by Lexy Timms
She would enjoy the music tonight, but I would enjoy her.
“Do you think it’s strange?” Sam said.
“Is what strange?” I asked.
“Hiding out in a place like this while someone is still after you.”
“Might still be after me. I’m not fully convinced Jacob’s got me in his crosshairs any longer. And it was your idea. Well, technically John’s, but let’s not spoil this evening with his name.”
“You really don’t like him, do you?” she asked.
“I have to admit, I was jealous of the closeness the two of you shared in the beginning. You know, when he first came around.”
“You mean when you assumed we were sleeping together because I smiled at him.”
“In my defense, you don’t smile.”
“I smile at people who are nice. You weren’t nice in the beginning.”
“Am I nice now?”
She looked over at me, her dark brown eyes holding the reflection of the setting sun. She had no idea how beautiful she was. The things she did to me with only her gaze. A small smile crept across her cheeks as the bottle of wine was set on the table, complete with two glasses that had already been poured.
“Thank you,” Sam said.
“My pleasure,” the waiter said. “If you need anything else, let me know.”
“I don’t think nice is still a word to describe you,” Sam said. “I think a more apt term would be compassionate.”
“Not a word you hear thrown around when talking about a businessman.”
“Not a word you throw around with billionaires in general. But that’s why you’re different. That’s why you’ve had such great success so young in life. Your compassion for others sets you apart,” she said.
“To answer your question, I don’t think it’s all that strange.”
“I guess you’re used to this kind of decadence all the time,” she said.
“Ah. So, it’s not the vacation. It’s the spoiling.”
“Did I say that? I’m pretty sure I didn’t.”
“It was implied,” I said. “And there’s a part of me that’s glad I can show you some of the advantages to being with a man like me.”
“Advantages, huh? You know I’ve protected billionaires before. You're not the first.”
The band struck up their music as my eyes bored into the profile of her face.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You’re not the first high-profile client I’ve taken on,” Sam said.
“Were any of them in fear for their lives?”
“Most of them were, yes. None of them have handled it as well as you have, but they were all under serious threats. Most of my clients are.”
“So, you know the benefits of being with a man with money,” I said.
Sam turned her gaze toward me, her sly grin growing into a petulant smile. Had she dated other billionaires? Was I really not the first? I assumed I was. I was going about this as if I was. Had I been making an ass of myself over the past few weeks by assuming she’d never been with a man like me?
“I’m aware of them, yes, but I’ve never experienced them firsthand,” Sam said.
“So, you never went with your clients to any of their hideouts?” I asked.
“No,” she said with a giggle. “I’ve never been to any of their hideouts.”
“You never went on any business trips with them?”
“I accompanied them if they fly out of town, yes. To make sure they were safe.”
I rolled my shoulders back as I tightened my grip on my glass of wine.
“What about staying at their houses? Is that something—?”
Sam’s giggle caught me off guard, and I whipped my gaze over to her. She had her hand to her lips, trying to stifle the hilarity she saw in the situation. But I didn’t think this was funny. I wanted to know her experience with billionaires. Had they treated her with the care and commitment I had? Did they make sure she had whatever she needed during her tenure with them? Shopping trips and clothes stacked in her closets and private resorts with beaches meant only for her and him?
Did she already know what this felt like?
“You’re jealous,” Sam said.
“I’m not jealous. I’m merely curious,” I said.
“You want to know if I’ve slept with other billionaire clients.”
“The thought had crossed my mind.”
She reached out for my hand and took it, our fingers lacing together. It was the first semi-public display of affection she had afforded me, and I soaked it up as the music bubbled in the background. Her eyes drifted up toward mine as I gripped her hand tightly, not wanting to let her go as her grin eased into a comfortable smile.
I sighed as I brought her hand to my lips, kissing each one of her lightly-scarred knuckles.
“I keep a very strict rule about never dating my clients. You’re the first person I’ve ever tossed that rule out for,” Sam said.
I felt relieved, but I was also shocked.
“I find that hard to believe,” I said.
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“Not at all. A blind man could see your beauty, Sam. You’re a very impressive woman. You impressed me the moment I saw you lounging back in my office the day I employed you. I’m sure your clients have wanted you before.”
“I didn’t say no one had ever made the offer, Derek. There were many who did, but I was never interested in anything like that with them. None of them. They were jobs and nothing more.”
“They were interested, but you weren’t,” I said.
“Exactly.”
“So that means you’re interested in this.”
“I believe I made that pretty clear on the beach this afternoon,” she said.
I pulled her hand to my lips one last time before I stood. I urged her to her feet, watching her rise with all the fluidity and femininity she said she didn’t have. My eyes ran up and down her form, drawing her to me as the music began to slow down. I took her wine glass from between her fingers and set it down on our table before my arm threaded around her waist.
“Dance with me,” I said.
