“Was he doing his job when someone threw blood in her face? Yes, I know about that too. Very little goes on that I don’t know about. Sam is supposed to protect her. She wouldn’t need protecting if she was here. You should convince her to move back home.”
“That’s not my job.”
“Your job is whatever I say it is, Matt. Don’t forget that. A part of Mr. O’Malley’s employment requires him to submit written reports and so far I haven’t seen any. I want a meeting with him.”
Matt got up and headed for the door. “I’ll let him know.”
• • •
Sam knocked on Alexandria’s bedroom door. He told himself he wasn’t checking in on her. If he believed that he was full of it. After the phone call, she’d asked him to leave her room. He didn’t like the way she’d gone all quiet, retreating into her herself and drawing a curtain of silence around her, shutting him out.
“Can I come in?” he asked when he knocked the second time and she still didn’t respond.
She’d left her bedroom briefly around lunchtime to grab something to eat. He’d heard her in the kitchen, but hadn’t intruded. He figured if she wanted to talk about the phone call she would come to him, but she still hadn’t which didn’t surprise him.
“Yes.” She sounded annoyed. Sam entered the room and found her lying on the bed facing the window, her back to the door. “I want to be left alone.” She was already dressed for bed in a white frilly getup with feathers around the sleeves and collar, and it was only seven o’clock.
“Put on your sweats.”
“What?” She turned her head over her shoulder looking at him with eyes clearly telling him to get lost.
“Put on your sweats, pair of runners and meet me in the solarium in ten minutes.”
“I don’t know what you’re up to but—”
“Self defense. We talked about it, remember? Unless you can protect yourself, that bastard will always have the upper hand. Ten minutes,” he ordered and closed the door.
Sam moved the furniture in the solarium against the wall then dug around in the storage closet in the front hall until he found several yoga mats, still in the plastic package. Laying them out on the floor, he waited to see if she would actually show. He figured since he’d ordered her out in ten minutes she would make her appearance only when she was good and ready, or not at all.
Her Highness made her entrance almost an hour later, dressed in white Capri sweats and a white tank top and running shoes that looked like they’d never been worn.
The white tank top molded her upper body and he remembered what it felt like to hold her in his arms last night. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
Alexandria looked down at the mat and made a face. “Is this really necessary?” Moving into the solarium, she pulled her hair back, twisting it on top of her head securing it with some kind of glittering hair comb. “You’re here. Why do I have to do this?”
She was going to be difficult he could tell, but he decided to sweeten the pot.
“How about if I teach you how to kick my legs out from beneath me and make me drop like a stone.” Her lips curled up into a smile and her eyes lit up like a Fourth of July fireworks show. “But I’m not going to give you any special treatment,” he added, pointing a finger at her. “You’ll drop me because you can and with no help from me, Princess.”
“I don’t need special treatment.”
She did that neck thing, working her neck up and down with her hands on her hips. All attitude, aimed at him. Princess was back and ready to kick butt, his.
“Show me what I need to do and I’ll drop you like a stone,” she said with determination. “With no help required from you.”
“That’s my girl.”
• • •
That’s my girl.
Alexandria was taken aback by his words. Okay, so he really didn’t mean anything by it. But it didn’t stop her from hoping that….
“Stretch it out,” Sam ordered when she stood there watching him in fascination, literally salivating. “It’s called a quad stretch. Not the ‘stand and stare’ stretch.”
“Ha ha.”
Working out obviously was natural to him. He was physically fit from his long lean legs right up to his abs. She got a bird’s eye view of his six-pack when he’d stretched his arms above his head and his T-shirt lifted above his belly button.
“When do I get to drop you?”
He laughed. A sexy laugh and she just about melted into a puddle on the floor. She could stand there and stare at him all day.
“We’re going to start with some simple self defense techniques. Let’s begin with a chokehold. If someone grabs you from behind, it doesn’t matter if he’s my size or bigger, you can bring him down.”
“How?” She was interested and wanted to learn. The thought of learning to defend herself was empowering. She didn’t want to feel vulnerable anymore.
“Use the element of surprise.” Sam locked his arm around her neck. It wasn’t enough to hurt her, but just enough pressure to do the exercise. “Grab my arm where it’s bent at the elbow. Push your chin down. Your goal is to loosen my grip. Now bring your right leg up, slide it down my shin, stomp on my foot, twist around and right elbow to the gut.”
She followed his instructions in slow motion as he walked her through each step. More like stumbled through it but he was very patient with her, correcting her stance and showing her how to regain her balance when she stumbled.
“Good. Let’s do it faster and without thinking too much. You’re too tense.”
“I have to concentrate.”
“You’re over thinking it. Relax and let it come to you.”
Sam showed her a few more exercises. The sidekick, elbow strike, and he taught her about pressure points. An hour and a half later she was drenched in sweat but had to admit, she was feeling pretty good. The fact that she’d connected a couple of hits to his chest made her feel really good.
