by Ali Parker
"Fuck you."
"Nice mouth you got there, sweetheart." I chuckled and pulled out my phone, glancing at the pretty ten-year-old picture of her. "Why are there no pictures of you with your father online? Seems a little odd for a man trying to show that he’s a family guy, right?"
"What?"
My question seemed to throw her off, so I repeated it slowly, as if she needed the extra time to work through the meaning of each word.
"I understood the question, asshole. I was asking why you would want to know." She growled at me and took a step in my direction, her approach having meant to be a form of aggression I would guess. She wasn't intimidating, but I could teach her to be.
"Then ask why, not what." I shrugged and slipped the phone back into my pocket. "Don't leave with anyone tonight. You're better than that." I turned and walked toward the road, ready to leave now that I'd seen her and made my decision.
"You're leaving? Just like that?" Her voice held a hint of hurt in it, which was the only reason I looked back. She was young and far too immature to handle the light she’d been handed. I didn’t know her story, but the sadness in the picture was enough to make me want to. Her approaching me and offering herself up on a platter without knowing it had done so even more.
"Yeah and you should too. This place is known for dropping roofies in drinks. Ask for a beer from now on and tell them you want to see them open it or do it yourself."
"You sound like my father." She turned to walk back toward the club.
I spun around and walked backwards, wanting to see her for a few more minutes before making my exit. "I like your father. He's a good man."
"You don't know anything about him." She paused by the door, her need to keep me there and interested in her almost palatable. “You think you do, but like everyone else on this green earth… you’re wrong.”
"I will soon." I smiled just to spite her. Seeing her get upset again would have sent a jolt of lust through me that I didn’t deserve and probably shouldn’t have been vying for. It was unfair and I was being a bastard on purpose.
"You're taking the job?" She let out a long aggravated sigh and pressed her fingers to the bridge of her little button nose.
"Of course. It's the easiest job I'll ever have. Watching a spoiled brat slut herself out on Monday nights and lay around the beach the rest of the week? Cheesecake." I knew my words would piss her off further. I stifled the smirk that went along with her loud yelp of anger.
"Fuck you, asshole!" She pulled the door open to the club and turned around before I could respond. "You're not staying at my house. You can sleep on the porch, but we're not sharing the house together."
"Yeah, we are. I want the big room too for my gym equipment. Make sure you clean it out for me." I was just being a dick at this point, but she was so fucking cute now that she was mad.
"Hell no. Find your own place and don't think you're coming anywhere near this." She brushed her hand down the front of her body as I chuckled.
"I'm not the one who wanted to see what was under your clothes, baby doll. Don't flatter yourself. You're too soft for me. Not my type at all." I tugged my shirt off as her eyes went wide.
Bingo. I was exactly the type of man that made her wet and needy. Good.
I turned to the sound of her yelling something about talking to her father about his choices. A chuckle rose up inside of me as I pulled the shirt back on and got on my bike. The world had been a bit dull as of late, but this sweet little piece of ass was going to bring it back to life for me.
Starting the bike, I pulled out and glanced back toward the alley. Chloe was still standing there, her finger now in her mouth as if she were biting back the urge to come after me. I waved and got the bird from the pretty rich girl.
I was taking the job for sure. Nothing could stop me from living the roller coaster this girl would put me on.
I was too much of a masochist not to.
Chapter 9
Chloe
Two Days Later
I couldn't get him out of my mind and it was driving me insane. By Wednesday morning I was pacing the floor in the living room waiting for my next encounter with him. Every cell in my body lit on fire at the thought of having him in the house with me. It was beyond dangerous for both of us, but mostly me. He was right. I didn’t seem like the kind of girl he’d spend more than a night on, if even that, and where would that leave me? Fucked up. That’s where.
Why isn't he here yet? Did he not take the job?
My father and I'd had a brief conversation the day before over Ian and I had put up a decent fight, but agreed to whatever decision dad made. I couldn't have hand-picked a better bodyguard for my wildest fantasies, but it almost felt like torture knowing that he would spend the summer with me and nothing would come of it. He was an ass and a half, but that was part of his charm.
Part of his contract with my father had to be about keeping his hands off of me. I would work like crazy to make that the hardest commitment he ever kept. A smile brushed across my lips as I thought back to the scene in the alley on Monday night.
He had been so cocky, so full of himself, and yet he wanted me just as much as I had wanted him. He might have convinced himself that he didn't, but the huge bulge at the front of his jeans told a very different story. He was the biggest guy I could remember seeing, and seeing him naked and raging hard was at the top of my wish list for the summer.
I groaned at the remembrance of him pressed against me, his body so fucking hard and his forcefulness beyond sexy. My body ached for something to have happened between us, but as my luck would always have it, we were soon to be business partners and nothing else.
Slumping down on the couch I let myself dive deep into a whole different version of the events on Monday night in the back alley.
I started for the door after we spoke shit to each other, but he reached out and grabbed me, pulling me flush against him. He turned us and pressed me to the rough side of the building as his strong hands raced down my sides, over my hips and squeezed. He lifted one hand to cup my face and tilted it toward him with the soft push of his thumb.
