by Joanna Blake
But so far, nada.
I wasn’t sure why but I was happy about that. Which was weird because ‘happy’ wasn’t a word I usually used. Actually, never. I’d never used that word to describe myself.
The girl worked like a horse, I had to give her that. At night she was confined to the suite. Her friends did their best to keep her distracted but she was pretty much in a cage.
I frowned. It didn’t seem right, keeping a beautiful, bright young girl trapped like that. Then again, it was none of my business.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that Joss.
I was checking in with the facility’s in house security team when Trista came out in her first ensemble. The room got quiet as everyone stared at her. My mouth was dry as she strode to the set.
She was wearing that ridiculous schoolgirl get up that was her trademark. Only right now, it didn’t look all that ridiculous. In shiny black fabric, it looked a lot less innocent that her normal signature look. Her shiny red hair was in a high ponytail that swung across her back with each step.
I had a strong urge to wrap my fist around that ponytail and drag her against me. I didn’t care that it was my job on the line. Or that there was a whole room full of people watching.
If I’d been within ten feet of her, I think I would have snapped. Taken what I wanted and damn the consequences. Just gone full beast mode on her.
Thankfully, I was fifty feet away. I forced myself to look away and walk through the crowd of people working. It was unlikely that the stalker would attack now, but it was a good time to penetrate our security.
Everyone in the room was distracted by Trista. Especially with her looking like sex on wheels. I noticed that the studio rep was arguing with Shasta. Probably something about the outfit.
People would keel over if they saw their sweet little princess in that black patent leather bustier. I’d heard them talking about it last night. Trista wanted to start dressing her age. They were trying to sneak it past the studio.
This get up was the compromise.
I snorted. Good luck with that. You couldn’t hide that outfit from anyone.
She was a walking, talking boner factory.
They would have to have their heads literally up their own asses to miss that get up. Then again… everyone but Trista and her inner circle did seem to have their heads up their ass…
I stopped by the edge of the set, watching Trista adjusts the top of her over the knee stilettos. I swallowed as her dainty little finger slid along the top edge, rubbing her perfectly toned, bare thigh.
I found myself wondering exactly how old she was for the hundredth time.
Either way it didn’t matter.
Even if I dated clients, which I did not, she was still far too young for me.
I walked behind the set and into her dressing room. I’d checked it ten times already today. But I still should not have been surprised when I walked in on a sweaty looking middle aged man with his hand in the cookie jar, so to speak.
He turned and stared at me, his hand holding a pair of Trista’s pink lace panties against his nose as he inhaled deeply.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
Trista
Everyone was silent as the police dragged the man away. I stared, wondering what the man had done. He worked here apparently. But he’d been in my dressing room.
But why?
I headed back that way. Now that they were out of there, I wanted to make sure my stuff was okay. My grandmother’s wedding ring which I wore on a thin gold chain, for example.
My father had died young, leaving my mother to raise me. His mother had stepped in more than once when it got to be too much for my mom. In the end, Grans had been more of a parent to me than my own mother.
I missed her every single day.
“Where are you going?”
I shrugged off Jenna.
“I want to check my stuff.”
“Joss is in there.”
“So?”
“He won’t like it-“
“He works for me, remember?”
I pushed the door open and came face to face with my ridiculously good-looking bodyguard. He was more than that of course, he was the head of his own security firm. But that’s how I thought of him. My bodyguard. I let my eyes wander over his muscular frame.
‘Body’ was right…
He frowned at me.
“You can’t be in here right now.”
“It’s my dressing room. Remember?”
He just stared at me. He looked… uncomfortable somehow.
“What was he doing in here anyway?”
“Nothing. I need to make sure he didn’t leave anything behind.”
“Leave? Or take?”
“Either.”
I stared at him. He blocked my way. It was a standoff.
I raised my chin.
“I just want to make sure my grandmother’s necklace is here. If that’s okay with you.”
He’d have to be an idiot to miss the sarcasm. He sighed, running his hands through his hair. I blinked. It was the most human thing I’d ever seen him do.
That’s when I noticed he had something behind his back. I narrowed my eyes at him.
“What is going on Joss? What is that?”
“You don’t want to know. Listen, I’ll look for your grandmother’s necklace and bring it out to you in a minute, okay? Let me just finish bagging anything he might have touched.”
I stared at him, chewing my lip. Then without warning I reached behind him and grabbed. He held perfectly still, staring into my eyes. We were inches apart.
I pulled my arm back, and stared at the ziplock bag.
“Panties? What are you doing with my panties, Joss?”
