Secret Bodyguard

by Lori Crawford

  Not wishing to make her assignment even harder, she decided not to alienate the man before they’d even met. That’s why Erica deferentially dropped her gaze first. She turned her attention to the women and the man in the wheelchair in front of her. She knew from her research that the man was Detective Cameron Dobbs and the thin woman was his wife Marcy. Cam and Trevor grew up on neighboring ranches. The two pursued different paths with Trevor going off to college to major in music and Cam heading to the Police Academy, but even distance hadn’t cooled their friendship. When Cam was shot in the line of duty a year ago, Trevor bought his current residence in the area and moved closer to help Marcy with Cam’s care.

  It told Erica a lot about the kind of man Trevor was. He could’ve hired nurses, but he’d been pretty hands on with Cam’s recovery. She didn’t want to be, but she couldn’t help being impressed with Trevor. At least on paper. Now she was about to meet the man himself. Erica climbed aboard the yacht and joined the party.

  Trevor kept his hands planted on the hips of the latest giggling girl who’d cornered him. In part because it was the only way to keep her from plastering herself all over him where he was seated on a stool. But more because he was able to keep her out of his line of sight so he could watch to see if the woman in the coat came to his party. He couldn’t help the stab of disappointment that shot through him when she failed to materialize long after Cam, Marcy and their guest boarded. Trevor shook it away. Of course she wasn’t coming to his party. She hadn’t belonged. Aside from her strange attire, she’d had an expression on her face that indicated a brain was involved. He looked at the current girl chattering away in front of him. That wasn’t an issue with this one. Tuning back in, he was annoyed to learn that she was still talking about her nails.

  Trevor mustered up his rock star smile. “Sorry, darling. Some friends just arrived that I really must see to.” Without waiting for her consent, he set her out of his path and went to find his best friend.

  Cam fought his way through the crowd to an out of the way corner with Marcy and her friend Winnie. It never ceased to amaze him how many self-absorbed people showed up to these parties. When he’d said, “excuse me,” few of them spared him a glance and swayed a millimeter or so out his path. Until they’d felt the cold steel of his chair threatening to take off their legs. He’d even brought his skinny chair. Amazing.

  Poor Winnie turned beet red while she stared at a young woman who’d just removed her already skimpy top presumably so the beefcake behind her in the tiny red Speedo which did nothing to conceal a thing could rub sunscreen on her back. Cam knew his wife meant well, but there was no way this Winnie person was a match for Trevor. Marcy had to be the worst matchmaker in history. It brought a smile to his face to remember how she’d been convinced that he was the perfect match for her cousin. Cam’d gone along with it and befriended the cousin to learn how to woo Marcy. Best thing he’d ever done. He’d be the first to cheer when Trevor found the same thing. He glanced at Winnie and fought a grimace. She wasn’t it.

  Marcy read his expression and flicked his ear. “Give them a chance,” she hissed bending close.

  “I just don’t want to you to be disappointed if the sparks don’t fly.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Winnie is a lovely woman.”

  They both looked her way and were dismayed to discover that her reddish tint had become a hideous purple. Marcy stepped in front of the other woman to block her view of whatever shenanigans the young couple was engaging in.

  “What am I doing here? How did you talk me into this? What could Trevor see in me when he has all this … this … this around?” She tugged the collar of her blouse away from her neck. Cam figured the woman was going to pass out if she didn’t take a breath soon. He shrugged. That would just get them out of there that much faster.

  “Trevor is a great guy. Not at all like these other guys.” Marcy looked around. She frowned and Cam turned to follow her gaze. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing when he saw his friend had a bony blonde hanging on his arm when he made his way toward them. Trevor took one look at Marcy’s glower and shook the blonde off to continue the trek alone.

  Marcy turned on a smile for Winnie. Patted her hand. The woman looked like she was going to puke at any moment. “Just be your sweet self. None of these women can hold a candle to you. You’ll see.”

