Perhaps it wasn’t so crazy after all. Alicia would wait until the morning to fret about that.
Chapter 4
Danica left early the next day, after a shower and a light breakfast she left for Alicia to indulge in or, as she wrote on a note,“Order whatever you want from room service.”Alicia forced herself to eat a few morsels of toast and scrambled eggs, because she knew she needed strength after a night like that.
There was another note left on her side of the bed.“I’ll be gone all day. Do as you like, but I request that you be ready to go out for the evening by six. Wear black, with your hair pulled back. If you did not bring any suitable clothing, you may go buy something at the boutique downstairs. I’ve left instructions with the manager should you appear.”
It was still well before noon. Alicia decided to take a long shower and finish eating breakfast. Then? Who knew. She was in a new city… and she was in love.
Yes, the feeling had remained. Although the logical side of her knew how dangerous it was to believe it, the emotional sidebegged her to consider a long, happy life with Danica Moreau… if such a thing was possible.
I want it to be possible. Idealism never suited Alicia. Inside, she was a realist, but her realism had to be quashed to minuscule amounts if she attempted a relationship with this woman.
If it weren’t for her parents…Perhaps she could have blissfully ridden this wave of lust and could-be-love without fear of the possible repercussions. So they were having a whirlwind romance. Maybe they would descend to planet Earth in a few weeks and realize that they were terrible for each other and go their separate ways. It would suck, but that was life.
The threats, though.
Alicia drank some coffee at the table overlooking Lake Michigan. Even though it was summer, she had to drape a light blanket over her body to keep the chill at bay. Her coffee cooled before she could drink it all. Her phone had trouble with reception out there, so she went back inside and flipped through the hotel brochure.Wonder if she’ll pay for me to go to the spa.What was she talking about? Of course Danica would.
It wasn’t until then, when she was dressed in a hotel bathrobe, that she stepped into the main apartment and immediately bumped into a huge, intimidating…
Woman?
“Excuse me, ma’am!” the hunk of feminine machismo said the moment Alicia yelped in terror. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“Who the hell are you!” Alicia slammed herself against the wall. The burly woman kept her distance.Wait… she’s wearing a black suit… and looks military…Ah, shit.
“My name is Dee. I’ve been assigned by Ms. Moreau to be your bodyguard.”
“B… bodyguard?”
“Don’t mind me, but if you want to go somewhere, let me know so I can go with you.”
“Bodyguard.”
“Ms. Moreau didn’t tell you?”
“No!” Alicia shook her head, hair still damp from her shower. “What do I need a bodyguard for? Am I in trouble?”
“Everyone associated with Ms. Moreau has a bodyguard. Family rule. All I can say.”
Alicia caught her breath. “Sorry… Dee… you’ve scared the ever-loving crap out of me. Not just your presence, but… bodyguard?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The woman crossed her muscular arms. “Don’t worry. I am highly qualified and discreet. You won’t even know I’m here.”
Danica and I are going to have a long chat about this!One thing for the heir of a huge fortune to want a bodyguard… quite another for her fling to have one! Was Alicia in danger? Was someone likely to kidnap her and sue for ransom? Or did someone have a vendetta against the Moreaus and want to use Alicia to get back at them? Shit!
“Well… I was thinking of checking out some things around here. I thought about going to the rooftop spa. Maybe shopping in the boutique downstairs… you would go with me?”
“I am to go with you wherever, or at least until Ms. Moreau dismisses me for the day.” The woman cracked a smile. “I won’t complain about where we go. I’m not supposed to enjoy it, if you catch my drift. Distracts me from the job.”
“I see.” On that note… “Ex-Marine?”
“You got it. Did my share of a few tours before retiring from the military and taking up this gig. A lot of the same, except the insurance is way better.”
Alicia didn’t like the sound of that. The “a lot of the same” part, anyway.
“Look, ma’am, my job is to make sure you’re safe wherever you go. Live your life like you would even if I wasn’t here.”
