Chapter 7 #2
As we reached the outside, Joshua had the car pulled behind a small Kia Soul, ready for the journey back into the city.
I felt my safest and most relaxed now, and with the added security, I didn’t have to worry about looking over my shoulder.
Staring at Miss McLean as she moved toward her car, I was sure I’d chosen the right person to protect me, perhaps even kill for me.
I gently placed my hand on her back, ushering her over to my car.
“Miss McLean, you can ride with me.”
Hesitation. She stiffened, then maneuvered out of my reach. The move was unexpected, but it was also intriguing. Miss McLean didn’t like to be touched, and I wanted to know why and if it was in all aspects of her life. Did this aversion to touch include the bedroom?
“No thank you. I would much rather drive myself.” She pointed at my car as Joshua looked on, waiting for us to get into the back seat. “I’m not used to being chauffeured around.”
“I’m not a chauffeur,” Joshua chimed in. “I’m a driver.”
I rolled my eyes. “Same damn thing,” I growled, then turned my attention back to the beauty. “I understand. You can follow us there.”
Josh opened the door to let me in, then rushed around the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel.
“Wait for her.”
Laughter pierced the inside of the vehicle.
“Man, your ass is gone.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. She’s following us to Transient,” I commented as Josh put the car in drive and pulled off once Miss McLean was in her car heading toward the gate and out. She stopped, letting Josh pull past and in front of her.
“Okay, I’ll drop it for now.” Josh smirked.
We drove the rest of the way to Transient in silence.
I occasionally glanced behind us, making sure we hadn’t lost Miss McLean in traffic as I made and answered phone calls and checked and responded to emails.
Every single time my eyes moved forward again, I caught Josh’s eyes in the rearview mirror, and that smirk on his lips I wanted to knock the fuck off.
It wasn’t long before we pulled into the parking deck of my building.
Josh parked in a space two car lengths down from the spot designated for me.
Miss McLean pulled into the spot marked “Head of Security.” When Josh cut the engine, I opened the door, not waiting for him to open it.
At times, I really got tired of keeping up appearances.
Miss McLean met us at the elevator. We stepped in, not having to wait for the car to descend.
“Your team should be in the conference room when we get there. Your first assignment is to meet with the building security. If I’m here, I want your team here. If I decide at two in the morning I want to fly to Miami, then I want your team there.”
“I understand.” She leaned against the opposite wall of the car, far away from me.
“My personal assistant’s name is Donavon Brown.
You let him know everything you plan regarding my safety.
” Because Miss McLean seemed a little put off by me, I didn’t make eye contact with her since she wormed her way out of my touch outside my home.
But I needed her to hear what I was saying.
I wasn’t bullshitting about what I needed her to do.
My eyes finally locked with hers. She stiffened.
“I mean everything, Miss McLean. Do you understand?”
I tried to keep the steel out of my voice, but years of ruling and getting what I wanted done by fear prevailed. Miss McLean lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders, standing to her full height plus her heels.
“I said, I understood.”
I couldn’t help but smile. She wasn’t scared of shit.
“Good. In turn, he’ll let you know how I operate.”
The lift doors opened, and as I began to step out, she grabbed my arm at the wrist, halting me.
“Let me out. My first rule. I go first.” She stepped out into the hall.
Once the shock wore off, I let out a small chuckle but didn’t say anything. She was the professional, ex-military, so I didn’t argue, although I thought it was a bunch of bullshit. I wasn’t used to taking orders from other people, but I’d let it slide this time.
“Then please, after you.” I stretched my hand forth, letting her push past me.
She had just enough room for her curvaceous body to move around my hulking frame without touching, but her body heat and her scent hit me square in the face.
My eyes closed involuntarily as I tried to regain my composure.
I was fucking Steven Smith. Founder and CEO of Transient Technologies.
The motherfucking boss! And here I was, acting like a pussy.
There was no way a woman I’d laid eyes on twice was having this effect on me.
I opened my eyes to Josh, smiling. I flipped him off and stepped out into the hall when Miss McLean waved me forward.
“Which way?” she inquired, looking up and down the hall in both directions. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she didn’t have a Glock somewhere on her person, but if she didn’t, I was sure she could take down anyone with her bare hands.
“To the left.”
“The door at the end of the hall?”
