SECRET SERVICE

Chapter Seven

When Willow had stated she was throwing herself a bachelorette party, Gwendolyn had hoped she would choose a chill option. Like maybe staying in, going to a spa, or a wine tasting. She should have known she would be wrong in that assumption as she felt the beat of the music the nightclub was playing push through her entire body.

Gwendolyn was displeased at the aspect of going out to a club, but that had been four shots ago. Now, she was laughing at a joke Willow had made.

Like Gwen, Willow had few friends. It had always been a plus for Gwendolyn due to her inability to socialize with strangers. It was a requirement for her, of course, but she hated the idea.

But with Willow, it was different. She found her laughs to be genuine, and her spirits to remain high. Instead of feeling drained after spending a day with Willow, Gwendolyn felt recharged.

This night out was something she needed. The past three weeks of her life had been nothing but chaos. She was still getting over the fact that her personal guard had been killed.

On top of that, she had a stalker who could strike at any moment. Then pretending to date her bodyguard was causing conflicting feelings on their own. After the third shot, Gwendolyn realized she actually liked him. It was a foolish emotion as he only saw her as his employer.

If Alaric were here, Gwendolyn knew what he would say if he heard that.

"I work for your father, not you."

She wished he had worked for neither, she would always live life wondering about the curiosity Alaric instilled in her. Thinking about how long that could be, Gwendolyn took the last shot on the table before she stood up, eager to go back to the dance floor.

It was a Saturday night, leaving the club extremely busy. Despite this, Gwendolyn still could pinpoint where guards were standing as they did a terrible job at hiding.

From what she could count, there had been three. Alaric had been off, and as sorely as she thought of it, she knew he deserved it.

Whenever he was working, he remained nearby, only giving her time alone when she was at work, deeming the location already safe.

Plus he was playing her boyfriend, it would be odd for a boyfriend to stand guard to watch his girlfriend work. All of these were things Gwendolyn's mind kept wandering to when she wished Alaric was there that night.

Besides, it was all the Tequila talking.

Willow pulled her to the center of the dance floor, surrounding them with other people dancing. There was hardly any space, but that didn't stop anyone from dancing, especially when a throwback began to blare.

Knowing it was a bachelorette party, Gwendolyn dressed in a way many had not seen her in. She wore a pink sequin dress that shimmered under the blue lights in the nightclub. Calling it a dress would be generous as it stopped just below her ass.

She wore silver six-inch stilettos, causing her to tower over Willow who opted for a more comfortable shoe.

But it had been years of wearing shoes like this, while they did in fact hurt, Gwen was able to brush it off to keep dancing.

After several songs, Gwen dragged Willow to their table to pour them another shot from the bottle they had purchased.

"Oh my God! I get married in less than a month, can you believe that?" Willow said, placing her face in her hands to elaborate on her dramatic act.

"You've been engaged for three years." Gwendolyn commented, "You had enough time for cold feet."

"I know," she frowned, "Sometimes I think as soon as we say I do, all of the problems will start."

Gwendolyn clinked her shot glass against Willow's and they both took their shots at the same time.

"He loves you."

"I know, and I love him."

"Then stop overthinking, tequila is not supposed to make you think. We need to do less thinking."

Willow rolled her eyes, "We could always talk about how hot your bodyguard is."

"No, we cannot." Gwendolyn held her hand up, hoping it would be enough to stop her in her tracks. Willow went to continue anyway but had been stopped by a familiar face.

Her fiance, Marcus, stood at their table with his arms crossed. Marcus was a tall and imposing figure, standing two heads taller than the petite Willow.

He had long locs that flowed down to his waistline that he had always kept neatly tucked away.

Willow's jaw dropped, "What are you doing here?"

"Are you stalking us?" Gwendolyn asked.

"No, this is my favorite nightclub, and the boys and I are bar hopping, this was next."

"So we are supposed to believe you conveniently arrived here? Just tell us the truth, you wanted to make sure I wasn't sitting in a stripper's lap!"

Marcus turned to Gwendolyn, "How much as she have to drink?"

Gwendolyn only shrugged, they had stopped counting a long time ago. All she could attest to was that the one full bottle of tequila was half empty.

Marcus rolled his eyes, offering Willow a hand. "I am going to take her to the bar to get her some water. Do you need anything?"

It was not Marcus' first time rescuing a drunk Willow and Gwen. Most nights they went out together, it was Marcus dropping off Gwen, not her chauffeur.

"I am fine, I will keep drinking." Gwendolyn waved the bottle in the air.

Marcus gave her a concerned look, "I will get her this water then I am taking you both home."

"We are not going home!" Willow declared in defiance and Marcus refrained from saying anything more, simply dragging his drunk fiance away to the bar on the other side of the club.