He stared at me. I didn’t step away. Neither did he.
“Sending them out for testing. You don’t want them back anyway.”
I stared into his eyes then handed them back to him.
“Why not?”
“Just trust me, Trista.”
I nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
He blinked those gorgeous eyes of his.
“It might surprise you, but I do trust you.”
I smiled.
“Don’t fuck that up.”
Chapter Seven
Joss
I was practically vibrating with anger as I finished dealing with the police. They were going to run the guy’s prints and get me everything. I asked them to pull a DNA sample as well.
The thought of that guy with his dirty hands on her panties was making me angry. Angrier than I’d been in my life. I knew it was wrong not to tell her exactly what had happened but I didn’t care.
There was no way in hell I was telling that sweet girl that a filthy pig had her panties all over his face. Maybe she wouldn’t care. But I did.
I fucking cared a lot.
I found a quiet spot and pulled out my laptop to add this perv’s information to the stuff I’d been compiling. I wanted to check something too. In the dozens of messages the stalker had sent, he had included some with her garbage in them.
I wanted to make sure he hadn’t done this before.
I scrolled through the images, getting angrier and angrier. All of this sick shit and why? Because her handlers had her parading around in those ridiculously skimpy outfits.
On the sound stage she was now back in her regular schoolgirl look, plaid skirt and suspenders. Her knee socks were pristine white as she kicked her legs high in the air.
I’d watched the routine over and over again but I hadn’t seen her perform it like this. She was bringing it. Giving 1000%.
I shook my head, trying to wrap my head around all of this. The girl was a fucking cottage industry. All because she could sing and dance.
And because every red-blooded male on the planet wanted to stick it to her.
Still, I had to admit she had talent.
I didn’t listen to pop but the song was catchy as hell. I had a feeling it
would be in my head for weeks if not months. Hell, I wouldn’t be forgetting any of this for years.
I knew without a doubt I wouldn’t be forgetting her.
Or the way she seemed determined to drive me crazy. Or the way the thick fabric of my jeans were the only thing keeping my semi from drawing attention to itself. Or the way I stared at the ceiling all night, struggling not to cross the suite and crawl into bed with her.
Fuck crawling. I would fucking jump into that bed like a superhero. And then I would break it.
I’d gotten used to having a constant hard on. But it was starting to wear thin. I knew I would snap if I didn’t get some sort of release.
Tonight I would go for a run. Take an hour off and just sweat it out. In the meantime…
I shut the laptop and walked the perimeter again.
Trista
I peeked over the edge of the balcony, watching as Joss stretched out on the pavement behind the hotel. He was going running. He probably didn’t know I could see him from here.
Or how dangerously fascinated I was becoming with him.
I was pretty sure he thought I was a stupid little girl. He was very careful not to let anything show, but I could tell. My efforts to tease him had been absolutely pointless.
He was always professional and emotionless. He barely looked at me despite all my efforts. I pouted, chewing my lip. It was strange how much more fun I was having with him around. But I was getting frustrated.
If I didn’t make him smile soon, I was going to go crazy.
It would be even better if I could get him to kiss me.
I snorted. Fat chance of that. Unless… what if I got him to play truth or dare?
I watched as he jogged off into the darkness. It wouldn’t be easy, but maybe I could pull it off. The trick was, to back him into a corner so he couldn’t get out of it.
First I had to make sure he didn’t have a girlfriend. That would just be humiliating. And very, very disappointing.
“Jenna! I want you to Google something for me!”
My assistant popped her head through the open door to the terrace.
“What do you want me to look up?”
I smiled brightly at her.
“Not what, who.”
Forty-five minutes later we were huddled around the laptop, giggling like schoolgirls. The moment the door opened we straightened up and stared at the door guiltily. Shast stood in front of the computer, blocking the screen from Joss.
He was glistening with sweat. All perfectly proportioned 6 feet and something inches of him. He looked relaxed.
I giggled out loud.
I would like to relax him.
He also looked suspicious. Smart man. It was funny but I had a strange sense that he was afraid of me. A big strong man like that afraid of one admittedly short young woman… it was too funny for words.
I waved at him coyly and he nodded, then went into his room to shower. Hmmm… the thought of him showering was a little too much for me. I fanned myself with the room service menu.
I must be hormonal.
I hadn’t crushed on someone this hard since that vampire on TV. And I never got to actually meet him. Or see him sweat.
I sighed, turning back to the screen.
There was nothing on Joss. Literally nothing. No girlfriend. No parents. No high school graduation photo.
