Page 61 of The Stalker

They finished their breakfast and cleaned up before Hayden went to the music room. Tatiana watched him walk away out of habit. Once he’d disappeared from view, she went and got Jesse from near the elevator. It didn’t take Tatiana long to figure out that Cruise Control’s bodyguards used the method of protecting the entrances rather than the person.

She couldn’t argue that it wasn’t an effective method of protection, but she was from the school of thought that protecting the person kept them safer. Her mind refused to let her blow off the farfetched possibilities that she knew all too well could become a reality very easily if you refused to believe they could happen to your client.

“Hey, Jesse. Ready to talk?”

“Sure.”

He followed her back to the dining table, and Tatiana sat in the seat Hayden had previously occupied.

Why did you even note that, Tatiana? Does it matter whose ass was in this seat five minutes ago?

Thinking about Hayden’s ass wasn’t really helping her cause, though. She tried to focus and her gaze drifted down the hallway where she’d last seen Hayden. He’d probably be drumming in there, maybe topless…

“So, we’re going to discuss the tour?” Jesse asked.

Tatiana shook off her thoughts and nodded at Jesse. “Yes. So, something pretty big has come up, and I need to talk to you about it.”

A wave of apprehension hit her. She hoped he wouldn’t be too pissed. She also hoped he wouldn’t make her sleep on the sofa, but she couldn’t blame him if he did.

“I want you to know that I take full responsibility for this issue.” She took a deep breath and sighed before telling him, “There aren’t any bunks on Hayden’s tour bus.”

Jesse frowned at her. “What the fuck? Why? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Right. So, unfortunately, Hayden thought that I might be more comfortable if I had a room to sleep in. He had them move the layout of the bus around to allow for it, and apparently during that process, the bunks were removed.”

Jesse was still frowning as he appeared to process what she was saying, then he said, “You’re telling me that I don’t have a bed on the bus?”

Tatiana cringed, “I’m telling you that one of us doesn’t have a bed on the bus and will have to sleep on the sofa. Hayden offered to do it since it was his error, but I’ve told him that’s out of the question. I should’ve been more involved with the tour bus stuff, but I just honestly never imagined that Hayden might remove the fucking bunks.”

She shook her head in amazement again. How could he do that?

“I was so busy thinking of you that Jesse didn’t even cross my mind.”

Hayden’s words from Friday ran through her mind, and she dreaded the moment that Jesse figured that out. From the look on his face, she thought he might be close to it right now.

“I’m not sure what to say,” Jesse said slowly and then gave her a pointed look, “or how much to say.”

She braced herself for what he might tell her and said, “You can speak freely. I’d prefer your honesty since we’re working together.”

“Okay, then. Look, I understand that you have a different way of working. You’re not a traditional bodyguard. I also know your reputation, so I trust that you know what you’re doing. However, this is a major fail. Hayden removed the bunks to give you a room. Do you not think there’s something wrong with that, Tatiana?”

Fuck.

He was only saying what she knew internally to be true, but it still stung to hear him say it. There was no reasonable explanation for how she had let this happen, except that she’d been so busy joking and flirting with Hayden since she met him. To the point that he’d been convinced this was the right thing to do.

“As I said, I take full responsibility for this error. I should have at least looked at the tour bus plans.”

“Or talked to Hayden to find out that he thought giving his bodyguard her own private room at the expense of anyone else was a good idea?” Jesse raised an eyebrow at her.

Tatiana cringed, “Yes, or that.”

There was an awkward, tense silence, and Tatiana felt terrible. Nothing that Jesse was saying was new to her. It was exactly what she’d been berating herself for over the last few weeks, but hearing it from someone in her profession highlighted to her exactly how badly she’d been behaving.

“Look, it was my failing that caused this to happen, so I’ll sleep on the sofa, and you can have the room,” she offered.

“The one Hayden had made for you especially?”

He said it in a completely neutral tone, but the meaning behind it was so obvious that it might as well have been shining in bright neon lights above his head.

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