Page 38 of The Stalker

“What?”

“He’s gone to ‘get you a virgin.’” He grinned at her and raised an eyebrow.

Tatiana groaned and hit her forehead with her palm as her cheeks flamed with heat.

“Hey, more power to you, if that’s your thing. Personally, I’ve always preferred someone with a little more experience,” he teased her.

Oh god, oh god, oh god. There was no getting around that he was definitely talking about sex now. She wanted, more than anything, to assure him that she fit his preferences.

HE DOES NOT NEED TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT A VIRGIN, TATI!!!

“Dear Ground, please swallow me whole. Love, Tatiana Swanson.”

Hayden laughed that low, rumbly, sexy laugh of his, but to her relief, he didn’t say anything more. He did look at her with an amused grin on his face for a final few seconds before looking away, though.

Jesse came back with her drink, and she thanked him before she took a big sip, grateful for it because she was definitely heated. Hayden sat there talking with his friends for roughly another twenty minutes before he turned to her again.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” he told her with a chagrined smile.

Tatiana shrugged her shoulders. “Okay, let’s go.”

She stood and indicated to Jesse to follow them. Even though he’d been hovering nearby all evening, this particular task was easier with him around, so she wanted to be sure he followed them.

She led the way to the bathroom, watching the people around them as she did. When they got there, Hayden and Jesse went in while Tatiana waited outside.

When he came out, Hayden asked, “What would you have done if Jesse wasn’t here?”

“Gone in with you.”

“You’d go into the men’s room with me?” he gasped.

Tatiana laughed and moved aside in the corridor so another patron could get past to the bathroom. “Uh, yeah. I can’t count the number of men’s rooms I’ve been in during my time in personal security.”

“But it’s the men’s room.”

She was amused at his outrage. People did seem to be precious about bathrooms, but she followed her clients everywhere unless she had assistance, like in this case.

“And I’m frequently protecting men. I have to say, you’d be surprised how often the men’s room is cleaner than the ladies’ room.”

“Don’t people have a problem with that?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Occasionally. I give precisely zero fucks about people’s problems and all the fucks about my client’s safety, though.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m not sure I could go with you watching,” he laughed.

Fuck.

She had been talking theoretically about some faceless client. Now it was Hayden in her mind, and, honestly, she’d never given being present for this task a second thought.

Obviously, going to the bathroom wasn’t sexy. But it would mean he would be exposed.

Nope, Tatiana. Stop it. He’s your client. That’s predatory and gross.

She shut that line of thinking down because it was not okay. Hayden was her client, and he had a boyfriend.

Boyfriend aside, that was another reason she couldn’t get involved with a client. There was always a weird power dynamic between them, because they were technically her employer, but she had control over their lives.

Still, she couldn’t stop herself pointing out, “You just went in front of Jesse.”

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