From strictly business to pure pleasure

Stepping up as head of her family’s international security firm gives Francine Blake, heiress and eldest Blake triplet, almost everything she’s ever wanted. The one thing missing is the sexy, stubborn company partner who’s been in her fantasies for too long. She refuses to give in to their attraction unless he can love her as his equal. But working together to safeguard a celebrity client is sweeping Francine closer to total surrender.

Security specialist Meeks Montgomery can think of any number of places he’d love to see gorgeous Francine every day. Behind her desk—fine. In his bed—even better. In the field on dangerous assignments? His heart can’t stand it. Until a new case puts them both in the line of fire, proving how much he’d risk to be the one who protects her forever…

“Are your questions professional or personal?” he asked, his eyes roaming from her heaving chest to her full lips, to stare into her eyes.

Francine’s heart started racing, and her mouth suddenly went very dry as she leaned her head back in order to maintain eye contact. “Depends,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“On what, exactly?” Meeks whispered as he lowered his head, slowly rubbing his nose along her cheek before capturing her mouth, giving her a slow, gentle kiss that sent shock waves through her body.

The kiss turned deep and purposeful. His hands found her hair clip and released it, allowing her long locks to fall over his long fingers.

Francine was overwhelmed by his scent, his touch and his kiss.

Meeks raised his head slightly and gazed into Francine’s desire-filled eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that all night,” he said before taking her lips again. He released her again but only long enough to add, “Truth be told, I’ve wanted to do that for years.”

Right or wrong, Francine wanted Meeks in this moment more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life. Pushing aside all doubt and fear from her mind, she slid her arms up and around his neck. “Is that all you’ve wanted to do?” she asked, kissing the corner of his jaw.

“Hell no,” he said, his voice deep and commanding. Meeks swept Francine off her feet. “And tonight’s only the beginning.”

Dear Reader,

When I sat down and penned the first book in The Blake Sisters series, I knew I wanted it to be fun and sexy and send a clear message. What message? Well, I’m going to leave that up to you to figure out.

As a lifelong fan of romance, Mills & Boon books in particular, I enjoy reading and writing stories that infuse an element of intrigue with the pursuit of romance. In Protecting the Heiress, the struggle between Francine and Meeks as they balance their business relationship with a budding personal one is sexy and intense. The constant battles that often exist in these relationships make the emotional roller-coaster ride much more thrilling.

I thoroughly enjoy interacting with readers, so please let me know how you enjoyed Francine and Meeks’s story. You can email me at Kennerson94@comcast.net or contact me on Facebook or Twitter. I look forward to bringing you middle sister Farrah Blake’s story very soon.

So until next time,

Martha

Protecting the Heiress

Martha Kennerson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MARTHA KENNERSON’s love of reading and writing is a significant part of who she is, and she uses both to create the kinds of stories that touch your heart. Martha lives with her family in League City, Texas, and believes her current blessings are only matched by the struggle it took to achieve such happiness. To find out more about Martha and her journey, check out her website at marthakennerson.com.

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Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Copyright

Chapter 1

Francine Blake walked past the midlevel cubicles and glass office doors, smiling and speaking to everyone she passed.

“Morning, Francine. Great job last night. I know it was supposed to be work, but I had a blast covering security for the mayor’s party,” Jay said, giving her a wide smile.

It had been the first time that Francine had worked with the junior agent. She returned his smile. “Thanks, you did a great job, too.”

Francine Blake was a partner in her family’s twenty-five-year-old multibillion-dollar international security firm and private detective agency based in Houston, Texas, which specialized in both corporate and personal matters for elite clientele. Francine, a security specialist who also had a degree in forensic science, had joined the firm five years earlier as a field agent and within the past year had taken over as its chief executive officer—responsible for the sales and administrative aspects of the organization—after her father’s retirement, into which his family had forced him after a major health scare.

“I emailed the detailed summary report of last night’s activities out to everyone, and I included all the pictures.” Jay started walking toward the elevators.

“Wait, you attached all the pictures?” she asked with a slight hitch in her voice.

“Yeah, why?” he replied as he pushed the down button on the elevator.

“No reason. Have a nice day and stay safe out there,” Francine said as she watched Jay enter the elevator.

Francine sighed and gave her head a slow shake. It had been quite a while since the twenty-eight-year-old had to play a role in the field in such a dynamic fashion and while she’d had a blast doing it, she didn’t relish the grief she knew was coming: having to explain her actions to her father, Meeks and other board members who still didn’t completely trust her judgment. While Francine had always secretly lusted after her extremely handsome business partner Meeks Montgomery and his beautiful body, their close connection prevented them from exploring anything beyond a friendship. She turned and continued on toward the conference room, only to be stopped again. This time, it was one of their office researchers.

“Dang, girl, I saw the pictures from last night’s party. You wore the heck out of that dress,” the pretty young researcher said, giving Francine a half smile and a raised eyebrow.

“It was work,” Francine protested.

“Whatever, looked like a party to me. Anyway, where did you get that dress, and did it come in any other colors?” she asked.

Francine ignored her question. “Who else saw the pictures?” she asked, unable to hide the surprise in her voice. In that moment, she could feel Meeks, standing nearby, staring at her. Their connection was like a heat-seeking missile whenever they were in the same room. A fact that wasn’t hard to miss. Francine cut her gaze to the cubicle where Meeks and his assistant Jeremy stood, clearly listening to their conversation.

The young researcher tilted her head and frowned. “We all did, and I have to say, if you ever decide to give up this CEO gig, I know a high-end modeling agency I could hook you up with,” she said as she walked off laughing.

“Great, just great,” Francine murmured to herself as she walked past the cubicle where all the guys were congregating. She ignored Meeks’s smug look, but before she could make it across the threshold of the conference room, she was handed a cup of espresso and a manila folder by a pretty but obviously nervous blonde she’d never seen before.

“Here’s your espresso with extra milk just like you like it, and the client information you requested, Ms. Blake.”

Francine was about to introduce herself when she heard another voice behind her. “Cine, I think that’s meant for me. Thanks, Kelly,” Farrah said, walking toward her sister.

Francine turned to greet her, only to be taken aback by what she saw. Farrah was dressed in the same company uniform that Francine was wearing—black cargo pants, a black fitted T-shirt with the company’s red-and-black logo and combat boots, except that her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. It was like looking into a mirror—almost. The Blake triplets were near identical except for their eye color. However, it had been a long time since she and Farrah had actually dressed alike.

Francine rolled her eyes skyward in acknowledgment of the confusion. “Farrah, what’s with the outfit?”

“What are you talking about?” she questioned, looking down at herself.

“What am I talking about? You’re dressed like one of our agents instead of a lawyer—the head of our legal department. I thought you had an appointment at the courthouse today,” Francine said, gesturing to her sister’s outfit. “And we both know you can’t go to court dressed like that.”

“Oh, that,” she answered with a shrug. “The appointment had to be rescheduled. So I decided to go out with one of the guys later for a ride-along,” Farrah explained as she walked past her sister and toward Kelly, who was standing against the glass wall looking like she’d just been hit by a stun gun.

“Wait, you’re going on a ride-along...why?” Francine asked with raised eyebrows. She changed directions and tried to catch up with her younger sister. “You’re not assigned to any cases and your security certification doesn’t expire for another couple of months. Besides, I thought you were going to sit in on the client meeting with me.”

