind the limo when he was busy with paperwork in the back of it,
but he also enjoyed a nice drive. And the drive out to the house was a pleasant
one. When he pulled into the drive, he looked at the house that he’d wanted but
could never convince the man who owned it to sell. He wondered why the man had
sold it now and not contacted him like he’d begged him to.

Blair got out of the car and left his
jacket inside. It was a warm day, yet he could feel the difference in the air around
him here as opposed to the heat in the city. There was a lot to be said for
moving out into the country. He was just lifting his hand to knock when he was
nearly bowled over by a flash of green and woman.

“Sorry, late for class. Go on in.
Grandmother is in the kitchen. She’s pissed, so tread carefully.” The woman
stopped and grinned at him as she continued. “You’re not here to fix the fridge,
aren’t you?”

“No, I’m here to—” She waved again and
got onto a big bike and took off. “That wasn’t all that helpful.”

He turned back to the door and heard
someone cussing from deep within. When he shouted “hello” the woman told him to
get his ass in there and stop screwing around. He moved toward the sound of the
voice, wondering if the entire household was this rude.

The older woman standing in the middle
of the huge kitchen looked on the verge of tears. He wanted to reach for her to
comfort her, but was put off slightly by the large hammer she was holding like
a weapon.

“It just stopped working. It couldn’t
have done this before I went to the grocery store. Oh no, it had to do it when
I have all this food to fill it with.” She looked at him. “You’re not the
repair man.”

“No, ma’am, but I can have a look at it
if you want.” She nodded at him, but still held the hammer. “Do you think you
could put that down? I’m not into having you miss whatever it was you were
going to use that on and hitting me instead.”

She tossed it in the general direction
of the table and it rattled to the floor. There were nine full bags of food on
it, as well as several on the counters and the floor near what he thought was a
pantry. He pulled out his cell phone and called his butler and cook. Rocky
answered on the first ring.

“What do you know about refrigerator
repair? I’m at a friend’s house, and hers just died on her. And she’s got a lot
of groceries.”

“Buy a new one.” He looked around the
room and wondered if there was time to get someone out to look at it or do as
Rocky suggested.

“Can you do that for me? Have a big one
brought out. I mean huge.” Blair looked at the woman who was mumbling under her
breath and putting things into the cabinet. “Make it fast, too.”

When he gave him the address and hung up,
the woman turned to him. She looked a good deal better than when he’d come in. And
when she smiled at him for whatever reason, he felt he’d been given a gift.

“Most of the girls aren’t here if you’ve
come calling.” He raised a brow at her, and she laughed. “What on earth would a
good looking wolf like you want to come sniffing around an old woman and her
problems like me for if not to see about her granddaughters?”

“I was trying to find your granddaughter—”
The door opened and two of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen walked in. He
grabbed the back of the chair that was nearest him. The one that had nearly
knocked him over was very pretty from what he could see of her, but these women
took his breath away.

“You’re not the repair man.” He shook
his head at the first one that had come through the door. “Too bad. I’d like to
watch you bend over the sink and have you unplug it.”

“Diamond.” The low warning had him
looking at the other woman. “What do you want? If you’re here about the meeting
this moon, we’ve told the pack leader we’re not interested. We informed him that
we’re in the area and that’s all we have to do.”

Blair would have to look into that, but
for now he wanted to find the woman he’d come here for. He cleared his throat
twice before he could speak, and flushed when the older woman laughed.

“I’ve come to see Sapphire Erickson. Are
either of you her?” Diamond looked back at her sister, then at him. He just
knew that this one was going to be her.

“If you’re here because of Benetton, I’m
not going back. And if you think you’re man enough to try and make me, then I
would suggest that you rethink that shit fast. I’m not a pushover. I’ve taken
on men much bigger than you and walked away.” Blair felt the need to move
toward her…not just a need to be near her, but an overwhelming need to touch
her, too. She took a step back, and he realized he’d moved.

“I’m Blair Henson. You were asked to
call me back several times about working for me. If you found other employment,
then the courteous thing to do would have been to call and let me know.” He
looked at Diamond when she laughed.

“Sapphire is neither courteous nor
employed. She’s been looking, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of…how shall I
say, very well-mannered men around these parts to work for.” He felt his wolf
stir when Diamond continued. “The last guy asked her if she was good on her
knees. It took my sister a full minute to understand what the fuck he meant by
that.”

He watched Sapphire pink up, and he had
an image of her ass doing the same when he spanked her. Christ, he needed to
get out of here, take his dad’s advice, and get laid. When an Amazon of a woman
like this one made his cock leap at the thought of dominating her, he was in
serious trouble. Before he could move to the door and out into the cooler air
than was currently in this kitchen, his phone rang.

“You there still?” His dad never greeted
anyone when he had a point to make or a question to ask first. “I just got word
from Rocky that he’s bringing a fridge out to you. You thinking of moving in?”

“No.” Blair took a deep breath when he
realized how loudly he’d answered his father. “No, I’m just helping out. You’re
not coming, too, are you?”

“I’m in the truck now.” His dad laughed.
“I don’t suppose you could introduce me to the woman who got you to buy her a
fridge, do you? Might be someone I could lay claim to since we both know you won’t.”

The low growl of warning slipped past
his lips before he could stop it. His dad didn’t say anything for several
seconds, and Blair was worried that he’d just opened a can of worms that his
dad was going to enjoy teasing him with. But he didn’t.

“You’ve met her, haven’t you? One of
them girls is your mate.” Blair turned to Sapphire as what his dad was saying sunk
in. “You can’t hide the truth from me, son, if it’s her, then you’ll know it.”

“It’s not. I don’t know what you’re
talking about.” He closed his phone before his dad could say anything else. He
looked at Sapphire, not sure what to do with her now.

“What do you want?” The first answer to
her question popped into his head was
you.
But he doubted that she’d
take that very well. “When I didn’t call you back, I assumed you’d fill the
position with someone else.”