by Ivy Nelson
“I know, baby, and I promise they’re going to do their best to make sure you can go, but I’m warning you right now if they decide it’s not safe and you so much as argue with them about going I will punish you. End of discussion.”
She sighed. They had been having such a nice night. She wanted to argue with him but thought he might get the paddle back out, so she just muttered, “yes, Sir,” and laid back on the pillows.
“Hey,” he said sitting next to her. “I’m not trying to be an asshole. I just want to keep you safe.” She closed her eyes.
“I know. This is just frustrating.”
“I know, baby. It won’t last forever.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead, shut off the lights and slipped into bed next to her. Pulling her close he whispered, “Please don’t be mad at me for wanting you safe.”
“I’m mad at whoever is stalking me,” she murmured as her eyes drifted closed.
Chapter Thirty-One
On Wednesday morning, the security team delivered the bad news to Darci that they couldn’t safely allow her to go to the luncheon. There was apparently some construction at the hotel that prevented them from planning a safe escape route if something happened. She wanted to argue and throw a fit and in fact tried, but Bradley shut her down with a phone call to her office in which he used the tone of voice that told her in no uncertain terms that if she continued to argue she would find herself in trouble.
If she had any doubts about what she heard in his tone, they vanished when he said, “You have about thirty seconds to drop the attitude, or I’ll show up at your office, and I’ll help you drop it.”
It pissed her off that his dominating tone made her wet. But it did. It wasn’t even eight in the morning, and she was already having a bad day. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to keep the anger out of her voice when she said goodbye to Bradley.
By eleven, Darci was pissed off again. Jim had just left. It had taken weeks, and she had worked damn hard to get the ACSL invited to this luncheon. She was fuming by eleven-thirty and decided to stage a jailbreak. The goon squad hadn’t changed their routine at all, and it wasn’t difficult for Darci to come up with a plan. She sent a text to Kimberly.
Meet me in Jim’s office. Don’t spook the security goon.
After Kimberly stood up from her desk and crossed the room to Jim Perkins’ office, Darci waited a few minutes. Her boss had already left for the Hilton. If she left soon, she could get there in time. Once Kimberly was safely inside the office, she grabbed a folder and put her cell phone to her ear. Stepping outside the door, she spoke into the phone.
“Sure, Jim. I’ve got Kimberly looking in your office now. I’ll call you back in a few.” She smiled at the security guard on her way past him and slipped into Jim’s office.
“I’ve got to get out of here, but I need your help,” she said to her assistant once the door was shut.
“Darci, are you sure that’s a wise idea?”
“Please, Kimberly. I won’t be gone long, I promise. I just want to be with Jim at the luncheon and my security is being overprotective.”
“That’s kind of their job, isn’t it?” Darci rolled her eyes and could practically feel Bradley glaring at her for it even though he wasn’t in the room. Jim’s office had an outside exit. If she could slip out without attracting the attention of the security goons, she could grab a cab and be on her way before they knew she left.
“Hang out in here for like ten minutes. If they ask, just tell them I’m working on something for Jim, and come back in every few minutes and act like you’re talking to me. I swear I won’t be gone long.”
Kimberly rolled her eyes. “They’re going to know something is up.”
“It’s fine. I just need time to get a cab and be on my way. I promise I won’t do anything dangerous.”
“Fine, but only because you’re technically my boss.”
Darci hugged Kimberly and slipped outside. She looked around and sprinted to the street opposite of where the security team usually sat and hailed a cab. Luckily it only took a minute to flag one down. She rode downtown to the Hilton and got there just as someone introduced Jim. He looked surprised to see her but introduced her and continued the presentation they had prepared.
Halfway through his talk, her cell phone rang. It was Kimberly. Slipping out, she answered. “What’s up, Kimberly?”
A masculine voice responded, “Miss Sanders, where are you?” It was one of her security team. She was caught.
“I’m at the Washington Hilton. I can’t let you guys interfere with my job.”
“We’ll be there soon. Do not leave without us or we’ll be forced to contact Mr. Givens.” Darci was caught by surprise. She figured that was the first thing they would have done.
“Fine, thank you for not calling him already.” She breathed a sigh of relief as she ended the call. She had gotten away with her brief escape. There was no reason for Bradley to find out. An hour later, Darci and Jim rode with security back to the office where she spent the rest of the day in a pleasant mood. A little adventure was all she needed.
Bradley asked her to meet him at home so they could ride to the benefit together. The thought of being on his arm while he wore a tux practically made her drool. Five couldn’t get here fast enough.
• • •
At five o’clock, Bradley left his office. He wasn’t done working by any means, but tonight, the senator and some of the other members of his staff were attending a benefit as part of a 'clean up the senator’s fuck-up' effort. Darci was coming with him. Knowing she would have face time with his boss made him nervous, but he was looking forward to showing her off as his girl. It wasn’t possible to know how Atleigh would react to him dating someone from the ACSL, but he couldn’t worry about that now. It was time to put on a tux and enjoy an evening with Darci.
