When John turned off the car's engine, already inside his garage, his suit shirt was wet with his blood, as he was stabbed by one of the men who invaded Alice's place. By seeing it, Alice finally woke up from her shock.
— Damn John, let me take care of this right now.
They both got out of the car and went straight to the kitchen. After 5 seconds of surprise with such a beautiful and organized place, Alice asked if John had any emergency kits, while she washed her hands thoroughly.
— Third drawer, left white cabin. John said, sitting in one of the kitchen high stools, frowning with the sharp pain.
Alice ordered him to take off his suit and shirt, put on the medical blue gloves from the kit and started analyzing his cut. She relaxed when she saw it was totally out of danger, but he would need about 10 stitches.
— Go on. I can handle it, he said while biting his tie.
Alice stitched him up, trying her best to remain concentrated although it was kind of hard with the moaning he was occasionally letting out, not to mention his gorgeous body, with the muscles contracting from the pain. Alice missed so much seeing those mysterious tattoos... her mind was going too far away, and she felt guilty for not being totally concentrated, thinking to herself: "What's wrong with you, woman? Be a fucking professional" and concentrated again to finally finish her task.
— You deserve a lollypop. Alice joked while disposing the rest of the material after finishing her task. She had sweat bids on her forehead and although her makeup and hair were already ruined at this point, she still looked effing beautiful.
— I'll remember that. John said, breathing out heavily, too tired to smile. - I got to admit that this is the best job a drunk doctor has ever done on me. He added while checking the stitches.
— Oh so have you been taken care by other drunk doctors? Alice asked, placing both hands on her waist, as if she was jealous.
— Yes, old Russian doctors. Big adventure, I'll tell you someday, now let's get clean.
They climbed John's marble stairs, he showed her the guest suite on the right side of the upstairs floor, right in front of his master bedroom, on the left side.
— Please get yourself comfortable. I'll be right in here if you need anything. John said, pointing at his bedroom.
— Oh, huh... actually, I need you already. Alice said, blushing. — It's cause...ahm... my dress, can you please open the zipper on my back? I can't do it by myself.
— Ok. Turn around. John said as professionally as he could.
John was serious, concentrated. He touched Alice's hair for the first time, moving it to her right shoulder so that he could grab the zipper without hurting her and it was oh, so fucking soft... While he moved his fingers down, he could notice Alice shivering, but he thought it would be better to keep any comments to himself right now. He couldn't avoid discreetly breathing in her perfume, and tightening his jaw, first when he realized she wasn't wearing a bra and then again when he reached to the bottom of the zipper, which left him with a privileged view of the top of her black lace panties.
— Thank you. Alice said, almost whispering, while holding the front of her dress and moving to "her" bedroom in a funny way due to the struggle of trying to avoid showing any more skin.
Alone in the bedroom, Alice climbed off her heels and carefully took off the rest of the dress rolling it in a ball so it wouldn't touch anything in the room. She couldn't believe her dress would go to the trash after using it for the first time. She entered a white marbled bathroom and felt like she was in a 5-star hotel. She used the shampoo and liquid soap that she could find in the shower, which smelled delicious, rubbing her head and body meticulously, as if she was trying to wash the memory of the gunfire off of her mind through her pores.
When she finally felt satisfied with the result, she grabbed a fluffy light gray bath robe that was hanging in the bathroom rack but was visibly too big to be a woman's size, and wrapped it around her waist. She let her hair down, over her shoulders and noticed she couldn't find a comb or hair brush, so she would have to borrow one from John. At least after the shower, Alice was feeling less drunk, although three times more tired now. She walked out of her room and saw John's door open, so she judged it would be ok to get in.
— Excus..se me. Alice's voice failed when she saw John practically naked and still wet from the shower, just an also light gray towel wrapped around his waist, getting out of his bathroom. He didn't seem to be affected though, as if he thought it would be ok for her to see him that way.
— Sure, do you need anything?
— Yes, I need a comb or hair brush please, otherwise you might not want to see me tomorrow morning.
