Save Me, Sweetheart Read online

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Any guy who keeps his desk as messy as yours clearly loves his job. Or at least, goes hard at it. You don’t seem like the type to take half the day.”

  “Yeah?” He smiled at her. “And people are always telling me that I’m a slacker who only knows how to have fun.”

  “Is that what you want people to think?” she asked him.

  “I don’t care what people think,” Mark said.

  Crystal gave him a look that said she didn’t believe him but he only smiled. He opened the door for her, putting his hand on the small of her back as she went pass. Crystal’s body went hot at his touch.

  Mark clearly didn’t notice what he was doing to her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t stand so close, or act like such a gentleman when the elevator arrived. He didn’t say anything else and so neither did she. Crystal had half a mind to put her earphones back on, though she wouldn’t be listening to anything. She didn’t have any music on her phone anyway. She only did it to keep people from talking to her and it worked wonders.

  Except she wanted to keep talking to Mark. Just like his face, everything that came out of his mouth turned her on too and Crystal wasn’t really ready to leave just yet. But she had time, she reminded herself. She would be around this man from the moment he left his home to the second he returned for a while. As long as it took to find the spy and who knew how long that could be. She could wait. Maybe, hopefully, this intense attraction would wear off soon.

  “Do you need a ride?” he asked her once they were off the elevator. Crystal noticed that everyone was staring at her, especially the women, but she didn’t pay any of them any mind.

  “No.”

  “You sure?” He almost sounded concerned.

  Crystal looked at him. “I don’t need your help. I’m good on my own.”

  Mark nodded, staring down at her. She thought she saw something else in his eyes but it was gone before she could be sure. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow, Crystal…”

  “Fey.”

  “Fey.” He stuck out a hand. “It will be nice working with you, Crystal Fey.”

  “I hope so,” she said, taking the hand. More than ever, she hoped she’d be able to keep her attraction for this man under wraps before she did something very, very stupid.

  Chapter 3

  “Wait. Run that by me one more time because I don’t think I understand you. You did what now?”

  “Signed my soul over to Mark Gooden.” Crystal sighed, pulling on her black sneakers. She chose full black for the day, hoping it would make her look more professional. She modeled her feet in her full-length mirror before picking up her leather jacket, listening to Jane sigh over the phone.

  “I hate it when you speak in riddles like this. You know my fragile, gossip-hungry heart can’t take it. What exactly do you mean by signing your soul over?”

  “I helped him out yesterday with a man who was following him. He hired me to be his personal bodyguard on the spot.” Crystal shrugged though Jane wasn’t around to see it. “I said I would do whatever I could to make up for tasing him at your mom’s party, so I said yes.”

  “Any normal person would have thought that you did make it up to him after you helped him out with his stalker dilemma.”

  “It’s good experience,” Crystal explained. “And you should see what he’s paying me. No one should ever be rich enough to give away that much money without thought.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s Mark for you. He’s rich and he likes to make everyone know about it. It’s a wonder he isn’t targeted more often.”

  Crystal kept the fact that it wasn’t his wealth that made him a target, but what he was likely to find out. It was a part of her contract, to keep everything she heard and saw, including the reason for being his bodyguard, a secret. “Anyway,” she said, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. “You called for a reason?”

  “Oh yeah! I was going to ask if you could be my beta reader but since you’re going to be busy with your new job, I don’t think you’ll have the time.”

  “Ask your sister. Maybe she will.”

  “When she isn’t too busy fantasizing about the day Xander proposes to her then maybe she’ll be able to squeeze me in. I’ll ask her.”

  “Good. I have to go now.”

  “Wait, now?” Jane asked quickly. “It’s four in the morning!”

  “Mark Gooden is an early riser,” Crystal explained. She cut the phone off before Jane could get another word in, knowing that if she allowed it, it would never end.

  On her way to her front door, Crystal contemplated getting coffee. She drank it on most days, knowing she would need the extra energy but she was already too hopped up off the excitement at being Mark Gooden’s personal bodyguard. She couldn’t imagine it would be that much of an exciting job, but imagine the avenues it would open up for her future? Not to mention all that money she was receiving as well.

  She couldn’t deny it to herself that she was excited just to see him too. The man was physically perfect, with a face that had quite literally graced her dreams last night. Crystal didn’t deny herself the fantasies about him, thinking about what those lips could do. She might as well get it all out of her system before she saw him in person.

  In about an hour, she was in front of his place. He lived in a very high-end apartment building and Crystal didn’t have to check his address again to know that he was on the very top floor. The man behind the desk already received word of her clearance and he escorted her up in the elevator. Crystal nearly gasped in awe when the elevator doors dinged open straight into his home, revealing shiny floors, a tall ceiling and what seemed to be crystals everywhere.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Mark appeared around the corner. “I can give you a tour if you’d like. I’ll be working from home today so we have all the time in the world.”

  Crystal hardly heard him. He was wearing nothing but a pair of silk pajama pants, which meant his chest was on display. Seeing his rock-hard, chiseled stomach and sculpted pecs, she suddenly had an uncontrollable urge to run her hands over. She made them into a fist, putting them behind her to keep from doing such a thing even when he came to stand just an arm’s length away. “What?”

