“Oh, please forgive me.” She blinked then quickly slid her hand into his. “Excuse me, Mr. Grant.”
Ah, so she knew him. Only one woman he had met through SiR hadn’t recognized him. He wrapped his fingers tighter around hers. Her touch was soft and delicate, and he liked the way she glanced at her hand when he dragged his fingers from hers, purposely making the touch intimate. “I’m sorry to have surprised you.” He placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the table. “But please, call me Noah.” Once she sat, he returned to his seat then said, “I’m afraid before we talk any further, we need to discuss your friend.”
Olivia slid him a look. “How do you know my friend came with me?”
“My security.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, but she recovered quickly. “I know I broke the rules and all, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be a murderer.”
His mouth twitched. Her honesty was refreshing. Most times in the political world Noah lost himself between the truth and lies. “No need to worry. I’ve never killed anyone.” He hoped that would shake her surprise and she’d laugh. She didn’t. She continued to stare at him, statue-still, so he nudged her along. “Would you please go and get your friend, so I can talk to her?”
“Ah, ya, sure.” Olivia vanished through the doorway, returning a minute later with her blond friend, whose eyes were now bulging with surprise.
He arched an eyebrow. “I take it you know who I am?” he asked her.
The blonde nodded. “Um…”—she exchanged a long look with Olivia—“yes, I do.”
He offered his hand to her and gave his gentle smile he gave to the public. “Then I am at a disadvantage because I don’t know you.”
She gave a nervous laugh and returned the handshake. “Paige Ryan, Olivia’s best friend, and wingman.”
“While it’s a pleasure to meet you, Paige,” he said in all honesty, “I’m sure you can imagine why I prefer to keep why I’m meeting Olivia private.”
Her smile widened. “Yes, I can see why you would want that.”
He nodded, glad she understood, then told it to them straight. “For Olivia and me to continue here, I need you both to understand that because of my job, I require discretion. Politics is a nasty business, and I do not take chances with my career and my public image. Because of this, it is always necessary that I have everyone in my life sign a nondisclosure.” Yes, SiR had the clients sign one. But Noah’s went even further so that sharing any part of his life with the public was a bad idea. He never enjoyed this part, but the last thing he wanted was his sex life to be discussed on CNN by people who didn’t understand the dynamics between a dom and a submissive. “Do either of you have an objection to that?”
Olivia’s gorgeous eyes scanned his face, his light brown hair, quickly glanced over his blue eyes, and lingered on his white dress shirt with tie until she regarded his forearms where he’d rolled up his sleeves, hoping to appear relaxed.
She finally shook her head and visibly swallowed deeply. “I have no objection.”
“Excellent.” He smiled.
Olivia accepted the document and the pen, and read each line before signing and dating the bottom.
He noted the shake of her hand before he addressed Paige. “And you?”
“It’s no problem at all.” She smiled then signed beneath Olivia’s name and dated the document.
Noah reached into his briefcase, took out the second nondisclosure he’d brought with him, signed and dated it, and handed the form back to Olivia. “For you.”
She laughed softly, staring at him incredulously. “You didn’t really have to do to that. I don’t care who you tell about me.”
“Fair is fair.” Done with the business end of this arrangement, he turned to Paige again. “Do I have your permission to have my security vet you? I know it’s intrusive, but it’s a necessary evil.”
Paige’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “Vet me? Well, that’s all very serious. I mean, I’ve got nothing to hide.” She hesitated then frowned. “Except for that shoplifting charge in my teens that I really don’t ever want to talk about.”
Noah began to see why Olivia brought Paige. She exuded strength while standing next to Olivia, who sat on the chair, exuding softness. “I won’t share your shoplifting charge with the public,” he told her, “if we can keep me out of the media too.”
A quick frown crossed Paige’s lips, her hands on her hips. “To mention you to the media would also mean I was mentioning Olivia, and I would never do that to her.” She gave Olivia a sweet look before addressing Noah again without any of that sweetness. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Good.” He nodded firmly.
Paige’s expression only tightened. “Take care of my girl here, Mr. Grant. I might not look like much, but I throw a wicked right hook.”
Noah smiled, respecting her loyalty. Their interactions said a lot about both these women. And he liked what he saw there.
Paige gave Olivia a quick hug. “See you at home.”