The Reed Security Relationship Manual: A Reed Security Romance - Giulia Lagomarsino (best book club books of all time TXT) 📗

a man can stalk a woman, and she will still fall in love with said man, completely convinced that they were meant to be together. However, a man will run in the other direction if a woman tries to stalk him. We’ll cover both genders of stalking. The first thing to realize about stalking is that you have to be good at it.”

“How did you stalk Kate?” Lola asked.

Knight got a gleam in his eyes, like he was remembering the first time. “Well, you have to have the skills to slip into her house undetected, remembering to bypass the sensors on the security system. The first step is to find out her schedule, write down when she eats, sleeps, goes to the bathroom…everything. You’ll need plans to her house, making sure that you know every corner and the best places to hide in case she wakes up. Now, it’s a little too much like an invasion of privacy to break in during the day when she’s not there, but it’s a necessity. You’ll need to know which boards creak on the stairs and which doors squeak. If you’re smart, you’ll oil the hinges so that’s not a problem. Also, check your footwear. Make sure that what you’re wearing doesn’t make any noise on her floors.”

I stopped typing for a minute and looked up at him. “Did you really do all this?” He quirked an eyebrow at me and I sighed. “Right, never mind.”

“If the woman can spot you stalking her, she’s going to get scared. You need to hide in plain sight, always around where she can sense you, but never see you. It heightens the experience for all involved. The woman feels like prey, but if you’re really good, her being able to sense your presence gives her a sense of belonging. The longer you stalk her, the more she wants to know who you are, needs to know why there is such a strong connection. Once you’ve reached this point, you’ve got her just where you want her.”

“You know, I have to say, hearing this side of things makes me feel a little creepy,” Lola stated. “I actually feel bad for Kate, knowing you did all this to her.”

“Did you not hear the part about heightening the experience? If you stalk a woman that’s worthy of being stalked, she won’t feel threatened in any way. You have to make sure this is a woman that needs you on a primal level. Deep down, she understands that while this is not normal, there’s a draw that can’t be ignored. Once you have that connection with her, there’s no leaving her alone, and she definitely won’t be able to walk away from you.”

“I miss the days when you just walked up to a woman and said hello,” I muttered.

“Or a random fuck in the back alley of a bar,” Lola sighed.

“Is that the way it started with you and Ryan?”

“A lady never tells her secrets.”

“Can we get back to this? I have other shit to do.”

“Frankly, I’m surprised you would tell your trade secrets.”

“I’m not giving all of them away. You still have to have the follow through, which frankly, not many of you have the potential for.”

I rolled my eyes at his arrogance. How had I gotten involved in this? When Rocco came to me, it sounded like something urgent that needed to be taken care of, but as I sat here typing out notes on stalking, I seriously questioned my own sanity.

“Now, during the day, it’s best to stay at a distance. You don’t want her to spot you in any of her regular spots, but you also need eyes on her at all times. Run security checks on any location that she frequents. If it’s her place of business, make sure that all men that work there are properly checked out. If they’re a danger to her, or you just don’t like them, get rid of them.”

I stopped typing and stared at him. “Get rid of them? I can’t put that shit in here.”

“Why not? It’s the truth. Either you care about your woman enough to do what needs to be done, or you walk away.”

“Knight, if this fell in the wrong hands-“

“Then make sure it doesn’t,” he said scathingly. “You wanted to know my opinion, and I’m giving it. Write it down.”

I shook my head, but I typed out If someone poses a danger, get rid of them. “I can’t believe I’m taking part in this.”

“Just wait until we get to your section. I’m sure what you have to offer is just as twisted.”

I thought about what I could offer, and what came to mind had me smiling. Yes, I was a little twisted.

“Now, as I said before, during the night, you should always stay at a distance until you’re positive that the subject of your stalking is asleep. After you’ve figured out her security, you know the layout of her house, and what to watch for, you’re all set to make your way inside. It’s best to stick to the walls—”

“If she’s asleep, what exactly are you doing while she’s sleeping?” Lola asked.

Knight quirked his head to the side. “I don’t understand the question.”

“If she’s asleep,” Lola said slowly, “what are you doing in her house?”

“Watching her sleep,” Knight said as if that was the stupidest question in the world. “Just be sure to be out of her house by the morning. I would also not recommend lying down in bed with her. This leads to you wanting to touch her. When she wakes up, you’re no longer stalking her, but the creep that snuck into her bed.”

“Yeah, because breaking into her house to watch her sleep isn’t creepy,” Lola muttered.

Chapter Three

Lola

I walked in the house from the garage and hung my bag up on the hook. Ryan turned and grinned at me as he stirred something that smelled absolutely delicious.

“How was your day, dear?” he asked, holding out his cheek for a