Page 8 of Guarding the Billionaire

Teresa’s eyes bugged out and I started laughing. “I’m kidding. Come on.”

“Do you mind if I keep some blood in there?” Teresa asked. “It lasts longer if I can keep it cold.”

I shrugged. “No problem.”

After a brief stop to get the blood from Teresa’s room we headed down to the kitchen. Returning to her personal trainer ruse, my bodyguard evaluated the contents of my refrigerator.

“This is all pretty good,” she said. “I would like to see you eating more protein though. You need to sustain yourself during a workout, to ensure that you don’t break down your muscles.”

“Um, I don’t really like working out.”

I could practically see her straining herself trying not to roll her eyes. For someone who was only pretending to be my trainer, she was taking this pretty seriously.

“We’ll see about that.”

After perusing the refrigerator Teresa started searching the cabinets, giving me a running commentary on everything she saw there. Then she found my secret stash…

“What is this?” she said, pointing to a cabinet that was full of boxes of Rice Krispies, bags of marshmallows, and several tubes of Pringles potato chips.

“Looks like potato chips and marshmallows,” I said pertly, giving her a big smile. “And before you say a word, you’ll take away my Pringles over my cold dead body.”

“And the marshmallows?” she asked.

“I like to make Rice Krispie treats,” I said. “Sue me.”

Teresa shook her head. “You don’t exercise and you eat crap, I don’t understand why you’re so skinny.”

“I’m blessed with an excellent metabolism,” I shot back cheerily.

Just then my phone rang with a call from security.

“Miss Meyer, there are three very large men here for you,” the guard on duty said. “They said they’re helping you with training?”

“That will be my friends,” Teresa said, clearly hearing the conversation. “Send them back.”

A few minutes later I opened the door to three of the largest men I’d seen in my life. They were each at least a foot taller than me and twice as broad, with brown hair, brown eyes and adorable chin dimples. Bypassing me, they went one by one to Teresa, each of them gathering her up into a hug.

“You guys just saw me yesterday,” she protested with a laugh. “Come on now, get serious and meet my new… personal training client, Flora Meyer. Flora, these are my trainer buddies Boris, Yuri, and Alexsei.

Boris grabbed my hand, bringing my fingers to his lips. “It is pleasure, Miss Flora,” he said in an accent that was vaguely Eastern European.

We both froze as we heard what sounded like an animal growling. Boris looked over his shoulder at the other two men, and then fixed his gaze on Teresa.

“She is…?”

“No, she’s not,” Teresa snapped. “It’s all a mistake.”

“Yet you growl,” he said mildly as he took a big step away from me. “My brothers and I will show ourselves around and meet you in the kitchen when we are done.”

“Maybe you can check out the kitchen first,” Teresa suggested. “It’s something to see.”

Boris headed to the kitchen with us trailing him. He pulled out something that looked like a wand and systematically pointed it at every inch of the kitchen before turning back to Teresa.

“Is clear. I will continue in other rooms now.”

Teresa walked to the refrigerator and helped herself to a can of Coke before returning to the table. Pointing to a chair she said, “Tell me everything. Start at the beginning.”

I got up to get a bottle of water, then sat across from her. Looking down, I sighed.

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