by Nikki Rose
Chris
Sitting at the table to eat dinner with Director Applegate and Caroline was one of the strangest situations I’d ever been in. It was like getting a peek at something you weren’t supposed to be watching. I felt like an intruder observing as they chatted about her schooling and what her plans were for the summer. I was so lost in watching the two of them interact together that I almost missed when the Director pointed the conversation to me.
“How are you holding up with this assignment? I’m sure you’re getting antsy by now just following my daughter around all day.”
I took a sip of my water to wash down the bite of chicken before answering. “I suppose it's as good a vacation as any, although I’d prefer to be soaking up some rays somewhere in the Caribbean.”
Director Applegate laughed and took a drink.
Caroline reached over the table and grabbed a roll with a big grin. “Well we should be seeing at least a little bit more excitement coming up in a few weeks.”
“What happens in a few weeks?”
“It’s our annual Memorial Day cele—”
“I’ve canceled the party for this year.” The Director’s tone was firm but with a hint of regret. From seeing how excited Caroline had appeared, I could understand why.
“No. Why? We have this party every year, it’s my favorite holiday.” I used to see this as Caroline being a spoiled brat but the way her eyes glistened with unshed tears nearly broke me.
“We will still do something here for just us.”
“It’s not the same. Please, I’ve been trying to keep a better attitude about having a security detail and having to rearrange my life because of the threats but we haven’t heard anything in weeks. Maybe they’ve given up.”
“I’ve already made my decision.”
I had to bite my tongue. The Director was my boss. My job was to follow his orders but there was a pull in me to protect and comfort Caroline. To see her hurt so much over a little party her father had canceled was silly but there was something in the pain in her eyes that made my heart ache.
Caroline cleared her throat, blinking to fight back tears. “If you’ll excuse me.” She sat her napkin in her plate and scooted her chair out before hurrying out of the room. The sound of her shoes on the hardwood echoed all the way up the stairs and into her room.
“Sir, with all due respect—”
“Careful. Most of what follows those words are anything but.”
“I was just going to say that Caroline had a point. We haven’t heard or seen anything in weeks.”
“I’m not willing to risk it.”
“She has had to deal with so much. Her life turned upside down by these threats. There is a fine line between protecting and smothering.”
“I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.” Applegate snapped and I knew I was pushing my luck to keep speaking but I couldn’t help myself.
“As will I. But safety shouldn’t be the only concern.”
“I couldn’t protect her mother. I’ll be damned if I lose her too.”
“I understand that you don’t want to lose her. It is my job to protect her but there is more to protecting than just being safe.”
“What else is there?”
“Happiness. I think we both can agree we want Caroline safe—and happy. Why not go on with the party as planned? Just up security on the premises. Invite the guys from work to the party as guests and backup.”
Several moments passed in silence as the Director mulled over my suggestions—or contemplated the best way to kill me and dispose of the body for butting in when it comes to his precious daughter. I wasn’t sure which.
“Okay. Contact headquarters and see if we can get some guys to volunteer to work security at the party. If you can get enough to sign on by tomorrow then I’ll make the calls to reinstate the plans.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“And go tell Caroline. I’m sure she’s too mad at me to let me in but she’ll talk to you.” He gave a sad smile. It was hurting him to disappoint his daughter. He might be this hard-ass director to me but when it came to her, he was just a father trying to protect his little girl.
“Yes, sir.” I smiled and got up from the table to go find Caroline.
As I got to Caroline’s door, I could hear her quiet sniffles. Ah hell. She was crying. If it was one thing I hated, it was to see a woman cry. I softly knocked on her door but there was no answer. I knocked a little harder when her raspy voice finally answered.
“Go away.”
Like hell I was. I slowly opened the door and peeked inside. She was lying diagonally across her bed with her face buried in her pillow. Her body shook with silent tears. The quiet only broken by the soft sounds and her sniffling.
I kept my voice low, not wanting to startle her, “Caroline?”
“I said go away.”
“You know I’m not going to do that. Not when you’re lying here crying. Talk to me.” I was hesitant to push the boundaries of being in her bedroom but I needed to be close to her, to comfort her.
I perched myself on the side of her bed closest to her feet but didn’t touch her. “Why are you so upset over a party?” I needed to understand. When I’d first met her, I thought she was just a spoiled brat, upset if she didn’t get her way but over the weeks together, I realized there was more to her than that. She was frustrated at being so protected that she almost couldn’t live her life. I couldn’t imagine being raised that way and as much as she loved her father, she was beginning to resent him for it.
“It was my mother’s favorite celebration.” She turned to face me, holding herself on her elbow and wiped away her tears. “Some of my best memories are of our Memorial Day parties. Most kids count down the days until Christmas because that’s when they get tons of presents, and don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas and all our traditions, never cared as much about the presents as the time I got to spend with my parents since they were both off work, but there was always something special about Memorial day.”
