by Rae Rivers
Years of blending in the background had sharpened her ability to read others and size them up in an instant. While others spent their time talking, she spent her time watching and listening.
Then she spotted him.
Cole was in a conversation with the several people surrounding him, a drink clasped in one hand. He stood tall and majestic in the center of the room and it was easy to see the reason behind the attraction people felt for him.
Just then, almost as though he sensed her, Cole turned and swiftly scanned the room before settling his gaze on her. Their eyes met and held, and Alex’s entire body reacted in a way that unsettled her. Her breath caught and her pulse raced but before she could process the affect he had on her, a figure approached her, blocking her view of Cole.
A tall blond man dressed in a black suit stood in front of her, a drink in one hand, the other outstretched in greeting. “Hi, I’m John Farrell, Cole’s right hand man.”
Alex shook his hand. “Alexis Foxley.”
“Your company is taking over Cole’s security.”
“We are.”
“Have you assigned an agent to him yet?”
“Yes.”
John towered over her and she got the feeling he was trying to let her know he was an important entity in Cole’s life. “When does he start?”
A red flag went off.
Alex straightened her shoulders and raised her chin to look him straight in the eye. “I started yesterday.”
John choked in his glass. “You?”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong with that?”
“Who authorized your contract?”
“Cole did.” She was almost enjoying this now. “Do you have a problem with that?” Not that it mattered.
John looked at her as though she were about to sprout a second head. “I don’t think you understand. A billionaire is an easy target and needs some serious protection.”
Alex blinked at the insult but held her ground. “I’d be quite happy to accept any challenge you issue.”
“Cole’s life is not about attending tea parties and shopping malls. He has real fans and real enemies. I don’t want him hurt because you were too busy playing him, screwing him, or shopping for handbags.”
“And something tells me you know how to handle a stapler better than a gun, so I’d suggest that you back down and leave Cole’s safety and security to the experts,” she replied, lowering her voice.
Their host, Mike Willis, chose that moment to approach them, interrupting their heated conversation.
“Hi, John,” Mike said, extending a hand to them both. If he’d noticed their tension, he didn’t let on. “Good to see you again, Alexis.”
Alex dragged her eyes away from John and offered the stocky man with grey hair and kind eyes a welcoming smile. “Mike, it’s been a while.” He looked pale, however, as if he hadn’t slept much in the last few nights.
“If you’ll excuse me,” John mumbled and disappeared.
Mike reached for her arm and led her through the room. “I’m glad you’re here. In fact, I had my secretary look up your number today as I wanted to make an appointment to see you again.”
Alex glanced up, feeling a familiar connection with him. He’d always seemed sincere and gentle, despite his vast businessman profile, and she’d taken an immediate liking to him when she’d first met him several months ago. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to chat with you about my security. I’m considering employing a full time bodyguard again.”
“Are you having any problems?”
He shrugged. “None too obvious at the moment but I suspect someone’s been watching me, watching my house.”
“What’s happened?”
“We’ll discuss the details later. Would it be possible to get someone from your agency to move in here for a while?”
“Sure.” Her mind automatically began racing through the list of agents that would be suitable for him. “Unfortunately, I’m unavailable as I’m on an assignment with Cole Anderson but I’ll arrange for one of my partners to meet with you in the morning.”
“Thank you.”
“Say someone is in fact watching you. What have you got that could be of interest to them?”
“Anything is game. It could be a business rival.”
Another thought occurred to her. “And art? You’re still collecting?” She remembered they’d shared a love of antique art, having briefly discussed his collection in the past.
He smiled, the fondness for his artwork apparent in his eyes. “Yes. My art is my passion.”
“Is your artwork kept mainly at your house or elsewhere?”
“Mainly at my home here, but I have a few other homes where I keep some pieces.”
Could there be a connection? “Well, I’ll send an agent over in the morning to meet with you.”
His weary smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “That would be great. It’s been a rough couple of nights.”
Alex noticed Cole walking toward her. Turning to Mike, she smiled. “Thank you for approaching me with this. We’ll take care of you, I promise.”
The moment Cole joined them, Mike’s soft and gentle manner disappeared, quickly replaced with the professional and stern business image he presented to his associates.
“Cole,” Mike said. “Good to see you in one piece.”
Cole nodded. “So you’ve heard the news.”
“I always keep tabs on my friends.”
“Ah. Even when they’re under attack?”
“Especially when they’re under attack.” Mike smiled. “I heard you purchased the Renoir on the weekend.”
“A real beauty.”
“I considered bidding on it myself. A very rare find, but it was a toss up with that and a Van Gogh that was up for sale at Sotheby’s.”
“So you bought the Van Gogh?”
“Just as well considering the drama you had with the Renoir.”
