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“Please give my deepest apologies to Mr. Albrecht,” she said kindly, the look in her eye earnest and sincere. “But, unfortunately, I have to decline his request.” She motioned to her feet, wiggling them to get the man’s attention off her thighs. I couldn’t blame the kid for almost swallowing his tongue at the glimpse of her mile-long legs, but the wrapped feet were hard to miss. The doctor had bandaged both of Alessia’s feet, making it look like she’d walked over hot coals and been treated at a burn center. “The doctor on set gave me strict instructions not to walk or wear shoes until tomorrow morning, or he won’t sign off on my medical release to complete our shoot. Since I have another engagement after this, I can’t risk delaying my business here. Perhaps there’ll be time tomorrow after shooting if Mr. Albrecht is still available and willing to forgive my absence today.”
I let out a breath in relief, but the boy only frowned, clearly upset.
“But he requests you come now,” he said, looking confused as if declining the request wasn’t something he’d considered. I looked over at the landline of the hotel, seeing a pen and paper sitting by the device that looked like it had been around since the nineteen forties.
“Would you like to pen your admirer a note?” I asked, keeping my tone bland. The remark went completely past the kid, but Alessia narrowed her eyes almost imperceptibly.
“What a great idea,” she said with a smile. “Whatever would I do without you?” She batted her eyelashes at me, my body hiding her expression from our visitor. She penned a quick note, signing her name at the bottom with a flourish before handing it to me, allowing me to stay between her and the kid. He still looked a bit shocked at her response but took it gamely with the promise to give it to Albrecht. I followed him to the door, locking it securely behind me before returning to the kitchen. Alessia had placed her feet on the stool next to her, keeping them elevated and causing her to recline backward at an awkward angle to rub the backs of her thighs.
“Do you have a swimsuit?” I asked. She gave me a wide-eyed look.
“Uh, yeah.” The unspoken why hung in the air.
“You can’t get your feet wet, but I bet you’d kill for a soak in a tub. Your muscles have got to be sore. If you can manage the suit, I can assist you in and out.” I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. Again, I placed myself in a totally inappropriate situation with my primary, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.
Alessia lit up, looking at me like I’d just offered her the keys to a kingdom. “That would be—”
Another knock at the door cut her off. Again, I approached it with caution. “Can I help you?” I asked the blond-haired man who tried to look around me as soon as the door opened. He looked older than the last kid, probably in his early twenties, which put him only about five years or so behind Alessia and ten behind me. He, too, was well dressed in tan pants, loafers, and a patterned button-down that was neatly tucked. His hair was freshly styled, his brown eyes star-filled and love-struck. He looked like a prep-school trust fund kid, and I wondered absentmindedly if anyone there owned a pair of jeans.
“I’m here for Alessia—I know this is her room.” British accent, very proper pronunciations adding to the upper crust vibe. He held up a fist full of flowers for my inspection. “Red roses are her favorites. I had to go to two different places to get the correct variation, but I know she’ll be pleased.”
My eyes narrowed, remembering the teddy bear holding the rose on the bed and wondering if he was the stalker I was hired to protect her from.
I waited for a beat, but Alessia didn’t call from her place, hidden out of sight in the kitchen. Whomever he was, she didn’t want to deal with him. “Sorry, dude,” I said, not at all sorry. “But this is my room. What’s your name?”
He looked put out. “It’s Oliver Wright.” Hopping up on his toes, he still wasn’t tall enough to see over me into the room beyond. “My father is Harold Wright. He is a Valencia executive from the London office. It’s okay. I’m not some random fan. I know Alessia personally, and I know they reserved this suite for her specifically.” He tried to walk through me, but I held firm, letting him literally bounce off my frame.
“I’m not sure where you got your information, kid, but this room belongs to me. Someone broke in here before we arrived, and management demanded Alessia move to a different set of rooms. I only guard her during the day, so I’m not sure where she is right now.”
Oliver bristled. “You let the other man in. I demand you let me into your room. For all I know, you’re holding her hostage.”
I laughed, knowing there was no way in hell the kid would get through me. “Listen,” I crossed my arms over my chest, “I called Alessia when the other man insisted he contact her. She’s on bed rest after the incident on set today.”
“What happened?” His voice rose two octaves as he brought the flowers in, hugging them to his chest. “Is she all right? What hospital is she located in?”
I held up a hand. “Calm down. She’s fine, just cut her feet, is all. But the doctor gave her strict instructions to stay in bed and rest until tomorrow morning. She gave me firm instructions to be left alone for the rest of the night. I’m not making any more phone calls—I value my job too much to disturb her in the mood she’s in. If you know her like you say you do, then you know what she can be like.” I stepped back to shut the door, slamming it for good measure before locking it with a resounding click. He pounded on the door, but before I could decide how to handle him, I heard other voices in the hall.
Poking my head out, I saw two hotel security personnel detaining Oliver as he tried to bluster his way past them. “I was just about to call you guys,” I called out, getting their attention.
“Is this gentleman disturbing you?” the first one asked.
“Yes, actually. I’ve been on set all day and was hoping to turn in early. I’ve had more visitors in the last ten minutes than Grand Central Station.”
He blanched, clearly upset that security had been breached not once but multiple times. “I’m so sorry, sir. I’ll ensure you have no more unwanted visitors tonight.” Over Oliver’s protests, they physically escorted him down the hall to the open elevator.
Alessia hadn’t moved from her position on the stool, looking more than a little curious as I came into view. “Is he gone?” she asked.
“Oliver the creeper? Yeah, hotel security has him.” I grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge. “Would you feel more comfortable changing rooms? He was holding some roses, and I thought he might be the one who left that stuffed animal in here for you.”
She shook her head, not looking at all concerned. “Oliver isn’t a danger to me. At least not in his present state. I’m not saying he’s not going to be in the future,” she continued before I could protest. “But he’s still in the adoring stage on his fixation. The bear was him, but if we’re at the gift-giving stage still and not at threats, delusional notes, or scary-as-shit crap being left for me to find, we’re fine for the moment.”
“The fact that you know he’s a delusional stalker and not worried about him is a little disconcerting.” I couldn’t lie. She was a lot more accepting of the situation, and she was the focus of this guy’s attention, not me.
She shrugged. “He’s not the first one I’ve had, and he likely won’t be the last. He has a little more access to me than most others just because of his dad. His parents think it’s puppy love, but they aren’t stupid. With any luck, they will realize his obsession with me and get him the help he needs before he escalates too far.”
Chapter 12
Gideon
