The Dirty Dozen: Damsel Edition

by Kay Maree

  “Several reasons, I usually attend these functions with her, but I was out of town and supposedly she insisted on going alone. She hates someone ghosting her.”

  “That’s still no excuse. Hire a woman if she doesn’t like the thought of a male following her,” I barked.

  “She doesn’t need a female bodyguard; she needs a strong man to pull into line. She’ll walk all over a woman,” Kyle announced.

  “Are you saying she’s gonna play the diva card?” I asked. “Because if so, what you just told me about her being a sweetheart is bullshit then.”

  “I get it, look she’s special. She knows how to make you become putting in her hand. She’d beautiful, kind and very much a sweet girl. Someone clearly doesn’t like that about her, and they want to see her world come crashing down around her. I can’t see her lying helpless in a hospital bed again or worst find her body buried six feet under the ground. You’re the best of the best. Ex special forces and you’ve been bodyguard to some very high-profile people. This case should be easy, a piece of cake… delicious cake but nothing permanent. If we find the culprit, then your services won’t be needed beyond that.”

  I took a deep breath… I was on this case regardless. I’d accepted and though Kyle was here trying to convince me, he didn’t need to. I knew why I’d accepted this and why I’d help her.

  “Kyle, I know you’re trying to help but….” Callie screeched as she stepped into office.

  Here we go! She was still dressed in her denim shorts that clung to curve of her perfectly rounded butt and that singlet top that hardly covered her midriff. She had a tumbler in her hand filled with something sweet smelling. She had clearly gotten her hard liquor and to be honest I could have downed a stiff drink myself but since I was on the clock it would clearly be unprofessional.

  The look on her face wasn’t helping me think of her as anything other than the bitch, I thought she was. I swear this was going to be the diva moment. The time she cracked, and that drink turned into her downing a bottle and fully going all cray, cray.

  “Callie, I am not going to argue with you about this. I didn’t hire Finn to stand around and look pretty, he’s a professional and he’s going to stay until we all know you’re safe,” Kyle barked.

  He was getting over this, Callie pushing this subject.

  “I have rules,” she ordered.

  Here we go!

  “State them,” I groaned.

  This wasn’t a negotiation, I’d do my job the best way I knew but if her voicing what she needed to say, helped her deal with the fact that I was going to be a permanent fixture in her life until such time as the creep and or creeps who wanted her hurt was caught.

  “For starters, you can keep your distance. I’m not having you follow me around; you look like a… well a big lug of a man and that isn’t inconspicuous, it’s like a giant neon sign stating the obvious.”

  “What, that Finn is a fucking soldier? I am sorry Callie, but he is, he’s a man who is going to follow you and do his job the best way he can, and I don’t care what rules you have. Rules were made to be broken and if he must break them to keep you sweet ass safe then so be it. You must learn to grow up Callie, you’re young but you’re a Hollywood star and someone who’s now a public figure. If you don’t start taking this seriously then we may as well call it quits and leave you to the enemies that seem hellbent on seeing you crash, fall and burn,” Kyle declared.

  He wasn’t angry, he was simply stating a point.

  This wasn’t going to be easy, but was anything in life easy?

  Chapter Five

  Callie

  This wasn’t going to be easy, but was anything in my life easy?

  I’d like to think it was but to be truthfully honest the instant I signed my very first contact I knew I no longer had freedom, I belonged to someone else. I belonged to a studio that had rules and regulations, I was obligated to do everything written down in their fine print. I had to attend press conferences, dress a certain way and even perform a certain way. I know, people dreamed of being in the spotlight, but they had no idea what it could be like. Don’t get me wrong, it had its perks and it wasn’t always horrible but having paparazzi follow me after every premier, on every shopping trip… it’s kinda getting old. I needed space, but it was a luxury I wasn’t going to receive anytime soon especially with a premier on the cards.

