The Dragon Bodyguard

by Sky Winters

  "Here's the deal," said Damien, walking over to the counter and preparing a pot of coffee. "I've got work tonight, so you and Adeline will be alone this evening. I'll leave you my card, so you and she can do whatever you like. I might not be back until later, so you don't need to wait up."

  "Sounds good," said Ingrid.

  "Consider this a test run," he said. "I'm not expecting you to be besties with my daughter, but I'll expect a certain level of professionalism and skill this evening. You wouldn't be the first nanny I've sent back home after one night."

  Ingrid gulped.

  That's one way to make a girl feel welcome, she thought.

  And in spite of herself, she couldn't help but feel more and more attracted to Damien the more of a domineering hardass he was toward her. She couldn't explain why.

  And his incredible good looks certainly didn't hurt, she realized.

  The coffee pot began to brew, and Damien stepped toward the entrance to the entry room.

  "Come with me," he said. "I'll give you a tour of the rest of the house."

  Ingrid followed Damien up the spiral stairs, and as she walked close to him she noticed something she hadn't before – there was a strange scent to Damien that trailed behind him, something almost like an animalistic musk. It was earthy and rich, and very, very masculine. She wanted to bottle the scent up and keep it with her wherever she went.

  Easy, girl, she thought. Try and not go too crazy over the new boss; you've got enough to worry about.

  "Second floor is here," said Damien, leading her down a cheery hallway lit with ample natural light. "Adeline's room is down that hallway, and your room is down this one."

  Damien led Ingrid to a small but cozy bedroom decorated with the same gorgeous, antique furniture that adorned the rest of the house. The windows looked out onto the long stretch of green in the backyard, where Ingrid could spot a large rectangular pool.

  "I hope this will be sufficient," said Damien.

  "It's perfect," said Ingrid.

  "Good," said Damien. "While you're out with Adeline tonight, feel free to pick up some clothes for yourself. If the next couple of days end up working out, then I'll have the rest of your things shipped here from your previous employer's place."

  "I'll let you get settled in," he said. "I'll be taking off here in an hour or so."

  He turned to leave but stopped himself as he left.

  "And one more thing," he said. "The third floor is mine, and though you shouldn't need anything up there, it's not off-limits. Except for my office. It's the door down the right hallway. That room is strictly forbidden."

  His tone was uncompromising, and it was clear he wasn't screwing around in the slightest.

  Guess he’s the secretive type, thought Ingrid.

  Once he said his piece, Damien left. Ingrid fell backward onto the bed, trying to let the events of this strange day settle over her. It was all so bizarre to her, but she resolved to do her best. She spent the next hour texting with the Abernathy girls, asking them how their new city was, and telling them vague details about her new job.

  After a time, Ingrid got up and walked around the house, taking in the lovely décor of the place. Toward the end of the hallway opposite to her own, she spotted Adeline's bedroom opened a crack. She approached it, and gave it a gentle knock.

  "Yes?" asked Adeline in a prim voice that almost made her seem older than her six years.

  "It's Ms. Ingrid. Can I come in?"

  A moment passed.

  "Sure."

  Ingrid stepped into the bright bedroom. The first thing she noticed was the walls covered in pictures of cats, both real cats and drawings. In the center of the room was Adeline, seated amongst her toys which where, of course, mostly cats.

  Damn, thought Ingrid, Damien wasn't kidding about this girl and cats.

  "What's up with you, little lady?" asked Ingrid.

  "Not much," said Adeline, her eyes fixed on her toys. "Just playing."

  "Can I play too?" Ingrid asked.

  "Sure, I guess," said Adeline.

  Ingrid plopped onto the ground with Adeline and picked up one of the cats.

  "That's Apple," said Adeline, still not looking up. "She's friends with Grapefruit and Orange."

  "Oh, cool," said Ingrid. "And what are their other names?"

  "Um, that's Pizza, and that's Lasagna."

  "Are…they all named the same way?" asked Ingrid.

  "What do you mean?"

  Weird kid, thought Ingrid. But pretty cute.