Farrah faced her sister, sighed and said, “I will, calm down. Danny invited me to ride out with him, so I’m taking him up on his offer and getting the field assessment out of the way, since my workload is relatively light at the moment.” Farrah took several sips of her espresso before she continued. “Danny’s still responsible for doing the recertifications, right?”

Meeks, as the company’s chief operations officer, was responsible for all aspects of the firm’s day-to-day security operations, and usually handled all the certifications for the executives personally. However, lately, he’d been relinquishing some of his administrative duties to Danny, one of his senior security agents, in favor of spending more time in the field. Francine knew this had everything to do with the recent injury she’d received as a result of her taking the lead on a case and his overprotective attitude toward her, just like when they were kids. Even if they were outside playing or working out in the company’s gym, Meeks was always around, keeping a watchful eye out on her and her sisters; first it had been as a favor to their father, then it just became his norm.

“Danny should be able to take care of it,” Francine said as they stood next to the conference room door.

“Great!” Farrah turned to face Kelly and said, “Kelly, this is my oldest sister and our company’s chief executive officer, Francine Blake. Cine, this is Kelly. She’s our new intern. She’ll be covering for Paul while he’s on his honeymoon with John.”

Francine extended her hand to Kelly. “Sorry about the confusion. I guess my sister forgot to tell you she—”

“Had an identical twin,” Kelly supplied, offering Francine a trembling hand to shake.

“Actually, there are three of them,” Meeks said. He walked toward Kelly with his hand extended. He also wore the resident uniform—a practice most employees followed, unless an assignment, client or event called for otherwise—but it looked much sexier on him. “Meeks Montgomery. Ms. Ross, is it?”

Kelly dropped Francine’s hand as though it were diseased and quickly accepted Meeks’s. The confused expression quickly faded and was replaced with a look of adoration, aimed at Meeks’s athletically built six-foot-tall frame, with smooth caramel skin, full lips and a bright smile, surrounded by a perfectly manicured goatee. His Greek godlike appearance was breathtaking.

“Yes,” Kelly replied, barely holding in her giggle.

Farrah rolled her eyes and sighed. “Kelly, Meeks is our chief operations officer and resident heartthrob, so keep in mind that you can look, but don’t touch,” she said, laughing.

“Farrah,” Francine said, giving her sister a look that was clearly some type of warning.

Ignoring her sister with a dismissive wave of her hand, Farrah said, “Oh, don’t worry. He’ll never make a move on you.” She shrugged. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up, start fantasizing about having a bunch of little Meekses, get your heart broken and go all crazy. Besides, everyone knows his heart belongs to—”

“Farrah, that’s enough!” Francine said in a forceful tone that caught her sister off guard.

“Don’t we have a client meeting soon?” Meeks offered. Farrah raised her eyebrows and fell silent. He turned to a flustered Kelly and said, “Nice to meet you, Ms. Ross. Welcome aboard,” before walking into the conference room.

“Nice, sis,” Francine leaned over to whisper, trying not to smile at her sister’s antics.

“I thought so,” she whispered back.

“You are a mess,” Francine said, walking past her sister.

Chapter 2

Francine walked into the conference room where she found Mary Walker, their office manager, and Robert Gold, the head of the field security agents and Meeks’s right-hand man, waiting for her to arrive.

Robert had folded his six-foot frame into a chair at the ten-seat mahogany conference table. He was reading over a client’s preliminary information. His mirrored Armani sunglasses covered his piercing blue eyes. The fair skin of his square jaw was covered by a five-o’clock shadow.

“Another long night, Robert?” Francine asked mockingly.

Robert simply nodded his response. “But not as long as yours. And by the looks of these pictures, not quite as fun either,” Robert said, flipping through pages on his tablet.

“Don’t!” Francine warned. “You’d swear you’d never seen a woman in a minidress and heels before. It was perfectly appropriate for the occasion.”

Robert raised his hands in surrender.

“Robert and I only have twenty minutes before we have another meeting, so shall we get started?” Meeks asked, looking around the room.

Francine and her sister took their seats next to Mary. Francine always found it difficult to sit across from Meeks. His take-charge attitude, handsome face and sexy smile were distracting—at least until he opened his arrogant mouth.

“First order of business, we’re going to pass on this client. We don’t need to deal with a celebrity of this magnitude,” Meeks said with a note of finality in his voice as he glared at Francine.

Francine met his glare before saying, “Seriously? You’re going to take it there?”

Farrah’s brow creased, and she looked back and forth between Meeks and Francine before asking, “What’s going on, Cine?”

Francine pushed out a slow breath before responding. “Meeks is tripping about my stepping in to cover for Karen last night,” Francine explained to her sister.

“What...why? Did something happen? Cine, you know what the doctor said!”

“Not you, too, Farrah,” she said, reaching for one of the bottles of water that sat in the center of the table. “I’m fine and no, nothing happened. Besides, it was just a party.”

“Yeah, a party that went all night,” Meeks said. His hand brushed against Francine’s retreating arm as he too reached for a bottle of water, their eyes meeting instantly. “And one where you had to physically remove two people by yourself, which is why I suspect you were hurting so bad when you got in this morning.”

Francine glared at Meeks through narrowed eyes, which she hoped expressed just how mad she was about his oversharing as she took a sip of her water. She was trying to extinguish the fire his touch had ignited in the lower half of her body. He had obviously read the required incident report, but he’d failed to mention that she had handled things smoothly and hadn’t triggered any alerts on her tracking device. Anyone working in the field was required to wear a tracking watch. If necessary, all the agent had to do was push a button, should they need assistance.

“Did you really have to tell all that?” she challenged.

“Maybe your sister can talk some sense into you, since I obviously can’t.”

The room was quiet for several moments as the sisters stared at each other.

“It really wasn’t...” Francine said.

Farrah nodded. “...that serious, I get it, but—”

“You’re right, it could have been worse, but it wasn’t,” Francine declared.

“But...” Farrah stared at her sister.

“They’re doing that weird twin-triplet communication thing again,” Robert whispered to Mary.

“Hush up,” she replied, smacking Robert on his arm.

“All right, I might have overdone it a little last night,” Francine conceded.

Farrah tilted her head and raised her left eyebrow.

“All right, I overdid it a lot, but I wasn’t in any danger. Happy now?” she asked her sister.

“And?” Farrah nudged.

“And I won’t do it again. Can we move on? We do have a client coming,” she said, glaring at Meeks as she flipped through the pages on her tablet with far more gusto then she intended. Francine hated to feel like she was being scolded by anyone, but especially by one of her sisters. She was just thankful that Felicia was on the other side of the world; otherwise, as the doctor in the family, she’d demand to give her a physical exam.

“As I said, I think we should pass on this one,” Meeks reiterated. “Surely there are other less notable celebrities we could use for this...test.”

Like hell, buster! Keep it professional, Francine. After Francine gave herself a quick pep talk on the best way to handle the situation, her eyes searched the room before landing on Meeks. “While I appreciate your concern and input, we won’t be passing. I’ve already advised Mr. Morgan of that fact and accepted his very large retainer, so unless Robert’s found something in his background check...” Francine paused long enough to give Robert time to respond.

Robert looked at Meeks, then back at Francine before he reluctantly said, “Nothing that sends up any red flags. Daniel’s team is available, so if we’re taking the job, we’re ready to go.”

