HER BODYGUARD

by Michelle Jerott

  "A suit like this broadcasts power, authority, and virility," she continued, as if she hadn't noticed his reaction – except she'd been standing against him, and there was no way she could've missed it. "All considered typically desirable male traits. You could say the suit is our society's version of male plumage."

  She made him sound like some damn cockatoo.

  Matt didn't look away from the staring students, who were blatantly checking him out. In a neutral tone, he asked, "Are you done with me?"

  "For now." Lili smiled, a hint of mischief glinting in her eyes. "You and your plumage can go sit back down. You've been very helpful."

  With a deliberate nonchalance, Matt returned to his seat at the back of the room. Lili talked on, flashing slides on the screen, and fielding questions from inquisitive students.

  Every time he came close to getting a handle on this woman, she said or did something that knocked him off balance. Half the time, he swore she did it on purpose.

  From the start Matt had pegged Lili as impulsive and spontaneous, a doted-upon baby of the family who sometimes let her domineering parents control her life.

  He'd known that impulsiveness could get her into a tight spot, but he hadn't considered how it might make trouble for him as well. He'd best be on guard, or he'd make a fool of himself – not to mention he couldn't keep an eye out for danger if his dick was doing his thinking for him.

  After the lecture, Lili spent an hour mingling with faculty and students, then met with one of the institute's head honchos to discuss the possibility of lending her historical footwear collection to the museum as a temporary exhibit.

  Through it all Matt remained in the background, repositioning Manny as needed, and checking in with Dal at the car. He made a special effort to ensure his rookie agent was alert. By now, Dal was probably sick and tired of hanging out in garages and parking lots, and daydreaming of going back home to his waiting wife … who'd probably meet him at door wearing nothing but a smile and four-inch, red, fuck-me shoes.

  Lucky little bastard.

  Taking a long, slow breath, Matt once again forced his thoughts back where they belonged – on his work, and not on what Lili would look like wearing nothing but stiletto heels.

  After she'd finished, Lili asked to return to the Drake to change before heading to her lunch meeting. Matt hailed Dal on the twoway, and when the car pulled up to the side entrance, he and Manny escorted her outside.

  "I really do appreciate how you helped out at the lecture today," Lili said, a little breathlessly, as Matt hustled her toward the car. "It's hard sometimes to get young people to pay attention, and they tend to respond better if you play them a bit. I find that drama works wonders."

  "Looks that way."

  At the car, she twisted, looking at him, her face a touch anxious. "So you're not mad? That I brought you up front like I did?"

  "I'm not mad," he said, and pushed her head down through the open door before she could ask more questions. "Please get in the car, goddess."

  A soft laugh sounded from inside, and a murmured, "So you were paying attention. I wasn't sure. You looked bored."

  Damn good thing she hadn't been able to read his mind.

  Manny leaned over. "Goddess?"

  "I'll explain. Later."

  "Man, I can't wait to hear this," Manny said, stroking his goatee.

  When they arrived back at the hotel, Matt stepped out of the elevator to find several uniformed police officers and hotel security gathered in the hall outside Lili's suite.

  "What happened?" he demanded, fixing his gaze on the officer who appeared to be in charge.

  "An attempted entry to Ms. Kavanaugh's suite," the cop said, his gaze shifting behind Matt's shoulder.

  Matt turned in time to see the color drain from Lili's face. He told Manny, "Get her in the room now."

  With Dal following close behind, Manny led Lili away, a supporting hand at her back. She cast a last glance over her shoulder at Matt before she went inside.

  "Tell me exactly what happened," Matt ordered once the door had closed, holding back the hot rush of anger that, if he gave it free rein, would only cloud his judgment.

  The hotel security guard answered. "A guy in a maintenance uniform came off the elevator, and said he'd got a call that the thermostat in Ms. Kavanaugh's room needed to be fixed. You didn't say anything to me about it when you left this morning, so I thought it was suspicious. When I questioned him, he took off."

  "You didn't catch him?"

  The security guard shook his head. "I tried, but lost him in the stairwell. We searched the building, but didn't find him."