  “We’re working from home today,” he repeated. Crystal met his eyes. “I don’t feel like going into the office.”

  “Are you that scared?”

  “I’m not scared.”

  She shrugged, taking a step back. “If you say so.”

  Mark narrowed his eyes at that. She wasn’t looking at him any longer, but at her surroundings, taking in the living area of his penthouse. This was his main residence, though he spent some time at his parent’s home as well. When he came around the corner to see her, he expected to see awe in her face and he did. Though it wasn’t to the degree he was hoping, he was still satisfied. Mark didn’t even stop to wonder why he was so keen on impressing her.

  “So, tour?” he offered again.

  She looked at him, then ran her eyes down the length of him. Mark tried not to beam when he saw the way she lingered on his chest, but he couldn’t help himself from smiling a little when he saw her cheeks go a very pale shade of pink. So his shirtless state was having an effect on her? It was good to know he wasn’t the only one attracted to the other in this situation. Her skin-tight black jeans and her leather jacket made her even hotter than she was yesterday. Mark didn’t even know how that was possible.

  “No, thanks,” she said. “I’m fine.”

  “Suit yourself. Let’s head into the office then.”

  Mark lead the way, taking her scent when she started walking behind him. It didn’t take long for them to make it to his home office but every second of silence had Mark’s mind going into hyperdrive. Was she uncomfortable with him like this? Is that why she was silent? Or did she not care?

  She stayed by the door, watching him like a hawk as he went behind his desk. “Are you uncomfortable with me like this?”
he asked her, not able to help it anymore.

  She shrugged. “It’s your house. You do what you want.”

  Mark leaned back, regarding her closely. “I can tell you’re going to be a blast.”

  “I am a blast. It’s why I have so many friends.”

  He let out a surprised chuckle. “You have friends other than Jane?”

  “So many I’ve lost count,” she said, her face stoic.

  “Is that so? Why do I get the feeling you’re yanking my chain, Crystal?”

  Mark was even more surprised to see her smile a little bit. “You’re smarter than you look, Mark.”

  Mark chuckled at that. The air in the room grew lighter at the banter and Mark felt more at ease in his state of undress. He was confident in his body, one he had spent countless hours honing, but after seeing Crystal’s reaction to it, he wondered if it would be better for him to put on a shirt. She didn’t seem to mind much though, so he’d let it stay.

  Silence ran through the office. Mark got down to work, looking over the files pertaining to the acquisition of their new mining site. Nothing had been signed yet, which made their predicament more of a problem. The President might have come to them directly but nothing had been set in stone, so their rival buying things out from underneath them didn’t open up legal avenues at their end. But Mark wasn’t deterred by that. He went through the files, searching for any clue that would stand out to him about the level of clearance this person could have had to have gained access to such confidential matter.

  At least, he tried to. Crystal stood there like an unmoving statue by the door. His home office was by no means as large as his office at headquarters, but the distance between them felt wider than a canyon. She didn’t say a word to him, didn’t even seem to be breathing. She merely stared dead ahead, her hands clasped behind her. Mark couldn’t stop glancing at her, drawn to the gorgeous image she made. He doubted she even noticed and after a while, he stopped trying to hide it. He swore he could smell her from all the way at his desk and the scent was intoxicating. He couldn’t concentrate on what he was doing with her in his office.

  “You don’t have to stand up all day, you know,” he said, unable to keep quiet anymore. He’d been reading one line for the past three minutes now and he still didn’t know what it said. “You can sit down. Relax.”

  “I have to be on my guard.” Her eyes went over to him. “Isn’t that what you hired me for?”

  “I hired you to be my bodyguard, yes, but I doubt anyone is going to come bursting in through the windows fully armed. I’m sure you can rest your feet.”

  Crystal shrugged nonchalantly. “My feet don’t need any resting.”

  “Wow, you don’t like taking suggestions from anyone, do you?”

  “I find my own suggestions are normally better,” she said without missing a beat.

  Amused and intrigued, Mark leaned over the desk. “How good are you with taking orders then?”

  Crystal’s eyes refocused on him. “Is that what you’re going to do, Mark? Order to me to take a seat?”

  He hummed with pleasure at the way she said his name. “I won’t be ordering you to do anything other than the thing I hired you to do, Crystal. Other than that, you have absolute free rein.”

  She nodded then looked back ahead of her, staring at nothing. Mark couldn’t help but chuckle. “What’s your story, Crystal Fey?”

  “I don’t have a story.”

  “Everyone has a story. Come on, I want to know what made you how you are.”

  “Would it be too cliched for me to say that I was born this way? Whatever way you’re insinuating?”

  “Way too cliched,” he said with a smile. “Give up the details, Crystal. I want drama. I want something deep.”

  Crystal’s mouth twitched into something of a smile again. “Maybe you should turn on your big screen and watch a soap opera if that’s what you want.”

  “Ah. I see you’re going to be no fun.”

  “That isn’t what my ton of friends say.”

  Mark threw his head back and laughed. He smiled even harder when he heard Crystal join in, a smile brighter than anything he’d ever seen her with. The sight punched him straight in the guts.