It was clear at this point that Alice used humor to fight moments of insecurity or awkwardness. John smiled truthfully, though, handing her a black hairbrush.
When Alice grabbed it from John's hand, she couldn't avoid touching his fingers by accident. This was enough to lit a sparkle in her brain and have her mind travel in dirty thoughts again. All in a fraction of a second, she wondered what the hell would happen if she slapped the brush off this gorgeous man's hand and dived into his cruel lips, touching his chest, his neck. What would happen if she ran her nails painfully down his arms, feeling his impeccable beard roughly scraping her delicate rosy lips until it hurt. What would it feel like to press her hips against him with hunger. She wondered what would his tongue taste like. What would his skin feel like.
She betted he tasted and felt like heaven.
— Of course, also, there is your luggage, I ran downstairs to grab it while you were in the shower. I also brought you a bottle of water, he said pointing to her black luggage and a corner table next to the bedroom door.
— Thank you. It was all Alice could say, almost whispering again, with her pupils dilated.
She shyly turned around and went back to her room. Closing the door behind her, Alice started breathing heavily, and sitting on the bed she realized she was insanely attracted to that man, which was getting harder and harder to hide. She ran to the bathroom, looked at the mirror, her face had red patches, as if she had run a marathon, her eyes were dark with huge pupils. She splashed cold water on her face, neck and chest, sipped from the water bottle he gave her, until she could slowly go back to normal and thought it would be better to get in her pajamas before she did something stupid. Alice opened her bag and grabbed a white night dress that looked like a classic long pajama blouse.
When she finished dressing, she heard a knock on the door.
— Sorry to disturb you, Alice, but I'm thinking we need to call George. John said, worried. He was wearing a white t-shirt and light blue pajama pants now.
— John, do you think we could do it in the morning? It's 3am already and I'm still drunk... Alice said, rubbing her eyes like a child who was ready to sleep.
John hesitated for about 3 seconds, looking intensely into her eyes and said:
— Ok. But I will wake you up if you don't show up downstairs at 9am, ok? He tried to make it sound like a threaten, but it ended up sounding like a father talking to his teenage rebel kid.
— Deal, daddy. Alice teased, but immediately regretted it — Sorry, I'm crossing a line here, I better go sleep, I say stupid things when I'm drunk, closing the door afterwards.
John smiled silently to the closed door.
Needless to say that Alice fell asleep in 3 minutes, as her body and mind were exhausted.
In the morning, John woke up at 7:30, sat in bed frowning when he was reminded about the stab near his rib by a sharp sting. He decided to take a quick shower just to make sure he would be appropriately awake when calling George, got dressed in jeans and a long sleeved black shirt and went downstairs to start making some coffee.
At 8:55 he grabbed a coffee mug and a bottle of water, and went on the mission of waking Alice up. First he knocked on the door, and by noticing nobody answered, he opened the it. He was not exactly prepared to see what he saw, but at this point it was too late to change plans: Alice was still sleeping, her back to the bedroom door and her bottom was totally exposed because her night dress had curled up to her waist, letting her see-through white lace panties completely exposed. "Fuck", John whispered to himself and his male hormones immediately responded to the visual incentive, but as the gentleman he was, he rested the mug and the bottle on the nightstand as silently as he could, and carefully covered her body with the blanket before proceeding to wake her up.
John sat on the bed, put her hair away from her shoulder, touched her arm, immediately feeling an electrical pulse when he felt that soft skin, and called her name a few times as peacefully as he could. He didn't want her to wake up in urgency.
— Where am... oh... It was not a dream. Alice said covering her head with a pillow and immediately recognizing the effects of a hangover.
— Unfortunately not. Here, this wonderful elixir will make you feel better. John teased, handing her the coffee mug.
John couldn't believe how beautiful she was. Her eyes were a lovely light honey color at this moment and her hair was perfectly messy, giving her an unintentional sexy look. He internally admitted he wanted to kiss those soft pink lips, but he felt like he didn't have the right to mess with her life. John shook those thoughts off and decided to get back to reality.
