Chapter 2
988 Words
FERRIS
IT'D BEEN a week since I'd been assigned to Ms. Pane's case, and I never wanted to strap a woman to a chair in all my life. She might not come out and say it, but I saw it in her eyes, maybe even before she did. This woman was a flight risk. That's why I'd taken to keeping a closer eye on her than most of my usual clients.
I wasn't a stranger to high profile clientele. I'd worked with celebrities, millionaires, and even spent some time in DC working with politicians. It's where the former President Pane had gotten my information.
I hadn't lived or worked in Nevada, but it didn't mean I couldn't find something in two point four seconds flat. I'd done my research before taking the job and after I'd accepted as well. The little princess might assume this was all done on a whim to make her life hell, but it'd been in the works for far longer than she thought.
"It'd be nice if you were late. Just once."
Little did she know I'd never be late because I'd rented the place right across the hall. It'd been part of the agreement with her parents.
I held out the coffee to her, a large mug with two shots of almond milk and a dash of sugar. She didn't refuse milk products to be pretentious. She was lactose intolerant. I'd known that bit of information from the start, but she saw fit to bust my balls the first time I handed her coffee.
With a raised eyebrow, she took in the mug.
I shrugged. There wasn't anything to say. I wouldn't let her know her assumptions of me shopping on the weekends for cups with cartoon dinosaurs had been wrong. Nope, our relationship was a need-to-know kind of arrangement and above her paygrade.
It's why she'd never find out my niece sent me the mug. It happened to be one of my favorites, and if she broke it, wrath and fire would descend on her. But rule number three of the Ferris Knight Rules to Not f*****g Up a Job would prevent her from ever knowing that.
I only had seven rules, and if I followed them all, assignments ran without a hitch. I'd even made sure the new guys learned them so they understood how easy, or hard, this work could be.
Ferris Knight's Rules to Not f*****g Up
1. Never let them see you sweat.
2. Always do your homework. Knowing small and big things are key.
3. No personal information. Yours, not theirs. Make sure you know anything and everything about the person you're working for down to their tampon preference or how many times they buy condoms in a month.
4. Never lose your client or let them get away from you. EVER. No ifs, ands, or buts.
5. There's no room for feelings. Suck that s**t up and lock it away tighter than the gold at Fort Knox. If a client can make you feel guilty, they will. In the end that will only get a bullet in your body some place because your head wasn't in the game.
6. Always be professional. It doesn't matter if someone is rubbing their t**s all over your face, you keep your s**t together. This is a job, not Love Connection.
7. Never EVER fall in love.
"SO, Knighty, you can just drop me at the door today. It's a totally boring day at work," Yuri said, trying to pull one over on me. Little did she know, I'd been paying attention.
"That's all right. I've got nothing better to do."
If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under.
Ms. Pane had begun calling me Knighty right after I started. The moment I opened my mouth and refused to call her by her name, she gave me the dreaded nickname. Yuri taunted me, asking if when I thought about her, I used her formal title. She didn't need to know I thought about her at all, so I told her she was only Ms. Pane to me - rule six and all.
That's when her smart ass came up with every nickname in the book within two days' time, but Knighty stuck.
"Hello, Howard," she said to the dime store guard as we entered the building.
"Morning, Yuri. Have a wonderful day."
"You too!"
Her father had told me that she'd assured him the building she worked in had a guard. When I looked into it, I promised her dad I'd escort her to and from work and monitor her while she was there.
Yuri didn't see the need to have me around at all. She rolled her eyes when I showed up, but it wasn't my job to care. I was there to keep her protected and safe. If she hated me every second, I gave no shits.
I watched as she got settled in her cubical for the day and started work. She took several calls, and I noticed at least two weren't related to her job. How? She kept giving me these shifty eyes.
An hour before work ended, Yuri stood and stretched. As she made her way out of her workspace, I followed along, stuck to her like glue. I prided myself in melting into the background, but she always noticed me. Most of my clients forgot I was around, but not Yuri. She always flashed me looks.
"I'm just going to the bathroom, Knighty. No need to watch me take a piss."
"A trip to the bathroom requires your purse?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"If you must know, I got my period this morning, and it's a b***h. Full-on blood everywhere. You can come inside and help me change my tampon. Maybe you can buy me dinner after, or is it a smoke?"
I held up my hands. "It's all you."
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