Page 20 of The Stalker

She was still standing in his doorway, and he was far too close. Tatiana could reach out and touch him if she wanted to…and she kind of wanted to. She could see his hard muscles outlined in the t-shirt he was wearing, and a not-small part of her desired to feel him, to reach underneath his shirt and feel his smooth skin.

“Is there anything you need to do?” he asked, pulling her from her dangerous line of thinking.

Tatiana blinked at him for a few moments before she could form a reply. She had never in her life had this much difficulty maintaining her professionalism with a client. She managed to get her thoughts straight and finally replied to him.

“Yes, a few things. Eat,”—she grinned—“also, get Jesse here to talk, and have a discussion with building management. I also need the full list of all the states we’re going to for the tour so that I can ensure my licenses are all in order. I prefer to conceal my weapon, but it makes it difficult with all the different states to make sure I’m legally allowed to do so.”

“You don’t have a license to kill?” he asked.

Tatiana stiffened for a moment at the joke before forcing herself to relax. It was a pretty standard reference, but she always got uncomfortable when it was made.

“No, I don’t,” she said with a casual laugh. “I have to get a gun license like every other person, I’m afraid.”

“Not every other person. I don’t have a gun license,” Hayden objected.

“Good point. Nor do I think you should have one, particularly in your situation.”

Tatiana shuddered at the thought of Hayden with a gun. Some clients had them, of course, but the added pressure of knowing that her client was armed was never one she enjoyed. She much preferred being the only person with a weapon on them, and always assumed any opponents had them, too.

Hayden frowned at her and asked, “Would it be bad for me to have a gun?”

“Not if you were well trained with it. I’ve had some clients who react poorly to situations like yours and think the solution is to arm themselves when they’ve never held a gun in their life. The reality is that without being trained or accustomed to guns, they’re more likely to be harmed by it than to do themselves any good. I can explain that to most clients, but some dig their heels in, and it makes my job tougher. So, I’m grateful you’re not here telling me you want one.” She smiled at him.

“Well, I’ll scratch that off my shopping list,” he joked.

“What a relief!”

“You must be hungry. Let’s continue talking while you eat.”

He smiled at her, and Tatiana realized that she was still standing in his doorway. She felt heat flood over her as she caught his scent once again, and was hit with the desire to kiss him as she turned and led the way to the kitchen.

YOU CANNOT KISS HIM, TATIANA!

Good fucking god, she was inappropriate. Hayden was a client, and in a relationship. She seemed to be forgetting one or both of these facts any time she was within a five feet radius of him.

She pulled out some bread to make toast for breakfast, and Hayden sat at the breakfast bar and watched her while she did. She felt strangely on display. Most clients simply let her do her thing and didn’t generally want to interact too much, but Hayden was watching her every move.

“How do I use this coffee machine?” she asked him.

He stood up and moved into the kitchen before coming to stand next to her in front of the machine.

“Here. I’ll show you.” He gave her instructions on how to use it, then said, “I can make it for you, if you want.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” She smiled up at him, and he smiled back.

She was touched that he would offer to do that for her. It was a simple gesture, but not one afforded to her by many clients. Once again, Hayden was proving himself to be a kind and down-to-earth person.

“How do you take your coffee?” he asked.

“Black, and the amount of sweetener depends on the type of sugar,” she told him.

“I’ve got white sugar.”

“Two, in that case.” She smiled at him.

He looked at her with interest and asked, “What if it was brown sugar?”

“Four for brown sugar. It’s not as sweet, and I prefer it.”

---