  “Hey, guys. I thought you’d never get here.” Trevor greeted the trio when he strolled up. He turned on his rock star smile. Cam knew it was for Winnie’s benefit. Marcy gave Trevor a big hug and pushed him closer to Winnie.

  “Hey, Trev. This is Winnie Winslow. I was bragging about my husband’s perfect friend, and she didn’t believe you existed so I had to make the introduction.” Cam squeezed Marcy’s hand. She was trying way too hard. Trevor looked amused.

  “Great. I’d like to meet this guy, too.” Trevor looked around, and Winnie snorted a giggle. Marcy turned red with embarrassment. Cam yanked her down on his lap and gave Trevor a wolfish grin.

  “Now that the two of you have met, would you mind making yourself scarce so I can enjoy my wife for a minute?”

  Trevor chuckled. He took Winnie’s hand. She looked at him with a serious case of disbelief and hero worship. “I think that’s our cue to get lost. You game?”

  Star struck, Winnie managed a nod. She looked quite a bit like a bobble head doll, but Trevor retained his smile while he set out to be a good host. He led her away through the crowd.

  At last, Erica emerged on the main deck of Trevor’s yacht. She’d taken advantage of the chaos to explore the boat so the layout in her memory was more detailed than what she’d learned from a blueprint. During her explorations, Erica took the time to appreciate the lushly appointed amenities. Trevor had spared no expense on the dark mahogany which appeared polished within an inch of its life. The heads were done in marble and the furniture thick and comfy. Luxury exemplified.

  Now that she’d finished studying the yacht, Erica wanted to get a look at each guest. It was a long shot, but if she could ID his tormentor and put a stop to it at the party, she’d be a very happy camper. And she’d be free for assignment on a juicier case. She looked over another mindless couple when they raced past her to a stateroom. Erica sighed, a girl could dream.

  She made her way up to the Flydeck where she’d glimpsed him heading earlier. Trevor was chatting with the woman who’d arrived with his friends. Erica wasn’t sure what surprised her more, that Trevor appeared to be listening or that he’d given his attention to the one female who was still wearing a full set of clothes. Erica considered her own costume hidden under her coat and shrugged. It wasn’t quite as revealing as most of what she’d seen, but she didn’t want to be lumped in with the rest of the partygoers either. Part of her job today depended on standing out.

  She looked around the deck and took a deep breath. It was time. The pool sat in the middle of a casual teak deck crowned with a bubbling hot tub. That many people in one hot tub was just … wrong. Erica shook off her shudder and spied a stereo on a shelf at the far side of the deck. She turned her attention back to the pool which was raised about three feet so that meant it couldn’t be more than four feet deep like she’d expected.

  Routine modifications came to her while she slunk toward the stereo, careful to blend with the crowd. She sat on the ground out of Trevor’s view and shed her coat and boots.

  The brisk air sent a shiver through her. What kind of nut threw a party on a yacht in this kind of weather? Even packed like it was, the steam rising from the Jacuzzi was pretty inviting. Nothing came from the pool. She shuddered to imagine how cold it was. Surely people would be in it if he kept it heated. Or maybe she was the sole person crazy enough to want to swim in this weather.

  Erica slipped the CD in the stereo and pressed play. When the music pounded on the deck, Erica stood up and nailed Trevor with a look. A little thrill of satisfaction shot through her when his head snapped her way. She had his full attention. She saw
the crestfallen look on his companion’s face, and vowed to feel bad about the interruption later. She did her walk on in time to the music.

  Erica hoisted herself up on the side of the pool, holding Trevor’s puzzled gaze the entire way. She could feel that other people were watching her little performance, too. Let them watch. She was prepared to be amazing in four feet of water. Trevor would be floored and hire her on the spot. She would put a stop to the threats on his life in record time, and they’d both go their separate ways. All without him being any the wiser, of course.

  Trevor hopped up from his seat and raised a hand. Erica smiled at him, confident she had him hooked and slid into the pool. It took just a second for her to realize that there was no water in it. Erica’s smile morphed into shock when she saw that the pool was even deeper than she’d figured. The bottom was about seven feet down, and she hit it with a less than graceful thump. The wind whooshed out of her. She landed in a tangled sprawl. She lay there for a moment trying to gather her wits.

