The Mogul and the Muscle - Claire Kingsley Page 0,18

won’t find anyone better than me.”

“And you can fill in for my horny chef in a pinch.” She pointed to her plate with her fork.

I smiled. “Next time the meal costs extra.”

“Naturally.”

She went back to her dinner and we ate in silence for a few moments. It was odd. Cameron Whitbury was basically a stranger. Yet I was surprisingly comfortable sitting here in her enormous kitchen, sharing a meal with one of the wealthiest women in the country.

But I’d learned a long time ago that regardless of someone’s title or the size of their bank account, they were still just a person.

Finally, she set her fork down. “Okay, I surrender. Emily wins. You’re hired.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“She and my other two girlfriends have been texting me all day. This is the only way to shut them up.”

“So that’s it? No negotiations? No conditions?”

“I want to make it perfectly clear why I’m doing this. It’s not because I think I need personal security. It’s to appease my friends and get them to stop riding my ass about it. So don’t consider this a long-term gig.”

“That works for me. I don’t want a long-term gig.”

“Good.” She finished off her wine.

“Good.”

“And if you think you can tell me what to do, what to wear, where to go, with whom, or when, you’re mistaken.”

“And if you think I won’t stop you from doing things that put you in danger, you’re mistaken.”

Her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together. Holy shit, this woman was sexy. The challenge in her eyes got my blood pumping in a way nothing had in a long time.

I just looked at her, keeping any expression off my features.

I could already tell Cameron Whitbury was going to be an enormous pain in my ass. But I’d always been a bit of a masochist.

7

Cameron

The breeze coming off the water was cool against my skin. I loved coming out here at night. The balcony outside my master bedroom had an incredible view of the water. The heat of the day had eased, and the blue serenity of the bay seemed to absorb every sound. Peaceful silence had settled over Bluewater.

“Suck it, asshole!”

Except for Frank, Bluewater’s free-range parrot. He squawked from his perch in a tree somewhere to my left. I found it best to ignore him. He’d get louder if you gave him attention.

I stretched out my legs on the upholstered deck chair. I’d changed into a silky tank top and shorts pajama set—mint green with white lace along the edges. A glass of red wine sat on the table next to me, along with the remnants of one of Nicholas’s key lime tarts. His sorry for screwing my wife in your kitchen gift.

Jude had left shortly after we’d finished dinner. His parting words had been see you in the morning. I picked up my glass and took a sip. How was this going to work? Was he going to stand in my doorway all day? Follow me to meetings and check the conference room before I entered? Run background checks on the wait staff at restaurants?

Daisy and Luna had bodyguards, but they trailed them at a distance, mostly at social functions. Emily had Jane, but she was more like a personal assistant who also happened to be a ninja.

Jude looked like a nightclub bouncer, only better dressed.

He smelled good, too.

I sighed. I’d told him that Emily, Luna, and Daisy hounding me with text messages was the reason I’d decided to hire him. That was partially true. They had been texting me relentlessly. And I did want to get them off my ass. But that wasn’t the only reason. Maybe not even the main reason.

What he’d said in my office about that attack in the parking garage not being random had stuck in my brain, like a tiny splinter. A small irritation that wouldn’t go away.

And when we’d come down the stairs to find Nicholas banging his wife in my kitchen, for a split second, fear had exploded in my belly. One thought had invaded my mind—someone was in my house.

The next second had brought another thought, just as fast and explosive as the first. Jude was behind me.

And all that fear had dissipated.

The entire experience had taken less than a heartbeat. But it had been so acute, I couldn’t pretend it hadn’t happened. I’d been terrified, and Jude’s presence had made me feel safe.

I’d known right then that I was going to hire him. Of course, when he’d said he would make