Page 2 of A Little Bit Wild

I laugh as I follow him inside and over to our desks. Anson is on the phone in his office, and I look around for Rhett as Gates gets settled in his office next door to mine.

“Hey, think you can take the new client in the conference room?” He asks me, and I nod as I set my jacket on the back of my chair.

“Sure.”

“Thanks; the phone has been going crazy since the ambassador left. I think we have three or four more clients on the books already.”

“That’s good then,” I say as I drop my keys on my desk and glance over at the small conference room.

There’s a curvy red-haired woman pacing back and forth in there. Her face is turned away from me so I can’t make out any of her features, but she seems agitated, and I wonder what she could need security for.

“What’s she in for?” I ask Rhett.

“No clue. She just walked in, and I asked her to wait in the conference room until I had a spare moment.”

He knocks on the doorway of my office before he heads back to his, and I take a deep breath as I get ready to greet my very first client.

TWO

Aria

I can’t helpbut feel that this is a mistake.

I’ve never done anything like this. I don’t even know where to start.

Does a security company even offer this kind of service?

I shove my hands into the pockets of my jacket and my fingers brush over the papers stuffed there.

My last letter from my mother.

She’s why I’m here. It was her dying wish that I do something wild and outside of my comfort zone.

I loved my mother. She was fearless, and I always wished I could be more like her. Unfortunately, I turned out to be the exact opposite of her. I tend to overthink things. I prefer to be alone with my computer than the center of attention. The only things we had in common was our red hair and blue eyes.

Still, I loved my mom, and I would do anything for her, so if she wants me to go do something crazy, then I will.

I’m just going to take back up with me when I do it.

I wish I had a friend I could ask to go with me, but I just moved to Los Angeles from San Francisco and don’t know anyone in the area yet. My closest friend here is the Chinese food delivery man. How sad is that?

I sigh, turning and pacing back toward the door. Stepping out of my bubble shouldn’t be this hard. I don’t even know what I want to do. Something extreme like jumping out of a plane? Cliff diving? Or does just going for a hike count as something wild?

I wish she had been clearer. I wish she had just left me a list. I love to-do lists. I could have easily handled that. I suppose her asking me to think up tasks is also her way of encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone.

She would have laughed when I told her I went to a security company to hire an ex-Navy SEAL to accompany me on my task. She would have loved it. She probably would have encouraged me to flirt with one of the guys here or done so herself.

I laugh at the image, and tears sting my eyes. My throat gets tight and scratchy as I try to hold back my tears.

Do not cry in this conference room! With your luck, now is when they’ll finally come in and – SON OF A BITCH!

“Hey there, sorry for the wait,” comes a deep voice behind me, and I hurry to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

“Hey,” I say quietly, clearing my throat.

I turn around to face the man, and my mouth drops open. He towers over me, easily a foot taller than my five-foot-four frame. His blond hair is a little longer on top but shaved close to his scalp on the sides, and it looks so soft.

“Are you alright?” He asks me quietly, and I meet his bright blue eyes.

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