Protecting Lily Read online

Kind Regards,

  Rita Knowles

  Executive Assistant

  Lily's Lingerie

  Grayson read the email twice. He couldn’t possibly land a job this important from a website called Manservants.

  He composed his email response in his mind wondering if, for once, his life was turning around for the better. If he could land this job and provide a good service, it could be the start to rebuilding his firm and his bank account.

  2

  Lily flopped down into the chair at the head of the boardroom table as Rita walked up to her.

  “How did the meeting go?”

  “Oh just wonderfully. The best meeting I’ve ever had with clients.”

  Rita sat in the chair next to her. “That good, huh?”

  “They won’t budge on the security guard issue. They want someone with me the whole time I’m working with the stones.”

  “Did you really think they would, Lil? We’re talking about hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of loose stones. Maybe even millions. Honestly, it was naïve of you to think they wouldn’t demand security measures of some sort.”

  “We have a good alarm system and it’s not like I’m going to leave the stones unattended. I’ll be with them all the time. Don’t forget we purchased a state of the art safe to house those diamonds. On the plus side, they’re going to foot the bill and let me find a suitable security firm. Someone I’ll feel comfortable working with.”

  Lily sat quietly for a few seconds before murmuring to herself. “I wonder if I could somehow work it that the guard sits in my office while I’m working on the garments. That way we have security but he won’t be in my face bothering me. I mean he’ll be in the vicinity of my workshop. You know the only way to get to my workroom is through my office. It will be perfect.”

  “Umm I don’t think that’s what they meant when they said they wanted someone with you.”

  “Well it’s what I’m going to do. You know I can’t have anyone with me in my workroom. It messes with my routine.”

  Maintaining her routine was as important as her lists. Routines made sense to her. After being sent back to the group home after a disaster foster home visit Lily had jumped at having her routines back. She knew what to do in the home. When she went to foster homes she had no idea what they wanted or expected of her. The older she got the harder it was to fit into a strange home.

  “Lil, you may have no choice. You don’t want to risk them dropping in unexpectedly to see what’s going on and find the security guard they’re paying for sitting in your office reading magazines and drinking coffee.”

  When Rita put it like that she supposed she couldn’t do what she wanted. Her elation died a little bit.

  “What am I going to do, Rita?”

  Her friend reached over and placed her hand over the top of Lily’s. “You’re going to have to suck it up princess. This is too big a deal to lose over your need to be the artist and do everything in private. And your stupid routines.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “Damn straight I am. I’ve been looking around on the internet for some security.”

  “How did you know we could choose our own?”

  “I didn’t, I thought if we had any say in who would do security I’d better do some research.”

  This was another reason why Lily paid big bucks to keep her friend by her side. “I take it you’ve come across a reputable company? Because they’d have to be squeaky clean to work with Bents I’m sure.”

  “I have found the perfect service and I’ve already made an enquiry.”

  A wicked gleam entered Rita’s eye and Lily bit back a groan. “Oh please don’t tell me the name of the company is Bodyguards r us.”

  Rita burst out laughing. “Not quite.”

  “Lay it on me, Rita. What have you found?”

  “I’ve found a company that will do anything you want.”

  This was becoming worse than she thought. “Anything?”

  “Yes anything. Anything you want, this service provides. You want a bodyguard with an accent they’ll send you one. You want a butler for your house or for a party. They’ll send you one. You need someone to clean your house wearing nothing but boxer shorts. They’ll send you the perfect man. If you want—”

  “A warm body in your bed they’ll send you one. It sounds like a man whore service.”

  “It’s not a whore service, Lily. Before I made contact with the person I thought would be perfect for the job. I looked into the website and phoned some of the people who left reviews. It’s a legitimate business it’s not an escort service at all.”

  “Okay so what’s the name of this fabulous one stop shop?”

  “The website’s called,” Rita paused and Lily knew it was for dramatic affect. “Manservants.”

  Grayson walked into the offices of Lily's Lingerie. His eyes automatically scanned the open plan reception area. The design layout easy pickings for someone to sneak in if the desk was unattended, as it currently was.

  He strode over to the desk and slapped his hand down on the bell a couple of times. He drummed his fingers on the dark wood as he waited for someone to come and see who had rung the bell. Grayson knew he'd arrived early for his appointment. He'd done it on purpose. Nothing like putting the client on the back foot. By doing that, he was better able to let them know the security requirements they would need.

  After he'd received and responded to Rita's email he'd done some background checks into Lily Green and Lily's Lingerie.

  He had to admit, he admired the tenacity Lily Green had shown over the years. From her less than stellar childhood, she’d become the name on every woman’s lips when it came to buying lingerie. Not only did she have an exclusive line for high-end department stores, she also made affordable lingerie for lower income women. He admired her for not letting success make her forget about where she came from.

  Grayson hadn’t been able to find much about her family history, only that she had been orphaned when she was three and lived in the foster care system. He wanted to dig a little deeper. Find out why she had to live in foster homes until she aged out at eighteen. Why hadn’t someone wanted to adopt her?

