I step forward with my most disarming smile. The one that's gotten me into plenty of good trouble before. I extend my hand.
"Mateo Rivera," I introduce myself, holding her handshake a beat longer than necessary. "Just one question before we begin." I lower my voice with mock seriousness. "Exactly how many models live here? Because I'm starting to feel we need a bigger team to protect all the beauties."
Gloria turns an unmistakable shade of pink, but her composed expression barely falters. Her eyebrow arches slightly. Her mouth twitches.
From his position, Declan mutters, "Jesus Christ."
Gloria reclaims her hand and smooths her skirt unnecessarily. "Only one," she replies coolly. "But you can keep those charm bombs coming because I think you're going to need them."
Well, I do believe I just got schooled.
"Mr. Cross." She greets Ethan with a firm handshake. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."
"Ms. Hayes," Ethan replies with a nod. "These are my associates, Mateo Rivera and Declan Reid."
Gloria's eyes linger on Declan a bit longer than necessary. The scar on his face tends to have that effect on people: a mixture of curiosity and unease that he's learned to ignore.
"Miss Sinclair is resting." She gestures for us to sit. "The attack left her quite shaken."
I sink into one of the plush sofas, crossing one ankle over my knee. "Didn't she have any security team before this incident? After all, she's someone with a high profile, very easily recognized."
"Jade is a very private person." Gloria perches on the edge of an armchair. "She values her privacy and feels that having a security team or bodyguard with her all the time would be invasive. Up until now, she's relied on the security teams of the places she frequents, either for leisure or work. I'm hoping that given the circumstances and the fact that your company was highly recommended by the detective investigating the incident, she will change her mind."
Ethan's jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. "What do you mean, 'change her mind'?" His voice drops lower, a sure sign he's getting irritated. "Doesn't she know youhired us?"
"I thought it best not to consult her on this," Gloria admits. "She would just say no, like she has in the past. Besides, I was assured that your team would be discreet and interfere the least in her daily life."
"Ms. Hayes," Ethan says, his words measured and slow, "we are discreet and very professional. But there is no way we can handle someone's safety against their will. We will need full access to her schedule and a complete list of her interactions. In short, we will need to get very involved with her life. The lines of privacy, although respected, will become blurred..."
"That might be difficult," Gloria interrupts politely. "You need to find a way to keep her safe but respect her ways."
Heat rises to my face as frustration bubbles over. "Which makes our job harder," I snap, voice rising. "Típico. They want protection, but won't let us do our jobs properly. Then when something happens, it's never their fault."
"Mateo," Declan warns, his voice a low rumble.
But I'm on a roll now, gesturing with my hands as I speak. "No, seriously. Last time I played bodyguard to a model, she expected me to be her personal assistant, therapist, and potential hookup all rolled into one. These people live in bubbles. They think the world revolves around them."
"Mateo." Ethan's tone carries a clear warning now.
"Oh, come on! You know I'm right!" My voice rises as the words tumble out. "She values her privacy, but she's always in the news with some fresh scandal. She's a 'private person' but keeps going to the most outrageous parties. She doesn't want a security team following her, maybe because she's always in and out of rehab. Then, when things go sideways, we're the ones left to blame..."
"Well, that's one thing you won't have to worry about because I'm definitely not hiring you!"
A new voice cuts through the room like a blade. Cool, composed, and unmistakably female. My stomach drops and my words die in my throat. I freeze, then slowly turn toward the doorway.
Standing there, arms crossed over her chest, is Jade Sinclair herself.
She's smaller in person than I expected, dressed in simple loungewear with her copper hair piled in a messy knot on top of her head. Without makeup, I can see a scatter of freckles across her nose and cheeks that never show up in her magazine covers.
But it's her eyes that catch me off guard. Almond-shaped, piercing green, and currently narrowed in what can only be described as icy contempt as she stares directly at me.
Mierda.
2
JADE
"Well, that's one thing you won't have to worry about because I'm definitely not hiring you!"