  It was still fresh, the whole idea of Finn being a 24/7 fixture but so far, he’d kept his distance and it was working. It’s not like I’d gone too far, I’d barely left the house expect to attend a photoshoot and magazine interview for Float fashion. I didn’t even see him follow me. He scarcely registered on my radar especially when I was being fussed over by makeup artist and photographers, fashion designers and all.

  “He’s gorgeous,” she uttered nodding towards Finn who was standing at the exit of the studio room we were in for my sexy photoshoot. “How on earth do you deal with that much hotness?” she added.

  I wanted to roll my eyes, groan and throw a fit but she was right, he was gorgeous but that was beside the point. He wasn’t supposed to be drawing attention, but he was even while he was dressed in a designer suit that clung to every hard muscle in his tones body. How did I know he had a toned physic? I wasn’t blind but I’d also felt his shoulders, how his muscles flexed when he held me to prevent me from falling and injuring myself.

  “I don’t, he keeps his distance and….”

  “You admire that sexiness from afar,” she interjected.

  No! I kept to myself and prayed that the reason he was hired for was dealt with in the quickest of fashion so I could go back some form of normal.

  “We’re ready Miss Hart,” the photographer interrupted. I smiled at the makeup artist and slipped from the seat taking in a much-needed breath. This wasn’t your ordinary shoot; I’d signed on for something slightly risqué, but I was positive it would pay off besides I needed to use this as my break free moment. It would be fleeting that much I knew but my publicist thought it would be great for my image especially with the premier of Risqué coming up.

  “When you’re ready miss Hart, you can drop the robe and lay on the bed with the fluffy skins.”

  It was now or never. This was it… my risqué moment and time to shine. I dropped the robe and I never looked back. It was liberating and exciting and totally worth the butterflies that flew in my stomach. No regrets and no looking back.

  ***

  Hours later and with the lack of food or coffee I was thrilled with the outcome.

  “Thank you,” I said as I shook hands with the photographer. The photos were stunning, beautiful and more than I could have ever imagined. I was looking over negatives and I couldn’t find a photo I didn’t like which is strange for me as I’m usually my own worst critic. I hate aspects of my body and yet I worked my ass off with personal trainers to keep it in shape. The stills from this shoot were spectacular and I couldn’t wait to see which ones they put into the magazine with my interview.

  “It was my pleasure Miss Hart, you’re a gorgeous woman and someone who actually has the perfect face for glamour photography like this.”

  "Callie, you’re already behind schedule for your PT session,” Thea voiced breaking me out of my weird euphoric bliss I seemed to be stuck in. I didn’t really want that feeling to end but it needed to. I silently sighed and turned to look at her, she was holding an iPad with my personal schedule for today and while I knew my daily routine like the back of my hand it was nice having a semi personal assistant and to be honest if it wasn’t for Thea attending that party with me I’d probably be in crisis mode.

  I left the shoot and was whisked away to my PT session where Finn whipped me into shape. He was a bastard, a man who loved to push and push me, so I woke tomorrow feeling sore and sorry, but it was worth it. You never got anywhere in life without feeling a little pain.

  Chapter Six

  Finn

  Week one, I wan
ted to say it was a week of hell, but it wasn’t. I’d been attending fashion shoots and PT sessions and… alright for a male it was pure fucking torture. The fashion shoot alone, I wasn’t expecting to watch on while she stripped down to well… nothing and posed on a bed that was covered in gloriously beautiful fluffy sheet skins, I watched as she laid across a couch only wearing pearls around her neck and a pair of stilettoes.

  She was… well dangerous.

  My mind had been racing at a million minutes and hour for the past eight hours. I couldn’t believe I’d been watching some male twist and manipulate her body in some weird form of fitness. I swear the guy just simply wanted to do stretches with her so he could touch her. Something about that thought made me feel sick and it set off a few warning bells. I was sure he was just doing his job and he was being proficient; however, I did have to question if this was something else.

