Protect Me

by Avery Katz

Freddy smirked. “Lucky you. I’ve always wanted a shirtless bodyguard to protect me.”

  Shit. I suddenly realized that I was naked from the waist up.

  “Excuse me.” I rushed down the corridor but stopped in my tracks when I heard them mention my name.

  “Did my spidey senses detect a hint of sexual tension between you and Justin, or is this the alcohol talking? I did drink two glasses of wine at the airport.”

  “That is definitely the wine talking,” Ruppy replied. “He’s just my bodyguard. Come on. Let me show you to the nearest guest room. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

  “If you say so.”

  Chapter 18

  RUPPY

  Staying in the Tudor house was the best decision we could have ever made. It was perched on top of a hill which was surrounded by dense foliage and sycamore trees. It also offered a breathtaking view of San Francisco Bay and its Golden Gate Bridge. The pantry was stocked with all kinds of snacks and canned goods, including my favorite blueberry Pop Tarts. Freddy told me he always restocked the kitchen during his visits just in case he decided to become a hermit someday.

  As for Justin, he decided to give me the cold shoulder all of a sudden. He resorted to sleeping in his own bed and started calling me sir instead of Ruppy. His sudden change in behavior confused me and made me miss our usual banter and midnight conversations. He belonged in my bed, but I had no right to make such a request given my circumstances. I was still in the closet while he was out and proud. Things were complicated between us, so I somewhat understood his need to become distant.

  I chose to shelve my feelings and focus on my main task. I came here to promote Raplen and to build a tourist bridge between the United States and us. Our goal was to attract more tourism and encourage businessmen to invest in our growing economy.

  My mission was to draft a tourism agreement with the mayor and his team. He was very welcoming and open to the idea of letting us open a pop-up shop in downtown San Francisco. The shop would sell Raplen merchandise as well as our famous tea and trifle combo. It was a very easy and trendy marketing tool. We spent three hours discussing the minor details of the agreement before finally signing it. Needless to say, I walked out of the mayor’s office with a headache the size of Lockridge Palace.

  Justin escorted me to the car in silence. He was still in -strictly professional- mode.

  “Do you mind if we make one stop at my office? I need to run something by Chad real quick.”

  “Sure.” I nodded while unbuttoning my stifling jacket. It was unusually hot today. The sun danced along my arm as Justin drove over the bridge. The weather was ideal for swimming. I checked my watch and wondered if I'd ever get the chance to swim in our infinity pool. The past two days were hectic and crammed with meetings. I barely had time to shower, let alone relax in the backyard with a cup of tea. I missed tea.

  “Are you alright? You look kind of pale.” Justin remarked as we slowly approached a four-story glass building with a small garden in the front and the words Foster and Forrey printed on the glass doors.

  “It’s been a long day,” I replied with a sigh.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll have my assistant make you a cup of tea.” He gave me a knowing smile. It was by no means playful or flirtatious, but I was glad that he cared enough to notice. He parked the car in front of the building and switched off the engine. I got rid of my jacket and waited for him to open the door for me. It was a security protocol, after all.

  We entered the lobby, where Justin was greeted by two beefed-up security guards. The interior of the building was warm and inviting with pastel orange walls and indoor plants in every corner. We took the elevator up to the fourth floor, where we were met by his bubbly assistant.

  “Oh, my God! Your Royal Highness, it’s so nice to meet you.” She curtsied.

  “Lena.” Justin rolled his eyes at the petite woman and told her to make me a cup of Earl Grey tea. She smiled enthusiastically before rushing down the corridor.

  “Kids these days.” He sighed.

  A dark haired man with average height and a pair of horn-rimmed glasses met us on our way to his office. He was the famous Chad who’d personally handpicked Justin to be my bodyguard.

  “Your Highness, what a pleasant surprise. Welcome to our headquarters. Had we known you were coming, we would have stocked up on coffee and donuts.”