Caroline scooted closer, resting her head on my thigh as she wiped away one last stray tear. My body tensed at the intimacy, my mind telling me it was a bad idea to get this comfortable with the Director’s daughter but the rest of me wasn’t hearing it. I scooted closer, resting my hand on her shoulder, offering her the comfort of human contact she so desperately needed.
Her body relaxed instantly under my touch and she released a sigh before continuing. “Every Memorial Day my parents would plan a huge party for all their friends and even some of the higher ups at my dad’s work. Most of their events were stuffy. Everyone would always wear suits and fancy hors d'oeuvres would be served but not for our Memorial Day party. Everyone would wear shorts and t-shirts. The kids would bring swimsuits and play in the sprinklers on the East lawn. My dad would set up several grills for hamburgers and hotdogs. And, at the end of the night, they would always have a huge firework show. It was amazing. We’ve continued the tradition ever since and it's the one time of year where I feel like I get my old dad back. The one I had before my mom died. But now that’s gone too.”
Her body shook as she fought back tears again and my chest ached. I pulled her up into my arms and held her close, soaking in the warmth of her body.
“I think I’ve convinced your dad to continue on with the party.”
“What? Really?” When she looked up at me her beautiful blue eyes shimmered with the unshed tears and I couldn’t help but stare. Words left me and I simply nodded until the use of my voice came back.
“I talked him into just upping security. He’s going to have me ask for volunteers from work to act as back up as well as guests so you will be surrounded by safety, but also able to have your party.”
“Oh Chris, thank you. Thank you so much.” She wrapped her arms around my neck in a tight hug. I let myself relish in the moment of her happiness, wrapping my arms around her and holding her close.
My body heated at the feel of her curves pressed a
gainst me. I had to get out of this situation or I was going to get myself into more trouble than I cared to imagine. I pulled her away and forced a smile, hoping she couldn’t tell that what I really wanted to do was to pin her to the bed and claim her lips with mine until her body writhed under me, begging me to take her.
What the hell has gotten into you?
I had to pull myself together. I took a deep breath and racked my thumb over her cheek to wipe away a stray tear and she smiled up at me.
“There we go. I like that smile much better than tears.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For everything.” She readjusted herself, bringing her face closer to mine and I knew I had to get out of there. Being there in her bedroom, sitting in bed with her was already blurring the line of professionalism. I couldn’t let it go farther.
I needed to put some distance between us. I liked the new side of Caroline. I enjoyed the closeness and I wanted to make sure she didn’t shut down again but I needed to avoid such intimate situations as being on her bed after the thoughts that kept running through my mind.
I slid off her bed and got to my feet. “It’s been a long night. I should probably check in with the office and let you get some sleep.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty tired. Thank you for talking with me and for helping save the party.”
“Goodnight, Caroline.” I smiled back at her from the doorway before heading back to the study.
CHAPTER 8
Caroline
“Up and at ‘em, princess.” Chris’s voice along with the pounding on my door woke me from a deep sleep.
I glanced at my clock—seven a.m. on a Saturday? He knocked again and I threw my pillow over my head. “Go away.”
“Come on. I’m not going to stop until you get up.”
“It’s Saturday. Let me sleep.”
“You are sleeping the whole day away. Come on. Get up.”
“No.”
The knocking stopped as did his consistent nagging. I relaxed back into my mattress, relieved he had finally given up, but that didn’t last long. Seconds later, my blanket was torn from my body. I gasped and sat up, startled by the invasion and saw Chris dressed in gym shorts and a t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off.
“What the hell, Chris?”
“It’s time for your training.”
“Training? What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?”
“You’ve got someone after you, Caroline.”
“You don’t have to remind me. I have this annoying nagging shadow following me around all the time to make sure I don’t forget.”
“Ha. Ha.” He crossed his arms and looked down at me on the bed. “You need to learn how to protect yourself. Besides, I thought this would give us something to do other than sit around the house.”
“Why when I have you here to protect me? It’s obvious that my dad doesn’t think I can take care of myself so what’s the point?”
“You don’t seem like the type to care what other people think about you.”
“I don’t.”
“Then why does it matter if your dad thinks you can take care of yourself or not? What matters is that you know you can. Besides, I’m not going to be with you twenty-four seven for the rest of your life. It’s good to know how to protect yourself.”
I had to admit I liked the idea of being more independent and learning how to protect myself. My dad would never let me learn how to fight. He said he would protect me. He was afraid if I learned, I’d be over confident in my abilities and I’d go get myself into trouble I couldn’t handle.
“Okay, fine. We will train, but do we have to start at seven in the morning?”
“Yes. Now, get up and get dressed.”
“Just ten more minutes.”
“Now.” Chris grabbed my ankles at the foot of my bed and pulled me down to him. I squealed and kicked my feet to try to break his grasp but it was no use. Something inside me clenched and my heart beat faster from his touch but I fought with myself to ignore the flutter in my stomach.
“Let go.”
“See, if you were trained in self-defense you could have gotten out of that.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll use what I learn against you?”
