“Okay, but you don’t have to do this. I can buy my own.”
“Don’t be silly, I have some right here,” the guy scoffs. “You need to be protected.”
“Yeah, I had no way of defending myself last night. That was the worst part,” Teagan sighs.
“Don’t you know any self-defense moves?” He sounds surprised.
“No, I grew up with two sisters, and my father died when I was little. There was no one to teach me anything,” Teagan states quietly.
Shaking his head, the guy crosses his arms. “I teach a self-defense class; you should come.”
“Where is it at?” Teagan asks.
“The dojo on Hickory and Lake Street,” he answers.
“How much is it?”
“A hundred and fifty for ten classes.”
Teagan bursts out laughing. “I work at the university book store, and I’m a full time student. I also live on my own. I don’t have a hundred and fifty dollars lying around. I will save up for it whenever you have the next round of classes.”
“I’ll make you a deal; you come to every class, and I will waive the fee.”
“What? Why would you do that?” Teagan gasps.
“Because, I don’t want last night to happen again,” he answers sharply.
“Ummm, okay, what night is it?” She understands that it sounds insane to accept an offer from a man who she doesn’t know, but she also knows she needs protection. And he seems to be just the kind of guy to help her out with that.
“Mondays,” the guy answers. “Seven o’clock.”
With a slight nod, Teagan says, “I can do that.”
“Bring a friend,” the guy adds on. “Girls get anxious if they do this stuff on their own.”
“Okay,” Teagan replies hesitantly.
“All right, Monday night. You better be there.”
“I will,” Teagan laughs a little. “Pushy aren’t we?”
“I want you safe,” he states. “And I can teach you how to be.”
Teagan waves her hands. “Hold on, I am signing up for this, and I don’t even know your name.”
“Everyone calls me Trent,” the guy replies.
“Calls you Trent? Do you have a different name? Do you have a secret identity?” Teagan giggles.
The guy smirks, “My middle name is Trent. I don’t go by my first name anymore.”
“Oh, okay,” Teagan replies. “Well Trent, thank you for helping me last night.”
“I’m glad I was there. I really wanted to hurt those bastards more than I did, but I would probably have been arrested with them.”
“But you are what, a security guard?”
The humor drains from Trent’s face. “I hate that label. I’m personal protection. My team members are all trained to guard individual people.”
“Like black ops,” Teagan remarks. “Scary body guards?”
“Yes, I am a highly trained body guard,” Trent states.
“Wow, that’s kind of a bad ass profession,” Teagan nods. “Must get all the chicks.” Both of Trent’s eyebrows rise. Quickly, Teagan stammers, “I mean….that sounded horrible, totally put my foot in my mouth. Sorry.” Her face warms as she realizes she is blushing, just as she was getting comfortable.
Trent shakes his head in bewilderment. “Anyway,” he starts.
“So….I feel like I should do something for you,” Teagan suggests.
“What do you mean? Why?”
“You saved me and are now offering me free self-defense classes. I mean, I can afford to buy you lunch or coffee, something to show my appreciation,” Teagan suggests.
Trent shakes his head. “I don’t fraternize with my students.”
Teagan bursts out laughing. “I’m not asking you out on a date. Just coffee or a small lunch.”
“Now?” Trent retorts.
“Sure! No time like the present.”
Shaking his head, Trent says, “No, I don’t think it would be right.”
“You saved me from the most horrific moment in my life,” Teagan throws her hands in the air. “Let me at least buy you a coffee. It doesn’t even need to be fancy, just a cup of coffee.”
Trent exhales heavily and then nods. “All right, I need to eat something anyway. I haven’t eaten yet which goes against one of my major rules.”
“You have rules?” Teagan’s eyebrows raise as she tries not to smile.
“Yes,” Trent replies. “I live by a strict set of rules. Eating breakfast is a major one.”
“And why did you miss breakfast this morning?” Teagan asks. “It’s the most important meal of the day you know.”