  “Thank you, but I’m more of a tea and scones type of guy,” I said, giving him my trademark megawatt smile. We shook hands while Justin attempted to stop someone from entering the office. It was a tall woman with hazel eyes and curly brown hair.

  She ducked under his arm and rushed over to give me a friendly hug.

  “Prince Rupert!” She gushed, pulling away to stare at my face. She reminded me of a certain someone. She had his eyes and nose to be exact. “Magazines don’t do you justice. Look at you. You’re gorgeous in person.”

  Justin rushed into the room and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “Kate. Stop embarrassing me.”

  She took a step back and introduced herself.

  “I’m his sister by the way. Just in case he forgot to mention me. Holy moly, I’ve heard so much about you!”

  “Really? How interesting.” I smiled at Justin, who seemed uncomfortable in his sister’s presence. “Did you did tell them about us?” I quickly whispered in his ear while Kate was busy talking to her husband.

  He shook his head.

  “Nope. She’s just fishing for information.”

  “I would love to have you over for dinner,” Kate said. “Please say yes. I make a mean chicken casserole. It won several food blog awards. Just ask Chad.”

  Justin balked, and his shoulders stiffened all of a sudden. It was as if his sister was inviting us to dine in hell and not in the comfort of her own home.

  “Dinner? No. We can’t.”

  I glared at him before accepting her invitation with a gracious smile.

  “I personally would love to have dinner with your family, so please sign me up for that casserole.”

  Justin’s assistant served me tea while Chad and Justin discussed business. Kate sat down across from me and talked my ear off about her Pinterest board and how much she loved to bake. Her enthusiasm was infectious. She reminded me of my cousin Tommy in a way. He was the king of hobbies and arts and crafts. We chatted for a few minutes until Justin finished his work. He was in a hurry to leave, so I quickly said goodbye to his sister and brother-in-law.

  He remained silent during our elevator ride, but I could tell that he had a million things on his mind. He escorted me back to the car with a frown on his face.

  “Encouraging my sister is not a good thing by the way. She loves playing matchmaker.”

  “Accepting her dinner invitation is by no means encouraging her to do anything. Your paranoia is getting out of hand.” I watched him pull out of the driveway like it was on fire. I draped my jacket over my lap and gazed out the window. It really was a perfect day for swimming.

  “You know, I’m doing the best I can to keep things professional between us.” He snapped.

  “You don’t say,” I muttered sarcastically.

  The atmosphere inside the car was tense and unfriendly. I was frankly sick and tired of him giving me the cold shoulder. Being professional was one thing, but acting like a jerk was something else entirely. Justin sped down the highway before taking the Presidio Heights exit. I held my tongue until we arrived at the iron gates. Justin muttered something about my annoying sarcasm, and that’s when I lost my temper.

  “Stop the car right this instant!” I ordered.

  “Fine.” He grunted before slamming on the brakes. “Anything else?”

  “Yes. Why the hell are you acting like an ice queen all of a sudden? Everything was going well between us. This is just unacceptable.”

  “Oh let me explain to you the real meaning of unacceptable. In a few days, you’ll be back in Raplen with a trophy wife on your arm. You’re going
to marry someone just to appease your family. Someone who’s going to make your life miserable. So yeah, I would rather treat you like a fucking ice queen before I fall in too deep.”

  “Sorry to burst your bubble, baby, but we’re already rolling in the deep.” I got out of the car and slammed the door behind me. Justin followed me with his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Where the fuck are you going?” He scowled.

  I stared deep into his moss green eyes. They burned with anger and frustration.

  “There’s something else you’re not telling me. You’ve been on edge for the past few days. You toss and turn in bed like you’re being slow-cooked on a grill.”

  “Great. Go ahead and change the subject.” He rolled his eyes at me.

  “Justin..”

  The startling sound of a gunshot invaded the silence around us. It scared the bejesus out of me.

  “Fuck. Ruppy!”

