by Rye Hart
My Dad sighed heavily in exasperation as well. “Yes, Abigail. It does involve you because you are leaving the country, and I have a feeling you have posted your feelings about being away from me without any supervision.” He smiled thinly when I looked away guiltily. “That’s what I thought. This is where I feel much more comfortable having a bodyguard following you and Libby around Madrid.”
“I’m twenty-two, Dad,” I half-whined, not sounded twenty-two at all. “I can handle my life on my own. You’re being paranoid about everything as usual.”
“You’ve been a bit sheltered, dear. Your life has been lived in a bubble thanks to me and your Mom making sure that you were always within reach” he said, and at the look on my face, clarified, “I admit that I’ve sheltered you a bit too much, but I’m your Dad. I’m going to protect you as much as I can. Since I am paying for this trip, the bodyguard stands. Period.”
He had me at that and knew it. I sat down in the chair in front of his desk with a dejected sigh. Libby is going to be fucking furious. There was no changing my Dad’s mind once he was convinced of something. I’d have to deal with another bodyguard reporting things back to my Dad as usual. How the hell was I going to enjoy myself with some muscle-head leaning over the top of me the whole damn time?
Right. I wasn’t.
A knock echoed on the door before anything else could be said. I turned in my chair as the doors to my Dad’s office were opened. My breath caught in my throat when a handsome, muscular guy with short brown hair entered the room with an air of confidence about him.
Muscles pressed against the fitted shirt he wore, and I couldn’t help but notice the bulge in the front of his pants. It seemed like his arms weren’t the only thing he was working out. I wanted to snort at my joke, but my sour mood helped to hold back anything resembling playful.
His eyes, a forest green color, flicked over my Dad and me with an indifferent expression. He was tall, and easily towered over everyone. Tattoos covered the patches of skin that were visible. There was something irresistible about him. I couldn’t pinpoint it besides that my stomach fluttered when he raked his gaze over me sitting in the chair.
“Ah, Mr. Jordan, I presume?” My Dad stood from his chair to hold out a hand for the man to shake. “I’d like to thank you for coming to Manhattan from Queens today. Your friend, Logan, mentioned you were making the trip to meet with us. I appreciate that more than you know.”
“Thank you for seeing me, Sir,” he said, voice deep and steady. It was beautifully masculine and left something in my stomach fluttering around.
My Dad extended a hand toward me. “This is my daughter, Abigail. You have probably seen her pictures from the files I sent to Logan though.”
“Pictures?” I asked, shooting my Dad a glare. “You sent them pictures of me?”
“I apologize for her lack of manners,” my Dad said, crisply. “She is not pleased with this arrangement at the moment.”
I stood up from the chair to offer a hand to him. “Abigail Carter. Call me Abi for short if you want.”
“Harley Jordan,” he said, but didn’t take hold of my hand. He nodded at me instead and returned his attention to my Dad pretty quickly. “Logan mentioned you had some documents for me, Sir?”
I rolled my eyes when my Dad smiled, obviously pleased with being addressed so politely. The few bodyguards he had hired were rather brash, or impolite by his standards. Not that I wasn’t interested in Harley. My stomach did that little flutter when I caught him looking at me before flicking his gaze over to my Dad. He smelled like something fresh mixed with an outdoorsy musk. Manly. Delicious. Ridiculously good.
“Yes. These are your plane tickets.” My Dad thumbed through a pile of papers on his desk. “Oh, Julia forgot to give me the information on the hotel. Stay right here, Abi. Don’t go running off until I’m done talking to you.”
I waited until my Dad left his office before I turned to look at Harley. He stood rigidly in front of my Dad’s desk, hands clasped behind his back. It took him a minute, but he finally turned to face me. He watched me for a second before arching his eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Look, I realize that my Dad is hiring you to follow Libby and me around,” I started, giving him a pointed look, “but, I’d appreciate it if you try to make yourself invisible as much as possible.”
“Whatever your Dad says, I will do,” Harley said, firmly.
