Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
I find her mid-introduction with the actual Mr. Thatcher she was expecting.
She spots me waiting outside of her office, and ushers Mr. Thatcher inside before lingering outside the doorway.
“I'm so incredibly sorry,” she says. “I didn't mean to assume you were my first appointment for the day. Are you Mr. Rolfe? The security detail my father hired?”
I dip my head in a nod.
“Okay, you're much earlier than I expected,” she says. “I'm so sorry, I had this whole introduction thing planned and I was going to get you set up with a desk or whatever you needed, but I really do have to get to this client. Are you okay out here on your own until I'm finished? You can help yourself to anything that I have in the fridge in the break room. I stocked it this morning, but once you tell me what you like to eat and drink, I can order those things.”
I can't stop the smile that shapes my lips or the way my heart is thumping against my chest. She’s every bit the sweet, caring, rule-follower I pegged her for that night two months ago. Of course, she also had a wild side that I’d been lucky as hell to see.
Well, here goes nothing.
“Such a hospitable kitten,” I say.
Her eyes flare wide, her body tensing, likely recognizing my voice saying her nickname.
She blinks a few times, confusion dancing in those brown eyes as if she misheard me.
“I really have to get back to my client,” she says, hurrying into her office and shutting the door behind her.
I stare at the closed door for a few moments. Definitely not the reunion I've been dreaming about for the past two months, but I certainly hadn’t expected her to be my client either.
Shit.
We’re going to have to figure this out.
In the meantime, while she works with her client, I get to work inspecting her office building.
It's not a terrible setup, but there are at least six entry points that are a disadvantage. Easy access points that wouldn’t take much to break into, if someone were so inclined. Not to mention there are no security cameras on the interior of the building, which I understand is unethical in her office or in the patient exit room, but she needed some in the waiting areas, the break areas, and the outdoor courtyard. That same patio I recognized earlier because she’d sent me a few pictures from that very spot when she’d been eating her lunch there a week ago. We’d chatted about the view, about the copse of trees that lined the edge of her parking lot, and how much she loved the building because of how many trees surrounded the property.
Trees someone could easily hide behind.
Fuck.
After an hour, Kitten—Zoe—finds me in the waiting area, her patient having left via the patient exit room that connected through a back door in her office.
She looks a little more grounded, but there's a heavy amount of surprise clinging to her features.
“Did this really just happen by coincidence?” she asks, tipping her head to look up at me since I’m so much taller than her, even in those heels she wears. “Silver?” she whispers.
“That's me,” I say with a little smirk. “I have to admit, you really undersold the view out there in the courtyard where you eat your lunch. Is that where Gregory comes for breakfast and dinner?”
Her full, pouty lips part, and she shakes her head, looking at me with unbelieving eyes. “No, he comes to the back exit door,” she answers, eyes a little distant. “What are the odds of this?”
“What are the odds I've been trying to meet you in person for two months and your father just happens to hire me as your security detail?” I shrug. “Pretty fucking slim. But I'm not mad about it.”
“I don't know what to say,” she says.
“I understand,” I say. “And if you're uncomfortable with this setup, you need to tell me now. I already found six weak security points here alone, so I'll need to be thorough in my brief to any replacement.” Fucking hell, it would be nearly impossible to put her safety in someone else’s hands, but I have to respect her decision on this.
“My father and his team said you were the best.”
“They’re correct in that assessment,” I say. “I’ve worked as a contractor for three years now, over a dozen different security detail cases, three of them involving stalkers. I’ve never failed or lost a client.”
She purses her lips, looking impressed, and fuck me if that doesn’t make pride swell in my chest.
“Are you uncomfortable with this?” she asks, her voice softening. “I mean, I'd get it. Especially after what happened at the club, and then our texting…situation.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “There are very few situations that make me uncomfortable, Kitten,” I say. “But I can keep things professional. If you want me as your detail, all you have to do is say so. I'll completely understand if there's a conflict of interest here putting you off, though.”