  A bullet whizzed past me, barely missing my head. Justin pushed me away and drew his weapon. My heart pounded like a war drum while I crouched behind our car. Meanwhile, Justin combed the area while keeping an eye on me. We both spotted the black car at the same time. It had obviously been parked at the curb but sped away the moment we saw it.

  “Get inside the house. Now!” He shouted.

  I scrambled to my feet and ran towards the house. Justin manually closed the gates and caught up with me. We both entered the cozy foyer and locked the door behind us.

  “Shit. Are you okay?” He cupped my face and checked my body for injuries. His face was pale, and his hands were trembling. He looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown.

  “I’m fine,” I answered in a breathless voice. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against mine. The reality of being shot at hadn't hit me yet. I was still in mild shock. Justin squeezed my shoulder and shook me gently.

  “See? This is why I can’t get any deeper. Being with you...my feelings for you, it’s all a distraction, and I can’t afford to be fucking distracted.”

  “But he missed.”

  Justin opened his eyes, revealing his vulnerable side for the first time. It was heartbreakingly beautiful.

  “But what if he didn’t?”

  Chapter 19

  JUSTIN

  I watched the police officers leave after taking our statements regarding the shooting. The fear of losing Ruppy turned into anger. I was fucking pissed for letting that motherfucker get away. Unfortunately, the black sedan didn’t have a license plate. The officers wrote down the overall description of the vehicle. It had tinted windows and a dented hood.

  Our stalker had probably followed us all the way from my office. Failing to notice him was my mistake. That was all on me. I failed Ruppy big time. He was still shaken up, but he managed to make us both a soothing mug of tea. He was obsessed with tea. I honestly wanted him to be angry with me instead of coddling me like a child and checking my pulse.

  “Your blood pressure is high. Maybe I should take you to the hospital.” He suggested. His lilac blue eyes were filled with concern. He was too damn selfless. It drove me crazy.

  I gave him an incredulous look and took a sip of tea. He was going to kill me with his kindness.

  “Stop fussing over me. It’s just the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Besides, I’m the one who should be making you tea and checking your vitals. You almost got shot in the head.”

  I could still hear the gun going off inside my own head. Luckily for us, the officers were able to locate the bullet. It was bagged and logged as evidence alongside the handwritten notes that were sent to Ruppy.

  “I should have never stormed out of the car the way I did. I put us both in danger.” He told me. His guilt was evident on his face.

  I reached out and squeezed his hand.

  “Enough with the guilt trip. I’m the one responsible for your safety. I feel like shit for letting this happen on my watch.”

  “Shush. How were you to know that my stalker would go from sending threatening notes to firing bullets at me? Plenty of celebs and public figures have had a close brush with danger, from stalking to kidnapping. This is the price one has to pay for fame.”

  “I know, but this was a close call.” I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. My adrenaline was beginning to wear off, but the anxiety and fear were still there.

  “Close call or not, we’re still going to that casserole dinner with your sister.” He said.

  I nodded. There was no point in arguing with him. Leaving the house was risky, but Ruppy was too damn stubborn and resilient. He shrugged off the incident and finished his cup of tea.

  “I need to take a shower.” He unbuttoned his sweat-stained shirt and walked over to the kitchen door. I grabbed my iPhone from the table and told him to go ahead and use the shower first.

  “I need to make a few phone calls to beef up security,” I told him, giving him a reassuring smile. Disappointment flashed across his face, but he nodded and left the kitchen with his shirt draped over his arm.

  I stood up and walked over to the window. The sun was almost gone for the day. I took a deep breath before calling Chad. He needed to know about our stalker situation.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey. Is everything okay? You sound off.”

  “We had a bit of a situation up here in Presidio Heights.” I filled him in on the shooting and how Ruppy was almost shot if not for a single stroke of luck. I told him that we’d already called the cops and gave them our statements. Reliving the moment while describing it to him was tough.

  “Are you sure you’re alright?”

