Protect Me Not ((Un)Professionally Yours 2)

“Yes. I’ve known him for years.”

“You have? But didn’t he just start at your company?”

“He did, but he freelanced for us before going to Australia, and when he returned, the company was happy to offer him a permanent contract. Pete and I were at college together. Graduated the same year. I must say, he and Bella have spoken about you frequently in the past. It’s great to finally put a face to the name.”

They had? And yet Vicki couldn’t recall them ever mentioning Teddy to her. Or had they? Bella was always trying to set her up with some guy or the other, and Vicki dodged all of her attempts. It was quite feasible that they’d mentioned Teddy before, but Vicki had shrugged it off and made an excuse not to meet him. This was a blatant ambush, but she found that she didn’t mind. Teddy seemed like a nice enough guy. Vicki doubted they’d see each other beyond tonight, and at least Bella could strike him off her list of Potential Boyfriends for Vicki.

There was no reason not to have a friendly conversation with him. She rested her elbow on the table, her chin in her palm, and widened her smile. “So, Teddy, tell me more about what you do…”

Chapter Nine

“Can I get you a drink?” Bella asked, as she dragged Ty away from the kitchen. He kept looking back, reassuring himself that his charge was okay. He was tall enough to see above most of the heads in the room, but Vicki and her new acquaintance were sitting, and he kept losing sight of them among the shifting bodies.

She was smiling at the guy now, chin in her hand—she always did that when she was captivated by someone or something. Ty couldn’t believe she was really interested in that sober suited, boring accountant. As far as he knew, she liked the flaky, loser, arty types. Her last boyfriend hadn’t stuck around long enough for Ty to change his negative impression of the guy. An unemployed mooch, happy for Vicki to pay for everything. Apparently, he and Vicki had been dating for six weeks, but they had broken up only a few of days after Ty had started this assignment.

“Ty?” Bella prompted, and he shifted his attention back to her. “Drink?”

“I’m on duty.”

“Soda? Water? Snack?”

“I’m fine…thank you.” His eyes drifted back to the kitchen.

“I’ve been trying to hook those two up for years. You’re not going to ruin it for me, are you?”

“What? No. I’m doing my job.”

“Teddy won’t hurt her.”

Teddy, a fucking ridiculous name for a grown man.

“You’ll understand if I don’t take you at your word?”

“She’s perfectly safe here.”

“I’m sure she is. But I’m still going to keep an eye on her.”

“I think you just like watching her.” The words had Ty’s head swiveling back toward her in an instant. She was eyeing him speculatively, her brows up, a smile lurking. “You do, don’t you?”

He kept his gaze flat and level, refusing to dignify her speculative comments with a response. But for some reason her smile transformed into the biggest shit-eating grin he’d ever seen.

Fuck.

“Do you like our sweet Vicki, Tyler?” Her voice was annoyingly arch.

“I have no opinion on her. I’m just doing my job.” He was starting to sound like a parrot. An unconvincing parrot.

“You keep telling yourself that,” she said. She gave him a there-there pat on his arm. “I’m going to get you a drink. Non-alcoholic,” she quickly assured, when he opened his mouth to protest.

Ty let her leave, he preferred not to have her astute eyes on him while he watched her friend. He already felt at a disadvantage around Bella after she’d witnessed his unfortunate physical reaction to Vicki the other night. He didn’t want to say, or do, anything to further encourage her baseless and ridiculous assumptions about his feelings for Vicki.

He watched Vicki laugh at something Tedious Teddy said and glowered. Come on, the guy didn’t look like he possessed a single funny bone in his entire lanky body, nothing he said could possibly be that hilarious.

She laughed again, and Ty gritted his teeth, not sure why he felt so goddamned affronted by her clear enjoyment of Tiresome Teddy’s company.

What if they really hit it off, and she went home with the guy? He would have to trail after them, check the man’s place for possible threats, and then retreat…

And wait.

He had done it before, of course. For the pop star, for a minor royal, for just about every former principal. But he’d never had to do it for Vicki.

And the thought of it was…

His mind balked as he imagined sitting in the car and waiting, knowing exactly what she was doing. His stomach roiled, and he regretted his offer to stand in for Chance tonight. He shouldn’t be so damned disturbed by the possibility of her hooking up with some man. He shouldn’t feel like breaking something and then punching someone. Preferably Troublesome Teddy.