The Model's Bodyguard (Romantic Suspense) [COMPLETED]

Chapter 20 - All Bark, No Bite

~Cisco~

I had gone through the motions with Peter, telling him of the basic routine I expected from him as well as laying down the specifications, the do’s, the don’ts, everything. 

One mistake and he was gone. 

I couldn’t afford mistakes around Mila.

And I definitely wouldn’t tolerate Peter’s lingering eyes.

If he looked at her that way again, I’d make it my personal goal to kick his balls into his ass. And by God, I’d accomplish it. 

I sighed, cornered. I didn’t favor Peter as a person, but he was... lethal, efficient, intelligent, and skilled. The man had his techniques, making him a truly valuable weapon. Once on the job, he’d stop at nothing to protect his client. But dammit, he was a pervert. A sarcastic, complaining, and problematic son of a bitch. If he crossed the line, just once, he was out. 

And with the money I was paying him, he’d do his best to stay put. I knew it. 

All scumbags were predictable. 

The second I looked at Mila, I knew she disliked him. Her eyes had clouded with disturb and discomfort as he spoke in that thin, raspy voice, her nose scrunching up in disgust as he racked his gaze up and down her body. He had no respect. 

Peter read me the instant my body tensed, possessive over the woman I was protecting through my job. I expected nothing less; all good bodyguards had tuned senses and credible instincts. I’d have personally sent him home if he hadn’t spotted the aura of a possessive man. It was one of the easiest things to see from the outside. So when his eyes challenged me with a smirk, I didn’t divert my gaze. Hell no. I could have him served on a platter, all dead and bloody, if I wanted to.

“What’d you think about Agent Peter?” I asked, my voice laced with sarcasm.

Mila looked up at me, a frown in her eyes. “He’s so- so...”

“Sickening?” I suggested, walking to the kitchen. Mila followed, pensive.

“Yes, but no. I wanted to say unsettling.”

“That’s another credible adjective.”

“But why did you hire him if you dislike him so much? Isn’t it better to work with people you get along with?” She asked, confused.

I shrugged. “Sometimes you can’t chose. I’d not have have hired him I wasn’t sure he’d get the job done, and trust me, he can. Even if he’s a grade-A dick.”

“That must be horrible, working with someone you don't like.” Mila observed.

I stopped perusing through the fridge and looked at her, eyes pointed. “Don’t you do that every time you go to work, Milani?” I didn’t challenge her, I didn’t joke. I was serious and she knew it.

Her eyes were distant. “Yes.”

“Then you understand my point.” She only shrugged.

I took a banana from the fridge. “Want anything to eat before we go downstairs?” We had breakfast only a while ago, before the lawyer had passed by, but I needed to refuel often, more from boredom than real hunger. I could go for days without food but I chose not to.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “No. Why are we going downstairs?”

“I have to get some pictures my parents sent me from Florida. It’s quick. Let’s go then,” I said and shut the fridge.

***

We were at the sleek, modern-style lobby, leaning over the dark wooden concierge desk. This  building was so much different than the Plaza; easy on the eye, simple, comfortable, professional. The Plaza’s grandeur was overwhelming, too prim for my taste. I wanted to live somewhere where I felt comfortable and calm, not inundated.