  Trevor hurried to the side of the pool and looked at the woman who’d captured his attention from the dock. What in the world had she been trying to do?

  “Are you hurt? Can you move?” he called to her. More guests gathered around the sides of the pool, giggling at her expense.

  “Yeah. I think.” The last part of her answer was a mere whisper while she experimented with moving each limb. She looked up at the laughing guests and flushed crimson over her entire body. And what a body it was. The woman was a knock out. Long legs attached to full hips. He watched, fascinated, while each muscle flexed during her inventory. She arched her back emphasizing her tempting bosom that barely remained tucked inside the fanciest swimming suit he’d ever seen in his life.

  He drew his eyes up to her face and was dismayed to note that she’d caught him checking out her boobs. He fought his own embarrassed flush. “Do you need a hand?”

  “I’ve got it,” she snapped and climbed to her feet. Erica tried her best to ignore the laughing partygoers and headed for the ladder on the side of the pool. So much for amazing. Her brain scampered for a way to salvage this operation. She reached for a step and was dismayed when the bottom one remained a couple inches higher than her fingertips. Without water, she had no hope of ever reaching it. She looked up at Trevor who was directly over her head with the still dressed woman. Bright side? She’d gotten his attention all right.

  Erica swallowed the tattered remains of her pride. Offered him a tiny smile. “Well, maybe I could use a little help.”

  Trevor grinned at her. “You sure? ‘Cause if you’ve got it?” That grin did things to Erica’s insides that she preferred not to think about. She opted to admit just that she understood why he was a star and leave it at that. The man had charisma to spare. She focused on her situation instead.

  Erica’s own sense of humor returned. Nothing like a former Olympic swimmer trapped in a pool with no water. “I don’t got this one.”

  Trevor laughed when he reached over the side for her. He frowned when he couldn’t reach her. “Jump.”

  Erica shook her head. “And pull you in, too? No way.” She propped her hands on her hips while she mused. “My coat’s over there. Think you can haul me up with it?”

  Trevor’s brow quirked at the challenge. A little slip of a thing like her? Who was she kidding? Winnie hurried to get the coat before Trevor could move and handed it to him. He hid a grimace when he realized he’d forgotten Winnie was even there. He’d been so delighted to see the woman from the dock at his party.

  He let down the end of the coat for her to grab. She wrapped the sleeve around her left arm and looked up at him with a nod. Trevor pulled on the jacket and found that the woman was much heavier than she appeared. While trying to hide it, he gritted his teeth and pulled with all his might. Winnie grabbed the coat too, adding her girth. Little by little, they made progress and the woman was able to gain her footing on the ladder.

  Erica hoisted herself over the side. She could see Trevor’s surprise that she was just a head shorter than his own six foot three in bare feet. She included both Trevor and Winnie in her grateful smile. “Thanks for the rescue.”

  She shrugged back into the coat. Inside the pool, she’d been protected from the breeze off the water. Not so on the deck.

  “Wanna explain what you were up to?” Trevor looked her over from head to toe. “You don’t appear to be drunk. You just have a death wish?”

  Erica laughed. She noted how the woman moved possessively to his side. Her intuition told her that would irritate him. The way he stepped away, to turn off his CD that was still blaring from the stereo confirmed her suspicion. Still, not keen to make enemies, and not knowing who the woman was, she addressed her in her answer along with Trevor.

  “I was trying to audition.”

  “Excuse me?” Trevor returned to face her.

  “I’m Erica Kellogg.” Erica stuck out her hand for a hearty shake from both of them. “I heard that you were looking to diversify your show. I thought what better diversification than to add a synchronized swimmer.”

  Trevor belted out a laugh. “You? A synchronized swimmer?”

  Erica fought to keep her temper in check. “That wasn’t one of my better performances.”

  “What would you synchronize with just one of you? Or should I expect more swimmers to traipse out at any moment?”

