SECRET SERVICE

Chapter Four

"Spill." The familiar voice of Willow demanded the moment that she had come into the office. Willow was one of the two friends that Gwendolyn had, both ironically being co-workers.

Willow stood in the doorway with her lunch bag and purse still in hand, a Starbucks coffee in her hand, and her keys dangling.

A moment later, Desiree walked in behind her with a raised brow, "You're here already? I was courteous enough to put my bags down."

They both entered the office, closing the door behind them. Willow dropped her bags on her floor and came over to the desk, "Bags are down, now spill." She demanded.

Gwendolyn sighed and shut her laptop, knowing she wouldn't be getting anything done in the next thirty minutes.

After a week of being out of the office, Gwendolyn was eager to be sitting behind her desk the following Monday. Four eight hours a day, seven days a week, this was the only time her life truly felt normal.

Her co-workers looked at her as an average peer, conversing easily with her. Her security lingered outside rather than directly beside her.

Even despite the past week, the office only contained co-workers milling about.

"Spill what?" She asked, hoping that they hadn't wanted her to go into detail about her guard's passing.

Desiree pulled out her cell phone, showing Gwendolyn a photo on the screen. It had been of Gwen and Alaric at the gala, and for some reason that was worse.

It had been implicitly stated that she was not able to tell anyone about Alaric's truth, even her two closest friends. What she hadn't prepared herself for was to lie directly to their faces.

"Oh, Alaric."

"So that's his name." Desire mused.

"Who is Alaric?" Willow asked.

"Must be an amazing man if he's got our girl taking publicity shots." Desiree teased.

For as long as she had known her, Desiree had always had a quick, yet sharp tongue. When they had first become friends a year ago, most of the times she spoke, Gwendolyn hadn't been a hundred percent sure if her words held mal intentions.

It wasn't until Willow had further explained that it was how she spoke that Gwendolyn understood.

"What? You guys are always down my back for not dating, I thought I would give it a shot." Gwendolyn shrugged and turned her chair around pretending to be looking for something in her file cabinet.

While she wasn't the worse liar in the world, she surely hadn't been the best. And while it was likely that Desiree would believe her, Willow knew Gwendolyn better than she knew herself sometimes.

Gwendolyn and Willow were polar opposites in every sense of the word. Where Gwen had pale skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes — Willow had a deep sand skin tone, she wore her hair in locs that went down her back, and her eyes were so brown they appeared black.

Where Gwendolyn preferred to keep to herself, due to half of her life being spent in the public eye — Willow was a social butterfly, and there wasn't a person she met that didn't love her instantly.

Their friendship ran deeper than the co-worker relationship she had with Desiree. She had known Willow for the past seven years, having had been her college roommate. The two were thick as thieves, even with their polarizing backgrounds.

It wouldn't be long before Willow attempted to force the information from her, and if it happened — not even a direct order from the United States president would stop her.

"How long have you known this guy? Girl code states you're required to tell your female bureau of investigation every single detail about him."

"I don't know if it'll work out," It technically wasn't a lie, as when this was all over she would have to tell them just that, "I am just playing it safe."

"Not safe enough when you're on the front page of the paper," Desiree murmured.

"What?" Gwendolyn gasped and turned around. Since she could remember she always refrained from social media and Googling herself, it wasn't good for her psyche.

But she hadn't suspected that her attending an event with a man on her arm was the most important thing to occur in the past week.

"Yep, everyone and there mama is interested in knowing who he is. That's why I came in here so hot because I'll be damned if Fox News figures it out before me." Willow said firmly.

Her words were going in one ear and out the other as Gwendolyn quickly typed her name into the search engine. She clicked on the first article she pulled"

His Date with the President's Daughter!

The daughter of U.S. President, Peter Cavanaugh, has been spotted this weekend with an unknown man on her arm. Miss Cavanaugh has been in the public eye since she was a teen and to date has yet to be tied to anyone publically.

An inside source states the pair met a few weeks ago and their romance is fast moving. All appears to be well between the two if we are seeing him hanging off her arm.

The largest mystery to date is who is this mystery man. Those attending the event hadn't managed to catch a name, but based on this fast-paced relationship we are sure to know more soon.

Gwendolyn raised her brow at the sources, they were either made-up sources or her father was laying the groundwork.

With the article being in the Enquirer, the former had been more likely.

"This is ridiculous." She hated the public eye enough as it is, yet forced to be in it. Now people would be digging through her life and making up lies to print an interesting story.

"Don't worry about it, girl. By the end of today, this will already be old news." Willow reassured.

"With how fast the news cycle is going, it's probably old news now," Desiree added.

Gwendolyn could only hope.

Desire made a dramatic sigh, "Well I have to go work for a living. I probably have fifty invoices sitting on my desk as we speak and Mark is going to be all down my back if they're not paid by noon."

Gwendolyn gave her an empathetic smile, knowing she had the same mountain of work to climb. When she went to school for art, everyone thought she was silly.

