“My bodyguard?”
He nodded, one clipped motion of assent.
“Here?” I didn’t need protection yet, did I? I hadn’t even gotten my first assignment. Wasn’t he only supposed to follow me when I was on the job? I opened my mouth to tell him as much, but he shook his head as if expecting my comment.
“I always spend the first few days getting to know the client. Where you spend your down time, where you live, where you eat, who you’re with. I need to assess any weak spots or hazards in your routine.”
“Oh.” Somehow I wished Grace had filled me in on those details. Or maybe she had. It had been a long week. My mind had wandered a few times.
“I’ll take a glass of water,” Rafe said while I stood there, mouth open. “And a burger. Medium rare.” He handed me a credit card and then motioned to a spot near the door. “I’ll be over there.” He held out one hand, palm up.
I stared at it. Was I supposed to take it? Shake his hand or something?
He gave a short sigh of impatience. “Your phone.”
I grabbed it from my back pocket and handed it over. He typed something into my contacts and gave it back. “If I’m out of view and you need me, text or call me. Got it?”
I nodded. He was gone before I could say anything else.
Charlie stood there looking impressed. “Wow, Vic. A bodyguard? Guess that means you’ve hit the big time.”
I didn’t answer, still trying to process everything. How did this work, exactly? Would Rafe be following me home? Would he bestayingat my home? Was this a twenty-four-seven thing, or just a follow-Victoria-when-she-went-out-alone thing? I tried to study him without being obvious, but the crowd was getting thicker, and pretty soon I couldn’t see much except his shaved head and the curve of one shoulder. I’d have to call Grace Monday morning and ask.
In the meantime the bar filled up, and I settled into the routine of pouring drinks, taking orders, talking and flirting and tucking more and more cash into my tip jar. Remy showed up. Charlie was in a playful mood. The weather was warm enough that we opened the windows, and the crowd surged with each hour that passed. It was going to be a good night. Maybe even a great night.
And then everything went to hell.
3
“So listen,”Remy said a couple hours later while I was making a pair of martinis. “I want to introduce you to someone.”
“No.” It was my standard answer, usually followed byI’m too busyorI’m not ready to settle down.
“Don’t do that. Don’t say no before I even tell you who he is.” She gave me a coy look, like she knew me better than I knew myself. “I dare you to give this guy a chance.”
Damn. I rarely turned down a dare and she knew it. I delivered the martinis before I came back to her. “Fine. Who is he?”
“His name’s Steven Gillespie. He works in IT and I met him at a seminar last weekend.”
I put my hand to my mouth and pretended to yawn.
“Vic, he’s straight, he’s nice, he has a steady job, and he’s never been married. He’s not a baby daddy, and I couldn’t find any ex-girlfriends who said anything bad about him.”
“How many did you ask?”
“Three. Plus another I found on social media from like ten years ago when he was in college.”
“Liar.”
“You know I’m not. I have to do my research when it comes to setting you up. You’re the most selective single I know.”
I couldn’t help laughing. That was true.
“Plus he’s from old money and apparently could use twenties as toilet paper for the next ten years if he wanted to,” she added. “There’s a rumor his family owns an island off the coast of Fiji, but I’m still waiting on confirmation of that.”
I propped my hands on my hips. “Why didn’t you say so? Hell, then I’m gonna go have his babies. Maybe even raise them naked on that island.” I rang up a customer and wiped down the bar. “If he’s so great, why is he single?”
“I have no idea. He probably won’t be for long. I told him to stop by tonight.” Her phone dinged, and she looked down at the text. “Oh, add prompt to that list of stellar qualities, because he’s here right now.”