“I never said you’d be better than me. Just better than most of the bad guys out there so you can protect yourself.”
“Oh, because you are so great?”
“Exactly.” There was that cocky little grin again but instead of annoying me, this time, I found it almost—cute. God, what is happening to me?
I shook my head and rolled my eyes, finally getting out of bed.
“Get dressed and meet me down in the gym in ten.”
“What about breakfast?”
“We’ll eat after.”
I sighed over dramatically and rolled my eyes but in truth, I was kind of excited to learn how to protect myself. I went to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face before getting dressed and securing my hair in a high ponytail. The more I thought about training, the more excited I became. Perhaps having Chris around wasn’t so terrible if it meant him teaching me things like this.
I rushed down to the in-home gym, ready for my lesson. Peeking inside, I stood in awe at his skill and form as Chris practiced punching and kicking a punching bag. He appeared so powerful. The muscles in his arms rippled as he extended to strike. He was fast, switching from punches to kicks and back again and I found myself entranced by his rhythm.
“You coming in or are you just going to stand over there and watch me all day.”
Watching him all day seemed like a good option at this point.
“Sorry. Coming.” I pushed open the door and jogged over to him. “Those moves were pretty impressive.”
“Thanks. Let’s see if we can’t get you doing the same thing within a couple lessons.”
“You really think I could?”
“Absolutely. Why don’t you do a few stretches to loosen up first then we’ll get started.”
“Okay.”
Chris went back to punching while I worked on stretches. I could have sworn he was watching me even though every time I glanced over, he was busy with the bag. I stretched my arms one at a time across my body, up above my head, and pulled my legs up to hold my ankle, letting my thighs burn as they stretched. When I bent down to touch my toes, I heard Chris coughing. I looked behind me to see him by a bench holding his bottle of water in one hand and his other hand to his mouth.
“You okay?” I jogged over to him to see if he needed help.
He was barely able to get the words out through his coughing as he worked to recuperate. “Yeah I’m good. You ready to get started?”
“Let’s do this.”
“Okay, first lesson. If you are going to fight back, you have to commit and follow through. If you hit or kick a couple times then stop, you're just going to piss off your attacker and get yourself hurt.”
“So just keep hitting and don’t stop?”
“Exactly. Until you know you can get away.”
“Sounds easy enough.”
“You say that now.” Chris smiled at me and moved on to the next lesson. “There are four main places you want to aim when under attack. The eyes, nose, throat, and groin.”
“Ouch. Yeah I could see how that would work.”
“One easy move, if someone is coming at you from the front is just to grab hold of the face and shove them back, grip right around the eyes like this”
Chris lightly gripped my face in his huge hand. It felt silly but once he had me try it on him, I was able to get a feel for how that could be effective.
“Now, if someone comes up from behind you...” He turned me around and wrapped his arms around my midsection, trapping my arms against my body and I tensed. “You want to grab the attacker’s arms, and pull your body in close to them.”
I followed his instructions as well as I could but it felt strange being so close to him, hi
s body pressing against mine. When I spoke, my voice came out huskier than I meant. “Like this?”
“Close. Pull your body in closer to mine though. I know it goes against your instincts to get close to your attacker but sometimes that's the best tactic.”
“Okay...” I shifted my body, pressing my backside into his front and my breathing shuttered. My heart picked up pace and it was hard to not sound breathy when I spoke. “Like this?”
“Yes,” was it my imagination or did his voice sound deeper, more raspy—almost strained?
He cleared his throat and continued. “Next you want too—”
“What's going on down here?” My father's voice was like a bucket of ice water being thrown on the two of us.
We jumped apart and I nervously straightened my clothes. We weren't doing anything wrong but for some reason I felt like we'd been caught.
Chris cleared his throat. “I was just teaching Caroline some self-defense moves.”
“Why would she need those? That's what I hired you for.”
“Well, I won't be protecting her forever. Self-defense is great to know even if you don't have crazy hackers after you.”
“I just don't like the idea of her fighting. It would be better for her to do what the attacker wants and wait for help.”
“With all due respect, sir—” I knew my dad. He wouldn't give in with this and Chris was only going to get himself in trouble if he kept talking so I stepped in.
“Okay, dad. I'm sorry. We were just having fun.”
“It's okay. Maybe try a little safer fun next time though, hmm?”
“Sure thing.” I grinned.
“I should be leaving. O'Neill will be here soon to escort me to work. I’ll be happy when this whole mess is over and I can go back to my usual drive to work alone. Having someone following you around all the time wreaks havoc on the nerves.”
“Gee I wouldn’t know what that’s like.” I smirked, looking from my dad to Chris and back again and he chuckled but Chris remained stoic.
“You two have a good day and be safe.”
The moment my dad left, Chris rushed over to me, speaking in a conspiratorial whisper. “You can't seriously be okay with just waiting around for someone to come save you? This isn't some movie where the girl always gets rescued by some guy.”