Sitting alone while drunk had been a bad combination that always brought her mind back to Alaric.

"Are you going to pour me a shot?" A familiar voice said.

Gwendolyn jumped, fearing she may have conjured him here herself. Alaric stood off to the side of the table, leaning against the alcove. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and dark blue jeans, a baseball cap pulled low on his head.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't working." Gwendolyn said, suddenly feeling sobriety snap back into her.

"I am not working," Alaric responded.

"Then what are you doing here?"

Alaric shrugged, "Does it matter?"

He was right, it didn't. She was just simply glad to see his face.

"What is with the baseball cap?" Gwendolyn asked, moving on.

"Your fathers' men can't know I am here. I imagine they would frown upon me wanting to see you when we are off the clock." Alaric said, using her empty shot glass to pour himself a shot.

Gwendolyn watched his arms flex as he picked up the shot and drank it in one swig. He was here on his time off, in secret...

The delusional side of Gwendolyn told her that he came because he wanted to see her, but she would never accuse him of that aloud.

"Well, since you are here, we might as well dance." Gwendolyn stood, eager to ignore her delusions

"I am not much of a dancer." Alaric frowned, standing still like a pillar in front of her.

"That is okay, I will teach you." He didn't have much of a chance to protest as Gwendolyn pulled him back to the dancefloor. She grabbed his hand and walked him over to the center of the dancefloor.

From where they were, the crowd made them nearly invisible to the men standing guard, though she was sure they could still see her. She was watched at all times of the day it felt like.

When she finally found an open spot on the dance floor, Gwendolyn stopped and turned to face Alaric. It was then she realized that she may have made a mistake.

He was entirely too handsome and the liquor flooding her veins had the potential of making her too bold.

Nonetheless, she danced. Alaric stood there, watching the people who were nearby, glaring at whoever moved too close to them.

"You need to stop working." Gwendolyn huffed.

Alaric's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You're watching everyone else." Gwendolyn said, taking his hands again and pulling him closer, "Eyes on me."

While Alaric hadn't begun to dance, he did obey in watching her. She could feel his gaze on her, burning everywhere his eyes traveled.

He watched her closely and intentently and she couldn't help but notice that they grew darker. Maybe it all wasn't in her head.

Feeling emboldened, Gwendolyn went to voice her thoughts when she was stopped by Willow. She tried to hide her frown at the interruption before smiling.

"Oh! He's here, that makes me feel so much better for what I have to say next." Willow exclaimed, her voice barely understandable over the loud music and conversation.

"I have to go, I have something to um... attend to," Willow said into Gwendolyn's ear, out of earshot of Alaric.

"Something or someone?" Gwendolyn asked.

"I could ask you the same." Willow turned before she could see Gwendolyn's reaction, "Make sure she gets home safely."

Willow disappeared into the crowd, leaving Gwendolyn frowning. Now, there was no way for her to leave the club without being escorted by the guards. The last thing she wanted to do was get into an Uber by herself at a time like this.

"I'll take you home," Alaric said as if he could hear her thoughts.

"How?" Gwendolyn asked, "You'll get in trouble for being here when you are supposed to be off."

"I have a way to get out of here without us being seen," Alaric answered, "Plus, I haven't been drinking as much as you, I can drive you home."

The thought of being alone with Alaric made her perk up, Gwendoly nodded her head enthusiastically. She attempted to calm herself when Alaric took her hand and began escorting her through the crowd.

Instead of walking to the front doors, Alaric made his way near the hallway where the bathrooms were walking past the lines towards the fire exit.

Gwendolyn questioned the safety of the club when Alaric was able to open the emergency exit doors without the alarm signaling. The exit deposited them into an alley that divided the club and the restaurant next door.

He held her hand as they exited the alleyway. "Does your friend always ditch you?"

"It's likely she only left because she saw you were here. It is not usually her thing."

"I didn't think so," Alaric murmured, probably recalling his first time meeting Willow.

The weather was chilling causing her to walk closer to Alaric. It was a relief when the view of the car came into view, Alaric escorting her into the passenger side.

Despite the hour, it was a lot of people still lingering as the clubs hadn't closed yet. Alaric pulled out from the parking spot and made the drive towards her home.

The car smelt just like him, of clove and musk in the perfect way. The interior was leather and black, making it look even more sleek.

Stealing a glance at him, she frowned to herself. Even his profile was extremely attractive. All she could do was think about desire as they endured the silent ride to her home. She attempted to close her eyes, but everything began swirling, causing her to be nauseous.

The car stopped and Gwendolyn realized that he had parked a block away from her townhome — something that she considered smart as her father's men surely would be looking for her soon.

Better to not have Alaric's vehicle front and center.