  I silently groaned as I answered my cell that had begun to vibrate in my pants pocket.

  “Finn, we have a problem.” It was the words I wasn’t expecting to hear and words I didn’t want to hear. “Get her home,” he ordered before the phone went dead.

  “Fuck!” I mumbled. She wasn’t going to be happy with this, I could picture the tantrum she was going to throw but there was nothing I could do.

  I walked towards her and the PT entwined on the floor.

  “It’s time to go,” I barked.

  “I don’t think so,” she replied.

  “I don’t care what you think, we’re leaving now whether you like it or not,” I ordered. I wasn’t taking any risks with her. I took this seriously and especially when her publisher

  “You’re just a bodyguard, not my father.”

  “Either you come now Callie, or I’ll be forced to throw you over my shoulder and make a scene while we exit,” I warned.

  “What the fuck is going on?” she roared getting up from being entwined like a ball of yarn.

  “Kyle called said I was to get you home. I take this seriously Callie so like I said, you either come with me willingly or I throw you over my shoulder and drag you out of here either way we’re returning to your house,” I ordered.

  “God you’re annoying,” she groaned, her tone spoke volumes. She didn’t like me, and I didn’t like her… alright that was a lie. There was clearly something between us but I wasn’t here to make her my friend this was a job, a well-paying job but that was beside the point. This woman would by the end of this understand what was going on.

  Chapter Seven

  Callie

  I was going to kick his ass. How dare he pull me out of a PT session and drag me home. FUCK! He was so annoying, infuriating and I wanted nothing more than to… well kick his sweet perfectly defined behind but that was never going to happen. In fact, he’d most likely drop my ass on the concrete pavement… especially with his background in the forces. A man of great capabilities and knowledge such as his wasn’t someone you messed with.

  “What the fuck is going on?” I asked again.

  “As I said, Kyle called told me to get you home asap because there was an emergency. I take threats seriously Callie therefore I’m taking you home. I am not about to stuff up and see something bad happen to you. Your last security team screwed up, not happening on my watch,” he calmly replied.

  How was he so cool, so reserved and all, about an emergency situation that evolved me? I wasn’t panicked but I could feel my heart rate kick in from the thought of it all. I don’t know why but this whole thing excited me, made me want… well truthfully it was kinda a turn on making me want nothing more than to fuck the brains out of the bodyguard purely for the sake of getting some action. It had been a long time since I’d taken a man to bed and I knew with my hectic schedule that it would be even longer before I could again. Maybe the security hunk could let me climb him and get some friction happening to make me explode in extasy.

  “What one earth is so urgent that you dragged me out of a session with my PT?” I yelled as I entered my house to see Kyle was standing at my kitchen bench starring at something. As I rounded him, I could see he was intently looking at a computer screen while it loudly played the distinct sounds of groaning and moaning, I instantly froze. What the heck was happening?

  “Kyle what is this?”

  He instantly looked up and his eyes said it all. There was so much they had been keeping from me.

  The moans began to grow louder and louder and piqued my curiosity for what was happening. I looked down and instantly wished I’d hadn’t. There it was, on Kyles laptop video footage of some sick perverted fuck, fucking a sex doll that was the spitting image of me. The same hair, eye colour even the skin tone was on point.

  I was gonna be sick, I could feel it, the churning of my stomach. The colour I could feel drain from my face, fuck this Shit! I ran for the kitchen sink and thankfully managed to turn on the faucet before the vomit came up.

  ***

  I worked on autopilot for the remainder of the day. I tried my best to focus on learning lines for my new upcoming movie, but it was no use. I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. Some pick depraved fuck had sent not only images but a full video of himself ejaculating and finding pleasure in a sexbot that was the spitting image of me. It was sickening as fuck and something I was sure that was permanently burnt into my retinas.