  Her irritation rising, Erica pasted on a smile to inform him, “You synchronize with the music when there’s only one. It’s called a solo. And it wouldn’t be just me on the stage. I’d be there to enhance your show. You could think of me like an extra stage light.”

  “I appreciate you for stopping by, but my show is just fine.”

  He turned away and headed down the stairs to the lower decks. Erica scrambled to grab her boots and follow. The woman looked startled at their abrupt exit and raced to join the procession. She caught up with them on the wheelhouse deck.

  “Trevor’s right. He doesn’t need a swimmer.” The woman tried to conceal her labored breathing and stepped between Erica and Trevor.

  Trevor looked at the woman in annoyance. It was obvious she’d overstepped her bounds. Erica figured she could use it to her advantage. She addressed the woman.

  “You wouldn’t have anything to worry about. Our relationship would be strictly professional. Like I said, I’d just be set dressing. Quiet as a mouse.”

  “But the set is already dressed just fine.” Since Trevor was behind her, the woman didn’t see his irritated expression. Erica did. And reveled in it. She might get him to agree to this crazy plan just because someone told him not to do it. That would be fun.

  The three of them reached the main deck and threaded their way through the partygoers.

  “We all need a change. And this is something no one has seen Trevor do before. Think of the increased ticket sales.”

  The woman frowned when they joined Cam and Marcy. Marcy gave Erica a curious look that leaned on the unhappy side. “What’s going on? Trevor? Winnie?”

  Before Trevor could get a word in, the woman said, “This is Erica. She thinks Trevor needs to add a synchronized swimmer to his concerts.”

  “I heard that he wanted a new flavor. Synchro is definitely a new flavor.”

  An expression she couldn’t read flitted over Cam’s face before he turned his attention to Trevor. Erica studied him a little more in detail. Was he the one who’d hired them? The phrase she’d said was the one from the assignment file. It was on the list of arguments Trevor might respond to.

  “It might not be a bad idea, Trev. Spice things up a little bit.”

  Marcy looked at her husband, scandalized. “I don’t think now is the right time to change the show.” She sided with her friend. “He’s about to go on tour. Far too late for such a big change.” Marcy looked Erica over. “Do you even know if the woman can swim?”

  Erica blushed, and Trevor laughed. “She was about to give us a demonstration, but I emptied the pool this a
fternoon.”

  Erica shot him a grateful look that he hadn’t rehashed the whole embarrassing episode. Winnie, however, wasn’t so kind.

  “She fell in. It took the both of us to fish her out.”

  Trevor didn’t look any happier than Erica was at having his faults put on display alongside Erica’s.

  “You know what? The more I think about it, the more I like it.” Trevor leaned against the railing and stroked his chin. Erica got the sense it was more for show than anything else. “You gotta admit. You haven’t seen many synchronized swimmers in rock concerts.”

  Relief flooded Erica. Despite everything that had happened, she was in. “Thank you so much, Mr. Cole! You’re not going to regret this.”

  Winnie and Marcy looked less than thrilled at his decision. Their expressions darkened even further when Trevor pushed off the railing and took Erica’s hand. She barely noticed the other women’s reactions because she was too busy trying to figure out where that little jolt of electricity had come from. The look on Trevor’s face told her he was wondering the same thing.

  “Let’s go discuss terms.”

  Erica nodded and let him lead her away.

  Marcy turned on Cam. “What was that?” she demanded. “Can’t you see that little tart just wants Trevor’s attention? And things were going so well with him and Winnie.”

  “Marce, she just wants a job. And if things were going that well with Winnie, he’ll be back.”

  “I can’t believe you’re taking her side!”

  “I’m not taking …”

  “We need some serious repair work done, here.” Marcy’s face lit up. Cam eyed her warily.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, let it go.”

  “Help me clear the yacht.” Marcy popped up off Cam’s lap.

  “What? I’m not doing that?” Cam folded his arms across his broad chest.

  Marcy leveled a glare at him. “Winnie’s time was cut short. We’re going to set up a nice dinner. For two. Got it?”