The Minx

When I arrived at the company with Kieran the next day, I noticed two things. One, everyone was looking at me like the shiny new toy, and two, everyone loved Kieran. People was practically fawning over him as he made his way to his office. I followed behind quietly as Kieran led me by the hand. When we made it to his office, Kieran closed the door behind us.

"I'll announce you at the morning meeting, but you should try shaking hands with everyone you can to feed on their energy. Don't forget, you're also a fox. When you're feeding off of my energy, it's really just second hand. A normal handshake is enough; don't overdo it," he warned. I had been relying on Kieran this whole time, I almost forgot that foxes fed off human energy. I nodded as he went through a few files on his desk before taking me to a conference room where the other employees were already waiting. I made the right choice with my outfit today. In my simple knee-length maroon skirt and white button up, I blended right in with everyone else. I left my hair down in lazy curls. I remembered Amanda and Gray from the work dinner. They smiled politely at me as I took a seat.

"Some of you already know, but for those of you who don't, this is my wife, Camilla. She's going to start working here starting today. I'll have her shadow a few people so she can get a feel for the company over the next few months," Kieran said, getting right to it. I waved awkwardly.

"Who will Cami shadow first?" Amanda asked excitedly. Kieran smirked with his elbows propped up on the table, his fingers clasped together in front of him.

"Me. I want her to see the full operation and big picture of what we do first. Plus, I just got her back so I'm using the opportunity to spend some time with my wife," he joked. The employees chuckled as I blushed. The meeting continued as they moved on to actual work they had to talk about. This whole time I thought Kieran was running a traditional publishing company but it turns out that it was actually an e-reading app for novels and web-comics. Most of the authors were local, which made hunting them down to get their works updated more convenient for Kieran's employees, but he had signed authors and illustrators from all over the country. It was actually a much bigger deal than I originally thought. After the meeting ended, Amanda pulled me away to show me where the break room was.

"I'm actually kind of glad you're here. When I met you at the company dinner, I could tell that Mr. DeVoss was happier having you around. Maybe now we can all relax a little bit," she joked as she handed me a cup of coffee.

"Is he mean normally?" I asked. Amanda smiled as she shook her head.

"I wouldn't say he's mean... just strict. He expects a lot from us but only because we're capable of it. He's not always here, so he has to be strict with us to set us up to be self sufficient," she explained. It made sense.

"You seem to really admire him," I noted calmly before taking a sip of coffee. Amanda's eyes widened as she held her hands up quickly.

"I look up to him as a person, that's all," she said quickly. I glanced up at her before chuckling and setting my coffee down.

"You don't have to get scared, I didn't mean it in a bad way. It's just... interesting to see how other people look at Kieran. With me, he's protective and careful sometimes, but a giant immature man-child most of the time, even at his age. It's just fascinating to see him through someone else's eyes," I tried to calm her down. Amanda relaxed slightly as her hands fell back to her sides.

"Man-child? I can't see it. He's always so... professional and calm here. I can't see it," Amanda said in denial. I chuckled before taking another sip of my coffee.

"Cami, I was wondering where you ran off to," Kieran said as he came into the break room. I smirked before turning to glance at him.

"Amanda was showing me the break room," I said. I set my coffee down before leaning on the counter towards him.

"The more I think about it, I think I should shadow Amanda. She's the one who works closest to you while still being on the ground floor," I said, just to mess with him.

"Cami, I want you by my side. I thought we agreed you would stay with me," he pouted as he came closer. Amanda tried to hide her giggles in her hand as she turned away from us.

"But you just run the company. Following Amanda, I could learn more," I pushed. Kieran full on pouted before taking my hand in his. I wanted to sigh in relief at the energy I was getting from him.

"Cami," he whined. I smirked as I looked at my hand in his.

"Even though I know why you want me by your side, from the business perspective, it would make more sense to shadow Amanda. Plus it's not like I'm leaving the building," I reasoned.

"We might," Amanda cut in. I almost forgot she was still there. I took my hand out of his before hooking my arm with Amanda's.

"Come on, you still have to show me around," I said to Amanda. I didn't leave Kieran any room to argue. As we turned the corner, Amanda let out her giggle.

"Okay, now I might see what you mean by my boss being a man-child. He's like a kicked puppy when it comes to you," Amanda chuckled. I cracked a smile, knowing she was right. When it came to me, Kieran was almost exactly like a puppy.