— Thank you, John, Alice said, while sitting in bed and then sipping on the coffee. — Ugh, I'm too old to drink like this... By the way, I'm sorry for anything I might have done or said while under the wonderful effects of the alcohol. Another long sip of coffee — Oh, how is your cut?
— It's fine, thanks to you. As promised, I had to come here and wake you up. Meet me downstairs so we can call George, ok?
John left the room and Alice finished her coffee mug, which was pretty strong, by the way. It was enough to help her finally get up from bed. She refreshed herself in the bathroom, tied her hair up in a cute messy bun and changed into gray sweatpants and a white long-sleeved t-shirt that was tight on her body and made her look great. She grabbed the water bottle and started hydrating herself while finally going downstairs. She was impressed with his good taste for decoration and how organized everything was.
John was already on the phone and Alice could notice he was tense when he turned around realizing she had finally arrived in the kitchen.
— Yes. She's here right now. Okay. John said, handing Alice the phone.
Alice grabbed it, nervous, and instantly felt nauseous and desperate when she heard what George said. She was not the only one to be surprised by an attack at home last night. Philip Winston, Harry and George had their places assaulted too. Unfortunately, Philip couldn't resist to it, while Harry was in the hospital after being shot on the chest, but he was not at risk anymore after a surgery. Luckily, George didn't go home after the party, he stayed at the hotel, but was advised that his house had signs of invasion in the morning. Alice couldn't hold her tears.
— Alice, I know you might be scared right now, but please keep in mind that our company will do everything to keep us safe. In fact, a group of detectives is now investigating the impacted locations to try to gather any relevant information that would help us find out what is going on. Besides, we all will have bodyguards until we can make sure everything is fine. Since you are already with John, I thought it would be better to keep him as the one responsible to escort you. I'll send you both an e-mail with other details and guidelines about how to act in this situation. Also, please take a couple weeks off, you need to rest. If you need anything, anything at all, please call me on this new number. Oh and by the way, I asked John to destroy your cellphone, please use his.
Alice had never seen George speak so fast. He was probably shocked or worried as well. She felt like she was numb, she couldn't say anything, just cry. John gently took the phone from her hand and helped her sit on one of the kitchen stools.
— Thank you, George. Sure, I will. Call me if you need anything too.
John hung up, put the phone on the marbled island, breathed in and out loudly and couldn't resist the urge to hug Alice, who was crying covering her face with both hands. John got closer and carefully wrapped her shoulders and arms, causing Alice's head to perfectly rest on his chest. After a couple minutes, she started calming down.
— It's ok. I'm here, like I was yesterday, I'll keep you safe, you can count on me. Now it's even my job to make sure nothing bad will happen to you.
Alice moved her hands from her face to the sides of John's body, hugging him back. She whispered "thank you" and allowed herself to breath in John's scent. Right now she felt safe, like she had never felt before. When she finally was able to recover herself and stop crying, she remembered John mentioned he had business to take care of this morning.
— John, do you need to go out to resolve the businesses you mentioned yesterday?Please, I don't want to be a burden to your activities... Alice asked, timidly, while getting up and wiping her face.
— No. I've arranged it with George already. Protecting you is my only current mission. By the way, here, take this for the hangover. John said while handing her an aspirin.
— Are you a doctor as well? Alice said, struggling to show a smile.
John felt like covering her face with kisses, he was amazed by her awkward sense of humor.
— I am definitely not, but let's say I've had too many hangovers in this life, I know how to treat them, miss.
After eating some cereal with milk for breakfast, Alice spent the rest of the day on the couch watching TV to avoid thinking about anything serious, although she would find it easier to get distracted if she could use her phone, now torn in pieces. Meanwhile, John made several calls throughout the day, receiving information from the investigation team about Alice's case.
Fortunately the day went by pretty fast and it was now already night.
— Alice, are you hungry? John asked.
— Ahm...Not really, but I know I should eat something. Alice said, looking for a clock where she could check the time and finding one on the kitchen's wall. — Woah, it's already 8:30PM! I might have fallen asleep in this very comfortable couch of yours.
