I ran my hand down my stomach, under my panties…
Until there was a loud knock at my door.
I sighed in frustration. Great timing.
I hadn’t taken care of myself in a while now, and I was beginning to get more and more sexually frustrated as the days passed.
I guess I’ll get some alone time in the hotel.
Before I could stop myself, my thoughts lingered on Cruz and his large hands…
And then I remembered the knock at the door. “Come in!” I shouted, drawing back the curtain of my four-poster bed.
The door opened slowly, and Olivia’s head poked out from behind it.
“Wake up lazy!” she shouted, smiling. Olivia had always been an early riser and bored easily. She had probably lost interest in attempting to wake Lucy, who could sleep through anything.
“I am awake! I’m just dozing,” I said. “What’s up, anyway?”
“I’m hungry. Breakfast?” She approached the bed. “What’s got you so hot and bothered?” she asked, noticing my flushed cheeks. She hesitated suddenly, raising a hand to her mouth. “Oh, did I… interrupt something?” She poked me and started laughing.
“No!” I said, a little too indignantly. She’d probably already made up her own mind about what I was doing before she entered though, and no doubt would tell Lucy all about it later. “It’s just hot under these covers,” I lied. “What do you want to eat?” I asked, changing the subject. Olivia loved food. Especially expensive food.
“Hmmm. Reckon your dad’s housekeeper will knock us up some pancakes and bacon?”
“Good idea. I could use some strong coffee as well. All this champagne is catching up to me. Meet you downstairs!” I shouted as she walked out.
* * *
A little while later, I walked into the large kitchen to find Olivia at the breakfast bar devouring pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.
“Jeez, you couldn’t wait?” I said good-naturedly. “Morning, Sue,” I said to my dad’s housekeeper, who served as a maid, chef, cleaner, and general helper around the house. She lived here most of the time and had her own suite at the end of the mansion.
“Morning, love,” she replied in her strong British accent, turning to face me. “I’m afraid your hungry friend couldn’t wait for you to get down here. She said she was bloody starving, bless her.” Sue gave a motherly smile. “Yours will be ready in two minutes, dear. There’s coffee in the machine.” She waved a finger absently at the coffee machine, turning back to finish cooking the fresh pancakes, which smelled delicious.
I grabbed a large cup of coffee, added lots of cream and sugar, and joined Olivia at the bar. She had nearly finished her breakfast.
“Slow down!” I said, poking her in the ribs. “You’ll give yourself indigestion!” She grinned at me with a mouth full of bacon and pancakes. I laughed, thinking about how she probably wouldn’t eat like that when Cruz was around. “All set for later?” I continued, taking a large sip of coffee. I closed my eyes in pleasure at the rich sweet taste of the strong brew Sue had made.
“Yeah. We just need to get lazy bones out of bed,” Olivia said, her breakfast finished. There was barely a speck of food left on her plate. “I’ll just tell her your bodyguard’s here, wearing nothing but a thong. She’ll be ready in no time!”
Sue laughed, turning her head to look over her shoulder at us. “Now, girls! He isn’t a piece of meat, remember,” she said, gesturing to Olivia with a wooden spoon.
“Well, from what Alexandra tells us, that’s exactly what he is,” Olivia said, beaming like a child at her own joke.
Sue tutted, but there was a partial smile on her face. She came over to put a big plate of pancakes in front of me, with a bottle of maple syrup. She then placed the cutlery neatly on either side of the plate and handed me a folded white napkin.
“Thanks, Sue,” I said, smiling gratefully at her. She had started working as a maid soon after my mother had passed away and had looked after me when my dad was at work when I was young. To this day, she still saw me and my friends as children and would stop at nothing to see our needs met.
“No problem, dear. Enjoy.”
Olivia chatted absently while I ate my breakfast, flicking through her phone. I wasn’t really listening to what she was saying, but knew it was something about what she wanted to do in Paris—more than likely spending her dad’s money on stuff she didn’t really need.