He knew she was disappointed about missing an important event today because of security concerns. His threat to show up at her office this morning hadn’t been an idle one, but he understood her frustration. So tonight, it was important to him to show her an extra enjoyable time.
They only had a little time to get ready and head to the venue. It was a black-tie affair as were most of the evening fund raisers he attended. The daytime ones tended to be a little more dressed down, but at night the who’s who of D.C. put on their finest and partied until late, even in the middle of the work week, all in the name of raising money for a politician or a cause.
An hour and a half later they were in the back of a town car. He thought Darci looked exceptionally beautiful tonight in her sexy gray cocktail dress. Her hair was pulled back, but a few curls still framed her pretty face. He liked that she didn’t wear a lot of make-up. She didn’t need it. Her skin was flawless, and her eyes popped without the help of heavy eye makeup.
Currently, he was resisting the urge to make out with her like a teenager in the backseat. Instead, he held her hand and caressed it gently with his thumb. She seemed in better spirits than she had been this morning. “Thanks for coming with me tonight, baby. And for getting my people tickets.”
She smiled at him. “You’re welcome.” Leaning up, she kissed him on the cheek.
They spent the rest of the ride in silence. Once inside the venue, they left their coats at coat check and began mingling. Darci immediately spotted people she needed to say hello to and excused herself from his side. There were always a few people at these events that you were obligated to shake hands with, but sometimes that was easier with a drink, so Bradley headed to the bar after he watched Darci walk away. He didn’t feel so bad about letting her roam freely here.
Along with their own security detail, there were dozens of other bodyguards floating throughout the crowd and perimeter, because in D.C. nearly everyone needed security. It was a grim thought, because it mostly meant that they had all pissed someone off at one point or another. But tonight, it gave them the ability to relax. He found a spot near the bar and watched her flit about the room. Sh
e was a natural in a crowd. Watching her was fun. The first hour or so of the party would be mingling and cocktails followed by dinner. After dinner, a DJ would turn it into a dance party.
He took a drink from the bar and mingled. He was never a natural the way Darci seemed to be, but over the years he had gotten better at hiding it. His own staff was arriving, so he said hello and instructed them to mingle and make friends. The senator would come closer to dinner.
He finished up a conversation and looked around the room for his girl. When he spotted her, he couldn’t help but smile. She was standing near the entrance talking animatedly with another woman he didn’t recognize. After approaching, he placed his hand gently on her arm to let her know he was there and stood back to let her finish her conversation.
While she was still talking, Bradley scanned the entrance for people he knew. He was still waiting for Adara to arrive.
Just then he spotted her in a flattering red dress. He grinned when he saw who was on her arm. The tall detective looked a bit uncomfortable in a suit, but he was smiling fondly at Adara, and she looked happy. He greeted them.
“Detective, a pleasant surprise seeing you here.” He shook the other man’s hand firmly and turned to Adara and winked at her.
“Hope you don’t mind me bringing a date, boss. These things are no fun solo.”
“Of course, Adara. I’m just glad you could make it.”
At that moment Darci came rushing up to them. “Michael. What the fuck are you doing here?” Bradley cringed.
“Darci, is that any way to greet someone in a place like this?” he asked. His reprimand made her frown.
“Sorry, Michael. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
He laughed. “It’s OK. It was kind of last minute. Do you know my date?” he asked, motioning to Adara.
Darci smiled. “We’ve spoken a time or two. It’s lovely to see you outside the office, Miss Kent.” Bradley was glad she wasn’t letting their past differences show.
The assistant smiled. “Please call me Adara. I hope you don’t mind that I’m using your good friend as arm candy.”
Darci giggled and leaned in to whisper. “I’ve used him for arm candy a time or two, so I understand.”
Michael cleared his throat. “I’m standing right here, ladies.”
Darci grinned and kissed his cheek. “And you look mighty fine doing it. Have fun tonight you two.” The couple went to mingle with some of Adara’s friends. Darci turned to someone trying to say hello to her and Bradley watched, amused at the way she bounced from person to person. A moment later he saw Jim Perkins heading their way.
“Mr. Givens. Nice to see you here tonight.” Bradley shook his outstretched hand as Darci turned her attention to them. “Hi, Darci. Thanks for showing up at the luncheon after all today. It was a tremendous help,” Jim said. Bradley turned and glared at Darci but didn’t say anything.
“Oh, sure no problem, Jim,” Darci mumbled. Bradley could tell she was nervous by the way she fiddled with her small clutch. She fucking should be nervous. Bradley swept his gaze back to Jim who was excusing himself to find his table. When he was gone, Bradley turned his full attention to Darci. Stalking toward her, he backed her against a wall.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“You are in so much fucking trouble when we get home,” Bradley whispered through clenched teeth. Darci was up against the back wall of the grand ballroom, He flattened his palms against the wall on either side of her as his cold, angry gaze locked on hers.
She tried to shrink away from him, but she was trapped by his arms and his angry glare. She couldn’t remember him ever being this angry before. Shit, she thought to herself. How do I get out of this one?
“I’m sorry, Bradley. I don’t know what you want me to say. I had to get out of there. It was important.”