  "How did he know which room she was in? I ordered that no one was to give out Ms. Kavanaugh's room number."

  The guard shrugged. "I don't know. The front desk people swear nobody took any calls or answered any questions about Ms. Kavanaugh."

  "Shit." Matt rubbed the back of his neck. She'd had her name and appearances plastered in the local papers and campus bulletins for weeks; he'd checked. Plenty of time for someone to make plans. "It's possible he found out what room she was in before she arrived this weekend."

  "Probably," the cop agreed.

  He didn't like it, and gut instinct warned him this was no ordinary stalker. Matt turned to the security guard. "You got a good look at him, right?"

  It was the cop, one hand on his gun belt, who answered. "We've got a description. White male, early to mid thirties, brown hair and blue eyes. About five-ten, one-eighty pounds. A small scar on his chin. We'll have a composite drawn up as soon as possible. We have a call in to Mike Payton."

  Payton was the detective handling Lili's assault case. From his brief talk with the man the other day, Matt had judged him competent and smart.

  "When did it happen?"

  "About thirty minutes ago."

  "Shit," Matt said again. He glanced at the security guard, who was looking uneasy. "You didn't do anything wrong, and you kept him from getting into the room. That's all that matters now. I doubt he'll try again, but I want the watch at the elevator doubled, just to be safe."

  A few minutes later, after asking more questions and answering several for the officers, Matt returned to Lili's suite. She was pacing by the window and Manny and Dal stood close by, waiting in silence.

  The instant he walked into the room, Lili spun to face him. "Somebody tried to break into my room?"

  "It looks that way, but the guard did his job. He was suspicious, and his questions scared the guy off."

  "Oh, my God," she whispered. "This is for real … the bastard isn't going to give up, is he?"

  "I think you should sit down, Lili," Matt said, briefly glancing at both Manny and Dal. When she did as suggested, he added, "We have a description, and the police are preparing a composite drawing. They'll run it on the news, in the papers. Maybe it'll scare the guy off for good, or turn up a lead that will let the cops bring him in. You're okay. You've got nothing to worry about. The security I've put in place is working."

  Eyes closed, Lili rested her head back against the love seat. "I'm going to cancel my afternoon meeting."

  Matt hunkered down in front of her. "Don't let him get you running scared. That gives him exactly what he wants – power over you."

  "But I am scared," she murmured, opening her eyes, and he saw the tears brimming – but this time, she looked more angry and frustrated than terrified.

  Right then, he knew she'd be all right. She had more guts than she gave herself credit for, probably because for the first time in her life, she was forced to stand on her own. Mom and Dad and their deep pockets couldn't make her trouble go away. Some people shone under adversity, and it looked like Lili was one of them.

  "I know you're scared," he said, "but you let me and my team worry about him. You get on with your life. Go to the lunch meeting. Don't let the fear control you."

  "Will you make me go?"

  He shook his head. "I can only advise. I know your first instinct is to hide, bu
t it doesn't have to be that way. I can keep you safe."

  She didn't look away from him, and after a long moment, she asked quietly, "Promise?"

  For her sake, Matt smiled. "I promise. I won't even let you so much as chip a fingernail."

  She smiled back and then, before he realized what she intended, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, filling his senses with her dusky perfume, the soft tickle of her hair, and the warmth of her lips. "Thank you."

  Six

  Lili stared at the black-and-white photograph of Humphrey Bogart, who stared back at her from the wall, wearing his signature fedora and slant-browed expression of worldly ennui. "I don't know," she said with a sigh. "The one with Godiva chocolate liqueur sounds very tempting."

  "Oh, come on, Lil, be adventurous." Pippa Dowling rolled her eyes. "Try the Chopin martini. Look at that … one hundred percent potato vodka, chilled, and served straight up."

  "Potato vodka, ugh … that sounds disgusting."