  “Yeah, why shouldn’t I be?”

  “You know why, Justin.” He sighed into the phone. “This may seem like history repeating itself. I saw the way you look at him. You’re falling for this guy, and I understand. He’s charming. Hell, he’s a nice guy. If I were gay, I’d dig him too.”

  I heard a sudden noise on the other end of the line. It was my nosy sister, butting into my business again. She was impossible.

  “Ouch! Honey, I didn’t mean anything by it.” He chuckled.

  I went upstairs to check on Ruppy. He was still in the shower. I sat down on the bed and closed my eyes for a few seconds.

  “Sorry, that was Kate being her usual self.” Chad apologized. “Look, if you want me to assign Prince Rupert to someone else, just say the word, and I’ll do it.”

  I contemplated his offer and wondered if it was the right thing to do. I made a promise to myself to protect Ruppy at any cost. I was willing to take a bullet for him. That was probably the only difference between Elliot and me. The guy was one hell of a bodyguard but would he protect the prince with his life? That was the million-dollar question.

  “No. Prince Ruppy is only here for a couple more days. I can handle it.”

  “And how do you feel about that? The prince is leaving, I mean.”

  “What, are you my shrink now? It is what it is, Chad.”

  Kate suddenly wrestled the phone away from him.

  “Here we go,” I muttered under my breath.

  “You listen to me here, Justin. It’s certainly not what it is. It’s what you make of it. If you don’t want him to leave, then do something about it. Have you tried telling him how you feel?”

  “Sis, you watch way too many Mexican telenovelas. What does it matter if I’m in love with my client?”

  I heard a sudden creak behind me. Ruppy was standing there in the doorway with his hand on his chest.

  “You’re in love with me?” His stunned expression made me cover my face. I was fucking mortified.

  “Great. Just fucking great. Why do you enjoy putting me in awkward situations? Somebody needs to put a muzzle on that big fat mouth of yours. This is all your fault.”

  “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about your constant meddling in my affairs!”

  “Well, excuse me for trying to help you get laid.” She huffed.

  Ruppy
suddenly snatched the phone from my hand and raised it to his ear.

  “Hello, Kate. Thanks a bunch. We’ll see you in thirty minutes.” He said before hanging up.

  The way he looked at me made me so nervous. He was supposed to be in the shower goddammit! He handed me back my phone with a strange smile, dancing on his lips.

  “Do you love me?” He asked with the innocence of a child.

  “Why does it matter? You need a wife, not a husband. Don’t you?” I asked him again. Last time I checked, he was still in the closet and serious about finding his princess.

  Ruppy sighed. “I know what I said, but do you love me?”

  “Yes. I do.”

  Chapter 20

  RUPPY

  Hearing Justin say the L-word made my heart skip a beat. My close brush with death still weighed heavily on my mind. If he hadn’t pushed me off to the side, the bullet would have penetrated my skull and turned my brain into mashed potatoes. I owed him my life. I probably should have taken his safety concerns a lot more seriously. My stalker was apparently adamant on killing me. The line between harmless obsession and full-on murder had been crossed.

  All of the negativity from earlier faded into the background when Justin told his sister that he was falling for me. His confession overshadowed everything else. It also put things into perspective. Everything fell into place, like pieces of a puzzle coming together. I had no doubt that I wanted to be with Justin even if he had a deep well filled with secrets. Those secrets of his would-be revealed with time. I had no doubt about it.

  “Good to know, because guess what? I feel the same way about you.” I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him. “I love you.” The words fell effortlessly from my lips. I leaned in and kissed him, forgetting all about dinner with his sister. Being able to touch him and feel his skin beneath my fingertips was exactly what I needed, especially after getting shot at.

  Justin pulled me close and kissed me back with equal enthusiasm. I could taste his passion and love for me on his lips. We stood in the middle of the room, kissing for the longest time. My body really missed his warmth and hard yet comforting muscles. He was my knight in shining armor.