Fired by my Grumpy Dragon (Grumpy Monster Bosses #3)

ONE

Loren

The gruff deep voice of my dragon boss, Kivrayn, makes me jump in the quiet of the dark office. “That’s not what you were wearing this morning.”

I thought he’d gone home.

Forcing an attempt at a polite smile onto my face, I straighten and turn. “Yes, that’s right. Well done.” I really don’t need to get him started now. I just want to go home.

I didn’t think it was possible for his scowl to grow any deeper, but again, he surprises me. His fiery red brows lower, thickening the ridge of green scales on his forehead. A telltale little puff of smoke escapes his nostrils. In theory, all Kivrayn’s monstrous features should make him ugly. Irritatingly, they all somehow combine to make him oddly attractive, in a beastly sort of way.

That only makes me hate him more. It’s hard enough to find hot guys. As a single girl in Heartstone, I know this all too well. It’s so unfair that one of the most gorgeous guys I know happens to be my boss, and he’s also the biggest, grumpiest, bossiest jerk in the city.

“It’s lucky you are once again my top-earning auctioneer this month, Ms. Carandang. I don’t tolerate that sort of rudeness from any of my other employees. I don’t have to. ”

I snort. Rude? That was nothing. “It’s lucky I work for you and not someone else.”

I bend to retrieve the lipstick from my handbag, which is what I was doing when he snuck up on me. Opening my pocket mirror, I apply the bright red color over my full lips, determinedly ignoring the way I catch Kivrayn’s nostrils flare in the reflection. I shouldn’t be baiting him. Why can’t I just tell him what he wants to hear like Simon, my fellow auctioneer, does?

“You’re going out, aren’t you? In that .” His flaming orange eyes rake over my outfit. It’s a new one. Admittedly, the little black dress is too tight and too short for work. The hem barely hides my underwear if I bend even a little, a fact I probably should have been more conscious of when bending over to get my handbag from under my desk earlier. Only I thought I was alone, didn’t I?

The neckline plunges into a deep v.

However, it is not his business what I wear after hours. Which is why I only changed into the dress now, right before I was about to leave for the day.

“As a matter of fact, I am.” With a snap, I shut the little mirror and drop it into my purse. “I’m looking forward to the VIP auction this weekend. You’ll find my latest recommendations for new acquisitions in your inbox, and I’ll be in tomorrow at the normal time if you want to talk about them. Have a lovely evening.” Slinging my purse onto my shoulder, I lift my chin and go to walk past him toward the door of my office .

Quick as a flash, he slams his hand onto my desk so his arm blocks my path. “Not so fast, Ms. Carandang. Exactly where are you going dressed like that?” Another nostril flare.

My mouth drops open. Is he serious? I mean, he’s a jerk, but this is on another level. “What business is that of yours?”

A little growl erupts from Kiv. “Don’t you know how dangerous Heartstone has become these days? I’m sure I read a story just yesterday of a woman being abducted off the street.”

I can’t help it. My eyes roll all on their own, and I know that only aggravates him more when his wings flex behind him. “That was a one-off. A werewolf who found his fated mate. Which, by the way, has nothing to do with how she was dressed! It’s perfectly safe for me to meet a friend for dinner even if I want to go in my underwear! Which I don’t.”

“A friend?” He leans a little closer. It might be my imagination, but the air around me seems hotter than it was a moment ago.

I straighten. I might be short and I might be human and my boss might be a great monster of a guy, but he doesn’t intimidate me. OK, maybe a little, but I’d never admit it to his face.

“Yes. A friend. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Again, I attempt to step around him.

The orange in his eyes flares and Kivrayn’s wings spread all the way out, taking up most of the room. I tense myself for a bigger argument, but all of a sudden, he steps aside, tucking them away. “I never should have hired you in the first place.” It’s muttered under his breath, but I catch it as I stride past. No doubt I was supposed to .

I don’t turn or respond.

I’ll never understand why my boss hates me so much. It seems like everything I do pisses him off. And yeah, I am snarkier than I need to be with him, but can you blame me?