“That’s great. Let’s move forward.” Francine shot Meeks another look that challenged him to say anything.

He didn’t.

“Now, I know Daniel and his team are some of the best guys we have, but I promised Mr. Morgan that I’d stay close to things, so I’m taking the lead on this one.”

“Hell, no!” Meeks declared, slamming both hands of the table.

Everyone froze and stared at him. “Excuse me?” Francine said, her eyebrows standing at attention.

“How many times do you need to be shot to get it through that beautiful stubborn head of yours that—”

“That what?” she asked, thrusting her chin forward. “We’re not kids that need your protection anymore. You do know that, right?”

Before he could say anything else, there was a knock on the conference room door just before Kelly flung it open.

“Excuse me, Mr. Morgan and Tiffany...the Tiffany...just arrived,” she said in an excited voice.

“Looks like our young intern is starstruck...and a little fickle, too,” Robert said, laughing from behind his sunglasses.

“Robert,” Mary scolded, hitting his arm again.

“They’re not supposed to be here for another hour,” Francine protested, glaring at her sister. “You forgot to have Paul reschedule the appointment, didn’t you?”

“May...be,” she said, giving her sister a sheepish look that a little kid would give when they knew they’d done something wrong. “Look, there was a lot going on with planning the wedding and all.”

“It was Paul’s wedding, not yours.” Francine reminded.

Robert smiled at Farrah.

“I...I mean, he’s basically the brother we never had, and he needed my help. We paid for it,” Farrah declared.

“Again...still not your wedding.”

Farrah laughed.

“They sent them up from the lobby, so I put them in the VIP lounge,” Kelly said.

Tiffany Tanner was the current big thing in entertainment—a young starlet whose most recent movie had made millions within hours of its opening. She was beautiful, rich and a household name, which made her need for a bodyguard a no-brainer. What was strange was her immediate need for a complete security overhaul.

“Please show our guests to the conference room next to my office,” Francine said. “Thanks, Kelly.”

After Kelly closed the door behind her, Francine focused on Meeks. “We are taking this case. The board agreed to this trial period for celebrity personal protection and it’s my job to select which celebrity we’ll be working with. We’re just fortunate that Tiffany was looking for a new agency. Daniel’s team will be assigned, and Farrah and I will be taking the lead. Any questions?” She gave him no time to respond. “Good!”

Francine stood, collected her things and said to her sister, “Shall we?” She gave Meeks a parting nod before she swept out of the room.

“Right behind you, sis,” Farrah said. She looked at Meeks, smiled and said, “I guess she told you.”

“One of you might want to change your hairstyle or something so the client will be able to tell you apart,” Meeks said before they cleared the table.

Farrah unbound her hair, bowed her head and shook out her long curls. She rose up, fluffed her hair with her fingers and smiled.

Robert lowered his sunglasses and said, “Damn!”

Farrah laughed, winked at Robert and left the room.

Chapter 3

Damn, man, you sound like a girl! Meeks chided himself for the hair comment.

He remained at the conference table, fuming at the ridiculousness of it all. He was reluctant to contradict Cine, as his earlier outburst had surprised everyone—including himself. Was the woman trying to get herself killed?

It was bad enough that that bastard Raymond Daniels—a former enemy who blamed Francine for his arrest—came gunning for her even when he was out on bond. Too bad the cops got to him and put him back in jail before I got ahold of him. Does she have to keep putting herself in dangerous situations? Meeks thought as he picked up his tablet and phone.

When the board approved the expansion of the personal protection division to include celebrities, Meeks had tried to keep an open mind. However, the clients they assisted other agencies with only confirmed his worst fears, and Meeks was determined to change the board’s mind. Meeks was already having problems with the personal protection division since Francine insisted on continuing her fieldwork; adding celebrity to that mix only enhanced his resolve to eliminate the line completely.

While personal protection for celebrities had the potential to become an extremely profitable piece of business, it brought a lot of unnecessary chaos—unwanted publicity, uncooperative clients and questionable situations—chaos Meeks felt that their already extremely profitable agency could do without. However, Francine’s desire and ability to expand that line of business, ultimately increasing their profits expediently in a short period of time, had made that goal a lot more difficult. Now keeping Francine out of harm’s way was his new priority. If he again allowed Mr. Blake’s daughter to be seriously injured—or even worse—on his watch, Meeks would never forgive himself.

“Well, I guess that means the meeting’s adjourned,” Robert proclaimed as he pushed his glasses back up his nose and stood.

Meeks followed Robert out the door when Mary said, “Not so fast, you two.”

Both men stopped where they stood and gave her their undivided attention.

Mary Walker had worked for the company for over twenty-five years, but she had been a close friend to the Blakes even longer. She had been their father’s assistant almost from the beginning, and her eldest daughter had even been the family’s go-to babysitter for the triplets. Mary was promoted to office manager right after Meeks had joined the firm, taking his father’s position upon his death, and had been like a second mother to him—to all of the staff, in fact.

She was small in stature, but her quiet strength and no-nonsense attitude made her an unstoppable force. When Mary spoke, Meeks listened.

Mary tossed her salt-and-pepper hair from her shoulders, stood to her full five-foot height and placed her hands on her hips. “Francine was right. I know it’s hard to believe, but the Blake women are strong and smart and can handle themselves,” she pointed out. “You don’t need to treat them like fragile dolls that need your constant supervision and protection. Your day of acting as their quasi bodyguard is over.”

Meeks smiled and raised his hands with palms facing Mary, a sign of surrender. “Mary, I was only trying to—”

“I know what you were doing. You’ve been doing it for years and you need to find another way to do it. Try the direct approach,” she advised, giving him a wide smile.

Mary was in her sixties, but with her caramel-colored skin still smooth and free of wrinkles, she looked twenty years younger and beautiful as ever. She picked up her coffee cup and files and left the men staring after her as she exited the conference room.

Meeks headed to his office without making eye contact with anyone he passed. His robotic movements, deep frown and tight jaw sent a clear message: Leave me the hell alone. He walked into his office and slammed the door behind him, but before he could even make it around his desk, his door opened, and there Robert stood.

“What?” Meeks snapped. He always held his tongue with Mary, but he didn’t have to with Robert.

“Don’t shoot,” Robert said, raising his hands in mock surrender.

Meeks and Robert had been best friends since college, and at times, Meeks had been closer to Robert than his own brother. Robert and Meeks had started a technology company after graduation, and within a few years they’d sold it and made millions. With no concrete plans after the sale, Robert had agreed to join Meeks when he took over for his father after his death. While Meeks trusted Robert with his life and valued his opinions above most, he wasn’t in the mood for any of them at the moment.

“Don’t you have some work to do?” Meeks asked.

“Why don’t you two just get together already?” Robert asked as he folded his arms and leaned against the doorframe. “If nothing else, maybe you’ll get it out of your system.”

“What are you talking about?” Meeks asked as he sat in his chair behind his father’s antique cherrywood desk.

“You and Francine. You two have been doing this dance for a while now.” He pushed off the doorframe and entered the office, closing the door behind him. “First, you said she was too young for you. Then she’s the boss’s daughter—”

“She’s always been the boss’s daughter,” he declared.

“Then she’s basically you in a dress. There’s always something... In reality, you’re crazy about her. Hell, we all know you’re crazy about her. So do something about it already!”

