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Jesus.She’d almost said that out loud. “No. I’ve been too busy working my butt off for the last eight years to have gained any enemies.”
Or lovers. The friendships she’d had withered from neglect, but none had ended badly.
Ryder pulled into a space in front of her building and shut off the motor. He shifted in his seat to face her fully now that he wasn’t driving. “Any current lovers?”
“No.” She jumped from the vehicle, not waiting on him.
The driver’s door slammed. He fell into step next to her. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, believe it.” She marched through the glass entrance door he held open and jabbed the elevator button.
How many lovers had he had in the last eight years? Whoever they were, she hated them all.
The elevator doors opened. They stepped inside.
She opened the calendar app on her phone to avoid any further questions about her non-existent personal life. “Ugh.”
“What is it?”
“I have a networking event tonight.” Her personal life might be non-existent, but she tried to show her face periodically at professional events. Even before her dad died, she’d been tasked to network and keep up relationships with their industry peers. Defense contracts often meant collaborating with another company on a proposal.
Guess that wouldn’t be happening tonight.
“Is there someone you need to call to add me to the guest list as your escort?”
Her gaze flew to meet his. “It’s a happy hour at a restaurant in Tysons Corner from five-thirty to eight. We RSVP for planning purposes,” the words dragged reluctantly over her tongue, “but it shouldn’t be a problem for me to bring you.”
Except that it was a Women In Defense chapter event and he might be the only man in the room.
Talk about standing out.
Oh, who was she kidding? Even in a room full of men, Ryder Montague would stand out. She had a feeling she’d be fielding several nosy questions about her guest for the next month.
“I’ll need the address so my team can check out the venue before we arrive.”
“I’m not telling them you’re my bodyguard.” She spoke quickly before the elevator doors opened and they were in front of Angie. “We have to come up with some other reason you’re there with me.”
“Tell them I’m an old friend from university who’s in town on business.” Ryder’s gaze shuttered. “It’s a version of the truth.”
“I guess it is.” Nathalie sucked in her lips to hide a sudden quiver.Friendswasn’t an accurate term for what they’d been to each other then, or what they were now.
The elevator doors slid open to reveal a giant of a man in a navy pinstripe suit, spiky blond hair, and eyes the color of a blue glacier.
Those icy eyes narrowed on Ryder. “Bout time you got here, amigo.”
And very American, judging from his Texas accent.
He tugged at the tie around his neck like it was cutting off his circulation before grabbing Ryder’s extended hand in a firm shake. “I got the equipment you asked for last night.”
Nathalie eyed the stranger warily. The man looked like a Gronk-size NFL tight end who’d been snatched off the gridiron and stuffed into a suit. Although now that she thought about it, with the light brown stubble covering his jaw, he might look more at home in leather on the back of a Harley with the emblem of some biker gang on his back.
“Thanks, mate,” Ryder replied. “Nathalie, I’d like you to meet Nathan Long, Vice President of Corporate Security for Dìleas. Nathan, this is Nathalie Williams, President of Williams Advanced Avionics.”
“Ma’am.” Nathan reached out a giant hand and smiled.
Her “oh” of surprise instead came out as “ohhh,” because when Nathan smiled, he went from looking scary to downright attractive.Thor.She shook his hand and tried not to stare like an idiot.
Focus.He was here because someone hacked into her company’s network yesterday.