A Growl, a Roar, and a Purr (Lions & Tigers & Bears #1) - K.C. Wells

Chapter One

RAEL PARTON caught sight of his reflection in the glass door of the building and sighed internally.

I knew I should’ve gotten a haircut this week.

Not that it would have done a damn thing. Five minutes after sitting in his barber’s chair, Rael reverted to looking a mess. It didn’t matter what his long-suffering barber did to try to tame Rael’s unruly mop of blond hair. The result was always the same.

No wonder I’m single. Who’d want to wake up next to that?

Except that was bullshit, and he knew it. Staying single meant not having to share the fact that he could turn into a lion in the twinkling of an eye. There were definite drawbacks to being considered a myth.

Rael blamed it on his lion. It was his default. Of course, he might have looked better if he’d gone straight to bed the previous night—except it had been more like early morning—when he arrived at his hotel. That’s what I get for taking a later flight. A lack of sleep sure wasn’t helping matters either. Then again, the location of his hotel had made for a noisy night, and sleep really hadn’t been an option.

And I wanted to make a good impression too.

Then he reconsidered. He was a photojournalist who’d made a name for himself by getting into places no one else had reached. Who was going to care if his hair wasn’t slicked down and neat and he seemed a little rumpled? He looked the part, dammit.

Rael crossed the marble floor to the wide desk occupied by two security guards. As he drew closer, he reached into his capacious bag for the email invitation.

The larger of the two guards gave him a polite smile. “Good morning.” The other looked him up and down, his gaze narrowed.

Rael pulled himself up to his full height of five feet eight and did his best to look professional. “Good morning. My name is Rael Parton. I’m here to interview Mr. Anson Prescott. I am expected.” Rael handed the invitation to the first guard.

“Your ID, sir?” Rael gave it to him, and the guard scrutinized it carefully before returning it. “Thank you.”

The second guard frowned. “You sure Mr. Prescott is expecting you? Because he hasn’t come in yet.”

“Unless he flew in by helicopter,” the first guard added. “He does that a lot.” He scanned the invitation before handing it back with the same polite smile. “Take the elevator to the top floor. Mr. Prescott’s private office is up there.” He pointed to the rear of the entrance hall. “The last elevator on the right is the only one that goes up that far. You’ll have to buzz to be let in, but I’ll let his secretary know you’re on your way.”

Rael replaced the letter in his bag. “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.” Well, one of them had. The other had peered at Rael like he expected him to pull a gun at any moment. He gave the men a cheerful nod, then headed for the five elevators. Around him, people were scurrying like ants, the air buzzing with chatter as employees began their working day. Rael pressed the button for the last elevator, his phone in his hand. He’d made sure it was fully charged before leaving the hotel, ready for recording the interview. His camera was in his bag, along with his list of questions, and he patted it reassuringly as he got onto the elevator.

This was only the third such interview Rael had conducted in his latest project, A New Breed, a series of articles on corporate America. He’d identified ten rising companies that were experiencing great success under the direction of young CEOs. Getting in to see them so far hadn’t proved problematic; it appeared this new breed of rising stars were keen to talk about themselves.

What made his heart race was the thought of interviewing Anson Prescott. Global Bio-Tech was at the top of Rael’s list, and it had taken him three months to tie Anson down to an interview date. The twenty-two-year-old CEO, although happy to talk to him, was apparently supremely busy.

Twenty-two. Christ. What was I doing at twenty-two? Hell, Rael was thirty-five, and he still didn’t have shit figured out.

The elevator came to a smooth halt, and the doors slid open, revealing a wall of glass emblazoned with the words Global Bio-Tech in gold lettering. Rael smiled to himself. No one can say they don’t know which company this is. He located the green button set