“It will.” Because she’d now worked out how to bypass the security code and get into Jake’s safe. Then he would have to upgrade her.
“You really imagine the boss is going to put you in harm’s way?”
She gave a casual shrug of her shoulder. “I don’t see why not.”
Steve shook his head as if she were particularly dim-witted. “So how is the love life?”
“I don’t have a love life.” Not anymore and probably never again.
“So the boss hasn’t declared eternal love and gotten down on one knee yet?”
“No, and he’s not going to. Jake’s not like that.”
“Yeah, right, of course he’s not. The guys have got a pool going—how long before he gets a ring on your finger.”
She glared at him, lips pursed. “I hope you’ve bet on never. Because otherwise, you’re going to lose your money.”
“Are you saying there’s nothing between the two of you?”
She squirmed. “Not ‘nothing’ exactly. But neither of us is interested in long term.”
“You totally believe that, don’t you? The boss branded you as his property from the moment you walked through the front doors.”
“I don’t belong to Jake.”
“Why not? I say grab him while you can.”
She gritted her teeth. “I—”
Her phone rang, and she picked it up.
“Kim? He wants to see you.” It was Margie, Jake’s assistant, so Kim knew exactly who “he” was.
“I can’t, I’m on my way out.”
“He told me to say that if you don’t get up here now, you won’t have a job tomorrow.”
“He wouldn’t.”
Margie chuckled. “He said he would.”
She put the phone down to find Steve leaning against the wall, arms folded, a smirk on his face.
She glared. “He probably wants to assign me a really dangerous job.”
“Of course he does.”
…
“You want me to what?”
Kim tried to look anywhere but at that big steel desk, but it was hard to avoid, especially with Jake sitting behind it. As usual, he appeared totally relaxed. No seething hormones bothering him, then. It didn’t seem fair.
He steepled his fingers and studied her out of inscrutable eyes. “I want you to act as my bodyguard at my father’s party tomorrow night and then afterward as long as it takes.”
As long as what takes?
“You do?” Her first bodyguarding job. Something occurred to her, and a tightness squeezed her chest. “Are you in danger? Is someone after you?”
“Only Nadia.”
A mixture of relief and irritation mingled inside her. Relief that Jake wasn’t in real trouble. Irritation that he was wasting her time and raising her hopes. For a moment there, she’d really believed she was going to be able to say “I told you so” to Steve.
“Would you prefer me to be in danger?” Jake asked.
“Of course not. Not really. But it would have been nice to save you from someone truly threatening. Then you might have been appreciative of my superb bodyguarding skills.”
“Do this, get Nadia off my back, and I’ll be appreciative.”
She sat in the chair opposite him and thought for a few seconds. This didn’t make a lot of sense, but she couldn’t see any reason why he would make it up. “You want me to guard you against Nadia?” He nodded. “Am I allowed to shoot her if she gets too close?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Knock her out? I’ve been practicing pressure points.”
“If she looks like she’s a danger to me—feel free.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“She doesn’t appear willing to accept that the relationship is over.”
“Well, what can you expect when you’re so good that she feels the need to tell everyone about it?”
His raised a brow, and she cursed herself. She was supposed to avoid the subject of sex, so why had she said that? Probably because she was more than a little miffed that he avoided it as well. He’d been behaving as though they were back to their old relationship. Which was good. Wasn’t it?
“Under other circumstances, I’d just cut her off, but she’s a family friend, and my mother informed me that Nadia has had…emotional issues in the past.”
“Well, what a surprise—I told you she was unstable. You have only yourself—”
“Shut up, Kim.”
She clamped her lips closed and made a zipper sign with her fingers.
“So, I have to tread gently, but I want to make it clear in no uncertain terms that it’s over between us.”
“And if she still doesn’t accept it, then I knock her out.”
“Not quite.” A smile tugged at his lips. “You’re going undercover.”
“Undercover as what?”
“My girlfriend, of course. Or maybe even my fiancée. Anyway, the love of my life.” She remained silent—she could think of absolutely nothing to say—and waited for him to continue. “Nadia already suspects there’s something between us, so we’re going to play along with that.”
“You want me to play the love of your life?”
“Yes.”
“At your father’s party.”
“And other times as well. She may be having me watched. We have to be convincing.”