  "So," said Ingrid, "you and I have the whole day to hang out. Anything you want to do?"

  "Not really," said Adeline.

  And a tough nut to crack, she thought.

  Then, a thought occurred to Ingrid.

  "How about this: you look like a big fan of cats, right?"

  "Yeah…" said Adeline, seemingly a little skeptical.

  "How about we go into town and play with some kittens? I think that sounds fun."

  "Really?" asked Adeline.

  "Really," said Ingrid. "Then we can go buy some clothes, and then we can get whatever you want for dinner. Maybe ice cream, afterward. How does that sound?"

  "Okay!" said Adeline.

  "Awesome," said Ingrid.

  Ingrid's eyes flicked toward the door, and she saw that Damien stood there, leaning against the frame. Ingrid's jaw nearly dropped at how good he looked. He was dressed in a pair of slim slacks and a white button-up shirt undone at the collar. The clothes were perfectly tailored and made it very clear that there was a toned, hard body beneath his expensive clothing. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing his ropey forearms, and a pair of black dress boots polished to a mirror shine completed the look.

  "I'm about to take off, girls," he said. "I left the card on the kitchen bar. Give me a call if you two need anything."

  "Will do," said Ingrid, still trying to catch her breath from seeing Damien.

  Damien stepped into the room, squatted down at Adeline's side, and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

  "Bye, Adey," he said. "Don't forget, Daddy loves you."

  "I won't," she said, turning up to her father with a smile on her face.

  It was strange seeing this side of Damien. Ingrid had only known him for a little while, but he'd been nothing but stern and professional, or gripped by a raging temper. Seeing his softer side with his daughter was striking. It was clear he loved her deeply, and didn't play around when it came to her best interests. Ingrid knew that keeping Damien happy was going to depend on her being there for Adeline in the way he expected. She was still a little wary of his temper, but seeing him with his daughter made him seem a little more human, and less like a totally intimidating boss.

  Once Damien left, the two of them played a little more, eventually taking a break for lunch. Ingrid tried to get the girl to open up a bit, but aside from when Ingrid brought up Adeline's favorite subject–cats- the girl was quiet and shy.

  I gotta get her to open up just a little, thought Ingrid. I can't imagine lasting long here if this girl never warms up to me. But then again, we did just meet. Give it time, Ingrid, and quit worrying so much about impressing Damien.

  Once their lunch was done, the two of them headed out into the beautiful DC late afternoon. The sun was shining, and the weather was just as mild as it had been in New York. Ingrid was happy to be out in the sun, and she slowly felt herself calm down from the whirlwind of the earlier part of the day. They rode the metro down to the riverfront, where the shopping district buzzed with activity.

  This isn't a half-bad city so far, though Ingrid as she walked through the streets with Adeline at her side. It's big, sure, but not as insane as New York. And it's cool to be surrounded by so much history.

  It seemed like everywhere Ingrid looked there was some historic building or monument. And depending on where they stood, the Washington Monument could be spotted in the distance.

  I could get used to this, thought Ingrid.

  "So, w
hat do you want to do first, kiddo?" asked Ingrid. "Shop or check out some kittens?"

  "Cats!" shouted Adeline, showing the first bit of enthusiasm Ingrid had seen from the girl since they stepped out.

  "Cats it is," said Ingrid.

  The two of them headed to the nearest pet store, where Adeline was beside herself right from the start. She went from kitten to kitten, asking the attendant to take the fluffy little animals out so she could cuddle and nuzzle it before moving on to the next. By the time she had been to each kitten, an hour and a half had passed.

  "Have fun?" asked Ingrid as the two left the store.

  "Yeah!" said Adeline. "My favorite was the black and white one, then the peach-colored one. But…maybe the white one…"

  She went on like this until they reached the nearest department store. The two girls went inside and had fun trying on clothes. They picked out some items, with Ingrid feeling very strange about using Damien's card to simply buy whatever she wanted.

  Then again, she thought, if he lives in a house like that, then he's probably not too hard up for cash.

  Still, it made her feel strange to hand over the heavy black card to the clerk.

