* * *
When I awoke, sunshine filled the room I had fallen asleep in. I was naked and sprawled out on the bed. I checked my watch. It was 11:40 AM. When I stood up, my head pounded, and I had to steady myself with a hand on the nightstand.
The beer bottle that I had laid on the nightstand was gone. There was no sign of Wendy either. I picked up my scattered clothes and got dressed. When I opened the bedroom door to enter the living room, a short man with black hair and glasses stood at the kitchen counter eating a bowl of cereal.
“Who the fuck are you?” he asked. The incredulous look on his face held traces of fear.
I could hear a shower being shut off in the bathroom.That must be Wendy.
“Um. Is Wendy in the bathroom?”
The bathroom door opened, and a woman exited with a towel wrapped around her which barely contained her ample bosom. It also barely covered her hips. When she saw me, she froze, fear splayed across her face as well.
“Who the fuck is Wendy?”
I thought the same thing and except for the fact that I was way late for work, I would have stuck around to ask some questions. The surprised looks on both their faces, though, led me to leave without answering either of the man’s questions.
Chapter29
The Scenic Route
“You knowwhat would be really nice?” I asked Dirk as we walked towards the Navigator.
“What’s that?” Dirk had a light hand on my lower back. We weren’t walking arm in arm, but we were as close as we could get to it.
“Could you maybe drive us to the restaurant?” I wanted to tell him how today’s driver, Stu, gave me the creeps. I felt a knot in my stomach that was so visceral I had become nauseated on the drive to Richard’s mansion.
I had pushed that aside as I focused on my weekly visit with Trey and Monica. It had gone well. The kids seemed happy and safe, and the social worker was kind and supportive.
I had seen a couple of men in black cargo pants and black t-shirts with kevlar vests wandering the grounds and at least one was near the guest house where my visitation took place. It took all my strength not to cry as I said goodbye, and the thought of getting back into that car with Stu triggered more tears.
Trace had somehow come down with the flu and had called in sick. Dirk introduced me to Stu as his Head of Security. All the other drivers for the company had assignments, so he had picked up the driving detail for Dirk. He said little and when I caught him staring at me in the rear-view mirror; it freaked me out even more.
It’s as if we had met before, but I couldn’t remember meeting him ever. All I knew was that his presence filled me with anxiety.
Stu stepped forward as we got closer to the vehicle.
“Sir, I need a word. Privately.” He cast a glance my way, making it clear I shouldn’t hear his conversation.
“I’ll just get in the car and you two can talk,” I offered.
Stu opened the door to the back seat, and I got a whiff of his cologne as I slipped past him. The scent of leather and wood invaded my nostrils. I trembled as I sat down and glanced at the driver suspiciously.
He shut the door, and he and Dirk exchange some words. Dirk seemed concerned, even agitated. Stu seemed apologetic.
When they finished, Stu walked off and Dirk opened the door to the back seat and stood aside so I could get out.
“You get your wish, Reggie.”
“What’s going on?” I asked after standing up, our bodies so close we were all but touching. I felt my thighs react to being this close to him. God, I wanted him. All of him.
As I breathed in his scent, he guided me away from the door. His comforting smell made me want to roam his body with my hands and other parts of my body. He closed it and opened the front door and motioned me in.
“Something came up. Stu has to go to Huntington Beach to take care of an issue with another client. It looks like I’m driving you to dinner.”
“My knight in shining armor.” I smiled, relieved that Stu wouldn’t be driving us and that I would be alone with Dirk.
I slipped into the front seat, and soon we were driving through Burbank towards Glendale. Eventually we would wind through the hills around LA into downtown LA and The Penthouse.
