A Mate for York (The Program Book 1)

  The Program

  A Mate for York

  By

  Charlene Hartnady

  Copyright and Disclaimer

  Copyright © September 2015, Charlene Hartnady

  Cover Art by Melody Simmons

  Copy Edited by Kimberly Reichmann

  Produced in South Africa

  Published by Charlene Hartnady

  PO BOX 456, Melrose Arch,

  Johannesburg, South Africa, 2176

  charlene.hartnady@gmail.com

  A Mate for York is a work of fiction and characters, events and dialogue found within are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, either living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews no part of this book may be reproduced or shared in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to digital copying, file sharing, audio recording, email and printing without prior consent in writing from the author

  Table of Contents:

  Copyright and Disclaimer

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Author’s Note

  Books by this author:

  Excerpt

  Chapter 1

  Cassidy’s hands were clammy and shaking. She had just retyped the same thing three times. At this rate, she would have to work even later than normal to get her work done. She sighed heavily.

  Pull yourself together.

  With shaking hands, she grabbed her purse from the floor next to her, she reached inside and pulled out the folded up newspaper article.

  Have you ever wanted to date a vampire?

  Human women required. Must be enthusiastic about interactions with vampires. Must be willing to undergo a stringent medical exam. Must be prepared to sign a contractual agreement which would include a non-disclosure clause. This will be a temporary position. Limited spaces available within the program. Successful candidates can earn up to $45,000 per day, over a three day period.

  All she needed was three days leave.

  Cassidy wasn’t sure whether her hands were shaking because she had to ask for the leave and her boss was a total douche bag or because the thought of vampires drinking her blood wasn’t exactly a welcome one.

  More than likely a combination of both.

  This was a major opportunity for her though. She had already been accepted into the trial phase of the program that the vampires were running. What was three days in her life? So there was a little risk involved. Okay, a lot of risk, but it would all be worth it in the end. She was drowning in debt. Stuck in a dead-end job. Stuck in this godforsaken town. This was her chance, her golden opportunity, and she planned on seizing it with both hands.

  To remind herself what she was working towards, or at least running away from, she let her eyes roam around her cluttered desk. There were several piles of documents needing to be filed. A stack of orders lay next to her cranky old laptop. Hopefully it wouldn’t freeze on her this time while she was uploading them into the system. It had been months since Sarah had left. There used to be two of them performing her job, and since her colleague was never replaced it was just her. She found more and more that she had to get to work way earlier and stay later and later just to get the job done.

  To add insult to injury, there were many days that her a-hole boss still had the audacity to come down on her for not meeting a deadline. He refused to listen to reason and would not accept being understaffed as an excuse. She’d never been one to shy away from hard work but the expectations were ridiculous. Her only saving grace was that she didn’t have much of a life.

  There had to be something more out there for her and a hundred and thirty five thousand big ones would not only pay off her debts but would also give her enough cash to go out and find one. A life that is and a damned good life it would be.

  Cassidy took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. If she asked really nicely, hopefully Mark would give her a couple of days off. She couldn’t remember the last time she had taken leave. Then it dawned on her, she’d taken three days after Sean had died a year ago. Her boss couldn’t say no though. If he did, she wasn’t beyond begging.

  Rising to her feet, she made for the closed door at the other end of her office. After knocking twice, she entered.

  The lazy ass was spread out on the corner sofa with his hands crossed behind his head. He didn’t look in the least bit embarrassed about her finding him like that either.

  “Cassidy.” He put on a big cheesy smile as he rose to a sitting position. The button on his jacket pulled tight around his midsection which was paunchy. He didn’t move much and ate big greasy lunches so it wasn’t surprising. “Come on in. Take a seat,” he gestured to a spot next to him on the sofa.

  That would be the day. Her boss could get a bit touchy feely. Thankfully it had never gone beyond a pat on the butt, a hand on her shoulder or just a general invasion of her personal space. It put her on edge though because it was becoming worse and worse as of late. The sexual innuendos were also becoming highly irritating. She pretended that they went over her head, but he was becoming more and more forward as time went by.

  By the way his eyes moved down her body, she could tell that he was most definitely mentally undressing her. Oh god. That meant that he was in one of his grabby moods. Damn. She preferred it when he was acting like a total jerk. Easier to deal with.

  “No, that’s fine. Thank you.” She worked hard to plaster a smile on her face. “I don’t want to take up much of your time and I have to get back to work myself.”

  His eyes narrowed for a second before dropping to her breasts. “You could do with a little break every now and then…so could I for that matter.” Even though she knew he couldn’t see anything because of her baggy jacket, his eyes stayed glued to her boobs anyway. Why did she get the distinct impression that he was no longer talking about work? Argh!

  “How long has your husband been gone now?” he asked, his gaze still locked on her chest. It made her want to fold her arms but she resisted the temptation.