Sam leaned into me, her body trusting me as her forehead leaned against my chin. I placed a chaste kiss on her skin, feeling how our bodies moved as one. We stood by our table, lost in our own world as the worries of the night faded from view. There were no fears or stressors. No work or changing of shifts. Sam and I were no longer client and bodyguard but lovers on a vacation. The ocean breeze was cradling us together, stroking against our skin as her body pressed closer to me.
My hands dropped down around her waist, pulling her into my warmth as her arms circled around my neck.
We swayed to the tune of the song and kept time with the beating of the ocean. I wished things could stay like this forever. I wished I could buy this entire island and create it into our own slice of paradise. I wanted to keep Sam here. I wanted to keep her at my side and travel the world with her. I wanted to go to each and every country she had ever worked in and show her the beauty she had missed out on. I wanted to single-handedly revive in her a passion for this world again. I dipped my face into the crook of her neck, breathing her in as our bodies swayed against one another.
But the harsh reality of what waited for us on the other side crept into my mind.
Jacob.
The company.
The position I had to fill.
My company would need me sooner rather than later. A strong force would have to stand out from the crowd and reassure everyone that things were going to be okay. I had employees who needed me and investors who needed their faith restored. I needed to hire someone to be my new COO, and I needed Jacob to be caught.
There were so many things I needed, and none of them could be found on this island.
“Relax,” Sam said into my ear. “Enjoy the moment.”
And I caved to her, leaning into the strength I knew her body possessed as she held me close. I
sought the comfort I knew her embrace could bring me as I ghosted my lips along her shoulder. I kneaded my hands into the toned muscles of her back, losing myself in the rhythm of her breath pulsing against my neck.
I allowed her current to wash me under, and I was determined to stay under as long as I could and as long as my lungs would allow me to stay submerged.
And if she didn’t require it, I would never swim back to shore.
Chapter 14
Sam
OUR TRIP TO HAWAII was fantastic. It was romantic, full of stress relief, and filled with warm sun and beautiful views. It was a place I didn’t want to come back from, where all my worries seemed to rot away. From the sex to the crystal-clear waters to the music we danced to, everything had its confined space, and everything seemed perfect.
But now, we were back.
Our week together made everything seem so far away. The ordeal with Jacob. All the high-alert moments and guarding Derek's home. Getting away for the week and being able to unload that stress and allow everything to fade to the back of my mind made everything feel so distant and strange. Coming back to San Francisco was almost an out-of-body experience. Getting back to the role I was supposed to play and the job I was supposed to do proved harder than I initially thought it was going to be.
And that wasn't good.
“Report,” I said.
“Welcome back,” John said. “How was the vacation?”
“Wasn’t a vacation, John. It was a getaway so Derek could get his head back in the game. Now, status report.”
“Things were fine here. No perimeter breaches and no suspicious characters. Same with his company. No trouble. No fires to put out.”
“And no Jacob,” I said.
“Yep. No Jacob.”
“How the hell could he disappear into thin air?” I asked.
“It’s a question that’s been rattling around in my mind once I was able to deal with the fact you weren’t going to tell me where you and Derek went.”
“I had our location locked down,” I said. “The fewer people who knew, the safer he was.”
“I’m your second in command. You can let me know your locations.”
“Not this time, John, not unless it's necessary. You know this. You know why.”
“It was frustrating, that’s all. You didn’t check in often.”
“You’re lucky I checked in at all. We were in an area with sparse communication signals,” I said.
“At any rate, it was annoying. Had you needed backup or had something happened, more information than necessary would’ve needed to have been communicated. There were too many risks with that decision, especially since you went alone.”
“I understand your concerns, and I have logged them. Now, have we gotten anywhere with Jacob’s accounts?”
“No activity on his company card, and his other assets are frozen. The man can’t make a move, so it's doubtful he’ll do much. Plus, he’s got half the world looking for him right now. If he pops up anywhere, we’ll know about it.”
“I don’t get it. How does he pop up with a gun, try to shoot Derek, and then disappear off the face of the planet?”
“Derek?” he asked.
“Mr. Steele has a first name, yes.”
“So, you’re on a first name basis with our client,” he said.
“Doesn’t that usually happen when we take a long-term job like this?” I asked.
“It does. It’s just that when that happens, I can usually expect the man to try and make a move on you. Want me to give him a rundown of how this works?”
“Not necessary. If anything inappropriate comes up, I can handle it like I always do.”
“Well, tell ‘Derek’ it wasn’t like Jacob’s initial plan was to personally kill him, only to threaten him until he stepped down from his position.”
“Those letters didn’t speak that to me,” I said.
“The man could get into this house. If he wanted Mr. Steele dead, it would’ve happened. You know that. But with his previous security detail being as terrible as you said and Mr. Steele hiring us, it could’ve made the man desperate. Shooting him in his office could’ve been a last-ditch effort to get what he wanted.”