I finished my breakfast soon after, almost as quickly as Olivia had devoured hers. “So, shall we go and wake the lazy ass?” I said before draining the last of my coffee.
Olivia jumped up excitedly and ran out of the kitchen. I followed quickly, chasing her up the stairs as she ran to the large bedroom she and Lucy were sharing.
Olivia opened the door and ran to Lucy’s bed, jumping on it without hesitation. She started shaking Lucy, who appeared to be still deeply asleep. I thought I could hear a murmured, “Get the fuck off of me!” coming from beneath the duvet.
I giggled and jumped on the bed too, pulling back the duvet. “Time to get up!” I said, poking Lucy in the face. “You need to make yourself look pretty for when our ride gets here!”
Lucy deftly pushed Olivia off of her, throwing her onto her back and slapping her in the face. “Bitch!” she said, sounding genuinely annoyed for a second. “I was dreaming about pancakes.”
Olivia and I both burst out laughing.
Cruz
I was awake early as usual. The alarm clock next to my bed showed 6.30 a.m., the green lights blinking in the gloom. My military conditioning to awake early had never faded, and I could never really sleep in past seven a.m.
I had ensured everything was ready the day before, so I had nothing to prepare on the day the trip started. The previous two nights, I’d broken my three-whiskey rule, figuring I was unlikely to get into trouble as I’d already had my share for the day with the two foolish thugs. Plus, I’d needed a couple extra to chill out, and the drinks had been free.
I’d awoken as clear-headed as ever, the adrenaline from the fight seeming to neutralize the three extra whiskies I’d had. Anyhow, it wasn’t nearly enough for me to get drunk. I had the constitution of an Ox, and a staggering tolerance for alcohol. when my wife left. I had so desperately wanted to drown myself in alcohol to cope with her leaving me, but could never manage to get successfully drunk. So eventually, I’d stopped hitting the bottle when I realized it would be a shitload cheaper to just talk to someone about it.
After ensuring my gear was all ready and double-checking the limo, I’d taken a walk down to a payphone to call my contact in Paris. Jean-Jacques, he liked to be called; I had no idea if it was his real name and didn’t care. Jean, as I called him to his annoyance, had ensured I had access to a few guns when I got to Paris. He’d told me he would leave a key in a locker at the airport gym, which would then open a safety deposit box near the hotel we were staying at. After ensuring the girls were safely checked in and having a look round the hotel, that would be my first destination.
A solid and reliable .357 snub nosed revolver, six shooter and surprisingly easy to conceal for a gun that could pop heads. And a Glock 19, reduced size and weight making it a perfect backup weapon. Plus enough ammo to take down two full crews of knuckleheads.
We just had to get there in one piece.
I’d have a gun in the limo, which I’d leave in the glove compartment. I’d told the guy I was hiring from, and he’d looked at me blankly until I handed him a fifty. Then he smiled and nodded at me.
It was the flight I was worried about though. But the chances of being jumped on there were slim; a plane would provide no room to fight and nowhere to escape to with a hostage. Moreover, there would be an armed air marshal on board, maybe two. I just had to have a look at my fellow passengers and mark any I thought were suspicious. Any trouble that happened on the plane would be one-on-one, and the tight confines would work in my favor. My huge strength and speed would be unmatchable.
No, th
ere wasn’t much to worry about until the night we got to the hotel, but I’d be armed and twice as fucking deadly. My gut feeling told me that if anything, we would be watched for a while before something happened anyway, and that it would probably be between the first and second destination. Or possibly later.
I had started to feel much better now that the day of the flight had come. All I had to do was keep Alexandra safe. Her and her friends, who probably weren’t anywhere near as hot as she was.
Chapter Seven
Cruz
Later that day, I grabbed my clothes and gear in my tattered bag, double checking the chamber in my revolver. Fully loaded. I had a combat knife hidden in my pants too. Sheathed, of course. Didn’t want any accidents happening.
