Taming the SEAL

Chapter 1

Monica shifted her purse on her shoulder. How long could a simple phone call last? They pick up, you tell him you arrived safely and you turn the phone off. A glance around the lobby had her hoping this wasn't a normal weekend in town. There appeared to be a large number of men in business suits as well as a great deal of women with very little clothing what-so-ever. Not that she was a prude. Well not behind closed doors. As far as her co-workers and even most of her friends were concerned, Monica was the straight-laced one in any crowd. She checked her watch again. 30 minutes. Five more and then I go back to the room.

Hannah would call her ancient for having a watch at all, but pulling your phone out of your bag to check the time just seemed like too much trouble. And at least she had a concept of time. Unlike her best friend, Monica didn't have the luxury of strolling through life on her own schedule. She had a job and responsibilities. Something that made her a bit more uptight and this bachelorette weekend in Las Vegas a once in a lifetime thing. Hannah better appreciate the fact that she was giving up her entire Christmas vacation time for the wedding.

The noise from the nearby casino area assured her there would be nothing quiet about this weekend. All she wanted was a hole in the wall bar and a nice bottle of whiskey. But she loved Hannah like a sister and if a few loud nights with girlie drinks and half naked men were what they wanted then Monica would play along. The elevator beside her opened up, sending her scooting towards the front doors. A pair of inhumanly strong arms snatched her off the ground, slammed her face first into the wall knocking the breath out of her and very likely bruising a few ribs.

"Get off me!" She forced out as the large man's elbow dug into her back. At least she hoped it was his elbow.

His free hand patted her down, exploring places that made her grateful she was wearing pants instead of the skirt Hannah had picked out.

"Stop. What are you doing?" Anger boiled under her skin.

"She's clean." The crisp voice sounded in her ear before the pressure eased and she stumbled to the ground.

Monica spun around, her open palm aimed for the rock hard jaw of her assailant. He caught her wrist just inches before she made contact.

"Of course I'm clean. Do I look threatening to you or do you just like feeling up random women?"

The hard steel in his deep sapphire eyes matched his grip. Both were just strong enough to hold her still and promised pain to those who crossed him. She knew that beneath his business suit was the body of a sleek panther ready to strike its prey. But she had faced a horde of kindergarteners hopped on Halloween candy. He didn't scare her. Much.

They stood there for what seemed like an eternity. She was trying to ignore the warm sensations developing around her wrist and the images of his fingers traveling elsewhere. Another man cleared his throat.

"You can let her go, Grant. There was obviously a misunderstanding."

The large man, with the chestnut brown hair peppered with grey, released her arm. Another man approached her, holding out her purse. He was shorter and darker skinned, but no less intimidating. Images of all the old gangster movies her dad made her watch came to mind as he approached. Dark hair, dark skin, sophistication, money and all the cockiness of the man in charge.

"My apologies, madam."

She took her purse from him, more than a little happy that her hand didn't shake.

"My bodyguard is a little overzealous at times."

Monica knew the man was trying to impress her and sadly, she would have to disappoint him. She flexed her hand a few times. "It doesn't appear that anything was damaged. So I suppose I'm none the worse for wear."

"Please let me make it up to you. Dinner at Savoy perhaps?"

He was baiting her. Using the top restaurant in Vegas was a good way to do it. And he wasn't exactly hard to look at. Oh who was she kidding? He was sexier than any of her boyfriends, ever. But it wasn't him that was distracting. It was the bodyguard. Grant? Wasn't that his name?

"I appreciate the offer Mr. . . ."

"Julian. Just Julian."

"OK, Julian. As much as I would like to say yes, I am only in town for a short time, so I will have to decline."

"Please, tell me what I can do to change your mind."

Monica shook her head, risking a glance at tall, dark and silent who had currently turned to stone while listening to her exchange with his boss.

"My calendar is not my own this weekend."

"Certainly you are allowed dinner?"

At that she laughed. "If I'm lucky, I'm allowed to sleep."

It was then that Hannah and the others decided to make an appearance. A tall, blonde Lacey waved from the elevators across the lobby. Monica waved back hoping the ladies wouldn't decide to jump into the conversation. The last thing she needed was Hannah's encouragement to have a little holiday fling with mister oh-so-obviously rich and sexy.

"If you gentlemen will excuse me." She nodded to Julian, leaving Grant and the other bodyguards no more than a glance.

Strutting across that lobby with her shoulders back and keeping the heels of her boots from wobbling was one of the hardest things she had ever experienced. Doing a face plant in the lobby because of her unsteady legs would have been mortifying. And the apparent interest from her friends did not bode well for getting out of the situation without teasing.

"Now how is it that the meek little children's librarian is scoring with sexy mob guy?" Hannah put her hands on her hips, drawing attention to her black mini skirt and bright pink 'bride-to be' sash.

"Well I know he's not as impressive as your future husband, the billionaire. But apparently I'm intimidating enough to warrant special attention from Mr. Mobguy's bodyguards." Monica hooked her arm around Hannah's shoulders. "I will tell you all about it over drinks."