  Once they were done, the two of them picked up some ice cream at the store and headed back home, where they ordered pizza and watched a movie. By the time the late evening rolled around, Adeline was wiped. At around nine, Ingrid took the girl to bed and tucked her in.

  "Good night, Adeline," said Ingrid. "It was really nice spending the day with you today."

  "You too," said Adeline, though Ingrid could tell the girl was still holding back.

  Just give it time; just give it time, she kept telling herself. At least you got her home in one piece – that's gotta count for something.

  With Damien gone and Adeline in bed, the house seemed empty and lonely. Ingrid decided to have a glass of wine, figuring Damien wouldn't mind. Heading to the kitchen, she popped open a bottle and poured herself a glass. Taking it out onto the back porch, she sat in one of the patio chairs and looked off into the still waters of the pool, trying to unwind from the day she just had.

  This is fine so far, she thought. Adeline's a good kid – maybe a little shy, but good. And Damien…well, he seems like a hard-ass, but nothing I can't handle. I'll melt him with kindness; he can't say no to that.

  Ingrid finished her glass of wine and headed inside to pour herself one more before heading to bed. But as she poured the glass, a strange crash sounded out from one of the upper floors; it sounded to Ingrid like glass breaking.

  What the hell was that? she thought, her heart beating faster. Better check it out.

  She took a quick sip of her wine and headed upstairs. Once on the second floor, she looked around for a sign of whatever the noise was, but found nothing.

  Just when she was about to chalk the sound up to her hearing things, another sound rang out. This one was more like a thump, and it came from the third floor.

  Shit, she thought. That's where Damien told me not to go. But I can't just ignore it.

  Taking a deep breath, she ascended the stairs to the third floor. Once there, she saw a crack of light underneath Damien's bedroom door.

  What? she thought. Did he come back without me knowing? There's no way; I would've seen him.

  She approached the bedroom door and, steeling herself, gave it a quick knock.

  "Um, Mr. Kennedy?" she asked. "Is that you?"

  On the other side of the door, she heard a strange sound, like an animalistic grunting. Whatever it was, it didn't sound human.

  "Mr. Kennedy?"

  More grunting, and then something that sounded like a roar.

  Placing her fingertips on the door, she pushed it open gently.

  What she saw next, she couldn't believe.

  It was Damien, all right. But he was wearing nothing other than his dress shirt and shoes. Behind him was a broken window that he apparently came in from. His posture was hunched over, like an animal preparing to pounce, and his chest expanded and fell with deep, ragged breaths. As soon as Ingrid entered the room, his head snapped toward Ingrid.

  "Mr. Kennedy?"

  His eyes were different – instead of a brilliant blue, they were golden, and almost glowing.

  "Are you okay?"

  But he said nothing. Instead, he rushed over to Ingrid with inhuman speed and stared her up and down. Ingrid stayed frozen in place; it seemed like he'd been possessed by some kind of demon.

  "What's…what's going on?" Ingrid asked, fear creeping into her voice.

  But before she could say another word, Damien did pounce. Instead of sinking his teeth into, however, he grabbed her hips, pulled her close, and kissed her hard.

  CHAPTER 3

  The kiss ran through her body like electricity. The combination of the surprise and the sensation itself froze her in place, and her first instinct was to surrender to it without hesitation. She breathed in as Damien kissed her, noticing that the animal musk, that scent she found so attractive and intriguing, was even more pronounced than usual.

  As she stood there with his hands on her hips and his lips on her mouth, she was at a loss with what to do. Her thoughts objected, noting that he was her boss, and her boss of only one day, at that. But her body had a different opinion entirely. She felt herself get wetter with each second that Damien's lips were on hers, and her resistance depleted by the second, his kisses growing more and more intense.

  This is such a bad idea, Ingrid thought as his hands ran up and down her body, I need to put a stop to this. But in a second…

  She realized soon that telling him to stop wasn't at all what she wanted. His forceful attack stomped over her defenses, and soon all she could think about was how she wanted more, more. Her hands moved from her sides to his, and she took in the lovely feeling of the hard angles of his torso through his soft dress shirt. Something like a growl escaped his lips as she reciprocated his kiss, and it both confused and intrigued her.