  She and Pippa were sitting in the Redhead Piano Bar, working their way through an impressive list of martinis, and soaking up the atmosphere. The bordello-burgundy walls looked dark in the dim, smoke-hazed light, and dozens of framed photographs of sloe-eyed screen sirens, suave movie idols, and smiling lounge singers looked down on the crowded room. In the background, the Wednesday night piano man was crooning Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon," accompanied by what looked like half the bar patrons, who'd gathered around the piano.

  Pippa suddenly giggled. "Hey, look! Here's a James Bond martini. Maybe we should order a couple for those two guys from Thugs-R-Us."

  "They're not thugs, they're my bodyguards," Lili said, trying to look severe. "And they can't drink on duty, anyway."

  She glanced at Matt and Manny, sitting several tables away and nursing along something dark and nonalcoholic. Probably root beer. For once, they didn't look out of place, since the Redhead mandated a dress code, and most of the other patrons, both male and female, were urban types in suits.

  "The Latino guy's not too bad. I always liked them dark and debonair," Pippa said, giving both men an assessing look. "But that other guy, he gives me the creeps."

  Surprised, Lili turned back to her friend. "Matt? Why?"

  "I don't know. Maybe it's his eyes. He just looks dangerous to me."

  "He's supposed to look dangerous. That's how he scares off the bad guy who's after me."

  "So what's going on? Do you want to talk about it?"

  Leaning closer, Lili filled Pippa in on the latest report from the police, which was basically zilch. "Matt thinks it's a stalker. A persistent one, since he tried to get into my room at the Drake. Hotel security ran him off."

  Pippa rested a hand against her throat. "Oh, my God. You must be terrified!"

  "Sometimes," Lili admitted. "Other times, it almost feels like something out of a TV movie."

  "What happens after you go back to New York?"

  "Matt says I should probably increase security once I'm home. He knows a couple of security professionals in New York who can help me out."

  "You think that's necessary?"

  "I don't know … I never had trouble like this until I came to Chicago. No weird phone calls, nobody following me around, so it's hard for me to think I'll have trouble once I'm home. I keep hoping it'll turn out to be a local nutcase."

  "Does anybody know why this guy is after you?"

  "No." Lili frowned at her drink. "Matt suggested it might be because of what I am."

  "Oh?" Pippa's expression grew ominous. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

  Lili shrugged. "Basically, he's saying I'm loud and attract attention. Which of course I am, and that's the point. I just never encountered the negative side of it before."

  Pippa reached across the table and squeezed Lili's hand. "I don't think we should talk about this anymore. We're here to have fun, to relax, catch up on old times. Let's order a couple more drinks. I'm going for the one with gin, Grand Marnier, and cranberry juice. It sounds kinda … pretty."

  Pippa was right; they hadn't seen each other in almost a year, so why waste time talking about this bastard? Matt was right, too – she couldn't let the fear control her life.

  "I'm sticking with the Godiva," Lili said. "I feel decadent."

  It was hard not to feel a little decadent in the Redhead, with its dark glamour reminiscent of days gone by. Plus, she was wearing a body-skimming dress of glittery gold nylon spandex, with a scoop neck and fringed hem. The fabric ended at mid-thigh, but the long fringe brushed her knees. She wore a pair of gold leather pumps with chunky heels and no jewelry, except for a thin gold ankle bracelet.

  She was in a minimalist monochrome kind of mood tonight, and her boys complemented her quite nicely, since they were both in basic black.

  The thought made her smile, and after Pippa ordered their drinks, Lili said, "I better slow down on the martinis. You know I can't hold my liquor."

  Pippa grinned. "I figure each martini knocks off about five years in age, and this will be our second, so that makes us mentally on par with a twenty-one-year-old, and means we're technically allowed to act twenty-one."

  Vintage Pippa logic.

  "I did a lot of dumb things when I was twenty-one. Remember Bjorn?"

  "How could I forget?" Pippa laughed, tucking a strand of long blond hair behind her ear.

  When they had their new drinks, Lili asked, "How's business at the gallery?"

  "Not bad, but it's never going to make me a rich woman, and that lawyer I'm dating is looking more and more like prime provider material every day."