  He was about to call her over, his brain wildly going over the ways he could get her to move from the door and at least come closer to the desk, but he didn’t have to. Crystal moved on her own, coming to stand right behind him and peering over his shoulder at the papers littered in front of him.”

  “What are you doing?” he asked her.

  She looked at him. This close, he could see that her coffee-colored eyes had a speck of green in them. “I signed a non-disclosure agreement, didn’t I? Wouldn’t matter what I see.”

  “That’s not really how non-disclosure agreements work.”

  “I could help you,” she said. She leaned closer, the end of her ponytail spilling over her ear and brushing his shoulder. “I might be able to pick up something you couldn’t.” When he only stared at her, she patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mark. I’m not trying to steal your job.”

  He would have laughed if she hadn’t been so close to him. His mind was slowly shutting down, his body beginning to take control. Never a good sign, especially seeing that her lips were only inches from his. She was still peering over his shoulder and she looked back at him when she noticed that he hadn’t looked away. She didn’t say anything, almost as if she knew she didn’t have to. She must be able to read the lust in his eyes, Mark thought. There would be no mistaking it. He wanted her. Badly. And in this moment, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

  She didn’t move, almost as if she would let it. Mark leaned in closer, until he could feel her breath brushing his upper lip. He was so close, so tempted. A spark of common sense popped into his brain, telling him this was a very bad idea. It wasn’t wise to get tangled up with this woman when they both had an important job to do, and contrary to popular belief, Mark didn’t make a habit of mixing business with pleasure.

  But he was willing to throw all that away just to taste her lips, just to see if he could crack open the mysterious Crystal Fey.

  Then a buzz ran through the room. Mark jerked back, taken aback by the sudden sound. Crystal merely straightened calmly.

  The buzz came again and Mark finally realized it was the front door. Slightly embarrassed at how frightened he’d been at the sound when the stone-faced Crystal seemed undisturbed, he faced his papers.

  “Aren’t you going to get that?” she asked.

  “Let them leave,” he said, except he didn’t get to finish off the sentence when the door opened and Jen breezed in.

  The sight of her filled him with guilt. She looked fresh-faced and happy, holding a paper bag that no doubt contained his favorite muffin with a grin on her face. She stopped short when she noticed Crystal.

  “Crystal?” she said, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

  Crystal didn’t answer her immediately. She stood even taller. “I work here.”

  “Work here?” Jen’s confused eyes settled on Mark. “Huh?”

  Mark shot to his feet. He couldn’t deny that he was happy to see Jen — he was always happy to see Jen — but having Crystal here made his stomach uneasy. He couldn’t understand why.

  “Let’s go to the kitchen,” he suggested. “Crystal, you can wait here, there’s no need to follow us.”

  “Wait,” Jen started. “Why are we—”

  “Kitchen,” Mark cut in. He was desperate to separate them now. He gave Jen a little push, steering her towards the door and was surprised to see Crystal following behind them.

  When he looked at her, she merely said, “I won’t follow you to the kitchen but I’m not staying here. It’s too far from you.”

  The words, though they made sense for the job he hired her for, made his toes curl. He nodded then took Jen’s hand and led her to the kitchen. Once he wasn’t under Crystal’s heavy gaze any longer, Mark could breathe a bit easie
r.

  “What’s with you?”

  He looked up at Jen. She was seated at the island, already digging into the bag and pulling out the muffins, watching him curiously. “What do you mean?”

  “You look … frazzled. Something up?”

  “Oh, just … something at the office. I can’t say what it is right now though.”

  “That’s fine.” Jen didn’t need to press. She knew he would tell her everything once he could. “I figured you must have been working which was why you didn’t bother to come see who was buzzing to come up.”

  “I was. How did you know I would be working from home today?”

  “I called the office and your secretary said you wouldn’t be in today.”

  Mark glanced at the clock hanging above the kitchen door. “It’s only after five.”

  “Observant of you.” Jen picked up one of the muffins and came over to him. “How kind of you to notice that your best friend, who tries to get every lick of sleep she can, might I add, is at your apartment five in the morning with your favorite muffin because she hasn’t heard from you in days.”

  “Days?” Had it really been that long? They didn’t go that long without talking, even with their busy lives. At least once a day, Jen and Mark spoke over either text or phone call if they couldn’t meet in person. Mark, for one, was always the one making the extra effort just to hear from Jen. “You’re exaggerating,” he said.

  “I wish I was.” She pointedly put the muffin in his hand. “You’ve been ignoring me or something? I thought we were past that.”

  He didn’t have to ask what she meant to know. Mark glanced nervously at the closed kitchen door, wondering if Crystal was close by to overhear their conversation. “We are. Something happened at work and I was caught up with that. I’m sorry.”

  “No need to apologize.” As was the custom with them, Jen leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before returning to her seat. “I know I’m not the best with keeping in touch either so I can’t fight you. It’s just weird that I haven’t heard from you, you know?”

  “Don’t you have to work in a few?” Mark asked, setting the muffin down on the table. He didn’t have much of an appetite.