“Cine and I are business partners. Period.”

Robert took the seat directly across from Meeks’s desk. “Which is why you were willing to walk away from a multimillion-dollar client? Because there was a remote possibility that Francine could be in danger?”

“Francine is the CEO of this company—an organization with a stellar worldwide reputation, which we all have worked hard for,” he said, stabbing his index finger into his desk. “This was a role she was groomed and destined for. Hell, she’s wanted it her whole life. She has no business working cases in the damn field. Didn’t we learn that lesson last year when she was almost shot by that irate husband we helped put away?” he yelled at his friend. “Or how about two months ago when she did get shot?” He threw up his hands. “She could have died, for Christ’s sake.”

“Yeah, but she didn’t, and working cases is her choice...not yours,” he said, pointing at his friend. “Francine has been following in her father’s footsteps since she was a kid. Do you remember telling me that? We both know she’s more than qualified. Her and her sisters’ years of martial arts training from not only their father, but from several experts in the field, set them apart from most. They’re double black belts. Hell, Francine’s better at handling herself and a weapon—any type of weapon too, gun, knife, crossbow—than some of the men we have walking around here,” Robert said as he ran the back of his hand along his jawline. “Shit, if that asshole didn’t get the jump on her, she wouldn’t have gotten shot.”

Meeks stood and turned to stare out his windows. “Being better than some of the men around here didn’t stop her from getting shot now, did it? She could have died, man.”

“So this is about your personal feelings for Francine, and not her abilities as an agent or her position with the company?”

Meeks glared at Robert over his shoulder.

“Because if it is,” Robert tilted his head slightly, raised his eyebrows and pointed at him, “you ought to remember that danger is something we all face regularly. In fact, we all happily signed up for it, and Francine was the most eager of us all—a fact that we all knew from the first day she started working in the field five years ago.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Meeks mumbled, returning to his desk. “She was determined to show everyone that she was just as good as the men,” he admitted grudgingly. “Turns out she was better than most of them, too.”

Robert threw back his head and laughed. “We had to rethink our stance on a number of things, and she challenged us every step of the way. Remember when she insisted that everyone learn the ‘art,’” he said, using air quotes to emphasize his point. “...of handling knives and bows and arrows?”

“Yeah, or when they both had all the men learn some form of martial arts because they thought that boxing shouldn’t be the only hand-to-hand defense they knew.” Meeks smiled as he remembered Big Bob trying to master the roundhouse kick. He was surprised just how well the large man had handled that three-hundred-pound body of his.

“There’s not one thing she and Farrah can’t do. You do realize that Francine is the reason why the team is as strong as it is today, right?”

“I know. I just...” Meeks’s mind drifted for a moment.

Robert studied his friend before saying, “You know what happened with Jasmine wasn’t your fault—or Francine for that matter...right? You surround yourself with a lot of strong women, and you can’t blame yourself when they put themselves in harm’s way and end up getting hurt. You can’t protect them from themselves.”

“Don’t go there,” Meeks warned. The last thing he wanted was to be reminded how he’d let his relationship with Jasmine blind him to her reckless ambition, something he swore he’d never let happen again. “This has nothing to do with Jasmine. With regard to Cine, I’d be just as concerned about any of our agents if they acted as recklessly as she did last night,” he protested, all the while knowing his argument held no weight.

“Reckless? According to the debrief summary she did an excellent job—especially under the circumstances,” Robert countered.

“And hurt herself in the process, too,” Meeks shot back. “Not to mention, she had no backup.”

Robert stood and headed for the door. “Damn, man. It was a party! She had plenty of backup on the scene. Everyone wore those new alert watches that you insist we all needed.” He cracked open the door but gave a parting shot. “Our teams are the best at what they do, and they always have each other’s backs, especially when it comes to working with the Blake sisters. And working with Cine in particular, you always have to be on point.”

“Enough already, I get it. You think she’s a superhero,” Meeks said with a slight curve of his lips.

“Be careful. You don’t want to feel the wrath of those Blake women,” Robert said, giving his friend a half smile.

“Like you did with Farrah two months ago when she accused you of honing in on the Boyd case?” Meeks questioned.

“Exactly like that, especially since I wasn’t honing in on anything, remember? You sent me to Vegas to keep an eye on her just to prevent Francine from having to go do it. Man, was Farrah pissed.” Robert ran the back of his hand across his face.

“I wouldn’t put it exactly like that,” Meeks said, defending his choice to send Robert to Las Vegas so Francine wouldn’t feel the need to go. “I never did find out what happened between you two while you were there.”

“She didn’t need or want my help, but we got the job done anyway, and that’s all that matters. Besides, you know what they say. What happens in Vegas...” Robert laughed as he left Meeks’s office.

Meeks knew his friend was right. The Blake women had been trained by their father, former army ranger Frank Blake, and by all accounts, he was the best in the business. He’d been determined to build the best security organization in the country. He had every intention of making sure his girls were prepared to take over and ensure his legacy when the time was right. Still, Meeks knew firsthand that no matter how well you’d been trained and groomed, accidents happened and there were some things that were beyond your control. He would be damned if he let something happen to Francine Blake.

Chapter 4

Francine walked into her office with Farrah right behind her. She now held the corner office that had once been occupied by their father. It was as large as the living room in her apartment and full of happy memories captured in the many photographs plastered on every wall between expensive works of art. The oval-shaped mahogany-wood-and-glass-topped desk that she’d designed and made herself sat in the center of the room atop a rich, earth-toned Persian rug that spoke more to Francine’s style than the desk that had previously been used by their father.

While Francine may have hated her father’s old desk, she loved his soft leather wingback chair and matching sofa, so they both stayed. But the possession of her father’s that Francine prized the most was his massive book collection, a collection which was full of original works and first editions, along with several technical books that she reached for daily.

“Can you believe Meeks? Making this whole new client thing about me...about my being shot?” Francine complained as she began pacing the floor of her office. “Like I’m some helpless child that needs her hand held. What, I’m suddenly too fragile to handle myself? I did my time in the shrink’s chair after the shooting, at Dad’s insistence, mind you, and I’ve had no lingering effects. I was cleared to return to work. I don’t need Meeks trying to tell me what to do, too.”

Farrah smiled and sat quietly on the sofa.

“I mean, it’s not like I’m not capable of handling myself,” she said, making tracks across the plush carpet. “How many times have I laid his ass out during our workouts?”

Farrah crossed her legs and shot her sister a knowing look, and her smile grew wider.

“Okay, maybe he did let me win,” she conceded, “but he’s not your average man, either.”

“He’s not?” Farrah asked.

Francine stopped midstride and glared at her sister. “Farrah, aren’t you going to say anything about his behavior?”

“You don’t want to hear what I have to say, and you know it,” she said, crossing her arms under her breasts.

Francine rolled her eyes to the ceiling, released a deep breath and went to join her sister on the sofa. “What am I going to do about Meeks?” Francine asked as she laid her head on her sister’s shoulder.

“I told you what to do. Invite him up to your place for dinner and when he arrives, greet him wearing nothing but your combat boots. Channel your inner Miley...better yet, Beyoncé,” she said, laughing as she swerved her hips.

“What?” Francine asked, trying not to laugh.

“When’s the last time you had a little fun, anyway?” she asked.