“Nothing is more important than your safety,” he hissed. “We’ll discuss this at home. Now smile and kiss me. We have an appearance to keep up. But you, young lady, are on my shit list right now.”
His fingers trailed tenderly down her cheek until his hand reached her neck and he slipped it into her hair. To onlookers, they looked like a couple canoodling in the corner. Only Darci could see his anger and feel the pain as he pulled her hair. She did as she was told and smiled even though her insides trembled. He was furious.
When she leaned up to kiss his cheek, she winced. His hand still had a tight grip on her hair.
“I’m sorry, please don’t be angry with me.” Her voice trembled as she tried to hold back tears. For a moment, his grip tightened. But he didn’t say anything else, and she knew he wouldn’t until they got home. It was going to be a long night.
Why did her boss have to say anything to him about her little field trip today? But Jim didn’t know about their dynamic yet, so his comments seemed harmless. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She cursed herself. Bradley put her arm through his and led them to their dinner table. They still had at least three hours to be here. That might be enough time for him to calm down
They made it through dinner without incident, though she could still feel his anger every time he looked at her. She tried to apologize with her eyes, but it didn’t seem to be affecting him. As the dessert plates were being cleared, she excused herself to the ladies’ room.
“I’ll escort you,” Bradley said, rising from his seat. To the guests at their table his smile was genuine, but Darci could tell it didn’t reach his eyes. She wanted to object but decided against it until they were away from the table.
“I don’t need an escort to the bathroom, Bradley.”
“From where I stand, you can’t be trusted to go anywhere on your own.” His tone was harsh, and she sighed. He was not any less angry. This was not going well. He left her at the bathroom door, though it wouldn’t have surprised her if he’d tried to go in with her. When she finished, she opened the door and could hear Bradley’s voice.
“How the fuck did you let her get past you? I’m paying you to fucking protect her. Why didn’t you call me the second you knew she was gone?”
She cringed. She didn’t mean for the guard to get in trouble. He was apologizing as she walked up to them.
“Please don’t yell at him, Bradley. I’m the one who left them.”
“Stay out of this, Darci. You’re in enough trouble as it is. It’s their job to keep tabs on you.”
It was probably best not to say anything else right now. “I’ll be inside talking to Senator Stills’ chief of staff.” Turning, she headed back into the ballroom.
It was already transitioning into a dance party. On any other night, she would have had a drink or two and pulled Bradley onto the dance floor. Maybe she still could. At first, he would resist, but she could be convincing. She was just about to head to the bar for a drink when she felt him behind her.
“Let’s dance,” he said, turning her to face him.
“I thought you were mad at me.”
“I am, but we can still dance. If we have to be here, we might as well enjoy it.” Relaxing just a bit, she followed him to the dance floor.
They danced for a little while, and Darci was grateful for his ability to put aside his anger and enjoy spending time with her. She had a feeling she was still in trouble but tried not to think about it. Earlier, his anger reminded her of Damion, and it made her nauseous. She hoped her fuck-up didn’t bring out a bad side of Bradley that she didn’t know was there.
They did a little more mingling, and Darci got her opportunity to chat with Senator Atleigh. True to his word, Bradley let her approach him unsupervised. She was polite but had no problem letting him know she thought his proposed legislation was ridiculous.
Even though she wanted to, she didn’t say anything about the other bill Bradley had warned her was coming. Not only did she not want to get Bradley fired, she figured she was already in enough trouble with him later. The senator didn’t have much to say, but he seemed to be following his handlers’ script for once, so it wasn’t an unpleasa
nt conversation. After a few minutes, she moved on.
Michael asked her to dance, and while they were circling the dance floor, he asked her how things were going with Bradley. Unsure of the answer herself, she just told him things were good and changed the subject, asking about Adara. The question made her friend blush.
“Oh my god, you really like her,” she exclaimed. He nodded and spun her out to twirl her under his arm.
“I’m not ready to talk about it, but yes, I like her.” She squealed and threw her arms around him. He laughed. “Get out of here, I’m sure your man is looking for you.”
With a grin, she left him to go find someone else to talk to, not quite ready to seek Bradley out again.
As she was finishing a conversation with Jim and his date, Bradley approached and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He whispered into her ear so only she could hear.
“You and I have some things we need to address, so you should say goodnight.” His teeth grazed her ear, and she tried not to groan out loud. Things were about to get interesting.
They said their goodbyes and went to collect their coats.
Bradley was silent for the entire ride home, but he kept his arm around her the whole trip. At the apartment, she was amused if not slightly worried because the guard that normally stood watch directly outside his door stated that he would keep watch from the front desk tonight.
When Bradley had locked the door behind them, he turned and gazed at her for a moment. Nerves twisted her insides.
“I would like some wine, pet.”
His request took her by surprise, and she stared at him confused for a minute before turning for the kitchen where she poured them both a glass of chilled chardonnay.
When she came out of the kitchen, he wasn’t in the entryway or the living room. The light was on in his office, so she tapped on the door with both wine glasses in one hand. “You can come in.” His voice was soft. She set his glass on the desk and stood awkwardly holding her own.