Chapter Eleven

“Looks good to me Mac, you sure you’re up to this?” David handed back the papers to her.

She took them and tucked them in her briefcase, “It’ll keep me out of trouble for awhile, I should be asking you if you’re up to handling the office while I’m offsite,” she grinned snapping the clasps shut. One thing Mackenzie hadn’t told David was the tiny little matter that she found Jon attractive. He would have told her to send someone else, but she wouldn’t have it, this was her job and she’d make damn sure that she’d do a good one. Attraction or not. The fact that they had chemistry would only aid the situation, make it easier to be around each other. Least that’s what she kept telling herself.

“Well if I know you, and I think I do. You won’t be far away to kick my ass if anything goes wrong. Just be careful, and ring me at anytime if you need me,” David said seriously folding his arms.

She bent down to her safe and cranked the combination until the steel door popped open. “Damn right, I will kick your ass” she was going to hate this, away from her work, her life. “I don’t expect anything to actually happen but you just never know,” she plucked out a large case which held three guns, three different sized ones for three different situations. She’d already started the applications for her to carry a gun around the presidential candidates and was waiting for appropriate clearance from the Secret Service.

“When was the last time you used?”

She reached in further and pulled out the ammunition as well as a small bag of other gadgets she was going to need. “About a month ago at the range, I generally brush up every once and awhile. I’ll head back there this week."

“Good ok. Well just be careful Mac I’m serious, I know you think you’re indestructible at times but just remember that you’re not,” he warned. She smiled and slammed the safe shut twirling the dial. I hope Jon doesn’t freak out with all this stuff.

“Call me tomorrow after you are settled in there. You’re moving in tonight? Right?”

She nodded and packed her large sports bag with everything she would need away from the office, equipment, laptop, files, and her life as she knew it. “Yeah, can’t really afford not to, I don’t know if he realizes that but he soon will...Oh shit!” She quickly threw him a text that she’d be there in two hours, gym, food and then his house.

“Ok see you later Mac,” David slipped out of her office. She secured her bags and grabbed everything she needed making her way to the car. Still so much to do, and think about but she knew that she’d never think straight if she didn’t go and run her six miles for the day.

As she pounded on the treadmill with Nickelback blasting through her iPod earphones, her mind drifted. [i]Just have to be positive, make this easy as possible for him, it’s a huge change of lifestyle, for both of us. And he was easy to get on with wasn’t he?

An hour later she’d showered, thrown on some jeans and a black tight turtleneck and was driving to his apartment in Soho, fully equipped with a bag of assorted Chinese boxes and her life from her apartment. She rubbed her tummy as she pulled in to his complex, well here goes nothing.

She struggled to the door with all her bags, and rapped on the door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, all about business. When the door swung open she grinned, "Honey I'm Home."

"Jesus, Kenzie," Jon opened the door wider. "Give me something would you?" He reached for one of the bags.

She pulled back "I'm fine just stand aside and I'll dump all this down," she leaned away from him to steady her weight.

He crossed his arms over his chest as a duffle bag swung gently to the floor followed by Chinese takeout. The thump of a bag well past bulging that was probably clothes and a garment bag which he took from over her arm. "Good grief woman, are you moving in tonight?"

Did he just call her Kenzie again? She shook it off and dusted her arms and thighs off with her hands and looked up him "No, that's me on a good day," she laughed when his brow quirked. "Yes Jon, if that's ok. I figured there was no point prolonging the inevitable. I thought this way," she looked around the immaculate apartment. "That I was going to catch you off guard in your robe and slippers reading the latest issue of playboy."

"They have good articles," he said dryly and hung the dress bag in his hall closet. He couldn't say he was ready for this. He thought he'd have a few days to digest the thought of a woman in his space again, let alone this woman. But this--now? Without even...He swallowed. Okay. He could do this. She swung around with her laptop bag still on her shoulder, pulling the material of her turtleneck tight to her chest. He clenched his jaw and forced his eyes to her face. Her hair was loose and still damp. Had she just gotten out of the shower? Good fuck, don't go there, Jonny. He lifted the largest bag, hefting it before he turned away to the back of his apartment. "I'll show you the room you'll be using."

He wasn't ready for this for God's sake. She followed him, that elusive scent followed her down the hallway as he turned into Steph's room. "It's my daughter's room, but she's not the frilly sort." He turned back to her, disconcerted when they met eye-to-eye. "Figured it was better than the boy's room," he said and dropped the bag on his daughter's bed. How many levels of sick was it to put a woman that you were so attracted to, into your daughter's bedroom? Like it was going to stop him from picturing her naked? Fuck. "Why don't you settled yourself and I'll get the food prepped," he said and got out of the room. He couldn't be there any longer. Not with her smell permeating the room.

She dumped her other bags at the foot of the bed. The room was done in light pastels but as Jon said not frilly, the stack of CDS by the stereo and makeup and jewellery neatly stacked on the dresser gave away the teenage palate. "Thanks, this is great...uh…" She stood and bit on the end of her thumb nail not sure how to approach the next thing. "I guess this is going to come into the whole how we will do this, but it will probably pay for me to put some things in your room when I unpack... on the bedside table, in the closet...." god. For a brief moment she wondered if this was the right thing to do. You can do this Kenzie, shit Mac... your names Mac. Damn it.

"To make it real...." she added waiting to see how he'd react. She’d already seen how much she’d ruffled his feathers with her unannounced arrival.

His throat went dry as he stopped at the threshold. He gripped the doorjamb, answering with a nod. It was one thing to have her in his home, in his space, but in his room? He looked over his shoulder. "I'll," he cleared his throat, "I'll just show you my room." He knew that if he was going to fake this with any amount of realism she was right, but no one would be back here with them. "I don't see why we need to go this far." He heard the swift clomp of her heels behind him. "It's only going to be you and I here."

She stopped and folded her arms, the faded charcoal t-shirt he wore just rode above that ass, she was now faced with. God damn it. "Well, you have maids right? Staff? they talk... you may not think that but they do," her tone dropped softer as he met her eyes. "Look I know this is hard. But honestly I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think it was imperative to the operation," his mussed cinnamon hair framed his face, and his aqua eyes fell flat.

He swore and popped his door open, the door stopper catching hard as it hit the wall. Fucking gossip. He'd worked hard to ignore it most of his life, but now he had to work with it. Just freakin' great. "Do what you need to do," he said shortly. He pointed to the bathroom off the corner of his room and then the wide king sized bed. "I sleep on the left side." He met her eyes for a moment, sarcasm dripping. "I dress to the left too," at her icy response he smirked. "Just want to make sure you have all the facts." And walked out.

She sighed, this couldn’t be easy. He was independent and in control of everything, she knew this had to be a kick in ass for him. He’d have to get over it, for his own good and safety. It was all part of the deal. She stood back and marvelled at the endless wall of glass that looked out to the twinkling city lights. It was something out of a movie scene, as she sat on the edge of his Californian King. This had to work, it was going to work. The clang of china from the kitchen snapped her back from her little daydream. Oh well, better go and see Mr Pissy pants. Gotta start somewhere.