At least it was a beautiful day and I had the rest of the day to myself. A run, then a hot bath. I was pretty sure I had a little bit of wine leftover from a dinner a few weeks ago. That, plus the last of the ice cream in the freezer and a good movie sounded like the best way to end the weekend. Tomorrow, I'd worry about everything else.
As I headed out of the park and down the sidewalk toward the subway entrance, however, I quickly realized that I had something new to worry about at the moment. At first, I hadn't thought anything of the limo parked at the sidewalk. There were always limos about in the city.
But then it started following me.
I thought it might've been a coincidence, but when I cut across the street, it came too.
Shit.
That was exactly what I needed right now. A rich stalker.
I began to jog. Fortunately, the streets weren't too crowded, and I was able to cut around and through. Except the limo was still following, and now I saw that there was a man following me too. He wasn't very tall, but he was bulky, and the way he moved told me he knew how to handle himself in a fight.
I was still a few blocks from the subway, but there were a lot of people around. However, I also knew that having people around didn't guarantee safety, especially when most people’s eyes were glued to their phone.
Sneaking another quick look over my shoulder, I saw that the guy behind me was walking faster. I had two choices. I could either try to lose him, or fight. I didn't know how long he could run, but I imagined that’s what he'd expect me to do.
So I’d do what I always did when someone thought they knew how I'd react or behave.
I did the exact opposite.
I waited until I was at a crosswalk and stopped with everyone else. I edged toward the closest building and waited for the man to come close enough. The moment he was, I reacted, reaching behind me to grab his wrist.
I felt his start of surprise but didn't give him time to react. I shifted, pulling him around in front of me where I quickly jabbed my fingers into his throat. He gagged, coughed, then stumbled as I swept my foot behind his. The limo was right there now and I threw the man against it, twisting his arm up behind his back.
“Why are you following me?” I demanded.
He looked over his shoulder at me. “Sara Carr?”
I glared at him. “What do you want?”
“Miss Carr?” A new voice came from the limo.
I leaned back to see the speaker without releasing my hold on the man pinned to the car. The guy inside the limo was gorgeous. Bronze-colored hair, chiseled cheekbones, and a pair of stunning violet-blue eyes.
But being good-looking didn't mean he wasn't some sort of psycho.
“What?” I snapped.
He gave me a charming smile, like I wasn't considering breaking a man's hand. “My name is Dorian Forbes, and I'd like to offer you a job.”
Chapter Four
Dorian
I'd done my research on Sara Carr so I knew who I was looking for. Long ebony hair. Dark brown eyes. Five feet, five inches tall, slender. Half-Japanese on her mother's side, she'd been raised in San Francisco by her maternal uncle. Graduated from Columbia with a Masters degree in sports management. Part-time employee at a health club and a yoga instructor.
I knew all of that. What I hadn't known or expected was for her to be a total badass. Or so beautiful. I'd seen pictures, but they hadn't done her justice.
When I'd gotten the call that my father was in the hospital, I'd feared the worst, and according to his doctor, if it hadn't been for the young woman who'd immediately started CPR, it probably would've been fatal. While Dad and I didn't always see eye-to-eye, particularly on my personal life, he was my father, and the only family I had left.
So I'd asked around and gotten the name of the woman who'd saved him. I'd considered going to her apartment to talk to her, but when the police officer I'd spoken with told me that Sara had been running in the park, I'd decided that I'd wait for her outside, approach her that way. I wanted to thank her, possibly offer her dinner or a gift of some kind.
I hadn't taken into consideration how it would look to have a limo follow her. When she started running, I sent Reggie after her, to let her know I just wanted to talk. And, clearly, that was an even worse idea. It had, however, given me the chance to see her in action.
The moment she'd slammed Reggie into the car, I knew I couldn't simply thank her and walk away. For the first time in a long time, I'd found someone who genuinely intrigued me.
I wasn't sure what it said about me that I found a woman taking down my bodyguard to be...well, hot. I wasn't after her for sex though. Jelani had followed through on her threat to quit as my trainer. I hadn't realized that she'd been that serious about me, though I supposed I should have. Our on-again, off-again thing had been more on when it came to her, and I'd been the one moving further away. Apparently, not far enough.