Please Save Me (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7

  “Me, too,” Steve replied, and they all laughed when his stomach gave a loud growl.

  With renewed camaraderie and openness, Steve helped reheat their breakfast and they all tucked in with a companionable silence. When they had finished and the kitchen was once more clean, Gary poured them each another cup of coffee and urged them to sit at the table.

  “I’ve been thinking about Joe,” Gary began. “I don’t like the gut feeling I have about him. I believe it would be to your benefit, Selina, if we hired you a bodyguard and a private detective to investigate this bastard.”

  Selina opened her mouth to protest, but Steve halted her with a finger over her lips. “He’s right, sugar. I would feel a lot more comfortable if you had a bodyguard and we had someone searching for him, too. As much as we would like to be here for you twenty-four-seven, we all know that that can’t always be possible. If we get called out to a site and have to leave you alone in the office, I would worry about you the whole time we were gone. That can be dangerous on a job, and we can’t afford to suffer an injury.”

  “All right, we have to get going. We have an appointment with the insurance assessors in half an hour, and Gary and I are going to get you a bodyguard,” Steve stated firmly as he helped Selina to her feet.

  Selina turned to face him and argue, but he gave her an implacable stare and watched with satisfaction as her mouth snapped closed and she headed to the bedroom. He grinned and sighed with relief. She was learning. Even though she had wanted to argue with him, she had just let him have his way because she knew he cared for her and only had her best interests at heart, and she accepted him the way he was. Stubborn to the core.

  * * * *

  Selina began to clean up the glass as soon as they arrived at the offices. As she worked she listened to the deep rumble of masculine voices in the office behind the reception area. She hoped Gary and Steve didn’t have to spend too much money because of her but then pushed that thought aside. She knew if one of her men were in danger, she would do everything she could to keep him safe. She was just finishing up when the insurance assessor exited the office, gave her a nod, and left.

  “Selina, honey, could you come in here for a moment?” Steve called.

  Selina entered the office and went to sit in a chair opposite their desks, but Steve held his hand out toward her. So she changed direction and walked over to him. He scooted his chair out from his desk and tugged her down onto his knees.

  “I have hired you a bodyguard, and he should be here soon. I’ve known this man since college and would trust him with my own life.”

  “Okay.”

  “I want you to be prepared, sugar, because he is one mean son of a bitch to look at and he’s very brash and tough, but he would die to keep you safe,” Steve explained.

  Selina was about to reply and tell him not to worry about her, but the door to the offices crashed open with a loud bang. She looked up and was glad she was sitting with Steve when she spotted the man stalking toward them.

  He was the biggest, meanest, most muscular-looking male she had ever laid eyes on. He put Arnold Schwarzenegger to shame when the actor-cum-politician had been at the peak of his bodybuilding career. He had to be around six foot eight, and even though he wasn’t classically handsome, he was appealing to look at, with a square, stubbled jaw, strong aquiline nose, and chocolate-brown eyes.

  He wore skintight, black leather pants and calf-length motorcycle boots. A tight black T-shirt covered his chest, his arms had ink from the elbows to up under the sleeves of his shirt, and he carried a leather jacket over his shoulder, hooked on a finger. The man’s bald head glistened under the fluorescent light of the office, highlighting the tattoo on the top of his head, and she was worried he would hit his skull on the light. She found him alarmingly intimidating and wasn’t attracted to him in the least.

  She tried to school her face into a blank expression but couldn’t prevent a frisson of fear running up her spine, making her tremble. She stared at him with awe and didn’t even realize her mouth was hanging open until Gary leaned over and gently pushed her lower jaw closed.

  Gary went to the man with a welcoming smile, and he held out his hand in greeting.

  “Hey, Dorian, thanks for coming.”

  “Hi, Gary, Steve,” Dorian said and took a seat opposite the desks.

  “Hi, Dorian. This is Selina Bauer,” Steve introduced.

  “So, this is the little lady you want me to guard?” Dorian asked and gave her a smile.

  “Yeah. Selina, this is Dorian Matthews. Selina has had some trouble with an ex, and we think he was the one to try and shoot her. She has a restraining order out on him, but he’s violated that before,” Steve explained.

  “We can’t be with Selina all the time. We have too many new projects going on at the moment, and we want her safe. That’s why we called you in.”

  “Understandable.”

  “Dorian is a retired Marine, sugar. He worked for us for a while until he established his own business as a freelance bodyguard,” Steve clarified for her benefit. “We know you’ll be in safe hands if we aren’t around, honey.”

  Selina couldn’t seem to find her voice, so she gave a slight smile and nod. The three men burst into laughter as they looked at her, and she wondered what was so funny. She had to wait until they had their mirth under control before one of them could speak.

  “We aren’t laughing at you, sweetness.” Dorian smiled. “I seem to have that effect on most women.”

  “And what would that be?” she asked curiously.

  “Total speechlessness,” Dorian replied with a grin. The smile lit up his whole face, illuminating his eyes with a mischievous twinkle. “I know I can be a bit intimidating.”

  “Boy, do you think? That’s the understatement of the century.” The three men roared with laughter once more. “Oh, I like you, honey. I can see we are going to get along just fine.”

