Under Pressure (Body Armor #1)(70)
*
BECAUSE OF A steadily falling sleet, Sahara held Justice’s arm—more like a tree trunk—on the slippery walk to the car. It was late, nearing 9:00 p.m., thanks to the lead she’d followed on the web. Sometimes tearing herself away from her work was harder than the work itself.
It was only knowing that Justice waited for her that convinced her to call it a night.
Her high heels were rarely a problem; she could run across snow-covered gravel in them without a single slip. But ice? It wouldn’t matter if she wore athletic shoes, she would still welcome a supporting arm.
“You’ve kept a lot of late nights,” Justice observed.
Which meant he, too, had suffered the same.
Over the past three days, she’d checked in with Leese on the progress each of them had made in their research. It wasn’t easy to talk privately with him when he and Catalina shared such close quarters. Generally she’d wait until they were leaving the gym so she could catch him while Catalina showered.
At first she’d been mildly irked about the breach of professionalism. But alas, she was a romantic at heart. While neither of them had mentioned love to her, even a blind man could tell that their relationship was beyond casual.
Sahara was far from blind.
The way the two of them clicked was actually heartwarming to see, and though she might be a barracuda in the business world, she was still a woman, and she enjoyed witnessing true affection.
So it was taboo. So what?
She ran the business and she could break any rules she wanted. Since she didn’t want to lose Leese as her number one agent, and since Catalina clearly wouldn’t be issuing any complaints about the familiarity, what could it hurt?
Now if only Catalina would come clean on the rest of the details. But she remained too wary to openly trust.
So far, without Cat’s knowledge, Sahara and Leese had narrowed down Webb Nicholson’s most likely cohorts to three men, two of them in politics. Before either of them said anything to anyone else, they needed more facts. Any accusations that couldn’t be proven would result in disastrous lawsuits that could cripple the company.
She couldn’t risk that.
Her PI was one of only a handful of people she trusted. Leese and, amazingly, Justice, were two others.
“Have you minded being my bodyguard?” Sahara asked.
Because he’d been too quiet, his gaze going everywhere around the lot, her question took him by surprise. “Why would I mind?”
Casting a knowing look on him, Sahara smiled. “I’ve seriously cut into your free time.”
He rolled a massive shoulder. “Not a big deal. I like this shit. It’s interesting, I’m learning the ropes and you’re easy to talk to.”
“Thank you.” She patted his arm. “You’ll enjoy the next job more, I’m sure.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he admitted, then tugged at his ear in what she’d learned to recognize was a nervous gesture.
Justice was an attractive man. Not GQ gorgeous like Leese, but more rugged, earthy and real. He had that “from the streets” look, and all the authenticity of thickened ears and a few scars that proved him a real fighter.
“But...?” Sahara asked.
“Guess I’m kinda edgy about it too.”
“You’ll do a wonderful job. I have complete faith in you.” She liked Justice and saw great potential in him. “Look at it this way. An actor would only hire you to get the authentic experiences, yes? So you can completely be yourself, but maybe with a little understanding that he is the client and he’s paying. See what I mean?”
Without a lot of conviction, he said, “Sure.”
Smiling, she hugged his arm. “Just be the big, badass, cocky dude that you are, and I promise he’ll appreciate it.”
“I guess I can do that.”
“So, Justice.” She stepped around a patch of ice. “Do you have a regular girlfriend?”
He stalled, cleared his throat, frowned and then coughed. “Um, Ms. Silver...”
With the night so dark and the air so still, her laugh echoed everywhere. “I’m not hitting on you, Justice, I promise. Unlike our friend Leese, I never mix business with pleasure and besides, as much as I admire you, we’re hardly suited.”
Relieved, he flashed her a sinner’s smile. “No, ma’am.”
The awkward politeness from such a hulking, muscular guy tickled her. On Justice, even the Mohawk worked, adding to his unique persona. “I asked because this profession can be very demanding. There will be jobs that keep you away from home 24/7. It won’t be easy to carry on a committed relationship.”
“Works for me.”
So he enjoyed the singles scene? Given his appeal, that didn’t surprise her. “Well, if it ever does become an issue, I want you to know that you can come to me. I like to keep my agents happy. So if at some point you fall in love, talk to me and we’ll see if we can adjust the jobs to accommodate romance.” After all, she was being quite accommodating for Leese. She would do no less for Justice.
He skipped right past any possibility of romance and asked, “Does that mean you plan to keep me around?”
“Most definitely.” It fed her business-savvy soul to have male employees who were not only large, capable and sexy, but also possessed a certain cocky savoir faire.