Even so, she couldn’t help a wicked little wish that Oliver could see her like this. How she’d love to see his expression change, his eyes darken, that muscle in his jaw tic. The expression he’d worn at the PD annual ball when she’d sashayed in wearing that red dress and their eyes locked.
As if he would eat her alive.
Gods, she couldn’t think of that without a shiver of lust riding through her.
Keep your mind on the task.
She thinned her lips. Snapped the compact shut and shoved it into her purse.
Then, with a deep breath, she made her way up to the front entrance of the plush building in Motham’s central trading area. These offices were among the most expensive in Motham to lease. Humans4Monsters didn’t lack money, for sure.
Emmaline Shaw, when Clare had talked to her on the phone, had sounded so charming and friendly, it was hard not to warm to her. She wondered if this was how the other humans had felt—flattered, and special.
Clare mentally rehearsed her character once more as she took the elevator. She was Anna Greenwood, youngest daughter of a High Tween family. (The Greenwoods really did exist, but they had so many children Clare reckoned no one would know if she added herself to the list.) As Anna, she was looking for any form of administrative work, wanting to find her feet in Motham, and get to know folks. Happy to work for any species, naturally.
In reception, a smart feline-looking woman, probably a cat shifter, sat at the desk typing.
Clare gave her fake name with confidence and took a seat, and within a moment a curvaceous human appeared, with thick russet hair piled haphazardly on top of her head and big green eyes. Her suit was emerald green to match her eyes, and sparkly earrings glittered on her lobes. She rushed over, all smiles. “Oh, you must be Anna, how lovely to meet you! Come on in.”
Well, Emmaline Shaw wasn’t quite what she’d expected. What had she expected? Someone more sophisticated, perhaps? But this woman was bubbly and vivacious, and made you feel immediately at ease.
It was hard to imagine anything sinister about her at all.
Looks can be deceiving.
“Coffee, tea, or a cold drink?” Emmaline asked. “Or I can get you lemonade if you prefer. I make it myself.” She gave a pretty pout.
“Then lemonade please,” Clare said. Gods, supposing Emmaline spiked the lemonade.
Don’t be silly, nothing’s going to happen straight away.
“I’ll get Selina to bring us a glass. Why don’t you have a peek at the storyboard of our successes and make yourself comfy?”
There were photos on a big board on the wall. Matched clients and companies. The heading, in glittery letters, read:
Humans4Monsters
Success stories
Dozens of humans who’d been happily matched with top Motham Companies grinned back at her, next to a range of monster employers. There was no sign of Natalie, or Edward, which was interesting. Perhaps missing humans was bad for publicity.
Emmaline bounced back in with a waft of floral perfume. “Selina will bring the refreshments shortly.” She sat down and flicked through the CV Clare had given her. “Wow, your work history looks great, Anna. And your references are off the charts.”
“Thank you. You’re welcome to call my previous employers to check them,” she said confidently—they had fake employees lined up at the police station to answer.
“Oh sure, we can get on to that later.” Emmaline put down the paperwork, placed her elbows on the desk and leaned her chin on her fists, popping her eyes wide. “I just want to get to know what makes you tick, Anna, what you love doing. Your hopes and aspirations.”
As she talked, Clare found herself warming to her alias, a high-Tween girl who felt ignored by her huge family, where the men were favored and the women were supposed to wait for anice husband. She relished explaining how she’d finally rebelled, suffocated by Tween’s repressed conservative ways. As she spoke, Emmaline smiled and nodded and made little grimaces of sympathy. Clare almost began to believe her own rhetoric.
“Oh, I love this story, go you,” Emmaline cooed when Clare finally stopped talking, clapping her hands. “I have so many companies that will want to snap you up. Motham is on the up and up, and we are forging ahead with contracts between human employees and Motham businesses. Soon the old guard will fall. Wait and see. Humans will no longer control Motham.”
The old guard will fall. That was interesting wording, Clare thought. “You mean the Council of Towns?” she asked lightly.
“Yeah, all those stuffy old men. They really have no idea that a tsunami of change is about to hit them. But enough of me enthusing. Let me tell you how we go about things here at Humans4Monsters. Firstly, I’d love to invite you to a cocktail party we host every couple of weeks. It’s a kind of meet and greet for new human residents of Motham and monster business owners.”
Clare felt her heart thudding with anticipation.
“The next one just happens to be tomorrow night.” Emmaline’s manicured hand held out an invite, identical to the one Clare had found in Natalie’s underwear drawer. “I do hope you can make it. We’ll introduce you to so many influential monsters in the business world, and it’s a great way to get to know who’s who in Motham City.”