  "Like you'd ever need a man to support you." Lili smiled. "The place looks great, and I love what you've done with that fabric sculpture display."

  "Thanks." Pippa stirred her martini. "It keeps me busy, that's for sure. I don't know how you manage everything you do … the teaching, the traveling, the shoe line. You're amazing."

  "Truth is, I'm getting a little overextended." Lili stabbed her stir stick into her drink. "Something has to give, and soon. Probably the teaching, as much as I love it. My designs are finally beginning to attract some serious attention but it's been a lot more work than I expected, and Jared keeps harping on me to diversify."

  "I hear you on the hard work part," Pippa said with feeling. "And how are Jared and Olivia doing these days?"

  "The usual. Every time he makes matrimonial noises, she bolts. She's currently in bolt phase, and he's cranky as hell."

  Pippa smiled. "Your sister is nuts."

  "I know."

  "Jared's still helping you out, then?"

  "Sort of. It's getting harder for him, on top of his regular job. Besides, he's an investment guru, not a real business manager. I'll probably have to hire somebody else to run things pretty soon."

  "Why not do it yourself? If you quit teaching, wouldn't you have time?"

  Lili sipped her martini. The vodka and chocolate liqueur mix was different, and not too bad. "Detail work isn't one of my strong points. I'm better off sticking to the creative stuff."

  For as long as she could remember, her parents, sisters, or friends had said things like: "Lili has a wonderful imagination and dreams big, but she's not very good at following through." Whenever she'd planned adventures, grand schemes, or practical jokes, somebody else always insisted on taking care of the details for her – and she'd always let them do so without protesting.

  She frowned at her drink. "I don't know … maybe I could oversee most of the business stuff. Just because I never have before, doesn't mean I can't."

  "It wouldn't hurt to try," Pippa agreed. "You'll still have to hire on help, but I think it would be good for you to be more involved on the business end. If nothing else, you need to keep informed so people can't take advantage of you. You've always been too trusting, Lil."

  Lili glanced over at the next table. Matt was watching her, an unreadable expression on his face, while Manny scrutinized a loud group of middle-aged businessmen who'd imbibed a fe
w too many martinis. She smiled, and he nodded in acknowledgment.

  Lili looked down at her hands, nail tips drumming on the table surface. She stopped it as soon as she realized what she was doing. "I keep thinking about what he said, that I'm 'colorful.' I'm thirty-one. Is it time to start wearing longer skirts and shorter heels? Think about settling down?"

  "I'm the wrong person to ask. I believe that if you want to wear hot-pink miniskirts when you're ninety, you should do it. Your family and friends know you're a hopeless romantic with a big heart, Lil, and we love you just the way you are." Pippa glanced toward Matt's table. "Is there a reason you're feeling this sudden need to change?"

  "Maybe," Lili admitted, going warm.

  "You don't have to change yourself for anybody."

  Lili nodded in agreement, but a vague sense of dissatisfaction still nagged at her. "Colorful isn't really how I want people to see me, though."

  Especially Matt.

  "Who cares what people think? You're just getting sappy. You always get like this when you drink."

  "No, it's not that. Seriously." Lili sighed. "I think I'm developing a sort of … thing for him. I get all jumpy and nervous around him, and he has the sexiest voice. God, I get the shivers every time I hear him talk."

  Pippa looked startled by Lili's sudden admission. "You've got to be kidding."

  "Why? He's the kind of man that reminds me I'm a woman, and that I want the things a lot of women want … and I'm not just talking hot sex here."

  "It seems to me you'd be better off lusting after a guy who doesn't make a living by banging heads together and shooting people."

  "I'm sure he's banged a few heads together, but I don't know that he's ever shot anyone." Lili glanced again at Matt. He was surveying the room, keeping a lookout for trouble. "I asked him if he had."

  "What did he say?"

  "He said that if he had to, that meant he wasn't doing his job."

  Pippa sat back, and took a long sip of her drink. "What kind of wussy answer is that? It's either yes or no, right?"

  "I don't think he wanted to tell me."