Jasmine grabbed the soap and a washcloth and started scrubbing. She washed and dried herself in record time. She pulled on Jade’s clothes and inwardly groaned at the sexy kitten wrappings. What she wouldn’t give for a designer business suit and a pair of Jimmy Choos. Instead, she wore a pale yellow, long sleeve, slouch-shoulder crochet top over a white tank top and soft faded jeans that clung to her in all the right places. Her feet slipped into a pair of beaded sandals. She clipped the Glock to the back of her waistband, pulling both shirts down. She tilted in front of the mirror to make sure it wasn’t visible. Good enough. She pulled a brush through her hair and hit up the makeup kit, all while cursing herself.
Of all the stupid things. She had moaned when he kissed her. Moaned. Like a wanton, lovesick… whatever… she had no idea… but she’d moaned. She hadn’t meant to do that. Lord, she didn’t even realize she was making the noise until he tightened his grip on her hair, and that had sent a hell of a wake-up to her lady parts. Jasmine looked at herself in the mirror. The shower had stopped a couple of minutes ago. She needed to get a grip, and fast. They were going to go out there and pretend to be a couple. Jazz took a deep breath, applied her makeup carefully and then exhaled slowly after she examined her disguise. She pointed at the reflection in the mirror. “Do. Your. Job.” Her voice echoed in the vast bathroom.
“What?” Chad’s voice floated toward her.
“Nothing. Are you ready?” Jasmine peeked around the corner. He wore a pair of faded blue jeans with a wide leather belt and huge silver buckle, a baby blue t-shirt and cowboy boots. The soft cotton material of his shirt pulled over his chest and shoulders, contouring his muscled body. His hair was wet and curled slightly at his neck. He nodded and held out his hand to her. She walked across the bathroom and took it. Shock at the perfection of his calloused fingertips against her palm pierced through her.
He took a deep breath. “Remember, I’m leading. I know that’s against everything you are, but I know these two. I plan on firing Millicent, and that might not go over too well with Kirk. They’ve been together off and on for a long time.”
They walked out into the bedroom, and he stopped and turned her toward him. “We need to make this convincing. Kirk will suspect immediately if you release your inner kick-ass bodyguard.”
“I understand. I was able to sell the embarrassed little girl when you shouted at them. I can channel that and play timid.” Jasmine watched as he searched her face.
Satisfied, he nodded to the door. “Showtime, baby.”
Jasmine lowered her eyes and tucked up close to him. She took a deep breath and pulled his scent into her lungs. Showtime, indeed.
The woman who’d stormed into their bedroom sat on the sectional with her laptop open, typing furiously onto the poor keyboard. She looked up and did a double take at Jasmine, and that’s when Jasmine saw it. Jealousy dripped off the woman’s glare just as sure as Jasmine was holding Chad’s hand. The woman lifted her brown head of curls like she smelled something bad and then turned her glare at Chad.
“This is between you and Millicent. I’ll be in the office with Terry if you need me.” Kirk stood and walked out of the room.
“You called me down here without telling me why. Kirk alleges I fucked up, but he won’t tell me how. I have a company to run. You’ve got an hour before I have to leave for the airport. What is so damn important you had to bring me down here to the middle of the sticks again?”
Chad sat down across from Millicent and pulled Jasmine in next to him as he leaned back into the cushions. His demeanor screamed calm, cool and collected, but Jasmine could feel the tension in his body. He was anything but relaxed. “You violated the NDA we have in place. That is grounds for termination.”
The woman’s jaw flopped open and closed like a goldfish that had been taken out of the water. Her eyes suddenly narrowed and she clamped her mouth shut. “What? I’ve never violated that agreement.”
“Lying on top of everything?” Chad let out a chuff of air. “I strongly recommend you come off that high horse you’re riding right now.”
Jasmine watched Millicent. The woman regrouped, and Jasmine knew the second the woman had figured out how she was going to charge up the hill to attack the issue again.
“Chad, anything I may have done was to protect you.” Millicent sent covert daggers toward Jasmine with a quick, hard look. “Why don’t you have your… friend go amuse herself while we… work things out?” Jasmine fought the laugh that bubbled up in her chest. The woman’s overt pout and obvious innuendo were borderline comical. Jasmine had to give her credit, though, she was tenacious.