Francine threw her head back and laughed so hard she could barely catch her breath. Farrah had always been the wild one out of the three of them; she had inherited her adventurous spirit from their father. She was beautiful and wasn’t afraid to admit that her looks could easily get her whatever she wanted. While all three triplets were brilliant overachievers, Farrah knew the fair skin and high cheekbones they inherited from their Italian mother and the luxurious jet-black hair, straight nose and chin they got from their African-American and Hispanic father gave her a superficial advantage against which she constantly had to fight.

“Thanks but I think I’ll pass. And my sex life is not a topic up for discussion.” Francine got up and returned to her desk. “Have you talked to Dad yet?” she asked.

Francine took a chocolate-covered almond Hershey’s Kiss from the crystal candy dish that sat on her desk. At the same time, her sister pulled out a half-eaten candy bar from her purse and took a bite.

“You’re still reaching for the chocolate whenever you get upset, I see,” Farrah said.

“Right back at you,” Francine replied, pointing to her sister’s candy bar.

“Nope, I save the ice cream for that. Right now, I’m just hungry,” Farrah said, biting into the bar.

“Whatever. About Dad...” Francine asked again.

“Yeah, I talked to him. You know, I never knew Dad could be so...so, I don’t even know,” she said, her voice rising several octaves.

“Farrah!” Francine hit the top of her desk with the palm of her hand. “Focus and tell me what happened.”

“Meeks is what happened. He and Robert, in fact,” she said.

“What?” Francine asked, throwing up her hands.

“They talked to Dad and—”

“When?”

“I’ll tell you if you stop interrupting me,” she said before taking another bite of her candy.

Francine closed her mouth, took her thumb and index finger and imitated turning an invisible lock on her lips. She then threw the imaginary key over her shoulder and glared at her sister.

“Thank you,” Farrah said. “Anyway, thanks to Meeks and Robert, Dad all of a sudden agreed that personal security for celebrities brought on too much risk. And before you break that lock and ask, yes, I reminded him of just how much revenue that part of our business has generated over the last two years, and that expanding to work with celebrities was the next natural step.” Farrah crossed her arms and legs. “I even reminded him that both Robert and Meeks were in favor of this division change until you got shot. We all know Meeks is making this personal when it should be about business. Mom has managed to keep Dad at bay for now, but if he manages to get the board to reconsider their decision and calls for a vote, we’re screwed.”

Francine had been able to convince her dad and the majority of the stockholders to give her one major celebrity client to prove that not only was this additional line of business profitable, but it also brought no extra danger to their team. Francine had been well on her way to selecting and perusing that client before she was shot. Fortunately Tiffany’s case had landed in her lap at the perfect opportunity.

“Damn! If that didn’t convince him, I’m not sure what will.” Francine sat forward, crossed her arms on her desk and laid down her head. “If we can’t convince Dad to change his mind, then we’ll be at a shareholder stalemate.”

“And let me remind you, sister dear, if that happens, the issue goes to the board for a decision.” Farrah laughed and slowly shook her head. “Dad may not be an attorney, but he sure as hell thinks like one. Making that thirteen-person board full of his friends, which he virtually controls, have the final say in any decisions that the six shareholders can’t resolve was brilliant.”

Francine raised her head. “Just one more thing you got from Dad,” Francine said.

Farrah smiled and flipped her hair. “What, my brilliance?”

Francine shook her head. “No, your sneakiness. So what do we do?” she asked, sitting up to reach for more candy.

“While I’m looking for some legal loopholes, you need to see how many board members you can convince to vote our way.”

“Well, there are thirteen votes, and the six shareholders are split down the middle.” Francine used her fingers to count off the votes. “So, of the outstanding seven members, I know we have Mom, Mary and Paul on our side. We either need to find a way to convince shareholder Matthew—”

“Not going to happen. Matthew always votes with Meeks...they’re brothers,” Farrah said.

“Or, we see if we can get one of Dad’s old business cronies or one of those Army Special Forces kids to take back their voting proxy and vote our way,” Francine countered.

“All right, what about his former business partner, the one who never leaves his house? What’s his name? Bass, Brick?”

“It’s Beck, Ronald Beck, but he’ll never go against Dad,” Francine said. “He and Eddie Mercado helped with the start-up funds for the business, remember? Dad’s made them a fortune. Hell, he’s made everybody a fortune.”

“So which of the remaining two board members, those Special Forces kids, do you think you could have a shot with—Dallas Walls or James Grayson?” Farrah asked.

“Neither. Their fathers were a part of Dad’s Special Forces group and he’s had their proxies for years. I don’t think either of them has ever even personally attended a board meeting. They run their own billion-dollar companies, after all,” Francine said.

“You’re right. Walls has that massive cattle ranch where he raises horses, and he also runs a string of steak houses. And Grayson owns the Grayson & Grayson Oil consortium with his sister. We’re just a blip on their radar.”

“Well, they inherited their seats from their dads. It’s not like it was something they sought out to do. What’s the deal with that, anyway?” Francine asked with a deep frown.

Farrah sat up straighter in her chair. “We’re a privately owned company and we can set up the board any way we want. As long as we stick to our established bylaws, we can—”

“That’s not what I mean, legal eagle,” Francine said, rolling her eyes. “I never really understood why Dad gave two seats on the board to the kids of two men that died before he even started the company.”

“According to Mom, Dad felt like he owed them. It’s a ranger thing. So, any ideas?” Farrah asked.

“Actually, Mom might be able to convince Mr. Mercado,” she said shyly.

Farrah’s eyes widened, and she nodded slowly.

Francine’s mother had told her girls that once upon a time, Eddie Mercado had had a crush on her. They’d even gone on a few dates before she’d met their father. Francine felt like it would be disloyal to her father to even ask her mother to approach the man themselves, even though her mother had assured them that their father had gotten past it years ago. They and Eddie had been friends and even business partners for years.

“Do you think Mom would do that?” Farrah asked, frowning. “I mean, voting against Dad with us is one thing. Going to an old boyfriend for help to do it is something different entirely.”

“What other choice do we have?”

“Anything but that. You know, if you’d just take Meeks to bed, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Farrah said, laughing and making her eyebrows dance.

Francine sighed. “If only it were that easy. Besides, Meeks has made it perfectly clear that the only interest he has in me is professional.”

Farrah threw her candy wrapper into the silver trash bin that sat at the corner of her sister’s desk. “You couldn’t tell that by his behavior, especially lately. In fact, ever since you were shot, he hasn’t been able to take his eyes off you. Good thing he didn’t know you were ready to walk away from fieldwork before Dad had to retire. He’d never let you forget that and he’d find a way to use that knowledge to his advantage.”

“I know. Enough of this already,” Francine said as she stood and picked up her electronic tablet. “You did look over the case file, right?”

“Yep. I wonder what made Tiffany switch agencies anyway.” Farrah raised herself up off the sofa.

“Who cares?” Francine said.

“I do. It could be a factor in what we have to do for them.” Farrah placed her right hand on her hip.

“No...you’re just nosey,” Francine said.

“All right...that, too,” she agreed reluctantly. “By the way, have you started working on Felicia’s storage chest yet?”

“No, why?”

“I loved the sketch of it and I was hoping I could convince you to make me one, too,” Farrah said, giving her that cheeky smile she often used when she wanted something.

Francine laughed and shook her head. “Time to get back to business. I see you took your hair down,” Francine said, pointing at her sister’s head.

