Page 25 of The Bodyguard

The doors open and I step into the BHS offices.

Penny, our office manager, has already left for the day. No wonder, given it’s already after seven. I can hear a few keyboards clicking and noise from the gym, so there are a few people still around, including the tech team on the late shift.

“Hey, gorgeous,” I say to Tara as I walk into the lab. “You still here?”

“No. I am a figment of your imagination. And, by the way, immune to your charms.” Tara rolls her eyes at me.

Liar.

She isn’t.

Tara is your typical scientist. Doesn’t dress sexy compared to someone like, say, Savannah, but it’s obvious she’s hiding a hot figure under her lab coat.

She started a month ago and everyone is under strict instruction from Josh to not date the lab tech.

Tara is pretty and I’m not blind, but there’s no spark between us. Unlike my sexy as hell client, who I can’t stop thinking of.

In the last five minutes I’ve imagined Savannah climbing into bed naked and wonder if her legs are spread and her hand between them. If she’s thinking of me while sliding her fingers inside her wet creamy pussy.

Ryder, you dick, she’s more likely worried about having a threat just mailed to her.

Or I could be right.

I’m right about the way her eyes roam over my muscular body and dip to my cock. More than once. More than fucking five times today.

And hell, if that doesn’t constantly wake up what I’m trying to control.

I need to focus. I need Tara’s help, and while she might be immune to my charms, we love a good banter together.

The others just grunt and try to avoid her.

Josh can be a scary motherfucker.

But he lost some credibility when we learned he was sleeping with Cassy Cartwright. Something I, for one, will never let him live down, even if he has married her.

Never miss an opportunity, I say.

“You wound me, sweetheart!” I clutch my chest and Tara chuckles.

“What are you working on?” I walk closer, turning serious.

“Pulling some fingerprints from that break-in last week.” She looks up from her sample. “Dante Russo.”

Dante is a significant businessman we provide security for. He had his office broken into. An inside job. We should be able to wrap that one up easily enough.

And when I say he’s significant, I mean he lives on the edge of the law, so it’s unlikely we’ll be calling in the cops on this one.

“Okay, but I need you to look at this tonight for me. Or first thing in the morning.” I hold up the plastic bag with the card and envelope inside.

She pulls off her disposable gloves, tosses them in the trash, then pulls on a new pair as she walks over. Then takes the bag from me and holds it up to eye level.

“These stalkers are not creative writers, are they?”

I snort.

“Try harder, stalkers.” She shoots me a grin and wanders back over to all her fancy equipment.

I don’t know what it cost to set this up, but it would have been substantial.

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