I left my apartment, double locking the door in the process, and headed for the store where I’d hired the limo. Or where Alexandra’s dad had hired it, to be more precise. I’d made sure there were a couple of very expensive bottles of champagne in the fridge. Again, all courtesy of the girl’s father.
I arrived at the entrance of Alexandra’s mansion an hour before I was due, not wanting to leave anything to chance.
I made my way to the front door, nodding at the guard standing like a statue to the right of the entrance. “Mr. Miller,” he said, nodding back.
Taking the steps two at a time, I pressed the doorbell. A few moments later, the door swung open and I was greeted by a kindly, middle-aged woman who adjusted her gaze up to my face, smiling. “Ah, Cruz Miller I presume? Pleasure. Please, come in,” she said, stepping to the side.
The entrance of the house led to a large spiral staircase that I had caught a glimpse of on my previous visit. I stood to one side of the foyer with my arms behind my back, adopting a nonchalant but powerful pose. I switched my brain off, knowing it might be a while before the girls were ready. The middle-aged lady walked up to me, staring at me quizzically. If she was impressed or intimidated, she showed no sign.
“Do you want a coffee, love?” she asked kindly, in what I guessed was a southern British accent. When I shifted my gaze to her, I caught her staring at me in a motherly fashion.
I ain’t that much younger than you, you know, I thought amused. Though I liked to think I could pass for my late 20s, I could realistically pass for being in my early 30s.
“No thank you, doll,” I said. “I ain’t one for mixing coffee with anything more than a short drive. Water would be good, though.”
She smiled and hurried off toward what I guessed was the kitchen.
I surveyed the room, noticing a large armchair, couch, and table off to one side.
I wonder if anyone ever sits there? Who would, with a hundred other rooms to choose from?
I unashamedly walked over and sat myself in the middle of the large couch, hands clasped in front of me, elbows on my knees. I tried not to flex my biceps too much, but it was damned hard to keep them from bulging through my t-shirt. I felt the sheath of my knife poking into my groin and had to adjust myself from through my pants, hoping no one was looking.
Ah screw it, I hope they are. Hope they like what they see, too.
A while later, after finishing my glass of cold water, I heard a commotion from upstairs. It sounded like the party had started already, and I could hear excited chatter from a number of young female voices. I groaned inwardly, anticipating that I would have a headache before we even get to the airport. I prayed the limo had a soundproof privacy glass…
All of a sudden, the chatter stopped as three figures emerged from the doorway at the top of the stairs. Two of them were staring at me, unashamed. Both were pretty, with full figures. One of them had far too much makeup on. The other had dark, alluring eyes, and from what I could make out, much larger breasts that she wasn’t hesitating to show.
Neither of them was my type though. Too easy; I could tell that at a glance. Ain’t no fun if there ain’t no challenge.
I ran my hand thoughtfully across the slight stubble on my chin, knowing my bicep and chest would flex as I did so. I couldn’t help myself; I might not have been interested, but that didn’t mean attention wasn’t nice.
“Hey, handsome,” the made-up one said as she got halfway down the stairs. “Alexandra said you were big, but wow! She’s been telling as all about how she can’t wait to see you. In fact, I caught her this morning in bed, her…”
Alexandra slapped her friend on the arm. “Olivia, control yourself! I know you can’t help it, but please do try.”
I took a mental note that the stripper one was Olivia and that I should probably keep an eye on her because she’d get her friends in trouble, no doubt. After her and Alexandra, that left...
“What do you think, Lucy? D’ya feel safe now?” Olivia turned to the third girl, the last to arrive in the foyer.
Lucy looked thoughtful. Quiet, full-figured, dark eyes, husky…Dangerous to the unprepared or desperate man, I imagined.
“Yeah,” Lucy said, simply. “I feel like we can get into any trouble we want with Mr. Big Hard Bodyguard watching over us.” She and Olivia started laughing, while Alexandra frowned at the pair.
I stood swiftly to approach the three of them. “Are you ready to go, ladies?”
Alexandra spoke before the others had a chance to respond, a blank expression on her face. “Yes, we are.”
