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Chelsey’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
“Not a real date,” Egypt hurried to say. “His actual date backed out, and after a short conversation, I suggested that we have one of our female security specialists pose as his date. Since he wants three people on his detail, you’ll be one of them. Oh, and he knows that you’ll be there to provide security and nothing else. Are you game?”
Egypt could’ve gotten someone else for the assignment, but this was Chelsey’s chance to show them that she was ready to provide personal protection.
“I’m game.”
“Be at the office tomorrow night by eight. Oh, and you won’t need to wear a black suit,” she said of the security specialist’s usual uniform. “The attire is formal. Since this is for the job, you’ll receive a generous spending allowance to buy an evening gown. Unless you already have one. If that’s the case, you can keep the allowance as a bonus.”
Chelsey chuckled. “Nice! Talk about perks.”
“I know, right? But it’s the least Supreme can do for you, especially on such short notice. Just make sure whatever you wear, you can move easily in the garment. You’ll get more information tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Sis. I appreciate the opportunity.”
“My pleasure.”
Giddiness bubbled inside of Chelsey as she disconnected that call and clicked back over to the call with India. Suddenly the night was looking up.
“India, your girl got an assignment for tomorrow night.”
As Chelsey told her friend about the job, her excitement grew. All she needed was a chance to prove to Mason and Hamilton that she could handle herself. There was no doubt in her mind that she was ready and if all went well, she’d be a shoo-in for one of the open security specialist’s positions.
“Okay, so you know I’m saving to buy a house,” Chelsey said. “How about you loan me one of your evening gowns, and then I can pocket the bonus from Supreme.”
India laughed. “Girl, as much as you’ve talked about wanting to do security, the least I can do is loan you a dress. I have a feeling I already know which one you’re going to choose.”
Chelsey grinned. Her friend was an entertainment agent and was always attending formal events. Her massive closet had more clothes than the woman could wear in a lifetime and yes, Chelsey had the perfect evening gown in mind.
“I’m going to prove to Mason and Hamilton that they need more women and that I can handle the job.”
“Well, be careful what you wish for. Hopefully the guy you’ll be guarding doesn’t turn out to be a jerk.”
Chelsey wasn’t worried. If the guy ended up being a creep, dealing with him would be good practice for future assignments.
“Now, let’s get back to Parker,” India said. “You need to swallow your stubborn pride and talk to him. Or if nothing else, you need to listen to whatever he has to say. You always said that the breakup didn’t make sense. It sounds like he might’ve had a good reason.”
“India, I’m not ready to talk to him, especially not after tonight. I felt like an idiot when he told me about Terrance.”
“How did he know you’ve been going out with Terrance?”
“After our first date, Terrance and I had just pulled into my driveway when I saw Parker climbing out of his vehicle acrossthe street. When Terrance got out to open the door for me, Parker climbed back into his truck.
“Terrance didn’t notice him, and I made it look like I hadn’t seen him. He took off as we approached the porch.I wouldn’t be surprised if he got Terrance’s license plate before leaving. Or knowing him, he might’ve waited down the street and followed the poor guy home. Who knows?”
“God, you sure know how to pick them. If I didn’t believe in the girl-code, I’d make a play for your ex.”
Chelsey smiled. When they were in high school, they’d heard about the dating code that India started calling the girl-code:never date your friend’s ex or your ex’s friend.
“You can have him,” Chelsey said half-heartedly. “I can’t go backward.”
“Reuniting with Parker would not be going backward. It would be you hooking back up with the man who owns your heart. There’s a difference.”
“Yeah, if you say so.”
“Okay, enough talk about Mr. Man. Let’s talk about the event tomorrow night. Even if you’ll be pretending to be this guy’s date, you can check out any single men who’ll be in attendance. Who knows, since you claim you’re done with Parker, you might catch some millionaire’s attention.”
Chelsey shook her head as if India could see her. “Even if I wasn’t going to be on the clock tomorrow night, I wouldn’t be looking for a man. I’m done with the male species, at least for a while. I’m going to focus on my new career, show the peeps at Supreme that I’m an asset, and enjoy some of the perks that come along with working for them.”