"A PR manager? Really? Is Lester that bad off he feels like he has to hire someone?" Cutter asked, sitting up a little straighter in his chair. "We're going to have some slick, greasy PR following us around, lying like a rug?"
Stephen nodded, pulling his feet up to sit cross-legged on the table. "Yep. Supposed to be coming in today, too."
"Today? And he's telling us this now?"
"I think he waited as long as possible so there'd be minimal time for you to chew his ear off over it," Stephen remarked with a smirk. It was the truth though. He and Cutter had become used to each other over the past nine years; they made a good team and got on like a house on fire, despite both being Alphas. Now, Lester, on the other hand, was not so lucky, and he and Cutter got on about as much as two angry cats in a gunny sack. Stephen found it absolutely hilarious just to sit back and watch the show when the Alpha males butted heads. He rarely ever got involved either way, just liked to enjoy the show.
Cutter huffed irately. "I am not that bad," he grumbled.
"Yes, you are," Stephen countered, then slid down off the table. "C'mon, let's fetch the others and say hello to this PR bloke, whoever he is." He clapped the professor on the shoulder and strode out of the office in search of Abby, Connor, and Sarah. They were already waiting in the atrium, though, the news of the ARC's newest arrival already spreading like wildfire. The gossip mill in this place could rival any secondary school. "Ready for the show?" he asked as he walked over to where the three Betas sat waiting faux-casually, close to the ADD under the pretense of actually doing work.
"I considered selling popcorn," Sarah murmured back, and he snorted. She was one of their newer arrivals, picked up after an anomaly in the British Museum, and she'd already proven herself to be quite clever, helping Cutter link the anomalies to mythological creatures. Stephen rather liked her.
They sat up a little straighter as Cutter joined them, looking less-than-pleased, coming to lean up against a table with arms folded across his chest. Stephen was quite sorely tempted to point out the fact that he looked like a petulant child being told to share his toys, but knew the Scottish Alpha didn't need anyone else stoking his ire today. This PR bloke would probably do that well enough all on his own.
Right on cue, Lester came through the double-doors, two soldiers accompanying him. As usual, the man was dressed like he was going to tea with the Queen, absolutely impeccable, with not a hair out of place. Stephen wondered if Lester even knew what the word 'rumpled' meant. "Ah, you're all here already," the suited man observed, cool eyes moving over the lot of them. "Excellent. That makes for fewer introductions to be made. As you know, I've recently hired on a new Public Relations manager to help smooth things out when these anomalies appear. I expect each and every one of you to at least show some measure of decorum around Ms. Lewis. You have no idea how hard it is to get anyone hired here. Most retract their applications once the word 'dinosaur' appears," he remarked dryly.
Oh, this was going to be fun, Stephen could already tell, and – Wait a tick, did he just say Ms. Lewis?
The doors swung open again, and Stephen had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep his jaw from dropping. A pair of needle-sharp red heels led up to curvy white legs a mile long, a snug black skirt, a slim red belt, and a silky black blouse that, despite being buttoned almost completely up, still managed to show off her impressive curves. She was bloody gorgeous too, with lips just as red as her shoes, dark hair brought up into elegant little coils, dark eyes sharp and keen. "Jennifer Lewis," she said, striding forward without ever missing a step even in those damned heels. "But please, call me Jenny."
It took a second for the scent of her to filter across the room, but the moment it did, Stephen saw Cutter sit sharply upright as if he'd just prodded with something sharp, eyes fixating on Jenny Lewis.
Because Ms. Jenny Lewis was an Alpha, a female Alpha just as dominant as him or Cutter.
As the Scotsman stalked forward to meet her, shoulders set and eyes narrowed, Stephen felt a tug on his sleeve and automatically leaned closer to Connor without ever taking his eyes of the scene in front of him. "Twenty quid on Ms. Lewis," the nerdy Beta murmured.
"You're on."