Protecting Lulu (Global Protection Agency) (4 page)

“All
of them,” Harrison said easily.

The
only secret she could think of at the moment was her stash of white chocolate
truffles in the bottom drawer of her nightstand. Lulu sighed. “I have a
schedule that would choke an elephant. I’m not dating anyone seriously.” She
hadn’t had time to make any enemies that she could think of. “When you say
total access to me what exactly does that mean?”

“We
are in your life until your stalker is behind bars, Ms. Bennington,” Noah
replied.

She
didn’t bother to correct him about what to call her, he’d probably just scowl
at her. This man did not want to be her friend. He was all about business. The
rest of them, she’d have their life stories by dinner time. Noah would take a
sledgehammer to crack. She was sure she had one somewhere. If not, she find a
Home Depot and buy one. She wondered if they had a Home Depot in Manhattan. “Does
that mean you’re going to be living with me?” A little tingle of excitement went
up her spine. The thought of sharing personal space with Noah Callahan thrilled
her in a way it shouldn’t have.

“If
we have to sleep on the stoop,” he said.

She
composed herself and smiled. “I have several spare rooms with beds even. Since you
might have to take a bullet for me the least I can do is make sure you’re all comfortable.”

Everyone
laughed except Noah who simply studied her.

Aiden
leaned over. “Somebody is wearing their cranky panties today.”

Lulu
giggled. Aiden always knew the right thing to say to diffuse a situation. “You
mean besides me.” Lulu stood up and went to the credenza. She and opened a door
and grabbed a stack of yellow legal pads and pens, she handed them out. “If you
have any meal preferences or allergies please let me know. I’ll have my butler
go shopping.” She flashed them all a grin. “At least one person will be happy
to see all of you.”

“Who
would that be, Ms. Bennington?” Noah inquired politely.

“My
housekeeper. She just loves to cook and feeding only me is boring, or so she
tells me all the time.” She covered her mouth with her fingertips. “Oh, does
that mean we have to put her in the suspect pool?”

“No,”
Noah said, his scowl deepening, “she could have poisoned you at any time.”

“That’s
good because she used to work for my aunt and I’ve known her since I was ten years
old. She’s had plenty of time to ‘
do me in’
.”

Noah’s
long lashed eyes narrowed. Apparently he didn’t appreciate her sense of humor
either. Good, he was going to have to put up with her and she wasn’t going to
make it easy for him.

For
the first time today, she felt a bit more in control. Just the way she liked.

Lulu’s
house was a three story brownstone is the nice part of the city. Actually, the
house was two brownstones converted into one large one. The street was
tree-lined and tucked behind the brownstones was a tiny, vest-pocket park.

The
rich were different. Noah thought as he looked around the opulent bedroom, with
carved wood furniture and plush carpeting. He hoisted his duffel bag onto a
chair. The Bennington’s weren’t rich, they were wealthy. Ian, who was only rich,
explained the difference. Ian had money, but the Benningtons could buy him a
hundred times over. And rich people worked for wealthy people. Lulu Bennington definitely
fell into the wealthy side of the equation.

The
door opened and Dante walked in with a dazed expression on his face. “There’s a
pool in the basement. A swimming pool, right next to a fully loaded gym we can
use anytime we want. This is a sweet set up.” He sat on the bed and bounced a
little bit like a kid.

Noah
tilted his head. “Damn, kid, you sound like this is your first time off the
farm.”

At
twenty-eight Dante was the youngest member of the team. He’d grown up dirt poor
in Texas as the oldest of eight. He fought and scraped his way into the West
Point defying incredible odds to make something of himself.

“Irish,
can we make this job last for the next ten years? We can fake it and make it
look good.”

Dante
was the team joker. He could find the humor in everything.

“Hell
no. This place makes me nervous.” Noah glanced around at the bedroom. He lived
a Spartan life and all this wealth made him want to run away.

Dante
grinned merrily. “I think it’s Lulu who makes you nervous.”

True,
but Noah wasn’t going to admit it. He’d die for every member of his team, but
he was not going to give up his male dignity for anybody. “She’s just a woman, pretty
much like every other one.”

“No,
she’s not. Even on her worst day, we’d never be in her league.”

Lulu
Bennington was class and he was lucky to be trash on a good day. “Is she going
all rich bitch on you?”

Dante
averted his eyes looking almost embarrassed. “She’s really nice you know,
classy.”

Yeah,
Noah called that right, the kid already had a crush on her. “She’s not your
buddy.”

“She’s
not the enemy either,” Dante shot back.

No,
just a damn inconvenient, spoiled pain in the ass. “What did she say to Roman in
the office?” Dante had a gift for languages and he was fluent in French.

Dante
blushed, but didn’t answer.

“Come
on, spill it.”

Damn!
What kind of voodoo did this woman have on his men who’d only met her a couple
hours ago? “She said he had the face of an angel.”

That
startled him. “What?”

“He
does,” Dante said in a defensive tone.

Noah
leaned back on his heels. “Is there something you want to share with me?”

“Roman
is a good looking man.” Dante held up his hands in supplication. “I’m secure
enough in my heterosexuality to admit to that.” He touched his chest with his
fingertips. “If I wasn’t such a hottie myself, I’d be doing good getting his
leftovers.”

Looking
at Roman, a person would never guess he could slit a guy’s throat and then sit
down to eat his couscous. Noah had seen him do it. Noah made a mental note not
to ask questions he really didn’t want to know the answers to. “I really shouldn’t
have asked.”

Dante
shrugged. “Dude, you seem a little twisted about this gig. What’s up?”

Noah
scrubbed his face with his hands. “I’m tired. Mexico took a lot out of me.” He
could have done that job in his sleep.