She stumbled out of the car before Alaric could be of any assistance, causing her to trip over the curb she hadn't been used to seeing there.

"How much have you drank tonight?" Alaric asked with a chuckle.

"Ask Willow," Gwendolyn murmured as they began the walk to the door. Unable to walk straight, Gwendolyn leaned into Alaric's assistance. He was like having a personal heater in the chilly midnight air.

"How long do you think it will take for my father's men to realize I am no longer there?" She pondered aloud.

"If they were me, they would have noticed the moment you stepped away," Alaric answered.

Gwendolyn frowned at that thought. It meant that even now her time alone with him was still limited. Sensing her displeasure, Alaric continued, "But they're not me, so I would say an hour at best."

That caused her to smile as they climbed the brick steps of her stoop. After struggling to unlock the door a moment, Alaric took the keys out of her hand, unlocking the door himself.

"Have a seat on the couch." Alaric pointed towards it before shrugging off his jacket and hat, placing them on the ottoman before walking into the kitchen.

"Which one is cups?" His voice called

"Next to the microwave," Gwendown said, struggling to take off her shoes. After a couple more moments, she gave up, falling back onto the couch.

She closed her eyes and suddenly, the world began to spin, causing her to feel nauseated. She quickly sat up, relieved when the feeling went away. There was no way she was getting to sleep that night without throwing up.

Alaric's heavy footsteps grew louder as he approached, handing her a glass of water. "Drink."

"No." Gwendolyn said, "I will throw up."

"Good, then your body will stop metabolizing the alcohol. Drink."

As she took the glass, he knelt before her and assisted her in unbuckling her shoes. She had to hold her breath to not react to his hands on her thighs.

Quickly, she chugged the water before standing abruptly, "Done, I am going to bed now. You can leave."

Her words held no conviction as she stumbled past her coffee table.

"You can hardly walk." Alaric pointed out.

"I am fine."

She could feel his gaze on her as she failed miserably to walk a straight line toward her bedroom.

Alaric followed, stopping her the moment before she could fall. The quick movement upset the alcohol in her body, causing her mouth to water.

As soon as Alaric released her from his assistance, Gwendolyn ran to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before tossing the contents of everything she had eaten and drank that day.

Much to her dismay, Alaric followed her into the bathroom. He quickly pulled her hair from her face and grabbed a towel that was hanging from the rack.

She was at the very least happy that her cleaner had come earlier that morning to clean the home.

He waited until she was finished to hand the towel to her and with most of her stomach now empty, she could feel the embarrassment beginning to creep in.

"Thanks," she murmured as she accepted the towel.

"Feel better?" Alaric asked, his voice didn't hold the sarcasm she expected, instead it held genuine concern.

"Actually, I do feel a little better. Maybe a little gross." She frowned.

Alaric stepped around her and turned the shower on, struggling a moment to figure out how to turn on the hot water.

"Here, take a shower, you'll feel a lot better."

He placed the towel on the sink before stepping out of the bathroom and closing the door behind himself. As quickly as she was able, Gwendolyn stood and undressed herself for the shower.

The water was perfect. As she showered, she pondered the many ways Alaric seemed to understand her when she had never mentioned it. The night at the fair, being there tonight when she hadn't yet known she would need him, him knowing perfectly how to take care of her.

It was no longer the effects of the liqor that had Gwendolyn seeing him in a different light. She wondered how she would be able to express that without the need for HR being involved.

He worked for her father... It was something her father would never allow. On top of that, the men her father trusted would never be interested in going against his word. It was likely Alaric would refrain, hoping that succeeding in this would get him into higher places.

Even thinking that way about Alaric felt wrong. Finishing her shower, she quickly dried off and dressed, not fond of the idea of Alaric on his own while he was in her house.

Toweling her hair she walked back into the living room and saw Alaric standing by the window on his phone. When he turned around to face her, she raised her eyebrow.

"They think you are missing." Alaric explained after disconnecting, "I let them know I have eyes on you."

She chuckled, "I am surprised my father hadn't sent the calvary."

"They were on their way, I am sure." He answered, "Are you feeling better?"

"A lot better, thank you," Gwendolyn said with a smile.

"Of course."

Gwendolyn looked at the fresh-looking bouquet of roses sitting on her dining room table that she hadn't noticed before.

"When did you have time to get flowers?" She asked.

Alaric looked up from his phone, "Hm?"

She walked over to the flowers on the table. It was an expensive bouquet, similar to the flowers her father sent to her on special occasions.

"The flowers," she answered.

"I didn't get flowers, I can't teleport." Alaric said in confusion, walking over to her from the window.

"Look, there's a card." She picked up the card and opening, a chill settling deep within her when she read the text.

See you soon.