  What's going on with him? Ingrid thought to herself. It's like he's a fucking animal or something.

  Then, right at that moment, he pulled his lips away and looked deep into her eyes. Just as before, on the plane, when it seemed his temper had gotte n the better of him, his eyes were a brilliant gold that seemed to burn[LR3]. Again, it seemed as though he'd been possessed by something…not human.

  "Get over here," he said, his usually smooth voice a low growl as he grabbed her by the wrist and led her over to the desk.

  "Damien," I said. "Um, Mr. Kennedy – what are you doing?"

  But Damien wasn't in the mood to talk. Instead, he lifted her up effortlessly and sat her back on the desk. Grabbing onto her shirt, he pulled it open with a sharp tug, the buttons tearing through the fabric.

  Good thing I did some shopping today, she thought, looking down at her now-exposed bra.

  Damien set onto her breasts right away, covering them with kisses as he worked her shirt off and started on the straps of her bra. Within seconds, he had undone the clasp of her bra, whipping it across the room when he was done. She looked down at her breasts, now fully exposed. She still couldn't believe this was happening.

  Damien took one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking and licking it eagerly, another growl escaping from his throat as he did. Ingrid’s whole body tingled, and she ran her hands through his thick hair, closing her eyes with pleasure.

  After paying each breast sufficient attention, he stood up and looked her dead in the eyes, his gaze still burning a brilliant gold.

  "I'm gonna eat your pussy, then I'm gonna fuck you hard," he said, the words with that same animal growl that was strangely driving Ingrid totally wild.

  "O-Okay," she said, her own eyes wide with disbelief.

  She still wasn't sure this was a good idea, but she was so turned on by this point that she knew she just might've been ready for whatever the hell Damien had in mind.

  Damien squatted down in front of Ingrid, pulling her skirt up and exposing her legs. Just l
ike with the rest of her body, he covered her skin in hungry kisses, his hands moving along her curves and squeezing her breasts as he did. He approached her inner thighs, and as soon as his lips touched the sensitive skin near Ingrid's sex, she let out a moan from the deepest part of her body. Her hips wiggled as he moved closer and closer to her pussy; she could barely take the anticipation.

  Then, without warning, he reached up and grabbed onto her panties with both hands, and with a quick jerk, ripped them off. Ingrid gasped at the speed with which he was able to do it; he tore them off her body as though they were made of paper. Now her pussy was nude and only inches from his face. Damien moved his head closer, taking in a long draw of air through his nostrils as he did. Ingrid couldn't believe how much he appeared to want her; it was as though something about her had caused him to lose total control.

  Damien closed the distance between Ingrid's sex and began licking it eagerly. The pleasure was immediate and overwhelming. Ingrid leaned back on the desk as he ate her, trying to find something, anything to hold onto as the pleasure running through her body made her limbs weak. She moaned softly, hardly able to tolerate just how good it felt to have Damien lick her. And he was ferocious about it; he ate her pussy like it was the first he'd seen in years, the animal intensity apparent and more intense with each second that passed.

  "Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck," said Ingrid, feeling an orgasm approach. "Goddammit!"

  She'd never had a man eat her like this before, and wasn't prepared for just how good it was going to feel. The orgasm built by the second, and Ingrid closed her eyes hard in anticipation. And strangely, despite the primal nature of Damien's pleasuring, he was still able to employ perfect skill to his oral technique; it was as though he had the urgency of a raging beast desperate to rut and the careful skill of a seasoned lover. Ingrid couldn't get enough.

  When the orgasm arrived, it was like a tidal wave crashing over Ingrid's body. She moaned and thrashed, squeezing Damien's head hard with her thighs, doing everything she could to not fall off the desk. And Damien continued to eat her as she came, taking her orgasm to more intense heights than she'd ever known. When the orgasm faded, and Ingrid was able to open her eyes once again, the only thought she was able to hold in her mind was that she'd just experienced the most intense orgasm of her life.