Sins of the Father by Melissa Barker-Simpson

in his; the jolt he felt from her touch cleared his head
again. “Likewise.”
    “ There’s
something I need to take care of, so I’ll leave you to get
acquainted and see you in a few,” Stuart said, already tapping away
on his Smartphone.
    Don’t
go. Alicia shook off her
discomfort and smiled, despite the nerves fluttering in her
stomach. “Thanks, Stuart.”
    He looked up long enough
to smile, pausing a moment longer to shake Brad’s hand, before he
left with the same harassed expression he’d arrived
with.
    “ So, how does
this work?” Alicia asked, turning the smile in Brad’s
direction.
    The smile lit up her
face; it made him forget that she’d asked a question. It wasn’t
until the silence grew uncomfortable that he remembered he was
supposed to say something. “It’s pretty simple really. My job is to
protect you. I’ll be as inconspicuous as possible - you shouldn’t
notice I’m here most of the time.”
    Like
that’s even possible . “Will I
meet the team?”
    “ Yes, at some
point. When you’re on set I’ll be your protection, relieved when
necessary by a member of my team. There are also two close
protection officers on patrol as back-up, and they belong to AD
Securities.
    “ Yes, Abe
told me about that. I met them this morning.”
    Brad acknowledged the
comment with merely a tilt of his head. “Your assistant sent a
loose schedule for today. It would be useful to have something more
concrete.”
    “ I’ll arrange
that this morning at some point during the shoot. Is there anything
else you’d like to know at this point?”
    The forced politeness in
the room was almost painful. She could feel the tension building
between them and it threw her. She wasn’t prepared for
it.
    “ I have a
number of questions for you, but they can wait. I understand that
you’re anxious to get to work.”
    She realised something
else that was odd too - everything he said sounded like he was
reading from a script. “I think everyone is.”
    “ Then I’m
ready when you are.”
    She looked into his eyes,
wondering if he felt the same awkwardness. They were a dark,
intense grey – interesting, but unreadable. He shifted
uncomfortably under her scrutiny. When he did, she was fascinated
at the subtle shift in colour. It reminded her of storm clouds; she
almost felt a fizzle in the air.
    “ Did you have
another question?” He was amused now, she could tell by the sudden
curve of his lips.
    "No... I…just give me two
minutes, okay?" With a brief nod, Brad turned to the door and let
himself out.
    That
was fun . Alicia shook her
head, amused by the route her mind had taken. It was not how she’d
expected their first meeting to go. She’d been so bowled over by
his presence that her normal charm had vanished. It had been a long
time since she’d felt intimidated.
    ‘ Pull
yourself together, Al, it’s probably lack of sleep.’ But her voice
didn’t sound convincing. She made an irritated noise as she shook
her head again. ‘What the hell is wrong with me?’
    Feeling foolish, she
walked to the door and tried to gather her crazy thoughts. It
wasn’t like she’d never been attracted to a man before; she just
usually had more finesse. When she stepped out and saw the activity
on set, her mind settled again. She had a job to do and she always
found focus in her work.
    She couldn’t locate
Stuart, but she did see the group of people she was sharing the
first scene with. As she made her way towards them, her gaze
wandered the set. She hadn’t been looking for Brad exactly, but her
eyes sort of found him of their own accord.
    He looked oddly like a
caged animal, ill at ease in his surroundings. He also looked like
the type of man you’d want fighting your corner. She took a moment
to run her eyes over him appraisingly; she was only human after
all. He was wide, not rugby player wide, but certainly broad enough
to shoulder the hundred and ten pound rucksack she imagined he
carried as a marine.
    “