“Yeah, Meeks thought we shouldn’t confuse the client too much. Does Mr. Morgan know you’re part of a set of triplets?” Farrah asked sarcastically.

Francine laughed, picked up her phone and headed for the conference room attached to her office. “No, but what man you know wouldn’t want a couple of butt-kicking sisters in his life?”

Chapter 5

As expected, Bill Morgan’s and Tiffany Tanner’s eyes grew wide as the sisters entered the room. Francine smiled and extended her hand to their guests, who had risen from their seats. “Mr. Morgan. Tiffany. Nice to see you again. This is my sister and business partner, Farrah Blake. Farrah’s our chief legal officer, and she ensures that your, as well as our, legal rights and responsibilities are well protected. And from time to time, as in this instance, we work together and act as case leads.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Farrah said as Mr. Morgan took the hand she offered and gave it a small shake.

“That’s great news,” Mr. Morgan said on a sigh.

“Oh, my,” Tiffany said, flashing looks between the two women. “You’re twins... Identical.”

“Not quite identical, and we’re actually two-thirds of a set of triplets. When we were born, our eyes were all the same shade of green. As we grew, the color changed. Now we all have different eye colors. Mine are blue,” Farrah explained, fluttering her lashes. “Francine’s stayed green, and our baby sister Felicia has hazel eyes.”

“Wow. Does your other sister work here, too?” Tiffany asked as she took a seat at the end of the table closest to both the window and the door.

“No, she works in another industry. She’s a doctor, actually,” Francine said proudly. “I really don’t think our clients could take all of us working here.”

“Or our staff, for that matter,” Farrah added.

“It must be nice to have two other people in the world that you can depend on no matter what,” Tiffany said, sliding down farther into the chair, her wistful tone speaking more to the loneliness she felt at being an only child than any actual jealousy she had toward the sisters’ relationship. The twenty-one-year-old beauty pulled out her cell phone and began tapping her index finger on the screen as though she was suddenly disinterested in what was happening around her.

Francine and Farrah gave each other a knowing glance.

“Please sit,” Francine said to Mr. Morgan, who focused his blue-eyed gaze on his client. “This shouldn’t take very long. I just have a few follow-up questions for you.”

“No problem...whatever you need,” Mr. Morgan replied, taking a seat next to Tiffany. “We’re just happy you’ll be handling this case yourself.”

Bill Morgan had been a family friend and attorney to the Tanner family for years. He’d played a significant role in helping the Tanners nurture Tiffany’s career. In fact, he’d become Tiffany’s legal guardian and business manager after her parents were killed in a tragic boating accident when she was twelve. By all accounts, at the time, the recently divorced thirty-two-year-old had been an excellent father figure for the shell-shocked child and a stern guiding hand during those highly publicized and turbulent adolescent years. When Tiffany turned twenty-one, she took control of her career and gained access to a multimillion-dollar fortune that her parents had left her. By the looks of things, Tiffany and Mr. Morgan were still adjusting to their new relationship.

“I see Kelly has taken care of you already,” Francine said, gesturing to the water and coffee that had been provided. “Would you like anything else? A refill?”

“No, thanks. We’re fine,” Mr. Morgan replied after checking with Tiffany, who signaled her disinterest with a wave of her hand.

Francine cracked open her tablet. “All right then, let’s get started. We checked out—”

“I have to know,” Farrah said with a quick glance that silenced Francine. “Why us? What made you decide to pick Blake & Montgomery to replace your old security firm?”

Mr. Morgan’s jaw was clenched but relaxed before he answered. “According to our reports, you’re the best firm in the country. Especially when it comes to dealing with personal security,” he explained.

“As you know, Tiffany is the biggest celebrity client we’ve ever agreed to manage. While we’ve assisted other agencies with their celebrity client base, Tiffany will be the first we’ve agreed to handle exclusively.”

“You’ve made that perfectly clear, and as I said before, your company’s reputation in international security rivals no other. We’re honored to be your first official celebrity client,” he said with a slight nod and a curve of his lip.

“Then why didn’t you come to us in the first place? It’s not like you knew for sure we didn’t cater to celebrities at that time. There’s always an exception to every rule,” Farrah asked.

“Farrah!” Francine warned.

“It’s okay,” Tiffany defended, waving off Francine’s concern with a flip of her diamond-studded hand and a wide smile. “The other company came highly recommended from a reputable source,” she explained with a look at both Francine and Farrah.

“So why the change?” Farrah pressed.

“We thought it would be nice if there were more female agents around,” Mr. Morgan said before Tiffany could answer.

“Female agents...what are we missing?” Farrah continued to question.

Mr. Morgan looked at Tiffany, who was putting her phone into her Prada bag. Before he could say anything, Tiffany sat up in her chair, pushed a wayward strand of blond hair behind her ear and said, “I have a stalker.”

“Okay. Any firm can deal with that,” Farrah said with a small frown and a slight tilt of her head.

“He was a part of my security detail,” she added.

“We think he might have been a part of the security team,” Mr. Morgan corrected. He was clearly not convinced, and he gave Tiffany’s hand a small, condescending pat. “We don’t know for sure.”

“Why do you think that? I mean you’ve had the same team for two years, and they’re all good men,” she said, shaking her head. “We’ve checked them out.”

Tiffany stood, walked to the window and stared out at downtown Houston. The room was quiet for several moments before she spoke.

“I found notes and gifts in my bedroom...in my underwear drawer. Every time I get a new phone number, my stalker seems to get it,” Tiffany explained without facing the group. “The last straw was when I started receiving pictures of naked body parts in my personal email.” She looked over her shoulder at Francine. “The only people who had access to my home and private numbers, other than my family and a few close friends, were the members of my security team.”

“We’ll need a list of those names—both family and friends,” Francine said.

Tiffany turned and faced the group. “Why?” she asked, frowning.

“Because they’ll need to be checked out,” Farrah said. “All of them.”

“Did you report this to the police?” Francine asked as she reached for her cell phone. While she waited for a response, she texted Meeks: Conference room. Now. And bring Robert.

“No,” Mr. Morgan said, again looking at Tiffany as if taking direction from her as to how much he should share.

“Why the hell not?” Farrah asked through narrowed eyes.

“Farrah...” Francine said with a warning glance in her sister’s direction.

Tiffany returned to her chair and took a long sip of her water.

Before she could reply, Meeks and Robert walked through the door. “Bill Morgan, Tiffany Tanner, this is our chief operations officer, Meeks Montgomery, and head of our corporate security division and resident computer expert, Robert Gold. He helped develop the systems we’ll be installing in your home,” Francine introduced.

After handshakes all around, Meeks and Robert took seats at the conference table.

“I asked them to join us because in a case like this,” Francine said, looking around the table, “it’s best to not only get the police involved, but to make sure all parties involved in your security are fully aware of the situation.”

“What situation would that be exactly?” Meeks asked Francine with narrowed eyes.

Francine brought Meeks and Robert up to speed on the situation as they knew it, and as expected, Meeks took over the questioning.

“Stalkers aren’t to be played with,” he explained with a pointed look at Tiffany. “What makes you think it’s someone from your former security team?”

Tiffany took another sip of water and said, “I had an affair with a couple of guys on my security team.”

“A couple?” Robert asked, his eyes wide.

Both sisters glared at Robert. He shrugged and mouthed, “What?”