A
knock sounded at the door and a voice announced that dinner was being served.

Noah
and his team had never had dinner with one of their clients before. He watched
the entire scene, feeling strange. By the time the cheesecake and coffee had
been served, Lulu Bennington had everyone’s life story except for his, but not
for her lack of trying. She’d hinted, poked, and pried. Noah had firmly
rejected her intrusive questioning, even as he watched her interacting with his
team as if they had all been friends for years. He’d even learned a few things
about his people he didn’t know. She was a skilled interrogator. If she’d
worked for the government, not one spy would be able to keep a secret from her.
She didn’t even have to use force. She just smiled or giggled or batted those
big Bambi brown eyes at a person and they would open a vein and be grateful. Who
the hell would want to kill her? She was nice.

Noah
couldn’t sleep. He’d rarely had that problem. When his body was tired his brain
shut down and his body rested, but not tonight. Maybe the bed was too
comfortable. He’d never had a mattress that molded to his body as if it were
made for him. Maybe he should try the floor, that’s what he was used to.

His
old man had forced him to sleep on the floor plenty of times. Once he even
burned his mattress in the backyard in a drunken rage, after he’d given Noah a
couple of cracked ribs. He’d slept that night, more because he passed out then
for any other reason.

Fuck
this. He wasn’t going to think of the past. It accomplished nothing. He lived
in the now. The past was painful. He’d already lived it and didn’t need to
relive it. Rolling off the bed he grabbed his jeans and put them on. He found
his shirt and shoes. He’d take a stroll around the house, do a bit of recon and
start working on perimeter defense. That should calm his restless mind.

He
had exceptional night vision so he didn’t turn on any lights. As he descended
the back stairs, he heard the sound of water boiling and someone moving about
in the kitchen. Thinking he’d find Dante raiding the fridge, he eased silently
down the last few steps, put his hand flat against the kitchen door and pushed
it open. This museum of a house was extremely well maintained. Nothing squeaked
or creaked.

The
door opened and he spotted Lulu standing at the stove, a silk kimono type robe
wrapped around her luscious curves showing each one to advantage. Damn! Who
named a classy woman like her ‘Lulu’? The name was ridiculous.

The
tea kettle whistled, steam rising in the air. Lulu opened the refrigerator door
and leaned in. Noah let the door slowly fall back intending to leave her alone.
The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was spying on her—even though
he was being paid a king’s ransom to do exactly that.

“Come
in, Mr. Callahan,” Lulu said in a brisk tone, “I was about to make myself a
midnight snack.”

Noah
froze. How had she heard him?

She
closed the refrigerator door and turned to him holding a large peach in her
hand.

“Ms.
Bennington, I didn’t mean--”

“Stop
making excuses. Please join me.” She smiled. “I don’t like to eat alone.”

She
gave him a seductive come-hither look that melted his resolve. She was vamping
him. Truth be told, he kinda liked it. “Thank you.” He stepped into the
kitchen, half intending to ask her how she knew he was there, but he didn’t.

She
reopened the fridge and grabbed another peach. “Tea?”

Noah
shook his head. “No thank you.”

She
laughed. “It won’t hurt your testosterone. I promise.”

Now
he was embarrassed. “I don’t like tea.”

She
busied herself getting plates, a knife, and turning off the kettle. Her
movements were economical, but strangely sexy. He watched the red silky
material of her kimono swish around her legs and it surprised him that she was
barefooted. She seemed like the high heeled slipper type. The kind with the
feathers.

She
poured boiling water into a tea pot and set the pot on the table. She sat down
and quickly cut the peaches into slices, arranging them on the two plates and
handing him one.

She
daintily lifted up one of the slices and took a bite. For a second a look of
total ecstasy covered her face and she moaned. A bolt of need fired right down
to his groin and he gritted his teeth. Then she sighed. The kind of sigh that
was sensual and filled with need. She began to chew, her eyes closed and she sighed.
Noah watched her as she chewed, swearing to God she damn near came. Hell, he
just about came himself.

She
swallowed. “There’s nothing better in the world then a succulent peach.” She
wiped a bit of juice from the corner of her mouth with a napkin.

Noah
couldn’t speak. He couldn’t breathe. He just wanted to sit there watching her
eat and jack off. Damn, damn, damn! When had he become such a freak? He had to
get his mind off of her eating. “How did you know it was me standing outside?” He
let his curiosity got the better of him.

“I
recognized your scent.”

God,
he hoped he didn’t smell bad and resisted the urge to check his armpits. “You
smelled me?”

“You
have a very unique scent—woodsy with a hint of musk. It’s very pleasant.”

Back
in the day they’d go native to blend in and not smell like Americans, but this
was the first time he heard of a civilian doing the same. “How did you learn to
tell the difference between people’s smells?”

She
smiled at him. “Next year, I’m launching my perfume. When I decided to create
my own perfume, I hired a nose to teach me the business. I’m not good enough to
break down the entire process, but I’m not bad.”

“A
nose?” He had the image of a disembodied nose floating through the air.

“People
who have super sensitive scenting abilities. They are like human blood hounds. The
perfume business is very complicated. It was quite an education.”

“I
can imagine.” Who knew people hired out their noses?

She
poured tea into a delicate china cup. “What’s your story Mr. Callahan?” Pursing
her full lips she blew on the hot liquid and then took a dainty sip.

Noah
couldn’t take his eyes from her luscious mouth. For a couple of seconds he
imagined those lips on his skin. “I don’t have one.”

She
gave a very unladylike snort. “Of course you do. Everybody does.”

Noah
lifted an eyebrow and hoped the look he gave her would make her stop prying
into his life. “Why is having a story important?” Why the hell did she need to
know it?