“How are you feeling?”
Gideon shrugged and finally looked away from Meg’s fresh face. The touch of makeup she’d applied made her already beautiful face look breathtaking.
“I feel great, thanks to you.”
“Yeah?”
“I do.” He smiled, genuinely happy for the first time in longer than he could remember.
Meg felt that thought pass through his mind and found herself fighting off a blush creeping up her throat and curling around her ears.
She decided she needed to get his mind off her. It was safer for everyone. “So have you ever attended one of these functions?”
“Yes, a couple of times. I go as the Senator’s bodyguard.”
“Have you ever had to protect him?”
“It’s more crowd control and arranging the drop off and pick up with Ermos, but it’s been a while. I was busy protecting an asset in Italy for the past several months.”
He looked over at the stunningly beautiful girl beside him and thought back to the days and nights watching her sleep in her hospital gown. He had always been watchful for sick perverts who would do her harm. He never allowed anyone to touch her. Ever. Gideon, the protector, took great pride in that fact.
“So what can I expect tonight?”
“We’re going to the Brisbee Benefit. A lot of fancy people dressed in diamonds and gold will be there to try to get the Senator to vote in their favor on bills, and the Senator will trade his promise for more money and backing.”
“What does he want ‘backing’ for?” Meg asked as she leaned down and adjusted the strap of her beautiful high heeled pump.
Gideon watched her every move. The way her fingers slipped down her ankle. The muscles flexing in her arms and back as far as the dress would allow. He was having a hard time keeping up with the conversation, and just when he thought things were going more than fine, someone else decided to take the lead. Gideon felt pushed back.
“Gideon?” Meg looked up from her shoe and into the black eyes of Sirus.
“Back off, baby.”
“Sirus? Why are you here?” Meg instinctively spoke in a hushed tone as though Sirus’ existence were some kind of secret.
Sirus lifted his thick hands in a shrug. “You tell me, doll. I’m just along for the ride.”
“Tell Gideon I want to talk to him.”
Sirus slouched back in his chair, wrinkling the freshly pressed tuxedo he wore.
“Nope. He’s gone, baby, gone.”
“Why are you acting like this?”
“Like what?”
Meg looked more closely at his face and flinched at what she saw. “Who are you?”
The body Gideon was hiding inside of just shrugged. “What does it matter?”
“It’s only polite to introduce yourself and tell me your role in the system,” Meg stood and crossed her arms angrily at the new alter who appeared without warning.
He rolled his eyes and huffed. “Fine, baby doll. Call me Keegan.” He stood and bowed deeply, sweeping his hand ostentatiously to the side before standing upright and looking playfully smug.
“Keegan, what is your role in the system?” Meg asked seriously. Though she’d had to do this before, it was still unnerving to speak to a familiar face and ask for an introduction.
“I’m the chill one,” he cocked his head smugly and shrugged.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, my little red doll, you must have made the boys awful tense, so they pushed my ass forward.”
Meg heard voices coming from the Senator’s corridor.
“Do you know what we’re doing?”
“Not a clue,” he answered flippantly.
“We’re going to the Brisbee Benefit with the Senator and Michelle. Ring any bells?” she hissed.
“Nope.”
“Oh, shit.”
“You need to relax, Red.” He reached out to drape his big hands on her shoulders as though she needed a massage right then and there.
“Stop it!” she swatted his hands away. “Behave yourself or you’ll be left behind.”
“That’s cool. I’m sure I could find a game to watch on the tube.”
The voices were coming from right around the corner.
“Please keep trying to get Gideon to step forward,” she muttered under her breath.
“As you wish, doll face.”
“Meg!” she spun and yelled. “My name is Meg!”
“Chill, Meg. We’re being watched.” Keegan had leaned down to whisper in her ear. His warm breath tickled the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck giving her immediate goose bumps down that side of her body.
The Senator was watching.
Michelle stood with her boney hip jutting to one side, seeming far more interested in her burgundy nail polish than what was happening in the foyer.
“Is everything all right, Meg?” The Senator’s eyes bored holes in Keegan’s forehead.
“Yes, of course. We were just debating my name: Naya or Meg. I have definitely chosen Meg.”