“That’s better. Now we’ll do the same move again, neck hold from the back. Now this time, instead of sliding your right foot down my shin, take a step to the right after you’ve loosened my grip. Lower your left elbow to my sternum. Move your right foot forward, left leg back, up and kick. Good. You got it.”
With that glowing praise, she kept at him moving faster through each move with his encouragement. Although try as she might, she couldn’t shake him and at no point did he hit the mat. She was the one that kept landing on her derriere.
She’d gotten her hands and legs to work together in maneuvering through the movements and was feeling comfortable. Forgetting about the sweat running down her face, she kept up with him and had managed to get him off balance with a stray kick that landed in his gut, making him grunt. Then he upped his game. As she improved, he made it harder for her hits to connect and he sent her to the mat harder. She thought at one point she saw a smile on his face.
Frustrated, she slapped the mat when she went down for a fifth time in a row and stayed down.
“You told me not to help you,” Sam said with a shrug. He wasn’t gloating as he was when they had first started. “You learn fast which leads me to believe that you’ve done this before.”
“Years ago, but not as intense; you’re a good teacher.”
Sam extended his hand to help her up and she took it. Her right leg slipped between his legs, ready to sweep his feet from under him when she was halfway up off the mat. He grabbed her leg and she ended up flat on her back.
“Tsk tsk. Always anticipate your opponent’s next move. I saw that coming a mile away.”
“Give me a few more days and I’ll have you flat on your back.”
“By cheating?”
“There’s more than one way to get a man on his back besides kicking his legs out from under him.” She moistened her lips. “Cheating wasn’t what I had in mind.”
She wasn’t sure where that came from, but it was out there. And it couldn’t be taken back. When she was with
him she felt safe but she wanted more from him. She wanted him to make love to her right there on the floor in the solarium. Looking up at him, her lips parted, eyes locked with his, wanting him to join her. Yet, he didn’t.
Sam reached down, grabbing her hand and pulled her to her feet. The air was thick with tension that coiled in her stomach. Heat from their bodies mixed with sweat and tension made it almost impossible to breathe. She could smell the faint scent of the soap he used. He let go of her hand and turned away, reaching for one of the bottles of water against the wall.
“I think that’s enough for the day,” Sam said, when he finished drinking the water, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes traveled the length of her body, but made no further contact.
“I’m not drunk, Sam.”
“No, but it’s past your bedtime.” She didn’t move and he turned away picking up the mats. He was ignoring her, ignoring what was happening between them.
“Are you serious? Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you,” she yelled at him, her frustration level shot off the charts.
Sam yanked at the hem of the T-shirt wiping at the sweat running down his face and leveled her with a hard stare. He was serious all right. Just like that he’d turned off his emotions as one would a tap. For one brief moment, the thought occurred to her that she may have imagined what she had seen in his eyes. Her eyes gravitated toward the fly of his sweat pants. There was one thing he couldn’t turn off.
“Our session is over. I’m going to grab a shower.”
“I would suggest a cold one.”
• • •
They left for Robyn’s Nest at nine o’clock the following morning. Except for the usual morning greeting, nothing more was said at the condo, even when he’d gone over the plan for the day, she hadn’t objected to anything.
The events of the day before, was still very fresh in Sam’s mind. He was still thinking about what might have been and suspected she had to be as well.
The phone call from the stalker had shaken her, but the self-defense exercises had taken the edge off it. Then everything had changed when she started flirting with him. The tension between them was like a live wire. That was yesterday he told himself, and pushed it to the back of his mind, concentrating on the task ahead today.
From the specs Sam had of Robyn’s Nest, it was an eight-floor abandoned office building that the Foundation had acquired for next to nothing, and had made the necessary changes to convert it to a research center. The Foundation had outgrown the facility and were looking to add to the building. He figured that’s where Prescott’s two million dollars would come into play.
Patient activities were centered on floors three to six. He’d asked Matt for increased security in the lobby, and particularly at the front desk, as well as on the grounds outside. Everything he’d asked for he’d gotten. Warren Prescott name carried a lot of clout. That much he got and he wanted to know what made the man tick.
People like that always had skeletons in the closet. If Alexandria’s life was threatened because of what Prescott was into then he wanted to know about it. He was on his own in that regard because Matt wasn’t going to help him.
Sam glanced over at Alexandria. Apart from informing him what she expected her day would be like as they left the parking garage, she had proceeded to ignore him. Her head was buried in the thick black book she called an organizer, jotting down notes.
“You know, an electronic organizer would be easier than carrying around that encyclopedia.”
“Had one. It crashed. Lost everything.”
That was the end of their conversation and she turned her attention back to her organizer, tuning him out. It appeared she had pushed what happened between them last night to the back of her mind right along with the scene after dinner at Robyn’s. Let’s not forget what happened after the truck tried to run them off the road. In all of this he had to keep reminding himself that Princess was off limits. Period. Yet he couldn’t help but wonder what—
“You’re going to miss the entrance to the Foundation if don’t slow down,” Alexandria cut into his thoughts.
