He had the only bedroom on the first floor. Dylan was the first line of defense and anyone who tried to attack the Pack would never get past him. He needed to make this new reality a norm. Everyone he interacted with from then on would have to remain alive. He had a Pack depending on him, but having a killer like him in the Pack would only be another hit to their social standing. Not that Jackson or the guys cared too much about that, but Dylan did.
He bent down to take his shoes off at the door before launching into research. His gray walls and gray carpet calmed him enough to think rationally. He needed to be prepared for the meeting with Flora. He wouldn’t want to make the Pack look bad by coming off as unprofessional. What do bodyguards wear? Where do they store their weapons? Do they carry weapons? He never bothered to search the bodyguards he’d come across before but now he was wishing he had.
3
FLORA
Luxe rounded the driveway of the Enchanted Packhouse. Flora became encompassed in the uncomfortable feeling of being in an unknown area, increasing the anxiety she already had about this meeting. She was here to hire a bodyguard for a few days, a week, tops. This bodyguard was from a strong, loyal, loving Pack, a Pack who would probably kill her in retribution if this bodyguard died on the job. This situation wouldn’t get that bad; she just needed to scare off the stalker. She could get through this.
Tilting her head up, her heavy braids in a high ponytail aiding in keeping her head up, which she most definitely didn’t want to do. Flora's hands smoothed out her outfit. Confidence was key, and the start of confidence was a cute-ass outfit. That’s what her mother had always told her, in different words, her mother wasn’t one to use curse words. Flora stretched her legs out of Luxe’s car, her signature anklet shining in the sunset. Her brand-new metal ring-inspired heels stepped onto the gravel.
Damn, the driveway was filled with rocks, not concrete. Her heels were too high for that. She was going to trip trying to walk in the gravel, and the embarrassment brought a blush to her cheeks. She could throw up; the nerves were getting so bad.
“It doesn’t matter. I got this, regardless,” Flora muttered to herself. Taking deep breaths, she strode up to the porch. Jackson Enchanted, one of four Alphas living in the area, practically flew out the door toward Luxe and pulled her into a hug. A hug entirely too friendly for people supposedly "only friends". Jackson tucked his head into her neck, as a lover would. His smile was contagious. His skin was deep brown and his muscles locked Luxe into his hug — not that the girl wasn’t loving every minute of it.
To Flora’s knowledge, they weren’t a couple, but that looked like it could change at a moment's notice. Another tall, delicious, but paler man stood on the porch. When Flora finally met his eyes, he was already staring at her. Lifting one side of her lips into a smirk, it was her time to turn on the charm.
“You know, you should think of upgrading this gravel driveway to a concrete one, it would be easier to walk on,” Flora suggested, looking around the outside of the house, and pushing some rocks with the toe of her shoe. The house, of course, was gorgeous with its wrap-around porch and huge windows.
“You know, if you wore some normal shoes, you could have walked just fine on this gravel,” the tall, too damn hot, snarky-ass white man on the porch replied. Brown floppy hair sat on the top of his head. Paired with brown eyes, broad shoulders, and slightly sun-kissed skin, he was a dream.
“Looking good comes at a price. Some of us pay it, some of us don’t.” Flora made sure to drop her eyes down his body. Of course, she was lying to herself, he was dressed nicely. He had a hoodie underneath a flannel, and straight-leg jeans, something she didn’t normally find attractive. Flora being Flora, she didn’t miss the silver chain hanging from his neck.
“Some of us may be paying too much. The 1800s called…they want their corset back.”
“Ha ha ha, you are too funny, but it’s actually a bustier top not a full-on corset.”
She wore a fully white lace bustier top under a matching baby blue suit set, blazer and all. Sliding her hands into her pockets and straightening her back, Flora looked over to Jackson, who had this know-it-all smile on his face. “Anyways, I need to speak with you about someone who works as a bodyguard within your Pack. I need a big bad scary wolf to follow me around for a while.”
“Yeah, you were just talking to him, but instead of conversing out here, let's head inside to my office.”
Dragging her eyes back to the man on the porch, Flora bit the inside of her lip, glaring just a bit. Shit, he was supposed to be her bodyguard?
Jackson’s office was in the middle of the house, and had no windows, unlike the rest of the house. Luxe and Flora sat across from his desk as Jackson took his seat and the man from the porch stood next to Jackson, leaning against the wall.
“So, can you introduce yourself as well as the problem you need assistance with?” Jackson asked Flora. It was straight to business and that was what Flora needed most.
“My name is Flora Larkspur, I am Head Designer and CEO of Dainty Rebel, a fashion accessory brand, and someone has been following me.”
“That’s it? Someone’s following you, maybe they just think you're cute?” the guy in the back snapped, crossing his arms across his chest.
“Yes, because top-level flirting is to follow a woman around town and then dash off when you get caught…twice.”
“Dylan, cut it out. You know how fast "following" turns into an attack.”
“Attack?” Luxe questioned, her wide eyes running over Flora’s face as if she was checking for scratches or bumps. Maybe Luxe shouldn’t have been here for this kind of conversation, but Flora needed her. This situation could get ugly fast and Flora knew that.
“I just need someone to watch out for me, until all this stalker business surrounding the strip club blows over,” Flora said, pressing her back into the chair. “So how much per day?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Even Jackson whipped his head in Dylan’s direction. Eyebrows raised, Flora leaned forward out of her chair, staring. She hoped he didn’t expect anything else. She had just met this man 30 minutes before.
Placing her well-manicured hands on the desk, she stood, leaning closer to Dylan. He matched her stance. She had to look up slightly to make direct eye contact, but that didn’t lessen the fierce atmosphere of the room.
“I can pay, I will pay, with cash…only.”
“I know you can pay by the shining anklet hanging above your left heel and the diamonds sitting on both your ears, but I’m offering my first-time services for free.” She chewed on the offer.
Her eyes met Dylan’s and she huffed. As annoying as he may seem, it was a damn good deal. She was a businesswoman after all.