“Right, but I’m also in charge over there,” I said. “This is my spring break and my last chance to do something fun before I commit myself to working at this firm. Understand?”
Harley chuckled, a deep type of chuckle of amusement.
“I don’t want to spend my time supervising you. Believe me,” he said, “but, this is what I’m being paid to do. So unfortunately for you, that’s all I’m going to do.”
I knew what he was thinking. Spoiled rich brat. I could see it in his eyes, but there was something else there too. Maybe? I didn’t get a chance to decipher it.
He turned away to focus on the windows that overlooked Manhattan, his shoulders stiff and back straight as a board. Ex-military. Had to be.
Gathering that our conversation was over, I gathered my things from where I had set them on the chair.
“Your Dad told you to stay,” Harley said as he glanced back over at me.
I slipped the strap of my purse over my shoulder. I gave Harley a withering glare, but he didn’t bat an eyelash. His face remained an indifferent mask.
“You’re not in charge,” I said, coldly. “I’d appreciate it if you don’t tell me what to do. It won’t go over well.”
I opened the office door, but it was Harley’s voice that stopped me dead in my tracks.
“I’m not in charge yet,” he said, “but once we are over there, you’ll have to listen to me whether you like it or not, sweetheart.”
Anger skittered through me at the cockiness. I debated on arguing with him, but it was pointless. My Dad had most likely already handed over a hefty check, so it gave everyone a false sense of authority. Except, there was something different about the way Harley said it.
I shut the office door instead of replying. Striding through the office toward the elevator doors, I tried to regain my composure, to find my sense of control again, but it was useless.
It was going to be one hell of a month with Harley Jordan shadowing me. That much I could tell, and I had no idea if it was going to be a good thing or not.
CHAPTER FOUR - HARLEY
The morning sun felt warm on my exposed skin as I stepped out of the airport to hail one of the many cabs lingering about in front of the terminals. While a cab eagerly pulled up to the curb, I kept one eye trained on Abigail and Libby who were following behind me in the middle of an excited conversation.
“I can’t believe we’re actually here!” Libby said. “It’s so wonderful already. Can you believe how warm it feels?”
Abigail laughed. “It was warm in Manhattan too, Libs.”
“Well, I know, but you know what I mean.” She looped an arm through Abigail’s. “Better stick with me. I’ll protect you from the scary men your Dad is afraid will kidnap you.”
I didn’t bother replying. Libby from my experience was the outspoken one who clearly dictated Abigail’s social life. She made a point of ignoring me out of irritation, but I didn’t give two shits if Libby or Abigail enjoyed my presence. Some part of me hoped that they didn’t enjoy it at all. I had a $500,000 check waiting for me either way. The less attention they paid to me, the better.
“Hola, senior,” the cab driver called out. “Do you need a ride?”
“To this address here,” I said in fluent Spanish.
He took the paper from me in surprise. “You speak Spanish?”
“Yes, I do.”
I turned to find Abigail watching me curiously. “What?”
“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish,” she said, clearly impressed. “I tried to take Spanish in High School, but I failed it two times.”
I sighed inwardly. I didn’t care for idle chit chat, and I wasn’t in the mood for mind games with Abigail. Our last encounter hadn’t ended well in her Dad’s office. She was a spoiled brat, and I was a well-paid babysitter.
“We should get to the hotel,” I said and grabbed the luggage cart next to them. “Don’t get into the cab until—”
Libby let out an exasperated noise. “You’re paranoid - you know that? Worse than Abi’s Dad.” She tugged Abigail to the cab doors. “We aren’t in middle of Iraq or whatever third world country that has a reputation for kidnapping women.”
I tossed their luggage and bags into the back along with mine. Not caring for their protests to be careful, I climbed into the front passenger seat with Abigail sitting right behind me. I turned to look over at Libby who was now busily scrolling through her phone.
