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He laughed. “You’re not what I expected.”
His eyes stayed locked on hers, not dropping to her breasts as so many men’s did before returning to her face—but all the same, she felt her defenses rising the same way they did when other men had made similar remarks.
“What did you expect? A spoiled rich girl who dabbles in charity work as a hobby?” She was well aware of how most of the world viewed her, despite everything she’d done to prove her intelligence, sincerity, and worth. The thought that this gorgeous man might believe the insults and innuendos the tabloids had printed about her stung more than she cared to admit. “Tell me, Spencer.”
He gave a one-shoulder shrug, not meeting her eyes, his expression guilty. “A clone of your father, I guess. Charming, smart, shrewd. Not exactly trustworthy.”
Well, then.
“I’d like to contradict you on that last point, but the irritating fact is it’s fairly true. My father hasn’t always been the most trustworthy. Not to anyone else, and not even to me. Maybe especially not to me,” she added quietly, thinking of all the promises broken—forgotten birthdays, canceled holidays, awards ceremonies and graduations where the seat she reserved for him sat empty. “But while I hope I inherited his charm and his shrewd mind, untrustworthiness is a lesson I actively triednotto learn from him.”
Spencer winced. “Touchy subject, eh?”
Toni frowned and looked away, concentrating on her fingernails and not his too-perceptive gaze. “Neither of my parents bothered romanticizing it for me. My mom was wife number three—she got pregnant on purpose to try to hold on to him, and it backfired. They were divorced before I was born. When I was growing up, I’d be lucky to see him once a year, and even then half the time he no-showed or canceled at the last minute. My dad might be a billionaire businessman, but he won’t be winning father-of-the-year awards any time soon.” She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. “Anyway. How that you’ve met me, how has your perception changed?”
“So far, I think you’re…charming, smart, and shrewd. And you’re kind to your assistant, who raves about you like you invented sunshine. Your reputation in the communities you’ve helped is sterling, and when you talk about your mission to help improve childhood literacy, it’s obvious how much you care. For what it’s worth, I think you’re genuinely trying to do some good in the world. and I respect that. That’s why I’m glad to do my part to ensure you can get your work done safely.” He leaned to the side to peer across the hall into her old office. “You got the window fixed already?”
“The landlord sent a guy up yesterday afternoon.”
“So, yesterday was your first active shooter situation, correct?”
“I…yes. It was.” She fought the urge to shudder. “I’m used to threats, but it’s never gone that far before,” she said. “It’s mainly the letters. Or sometimes phone calls, a few texts.”
“Like what you showed me yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever hired anyone to investigate? There are ways to trace these things, if you know the right people.”
She gave him a pointed stare. “That’s why I hired you.”
Spencer frowned. “I’m your bodyguard.”
“Given your military training, I believe this would fall under the ‘other duties as required’ clause of your contract.”
He ran a hand through his hair, making her wonder how those soft auburn locks would feel in her hands.
Oh, no.She dropped her pen and took her time picking it back up. Those thoughts had to stop. Nothing could happen between them. He was her employee, her bodyguard, the man paid to keep her safe. Not to mention the fact that she’d sworn off relationships after the end of her last romance had been splashed across the tabloids. From now on, she was concentrating on her career and the foundation. Saving Williams Wishes was all that mattered.
Toni swallowed hard and squared her shoulders, shoving her desires deep beneath layers of obligations. “Our flight to Jubail leaves tomorrow morning at six. I’ve chartered a private jet to take us, but I’m sure you’ll want to look at the aircraft and flight plans beforehand. If you don’t have your own transportation, you can use my personal SUV to drive out to the airfield this afternoon.”
“Thanks. I’ll make sure everything is in order.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “I should tell you… there was more in that note yesterday. Threats against you if you delivered those e-readers as promised.”
Toni smiled. “Yes, I know.”
“You do?” His eyes widened.
“Most of my work so far has been in countries where Arabic is the primary language. And, like I said, I get a lot of threats. It would be pretty foolish of me not to be able to understand what’s being said about me, aloud and on paper, wouldn’t it?”
“Yeah, it would.” A grin spread across his face. “So, I guess I flunked your test, then, huh?”
“You got the job, didn’t you?” She shook her head. “I do wish I could quash those e-reader rumors. They’re ridiculous, but they have the potential to do a lot of harm.”
The humor in his expression drained away. “Are you confident there couldn’t be any truth in them?”
She snorted. “Have you seen the blogs that are spreading the stories? They’re conspiracy websites that claim everything is a hoax, from the moon landing to 9/11 to school shootings. Of course they think that a charity helping children read is hiding something sinister. They thinkeverythingis hiding something sinister, especially if it’s connected to media or politics in any way. And my dad, for all that he tries to keep it quiet that he owns theDC Times, is a player in the media landscape and has a background in the defense industry. My family’s an easy target, even when all we’re doing is trying to help people. But the idea that anyone would try to use these donated devices as a way to spread terrorism is ludicrous.”
He stood, his dark expression clearing as if he’d reached some sort of decision, a sexy smile spreading across his firm lips. “So, you have any other tests lined up for me to pass?”