That was a job that couldn't be taken seriously. Now working at an art collecting agency, she realized just how dull an art career could be.

Willow lingered as Desiree exited the office, not in any hurry to get to her desk. Once the door closed behind Desiree, her expression changed.

"Okay, now tell me what is going on." She said with her arms crossed and her eyebrow raised. When she had that look on her face, Gwendolyn knew that the bullshitting would stop where it stands.

"You know you can trust me," Willow added.

"I know I can, it's just what I am not allowed to say," Gwendolyn admitted.

"Not allowed? Is this man putting his hands on you?" Willow's voice rose with every word.

"No! No, that's not what happened. He's the person protecting me from anyone else bad intentions."

Gwendolyn knew she could trust Willow and wasn't sure if she could go months lying to her best friend.

"Derek died." The words came out of her mouth flat and she was surprised that she hadn't felt tears water her eyes as she said them. "Someone killed him on my doorstep, shot him."

Willow's hands covered her mouth as her eyes mimicked the same horror Gwen had felt that night.

"Oh, my God! Are you okay, babe?" She asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't — it's all related to some stalker who is obsessed with me. Alaric is just a guard who is hired to protect me."

"Wait, then why are you lying and saying you're dating?" Willow asked.

"Bait." It was the easiest way to describe it, "If they strike again, my father believes that Alaric is the perfect person to be there."

Willow deflated, "This is a lot to be going through, are you sure you're good? You can stay with me or a couple of nights, I can kick Q out and everything."

Gwendolyn laughed at that, Q, being her fiance would likely frown upon the idea of being forced out of his own home.

"No it is fine, I am actually—" her words cut off as she saw a familiar figure enter the office from the see-through doors she had.

Seeing her focus change, Willow turned to follow her gaze. Standing at the front desk had been Alaric, he was carrying a bundle of red roses in his hand as he smiled at the receptionist.

"Girl, how fake is this relationship? Not even Quan has brought me flowers to work." Willow said with a playful grin on her face.

Gwendolyn rolled her eyes and stood, opening the door to her office as the receptionist pointed in her direction. When Alaric saw her, he smiled and the action had sent butterflies in her chest.

"Good morning, Media Darling," Alaric said with a sarcastic grin, entering the office and sending a courteous nod to Willow.

As soon as the door closed, Willow was on the defensive.

"If anything happens to a single hair on Miss Goldilocks I will castrate and scatter your body across all seven continents."

Gwen's jaw dropped at the nerve of her best friend.

"You must be Willow." Alaric said, "I see you can't hold water." His last comment pointed to Gwendolyn.

"Don't talk to her like that," Willow said.

"Willow, down girl." Gwendolyn sent her a glare.

"Well, I already knew it was likely you'd tell her. That is why these are for you." Alaric handed the roses to Willow who had a look of confusion on her face.

"Willow Clarke graduated from GMU with a Bachelor's in Chemistry but followed your best friend in her career to protect her, but you never told her that part. College roommates for three years, then life roommates for two years after until you met Dequan Michael... you get married this fall. I also know that aside from God, you're the only person I should fear when it comes to her."

Alaric read Willow like a book, and it left both Gwendolyn and her impressed, not that Willow would ever say that.

"You missed one," Willow said while standing with her roses in her hand. That part had seemed to shock Alaric as he raised a brow.

"I like Lillys, not roses." Her words held a smirk as she picked up her bags and made to leave.

With her back turned to him, she gave Gwendolyn a look that would've directly translated to, "Girl..." before exiting.

"That was... impressive." Gwendolyn said with a smile, "Not many people can get her to shut up like that, how did you get all of that information?"

Alaric shrugged, "I have my resources... and her f*******: is public and her fiancee is friendly."

"You spoke with Q?" Now she was even more impressed.

"Besides not knowing, she would've been my biggest obstacle in this entire situation if she didn't like me."

"Oh, don't get it confused. Willow doesn't like you, she is just impressed. You have to earn that."

"Sure about that?" Alaric asked nodding his head behind her.

At the reception desk, Willow was showing off her flowers as if they were a Nobel Peace Prize. Gwendolyn laughed, realizing that he might've had the upper hand.

"I am sure your only reason to come to my office wasn't to romanticize my best friend."

"No, but I did need to be seen bring roses to your office. The Paps outside won't know who I delivered them to."

"Paparazzi outside?" Gwendolyn asked, she had never had that problem at work. Not even on her father's most polarizing days.

"It is nothing to worry about, it is actually in our favor. But, I need you to be ready at six."

"Six tonight?" She asked.

"Yup, I will pick you up from work."

"Where are we going?" Gwendolyn asked suspiciously.

"You'll see when we get there," Alaric said, making his way to leave. He was nearly completely out the door before he stopped and turned around, looking at the four-inch navy stilettos that she wore on her feet.

"Oh, and change your shoes... you'll thank me later." Before he exited the office, he sent her a wink.

And she watched his figure until she could no longer see him. He walked with a sense of confidence in his step as he waved to everyone he passed.

What was he up to?