“That’s true, and it’s an angle I’ve been thinking about. But you know me. Prepare for every terrible scenario and everything else is a pleasant surprise.”
“You mean like the best friend none of us suspected?” he asked.
“Shut up. Your report’s done,” I said with a grin.
“Come on. You gotta joke about it a little bit.”
“Maybe when Derek’s life isn’t hanging in the balance any longer, and we’re done with this job, sure. But for now, you’re dismissed. Go check up on things at the company.”
“Sure thing, Sam.”
I watched John leave the premises before I went in search of Derek. Despite my insistence, he had me pick out a few outfits to bring home from the trip. The issue with that was, I’d only left with a toiletry bag, and being surrounded by trained security men meant they would notice if I came back with more luggage. So, Derek was tasked with getting our stuff in while I got John’s status report of how things had gone in our absence.
I found him later in the room I’d set up for myself in his home.
“I still think you should’ve brought the navy blue dress back,” he said.
“That thing was ripped beyond repair, thanks to your hastiness,” I said.
“I could’ve had it repaired.”
“Or you could buy me another one.”
“Now, there’s an idea,” he said with a grin.
I crossed the room and strode to him, allowing his arm to slip around my waist. He pulled me close to him as my hands planted on his chest, feeling his strength and naked warmth underneath his suit. The man looked glorious sprawled out in a bed, but damn, could he wear a suit, tailored to his muscles with some of the finest fabrics this world had to offer.
He looked luscious in them.
I lifted my mouth to his and placed a kiss on his lips. His hand came up to cup my neck, supporting my head as the kiss deepened. Our tongues lapped against one another and fire shot through my veins. I could feel my body pressing deeper into him as his hand worked its way underneath my shirt.
“We better be careful,” he said. “We aren’t in Hawaii anymore.”
“Ah, such a moment-ruiner,” I said as I pulled away.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Derek Steele, and I ruin all sorts of things.”
I giggled at his words as our foreheads fell together. His breath was soothing, a constant reminder that I was doing my job correctly. My hands felt for his heartbeat, a physical reminder of the life pulsing through his veins. He was safe whenever he was with me, and I would always make sure that was the case whether I was his bodyguard or simply a woman he wasted his time with. If there was something endangering him, I would be there to help him out of it.
At least, that was what I wanted to do.
“Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I admit something?” he asked.
“Of course, you can,” I said. “You can tell me anything.”
“I don’t feel like I can really progress forward until Jacob’s caught.”
I nodded my head as I took a step back from his body.
“Are you regretting Hawaii?” I asked.
“No. Hell, no. Nothing like that. That was a bad way to phrase that. I feel like I’m never going to fully enjoy what life still has to offer me with Jacob running around out there.”
“Understandable. We’re trying everything we can, but he’s not making a move.”
“I get that. I’m not blaming you for anything. I just wanted to tell you what was rattling around in my head.”
“It’s normal to feel that way. Things are resolved but not really. No more letters. No more threat to your company. But because he isn’t in custody, it’s hard to see the future when all the ‘what if’ sc
enarios are running around.”
“See? You’re much better at articulating this shit than I am,” he said.
“Because I’ve had a lot of time to endure them, but here’s the reality of the situation. It could be months before we catch him.”
“Months? Why would it take that long? Aren’t the FBI and Interpol looking out for him?”
“They are, but arranging that did take a bit of time. Less than a day, but less than a day to someone who had an escape plan is enough time to get out of the country and settle somewhere with no extradition laws.”
“Wait a second. Are you telling me my former COO who tried to shoot me dead has fled the country?” he asked.
“No, but I am telling you that not having him on the radar yet is weird. We overlooked him because of predisposed biases on both sides, but now that we know it’s him, we can’t put anything past him. If this was something in the making, a plan of some sort that he hatched, then we have to consider that he had resources to use if he were to get caught.”
“Then, what are your working theories?” he asked.
“I just told them to you. Things don’t add up. The attack in the garage. The hospital stay. How friendly he was with me. Every interaction I’ve had with him is suspicious now that we know he was the one pulling the strings. But then we have something else to consider.”
“And what would that be?”
“That Jacob was another pawn in this game.”
Derek looked at me with a blank stare. He ran his hand through his hair, taking a step back to the bed. He sat down with his hands in his lap as his mind began to spin, and I worried about what that revelation would do to his paranoid frame of mind. It was my job to keep him afloat on working theories, but with the slow switch in our relationship, I felt a growing need to volley these things off him that I would normally speak with John about first.
“You think someone else is doing this? Like they threatened Jacob or something?” Derek asked.
“I think it’s odd for someone like Jacob to want to kill both of us. When I went down in your office, he was reloading. The sounds of the gun. The fiddling around. He was loading himself up for a second round. He was desperate and had every intention of killing both of us. Why?”
