AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I ignore the sting of that word. “The plan is to closely watch your daily routine from a fresh set of eyes. However, the operation has to remain undisclosed to employees of Petrov Shipping. That includes your incompetent security team.”
“Did you say daily routine? What does that mean? You’ll be following me around daily?” She sputters the last word.
“Glad to find you’re still pretty smart,” I snark.
“Disappointed to learn you’re now delusional,” she responds through gritted teeth.
I chuckle at her venomous reaction. If she thinks that’s upsetting, she better brace herself, because I’m just getting started.
“Be that as it may, you need professional, twenty-four-hour security.”
“You sound like my brother.”
“We have the same goal. My job is to keep people safe and I’m good at it. You’re welcome to look up my company. That is, if you haven’t already.”
A flash of pink colors her cheeks but her features are placid. She puts her phone up to cover her face, like I’m an irrelevant interruption to her busy day.
“I’ll be sure to check your Yelp reviews. If things check out, why don’t you send one of your coworkers to follow me around?”
“I would, if I thought they were up to the task.”
“I’m so hard to work with, is that it?” Ana lifts her head abruptly.
How do I begin to answer such a loaded question? I can’t, so I don’t.
She continues with barely restrained vehemence. “I would be a model client with anyone other than you.” She stands and straightens her back. A fighting stance.
“I don’t doubt it.”
That’s the truth. In her rise from an intern at her father’s company to the head of research and development, Ana has the reputation of being a great team worker. She’s as fair-minded as she is tough, never disrespecting those she worked with or disregarding those she supervised.
“Why are you here? Even if I need more security, your presence is unnecessary. Want me to hire from your company? Sure, I’ll consider it. But to insist on doing this yourself? It doesn’t make sense. My life is complicated enough, and our history is… difficult.”
“I don’t want a model client, Ana. And I don’t give a shit how complicated your life is or how difficult you are.”
“That’s not what I said,” she snaps. “I said our history is! Ugh, never mind. My point is what’s past is past. There’s no need to get involved in each other’s lives, Bryce.”
She turns around and fusses with folders on a desk pushed against the wall. My eyes automatically follow the supple curve of her hips. The sight of her ass within reach makes my fingers twitch. It takes superhuman effort to turn my attention outside, where Norfolk, Virginia’s cloudy skies are as active as the docks below. Rain is about to come down hard.
After having lived most of the last decade in the Southwest where the desert sky is relentlessly cloudless, this kaleidoscope of aerial activity fascinates me. It’s a reminder that I’m back in a place where I’ll need a weather forecast to know what to wear. A land of seasonal changes, falling leaves, and chilly nights. A world in which my proximity to Ana will feel more tempestuous than any autumn storm.
“The past has nothing to do with this job, Ana,” I state. “As for you being difficult, well, the situation you’re in is more serious than anything you throw my way. Go ahead and bring your worst. No one is as ready to take it as I am.”
Every word I say adds to the wall of resentment we’ve built between us.
“God, you’re still such a jerk.”
“That might be true. But I’m the jerk who’ll be posing as your boyfriend.”
Before her shock gives way to curses, I launch ahead. “Starting tonight. The charity reception is high profile so there will be some precautions in place. However, that location is inherently compromised due to the manor’s infrastructure.”
Her mouth is open, but nothing comes out. I chortle at the state of her speechlessness, but then she stomps toward me, a finger stabbing the air.
“You think you can come into my office and, what, tell me what to do? Even if I hired your company—and that’s a colossal if, Bryce— you would be an employee, not my boss. Do you really think I would get rattled by a threat or two? If it was that easy to scare me off, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now.”
Her thick hair moves along her shoulders while she gesticulates with animated arms. The movement releases Ana’s unique feminine sweetness. I get a familiar whiff of honey and something new. Gardenias at a distance, subtle and subdued. It’s a potion created to drive me crazy till the day I die.
The only way to maintain my sanity is to outline protocol.