I stab the button for the elevator with an angry finger and curse when my nail breaks. Sometimes I dream about just turning in my two weeks’ notice. It’s only been two and a half months, though. Besides, I’m no quitter.

I glance over my shoulder, but he hasn’t followed me. The elevator doors open, and I step inside.

If I quit, I'd have to go work for the second or third best auction house in Heartstone, and that’s not me. I, Loren Laura Munder Carandang, deserve the best, because I am the best. I spent what feels like most of my life being underestimated, overlooked. Firestarter’s Auction House takes the biggest ticket items, attracts the highest bidders, and has the best reputation for acquisitions in the state. Now I’m here and I’m not giving this job up without a fight. So Kivrayn is stuck with me, whether he likes it or not.

And I guess I’m stuck with him.

Toni waves at me across the crowded bar as I squeeze between small tables packed with people just off work. She has this ultra-square jawline and a short haircut that would look masculine on someone else, but somehow, the bright lipstick and her high cheekbones make it look chic and feminine .

Our reservation at the restaurant isn’t until 8:00 p.m., but I texted her on my way out the door to meet me earlier because I could use a drink or three.

I hop up onto the tall stool by the little table. Another place that doesn’t cater well to anyone under five foot four. I’m at least five four, but only because my heels add another six inches, so my feet still dangle off the footrest.

Toni pushes a gin martini toward me. “Bad day?”

I lift the glass and take a long sip. “Yeah, you could say that. My boss was especially obnoxious today.”

She makes a sympathetic face and takes a sip of her own drink, a super-sweet topical-looking cocktail complete with tiny umbrella. “I don’t know why you don’t just quit already.”

“No way! And give him the satisfaction? No thank you.”

Toni laughs. “Too stubborn for your own good.”

I shrug. She’s not wrong. “Maybe if I just make his life hell, he’ll quit annoying me and leave me alone?”

“Or if he really hates you so much, he’ll just fire you, right?”

“That’s the thing. He never does. And I’ve said some pretty outrageous stuff to him. I swear I’m ruder to him because he lets me get away with it.”

“Oh, that sounds like you.” Toni gives me a fond smile. “Definitely sounds like you.”

I sigh. “God, I can’t believe I’m still talking about him. It’s like he’s still here annoying me even after hours. Like I can’t even get rid of him even when I’m not at work. Did you know, the other day, I was laughing with Simon over something that happened to him on the weekend, and Kivrayn stormed into my office and demanded to know what the joke was? How fucking awkward is that?”

Toni, who is facing the window of the bar, glances over my shoulder. Her face freezes into such a strange expression that it makes me pause, mid-rant. “What?”

“Uh, don’t look now, but you might be right about not being able to get rid of him.”

I turn, a strange, unsettled feeling in my gut telling me what I’m about to see before I even spot him. Outside the bar, the street is dark. Streetlights illuminate patches of sidewalk, and people walk past in small groups or couples, talking and laughing. He stands, arms folded across his broad chest, glaring through the window of the bar, as if he’s scanning the room. His orange eyes meet mine, and the green bat-like wings on his back flex as a puff of black smoke escapes his nostrils. Was he just... was he looking for me? Checking up on me?

What the actual fuck?

I push the empty cocktail glass away and slide off my stool, intending to go tell him to mind his own business, but just as my Carmez heels hit the floor, he turns and stalks away into the night.

“Did you see that? I’m not crazy, right? He was looking for me.”

“Probably just a coincidence.”

“No. Not this guy. I swear to god, this is what he’s like. Do you think I can file a complaint or something? I mean he’s the boss, but there must be something I can do.”

Toni shrugs. “I think it would be hard to prove anything. ”

“You’re right. I know you’re right.” I sigh. “I need another drink. What are you having?”

She orders a pineapple mojito, and I get myself another martini. By the time we’ve finished our second drinks and talked about Toni’s love life, I’m feeling better. I still can’t shake the feeling that Kivrayn was here looking for me, though. Which is stupid. If he hates me so much, why does he care what I do in my time off?