Page 54 of Merciless Protector

“I’m beginning to think you’re a charmer who charms all the ladies.”

I brought her hand to my lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles. “Only you.”

A blush crept over her beautiful skin. “We’re taking a cab to the next stop.” She pouted and so I took the opportunity to kiss her. “Trust me. Besides, you need to see New York above ground,” I offered.

“Fine, and I do trust you.”

After everything she’d learned about me, that surprised me. And yet, I was still holding back. This time, it wasn’t my secret to share. It was, for lack of a better word, classified, or rather on a need-to-know basis, who I worked for. I could only hope if she ever found out, she would forgive me just the same.

We could have walked, but I hailed a cab instead of an Uber. Though she hadn’t complained, she was wearing wedges, and I didn’t think they were the most comfortable shoes ever. Since I didn’t want a record of our movement, I’d gone the cab route. Plus, I wanted to pay cash. Cabs were becoming less common in the era of Uber and Lyft, but they weren’t obsolete. We got in and drove for about five minutes.

“Are we going back to your restaurant?” Tayla asked.

She paid attention and recognized how close we were. “No. Better,” I said as the cab let us out at 653 Fifth Avenue.

“Cartier?” she asked.

I nodded. “The building consisted of two conjoined residences. The Plant House, which is considered one of the remaining Gilded Age mansions, and the Edward Holbrook residence.”

She looked skeptical. “So we are here as tourists,” she said, with one brow arched.

I winked at her. “You are. I’m your tour guide,” I said as I led her to the doors of the store.

Her eyes went everywhere as we entered the store. The ceilings were extremely high, and the space was expansive.

“Can I help you?” A man offered as we entered.

“I don’t have an appointment, but I hoped to see—” and I gave him the name of the sales associate I usually dealt with. “If he’s not available, then your next available associate.”

The man nodded. “Someone will be with you shortly.”

Tayla had wandered in, and I found her looking at a display of Cartier’s iconic LOVE bracelets. They were oval, with the horizontal line inside the letter O spaced evenly around the bracelet, alluding to the bracelet’s locking mechanism.

“You should try one on,” I said when I reached her.

She held up her hands. “No way. Everything in here is more than a month’s paycheck.”

I knew that the sales associates in this store made more than most federal government employees not working in this state and not from commissions, just straight salary.

A woman approached, and I assumed the associate I’d asked for was busy. “Would you like to try one?”

Before Tayla could protest, I said, “Yes.” She looked at me and I smiled.

The sales associate asked, “Which one?” and pointed at one with diamonds.

“No,” Tayla quickly said. “That one is fine.” She pointed a finger at the plain one without diamonds.

The associate took out the gold bracelet and used a special screwdriver to lock it around her wrist.

“Looks good,” I said.

There was no mistake that Tayla liked it, too. “It’s beautiful, but no. Please take it off,” Tayla said.

I gave the associate the briefest of nods. She nodded back, and I took that as she understood my meaning. After it was back in the case, we drifted through the other rooms, but nothing caught my eye. We headed upstairs, and I grinned to myself. I ushered Tayla into the Grace Kelly Salon, knowing what we’d find there.

Tayla’s eyes sparkled like the diamonds in the display cases. I knew she wouldn’t try on any of the engagement rings, but I watched her expression carefully to gauge what struck her fancy. Soon, I saw it and made a mental note as she leaned over and spoke. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen diamonds this large in person.”

I chuckled. “Not a fan?”

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