John started preparing a salad for both of them, Alice watching attentively, she found he looked so much sexy while cooking... During dinner, they kept talking the whole time about shallow things, but when they were finished eating, Alice finally felt like talking about the incident.
— I don't understand... How did I get into this? I had no idea my life could turn into this. A year ago I was comfortably living my tedious life, now look where I got myself into.
— Alice, there is no point in blaming yourself. You are a competent doctor who works for a very powerful company. More powerful than you could understand or than you knew when you accepted this position. John's voice was deep and firm but he was trying to sound comforting.
— True, I guess I might've been just too naïve to accept this job. I could be dead right now if it wasn't for you, John. This shit is crazy...crazy and dangerous, for real.
— I know it is... But I am here now to avoid anything bad from happening to you. Alice reacted with a tired smile, which looked adorable, followed by an endless yawl.
— I see it's time for kids to be in bed already, huh? John said, looking at his watch, which showed it was now past 10PM.
— Or old hungover ladies who slept only 5 hours the night before, after an assassination attempt.
John laughed while putting the dishes in the dishwasher. After he was finished, they headed upstairs.
— Have a good night. John said when they arrived upstairs.
— You too.
At this point, the attraction between them was inevitable. But both of them preferred to pretend nothing was happening. There was already too much going on.
Alice changed into her pajama long blouse, brushed her teeth and dived into the sheets and blankets. She thought she would sleep fast, just like she did the night before, but this time she just kept rolling and adjusting herself in bed, trying to find a comfortable position. Sadly, though, she suddenly started feeling breathless and cold, she felt scared being alone in that dark room, looking outside through the floor to ceiling glass windows, which showed the dark lake outside. As a doctor, she knew she was starting to have an anxiety attack. She then sat on bed, tried to breath in and out slowly, had a sip of water, but it didn't work. She than decided to ask for John's help, as sometimes, talking to someone makes it easier to get out of a panic attack.
Alice arrived in front of his bedroom door, which was always open, breathing heavily. John got up fast and helped her get in and sit on his bed.
— Sorry, this is just... an anxiety attack. Alice said trembling. — Can I drink some more water?
John handed her the bottle that was on his nightstand and sat behind her in bed, rubbing her back. After about 10 minutes, Alice finally got back to normal, but she didn't want to go back to her room and feel that panic again. She turned her face to look at him and said:
— John, please don't find me creepy, but.. would it be ok if I slept here tonight? I don't know what happened, I just felt so scared alone in the dark.. This never happened, so I'm guessing I might be "PTSD-ing".
— Of course. Would you prefer if I slept on the floor? Would it make you feel more comfortable? John said, as the gentleman he was, to avoid any unwanted intimacy that would let Alice uncomfortable.
— No. I actually think I'll feel better if you are close.
Both of them were making a huge effort not to kiss right now. Instead, John made room for her and both of them were now laying side by side. Alice suddenly deliciously drowned in John's perfume stuck on the pillow where she rested her head, having to literally dig her nails on the bed sheets to avoid jumping on the man's lap. As always, she used humor to save her from uncomfortable feelings.
— So assassins also save people's lives and protects them?
— Only in very special occasions, yes. John said, turning to his left side to face her.
— How many lives have you saved?
— Directly, 11. Indirectly, I couldn't precise. John answered after thinking for a few seconds.
— How many people have you killed?
— A lot. John said raising his eyebrows.
— Do you think I'm going to survive this? Alice said, suddenly turning serious.
— Of course you are. I will personally guarantee that. John answered frowning as if he had gotten offended by the question.
— Are bodyguards allowed to hug their clients?
John didn't know how to answer to that question, he kept looking right into Alice's eyes, frozen, while she got closer to him until she was able to rest her head on his chest and curled in bed, like a puppy. John looked away at the window glass in front of his view, checking their reflection on the glass, and after hesitating, he finally placed his arm over Alice's shoulder. They both knew they were growing feelings for each other too fast. John knew this was tragically against the rules. But neither of them could control it anymore.