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She nodded. “Okay, that’ll give me plenty of time to go home and get ready. I doubt the duchess would be impressed if I showed up in my workout gear. Do you know what the nearest subway station is to the restaurant? I can meet you all there.”
I frowned. “The subway?”
“Yes?”
“You’re not taking the subway. We’ll pick you up.”
Sam chuckled. “I don’t want to trouble any of you. It’s really not that big of a deal. I take the train every day to get to work.”
My jaw tightened.
The thought of Sam- beautiful, gorgeous, kind Sam - squeezing onto a crowded subway car every morning made my stomach clench. It wasn’t safe. There were all sorts of perverts out there, and with so little space during morning commutes, it wasn’t that hard to imagine someone getting their mitts on her. I knew that I had trained her well enough at this point that she’d be able to defend herself perfectly fine, but that didn’t mean I was any less concerned about her safety.
“You should have told us,” I said. “We could have sent you a company car.”
The corners of her lips tugged up into a mischievous little grin. “Are you worried about me, Liam?”
I didn’t say anything. It was answer enough.
Adam laughed, clapping me on the shoulder. “We’ll give you a ride, Sam,” he said. “It’s no problem. Plus, I think it’ll be more professional if we all arrive at the same time. It will give you a chance to practice our formations in real time. Think of it as a dry run playing decoy.”
“Okay,” she replied. She gingerly placed her hand on my forearm, her fingers cool to the touch. “Thank you,” she whispered to me.
The way she looked at me made my chest tighten. She was too damn cute for me to handle.
“Don’t mention it,” I mumbled.
7
Sam
“Mama?”
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Who are those people?”
“Those are my friends. We all go to work together.”
Max sat on the edge of my bed, cuddling his favorite stuffed bear close to his chest while he kicked his legs back and forth. I was a few feet away in front of the closet mirror, adding the final touches to my hair.
It was a trial and a half trying to find something perfect to wear to dinner this evening. My wardrobe was lacking, especially where fancy four-star restaurants were concerned. I had to dig through my clothes to locate the little black dress that I retired ages ago, much preferring the more comfortable combination of jogging pants and a sweatshirt for everyday wear. I was a mom, after all. I was more focused on taking care of my son than dressing to the nines every day.
Although it had been a couple of years since I put it on, my dress still fit like a glove. It was of modest design - I still had to look professional - but the fabric hugged me in all the right places to accentuate my curves. I felt wonderful in it, sultry and seductive - a living, breathing femme fatale.
“What do you think?” I asked my son. “Does Mama look pretty?”
Max nodded. “Like a princess!”
I offered him my hand and helped him hop off the edge of the bed. “Come on, honey. Let’s go see what Nana thinks.”
Nana was seated on the couch, smiling like the cat who got the cream. It had been a very long time since we had any visitors over. Nancy, her friend from the bingo hall didn’t really count because she lived two floors down. Nana was having a blast hanging out with the guys. She was in the middle of chatting Adam’s ear off about the new tea set she ordered off of Amazon.
Adam, to his credit, seemed very engaged in the conversation. Charlie sat just next to him, listening politely. Liam looked bored as sin.
They’re all so adorable, I thought to myself as I glided down the hall.
“Thanks for waiting,” I said as I entered the living room. “I wasn’t sure what to do with my hair.”