  Then there was this new deal. A brief announcement had appeared in the press that she'd been asked to create a collection to showcase Bent Diamonds. He’d been unable to find any more details about the collaboration between the two companies. It seemed Bent Diamonds wanted to create a slow buzz in the media. He could understand their reasoning. Nothing like keeping secrets to create the hype needed for such a unique collection.

  He reached out to ring the bell again when a door down the hallway opened and slammed against the wall.

  “Rita, god dammit, where the hell is my list? Are you playing tricks on me because if you are, I don’t find it funny.”

  With her head down, clearly on a mission to find her list, Grayson stood his ground and watched the approaching woman. From the color of her golden hair, he knew the whirling dervish bearing down on him was none other than Lily Green.

  Abruptly, as if he’d made a sound, Lily stopped and looked up. Before he could get out a single word, she let out a yelp before stating. “Who are you? And how did you get in?”

  Grayson took a few moments to get himself under control. Seeing Lily in a promotional shot was completely different than seeing her in person. She wasn’t tall, about a foot shorter to his six foot three. She was light to his dark. His body tightened in desire at the sight of her trim figure. Her curves were subtle. The type of curves that hinted at hidden treasures. But what drew him in where her eyes. Beneath the pools of bright blue, her vulnerability shone through. That vulnerability was more attractive to him than a well stacked woman wearing fuck-me-shoes. Every protective instinct he’d honed while in the military came rushing to the forefront of his mind. He wanted to gather her close and kiss her until the vulnerability changed to desire.

  The thought pulled him up short.

  Lily Gr
een was a client, not a prospective bed partner.

  “I asked you how you got in here. If you don’t answer I’m going to call the police.”

  Her words ripped away the haze of desire surrounding him since he’d set eyes on her.

  “No need to call the police. I’m Grayson Warren from Warren Security. We have an appointment this morning.”

  “Lily, I found your list.” Another woman walked down the hallway waving a piece of paper in the air. She stopped in front of him and Lily. She looked him up and down with a spark of interest in her eyes. Her look didn’t stir any answering interest in him at all. Now if it had been Lily then that would’ve be a different proposition all together.

  “Well now, who do we have here?” the newcomer asked.

  Grayson recognized her as Rita, Lily’s assistant and best friend, from his background research into the company.

  “God, Rita, you’re married. Keep your panties on.”

  “I can window shop so long as I don’t buy.”

  Grayson watched the byplay between the two women. The way they traded barbs showed the depth of their relationship. From his investigations, he knew both of them had grown up in the foster home system. By the way they interacted, it was obvious to him they leaned on each other a lot.

  “Whatever, Rita. But in answer to your question as to what we have here. We have your Manservant. Have at him.”

  With a flick of her honey gold hair that had his fingers itching to see if it felt as soft as it looked, Lily plucked the piece of paper out of Rita’s hand and stomped off down the hall.

  As exits it went, Grayson had to give her credit. It was impressive. His body begged him to follow to see if she kissed with as much fire as she did stomping down the hallway.

  He made a move to follow, but pulled himself back quickly.

  What the fuck? She was a potential client.

  He had to remember that pertinent fact. This job presented him with a much needed opportunity to rebuild his reputation. If he pulled this job off. A job where he had the responsibility of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of diamonds then it would show everyone he could be trusted. He wasn’t like Wayne. Lured by the temptation of the very thing he was employed to protect.

  “Umm hello? Mr. Manservant.”

  A hand waving in front of his face and the reference to Manservant pulled him back to the present. Donning a metaphoric cloak of professionalism he dragged his gaze from the now empty hallway to the woman standing in front of him. He ignored the speculative look in her eyes and gave her a bland smile.

  He stuck out his hand. “Good morning, Grayson Warren of Warren Security. You must be Rita, Ms. Green’s assistant?”

  Rita took his hand in a firm grip. He gave it a quick squeeze before releasing it.

  “Yes, I am Rita and if you follow me Mr. Warren we can get started.”

  She headed down the same hallway Lily had disappeared down. Somehow Grayson had a feeling he was about to see Lily again. The idea appealed to him. She intrigued him and he didn’t know why.

  But whatever intrigued him about her would have to be ignored. He had a job to do. A job he would do properly.

  3

  The paper Lily held in her hand may as well have been blank for all the attention she gave it. In her mind, all she saw was a man in a sexy suit with a military short haircut and eyes that looked right into her soul. Uncompromising eyes. Eyes that held secrets, but demanded answers from everyone else. No compassion showed in their blue depths.

  Grayson Warren had a presence you couldn’t ignore. And he was the man Rita said would be perfect for the job of providing security while she worked.

  An unfamiliar emotion of restlessness overwhelmed her and she pushed back from her desk and started to pace.

  Grayson Warren was the exact type of person she didn’t want anywhere near her. She had a feeling he would be overbearing. She’d had a lifetime of overbearing men and didn’t need another one interfering with her business. Too many men had never taken her or her business plan seriously when she’d presented it to them. They’d all reminded her of the man in charge of the group foster home she’d grown up in. He had been mean and always gave more attention to the boys than the girls.