“My friend?” Chad glanced over at Jasmine. He lifted her chin with his fingers, and she lowered her eyes. “She isn’t my friend.” Jasmine’s eyes flew up to meet his, and she stiffened slightly. The stark truth to that comment hurt more than she wanted to admit. “Jasmine is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.” Jazz searched his expression and saw something she didn’t want to classify. Instead, she lowered her eyes and leaned into him. Once she had her head on his shoulder, she rotated so she could see through her hair and observe without actually appearing to be paying attention.
“What?” Millicent’s harsh question cracked out like the lash of a whip.
Chad’s shoulder shrugged under her head. “Not that it concerns you. I’m waiting for you to tell me exactly how many times you’ve violated the NDA, and then I want you to give me one reason why I shouldn’t terminate your services and sue you for everything you have.”
Chad’s fingers ran up and down her arm in a mindless caress. Jasmine shivered under the contact. Millicent put her laptop down and pushed it away from her.
“The only times I have violated the constraints of the NDA were to ensure that you were safe.”
“Times? As in more than once?” Chad removed his arm from around Jasmine and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.
“I told Terry about the club and what happens inside that place. He needed to know so he could cover your ass, and it was a damn good thing he did know. How else would he have been able to divert the questions from the FBI to your lawyers?”
“Wow, here’s a thought: He could have asked me. And you have no idea what happens inside Chameleon.” Chad’s voice was low and angry.
“Oh, but I do. I couldn’t let you go there without doing a good deal of research. I have to know how to smooth over anything that the press could come up with. This club is a huge target. You’re lucky you haven’t been outed publicly, and you can thank me for that fact. Chad, you pay me to keep you out of the press. That’s what I was doing.” The break in her voice was very well timed. Jasmine watched as the petite woman wiped at a single tear that fell down her cheek.
“Put a cap on the tears. They don’t work on me.” Chad’s voice sliced through the air.
“Could we discuss this alone? I don’t want to mention any facts in front of your… guest.”
Chad stood, his hands on his hips he glared down at his PR rep. He pointed directly at Jasmine. “She is the only person who knows everything there is to know about me. Stop stalling for time and tell me who else you’ve told?”
“Terry, Kirk, of course, and Henry Burns.”
“Who?”
“He’s a private contractor I have on retainer. He’s gotten rid of numerous problems for us in the past.”
“Excuse me? Us?”
“The paparazzi stalk you. He follows them. If anyone gets near you, he ensures certain things are prevented or avoided.”
Jasmine filed the name away. A contractor. Thug or professional? He’d been tracking Chad’s movements. That gave him access, and that made him a suspect.
“How long has this man been following me?”
“Off and on for five years.”
Jasmine let another data point click into place. The profiler said it was possible this person had known Chad for years, and a recent event had set him off.
“And you didn
’t think it was necessary to tell me about him?”
“No. He signed an NDA, and he’s never actually stopped anyone outside the club, but if he needed to do so, he would have. I didn’t think Terry would jeopardize his position by crossing me. I guess the worm is stupider than he looks.”
Chad walked to the windows and looked out. Jasmine followed him. He pulled her close. She reached up on tiptoes and whispered. “Keep your enemies close. Don’t fire her yet.”
She kissed his neck, and he rubbed her back possessively. He kissed her forehead before he turned back toward the woman. Dear ole Milli had been sending daggers in her direction while Chad’s back had been turned. Jasmine would bet her last penny the woman was in love or at least seriously in lust with Chad. Jasmine positioned herself behind the singer like a shy little girl. God, how she hated acting like this. She’d grown up with a strong, independent woman as a role model. While she could understand the desire to have a man take care of her, this shy, meek act wasn’t her—at all.
Millicent stood and held out her hand to stop anything Chad was going to say. “Seriously, Chad, if we could just sit down and talk through this, you’ll see what I did was in your best interest.” Millicent slinked over and got far closer to Chad than was necessary. “Please?”
