Page 23 of Pleasure Island

8

Mila

The sound of somebody knocking on the door to my brownstone had me scowling.

I stood in my bathroom, fighting with the clasp on my bracelet, still not done with my makeup or my hair. I was already running behind, and I didn’t have time to go entertaining any early morning visitors.

Not that I ever reallygotany of those.

There was another knock, and I swore, moving out of the bathroom and hurrying for the stairs.

Who in the world went around knocking on doors at eight in the morning anyway?

I didn’t know but was already putting together a nice little,please leave before I kill you, I didn’t have my coffee yetspeech when the knock came again.

Polite.

Firm.

Which was what I would try to be when I opened the door.

I reached the bottom of the stairs, the bracelet still fighting me like a bitch. My under-caffeinated brain was colluding against me, and my fingers seemed to be covered with butter.

Giving it up, I dropped the bracelet into the small interior pocket of my two-piece pantsuit. At the door, I peered through the peephole.

I didn’t recognize the man on the other side.

Young, brown hair, fairly tall.

He was wearing a suit, too, so he wasn’t here with some package from the UPS.

My dad’s warning whispered to life in the back of my brain, and instead of opening the door, I reached for the intercom button.

I was showing caution. Dad should be proud.

“May I help you?” I said into the intercom.

From where I stood watching him, I could see as he turned his head toward the speaker.

He pushed the button to reply back.

“I’m here to see Mila Golding. I’m her new bodyguard.”

I gaped at the door.

Bodyguard?

Throwing caution to the wind, I jerked open the door and looked him over from head to toe.

Tall, good-looking – younger than me, if I had to guess – but the muscles under his suit looked pretty impressive, and he met my eyes levelly as I continued to stare at him.

“Did you saybodyguard?” I demanded.

“Yes.” He flashed an ID badge at me, and I grabbed it, pulling it up so I could scrutinize it.

It only took about five seconds to figure out what was going on.

Steadman Security.

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