“I’m not being paid to make sure you aren’t kidnapped,” I said, flatly. “It’s Abigail I’m here for, so please, feel free to go down any dark alley you find, by yourself here. Drive, please.”
The cab driver gave me a long look before putting the van into drive. I sat uneasily in the front seat wishing I had my .22 holstered at my side. Madrid was beautiful no doubt, but I had seen a few too many horrible things coming through this city. Granted, there were worse countries out there, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that we were being watched.
“You just want Abigail all to yourself,” Libby said, grinning. “Hey, if you two want some alone time then—”
“Libby,” Abigail started, sharply, “please don’t.”
Libby sighed dramatically. “Fine, but I’m not even tired yet. We just got here and I’m not ready to call it a night just yet.”
“Probably because you never go to bed before 2:00 am,” Abigail said. “It’ll start hitting us once we’re at the hotel.”
“What do you think, Harley?” asked Libby.
I looked back at Libby in annoyance. “What do I think about what?”
“You’re the expert here,” she said, not looking up from her phone. “Will we start to feel the time difference soon?”
The hell do I care? I didn’t see the expression on Abigail's face when she flicked her large sunglasses down to cover her eyes. Keep your patience, Jordan. $500,000 is on the line. Ignoring her was my best option. Fuck, it was the only option.
We arrived at the hotel twenty minutes later. As I suspected what would happen, Libby quieted down on the drive there. They were barely fighting yawns when we pulled up in front of the hotel to check in. I waited until they gathered their bags from the back of the cab before I paid the driver, and walked into the expensive marble lobby with them in tow.
While I checked in with the front desk, I overheard a male speaking with Abigail and Libby behind my back. I glanced over my shoulder to see a Spanish man dressed in all black standing in front of them.
Warning bells went off in my head. I had no reasonable explanation of why, but something about the guy wasn’t right. I thanked the concierge before walking over to them.
“My name is Roco,” he was telling them. “I am in charge of the security here at the hotel. Please let me know if you need anything. I can ride with you or—”
“I will be riding with them,” I interjected, and handed Abigail and Libby their room keys. “If we need anything, Roco, I’ll let you know.” I continued in Spanish to make sure my point got across load and clear, “I am their hired security throughout Madrid.”
Roco’s smiled straightened in a strained line. “Of course, sir. May I ask you where you are from as well?”
“Queens, New York,” I said, and eyed him with suspicion. “Is there a problem?”
“No problems.” His eyes landed on the names tattooed on my right forearm. “You were in the military for the United States?”
I didn’t bother responding. He wanted too much information. Grabbing ahold of my bags, I placed a hand on Abigail’s lower back to usher her and Libby forward. She tensed under my touch but didn’t protest. Something about the simplicity of it left my stomach contracting, my cock twitching in my pants. It had been too fucking long since I’d even been around a woman, much less touched one.
“Roco’s sexy,” Libby said when we were in the elevator. “Maybe I’ll find myself a Spanish lover while we are here at the hotel.”
She nudged Abigail playfully in the side but didn’t get a response other than a tense laugh. I didn’t want to even think about sheltering them from of the men in Madrid. Especially men like Roco who clearly took great pleasure in charming young female tourists like Libby.
Once I was confident that the room was secure, I motioned for Abigail to join me outside in the hallway.
I was a little surprised that she complied without agitation.
“Listen,” I said, quietly enough to have Abigail lean in to hear me, “I know you aren’t happy about me being here, but don’t leave without me. People aren’t who they seem here.”
Abigail gave me a long look before she nodded in understanding.
“I’ll let you know when we want to go somewhere.” She yawned, clamping her fingers over her pretty pink lips as blush covered her cheeks. “We’re not going anywhere right now. I’m too exhausted.”
“Good. Well, I’m next door if you need me or change your mind,” I said as I took her in. She was a beautiful girl, but it was clear that she had no clue . “Keep that side door unlocked at all times.”
She closed the door a second later, and I turned to walk to my room. After checking it out, I locked the door and glanced around. I couldn’t shake off Roco’s beady little stare and curiosity.