"A pretty girl like you should take more care to hit on a man that looks like me. Not all of us are good guys." He rocked against me as I moaned softly and closed my eyes, digging my fingers into his sides. "If I take this job, you're going to follow my rules and I'm not your daddy... I won't put up with your shit. I don’t have to. We’re not fucking, nor are we family."
“We should be fucking.” I lifted one of my legs and locked it over his hip as I pulled him in closer. “Every time we get a chance. Come guard my body and as payment for your services, I’ll open it up for you any time you want it.”
“I know you will.” His dark eyes moved across me, leaving my nipples tight with need, my thighs contracting. He pressed forward and rubbed the thickness of his erection against my soft center as he leaned down and licked the long column of my neck. “I like my women capable of taking a hard fucking. Is that you, princess?”
I groaned and tugged at his shirt frantically, wanting to show him rather than speak another promise, even one I was willing to keep.
I was panting by the time I pulled myself out of the sweaty fuck-session with my soon-to-be bodyguard. Having only been with guys that I would classify as boys, I couldn't imagine how good it would feel to have a man show me the ropes, to take me on a journey of discovery about what we were capable of together. I groaned as need fucked me hard from behind already.
"Call already. Get over here. What's taking so damn long?"
My phone buzzed as if on cue. I answered it, not thinking to check the number. Mistake.
"Hello?"
"Chloe-bear. It's Jeremy, baby. How are you?"
I groaned internally. Of course it was Jeremy. Who else called a grown woman Chloe-bear? Creepy.
"I'm good, buddy. How are you?" I swallowed my need to throw the phone across the room and hide under my bed. I couldn’t remember why in the hell I
’d thought it would be a good idea to date him. He was a ten-year-old boy in an older man’s body. Ugh.
"Ugh. You know I hate it when you call me buddy. It reminds me of my failures." He laughed and I forced myself to do so as well.
"I was about to run out the door, so let's make this quick and I'll call you later when I have a little more time." I lifted my hand in front of my face and checked for nicks in my fingernail polish while he droned on about the Taylor Swift concert that he wanted to take me to.
"So, are you going to be able to go with me?" His tone was hopeful, and where I was over the brief infatuation with the good-looking creeper, I still hated to crush anyone.
"I'm not sure, but I'll let you know when I call back. You know how my dad is about my schedule." I snorted and closed my eyes, ready for the torture to end.
"Yeah, speaking of your dad. How is he? Any more situations come up since that horrible mess a few weeks back?"
Here we go. Moving from me to my dad like he always does.
"Nope. He's being super careful and Pauly is on full alert. That guy's the best thing that ever happened to my father." I dropped my hand into my lap and glanced around the room, wishing something more exciting would happen in my life. Anything. Ian would be a great start, but something even beyond him. Being trapped in my world was getting old fast.
"Yeah, like you were the best thing that ever happened to me." Sadness again.
"All right, Jer. I'll call you later, okay? Have a great day. Hugs and kisses." I hung up before he could respond and dropped the phone on the couch beside me.
"Fucking creepy," I mumbled and checked my other hand, satisfied that my bright pink nail polish was perfect and I looked the part.
Having a bodyguard was probably a good thing seeing that my father kept receiving death threats and I had an old boyfriend that reminded me more and more of Norman Bates, or his mother.
My phone beeped and it was Jessica with her tenth request to come to the house for a few days. I texted her back that I would let her know the minute she could come over and the phone rang.
She obviously didn't like my response.
"Hey girl." I stood and moved toward the bedroom, digging through my closet for a pretty dress to wear to my father's office. I was done waiting around to find out what the hell was going on. I would just go visit and get the scoop from the source. Knowing if Ian was coming or not was likely to drive me to drinking.
"Hey yourself. When can I come hang out with you? You've been home three days and I've only gotten like two hours with you."
"Soon, girlie. I told you that I'm trying to work through some shit with my dad."
"Like what shit?" She sounded incredulous.
"Like him wanting me to have a bodyguard and me not wanting that at all. It's like wearing a ball and chain around." I sighed and pulled the dark blue dress off the hanger that my father hated most. It was girlie, but showed a little too much of my legs for his liking. Good.
"Hmmm... That's interesting." Jessica laughed and I smiled, always having loved the openness of her laugh. "Have you met the guy he's hiring? Is he old or young? Ugly? Hot? Big?"
"He's beautiful with big muscles and delicious tats running down into his shirt. I want to strip naked and bend over every time I think about him like I’m a cat in heat. It's great." I rolled my eyes and tugged my pajama bottoms off, grunting softly.
"Oh shit. That can't be good." She laughed again and I flipped her to speaker so I could continue getting ready.
"Nope. He's a total ass too."
"Does he drive a bike?" The girl knew me too well.
"Fuck yes. I swear he crawled out of my deepest fantasies and now he's here to haunt me."
"Tell me more. I need a fantasy to crawl into."
