Page 5 of Hayden's Stalker

“Thanks, Tatiana.” I manage to smile back at her, but I’m still freaking out with images of being captured by some crazed fan running through my mind.

“You can call me Tati if you’d like.”

She’s dropped the coolly professional tone again, and I’m glad. She seems very calm and confident, and I have to trust that she’ll be able to stop the things I’m imagining from coming to fruition.

“Thanks, Tati.”

It’s hard to trust people when you’re famous, but I already trust Tati with my life. I’m worried that Blake will see my attraction to her and want to get rid of her if he sees her as a threat. I know that I’m going to have to be very careful around him if I want to have Tati as part of my security team. As it is, he’s not even a fan of Jesse, who has never once been even mildly inappropriate in the entire time he’s been working for me.

“You’re welcome. Anything else you want to discuss now? We can always talk this evening, but if you have any hesitations that might prevent you from signing the contract, now is the time to speak up.”

I think about the situation. If I’m honest with myself, my only concern is how attracted I am to her. That’s my shit to deal withand has nothing to do with her. She’s also the best, and I need the best. I need to feel safe, as I told her.

“No questions that would make me think we shouldn’t sign.”

“Good. Well, I’ll go get your super cheerful manager so we can discuss the contract and get it signed.”

Her comments make me smile much wider than before because I’m utterly amused by her completely correct assessment of Cooper. She stands from the table and walks behind me to the door.

Tatiana opens the door and says, “Where’s Cooper?”

“He went to his office. Want me to get him?” Jesse replies.

“Yes, please. I don’t need you back in here for this portion of the meeting. I look forward to working with you, though.”

She comes back into the room and sits back down across from me before saying, “Just so you know, sitting across the table from me like that isn’t something I allow.”

I’m surprised by this new information, and I wonder what’s behind this rule. “Really? Why?”

“If someone came through that door with the intent to hurt you, there’s a table between us. It’s hard for me to get to you. Is it likely that someone will come through that door and try to harm you? No. Do I want to bet your life on those odds? Also, no.”

“Makes sense.” It really does, and I smile at her because it’s highlighted to me just how good she is at her job, so I stand up and walk around the table before sitting down next to her and asking, “Is that better?”

“Much.” She grins at me.

Cooper comes back, and Gabriel’s the first of my friends to enter the room. He raises an eyebrow at me, and I know that he’s going to make some comment later about me sitting next to her. Sebastian and Harrison both look as though they’re also going to have something to say.

“I’m told that it’s time to discuss the contract,” Cooper says to Tatiana once they’ve sat down, and she nods as he pulls out a copy of the contract and drops it in front of himself on the table. “My lawyer has reviewed it, and we have some concerns about the very hefty penalty for breaking the contract.”

“I’m sure that you also saw that there is an equally hefty penalty for me if I break the contract,” Tatiana tells him as she pulls her own copy out of her bag.

“We did see that,” Cooper admits, looking displeased that she’s not letting him push her around.

“I’m not interested in playing games, Cooper. I require an investment from my client to ensure they are committed to their safety and that I have the best chance of keeping them safe.”

“Speaking of that, the clause about each party putting the sum of the penalty into escrow for the duration of the contract, that’s unacceptable.” Cooper frowns at Tatiana.

“Perhaps you’re used to contracts that are skewed heavily in your favor, Mr. Powell, but all of mine are completely fair for both parties. Having the money in escrow ensures that my client and I know that we are covered in the case of an early dissolution of our business partnership. Do you have any other concerns about what’s in there?”

She smiles pleasantly at Cooper when she replies. I look at my friends, and we smirk at one another because it’s highly amusing to see someone put Cooper in his place like this.

“No.” He narrows his eyes at her.

“Good, because those points are both non-negotiable. So, now the question is simply whether it will be signed or not.”

Cooper frowns again, then pulls the contract toward himself, flips it to the page requiring signing, and pulls a pen out of his pocket.

“What are you doing?” Tatiana asks.

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