Page 4 of The Stalker

She hoped Hayden wouldn’t be one of those clients that tested her limits time and time again, as a few of her former clients had. He seemed agreeable enough, and she was generally a good judge of character, but you never really knew until push came to shove.

Hayden shook his head in apparent amazement. “How on earth did you get into this? You look nothing like our bodyguards.”

“Exactly. I’m not a big, tall man with a black suit on. I blend in. I dress exactly like any other person you have around you. You mentioned the way I’m treated in my line of work, and you’re right, but being underestimated can be an incredibly powerful advantage.”

“But how did you get into it? What’s your background?”

Tatiana shook her head because, for the most part, she couldn’t answer this question, certainly not about what was actually relevant to her skills.

“Mostly classified, I’m afraid. Let’s just say that I’m highly trained, and I’d definitely beat you in a fight. I wouldn’t even be too hesitant to say that I could take you and your three friends in a fight. I’d probably struggle if it was your four bodyguards. They seem well-trained, but I’d give myself a fifty-fifty chance at winning that one.”

“You’d give yourself a fifty percent chance of winning a fight between yourself and our entire security team?” Hayden’s eyes widened in apparent surprise.

If she were being honest, she’d probably rank her chances higher than that, but she liked to hedge her bets.

“Yeah, I would, but I’m not offering to test it.” Tatiana grinned at him.

“Have you dealt with stalkers before?”

To most people, the idea of a stalker was terrifying, so she could understand Hayden’s question. He was scared and trying to ascertain her ability to keep him safe.

“Yes,” she told him.

“What happened?” Hayden bit his bottom lip and looked worried.

For Tatiana, it was the unknown quantity of a stalker that she disliked. Some were more like overly zealous fans and relatively harmless, but others were truly dangerous. She was required to live her life always assuming the worst, but she didn’t want him to be that way.

“All were ultimately caught.” She decided against elaborating on the handful of cases where the client was in danger prior to that happening. “I can’t stress enough that I’m not a detective. I’m not here to find your stalker; I’m here to keep you as far away from your stalker as possible. I leave the detective work to the police or to private investigators.”

Hayden sat back in his chair and studied Tatiana. She was once again struck by how handsome he was, and she’d seen her fair share of handsome men. She realized that being a rock star probably meant fan interactions, both at concerts and in the bedroom, then remembered that she’d seen pictures online of him with his boyfriend, Blake Stirling.

“You have a boyfriend; will he be coming on the concert tour?”

A look of concern crossed his features, and he shook his head. “No, Blake’s not coming on the tour.”

She could tell this was a sore point for Hayden, and she wondered why his partner wouldn’t be coming on the tour with him.

She waited for him to elaborate, but there was just an awkward silence, and Tatiana sighed. “I hope you understand that I have no interest in prying into your personal life, but I need you to be an open book with me. Like the calls I make, the questions I ask are rarely without purpose.”

“I understand. Will you work with me, Tatiana?”

His voice was smooth and seductive, and she privately loved hearing him say her name.

Bad girl, Tatiana. He is a client, and don’t you forget it.

Tatiana quickly caught herself and shut down that line of thinking. She’d worked with many very attractive people, but knew better than to get involved with any of them. The first rule of her business was to never sleep with a client.

She was still a red-blooded woman, though, so it didn’t stop her from appreciating an attractive man like Hayden.

As long as you look but don’t touch.

She smiled at him and looked into his deep brown eyes.

“Yes, Hayden, I will.”

He smiled at her and said, “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

They looked at each other for a few moments more, and Tatiana’s heart beat faster as he held her gaze.

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