Page 12 of Wickedly Played
“I don’t need this,” I mutter.
“Max!” Jim shouts at my retreating back. “Look, give it a month, or until her other guards can come back. She needs you.”
I look at Serena’s face, which is twisted in annoyance. “Are you okay with that, sweetness?” I ask her. I cross my arms over my chest and feel the material of my shirt sliding up on my arms, and watch her eyes as she follows the movement.
“Fine. I’ll try anything twice to make sure I liked it,” she flirts back. “You can move into that room behind there. I prefer my guards to dress in a specific manner, so I can order you some clothes. Please leave your sizes with Jim.”
I look at Jim, who shakes his head. “She’s a ball buster, but she does have an image to protect.” Little does she realize, I have more than enough suits to wear.
Little does this little girl realize that I can read her like a book. She can pretend she’s not bothered by this stalker all she wants, but I know the truth. She’s downright petrified.
And she should be, because a stalker like this is going to get fired up after they see me.
Chapter Five
SERENA
Luckily, Max is about the same size as David was, making it easy for him to wear a suit tonight. If he’s going to represent me, I need to ensure he does it thoroughly.
Max has been my employee for two weeks now. For the last two weeks, he’s been a sentinel for me outside of my shows and walks me back to the car. As much as I feel this push and pull from him, I must admit he’s good at his job.
The problem?
The longer I’m with him or around him, the more I like him. He’s fucking hot. However, he’s made it clear that he doesn’t see me like that.
I can’t help but feel my heart jump every time he comes near me. He would have to be blind not to see the effect he has on me.
With everything packed, I bring my bag downstairs to see that Max is already waiting for me.Holy shit.He’s wearing a navy suit with a crisp, white shirt under it. The expensive material is stretched over his muscles, and judging by that cocky smile, he knows he looks good.
“The Escalade is up front for us,” he informs me before opening the door.
I sweetly smiled at him while I get situated in the truck. He takes the driver’s seat, leaving me in the passenger seat. I look over at him as he finagles the controls of the luxury SUV before pulling out of the driveway.
Damn. It should be illegal to look that good while driving in a suit.
With my mind focused on the material stretched over his taut muscles, I missed what he had said. It didn’t register that he said anything until he called my name. “Serena?”
“Uh, what?” I blink to clear my racing thoughts.
“You’re awfully distracted,” Max surmises.
Shrugging, I look out the window to clear my mind. “I guess. This stalker thing has been time-consuming, and all everyone wants to talk about,” I admit. “I get that it is a big deal. I understand that. I’m just tired of it controlling my whole life.”
“All right. Want to tell me how you got into all of this?” His deep voice is smooth as it washes over me.
For two weeks, we danced around each other. Max has grown accustomed to my home schedule, and I have grown accustomed to him being here. I’ve mostly been busy with my clients, caming, while he has been looking through the cameras in the home. I’ve noticed how thorough he is with his surveillance.
I need to get it together.
“Not really. Want to tell me why you aren’t a SEAL anymore?”
He doesn’t crack a smile, but his eyes are dancing with mischief. “That’s not how this works, little girl.”
Everyone loves to ask why I got into this. “It is one of those things that has a different million reasons why… type of situation,” I casually throw out. There are several reasons why I got into it, but one main reason stands out.
“You’re not going to tell me?” Max asks, his lips curled into a slight smirk.
Bastard.