"He's got dark brown eyes and brown flippy hair that falls into his eyes. I've only seen him once, but he's sick levels of confident. His bike is big and from what I can tell, his cock is a monster."
"Oh my God, C. You saw his package?"
"No. I wish." I pulled my shirt over my head and worked to get my bra on while keeping my tone even. "He and I got into a bit of a fight outside of the club, and to prove his point he pressed me against a building. He was hard, or getting there."
"Oh wow. So he's totally into you?" A soft chuckle resounded from the phone and I smiled again before pulling the tight cotton dress over my head.
"I guess, but it's not going to go anywhere. He needs the job and I need the protection. Fucking Jeremy has called every day since we broke up. It's getting old, but I don't want to tell him to fuck off and have him go postal." I picked up the phone and walked to the sink to fix my hair and work on my make-up.
"Do you think he's capable of that?"
"I don't know. He's in L.A. anyway, so another problem for another day."
"Well, be careful. I don't like the sound of that shit."
"I will, boo. I'm going to go visit my dad to see where this stuff is going with Ian and I'll call you later."
"Ian? Is that the hottie bodyguard's name?"
I laughed. "Yeah. Even his name is hot."
"I smell trouble."
"I just smell sex and candy." We both laughed and I hung up, grabbing my keys and heading into downtown La Jolla to find my dad and figure out what was coming next.
*
The drive to the office was long and arduous, the traffic heinous for the middle of the day. I parked in a no parking zone and got out, tired of driving around and knowing that my dad would pay the ticket.
I gave a quick wave to the people at the security desk and walked through the metal detectors as the alarm went off. I didn't have a badge, but I rarely did. They would clear me, they always did. I paused by the elevator and let out a long sigh.
"Why aren't there more elevators in this God forsaken building?" I growled and pushed the button with impatience. I couldn't seem to get myself under control and trying wasn't going to help anything. Nerves had me on edge and left me acting like the spoiled-ass brat that I was raised to be.
I got into the small metal box as a whole crowd of people moved in with me.
"Did hell open its doors and offer ice water or was there a special on burritos today?" I grumbled and got a few nasty looks, which forced me to face my shitty comment.
Stop it. You hate this part of you. Pull yourself back and stop acting like that.
My foot tapped on the floor as I tried to swallow the angst that burned along my chest. Did my father hire Ian, and if so, why wasn't he at the house with me already? Could I force him to like me? To adore me like most guys did? I doubted it, but I wanted it badly enough to try. Hard.
The elevator opened and I pushed my way through, making pissy noises until I popped out of the opening. I straightened my dress and glanced back, growling, "Fucking ridiculous."
Yep. I had officially gone off the deep end. No pulling myself back now. Time to own it.
I didn't stop by the front desk receptionist as the pretty brunette looked up and asked how she could help me.
"Don't bother," I grumbled and walked into my father's office without knocking.
The young guy in a suit in front of him stopped mid-sentence and glanced up at me, his eyes going wide.
"Dad. We need to talk." I pressed my hand to my hip and gave my old man the look that screamed, 'now before I melt down'.
"Right." My father glanced at the guy and stood. "Jonathan, this is my daughter, Chloe. I'll pick back up with you this afternoon?"
"Of course, Sir." The handsome suit turned toward me and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Yep." I turned away from his hand and pressed my hands on the desk between me and my father. "Where in the hell did you find the guy?"
"Um, which guy would that be?" My father glanced toward Jonathan with an apologetic look and then gave his full attention to me.
I waited until the door closed behind me. "Ian. The bodyguard. He's a total thug and I'll not have him guarding anything. Least o
f all, my body!"
The door opened and I turned angrily.
Ian slipped in and nodded toward us. "Mr. Moore. You wanted to see me?"
Chapter 10
Ian
I called into the hospital for my shift on Wednesday and got dressed up in another set of monkey clothes my brother had forced upon me. Seems it was time to meet up with the good Senator and see what his final decision was regarding the job. I had sent in my agreement on Tuesday, but hadn't heard anything. When I got word to be there, I dropped everything, which was more telling about my desire to be around the girl. I should have taken that as a great temperature gauge and said hell no, but I was a glutton for punishment.
The receptionist had pointed to the door when I arrived, telling me to knock and go on in.
I could hear Chloe yelling as I approached the door and my lip lifted at the sound of her meltdown. She was horrified at the thought of me being her protector. Good.
It would keep us from stripping each other naked and fucking like rabbits. I hadn't been able to think of much more than that for the last few days, so knowing she wasn't down with it would save us both. If that changed somewhere along the way, I would turn in my man card and deny the pretty little thing. I didn’t want to, and wasn’t sure I could, but keeping myself in check was going to be my top priority outside of making sure she was safe.
I knocked and walked in, glancing up at both of them and keeping my voice even. "Mr. Moore. You wanted to see me?"
"Yes, Ian. Come on in and close the door behind you." He motioned for me to join them, the poor man's cheeks pink from having to deal with the irate girl beside him no doubt. I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ever had a good relationship or if whatever was happening between them was something new. I’d always heard that teenage girls went off the deep end. Maybe Chloe was still there.