“Now why don’t you use your big muscles for something more useful than standing there looking scary?” Lucy said breathily, staring into my eyes.
I waited for a second, playing dumb, and also, wondering slightly if the girls knew what I was by now. If they did, they clearly weren’t intimidated by it.
Lucy gestured up the stairs with a dainty hand. “Our suitcases are up there, too heavy for us weak, defenseless women to carry downstairs by ourselves.”
Giving me a hard time ‘cause your daddy’s rich, I thought to myself, annoyed. I wasn’t takin’ no shit from girls who were too used to gettin’ their way all the time. I cleared my throat.
“I’m gettin’ paid to be a bodyguard. Ain’t nothing in my contract about being no bell boy, kiddo.”
Lucy frowned. She opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to be struck dumb. Clearly, she wasn’t used to the staff talking back to her.
Better get used to it, girl.
Olivia and Alexandra laughed, both looking a little flushed.
After hesitating for a while, Olivia, Alexandra, and Lucy begrudgingly walked back up the stairs. I heard a muttered, snide remark from Lucy, just quiet enough so I couldn’t make out the words.
Knew she’d be trouble.
But it would take more than a spoiled little rich girl to piss me off.
A few seconds later, the girls filed downstairs, struggling with their massive suitcases. With my arms folded, I watched them awkwardly make their way down with the cases. Outwardly, I frowned, but only because I was struggling not to laugh.
When they’d managed to get halfway down the stairs, I ran up to meet them, springing into action. My speed surprised Olivia and Lucy, but not Alexandra. Her expression was hard to read, but I thought she looked awed. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on my end.
Deciding it was time to show off, I lifted Alexandra’s suitcase first, my chest and biceps bulging as I settled it on my left shoulder. I then lifted Olivia’s suitcase with my left hand, having to hold it at an awkward angle to keep Alexandra’s balanced on my shoulder.
Christ, what the fuck had they packed?
Nevertheless, I gave no indication that the cases were heavy, lifting Lucy’s case onto my right shoulder and balancing deftly on the stairs. I smoothly took the cases out to the car.
When I returned, the girls stared at me.
“Listen,” I said, “I’m here to keep you safe. Something I’m good at. If you’re ever in trouble, you can count on me being there. See anything suspicious, tell me.” I paused, looking at them each in turn. “But I ain’t takin’ any shit. If you need help with something, you ask nicely, and I’ll think abou
t it.”
Lucy approached me, swaying her hips and smiling with her dark eyes fixed on mine. She put her hand on my bicep and squeezed a little too familiarly. “Well, there is one thing you could help with, if you’d be so kind?” she said teasingly. “There’re three more cases at the top of the stairs. Could you please help and bring them down for us? You’re obviously more capable than we are.”
I looked down at her, raising my left eyebrow. “That’s more like it. See, it ain’t hard, darlin’.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alexandra looking at me covetously. I suppressed a frown, hoping that she wasn’t falling for me. I’d been counting on her to not make things easy…
Alexandra
We were all stunned into a girlish silence at Cruz’s display of strength. He showed no sign of struggling, carrying three fully loaded cases to the car. Lucy was the quickest to react, flirting with him to get the rest of the cases down. She thought she could manipulate him, but I had a feeling she was going to struggle with him. The second she slipped up and didn’t ask him for something nicely, she would likely be in for a rude surprise.
I had to admit, I was impressed with the man and his strength. Oh, and he was easy on the eyes too. Rough, but handsome. And those big hands...
Before I could visualize the rest of his body, we were taken out to the car. Cruz immediately switched from relaxed to professional, becoming cold and expressionless. It looked to me like he was taking everything in, his hawk-like eyes everywhere yet, nowhere in particular.
I could already tell that we were going to have to work to get some conversation out of him. It made me regret not talking to him longer the first time we’d met.
Yet, my internal thoughts and developing desire for Cruz were forgotten somewhat as I got into the limo last after running back to the house to give Sue a big hug goodbye.
March Heat: A Firefighter Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 47