Mr. Morgan reached for Tiffany’s hand and gave it a supportive squeeze before saying, “Tiffany, you don’t have to—”

“Yes, she does,” Meeks said. “We need to know everything if you want us to be able to protect her.”

“It’s okay, Bill,” Tiffany said before removing her hand from his grip and taking another sip of her water. “I’m twenty-one years old, and I’ve been working in this industry for ten years. For the past four years I’ve had some exceptionally good luck, which required me to be even more selective with the people I associate with.”

“Exceptionally good luck?” Robert said sarcastically as he too flipped through his electronic tablet. “You’ve had three back-to-back blockbuster movies and gained access to a fifty-million-dollar trust fund. Yeah, I’d say that’s some exceptionally good luck.”

Tiffany smiled. “I’ve never wanted to be one of those childhood stars that ended up broke and in the gutter somewhere, and my family and Bill made sure that would never happen.”

Tiffany gave Bill a smile that clearly expressed gratitude, but his responding smile seemed to offer more than paternal love.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to make friends? I mean, real friends?” she asked, her voice rising an octave. “Let alone trying to find a nice guy? Trust me, it’s not easy. So I find myself gravitating toward my security team.”

Tiffany got up and walked around the table and stared out the clear glass wall of windows that looked out over the city. She wrapped her arms around her body and slowly moved her hands up and down her arms. The room was at a comfortable temperature so Farrah recognized the gesture as a defense mechanism and asked, “Tiffany, would you like to take a break?”

Tiffany turned away from the windows and faced her. She wiped away a lone tear that had escaped her left eye and said, “No...I’m fine. What more do you need to know?”

“Is this really necessary?” Bill demanded as he made his way around the table to stand next to Tiffany, where he placed his arm around her.

“I’m afraid so,” Francine said before she continued to question Tiffany about her relationships with members of her former security team, her friends and her normal routine—all under Meeks’s heated scrutiny, which appeared to have made the air slowly evaporate from the room.

Another hour and several cups of coffee later, Tiffany had finally decided she’d had enough. “I’m exhausted, and I have an event tonight,” she said, gathering her things. “So if you need any more information, feel free to join me at the house.”

“I’ll accompany Ms. Tanner home and get the team in place,” Robert said as he too gathered his things to leave. “While I’m there, I’ll figure out what updates her current security system may need.”

Meeks nodded. “And we’ll have any necessary adjustments made first thing in the morning.”

“That’s great. Robert and Farrah and I will accompany you to your event this evening until we can assign someone to watch over you on a more permanent basis,” Francine explained to Tiffany.

Tiffany breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Thank you.”

Francine could feel Meeks’s eyes on her, but she ignored him and continued to go through her security checklist.

Meeks pulled out his cell phone and started dialing. “I’ll contact a friend of mine at the police department—”

“Is that necessary?” Mr. Morgan questioned Meeks. “The way I understand it, you have better resources than most police departments across the country. Besides, we really don’t want the press to get wind of any of this. Why can’t you just handle this on your own?”

“You didn’t let me finish,” Meeks added. “I’ll see if he’s willing to make a house call and take the police report there. That way, there’s less of a chance of this news getting out. There are protocols with everything we do, and while we will do everything in our power to find the person that’s behind all this, our priority has to be to keep Tiffany...” he slid a glance at Francine, “and our team safe,” Meeks told Mr. Morgan, leaving no question as to his priorities.

“Having the police work with us on finding Tiffany’s stalker will hopefully make apprehending him that much easier,” Francine offered. “And the sooner we can put that person behind bars, the sooner we can get Tiffany settled into that routine we discussed earlier,” she reminded Mr. Morgan, who acknowledged her statement with a simple nod.

“Thanks, I’d appreciate that,” Tiffany said, making her way to the door. “The less publicity this thing generates, the better.”

“Farrah and Robert will see you out,” Francine said.

Farrah gave her sister a small nod and said, “After you,” to their guest.

Francine waited for the room to clear before she turned to pick up her tablet and found Meeks glaring at her. “What? Go ahead, say it. I’d hate for you to spontaneously combust from holding back,” she declared as she retreated to her office, knowing that he would follow.

Chapter 6

“Are you crazy?” Meeks asked Francine as he followed her into her office. He closed the door behind him with enough force to make his point.

“Last time I checked I wasn’t, but let me check again,” Francine replied, tapping her index finger against her temple. “Nope...still not crazy.”

Meeks walked around her desk to stand in front of her with his arms folded across his heaving chest. “Then why the hell do you insist on doing crazy shit?”

She raised her chin and crossed her arms, matching his stance before asking, “What are you talking about, Meeks?”

“What am I—” He took a deep breath. “I’m talking about you taking the lead on this stalker case—a case that has danger written all over it. Especially with what we know now, our experience and your dumb luck, it is likely someone who’s familiar with our line of work! That’s what I’m talking about,” Meeks explained as he took another step closer to Francine.

Francine blew out a breath and rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Not this again.”

Meeks took the final step forward that had them mere inches apart. She stared up into his eyes and dropped her hands to her sides. Meeks watched as her breathing escalated, as her breasts slowly rose and fell. He dropped his arms and fisted his hands at his sides to keep himself from reaching out to caress them. He could imagine the taste and the softness of them and grew hard. Francine held his gaze and bit down on her lower lip—another move that made things worse for him. The sexual tension in the air was like a fog circling around them.

After several moments of tense silence, Meeks couldn’t resist any longer. He raised his right hand and traced the tip of a finger slowly across Francine’s lower lip. The feel of her silk-like skin made his hand tremble slightly. He captured Francine’s chin in between his thumb and index finger, raising it slightly as he slowly began to lower his head and held her gaze.

Francine rose up on her tiptoes and wet her lips. The sight of Francine’s pink tongue nearly sent Meeks over the edge, and he leaned in to capture her mouth.

Knock, knock.

Farrah, as usual, had entered the office before being invited in. She stood smiling in the doorway and asked, “Excuse me...am I interrupting something?”

Francine and Meeks continued to stare at each other for several additional seconds before Meeks dropped his hand, straightened to his full height and said, “No...not at all.” Meeks gave both women a curt nod before making his exit.

* * *

When Meeks returned to his office, he closed his door and proceeded to bang his fist against it. “Shit! What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked himself, rubbing his knuckles. “Okay, so she looks exceptionally beautiful when she’s angry,” he mused aloud. “So what if she was just as turned on as you were? You know better. You could have made a big mistake.”

“You usually bang your fist against the door and talk to yourself? And who looked exceptionally beautiful?” a soft voice asked from behind him.

A wide smile spread across Meeks’s face before he turned around. “Hello, Mother,” he said as he walked forward and into his mother’s extended arms. “What brings you into the city? Did I miss an appointment?” Meeks kissed Constance Montgomery on both cheeks.

“How sad is that? A mother has to make an appointment to visit her own son,” Constance said, holding him at arm’s length. It was clear where Meeks had inherited his tall frame, fair skin and dark brown eyes.

Mother to Meeks and his younger brother Matthew, Constance had been a fixture at Blake & Montgomery when her husband was the company’s COO. Milton Montgomery joined his best friend and former army ranger buddy Frank Blake in his desire to build a corporate and personal protection security firm that rivaled no other. Together, they had worked hard for years, using their extensive military combat and weapons training and worldwide contacts to do just that.

