It was clear that Christine was just kidding around and making light of his presence, but Ben wasn't quite sure how Nathan wanted to handle telling his daughter of his purpose for being there. So, he glanced at the other man, giving him the opportunity to handle the situation, and answer the question.
Nathan cleared his throat. "Actually, Ben's here at my personal request."
"Oh." Christine picked up her napkin, unfolded the piece of expensive cloth, and placed it on her lap.
Ben immediately followed her lead and did the same thing.
"Are you going somewhere after lunch that requires security?" she asked her father curiously.
Before Nathan could launch into an explanation, Maggie arrived with three salads and set one of the plates in front of Ben. "Thank you, ma'am," he said automatically, and glanced up as the older woman finished serving Nathan and Christine.
A sassy grin quirked one corner of Christine's mouth, and she lifted a perfectly arched brow in amusement. "-Ma'am?" she mouthed to him, as if she couldn't believe he'd used such a formal expression.
She was toying with him. Again. Because she could and obviously enjoyed the seductive game that tempted him to play along. God, if she was anyone else, he'd be flirting right back and wouldn't hesitate to act on the undeniable attraction between them. Wouldn't hesitate to drag her off to some dark, secluded spot so he could kiss her, slow and deep, and slake all the pent-up lust she'd been stirring in him over the past few months. If she was anyone else, he would have had her by now, in all the shockingly erotic ways he'd imagined for much too long.
Unfortunately, she wasn't anything like the easy, forgettable women he met at Nick's Sport Bar or The Electric Blue. A woman he could enjoy for a few weeks until he had his fill, then leave her behind. No, this beautiful, sensual woman came with too many complications, and he wasn't about to jeopardize his personal and working relationship with Nathan Delacroix by taking advantage of his daughter's interest. No matter how badly his sorely neglected libido wished otherwise.
So, instead, he had to sit there and struggle to remain completely unaffected when she knew damn well that she was causing him all kinds of discomfort. She was just waiting for him to react to her outrageous behavior, and when he didn't rise to the challenge, she finally glanced away.
He watched carefully as she ran her fingers across the three forks lined up on the left-hand side of her salad plate, and waited for her to choose the correct utensil. When she picked up the fork on the inside closest to her dish, he subtly copied her move.
She didn't start in on her salad right away. Instead, she held her fork just above her plate as she turned her attention to her father. "So, tell me, what's going on? Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine, sweetheart," Nathan said reassuringly as he took a drink of his tea. "But with three weeks left until the election, I figured it never hurts to have extra security around."
She nodded. "I couldn't agree with you more."
Just as Ben was about to dig into his salad, Christine casually set her fork back down on the table and traded it for the one on the far left. Frowning in confusion, he placed his own utensil back where it had been and made the mistake of lifting his gaze to hers. She gave him a cute little gotcha smirk and winked at him, telling him without words that she was so on to his ploy.
The woman was something else, and he had to tamp the unexpected urge to laugh at being caught in the act. That bit of humor she evoked surprised him, because it had been much too long since a woman had amused him as much as Christine did. If anything, he knew they could at least be friends during the next few weeks.
Christine continued the conversation with her father without missing a beat. "There are so many fanatics and extremists out there, especially with the whole gentrification issue at stake, and your safety is definitely a priority."
Nathan ate a bite of his salad. "Actually, this is about your safety for the next few weeks, and that's why Ben is here."
Upon learning who her father had hired for her, Christine met Ben's gaze, her blue eyes bright with delighted pleasure and satisfaction, the kind that spelled pure, seductive trouble for Ben. "You're my bodyguard?"
"Yes, ma'am," Ben drawled, and gave her a good-ol'-boy grin before digging into his salad again.
She bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing out loud. "So, during the next few weeks, when I'm out at a public function, Ben will be with me?" Christine asked her father, to confirm exactly what to expect from Ben's services.
Finished with his salad, Nathan set his fork on his plate and looked at his daughter, his expression uncompromising, showing Ben the resolute opponent that Delacroix had the ability to be. "Actually, this security detail is a bit different. I've hired Ben to be your bodyguard twenty-four/seven, until the election is over. Hell be by your side at all times, day and night, which means he'll be living with you and staying in your guest room at your place."
Christine's jaw dropped open, then snapped shut again. For the first time since arriving, she was clearly shocked and speechless at her father's unpredicted bombshell and it took her a few moments to speak.
Finally, she glanced at Ben, then back to her father. "Is having Ben live with me really necessary?"
Nathan reached over to his daughter and clasped his larger hand over hers on the table and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know it seems extreme, but right now, it's absolutely necessary."
"Why?" Christine's worried gaze searched her father's for answers. "What's going on that I'd need that kind of stringent, round-the-clock protection?"
Nathan moved his hand back as Maggie came through the dining room and cleared their salad plates. As if sensing the serious tone to the conversation, the other woman quickly and efficiently placed their main entree dishes in front of each of them, then retreated back to the kitchen.
Ben inhaled the rich, redolent scent of pasta and cream sauce topped off with grated Parmesan cheese, and his stomach rumbled hungrily in response. It wasn't often, if ever, that he ate something homemade and smelling as mouth-wateringly delicious as the wild mushroom raviolis that Maggie had prepared, and he was anxious to taste and enjoy the meal. But, at the moment, Christine was obviously too upset to feast on one of her favorite dishes, and Ben was trying to be a gentleman and not start without her.
"You know I'd hire security for you regardless since the election is so close," Nathan went on in an obvious attempt to alleviate his daughter's fears. "But this morning I received an anonymous letter demanding that I drop out of the election or face some kind of dire consequence. While the threat wasn't specific and I have notified the police, I'm not taking any chances with your safety or your mother's safety. I'm making sure that we all have round-the-clock protection."
It didn't escape Ben's notice how Nathan had cushioned the truth about the intimidating note he'd received, and knew he'd done so deliberately, to keep his daughter's panic at a minimum. Ben appreciated the gesture, since it was much easier to watch over someone who wasn't jittery and constantly looking over her shoulder for something to happen. He needed Christine calm and relaxed and cooperative, and her father had achieved that state of mind beautifully.
Christine drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, her initial trepidation fading beneath the small smile she gave her father. "You're right, of course. I'm sorry I overreacted. It's just that you've never employed a full-time bodyguard for me before."
Ben guessed that Nathan never had any reason to until now.