  There was no way she would be able to convince Grayson that he should sit in her the hallway out the front of her office, as far away from her workroom as possible. And even if he did agree with her idea, with his looks, he’d be a distraction to everyone. Even the happily married Rita practically drooled when she first saw him. She could only imagine what the rest of her female staff would do when they clapped eyes on Mr. Manservant Security Man.

  A brisk knock sounded and before she could say leave me alone the door swung open and in walked Rita and Grayson Warren.

  “Lily, Grayson wants to talk to you about the services he can provide for you.”

  Taking a deep breath, she faced him. “Mr. Warren, I think my assistant has made a mistake with regards to our security needs.”

  “What are you talking about, Lil? I don’t make mistakes. We need security you know that,” retorted Rita.

  Lily glared at her friend. “I know we need security. We just don’t need him.”

  “Him is standing here you know. And from what I can see you certainly do need me. You’re a security disaster waiting to happen.”

  Lily bristled under his brusque tone. She’d spent her whole life making decisions for herself and she hadn’t failed yet. She certainly wasn’t going to fail now. There had to be a security person out there who wouldn’t be an over the top man whose attitude spelled his way or the highway.

  “We’ve never had a security disaster,” she emphasized. “ever.”

  “Never say never,” he responded. His superior tone coming through with every word he spoke.

  Summoning the courage she’d used to get where she was today. Lily looked up and faced Grayson square on. His eyes dared her to take him on. Although they were closed off to her now. She couldn’t see into his thoughts and she didn’t like it. Her earlier suspicion he was hiding things intensified. After having so many people deceive her with lying eyes. She wasn’t going to be tricked again.

  Not to mention his domineering ways. If those traits weren’t so obvious to her she’d be saying yes to have him provide security. As it stood now, if she employed Grayson she would be spending her days fighting with him instead of working.

  “Look, Mr. Warren, I appreciate the time you’ve taken to come out and see us. But as I have the final say. Well I’m sorry, but no thank you. I think we will look at another firm to provide our security services.”

  If Lily hadn’t been watching him so closely, she wouldn’t have seen the tightening around his mouth. Or the way his shoulders slumped for half a second before they straightened again.

  “If that’s the way you feel. But let me tell you Ms. Green. No decent security guard, who knows how to do his job properly, will do what you want a security guard to do.”

  Lily arched her eyebrow at him and crossed her arms across her chest. “Really? And what is I’m wanting him to do for me?”

  Grayson walked up to her desk, laid his palms face down on the surface and leaned forward. Every part of her wanted to take a step back. His presence and actions so overpowering. But she’d never backed down when a bully at one of her many foster homes threatened her. She wasn’t about to start now.

  “You, Ms. Green, want a security guard who will sit on his ass drinking coffee while flicking through magazines. You want said guard to be as far away from you as possible. You, Ms. Green, want a paper cutout security guard. And the person who takes that job is not worth the money you pay them.”

  Try as she might, Lily couldn’t prevent the gasp from escaping her. Grayson had nailed exactly what she wanted. How had he done it? What had she said or done to give herself away?

  Rita’s laughter rang out around the room. “Oh geez he’s got you there, Lil. He’s perfect. The job is yours Grayson Warren of
Warren Security.”

  “What?” exclaimed Lily. “No, no, no. He doesn’t have the job and you can’t give it to him.”

  Rita walked over to Lily’s desk. “I can. As your Human Resources Manager slash Executive Assistant. You told me to deal with all staff appointments, so I am.”

  “Seriously, Rita? This is tot—”

  “What if I don’t want to take the job? Have you thought of that?” interrupted Grayson.

  Relief swept through Lily. If Grayson didn’t want the job then her problem with having to deal with him was gone.

  “Well, good. Glad we’re on the same page.” Lily headed toward the open door. “Thanks for stopping by Mr. Warren.”

  She managed to direct her gaze to Grayson’s face. It was set in a determined line. Lily’s stomach tightened up again as he sauntered over to where she stood.

  “I said what if. I didn’t actually say I didn’t want to take the job.”

  “Oh no, you can’t go and change your mind now.”

  He smiled a cat’s-got-the-cream type smile. Lily knew the battle had been lost. His next words confirmed it. “Oh yes I can,” he turned to look at Rita. The traitor had a big smile on her face almost like she’d planned the whole situation. “Thank you, Rita, I’m happy to take on the role of providing security for Lily’s Lingerie.”

  “Fantastic,” replied Rita in a tone Lily knew well. Rita was trying very hard not to laugh. “If you come with me we can talk contracts etc. Then you can come back and talk to Lily about all the services you can provide her with.”

  The double entrende wasn’t lost on Lily. She controlled the urge to pick up her stapler and throw it at Rita as she walked out of the office with Grayson walking behind her. When he turned back to look at her he sent her a killer smile, bringing out a small dimple in his right cheek. A small portion of her anger melted away at the sight. She’d always loved a dimple on a man. It was one of the items on her perfect man list.

  That was the only thing about him that graced her list. Grayson Warren was everything she didn’t want in a man. He was arrogant, alpha, over bearing. Thought he was always right.