Page 20 of The Billionaire Babe

“Well, good for you. Now what are you doing here?” I get back to the situation at hand.

“I came to find you.” I have absentmindedly moved even closer to her, now almost crowding her against the wall, her floral scent again encasing me.

“Who told you I was here?” I ask, her chin now tipped up to look at me.

“Jimmy,” she says with a coy smile. I know why, because Jimmy runs his mouth off, and there is no doubt in my mind she now knows almost everything about me.

“Fucking Jimmy,” I murmur, shaking my head. “Well, what can I do for you?” I don’t know why I am asking. I need to end this conversation and get her out of this fucking gym.

“I need security,” she says simply, and I straighten.

“Are you in trouble?” My senses are now on high alert.

“Oh, no, no, nothing like that.” She chuckles as I relax and I feel off-kilter for a moment. “My friend Chloe, she has her own jewelry brand. She has a showing next Thursday for her new collection and her security company that she normally uses has just left her in the lurch. She needs a few guys to watch the shop while the event is going on.”

“How many guys?” I ask, very interested in this opportunity. Anything that can bring in more money to ease our financial pressure is needed.

“She usually has two at the front door, two inside, and then two at the back. The event starts at seven and will finish up at nine. There will be media, celebrities, buyers, and about ten million in gold and diamonds on display.” I grit my teeth. The million-dollar statement left her lips as easy as if she was saying it was mere cents.

“I can help you out.” I nod to her while I run through the logistics in my mind. “Give me your number.” I push my cell toward her. This is dangerous territory I am heading into, and I know I should walk away, but I am too far gone, her pearly whites, her button nose, her fucking smile every time she looks at me. It is like I hung the moon for her and all I have done is accept a job Fortress desperately needs. At least Brady will be happy, since this is the type of premium job he was referring to the other week. Looks like I may have just scored our first opportunity.

I watch her type in her details, and I grab the phone from her and send her a quick text so she has my number too.

“Text me the details, and I will put a quote together tonight and send it back,” I explain and she nods, clearly happy with the formality.

“Anything else I can help you with?” I ask her as she remains where she is, me not letting her go yet either.

“I also wanted to say thank you. For saving me from that guy at the club.” A light blush colors her cheeks.

“Just doing my job,” I tell her, which is true in theory, but there was no way I was letting anyone touch her. All week, I have been murderous about the guy attempting to.

“I know, but you could have easily ignored it. Many security teams often do.” That has my hackles rising.

“I don’t ignore things. I am very attentive,” I tell her, and I notice her chest rise and fall under the white shirt she has on. The movement has my skin prickling, giving me the urge to open a few buttons, just to see what's underneath. She breaks my gaze and looks around.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, and I step back and look at the gym. The guys in here are all still watching, although they’re doing a bad job of pretending they aren’t.

“Training.”

“Training?” she asks, seemingly interested.

“Teaching.”

“Teaching?” She’s inquisitive. I usually remain tight-lipped about my life, but for some reason, I want to indulge her a little.

“I teach kids how to box. Self-defense, help them take care of themselves. It's important.” I shrug, not expecting someone like her to understand.

“It is.” Her eyes come back to look at mine. “It's very admirable.” I huff out a breath at the awe on her face and shake my head in denial. “So, you box?” She continues her interrogation, and my body relaxes even more. It’s a new feeling for me, especially when talking about myself. Her presence calms me as much as it lights me up. Like it did at the club the other night. It is weird because calm is not a word that I would use to describe me.

“A bit.” I nod.

“Jimmy tells me you have a fight coming up?” she asks. Fucking Jimmy, I’m going to kill him.

“That’s certainly not something you need to know about.” My fights are mostly off the radar. I box sometimes fairly and other times not. There are also gallons of testosterone at fight nights, and I don’t want her anywhere near that.

“Why not?” My eyes thin at the challenge in her tone.

“It’s not a—” I start, but she cuts me off.

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