Page 3 of Hayden's Stalker

Tatiana laughs, and it’s just as melodic as her speaking voice. “No, I meant about the situation in general, but why don’t you tell me how you feel about me?”

I don’t reply straight away. I think about what I’m going to say. I look at her beautiful face and think about my immediate first impression of her, which is that she’s gorgeous. Then, I lookdown at the folder in front of her, where her hands are clasped together, and think about what I’ve learned during this meeting. She is incredibly intelligent, compassionate, confident in herself, and commands the attention of those she’s speaking to.

Putting my impressions together, I say, “I think that you took control of this meeting in a way that was very impressive. I think that you’ve probably learned to do it because of the assumptions that men make about you when they meet you, given your line of work.”

I look up and into her eyes again. It’s a mistake because I lose my train of thought for a second as she brightens the room, and I smile at her as I consider how I trulyfeelabout her.

It feels as though I’ve been struggling for oxygen since the day of the accident and I can finally breathe because she has the ability to keep me from harm.

“What I feel, though, is safe. You seem very capable, and Cooper tells me that you’re the best. I’m not sure who my stalker is or why they’re stalking me, but I’m going on tour, and I need to feel safe doing that.”

Tatiana nods. “That’s good. As I told Sebastian, if we work together, my entire focus will be on keeping you safe. Do you have any questions for me?”

“Are you willing to work with me? Cooper said you weren’t sure.”

Apparently, she was in Australia when he called her and had seemed reticent to even come to meet me.

“I never agree to work with a client without meeting them, and at first, I thought that Cooper wanted me to work with him. I would certainly have passed if that was the case.” Tatiana shrugs.

I can’t help smiling at her again because she’s clearly a good judge of character. “I wouldn’t blame you. So, how does this work if we go ahead?”

“We’ll need to sign the contract today, and I’m available to start straight away if you need me to. I’ll remain on this contract for as long as necessary. I have rules that you will need to follow. The most important one is that you will follow any instruction that I give you at any time.”

It makes sense, but she says it so earnestly that I have to assume she’s had clients that haven’t followed instructions. I can’t imagine not doing anything she told me to do because I’m scared as shit by this whole thing.

“I’ll never make a call that I don’t believe is absolutely the best call for your safety. I’m happy to explain my reasoning to my clients. However, that may not always happen in the moment. Occasionally, I’ll need to get you to safety before I can explain myself, and we’ll usually agree on a signal for that scenario, so you can be aware of how serious it is.”

I nod but don’t get a chance to say anything as she continues with her monologue as though she’s told this to a thousand clients before me.

“As we work together and get to know each other better, you’ll hopefully end up trusting me enough that you don’t feel the need to ask. Most clients get there, eventually, but I understand that in the early days, it can be frustrating and annoying to have me dictating your movements in certain situations.”

I’m amazed by this woman because she’s so not at all what I expected, and I have to ask, “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.”

I can’t resist persisting because she didn’t tell me anything that I actually wanted to know. “But how did you get into it? What’s your background?”

Tatiana shakes her head. “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?”

I’m completely and utterly stunned by this claim. She’s tiny, and our bodyguards are about twice her size.

“Yeah, I would, but I’m not offering to test it.” Tatiana grins at me, clearly amused.

“Have you dealt with stalkers before?”

I ask the question before I can stop myself, and I really want to know the answer.

“Yes.”

“What happened?” I bite my bottom lip as I realize how worried this situation has made me.

“All were ultimately caught. 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.”

It’s as though there’s some magnetic force pulling me to her, and it’s not just her beauty, it’s because she has such a sense of calm confidence, and I need that in my life right now. If she’s half as capable as she seems, then I know that I’m going to be okay.

“You have a boyfriend. Will he be coming on the concert tour?” she asks me, and it brings me crashing back to reality.

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