Cole’s eyes went a shade darker. “The Van Gogh might’ve been the better option.”
Mike flashed a smile at Alex. “I was talking to this lovely lady of yours and I find her rather enchanting.”
“Yes,” Cole replied, shifting his gaze to Alex. “She’s rather captivating, isn’t she?”
Mike nodded at a passing acquaintance and glanced back at them. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to catch the mayor before he leaves.” He turned to Alex. “Thank you for your time tonight.”
Her answering smile disappeared the moment he merged within the crowd. Her conversation with the older man had aroused her curiosity and had her instincts bristling.
“What was that about?” Cole asked her quietly.
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Ready to leave?”
Distracted, she nodded.
Chapter Nine
Their exit proved to be challenging.
The moment they stepped outside, the mob of reporters and photographers surrounded them. Lights flashed in rapid succession as several cameras were shoved in their direction in an attempt to capture a picture of them together.
They all wanted a piece of Cole Anderson and Alex wondered how he could stand it. She was familiar with the press, often having had to shield clients from the intrusive attention in the past. But this was different and Alex found the attention suffocating.
They elbowed their way into the car, relieved when the door slammed shut, muffling the noise outside. Once they were inside the limo and behind the safety of the dark protective glass that shielded them from the curious stares outside, both Cole and Alex took a deep breath of air.
“God, is it always like this?” Alex asked, exhaling.
“Most of the time.”
She could tell by his clenched jaw that he didn’t care for the intrusion into his life but had settled for it, knowing it came with the title and the territory of being one of the wealthiest men in the world.
“Perhaps we should up your bodyguards to two agents when you
attend a more public event.”
Cole’s eyes flickered with amusement. “You think you can’t handle it on your own?”
Hm, she should have expected that from him. “I can handle it. Just thinking ahead and trying to be prepared, that’s all.”
“If you can handle a bullet and a cat burglar, this should be a walk in the park.”
“Bullets and cat burglars are familiar to me. You are an entirely new game.”
“I like games.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
Dark eyes zeroed in on her and he gave her a slow, predatory smile. “Scared?”
“No.”
Their eyes met and the mood shifted between them. He was looking at her with an intensity that made her skin tingle and her pulse race. It was hard to focus on anything else when he looked at her like that.
Silence filled the spacious limo as an underlying heat prickled between them. He cast a leisurely gaze along the length of her, almost as though he was devouring her with his eyes, and Alex felt hot tendrils of electricity shoot straight between her thighs.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she breathed, hoping her voice didn’t betray her arousal.
“I can’t help it,” he murmured without shame. “You fascinate me.”
When he finally looked away, Alex focused on her breathing, relieved he’d diverted his attention to the passing scenery.
“You were familiar with several of the guests there tonight,” he commented.
“Mostly our shields along with some of my partners looking out for them.”
“Shields?”
Alex smiled. “Clients. Shields is a term those of us in the profession use.”
“How many agents work for you?”
“Work with me,” she corrected. “We all own shares in the company.”
“But you’re the majority.”
“Yes. It was my idea, my company, and instead of recruiting them as employees, I sold off shares to six agents.”
“All men?”
“Yes.”
“If you’re so sure that a woman can pull off this job as well as a man could then why hire all men? Why not women?”
Alex shrugged. How could she tell him that she found it hard to work with women? Besides her absentee mother, she’d only grown up with men around her. She felt out of her depth when dealing with women but at complete ease around men. She’d forged strong friendships with her male partners over the years and they were like brothers to her. Alex liked the simplicity of working with men. She was able to be direct and speak her mind without worrying about hurting any feelings. It kept things simple for her and it was familiar.
“There aren’t a lot of women who do what I do,” she answered. “I chose the best with the six agents I have and so far, we make a remarkable team.”
“And you’re all simply friends?”
“Unless two of the guys have developed a fondness for each other and haven’t told me, then yes,” she replied with a grin, “we’re all friends.”
She suspected he was trying to gauge if she was involved with any of her partners, but she left it at that. It wouldn’t hurt to leave a little to his imagination. He was playing havoc with hers so it served him right.
“Where are you planning to put your Renoir?” Alex asked, deciding to change the subject.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Perhaps we should think of relocating it to an unspecified location.”
His eyes flashed with renewed anger and Cole reached into the small bar fridge for a bottle of water. Popping the cap, he offered it to her but she shook her head. “The Renoir’s staying at the townhouse for now.”
“He’ll come back for it, Cole. We’ve spoken about that.”
“I almost want him to try,” he said in a low, cold undertone.
“You don’t want to mess with people like that. Was one shootout not enough for you?”
“It’s my painting. My home.”
“What about your life? Does that not mean much to you?”
“And what makes you so sure he’ll return?”
