Facade

“I thought that was what I was hiring you for, Mrs. Williams,” I said. I couldn’t have a female body guard. What would people say? I blinked as I thought about that again. What would people say?

“Miss,” she corrected. “And I won’t be watching you when you sleep. I’ll be in the house if you want me to be. But I won’t be at your bedside, if that’s what you’re hoping. However, there are always precautions to take when a life is at stake. I’m here to make sure you take them and that those precautions work.”

I stared at her, allowing all of this to sink in. I tried to put her in the context of the file I had read. I tried to envision her taking down terrorists and blowing up a child sex trafficking ring. I tried to see her in close quarters combat, taking down the enemy while disarming him in the process. I tried to put her in all these scenarios as my eyes fluttered down her body.

But the only thing I could think about was how beautiful she was.

“We can discuss things over lunch,” she said as she grabbed her leather jacket. “I’m hungry, and you’re buying.”

“Since I’m paying you, shouldn’t you have the money to pick up your own tab?”

“When I’m on the clock and we need to speak, the price falls on your shoulders. Did you not read the contract enclosed with my file? Or were you too busy assuming I was a burly man with monkey hair?”

She was astounding, and her confidence was striking.

“You’re not the first person to do it, and you won’t be the last.”

She walked out of my office, her skinny jeans hugging her body and her white shirt fluttering around her hips. She walked with her back straight and her fists clenched, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. She was confident and intelligent on the situation. And her file did boast of someone who was more than qualified for this position. But the reaction her body elicited in mine? It was going to pose a threat. It was going to be difficult to be around this woman all the time and not be distracted by how hot she was.

But I didn’t have any other choice. The latest threat I had received came through my own home security. I couldn’t take chances any longer.

This was getting serious, and this woman meant business.

Chapter 2

Sam

I could hear him following me as I made my way to the elevator. He had a very distinct cadence to his walk, a rhythm that set him apart from everyone else. There was a bounce to his step, a confidence and a swagger that shone through the way his shoes tapped against the tiles of the floor. I felt him approach me from behind as I slid my leather jacket on, his eyes still on me as he studied me.

“Enjoying the view?” I asked.

“A bit impressed is all,” Derek said.

“A partial truth, but it’s better than a partial lie.”

“What?” he asked.

“You’re very impressed, but you believe admitting that to a woman you find attractive somehow diminishes the power you think you wield over me. Rest assured, I know you’re impressed. But I’m not here to impress you. I’m here to protect you.”

The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped in, feeling him follow closely behind me. We rode down the building in silence, my eyes closed as I took in the sounds around me. The dinging of the floors as we passed them. The sound of the whirring of the cords that descended the elevator. The deep breathing Mr. Steele was still doing.

Typical of his species.

The doors flew open, and we stepped out into the main lobby, my eyes scanning the room for the men who were so easy to get past. I could see their shocked glances as I walked alongside Mr. Steele, but soon, a bouncy young woman appeared in front of me.

“Mr. Steele, might I steal you for a second?” she asked.

“Hello, Emma. I’m kind of on a time crunch. What do you need?” he asked.

“Well, I just ... people were talking about the woman in the main office, and I tried to come find you. But when I went back there, she wasn’t there, so I figured maybe you had found her. And it’s obvious you have. But now that begs a new question. Should I start new employee paperwork for her?”

Emma’s eyes gazed up at Derek, her pupils dilating bigger every second. Her body was open to him, and her arms were at her sides. Her nonverbal cues were all but hurling themselves at Mr. Steele. Whoever she was to him, she was interested in him romantically.