  None of your damned business.

  “It’s been a year now since Sean passed.” She tried hard to look sad and in mourning. When the truth was, that if the bastard wasn’t already dead she would’ve killed him herself. Turned out that there were things about Sean that she hadn’t known. In fact, it was safe to say that she’d been living with and married to a total stranger. Funny how those things tended to come out when a person died.

  Her boss did not need to know this information though. So far, playing the mourning wife was the only thing that kept him from pursuing her further.

  “What can I do for you?” His eyes slid down to the juncture at her thighs and again she had to fight the urge to squeeze them tightly together. Even though it was damn near scorching temperatures outside, she still wore stockings, skirt to mid calf, a button-up blouse and a jacket. Nothing was revealing and yet he still looked at her like she was standing there naked. It made her skin crawl. “I would be happy to oblige you. Just say the word, baby.”

  She hated it when he called her that. He started doing it a couple of weeks ago. Cassidy had asked him on several occasions to stop but she may as well have been speaking to a plank of wood.

&
nbsp; She grit her teeth for a second, holding back a retort. “Great. Glad to hear it.” Her voice sounded way more confident than what she felt. “I need a couple of days off. It’s been a really long time—”

  “Forget it,” he interrupted while standing up. “I need you...here.” Another innuendo. Although she waited, he didn’t give any further explanations.

  “Look, I know there is a lot to do around here especially since Sarah left.” His eyes clouded over immediately at the mention of her ex-colleague’s name. “I would be happy to put in extra time.”

  As in, she wouldn’t sleep and would have to work weekends to get the job done.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes. I just really need a couple of days… It’s important.”

  His eyes lit up and she realized what she had just said and how it would’ve sounded to a complete pig like Mark.

  “Anything?” He rolled the word off of his tongue.

  “Well…” It came out sounding breathless but only because she was nervous. “Not anything. What I meant to say was—”

  “No, no. I like that you would do anything, in fact, there is something I’ve been meaning to discuss with you.” His gaze dropped to her breasts again.

  Please no. Anything but that.

  Cassidy swallowed hard, actually feeling sick to her stomach. She shook her head.

  “You can have a few days, baby. In fact, I’ll hire you an assistant.” Ironically he played with the wedding band on his ring finger. His voice had turned sickly sweet. “I’d be willing to go a long way for you if you only met me halfway. It’s time you got over the loss of your husband and I plan on helping you to do that.”

  “Um…I don’t think…” Her voice was soft and shaky. Her hands shook, so she folded her arms.

  This was not happening.

  “Look, Cass…baby, you’re an okay looking woman. Not normally the type I’d go for. I prefer them a bit younger, bigger tits, tighter ass…” He looked her up and down as if he were sizing her up and finding her lacking. “I’d be willing to give you a go…help you out. Now…baby…” He paused.

  Cassidy felt like the air had seized in her lungs, like her heart had stopped beating for that matter. Her mouth gaped open but she couldn’t close it. She made a croaking noise but couldn’t seem to actually talk.

  She watched in horror as her boss pulled down his zipper and pulled out a wrinkled, flaccid cock. “Suck on this, or you could bend over and I’ll fuck you…the choice is yours. I would recommend the fuck because quite frankly I think you could use it.” He was deadly serious. Even gave a small nod like he was doing her a favor or something.

  To the delight of her oxygen starved lungs, she managed to suck in a deep breath but still couldn’t get any words out. Not a single, solitary syllable.

  “I know you’ve had to play the part of the devastated wife and all that but I know you really want a bit of this.” He waved his cock at her, although wave was not the right description. The problem was that a limp dick couldn’t really wave. It flopped about pathetically in his hand.

  Cassidy looked from his tiny dick up to his ruddy, pasty face and back down again before bursting out laughing. It was the kind of laugh that had her bending at the knees, hunching over. Sucking in another lungful of air, she gave it all she had. Unable to stop even if she wanted to. Until tears rolled down her cheeks. Until she was gasping for breath.

  “Hey now…” Mark started to look distinctly uncomfortable. “That’s not really the sort of response I expected from you.” He didn’t look so sure anymore, even started to put his dick away before his eyes hardened up.

  Cassidy was wiping the tears from her face. She still couldn’t believe what the hell she was seeing and even worse, what she was hearing. What a complete asshole.

  Her boss took a step towards her. “The time for games is over. Get down on your knees if you want to keep your job. I’m your boss and your behavior is just plain rude.”

  Any hint of humor evaporated in an instant. “I’ll tell you what’s rude…you taking out your thing is rude. You’re right, you’re my boss which means what is happening right here”—she gestured between the two of them, looking pointedly at his member—“is called sexual harassment.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “Damn fucking straight, little missy. I want you to sexually harass this right now.” He clutched his penis, flopping it around some more.