“Yes.” As we traveled down the hall, Josh snickered. If we weren’t in my place of business, I would punch his ass.
“I’ll wait outside the door. Once you’re settled, I’ll meet with your personal assistant.” She nodded as we passed by Donavon’s office.
She turned the knob of my office door; when it didn’t budge, she pulled out her keycard and waved it across the black pad on the wall beside the door. The soft click of the door echoed in the quiet hallway. Again, she held an arm out, stopping me from entering my own damn office.
“No one is in there.” Frustration and a hint of anger intertwined with my words. “You had to open it with my fucking keycard. Only three people have it. I’m sure the guard mentioned this to you.”
She moved back out of the way. “We are the only three, correct?” Her eyes moved between Josh and me.
I gave a curt nod, then pushed open my office door and stepped inside. Josh followed me, closing the door behind him.
“I never thought I’d see the day.” He grinned.
“Fuck you.” He was referencing how I readily let her take control. “She’s just doing what I pay her for.” I unbuttoned my suit jacket and sat down behind my desk, switching on my computer. Josh took the seat in front of my desk.
While waiting, I asked, “What was Collins up to?”
“Not much. He stayed in the office until around six, then met with some woman at a hotel out by O’Hare International.”
“I thought Collins was married. A mistress?”
“That or a hooker. Who knows? Once he left there, he headed home and stayed in for the rest of the night.”
“The personal assistant is primed. I think I can get to her. I’ll have her spilling one of Collins’s secrets soon enough,” I said confidently.
“Say she is?” His brow arched. “How so?”
I chuckled. “You know.”
“Ahhh, you’re gonna fuck her for information?”
I shrugged. “Among other things.”
“You really think she’s going to tell you everything because you’re having sex with her?”
I pulled up my email, completely aware of the doubt coming from my cousin. I grinned. “You doubt my skills?”
Josh threw his hands up. “I’ve seen you make women act dumb as hell, so no, I think she’ll talk to you. I just don’t know if she’ll be spilling company secrets.”
“We’ll see.”
Josh stood from his chair. “You want me to hang around here or watch Collins?”
“No, go check on Zack.” I scrolled through my emails. “My fucking shipment hasn’t shown up yet.”
“I thought you were giving him three days?”
My gaze jumped to Josh’s face. I didn’t like being questioned. When I gave a directive, I expected it to be followed.
“Josh.”
“Okay, okay.” He headed for the door. “You think they’re going to give in?”
A stillness fell over me as heat warmed my face. “I know they will. Or I’ll handle it myself.”
Josh gave a two-fingered salute and left the office. There was a knock at the door, and then it slowly opened. Miss McLean poked her head in the room.
“Donavon is here to see you.”
I waved my hand for him to enter. The door closed softly behind him. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and he looked annoyed.
“Who the fuck is that?” he asked, and I snickered. “She wouldn’t let me in.”
I knew Donavon would be pissed if he didn’t have access to me and my office.
“That would be my new head of security and your best friend for the next hour or so.” I checked my watch to emphasize the time.
“Oh, hell no,” he shouted, sitting in the chair Josh recently vacated. “I thought she was going to frisk me or something.”
I laughed at his annoyance. “I need for you to show her the ropes and tell her how I run things here. She needs to let you know everything she has planned where my safety is concerned. Don’t let her hide anything.”
Donavon locked gazes with me. “You don’t trust her?”
I shrugged. “I don’t fucking know her. I know you.”
Donavon nodded, then pulled his phone from the inside of his jacket pocket to relay the lineup for today.
“I’m leaving early. I didn’t get much sleep, and I’m tired as fuck.”
He looked as if he was going to argue but thought better of it. He sighed. “What time are you leaving?”
“Around one.”
He dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Okay, I’ll rearrange a few things then.” Donavon stood. “Is there anything else?”
From his stiff posture, he didn’t like me messing with the plans he laid out. He was a hound when it came to his job. He was good at it, and that was why I paid him above the average salary for a personal assistant even though we both knew he didn’t need the money.
“Call Collins’s secretary. Tell her to be ready at seven.”
Donavon didn’t comment or warn me that it wasn’t a good idea to be sleeping with the enemy. “In the meantime, I’ll grab the newbie and head to the conference room.”