  If I thought throwing myself into an afternoon of work would help take my mind off it, I was gravely mistaken. It was obvious that I’d been kept hidden in the shadows for a long time, the things I was now discovering that had been happening without my knowledge. I almost wished I’d not seen, heard or asked about them.

  I groaned loudly as I threw the script aside. “Fuck!”.

  “Are you ok?” Finn asked.

  “What do you think?” I snapped. Gee, I wasn’t in the mood for idle chit chat, I could feel it, the tension followed by anger that started to grow inside me. I wanted to scream to allow it free otherwise I knew it would fester. I wasn’t going to allow this to affect me, at least that was what I tried to mantra to myself for a good thirty minutes before I couldn’t stand it and it all came crashing around me. I wanted to throw things, to take out my frustrations on so many people and with Finn here I could see him getting hit with the full force of my bitchyness. I was now stuck in a bubble I wasn’t sure I could burst and set myself free from, at least not yet.

  “The thought of some sicko….”

  “It’s not an issue unless you make it one,” he voiced.

  “Are you shitting me Finn, some guy was fucking a sex robot that looked exactly like me. The creep…. What makes it worst is that Kyles been keeping things from me, not telling me exactly what’s happening,” I groaned, I was annoyed with the humans in my world.

  “For good reasons, yes, he’s kept things from you, but you now understand what they’ve been dealing with. He didn’t keep you in the shadows because he thought it would affect you, affect your career. What Kyle kept secret he did because he cares for you,” Finn pronounced.

  “If he cared he would have told me the instant these things happen. If I don’t know what’s going on how can I prevent myself from getting hurt?”

  “Callie, I’m not gonna let anyone or anything hurt you,” he declared. “Kyle assigned me to protect you and I am going to do that even if it costs me my life. It’s my job and as I’ve stated several times my job is to keep you safe,” he voiced.

  “Why, why would you do that for someone like me? You don’t know me, how is my life anymore precious then the next?” No way could I have this man’s life on my hands. I may not be killing him but if he died while on my watch, I’d feel guilty.

  “It’s my job, it’s what I sign on to do knowing the consequences of what could and may happen besides, to someone you’re worth everything,” he said.

  What a load of hogwash, I was so tired and worn out from everything that had happened in the last few hours I needed a stiff drink, sleep anything to keep m
y mind from wondering to the images but I was hesitant because I could picture myself being unable to concentrate on anything other than what was going to happen if this psycho got his way with me.

  There was so much I wanted to ask Finn, hypothetical questions, what ifs and all but where the fuck did, I begin?

  “Don’t,” he ordered shaking his head.

  “Don’t what?”

  “I can see in your eyes that you’re playing out every sick scenario that could possibly happen. This isn’t the time for that shit, as I said you have to focus on the positive and try to continue living your life like normal otherwise, you’re allowing this guy to win.”

  “Easier said than done. It wasn’t like some sicko made a sex doll of you and started fucking it on camera and posting pictures on the web, so all could see. It’s everywhere and this is a PR nightmare. I could kiss my career goodbye thanks to this.”

  “Try to look at it from a different angle.” Was he fucking serious? How did I look at this from a different angle?” He scooted closer and the instant he drew near I felt my body relax and begin to draw in the heat he was radiating.

  “Taking a step back, not putting yourself out there may just help us. With less appointments and you focusing on a small reprieve from Hollywood, it will mean this guy will most likely come looking for you and that’s where I come in and do my job the best I can because it means I can focus all my attention on protecting just this house with those that live within the confines of it,” he declared. His tone was sweet yet sickening. It was like he was hoping this sick robot fucker would come here to my house and break and enter just so he could… well I don’t know kill him.

  “You’re frowning, what’s wrong?” Finn’s voice broke through the haze that has started to form around my mind. I just wanted to zone out, but he wasn’t gonna allow that.

  “The hole thought gives me goosebumps. What if you can’t protect me, it’s not like you’re always here. Yes, you follow me to appointments and stuff but you’re not the only security officer on the team?” I questioned.