Alpha Theo

2

Brooke

"Sup, nerds?"

I whip my head around the side of my computer monitor to stare toward the open door of the IT hub, groaning internally when I see the person behind the rude greeting. Theo is leaning against the doorframe, taking up most of it with his massive size. Thick, corded forearms folded across his chest; he surveys the room with a condescending eye.

What the heck is he doing here?

The IT hub is the last place I'd expect Theo to be. Perhaps he was trying to find the weight room. Did he get lost?

"Theo," Erin greets, scrambling up from her desk near the door. It's a struggle for her to get to her feet- she's super pregnant, due any day now. "Thanks for coming in."

Theo glances around from his perch in the doorway, taking in the interior of the IT hub. It isn't much, though it's probably more space than the nine of us need. A couple of comfortable couches sit at the front of the room, a place for us to relax and hang out when we need a break. The walls are lined with five large desks on each side, providing each of us our own personal workspaces. There's a long conference table situated in front of the back wall, which displays several large TV screens and a smartboard.

I straighten to peek over the top of my computer monitor from my desk at the back of the room, studying the unwelcome intruder in our space. Tall, tanned, and hard-bodied, he looks like a total fish out of water in here among us IT geeks. His t-shirt and leather jacket do little to disguise his form underneath- the dude's built like a linebacker with his broad shoulders and chest. His chocolate brown hair is cropped short, his hazel eyes unblinking. Square jaw clenched, rough and days past needing a shave. Devastatingly handsome.

I catch myself ogling his physique appreciatively and force myself to look away and back down at my keyboard instead. His looks may be distracting, but I'm not an idiot- I know who this guy really is. Theo Jacobsen is a jerk with a capital J. An arrogant narcissist with a devil-may-care attitude. A guy whose bedpost has probably run out of space for notches to add. A total alpha-hole.

Erin claps her hands together to get our attention and my head snaps back up.

"Alright, gang... so as you all know, I'm going to be leaving for a while," she smiles, rubbing her baby belly. "So for the next few months, Theo is going to be taking report from you each day, running it up the ladder to leadership."

I blink. Did I hear her correctly? I couldn't have heard that correctly.

"I hope you'll all make him feel at home while he's here."

I snort. Theo, at home with a bunch of geeks? Doubtful.

"And who knows?" Erin continues, waggling her eyebrows. "Maybe you can teach him a thing or two about what we do here, get him to join our ranks."

It's Theo's turn to snort. "Yeah right," he scoffs, setting a large hand on Erin's shoulder. "But thanks for the warm welcome."

He flashes a wide, charming smile. I feel my face heat, eyes fluttering down to stare at my keyboard again. Whose bright idea was it to assign Theo as a liaison to the IT unit? We do serious work here- and from what I hear, Theo hasn't worked a day in his life, nor taken anything seriously.

I refocus my attention back to the lines of code I've been trying to perfect for a new tracing program I've been working on, my temperature rising in annoyance. Erin chats quietly with Theo for a few minutes, then turns him loose to wander around the room.

He stops at Carly's desk first, planting himself behind her chair and leaning in to say something. She laughs loudly, tossing her head back toward his hard abs. She's obviously flirting- no joke's that damn funny.