While Constance never played an active role in the business, the stay-at-home mom made sure her family spent as much quality time together as possible, even if that meant piling the boys into the car and driving to the office to spend that time with their father. The boys had loved the on-site gym in particular, but more important, they loved family togetherness.

“Don’t start, Mother,” he teased, taking the hat and jacket she offered and placing them on his desk. “Scheduling times for visits was your brilliant idea, remember? You know you can drop by and see me whenever you like.”

She shook her head, the movement causing her stylish gray bob to release itself from behind her ears and frame her round face. “Yeah, right. And take a chance on you being out on some assignment? No, thank you.”

Meeks gave her a toothy grin. “So...what did I do to deserve this unexpected pleasure?”

“Better,” Constance said as she released her grip on her son and sat her tall frame eloquently into the chair facing Meeks’s desk.

Meeks followed suit and settled into the chair next to her.

“I came to town for my monthly lunch with Mary and Victoria,” she explained, crossing her legs at her ankles. “Victoria is meeting us at the restaurant, and since I was a little early to pick up Mary, I thought I’d stop in and say hello to one of my two favorite sons,” she explained as she fluffed out her hair.

“Well, that’s—”

“But enough of that,” she said, ignoring his attempt to respond. “Tell me why you were banging your fist against the door.” Constance clasped her hands and placed them in her lap. “And who’s incredibly beautiful when she’s angry, as if I don’t already know, and why was she angry?”

“Mother, I don’t—”

Constance held up her hand to stop his protest. “You might as well tell me, because you know I’ll get it out of you eventually. Is this about Francine?”

Meeks took a deep breath and sat up straighter in his chair. “It’s not that big of a deal. Francine and I had a slight disagreement about a business situation and that’s all there is to it.”

“You usually bang your fist against the door after a business disagreement?” Constance asked her son with questioning eyes.

“Really, Mother, there’s nothing for you to worry about,” Meeks said as he reached for Constance’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“You know, Victoria tells me Francine is still single.”

Please don’t go there, Mother. Not today. “If she doesn’t stay out of trouble, she’ll stay that way,” he murmured to himself.

“What was that, dear?” his mother asked. She gave him a knowing smile, the kind that she’d often given when he and his brother were growing up.

“Nothing,” he mumbled. “I just know where this conversation is going, and as I’ve told you a thousand times, Francine and I can never have a relationship.”

“You’ve been in love with that woman for most of her life. I understood and agreed with your decision to stay in that friend and protector lane when she was younger. But son, Francine is a grown woman now and something special has grown between you two through the years. That big brother, protective seed sprouted into something wonderful and if you let it, it could become something magnificent.”

“Mother, I know you mean well. I just can’t. We’re too different.”

Constance released a deep slow sigh. It was a gesture that told Meeks to shut up and listen, which he did. “Son, I love you, but sometimes you’re too much like your father, God bless his beautiful, stubborn soul. You know better than most just how short life can be, but living in fear of loving someone isn’t the answer,” she said, twisting her wedding band on her finger. “Can you honestly tell me that you have no feelings for Francine?”

“Meeks, man, I need you to take a look at this...” Robert said, walking into Meeks’s office without knocking or looking up from his tablet. As he saw Constance, he added, “Oh, excuse me. No one was out front and I didn’t realize you weren’t alone.”

Constance turned slightly in her chair and smiled up at Robert. “He’s not, and you better get over here and give me a hug, young man.”

Robert offered her a wide smile. “Yes, ma’am.” Robert took her hands, pulled her up from the chair and into a big hug. “You look beautiful, as always.”

“And you’re a charmer, as usual,” she said, kissing him on both cheeks. “How’s your mother? I’ve been meaning to call her.”

“She’s doing great, and I know she’d love to hear from you.”

Constance smiled and gave Robert a small pat on his cheek. Meeks shook his head at the sight, feeling grateful for the interruption. “What’s up?”

“Just a slight scheduling issue, but it can wait,” Robert declared as he started backing up, easing closer to the door.

“Wait one second, mister.” Constance collected her hat and coat from Meeks’s desk. “You two have business to tend to, and I have a lunch to get to. Besides, I’m sure my son is grateful for the subject change.”

Robert cut his eyes to Meeks, but remained still and silent.

“Mother, I...” Meeks said before falling silent. He stood and stared at her like a child searching for an excuse for doing something wrong. But in his case, it was the right answer to her question.

Constance smiled. “That’s what I thought.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Meeks offered.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I can find my own way out. Besides, you two have work to do, not to mention you have some serious thinking to do, too, young man,” she said, leveling her son with a poignant look.

Meeks helped her into her jacket.

“You know, Francine’s nothing like that redheaded girl you dated there for a while. I never really liked her.”

Robert burst out laughing.

“Yes, Mother, I know,” Meeks said, giving Robert the evil eye as he walked her to the door.

Constance embraced Meeks, then kissed both him and Robert gently on the cheek and left his office.

“So what was that all about?” Robert asked.

“Nothing,” Meeks said, walking back to his desk. “What’s the problem with the schedule?”

“Oh no, you don’t.” Robert sat in the seat vacated by Constance. “What were you trying to avoid with your mother?”

Meeks sighed and moved to stand in front of his window. He stared out at the Houston city skyline for several moments before he responded. “My mother thinks I should talk to Francine about these unresolved feelings she believes we have for each other. It doesn’t seem to matter that we want different things.”

“Let me guess, you don’t think you have unresolved feelings for each other,” Robert said in a sarcastic tone.

“No, it’s perfectly clear how we feel about each other, and neither one of us thinks it’s necessary to explore them any further.”

Robert tilted his head slightly. “You do know how ridiculous you sound right now, right? How do you know what Francine wants and doesn’t want if you haven’t talked to her about it? According to our mothers, relationships are about compromise...on both sides.”

“I know that,” Meeks said, trying to keep the frustration from edging into his voice. “But when it comes to Francine’s safety, there is no compromise. She seems to want to play superhero these days,” Meeks said with a little more force than he intended.

Thoughts of Francine in the hospital, looking weary and helpless, flashed through his mind. Those images tightened his gut with worry. And now she was putting herself back on the hook, and he knew it was because she was trying to prove a point—to him. He felt himself beginning to lose control, and he needed a moment to bring his emotions back in check.

“Francine is obviously smarter than you’re giving her credit for. Do you think she’d intentionally put herself in danger?”

Meeks turned to face his friend. “Maybe not intentionally,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Remember when she got shot?”

“Do I? I thought you were going to kill everyone in the hospital when they tried to stop you from seeing her.” Robert smirked.

Meeks nodded his head slowly. He couldn’t remember how many laws he broke just driving to the hospital. “I wanted to,” he replied.

“I bet,” Robert said.

Meeks turned back to face the window. “I wasn’t with her that day. I couldn’t protect her. I really don’t know what I would have done if I...if I’d lost her.”

Robert pushed out a breath as he ran his right hand through his hair. “I get that. But no matter how careful we are, there are some things we can’t control, like our feelings.”

Meeks returned to his desk. “I just—”

Robert stood and leveled his sights on his friend. “Just talk to her, man.”

No matter how great the attraction or potential for a future there could be, having a woman...a wife...in constant danger wasn’t an option. Regardless to how hard it was going to be, Meeks knew he had to keep things between him and Francine professional.

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