  “Alrighty then. Let me just go and fetch my purse.” She grinned at him, putting every little bit of sarcasm she had into the smile.

  “Why would you need your purse?” He frowned.

  “To get my magnifying glass. You have just about the smallest dick that I’ve ever seen.” Not that she had seen many, but she didn’t think she needed to. His penis was a joke.

  It was his turn to gape. To turn a lighter shade of bright red. “You didn’t just say that. I’m going to pretend that I didn’t hear that. This is your last fucking chance.” Spittle flew from his mouth. “Show me your tits and get onto your fucking knees. Make me fucking come and do it now or you are out of a job.”

  “You can pretend all you want. As far as I’m concerned you can pretend that I’m sucking on your limp dick as well, because it will never happen. You can take your job and your tiny penis and shove um where the sun don’t shine.” Cassidy almost wanted to slap a hand over her mouth, she couldn’t believe that she had just said all of that. One thing was for sure, she was done taking shit from men. Done!

  She gave him a disgusted look, turned on her heel and walked out. After grabbing her purse, she left without looking back, praying that her old faithful would start. Her car hadn’t been serviced since before her husband had died and it wasn’t sounding right lately. The gearbox grated sometimes when she changed gears. There was a rattling noise. She just didn’t have the funds. That was all about to change though. She hadn’t exactly planned on leaving her job just yet. What if things didn’t work out? She’d planned on keeping her job as a safety net instead of counting chickens she didn’t have. It was too late to go back now.

  Despite her lack of a backup plan, Cassidy grinned as her car started with a rattle and a splutter. Grinned even wider as she pulled away hearing the gravel crunch beneath her tires. Now all she had to do was get through the next few days and she was home free.

  Chapter 2

  York watched from the sidelines as Lazarus punched the other male repeatedly in the face until he fell to the ground unconscious. His friend raised his bloody fists into the air and roared triumphantly.

  “Aren’t you glad that you don’t need to get involved in all of this?” Brant sounded bored as he waved a hand in the direction of the fighting males. Most of the elite guard were assembled together to fight for an opportunity to be included in the breeding program.

  The whole place reeked of testosterone, adrenaline and blood. Didn’t get much better.

  York could not understand how some of the males had decided not to be included. Who would not want a mate and a chance at offspring? It was highly unfortunate that most of the vampire females were unable to birth young. It was therefore necessary that such a program existed.

  A human female.

  His heart rate increased and everything in him tightened. What a prize. He’d always dreamed of an opportunity such as this. Could not wait until it became a reality.

  Something was bothering him though. York turned to face Brant. “There is something I have been meaning to discuss with you, my lord.”

  His king turned dark eyes on him. “Yes? Have you changed your mind about a place in the dating program?”

  He shook his head. “Never,” he growled. “I thought it was called the breeding program.” He felt himself frown.

  “I’m glad to hear it. My public relations team has recommended that we change the name to dating program…” He pulled a face. “Humans are such timid creatures. We are all driven to mate and procreate. Breeding program is a truthful and apt description.” He sighed loudly. “
Due to the bad press and fear the word breeding evokes in humans, we have relabeled it Dating Program or The Program for short.” His eyes darkened. “If you still want to be a part of the program, then what is it that you want to talk to me about?” Brant looked mildly interested.

  The sound of meaty thuds and grunts drew his attention back to the fighting males. It seemed that one of the younger of the elite, Griffin, was a real contender and might just garner himself a place in the program. He had always enjoyed the lighthearted nature of the younger male and hoped that he did in fact make the top ten. It was certainly entertaining watching how he exchanged blows and gracefully avoided being hit.

  “I am truly grateful to have been given a place in the trial phase of the program.” York needed to tread carefully. Brant was known to have a short temper. York had granted Brant’s younger brother, Xavier, a favor some time back. The agreement was, that York would be given a position in the breeding program in return. The only thing he needed to do was to pass the trials.

  Bloodlust.

  It was a known fact that a percentage of the vampire population suffered from the affliction. The exact percentage, however, was unknown as vampire/human relations had always been banned. The affliction turned calm, collected vampires into blood crazed maniacs liable to drain a human of their blood within minutes.

  Brant nodded, his jaw clenched. His king was impatient as always.

  “I think that it would be better if I fought for my place as well. I do not want to be looked down on by my peers. The last thing I want is for them to think that I’ve had an unfair advantage over them. That I’m not worthy to take a human mate.”

  His king’s expression remained unreadable. “You do have an advantage and should take it and not worry so much about what others think. You do realize that you could lose your place should you decide to fight?”

  York had to hold back a laugh. “Highly doubtful, my lord. I am one of the top elite warriors. There are ten spots available in the program.” He shrugged. “It’s a no-brainer. I’m not worried.”