Seducing the Bodyguard Read Free Page B

other without outside help, but given the fact that he had, on occasion, allowed an outside backer behind one of his projects, it didn’t seem out of the ordinary that he would do it this time.
    She walked around his estate making sure the grounds were secure before heading back inside and checking the inner parameter once more.
    “You almost done?” His deep voice vibrated right through her body.
    “Almost,” she said without truly acknowledging his presence.
    “I’d like to get some sleep tonight,” he snapped.
    “I’m not stopping you.” She did one more check of the office window.”
    “Your pacing around this place is keeping me up.”
    “No it’s not,” she noted as she turned to look at him. “Your problem is that you still don’t quite know what to make of me and so you feel the need to pester me.” She looked him over from head to toe. “If you’re trying to see just how far you can push before I leave, or snap your neck, don’t waste your time. I’m a professional.”
    “Snap my neck?” He nearly choked out the words. “And you’re supposed to be protecting me?”
    She shrugged. “I have some background on the people you work with, and the people in your opera, but what I need to know more about are the things I can’t find on paper. So, tomorrow, when you have some time I want you to tell me more about all of them. I also want to know more about your former assistant. Her name is mentioned, but there are few details as to why she left. So, details on everybody in the opera, and on this Lani Davison woman.”
    He laughed. “There are a lot of people in my opera you know…and that’s not even taking into consideration the people who are behind the scenes outside of the show.”
    “I know.”
    “Okay tough girl. I’ll give you details as I can. But Lani is a non issue so we don’t need to go there.”
    “You think she’s a non issue. Maybe she is; maybe she isn’t, but I’d like to cover all bases before I dismiss any possible threat. I just need you to answer some questions and provide some details. That’s all I’m asking.” Was he finally starting to warm up to the idea of a female bodyguard? She doubted it. He was too arrogant for that.
    “Valencia,” he let the name roll of his tongue. “Does anybody ever call you Val?”
    “Not if they want to live,” she mumbled.
    “You don’t like the name?”
    “If my parents had wanted my name to be Val they would have named me Val. The name is Valencia and I like it.”
    “Me too,” he admitted. “Look, I’m…I want to apologize for earlier.” He seemed to be having a hard time getting the words out of his mouth. Clearly he wasn’t a man who was used to delivering apologies. “I shouldn’t have inquired about your heritage. It’s not important to your job, and I shouldn’t have brought it up. It’s just you’re so…beautiful,” he exhaled sharply.
    She knew the signs and she figured she should nip it in the butt before it went beyond a budding crush. “This is business,” she stated firmly. “We should be sure we keep it that way.” She watched the hardened expression grace his eyes. Harrison was clearly a man who wasn’t used to having women turn him down. She knew from some of the articles she had read about him that he was popular with the ladies, although he hadn’t had as many girlfriends as she would have assumed he would have had. Apparently he was highly focused on his work when he was working on a new opera…when he was on hiatus that was a different story.
    “If we’re going to pretend to be intimate with each other I need to know more about you.”
    “You know what you need to know, but I can understand that there may be some questions you’ll face and I’ll help you prepare for them.”
    “Thanks,” he mumbled. “I’m going to bed,” his voice was cold and distant. Had she offended him? Probably. But she couldn’t let him think their pretend relationship was going to become a