Seriously? With the pouty lips? Jasmine hid her face and rolled her eyes. She leaned her forehead against Chad’s shoulder blade and drew a deep breath. She’d been here just over twelve hours and seen two prime examples of the conniving, manipulative people in his world. So far the only one who appeared to have Chad’s back was Kirk.
“I need to think about this, Milli. I don’t know if I can trust you anymore.”
“You can, Chad! I’m only looking out for you. I swear.” Jasmine could smell the woman’s perfume from where she stood leaning up against the solid frame of the man she was here to protect. Her primary. Hers. Jasmine sighed loudly, and Chad turned his head toward her. He reached behind him and pulled her up against his side.
“Give me a day. I have three radio interviews between this afternoon and tomorrow morning. I’ll meet with you after I’m done.”
Millicent lifted a perfectly manicured eyebrow and smiled. “Alright. I’ll meet you here at…?”
Chad shrugged. “I have no idea. Get with Terry to figure out a time.” He grabbed Jasmine’s hand and started back toward the bedroom.
He paused and looked back over his shoulder. “Oh, Millicent?”
“Yes?”
“Nobody comes into my private rooms without my permission. Don’t do it again.”
Jasmine pulled away from him as soon as the doors shut. She lifted a finger and pressed it to her lips, then pointed down to the floor. A small sliver of the sun that poured through the east window of the music room could be seen under the door of his bedroom. A shadow broke the sunlight and hovered there not moving.
Chad’s eyebrows shot up, and then a devilish smile spread across his face. He reached for Jasmine and pulled her close. “Let’s make some noise, baby.” His lips touched her ear when he whispered the words. His warm breath sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine. He grabbed a handful of hair and pulled, forcing her to expose herself to him. She had no way to hide from the full intensity of the kiss and the press of their bodies. Her hands rested on his chest and vibrated under the possessive growl that came from him as he broke off the kiss. He grabbed her ass and lifted her. Jasmine gasped and then laughed as she locked her legs around his waist. “Giddy up, cowboy!”
Chad pushed her back against the door and shook his head. “No, ma’am, I’m not riding you. It’s time for you to ride me.” They both looked down and watched the shadow move away, leaving the small slice of sunshine on the marble floor.
Chad brought his attention back to Jasmine. His strong body braced against hers sent a thrill through her. She tried to steady her breathing, but the adrenaline of the moment and his body against hers prevented that action. His eyes dipped to her lips. He moved in slowly. Jasmine shook her head from side to side. She couldn’t give into this, no matter how much she wanted it, God help her. Oh, shit. She wanted this man. She arched her back and groaned. “My gun,” she mouthed. That broke the spell. His eyes widened in comprehension. He lifted her off the door, and she dropped her legs.
Reaching behind her back, she slid the concealed holster out of her jeans. As she walked across the bedroom and headed toward the window, her fingertips massaged the spot where the metal and plastic holster had dug into her skin. Careful not to expose herself, she took in the view of the expansive drive that cut a semicircle into the landscaped yard. A dark blue BMW sat at the front door.
Chad moved behind her and gripped her hips as he looked over her shoulder at the vehicle. Millicent flew out of the door a few seconds later. Too bad they were too far away. Too bad the window was a solid piece of plate glass, because the woman was going off on Kirk, and Jasmine would have loved to hear her comments. Watching the woman throw a hissy fit, she felt sorry for Kirk. If this bitch had been hooking up with him over the years, he had to know the truth, because it was immediately obvious to her that Millicent wanted Chad. The woman was probably using Kirk. She sighed. Terry the agent, Millicent the manipulator, and Henry Burns, the unknown in the equation, had all earned themselves a thorough background check and maybe a visit by a damn good investigator.
“I’m going to fire that fucking bitch.” The anger in the man’s voice echoed her own. He dropped his hands and stepped away when Jasmine glanced over her shoulder.
“You gave me the lead time I need, thank you. I need to make some phone calls.”
“Yeah. Okay.” Chad ran a hand through his hair as he turned toward the bathroom. “I’m going to change and go out to the gym and work out some aggression, because right now, I want to destroy something.”
