Page 3 of The Bodyguard and the Bombshell

Harlow handled the rough stuff while Ruby was the kickass hacker who no firewall could keep out.

An all-women private investigation firm. Yes, this was right where she belonged. After all, her beloved Da was one of the world’s best investigators, so it was probably in her genes.

“I think I got it.” She sat down behind the desk. Her desk. The small space consisted of a reception area, two offices for the founders, a baby break room, and a single bathroom she was apparently responsible for as well.

She could handle it. Her mother had always kept a neat house. That was in her genes, too.

Harlow was roughly the same age as Daisy, though she seemed older since she was tough as nails and had some way cool scars Daisy had only seen because she played at The Hideout, a club Daisy belonged to. Although she hadn’t had any fun there lately. It was tough when all the Doms considered her a little sister.

“Are you sure? It can be tricky,” Harlow said, tucking back a strand of electric blue hair.

“It’s not tricky.” Ruby walked out of her office. “You’re terrible with tech. Daisy, the right button puts the call on hold, and then you send the caller to either of our offices. I’m one and Harlow’s two. When you go to lunch, you put the whole thing in away mode which sends the caller to our voice mail box. When you get back, check the voice mail and send us any messages we need to reply to. When the system is in answer, the button goes red. Easy-peasy.”

Totally easy. “I can handle it. I’m so grateful to you both for this opportunity. I was surprised when the boutique I was working at went under so quickly. I appreciate the job. The last thing I want to do is move back in with my parents. I love them, but my da can be a lot to handle. He has an unrealistic vision of me.”

Her sweet da firmly believed she could do no wrong. Not true. She could fuck up majorly—re: that time she was helping a friend with a demo of her condo and accidently took down a load-bearing wall…and then the condo—but everyone got out and insurance paid for some of it. Also, he didn’t think she understood the word fuck or its many uses. Despite actually using the word around him.

Her mom had asked her to clean up the potty mouth, but where did her mom think she’d first heard the word from?

“As a woman whose dad is up my ass twenty-four seven, I’m happy to save you from a terrible fate.” Harlow looked down at her watch. “Speaking of, he usually comes around right before lunch. You want to grab something before we meet with the client?”

Ruby was slightly older, but she fit right in with the twenty-somethings in her chicly ripped jeans and a concert T-shirt. She obviously hadn’t gotten the memo explaining she must look professional at all times. Daisy’s da still wore a suit and tie when meeting with clients.

Ruby looked way more comfy.

“Let’s do it,” Ruby said. “Daisy, feel free to take a nice long lunch. We won’t be back this afternoon. Close up when you leave, and make sure the security system is on. I put the code and instructions on your desk. Call if you have any questions, but seriously, this shouldn’t be hard for you. Unless you’re here when her dad comes by. Then you’ll get a full dose of paranoid.”

“Only one of them,” Harlow corrected. “Dad One is great. Dad Two got a double dose of weirdo.”

Harlow came from an alternative-lifestyle family, but Daisy was used to that. She’d figured out pretty early on her da and mom’s Friday night meetings weren’t about playing canasta but doing the nasty. Actually, she still wasn’t sure what canasta was, but she did understand BDSM. Not in Da’s version of reality, though.

And wasn’t that kind of sexist? He’d sent Aidan to a club for training, but had anyone thought to get her a corset and heels and teach her how to submit to a Dominant partner in exchange for a bunch of orgasms and a deeply intimate relationship? No. She’d had to wait until after college and take the course The Hideout offered.

“It’s in the eyes,” Ruby was saying. “That’s how you know. Ben Dawson has normal dad eyes. You can totally see the rage of paranoia in Chase’s.”

Because Harlow’s dads were twins who shared her mom.

Maybe she should consider a threesome. It would make rent easier.

“So you know what you’re doing?” Harlow didn’t seem entirely certain.

The good news was, Daisy always looked on the positive side. She would figure it out. “Absolutely. I’m ready to handle this. You have a great afternoon.”

Ruby slung her big bag over her shoulder. “Come on. We can grab a sandwich at the café. It’s close to the meeting spot. Daisy, we’ll see you in the morning.”

Harlow still looked reluctant but followed her business partner out.

Thus began her first day as a private investigator. Well, receptionist to a private investigation firm, but this was it. This was going to be her calling.

She managed to answer the phones and deal with Harlow’s Dad Two—because she was right. The man was intense. It was easy because she’d told him they were grabbing sandwiches at a café. She’d learned it was important to stick as close to the truth as possible when lying. It threw the person she was lying to off. Dad Two had totally bought it because it was super true. Surely there were a lot of cafés around. The man couldn’t check all of them.

Right before she was about to head to lunch, a chiming sound rang through the office as the door opened and a young woman walked in. She was petite, with long blonde hair and tears in her eyes.

Daisy’s heart immediately melted. There was a woman in trouble. This was what her new firm did. They helped. “Welcome to the Dawson-Lockwood Agency. We’re here for you.”

She should write that down. It might be a good slogan. It had more heart than the current: New investigations for a new age.

“Hi, I need a private investigator. I think…” She sniffled. “I think my boyfriend is cheating on me, but I’m too scared to go check all by myself. It’s happening right now, I think. Once a month he goes to this building, and I’m sure he’s seeing someone there. It’s like clockwork. He should be there now. I’m supposed to marry him in six weeks. I don’t know what to do.”

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