  “Do you mind getting us some coffee, sugar? We need to fill Dorian in on what’s been going on,” Steve said and helped her to her feet when she moved.

  She was glad for an excuse to leave the office. Even though she thought she could get to like Dorian, the man intimidated the hell out of her by his sheer size.

  She walked into the filing room and looked up when Gary came to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “Are you sure you’re okay, baby?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. How about you?”

  “I’m okay. Why?” Gary asked, clearly puzzled.

  She turned in his arms until she was facing him and wrapped her arms about him.

  Of course he couldn’t resist having her in his arms and pulled her in close, until their bodies were touching from chest to thigh. After a while she moved back slightly and looked deeply into his eyes.

  “You are so handsome,” she said.

  “You are so precious,” he replied.

  Selina could see wary expectation in his eyes and wondered what he was waiting for, but she could see deep-seated pain as well. It was as if he was waiting for a blow. As if he expected to be told he wasn’t good enough. Then the light finally dawned. Gary used his lighthearted personality as a shield to hide behind. The seeds of self-doubt were embedded deeply, and she wondered who had battered his self-esteem.

  “Do you trust me, Gary?” she asked him quietly.

  “Yes, Selina. I trust you.”

  “Then stop hiding from me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You hide yourself with your lightheartedness and humor, and I know that is a part of you, and I love your wit, but you are allowed to be yourself. You hide your true self behind that cheerfulness and don’t let the real you out. You don’t need to be funny all the time or perfect. It doesn’t matter what other people think about you. You are a very loving, caring person, and I accept you just the way you are. You don’t have to be flawless around me or Steve. You don’t have to be faultless at all. None of us are infallible, least of all me. I woul
d never judge you, and neither will Steve. My love doesn’t have conditions on it, Gary. I give it to you freely, and no matter what you do, I will never take it away. It just is, here in my heart, filling my soul and making me feel complete along with the love I have for Steve.”

  Selina could see awe in Gary’s eyes, and she knew she was right. Pulling her close, tears spilling out of his eyes, he buried his face in her neck and hair. “God, I love you, baby, so much. My parents were always on my case telling me I wasn’t good enough, always nagging and pushing, trying to get me to do better. But my best never seemed to be good enough for them, so I think I just gave up trying, you know. I started out acting up, and then I think it just became a habit. I barely scraped through college. If it hadn’t been for Steve striving so damn hard to pass and make his foster father proud, I probably would have flunked or dropped out. My parents have money, and their careers were always more important than I was.

  “They never spent any time with me. I had a nanny to take care of me, but she was just as strict as my parents. The only time they ever called for me was when they wanted to tell me I had to do better. And better was just never good enough for them. The last year of high school I just gave up.”

  “That wasn’t your fault, honey. Maybe your parents saw themselves as lacking because they measured their success with how much money they had and what they achieved compared to others. But you know what? None of that makes one bit of difference. You are a kind, loving person with good morals, and you’re a hard worker. You have so much to give, Gary, if only you’d let yourself.”

  “How did you get to be so wise?” He then kissed her lips almost reverently. “I know this sounds kind of corny, but I feel…somehow as if you’ve saved me, baby, from myself. God, I knew you were perfect for us, Selina.”

  She didn’t know how to answer, so she sniffed and hugged him close.

  Chapter Nine

  Steve thought about the previous night. How Selina had declared her feelings and the way she had held him. He had so much to be grateful to her for after the way she had accepted him and loved him, even with all his warts. He vowed he would do everything he could to keep her safe.

  “She’s a pretty little thing,” Dorian said, interrupting his contemplation.

  “Yeah, she is,” Gary replied with a goofy grin.

  “Okay, let’s get down to business.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve hired a private detective to look for this asshole, and I need you to be with her whenever we can’t. You can stay in one of the spare rooms at our place.”

  “Give me the lowdown on this motherfucker,” Dorian demanded in a harsh voice, and just like that, his friend’s demeanor changed. He became a warrior in the blink of an eye.

  Steve and Gary spent the next fifteen minutes telling Dorian everything they could about Joe, which to Steve’s frustration wasn’t much. But he was determined to dig deeper into the bastard’s background and use anything he could to find him.

  “So you’re telling me this asshole only went out with her a few times, and now he won’t leave her alone! So you think this guy is using his own name?” Dorian asked.

  “I don’t know,” Gary replied. “The police have tried to find information on him, but what they’ve found wouldn’t fill a teacup. Apparently he was squeaky clean until he met up with Selina.”

  “I think what we’re dealing with here is a sociopath,” Dorian speculated. “There’s no reason for him to be obsessed with your woman. She didn’t even go to bed with him,”

  “That’s been my train of thought, too. Fuck, how the hell are we going to find this fucker if he’s not even using his real name?” Steve growled with frustration.

  “Call off your private dick and let me make some calls and see what I can find. I have a friend I served with who can, if he’s asked, find out just about anything if you need it. He has the instincts of a ferret going after a rabbit.” Dorian stopped speaking when the door to the office opened.

