Once he made sure no cops were going to be stopping by to arrest him, he got dressed and went to her office. He’d made master keys of the house, and putting one into the lock, he found the file on her desk. All the details her assistant, Gale, had told her about him.
He wasn’t going to let this get in the way. On her desk was a picture of her mother. It was clearly taken before she’d gotten ill. Petra looked happy as well. No sign of the husband, which was good.
“I’ll take good care of her, I promise.”
Instead of leaving, he got to his feet, locked her office, and went to the kitchen to make Petra, her favorite meal. Meatballs and spaghetti. He’d found her weakness. She loved it with lots of cheesy garlic bread as well. Rolling his sleeves up, he set to work.
An hour later, he was serving up, and he didn’t even need to call Petra.
“Do you want me to phone the police?” she asked.
“Go ahead, they won’t come.”
“What?”
“I told you, I’m a genuine guy. I called in a couple of favors that are owed to me. No one’s coming to your rescue.”
“And you think this is a good thing? I’m calling Gale.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” he said.
“Why? Do you have some kind of assassin watching her that if she calls the cops, you’re going to shoot her?”
“No, I was thinking your food would get cold.” He held up the plate. He’d served up a nice large helping of spaghetti, sauce, and meatballs, with a couple of slices of cheesy garlic bread. “Come on. You know you want to have a bite.”
“You’re not very nice.”
“I’m awesome. You just don’t like to think about how awesome I am.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“I’m not laughing,” he said.
She took the plate from him, but rather than sit at the table, she climbed onto one of the counter chairs and started to eat.
He had no problem if she wanted to play hardball. Sitting opposite her, he started to eat his own portion.
“You’re not going to leave, are you?”
“Nope.”
“You must run out of favors.”
“I’m a good guy. I know a lot of people. Besides, you think I’m going to be the last person your father sends?” he asked.
“He’ll get bored.”
“Your father’s a greedy, lazy asshole. He wants money, Petra, a lot of it. He doesn’t want to have to work for a living. He will keep on sending men, or he could get impatient and do something worse.”
“Kill me?”
“Desperate men do stupid shit.”
“Great. I’ve got a bodyguard I can’t fire, and a dad who will most likely kill me. No wonder my mom warned me about everything.”
“I can protect you.”
“You protect me? You were going to use me.”
“True. I have to admit the prospect of fucking you was the most enjoyable part of this entire arrangement. I live to be a bodyguard but bullet holes are the worst.”
She didn’t snatch her hand away from him, even though she should. She stared into his eyes.
“I see you, Petra. You’re not going to push me away. I know what it is you want.” He let go of her hand and placed it on her stomach. The touch sent another shockwave through her body.
He was the only man to touch her. The only touch since her mother and that was just a hug. This wasn’t like a parent consoling a child. This was more.
This was … intimate.
“Do you feel it?” he asked. “I know you do. I can see it in your face. Yes, I’m a bastard for taking this job but I’m not going to through with it. When I fuck you, it’s going to be because you want it.”