“I do know that,” Trent replies. “That’s why it’s a major rule. Anyway, I had to go back down to the police station this morning. They had more questions for me, once they knew what I was capable of and what I did for a living.”
“You aren’t in trouble right!?” Teagan exclaims.
“No, not at all,” Trent replies. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to it any time I use physical force to protect someone.”
Raising an eyebrow, Teagan says, “You have to do that often?”
“With my job….sometimes.”
“Wow,” Teagan exhales.
“Are you ready to go?” Trent suggests, looking toward the door.
Teagan nods, “Yeah.”
“Okay, after you then.” He opens the door for her. They silently make their way to the front room again. Trent looks at the receptionist. “I will be back in an hour.”
“Yes Mr. Grayson,” the receptionist replies.
Teagan’s heart falters. “Grayson,” she whispers.
Trent turns and looks at her. “Yes, my name is Trent Grayson. Well, okay, my full name is Kellen Trent Grayson, but I don’t go by Kellen anymore.”
Instantly, Teagan’s hand comes up to her mouth and she gasps, “Oh my god.”
“What?” Trent retorts.
“Your name is Kellen Grayson?” Teagan squeaks.
“Yeah,” he replies, cocking his head to the side. She brings her hand up to her face. Teagan doesn’t even know what to say. Trent steps up to her. “Teagan, are you okay?”
“No, it’s just…..” Teagan starts. “I don’t even know how to say this, but I guess you can say I knew a Kellen Grayson.”
Trent looks surprised. “Seriously?”
“Uh huh,” Teagan replies in shock. Her hands are shaking, and she shoves them into her pants pockets to make them stop.
“How utterly…..weird,” Trent quips. “Where was he from?”
My head, Teagan thinks to herself. “Chicago,” she replies, not even caring that she isn’t telling him the truth.
“That is so odd. I don’t have any family there,” Trent responds. “From the look on your face, this Kellen wasn’t a good guy.”
“No…..” Teagan whispers. “He was a great guy.”
“Ah,” Trent replies. “You had feelings for him.”
Teagan vigorously shakes her head, “Not like that, not in a romantic sense.”
“So, I guess you won’t ever call me Kellen then,” he chuckles.
“No,” Teagan replies. “If you wanted me to call you Kellen I would.”
Smirking, he says, “I think you should call me Kellen.”
“What? Why?” Teagan squeaks.
“Because, I think it’s funny,” he laughs “Two Kellen Graysons, go figure. Do we look alike?”
Gulping, Teagan looks at him carefully and realizes he fits the description to a T. “Yes,” she answers. “You do look alike.”
“Do you have a picture?” He inquires thoughtfully. Teagan shakes her head. “Hmmm. Well, at least he left a good impression.”
“He did,” Teagan quietly agrees.
“Well, you may call me whatever you want,” he states seriously, crossing his arms again.
“Trent….I would prefer to call you Trent. Kellen would be too weird….way too weird,” Teagan stutters.
“There are only a select
few that call me Kellen anyway, family mostly,” he declares. “So, you can call me Trent. Everyone else does.”
“Okay,” Teagan agrees. She still feels a little flustered by all of this, but she is amazed at how comfortable she is with him all of a sudden. She can’t wait to tell Victoria; she will flip.
“So, are we still doing lunch?” Trent asks. Teagan nods. “Well then, after you.” He opens the front door for her. Teagan steps outside into the warming sunshine, and Trent follows. “We can take my truck,” Trent suggests, sliding on sunglasses and gesturing to the parking lot on the side of the building. They walk over, and Trent hits the button to unlock the doors. The truck is new, black and huge.
Teagan giggles, “Wow, ummm, you know what they say about guys with big trucks, right?”
Trent stops dead in his tracks and looks at her. “Did you really just say that?”
She tries to keep a straight face, but a smile breaks through anyway. “Yeah, sorry, I kind of have a smart mouth sometimes. It is probably what got me into trouble last night.”
