Her back was to the camera, giving a most excellent shot of her ass. She was looking over her shoulder; her left hand holding onto the upper part of her right arm, showing off an expensive watch. The woman was the epitome of sexual perfection.
As I passed the sign, I thought of the last time I saw her. She’d come barging to Archer’s office demanding to know who was following her. I couldn’t blame her for being skeptical when we denied that any of our men were tailing her.
Her brother Bran had been relentless and demanding, not giving a shit about her feelings when he’d hired us to protect her from a stalker. He could still be an asshole, but he currently limited his use of our services to protect his wife and her jewelry business.
He had approached me a month or so ago, right before Mo showed up, about some opportunity, but I didn’t give him time to tell me about it. Bran was too high-strung for the type of life I’d been preparing to live. How ironic that right after that, Mo showed up, the very definition of high-strung.
God, Harper looked hot in that ad. It made me think of when I saw her at Dane MacLeod’s pool party that Archer dragged me to recently. She was there in a black bikini that I still had wet dreams about. Too bad my life was 24/7 Mo. I wouldn’t mind spending time with Harper. I just didn’t have the time or energy for anything else right now.
A half hour later, I turned into my driveway. Mo was still sound asleep. I was contemplating having a steak dinner and a glass of red wine for the evening. I pulled the car into the garage, stopping, and turning off the ignition. The moment the car stilled and went quiet, Mo woke up, filling the vehicle with his cries.
CHAPTERFOUR
Harper
I sat at the bar at Sea Siren waiting for my realtor, Selene Belfast to show up. I’d taken to meeting her at bars and restaurants, hoping that if I bought her a drink or lunch that she wouldn't fire me as a client.
I'd been looking to buy a home for a year now, but everything she showed me was either too far in the boondocks or too close to the chaos of Los Angeles. Or the home was in a good location, but it could house an army.
I didn’t need a mansion. Surely, there was a home somewhere in-between that would fit my needs.
"Still no luck on the house hunting, huh?" Kate Wheatly, the owner of the bar, hopped up on the bar stool next to me. I'd first met her at a pool party my brother and Anne dragged me to six months ago. Kate's brother was married to Lucy, who had been Kate's best friend. Kate and I initially bonded over having our best friends marrying our brothers.
Lucy was also good friends with Lane, who I. befriended when her husband Archer had been in charge of my security back when I was being stalked.
"Nope. Not yet. Anytime now Selene's going to give up on me."
Kate shook her head. "I doubt that. And if she tries, she works for one of MacLeod Capital Investment’s real estate brokerages, and my brother just happens to be the up-and-coming CEO."
I admired Kate for several reasons. One like Anne, Kate came from money but had been pushed out of the family, although unlike Anne, Kate's brother, Ethan, did what he could to look out for her.
Kate eventually got her trust and invested in a beachside restaurant that turned into a hopping club in the evenings. Since I like supporting women-owned businesses, I started spending more time here.
"Good to know."
"We should get together and do something some time. We seem to be the only single ladies in our group. We should take advantage of that, don't you think?" Kate asked.
"Hell yeah."
The door to the club opened and Selene walked in.
"Fingers crossed she's got a home for you today." Kate slid from her stool.
"Fingers crossed."
Selene sat on the stool Kate vacated. "White wine. Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio."
The bartender nodded, grabbing a glass and the bottle of white wine.
Selene opened her briefcase and pulled out a file folder. "I've got three places lined up today. I'm feeling really good about one of him. Not only do I think it's in the right location and the right size, but it has a highly motivated seller." She slid a piece of paper to me.
I picked it up, studying the picture of the home. It had a quaint beachy bungalow vibe, but there was no doubt that this home was upper scale. It was still large at nearly 4000 square feet, but not gargantuan like some of the other places Selene had taken me to. Everything in it from the floors, the cupboards, and the appliances were top-of-the-line. Not only that it was only a couple years old.
“The owner recently repainted and refurbished the floors. It won’t last for long.”
"Where is this place?"
"It's a little community nestled along the beach about 20 minutes from here, so it's close enough, but it's really secluded. There's only a handful of homes up there. They kept it that way on purpose. It was really designed for people who want to be recluses."