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Chapter 6
“Sorry about that.” Maxi’s rushed apology fell on deaf ears as Simon ignored her and stared over her shoulder, his mouth agape like he’d just seen an alien walk off the mothership.
She understood.
Billy Marshall had that effect on people, and not just women. His six-foot-two, muscular frame was impressive in and of itself. But he paired that with looks that could easily be on the big screen and a general demeanor that screamed badass. No matter what gender you were, it was potent and a lot to take in.
Knowing that she had no choice but to get this introduction over with, she motioned her hand behind her. “Simon, this is my friend Billy. He’s going to be working on a client’s security detail and he’s staying with me while he does.”
“Nice to meet you.” Billy reached past her and his forearm brushed against her upper arm as he shook Simon’s hand.
His bare skin felt hot to the touch and sent one doozy of an aftershock running the length of her body. The first quake had erupted when he’d held her hip moments ago as he’d whispered in her ear. The sensation of his large palm and strong fingers on her body, while his hot breath fanned down her neck as his deep voice echoed in her ear caused an eight-point-five tremor to rock her to her core.
“Hello.” Simon flinched at the handshake.
Billy “The Big Bad Wolf” Marshall was known for his firm grip. With a slight shake of her head, she tried to clear the cloud of lust that had cloaked her since the moment she’d walked out into her living room and seen the brooding, tense look on Billy’s normally relaxed face. His jaw was tense as he held his phone. The chiseled lines of his muscular chest were visible through the grey cotton T-shirt that was tight in all the right places. Logically, she knew that she shouldn’t be finding this as sexy a scene to witness as she was. But dear lord, she just couldn’t help it.
When her car had been broken into, she hadn’t been that upset. She’d grown up in Fuller Park on the South Side of Chicago where vandalism had been an everyday occurrence. The second incident, when the dead birds were delivered to her office, had made the scales of her emotional balance start to tip towards unsettled. But it wasn’t until the naked pictures of her in the shower at her gym were sent to everyone at her office that she had felt truly violated and scared.
That underlying emotion had been a constant for the past two weeks, and it wasn’t until she’d been in her shower and realized that, since the moment that Billy had walked into Jessie’s office, she hadn’t been scared. Panicked, yes. The thought of having Billy here was panic-inducing. But not scared.
Then, when she’d walked out and had seen him looking so large, so alpha, so dangerous—she’d had to stop herself from swooning. Literally. She’d locked her wobbly knees so that she could remain upright. She’d barely been able to speak when she’d asked him who was on the phone.
“How do you know Maxine?” Simon’s eyes bounced between the two of them.
Before she could answer, Billy beat her to it. “I trained with her father.”
“Trained?” Simon’s brow furrowed as he looked at her for answers.
“My father trains boxers.” Her explanation was short and to the point, but the fact that she had to answer that at all meant a lot of other questions were going to be raised, and not from Simon.
Billy stepped even closer to her and she could practically feel the curiosity radiating off of him. “How do you two know each other?”
“Maxine and I met at a charity event that was being held at my gallery.” Simon said the word gallery with the same inflection and reverence that most people reserved for God.
She’d pointed that out once, in fact, and he’d replied that Art was his religion. Her only thought had been, pretentious much?
“I heard voices and I thought that was you—” Jana was speaking as she opened her door, “Holy hotness! I can’t believe you’re wearing the dress!”
Maxi had never been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, but if she had, this is what she thought it would feel like. The dress had been in her closet for a year and a half and Jana had tried and failed to get her to wear it on at least a half dozen occasions, but she always refused.
Tonight, when she’d been standing in her closet with the knowledge that Billy was in her living room, she’d grabbed it. She was trying not to read too much into her impulse decision. Especially since the event she’d originally purchased the dress for was Billy’s last fight, the one at which he’d announced his retirement. She’d chickened out of wearing it that night when she’d heard that he was bringing a Playboy model as his date.
“We were just heading out. See you later!” Maxi tried to scoot by Billy, but he was large and the hall wasn’t—especially since there were now four people standing in it.
“I know this one. Hey, Simon.” Jana lifted her hand in a wave before zeroing in on Billy and pointing her finger. “But, I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure.”
Here we go.
Her friend really lobbed that one up for Billy to hit right out of Come-On Park. Inhaling deeply, Maxi braced herself for his flirtatious, most likely borderline inappropriate response. She was sure he was going to take full advantage of the opening that Jana had just given him.
And why wouldn’t he?
Her neighbor across the hall had men lining up. Literally. Maxi had once come home to find three guys waiting at her door. She was an attorney who’d actually been a lingerie model to pay her way through college. Jana was a knockout blonde who also happened to be smart and funny. She was the unicorn that the guys at the gym were always saying didn’t exist.
“Billy Marshall. Nice to meet you.” Billy didn’t even reach out his hand to shake hers.
What the…?
