Protect Her, My Heart

meeting the stubborn and rich

Lisa hated many things. Mint ice-cream, rom-coms, politicians, and a variety of other things. She generally had a pessimistic world view but she hated one thing in particular: snobby rich people.

When her boss had called her into his office about two months ago, she was expecting a promotion because, she could admit it, she was good at her job. She was undefeated in hand-to-hand combat, her shooting had improved and she had recently saved the life of two kids that had been taken hostage. Her mother had told her that working for a security agency was a waste of her talents but Lisa loved what she was doing and she admittedly was the best at it.

So that day when she walked into her boss' office, she'd expected a promotion, and she got one. What she didn't expect was that by that she got assigned to cases that were tougher to handle because they mostly involved rich and famous people.

And oh, how Lisa hated them.

Most of those people weren't as concerned about their safety as they were about their reputation and their public image. They usually didn't like listening to others, especially not security staff. That was only one of the many things that drove Lisa crazy, but she had this job now and the raise she got was nice, too.

So far, she'd only had to deal with smaller cases. Usually, she was standing around at events, simply observing. She didn't mind the easy tasks, but she was also waiting for something more exciting, even if she had to deal with exhausting people.

///

So, almost two months after she'd been promoted, she was called into her boss' office once again.

"How do you feel about taking a full-time job?" Mr. Jonez asked, not even waiting for Lisa to sit down. "I know we've discussed it before and you said no, but I thought-"

"You thought my opinion might have changed because I called off my engagement. Just say it how it is, sir," Lisa shot back. She had no time to talk around things because this was another fact she should've added; Lisa despised working for famous people but everything was good as long as it kept her thoughts away from her ex-fiancée.

"Yes, that's what I was about to say," he admitted. "But also, you're one of my best agents and there is a lot of money involved. So, what do you say, Manoban?"

Lisa thought about it for full two seconds before she nodded. It did sound good to get away from it all. She and her fiancée had broken up only a month ago so the cut was still deep. Jumping head first into work actually sounded perfect to her. Well, not perfect but she wasn't one to miss this opportunity.

"I have a new client and she's looking for a full-time bodyguard for herself and for her daughter. Around-the-clock surveillance, especially for the kid as requested by the client. The staff has already been screened and their house is equipped with the newest surveillance technology so the basic work is done."

Lisa nodded again to indicate that she was still following.

"She would like to meet you before she decides and I told her that that's not how it works but she insisted. She is..." he sighed, clearly looking for words. "strong-willed," he said the same second that Lisa said "snobby."

Her boss shrugged as if he was secretly agreeing. "You shouldn't be so negative about that. After all she's the one willing to pay $6,000 per day."

"She what?" Lisa asked, eyes wide open. She'd already been happy about her last raise but this was clearly out of the usual price range.

"I told her about our prices but she had her own opinion about this. She had her own opinion about a lot of things."

Lisa leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh. By the sound of it she wouldn't get along with the woman at all. Clients like this were usually the ones that got themselves killed because they didn't like to listen and thought they knew everything better. But on the other hand, the money was tempting. She'd spent a lot recently on a wedding that they didn't even have and she hadn't been able to get a refund. And a little extra cash was never a bad idea.