If Steven was after the Renoir and the demand for the painting was as serious as the money to back it, he’d return. No doubt about it.
“Because there’s a buyer that wants your painting and I’m certain he’ll send the cat in to try again.”
“And how would you know that?”
Alex used pure willpower not to look away. “Because I know how these guys work, Cole. I’ve been in the protection business for a long time.”
“How do you know so much about art?”
Careful. “My mother’s always had an interest in art and it rubbed off on me.” She’d had no choice. As a little girl, she’d loved to read but the only books available in her home were books on security systems, artworks, and art heists. Not the ideal collection for a young girl, but it had sparked a love of art and set the foundation for a career she loved. “I’ve always had an interest in art; as far back as I can remember.”
“Have you collected any pieces yourself?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
She scrambled for an answer. “For starters, I’m seldom at home to enjoy them.”
“Do you always stay at your clients’ homes?”
“Often. It’s easier that way. When did you start collecting your pieces?”
“When the money started coming in.”
“And what was the first piece you bought?”
Cole smiled at the fond memory. “A Michelangelo.”
“Really? Where is it?”
“My gallery at Jupiter Island houses most of my finest pieces.”
Alex suspected his gallery would be magnificent, any art collector’s dream. Ancient armor, weapons, eighteenth and nineteenth century paintings, tapestries, statues…yes, she could imagine what Cole would stock and it would be spectacular to see in person.
“You go there often?”
“I’m heading there in a few weeks. I have a project that requires my attention.”
“Extending your empire?”
He flashed a killer smile. “Of course.” He sipped his water and checked his watch. “I didn’t realize you know Mike Willis.”
“As I said earlier, he was a previous client of ours.”
“What were you discussing with such intensity?”
So he’d been watching her. “He wants to employ a bodyguard again.”
“Is he thinking of employing your services?”
“Yes, but I’ll be sending one of my partners to meet with him.”
He cocked a brow. “You’re not meeting with him?”
Alex grinned. “My hands are a little full at the moment.” So maybe she’d made a slight understatement.
His lips curled in amusement. “Glad to know you consider me a priority.”
“Would I have any other choice?”
“No.”
“Exactly.”
His cheeky grin widened and he glanced out the window. “Why does he need a bodyguard?”
“I can’t discuss that with you.”
Cole tilted his head to look at her, his eyes narrowing. It was clearly something he’d never heard before and he regarded her in silence, his gaze burning into her. Alex didn’t need to be a mind reader to know he wasn’t pleased.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she said firmly and straightened in her seat. “Even though my focus is on you right now, I still have responsibilities and other commitments.” The limo had pulled up at the curb of his townhouse, and she reached for her heels and her purse, annoyed with his reaction. “We’ll be spending a lot of time together and there’ll be a lot of things I can’t discuss with you. I can’t have you throwing a silent temper tantrum every time I won’t tell you what you want to know.”
His intense glare softened, and she saw laughter in his eyes.
“Feel better?” he asked.
He’s laughing at me?
Shoving her door open, A
lex shifted in her seat. “You may be used to calling the shots, Cole,” she said, glancing back at him, “but in my line of work, there are lines that can’t be crossed.”
“Like sex?” His smile was pure naughtiness.
Hell yes. “Like sharing client information!” she snapped and climbed out of the door closest to her, not waiting for Warren.
“Glad we cleared that up,” he called after her with a low chuckle.
Chapter Ten
Cole watched her cute, angry backside disappear into the house and up the stairs. Still grinning, he shook his head.
For such a petite woman, her attitude was way bigger than she was. Granted, he shouldn’t have baited her with the sex comment, but the sexual tension and attraction that existed between them was so thick he hadn’t been able to resist.
She was strong, independent, and unafraid to speak her mind. He found it refreshing and far too arousing. Just thinking of her sent his libido roaring.
A few days ago, he’d needed the bodyguard in her. Tonight, he wanted the woman.
His gut clenched at the admission, and he looked around for a quick distraction.
A drink. That should do it. And a cold shower.
Shrugging off his jacket, he went to pour himself a drink and on a whim, decided to pour her one too—a peace offering. He had been an ass and owed her an apology.
And he couldn’t resist seeing her again.
Her bedroom door was open and she was in the process of unpinning her hair. Even with the frown, she looked beautiful and for a brief moment, he stood in the doorway and absorbed her.
God, she’s beautiful.
Sensing him, Alex turned around, her hair cascading in a pile of soft curls around her shoulders as she pulled out the last pin. She paused and looked at him, sizing him up.
“Peace offering.” He rattled the ice in the glass, very aware of the sparks that still sizzled between them, despite their brief argument.
She sighed and went toward him, accepting the drink. Fixing him with a fierce stare, she lifted the glass to her mouth, challenge dripping off her posture.