“Listen, what happened last night was not your fault. That shouldn’t have happened to you, just because you cocked off to some guy in a bar who was being inappropriate,” Trent states seriously.
Shrugging her shoulders, Teagan says, “I guess.”
“There is no guessing,” Trent replies. “It’s true. If you want to say snarky comments, say snarky comments.”
“So, the whole compensating for your inadequacies thing, that’s all right?” Teagan quips with a grin.
A serious look passes over Trent’s face and he responds, “Baby, there is nothing inadequate about me. My truck is a symbol for me: strong, serious, and BIG.” Teagan’s jaw drops to the ground; she suddenly is at a loss for words. She never fails with a comeback. Trent smiles and says, “No smart mouth comment to that now, huh? Get in.” He walks around to the driver’s side door. She nervously climbs in the passenger side door and sits down. The smell of Armor All floods her nose as she notices that the floormats look professionally cleaned. The dashboard shines, and the chrome is polished to perfection. The interior is spotless; not even a fleck of lint has a chance of surviving on these seats. She is almost afraid to sit down on the seat, afraid of messing anything up in his truck. He obviously takes immaculate care of things, she notes. Apparently, his clean and tidy rule applies to more than just his office. Trent turns and looks at her. “Did I overstep my bounds there?”
Teagan shakes her head and laughs. “No, that was awesome! Most of the time people don’t have comebacks for me.”
“Well then, maybe you have met your match. I have a very smart mouth, too.” He starts his truck. “Where are we going?”
“Wherever you want to,” Teagan replies. “I don’t know this side of town as well.”
“There is a little mom and pop diner about a mile from here. They have good food and a quiet atmosphere. I say we go there.”
“Sounds good to me,” Teagan agrees. Trent nods and starts to back the truck up. Teagan stares at him as he drives. She can’t get over how good-looking he is, but maybe it’s just because he looks exactly how she imagined her book character. She sighs. “So, how old are you?”
“25,” Trent replies. “And yourself?”
“21,” Teagan answers. “You’re awfully young to own your own security business.”
“I don’t think age has anything to do with it,” Trent says. “I have always been in martial arts since I was a kid. My uncle did security work. I guess you could say I was his apprentice.”
“Are you married?” Teagan asks.
Trent looks at her out of the corner of his eye. “Why are you asking?”
She shrugs, “Just making conversation, I guess.”
“No, I’m not married. I am single right now if you must know.” Teagan nods. “What about you?”
Teagan laughs lightly. “I haven’t had a serious boyfriend since I came here.” She gets quiet and looks out the window.
“Why?” Trent inquires.
“Nosey much?” Teagan giggles.
Shaking his head, Trent says, “No, I apologize. I am used to asking a million questions about people.”
“You have to ask a million questions about people; it’s your job. I’m just nosey,” Teagan smiles. “The boyfriend I had right before I came here burned me pretty bad. I guess you could say I have trust issues. Also, I haven’t met a guy that made me even think about dating seriously. I go on dates, but they have all been pretty blah by the fifth date.”
“I have that same problem,” Trent sighs. “I find girls very vapid and quite boring actually.”
“Well, if I come across a non-vapid girl, I will send her your way,” Teagan replies.
“Umm, thanks,” Trent laughs. “So, where are you from originally?”
“Michigan,” Teagan replies. “A little town about an hour away from Detroit. What about you? Did you grow up here?”
“No,” Trent replies. “I grew up in LA.”
“More call for security there, huh? What brought you here?” Teagan asks.
Trent is quiet and then says, “Personal reasons. We do branch out security across the whole state though.”
“Seriously?” Teagan squeaks.
“Mmhmmm. I have about fifty employees.”
“I just….really….you have such a small office,” Teagan notes.
He turns and looks at her. “Are you trying to suggest something?”
“No! I just….fifty employees?”
“We have offices throughout the state,” Trench declares seriously. “This is just our home office.”
“I see,” Teagan whispers. “Make good money doing it?”
Trent raises an eyebrow, “Why, are you a gold digger?”
