The Mogul And The Muscle

I’d thanked him and started plotting Aldrich’s murder.

Except not literally.

Daisy sidled up next to me and slipped her arm around mine. “I think you need another drink.”

“What happened to giraffe guy?”

“He was cute, but he’s American, so, you know.”

Daisy only dated European men. If you could call what she did dating. I admired her give-no-fucks spirit. Daisy Carter-Kincaid forged her own path and didn’t care what other people thought.

Luna and Emily joined us, and we made our way to the bar for another round of cocktails. We wandered back to our table—it seated eight, but we’d kept it to just the four of us by buying out the other seats—and sat down with our drinks.

“Cam, there’s another reason we all came out tonight,” Emily said.

“You mean other than the chance to bid on jewel-encrusted zoo animals? Do tell.”

“Just hear me out.” She glanced at Luna and Daisy. They both nodded.

Oh lovely. The vagillionaires—Daisy’s term for the four of us—were about to gang up on me.

“You need personal security,” Emily said.

“At least until we can be sure it was an isolated incident,” Luna said.

“It probably was,” I said. “And I have security.”

“Not personal security,” Emily said. “Derek knows someone who’s very good.”

“I appreciate what you’re all trying to do, but I’m fine. I don’t need some scary dude in dark glasses following me around everywhere.”

“It’s not nearly as bad as you think,” Daisy said. She glanced around and waved to her bodyguard. “Alessandro’s the man. You just need to find someone you like.”

“I agree,” Luna said. “It’s comforting to know someone has your back.”

I took a sip of my martini and set my glass down. This wasn’t the first time they’d brought this up and I was bristling hard at the idea of a personal bodyguard. It felt so stifling. I already had a staff of people surrounding me. I didn’t want to add someone whose job was essentially to follow me around all the time.

“We have building security at work,” I said.

“That didn’t stop some jackass from trying to snatch your handbag,” Daisy said.

“I still maintain that was an isolated incident, and they’re taking precautions so it doesn’t happen again.”

“You’re not always at work,” Luna said.

“We all know Bluewater’s safe,” I said. The Bluewater enclave—where the four of us lived—was our baby. We’d developed twenty-five hundred acres of swampland into a thriving micro-community. It was one of my proudest achievements, and there was nothing like being neighbors with your best friends. It made life a little less lonely.

Not entirely without loneliness, if I was being honest. But better.

“Well, I still maintain you need personal security,” Emily said.

“I love you guys, but I don’t need a bodyguard. I can handle things myself.”

They gave each other undisguised yeah right glances. But I could tell by the way they shifted in their seats and picked up their cocktails that the discussion was tabled. For now, at least.

I did appreciate my friends’ concern. But I already had enough on my plate without adding another complication, especially an unnecessary one.

And I ignored the little voice in my head that whispered tantalizing thoughts about having someone in my life I could rely on. About trusting someone else enough to let go—letting them shoulder some of the burden. I’d tried that and look where it had gotten me.

Yes, I was alone. But I was accustomed to it. It was what I knew.

And I wasn’t sure if I could trust someone deeply enough to let them in.

3

JUDE

I was a few minutes late to meet Derek at the boxing gym, thanks to Miami’s shitty drivers. Sometimes I questioned my choice to drive a motorcycle. I was an experienced driver—hell, I was better on a bike than most stunt drivers—but that didn’t account for other people being idiots.

Derek was already here, wrapping tape around his knuckles. An industrial-sized fan hummed in the background and a few guys were lifting over by the squat racks. I dropped my backpack next to the roped-off boxing ring.