“Hmm?” Sam glanced over at her. His eyes fell on the dangling pearl drop earring hanging from her ear that met the high collar of her white sleeveless dress. He figured this would be as casual as she ever got but he was sure the dress cost more than his entire wardrobe. He always felt right at home in a T-shirt and jeans, until now.
“I was warning you about the turn off.” She turned her head toward the window. “You just missed it.”
He glanced at the rearview mirror.
“Are we being followed?”
“No, but it doesn’t hurt to circle the block.”
“I guess.”
While he had her attention, he took the opportunity to go over the ground rules again. He didn’t want a repeat of what had happened at the hotel.
“You’re on the third floor today. The only time you leave the floor is when we’re ready to leave. Regarding washroom breaks, Robyn will accompany you and I’ll be standing right outside the door.”
“I’m fine with the washroom rule. However, I’m always running between floors so being confined to the third floor is not possible.”
“Today you stay put on the third floor. Given the phone call you had—”
“I don’t want you hovering over my shoulders and I don’t want you frightening the kids.”
“We had an agreement,” he reminded her.
“No. You gave me orders. These kids are traumatized enough with their illness. They don’t need you watching me watching them. Stay out of my way when I’m with them.”
“Alex—”
“I mean it. I’ll do whatever else you want but this is non negotiable. Please.”
She had never used ‘please’ in a conversation with him before and it made him consider her request for a split second, then he remembered what happened at the hotel. This was her life she had entrusted to him and as much as he wanted to give her the space she wanted, he couldn’t, not this time.
When they arrived at the Foundation, he headed for the parking lot at the back of building. He backed into the parking space and turned off the engine.
“You can have your space as long as you remain on the third floor. It’s your choice. Take it or leave it.”
He watched her. She was ready to dig her heels in and he knew she wasn’t going to give in easily.
“No.”
“Fine.” Slipping the key back into the ignition, he turned on the engine pulling out of the parking space. He stopped at the stop sign and the end of the lot and turned on the left indicator.
“Where are you going?”
• • •
“You win,” Alexandria said quickly grabbing Sam’s arm when she realized he was heading back to the condo. She’d pushed him and he’d pushed back.
“This isn’t about winning. It’s about your safety. We will not have a repeat of the incident at the hotel. From here on in you listen to me. If I say jump, you ask how high.”
She rolled her eyes. How high? Please. The man was being totally ridiculous. A car stopped behind them and Sam hit the power button and the window slide down. He stuck his hand out the window, motioning the driver to pass.
“Fine, I’ll obey your orders.” With her concession, he made a u-turn at the end of the driveway and didn’t seem to care that he had to disrupt traffic to do so.
She would find a way to get to the other floors to do her job. When she stepped through the doors at Robyn’s Nest, the world outside didn’t exist. She wasn’t just Warren Prescott’s daughter. What she did at the Foundation mattered. There was no one with a camera lurking around the corner. People didn’t judge her and that’s why she wanted to keep the outside world from intruding. This was her sanctuary.
Sam was right by her side before her feet hit the ground as she exited the SUV. He had his arm around her waist as they walked quickly into the building. He nodded at a tall red h
aired man that held the door for them and they headed up to the third floor. She couldn’t recall seeing him before.
Pamela, the receptionist, greeted them when they stepped off the elevator. Sam left Alexandria at her cubical and told her he wanted to talk to Dennis when he’d seen Dennis exited Robyn’s office. Her cubical was across from Pamela’s desk and even though Sam was in a conversation with Dennis, she could feel him watching her.
“Yummy,” Pamela said, eyeing Sam as if he was a piece of meat and she was a hungry lion.
Was there a full moon last night or something?
First Rebecca, who couldn’t stop talking about him at the committee meeting and now Pamela. Alexandria had made a claim on Sam already. She had told Rebecca, or rather implied, that Sam was hers. Working so closely with Pamela, she couldn’t do the same and have that circulating around the Foundation.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Pamela said, twirling her blond curls, “Robyn wants to talk to you about Tiana Robinson.”
Pamela turned her attention back to the phone as the lines began to light up.
“Thanks.”
Alexandria had fallen in love with the three year old when she arrived at the Foundation a year ago. Her mother couldn’t handle her sickle cell disease and left her with her father. Tiana had stopped eating and no one could get through to her. Robyn suggested she befriended the little girl. Alexandria didn’t try to talk to her or be her friend she just read to her.
Tiana had opened up like a flower and revealed she wanted to be a Princess, just like Alexandria. When she tried to explain to Tiana that she wasn’t really a Princess, the little girl didn’t believe her. Her rational was if your father called you a Princess then you must be one. So she asked Mr. Robinson call Tiana, Princess.
She headed down the hall. Sam and Dennis were hanging outside of Robyn’s office talking. Sam towered over Dennis like a giant. He was leaning casually against the wall, dividing his attention between watching her walking toward him and talking to Dennis. The two were the most unlikely pair to forge a friendship, but it appeared they had.
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