“Yes,” Teagan laughs. “How did you guess?” She shakes her head. “No, I’m just curious.” She is definitely getting more comfortable, and something about him completely disarms her as she notes the ease in their conversation.
“Yeah, I make a lot of money doing what I do,” Trent replies. “I try to hide that from girls. They get all stupid about money.”
“Well, I have never cared about that. I’m not a materialistic person, at all. If I buy new things, I make sure my old things are donated for a good cause. So, you don’t have to worry about me robbing you blind.”
“I wouldn’t let you anyway,” Trent retorts with a smile.
“Controlling in a relationship?”
“God no!” Trent exclaims. “About my finances and the safety of my girlfriend, sure, but other than that, not at all.”
“Oh, bummer, I like a strong man,” Teagan sighs dramatically.
“I am strong, sweetheart,” Trent declares with emphasis. “Just in all the right areas.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Smirking, Trent looks at her. “Are you trying to hit on me?”
“Oh honey, you would know if I was hitting on you,” Teagan tosses her hair, with an even bigger smile.
“Well, you are gorgeous,” Trent states. “It’s been a while since a hot girl has hit on me.”
“Really?” Teagan asks, gulping hard. “You’re just as gorgeous and built like a Greek god. How are girls not fawning all over you?”
He shrugs, “I can be very serious and intimidating.”
“I don’t find you intimidating.”
“That’s because I saved your ass.”
Teagan leans closer to him and covers her heart, “My hero.” She bats her eyelashes as Trent chuckles and shakes his head. “No seriously,” Teagan whispers, sitting back up. “You are my savior.”
“You’re putting me on a pedestal,” Trent mutters. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
“And I thank God for that,” Teagan exhales. “I have never been so scared in my entire life. You know, you hear accounts of stuff like that and think, HOW HORRIBLE, and then it happens, and you never realize how terrifying it really is.”
“
I’m sorry I didn’t get to you before he hit you. If I had known he left a mark, I would have left a bigger one on his face,” Trent grips the steering wheel a little tighter.
Teagan laughs. “Oh, I think you did plenty to his face when you slammed him into the tree. There was blood everywhere.”
“Nose bleeds are messy,” Trent sighs. “I probably just broke it.”
“No, no, no, he had a HUGE gash on his forehead. The EMTs were holding compression on there and everything. I saw him, and he started yelling shit at me, so I yelled back. Then I got a stern look from the officer.”
“I can guarantee his friend is going to need surgery to fix that arm,” Trent chuckles. “I got a little heat from the cops for that.”
“I never even got a good look at the guy behind me. I will never forget Harry’s face,” Teagan whispers, as a cold shiver runs through her.
Trent turns and looks at her. “His name is Harry Colt. His friend’s name is Jarrod Mertz.”
“How do you know that?” Teagan asks.
“It’s my job to find these things out. They are both in jail right now.”
Teagan frowns. “I hope they stay there.”
“A judge will set a bond, so they may be released, but I wouldn’t worry about them. I think they learned their lessons.”
“Well, you are going to teach me to kick ass anyway,” Teagan sighs happily. “And I have pepper spray now. I will show them a thing or two.” She mocks a karate chop in the air.
Laughing, Trent says, “Let’s get you to the first class before you start jumping into fist fights.”
“You know, I won’t have to get into fist fights now,” Teagan chirps. “I can hire you to go kick people’s asses.”
“I am not a goon for hire.”
“Not even if I flirt and bat my eyelashes…?” Her voice lifts at the end sweetly.
“No,” Trent replies. “Sorry.”
She crosses her arms and looks at him. “Well, what fun is it to know a bad ass body guard if you can’t use him once in a while.”
“We have known each other for less than 30 minutes. Are we that close already?”
Teagan brings her finger up, “Good point.”
“I thought so,” Trent counters. “The restaurant is right here. We can talk more about you barking orders at me when we sit down to eat.”
“Oooo,” Teagan teases. “I get to bark orders! How much will that cost me?”