“Chad?” Jasmine called after him.
“Yeah?” He turned, his frustration evident in the tense muscles and clenched jaw.
“Take a member of the security detail with you, please.”
“Why? As mad as I am, if someone came after me, I’d welcome it.”
Jasmine blinked back her surprise at the sharp edge of his voice. During all the interactions she’d had with him, he’d never been this agitated.
“Anger won’t stop a bullet.” A statement of fact.
“Right, that’s what I have you for, right? So I’m screwed any way it falls.”
“What?”
“They kill me; I lose you. You take a bullet for me; I lose you. You find the guy; I lose you. Anyway you cut it, I lose.” He quietly shut himself inside the master bath, leaving Jasmine staring at the door. Her brain lay scattered, ruined by the sincerity of his words. She returned her gaze to the window. This case had turned into so much more than a personal protection gig. Emotions were involved, his… and hers.
Chapter Eleven
Chad exhaled on the exertion. This was his last exercise of the workout and his third set of clean and jerks at his max weight, and he still could feel the anger and frustration coursing through his veins.
Anger at the betrayal Millicent had dealt him. For his own good. Like he was a fucking five-year-old. No, there was no way she’d get away with it. She’d built her client list and her fortune on his back, and when he walked away from her and let it be known he didn’t trust her, game over. She was done. She just didn’t know it yet.
He lowered the weights and straightened. When he’d started his workout, it was just him and one of the MIB detail in the gym. Now, every member of his band and the few staff members that worked out with them regularly had come out too. It seemed wherever he went, his crew followed. There were a couple of people he didn’t recognize, but that was nothing new. However, after the last week, he questioned it. Especially since they didn’t seem to be working out, just hanging around. He grabbed a water out of the fridge and wandered over to his security shadow. He faced away from the center of the gym and spoke low. “I don’t know the two guys ov
er by the air assault bikes.” The man nodded and moved toward that area. The guys were probably friends of one of his crew, but right now, he wasn’t going to take a chance. He groaned at the thought. He hated second guessing everything. He was so far out of his comfort zone he needed a passport to check the fuck back in.
Chad used his t-shirt to stem the flow of sweat pouring off his face. He couldn’t go back to the house. Not yet. Even though he knew what to do with Millicent, he had no idea what to do about his feelings for Jasmine. He wasn’t going to try to deny the fact he desired her, because that would be like trying to deny that a raging bull elephant was in the room. But the thing was, he liked her. She was tough as nails, funny, smart—like, sharper than a whip smart—and even after he’d admitted that his life was in complete shambles, she hadn’t judged him. That was solid. No flight in her either; she stood her ground. No pretenses. Hell, he could count the people he knew like that on one hand and still have fingers left over.
Chad jumped on the treadmill and set it at a ten-minute-mile pace. He ran for a minute or two before he glanced out the wide open barn doors that allowed the heat and humidity into the gym. He didn’t do AC in his gym. He was here to sweat. Two more members of the MIB crew walked through the doors like they owned the place. He watched the men corral and escort the guys he didn’t recognize out of the gym. His bass player mumbled a curse and followed them out. Great, he was paranoid.
He punched up the speed and the belt under his feet hummed with the increase in pace. Yeah, as if you can run away from your problems. Nope, he wasn’t a runner. His momma hadn’t raised him that way. He’d made the pickling juice he was currently marinating in, and he’d have to figure a way to fix it. Or turn into a pickle, and he wasn’t overly fond of that option.
First, he needed to deal with the interviews and the appearances at the awards shows, the final commitments he had for his label. He needed to talk to his lawyer. If there was a loophole in his contract to get him out of those things, he was taking it. Then… well, then he was going to clean his house, again. He’d take time off, regroup and figure out what he wanted his future to look like. One thing was for sure, he was going to downsize and get a firm grip on who and what he allowed into his life. A quick glance around his now packed gym underscored that idea. He grabbed another bottle of water and wrapped a towel around his neck. Yep, he had a plan. The biggest part of it included a woman who thought it was her duty to walk away from him. He’d be damned if he’d allow her to slip through his fingers. That woman was a keeper.
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