  Selina walked in with mugs of coffee on a tray. She lifted her head and gave them a curious look when they just sat watching her.

  “Thanks, sugar. Do you know when the glazier’s coming to put in a new window?” Steve asked.

  “Uh, he said he’d be here around lunchtime.”

  “Good. Gary and I have to go out. I’m going to one of the sites, and there is zoning problem on another. Gary’s going to meet with the engineer and see if an agreement can be met,” Steve explained.

  “Okay. I’ve got plenty of work here to keep me occupied.”

  “Dorian is going to stay here with you, sugar. I want you to do everything he tells you if something happens. Okay?”

  “Yes, Steve. I will. I’m not stupid.”

  “I know you’re not, honey, but Dorian knows what he’s doing.” He walked around to her. When she frowned he waited until she’d put the tray down on his desk then gave her a hug to offer comfort.

  “You know, I really don’t think any of this is necessary. We don’t even know if it was Joe who tried to shoot me.”

  Steve removed his arms from around her, placing them on her upper arms and moved back from her slightly. “No we don’t, honey. But are you willing to take that chance? I’ll feel better if you’re protected. Just in case. Okay?”

  “Okay. Now, let me go. I have too much work to do to be standing around jabbering,” Selina said.

  “Don’t leave the office unless you take Dorian with you,” Steve called out to her just before the door closed.

  “She’s a feisty little thing when she wants to be,” Dorian said with a grin.

  “You have no idea,” Steve replied dryly.

  “Oh man, you guys are sunk.” Dorian chuckled. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. You are so pussy whipped.” Dorian mimed cracking a whip over his head.

  “Yeah, yeah. Make all the whip noises and cracks you like, but it’ll happen to you one day, and then we’ll be the ones laughing.” Gary smiled and winked at his friend.

  * * * *

  The rest of the morning flew by as Selina slogged her way through the paperwork. She had just finished printing out the last invoice when the front door opened. She looked up to see that the glazier had arrived.

  “I’m here to fix the window,” the man said.

  “Good. How long do you think it will take?”

  “Should be no more than a couple of hours.”

  “Okay. I’ll be here. Just holler if you need me, I have some filing to do.”

  “No problem.”

  Selina didn’t like leaving the man alone, because something about him gave her the willies. The office door was open, and she saw Dorian eying the glazier, but when he caught her watching him, his frown changed to a smile. She gave him a smirk and pointed to the back room, holding up a bundle of files in her other hand, and he nodded in understanding.

  She filed for the next hour and thought about how she had broken through the walls Steve had erected around his heart. She sighed with love and satisfaction as she thought about how her persistence had gotten through to him and what had happened after he had opened up with her. She shook her head and knew if anyone saw her they would think she was crazy. Here she was standing in an empty room, no doubt with a goofy expression on her face, thinking of her men. She put the last file away and closed the drawer to the filing cabinet. The only thing left to do was to go to the post office and send out the invoices.

  Selina was about to exit the room when she heard a groan and a loud thud. As she hesitated for a moment, her heartbeat sped up, and she hurried out to see what was happening. She realized she should have trusted her first instincts as she walked into a nightmare.

  Covering her mouth to hold in the scream forming in her throat, she stared with horror at the scene before her. Dorian was on the floor, out cold. There was a gash on the side of his head, and blood was seeping rapidly from the wound. She moved toward him, intending to help, but she only made it a few steps before a large hand
covered her mouth and nose. She was in trouble.

  Using her nails on the hand cutting off her oxygen brought a harsh curse in her ear. She lifted a foot and kicked back, hoping to inflict pain and surprise her assailant. He grunted but didn’t let her go. Opening her mouth, intending to bite down on his flesh, she hesitated when fingers pinched a nerve on her shoulder and neck. Black spots formed before her eyes, and even though she tried to stay conscious, it was a losing battle. Rough hands caught her before she hit the floor, and then darkness closed in.

  * * * *

  Selina came to with a rush of panic but made herself lie still until she could get her bearings. The hum of an engine penetrated her mind, and then she was thrown across what she thought was the bed of a van as they turned a corner with tires squealing. Biting her lip to prevent crying out with pain as her hip connected with the side of the van and her head hit the wheel well, she tried to reach out her arms. But they wouldn’t move. She concentrated on wiggling her fingers and sighed with relief when they obeyed her command.

  Cautiously she shifted her legs and ground her teeth together when she realized they, too, were bound. Lying on her side on the floor of the van, her arms were screaming with pain since they were pulled behind her at an unnatural angle, and when she had tried to move her legs, the tension on her arms increased. She was trussed up like a sub for a Dom with thick, abrasive rope, and her mouth was covered with some sort of adhesive tape.

  Opening her eyes to slits, she took in the empty bed of the van, her hopes of using something to escape diminishing in the blink of an eye. There was absolutely nothing she could use to cut through the ropes. A tear of frustration leaked from her eye, and she sniffed, trying to control her emotions. The last thing she needed now was to give in to her tears and clog her nose up. She would end up suffocating.

  Breathing deeply through her nostrils, she gathered her courage and pushed the fear aside. Think, Selina. Damn it, you can’t give in. Use your head.