Page 10 of The Inevitable Us

“It’s probably just a bird,” he complains. “Did you check the camera?”

“I want a hard visual,” I inform him, using my no-nonsense voice.

The door clicks closed, and the sound of frustrated boots on the wooden stairs echoes back to me. This is my performance, and I don’t want him to see a glimpse, even a hint of it. I don’t even want him to watch me watching her, whether he knows what’s going on or not.

I lean in to watch, chuckling when she swirls her nipple with her finger.Who’s my dirty girl?I want to stop her, to be the only one who brings her pleasure, but for now, this is the closest I’ll get to that.Enjoy yourself now, Rosalie, because all your pleasure is mine very soon.

Rosalie jerks her hands back after looking startled and goes about preparing the food. It seems as if Rory put an end to my little…appetizer.

I should have known my spunky Baby Girl would pull something like this. She knows I’m on shift, and I always watch the monitor, not trusting anyone else to keep an eye on her as they should. I’ve found too many newer bodyguards slacking off during late-night shifts over the past nineteen years.

Shaking my head, I adjust my rock-hard dick inside my slacks and watch Rosalie’s tits bob as she chops an onion.

The cameras have become a necessity at Serendipity with Rory’s erratic behavior. He sneaks out, leaving Rosalie alone in the café at unsafe hours, then has her cover for him.

He’s always done this — find mischief and then involve my Baby Girl, and that’s not something I’m willing to allow anymore. He’s always allowed Rosalie to take a punishment with him, even if he was the guilty party.

Rory is a nineteen-year-old man. I was already enlisted in the Army at his age, far away from my family. If he wants to get into whatever he’s into, so be it. But Rosalie always covers for him, always helps bail him out of whatever mess he’s found himself in.

When Rory blocks Rosalie from my direct view, I open a new window on the next monitor and scroll back through the recorded feed to watch my show again and again until Rodirigo returns with a frustrated huff. “Nuthin there. We need to see about having the sensors in some spots replaced.”

I give him an inattentive nod of the head as he walks toward me. I pause the playback of the footage, save a copy onto my personal computer, and delete the snippet from the camera. For the rest of my shift, I replay the look on my Baby Girl’s face over and over again in my mind.

Thereisaloudclink of plates meeting plates from the kitchen, to which the booth is very inconveniently located directly adjacent. Café Monique isn’t the best place for a business meeting, but I still don’t have an office. There’s no sense in setting up a temporary one here when I’ll soon be leaving. The coffee here is horrible, but it’s private and, most importantly, not owned by Ethan. I take another sip of the brew, desperate for the caffeine rush, and make a face at the overly bitter taste. “There’s quite a bit of travel associated with this particular position,” I inform the man in front of me.

He grins back a wide white smile before giving me a confident shrug. “No wife, no kids, so that shouldn’t be an issue.”

I already know, which is why I picked him for this position. I’d found him at a downtown bar just as I was starting my own security firm, and had hired him and a dozen other men I’d scouted over the past year to work various jobs for clients I’ve recruited. None are quite as big of a name as Ethan, yet. It is mainly businessmen who want their homes watched for thieves and one very retired country musician who needs around-the-clock security at his Nashville mansion.

And then, of course, there’s Taylee. Taylee was a thrice-divorced actress turned reality star turned Christmas made for tv movie star that now lives on her hobby ranch in Knoxville.

I was able to secure her as a client three months ago when the discussions about Rosalie going to culinary school began again. My employee, Timothy, is there at the ranch to hold the position until Rosalie finally decides what she’s doing. But he’s twitching to get out of there as quickly as possible. Rosalie needs to decide on her school choice so I can either hire out this position to someone else or take it on my own. Rosalie can move wherever she wants to, but not without me.

There are times you meet someone, and you click. There are other times when you meet someone and slowly you fall in love. And then there was me and Rosalie. From the moment I held her in my arms for the first time, just seconds after entering this world, she’d left an indelible mark on my soul. For a long time, I thought the special connection was because I was the first person who’d ever touched her, held her. Now I know it’s because Rosalie Coleman is mine.

Which is why I need her to get her stubborn ass to Knoxville by hook or by crook. With both of us there, I can work for Taylee to keep the income steady just in case, while Rosalie and I have time to adjust to our life together. The position comes with a home on the premises for us, and there’s minimal traveling involved…unlike the position I’m sending the guy in front of me on. The client is a businessman with a vengeful ex-wife and wants someone with him at all times, including his frequent trips to exotic locations with his new “companion.”

Having worked for megastar Ethan Coleman much of my life, working for Taylee will be a step down in the world. They’ve only matched my former salary, despite the increased responsibilities. But it will make me feel better to bring in as many funds as possible. I’m already forty-one, so our babies can’t be far away. I’ll need money for a home and plenty of cushioning if my business goes south. I let my mind wander at the image of Rosalie in our own home, her belly round with our child….

“When do I leave?” my employee asks, breaking my train of thought.

“You leave in three days,” I remind the large man in front of me.

He answers with a nod before we both go back to our food.

I’ve left my car in the garage at my apartment nearby since parking in this area is so difficult to do. On foot, I head back to my apartment, taking the long way around to order a decent cup of coffee and to make sure Rosalie is actually where she’s supposed to be. Rosalie, thankfully, has only shown any interest in me, but I don’t like her jokes (they’d better be jokes) about sneaking out to meet boys. I’d like to think she’s just trying to get to me, but I want to set eyes on her to know she’s really there.

A white sedan with a rideshare sticker on the back makes a sharp left just as I’m about to cross the street to go into Serendipity, and I see Rosalie scurry over towards the car.

I feel my breath catch as I watch her check the license plate. I speed towards her, my heart beating in my ears as a rush of adrenaline hits.

Doesn’t she know the statistics on rideshares? Why doesn’t she call one of the employees currently at the house or her parents? My arm reaches out for her just as she’s about to get into the car. Realization hits me like a ton of bricks.

She’s covering for Rory again.

Chapter seven

Rosalie

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