Page 13 of Mile High Baby

I stepped forward and extended my hand. "Nice to meet you, Tori."

She blinked up at me, and I prayed to God she would hide her surprise. Finally, her brows lowered, and she took my hand to shake. "Nice to meet you too, Alex."

I jerked my hand back because her touch immediately took me back to the cramped bathroom on the airplane and the way those hands had wrapped around my dick. Jesus fucking Christ. This was a nightmare.

Henry patted me on the back, but his face grew concerned as he looked at his daughter. "Are you okay, Princess?"

The bile threatened to come up again at hearing him call his daughter Princess. She was a grown woman. Oh, yes, I knew just how much of a woman she was. And she had consented to our tryst. But that didn't keep me from feeling like a fucking creep.

I watched Victoria, hoping she'd pull it together.One and done, I reminded myself. I just needed to cut off all memories of yesterday. Hopefully, she would too.

"Yes, it's just, well... with Alex here, it’s making this seem so real."

Henry’s expression was filled with remorse. "I'm so sorry that you have to go through this. If I'd known—”

She shook her head. "This isn't your fault, Dad. It's George Pitney’s. I support whatever you have to do to put him away." She glanced up at me, but I didn't know what her expression meant.

I waited for her to continue her statement, starting with “but”, but she didn’t. I realized that I wanted her to refuse my services. I couldn't be her bodyguard. And it wasn't just because of what we had done the day before. It wasn't just because of the self-loathing and guilt that threatened to bring me to my knees. It was because I knew without a doubt that I wanted her again. Being a bodyguard meant a lot of time alone with the client. I was a professional, and I knew I could resist. But the growing urge, the way it would build and add pressure, was a torment that I didn't want to have to deal with.

I'd been to Henry's home before. I knew it was its own little fortress. With a few extra men, Henry and Victoria could be safe here.

"You know, if you stayed here with your father, you wouldn't really need a bodyguard."

She looked up at me, her eyes narrowing as if she was taking offense at what I was saying. How the hell did she not see what I was offering was a way out of this intolerable situation?

"You really can't expect me to stay cooped up indoors for however long this is going to take, do you?" she asked.

"Whether she stays here or not, I want you on her twenty-four, seven, Alex."

I winced, and Victoria flinched. Last night, all I wanted was to be on her twenty-four, seven. Now, the thought of it made me sick.

I tore my attention from Victoria to Henry. "Henry, I want to do whatever I can to keep you and your daughter safe. But I haven't been active in the field for a long time now. Put me in charge of security and I'll make sure she has the best guard. And I'll make sure the rest of the house and everyone at your office are safe."

Henry looked at me, and his disappointment tore at my gut. "I need someone I can trust, Alex, and that's you. Now I won't say no to the rest, but you're the one I want protecting my daughter."

Victoria crossed her arms over her chest. "He thinks I'm an entitled brat."

I closed my eyes, praying to God for strength until I remembered God would be sending me to hell.

"Victoria?" Henry's voice held shock. "Why would you say something like that? It's rude. Alex and I have been friends for a long time. Since college."

She shrugged. "I saw Samantha today for the first time in years, and she was different."

Henry drew back, his eyes narrowing. "Samantha?"

Victoria nodded. "People change. They grow apart. And let's face it, Dad. He doesn't want to protect me."

Henry's gaze shot at me, his brow furrowed even more. "Is that true?"

In my missionary days, I’d once been tortured, but I didn't squirm as much then as I was doing now. "It's not that I don't want to, Henry. It’s that I don't think I'm the best man for the job."

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why Victoria was so incensed about this. Unless, of course, she wanted a repeat of yesterday. Even after my experience with Lorraine, I might have gone ahead with a repeat of yesterday, but not now. Not now that I knew she was Henry's kid. If there was a God, he would strike me dead now so I didn't have to deal with this.

"Based on all I see, you look fit to me."

I shot Victoria look asking her to please be quiet. Did she want her father to know what we’d done?

"And I'm not hiring you just for your fitness. I trust you, Alex. You're smart. You understand people. Please, old friend, don't let me down."