Setting my bag on the floor next to the bed, I went straight to the side door that I had told Abigail to unlock. I leaned in to hear the lock click out, but also to hear Libby say, “That bodyguard isn’t going to help us with our plans on losing your v-card this summer, Abi.”
I arched an eyebrow. Abigail’s a virgin?
It seemed possible given her naive nature. Temptation coiled in my stomach when I thought of Abigail's waterfall curls shimmering in the sunlight, and her shapely legs that flashed through her long black skirt when she walked. Every bit of her body was tight and toned. She was so small that I could easily pin her beneath me. I couldn’t help but wonder what her moans would sound like. What she would taste like.
“Shit,” I groaned, glancing down as my cock grew hard in my pants. It had been forever since I’d felt turned on by the thought of someone beneath me. While Abigail was perfect for the position, she was also off limits. I’d have to find someone else to sate my wicked desires with. The only problem was that I couldn’t trust anyone else with Abigail long enough to find a woman who could satisfy that need.
I pushed away from the door to collapse on the bed while I half-listened to Abigail and Libby’s voices chatter away. Eventually, the room next to mine went silent, and I stared up at the sunshine dancing across the ceiling until sleep finally took me.
CHAPTER FIVE - ABIGAIL
“It’s beautiful here,” I said, gazing out along the balcony of the hotel where the sun slowly dipped below the buildings. The past two days we had spent in the hotel adjusting to the time difference, and now we felt alive for the evening hours.
The hotel balcony we were seated upon overlooked the entire city of Madrid because of its nestled position. A vivid orange hue filled the entire evening sky with a comfortable glow that instantly relaxed all of us— excluding Harley.
I tossed a glance over my shoulder to where he stood vigilantly behind us by a few feet, with his gaze focused on something in the distance over the balcony. His eyes shifted, focusing on me, but his expression stayed tight. I couldn’t help but wonder what his story was. He was beyond hot. Did he have someone waiting for him at home? He damn well should have.
“Yeah, beautiful,” Libby said. She fiddled with the hemline of her short dress while leaning forward in her seat to look at a table of men who sat a few tables away. “Do you see thos
e men there? They keep looking over at us.”
“No,” I said, and looked over in the direction Libby’s head was turned. They were all dressed in expensive looking shirts and pants. Their skin was a dark tanned color while they each supported dark black curls. One of them smiled slyly at me. “Are they guests at the hotel?”
“They would have to be,” Libby said. “You can’t eat up here unless you’re a guest. Let's see if I can get them over here to have some drinks with us.”
I glanced down at my full glass of wine - my second glass of wine. My head already felt fuzzy from the liquor and the evening heat. It was a dangerous combination.
“I can’t have anymore, Libby. Seriously. I feel like if I stood too fast that I’d fall over.”
“This is vacation, Abi. You’re supposed to get drunk. Like sloppy drunk.” Libby waved at them with a pretty smile on her face. “Hola! We’d love to share drinks over here.”
They chattered away in Spanish before rising from the table. They didn’t get far though when Harley stepped between the tables. He uttered something curtly in Spanish that sent them hurrying from the balcony without sparing Libby and I a second glance.
“Hey, asshole!” Libby exclaimed, reaching out to swat Harley on the arm. “What is your problem here? Those are guests at the hotel. It was just a damn drink!”
The indifferent expression on Harley’s face didn’t change. He resumed his post behind us without saying another word.
My Dad certainly would be pleased.
I fingered the rim of my wine glass with a resigned sigh while Libby complained loudly about him ruining all the fun. Nothing she said or did ever seemed to phase him. He was emotionless half the time, or either extremely irritable. There was never an in-between, nor rarely any emotion was shown.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Libby said, fanning her flushed face from alcohol and heat. “After that, maybe we could go explore the city a bit?”
“Yeah. Sure.” I stood and reached for the table as a smile lifted my lips.
“Light weight.” She chuckled and reached for me.