We’d searched the entire time he’d been out running. But finally, towards the end we’d found something about his time in the service. He’d been a marine apparently. There he was, in a picture with his war buddies. They were all smiling and laughing, tossing their arms around each other. But Joss held perfectly still, with zero expression on his face.
Underneath the photo was a list of names.
They called him Ice.
I smiled to myself, shutting the computer.
I’d like to melt that Ice.
Chapter Eight
Joss
I spent the entire night staring at the ceiling. I had every reason to fall asleep. The bed was comfortable and I was tired. But she was sleeping twenty feet away.
I hadn’t slept a wink since I started.
It was starting to wear on me.
She was starting to wear on me.
Today we were back at the studio for day two of the video shoot. We’d doubled security and run independent background checks on everyone within spitting distance of the shoot. But I was still on edge.
The creep with the panties had been a dead end. He was in my files now, but the police had released him. Fingerprints and DNA were a bust.
He was just another run of the mill pervert. A middle aged guy with a teenage pop star fetish. Not the guy we were after.
Which meant the dangerous fucker was still out there. I was stoic as the girls danced around the kitchen in their morning routine. I knew the skimpy pajamas Trista wore weren’t for me. That was just the way young girls dressed. But it felt like she was wearing them for my benefit.
It took all my will power to keep my eyes off of her.
Instead I spent the time using my phone to coordinate with my team. I’d even called in extra help from my extended freelancer list. I was leaving nothing to chance.
Trista Davis might be a cock tease, but she was going to be a safe and sound one.
Nobody would get close enough to breath on her, let alone harm her.
Not on my watch.
And not just because it was my job either.
Because it wasn’t right to hurt or scare someone like her. She was so young and innocent. I felt protective of women and children in general. But for some reason, I was especially protective of her.
As usual I was silent on the ride over to the studio. They sent a stretch limo with a driver from the list of people I’d cleared in advance. I sat near the door, so I could block any potential threat. Another guy on my team rode up front.
Two guys stayed at the hotel to keep the suite secure. And five more were meeting us there. It might seem like overkill but not when there was a kidnapper on the loose.
I cringed internally. ‘Kidnapping’ was the least of it. He’d described in detail the things he wanted to do with her.
To her.
I couldn’t understand that sort of thing. He wanted to dress her up and treat her like an inanimate object. If Trista was anything, it was animate.
The girl was poetry in fucking motion.
I spent the day keeping an eye on things and coordinating the travel for the mini tour we started next week. New York, Vegas, Chicago, Miami and New Orleans. I had to clear the flight crew on the private jet, the hotel staff and the venue staff. It was not a small undertaking.
January was back in LA helping out. Her girlfriend was even part of the deal. Scratch that, Jan was engaged. Her fiancé.
Everyone was getting married it seemed. My Miami buddy Chan was already off and running. Trent was next. I was the odd man out when I saw them these days.
Most of my military buddies had been married for ages.
I saw no need for it. Love, marriage, children. To me it was a foreign idea. The way I’d grown up, the ‘happy family’ ideal was as far away as Mars.
Farther.
Mars was a real place. The idea of me as a family man was… not.
I pushed the thought of my unhappy childhood aside as Trista bore down on me with the director.
“Hi Joss…”
She was looking at me in that flirtatious way again. She was getting less subtle about it as time went on. I knew she expected me to fall over myself trying to please her but it wasn’t going to happen.
I didn’t bend over backwards for women, especially not a cock tease like her.
Especially when I knew it was not going to go anywhere, no matter what I might want deep down. I wanted a lot.
“Yes?”
“Lars had an idea.”
I eyed the director. His arm was slung around Trista in an overly familiar way. His past few movies were box office hits. He was
only doing the video because he was a fan. I didn’t really like the way he was touching her to be honest.
It was almost like he thought he was going to bang her. Considering he was in his forties, the thought of them together was repellant to me. Really it was none of my business what she did.
But I didn’t have to like it.
“Yes, we want to get some casual shots of Trista on the beach. Just squeeze it in today while we have the crew. We would only need a handful of them.”
“I can’t approve it. The studio would never agree.”
Lars rolled his eyes.
“What does the studio know of creativity?”
He walked away muttering. But Trista wasn’t giving up that easily. She stepped in closer, putting her hand on my arm. I stared down at her dainty little hand. Her nails were prettily manicured and delicate.
Just like the rest of her.
“Please… it would be so good for the video. The studio does want me to seem approachable.”
“Absolutely not. You’d be way too exposed.”
She fluttered her eyelashes at me.
“I thought you hadn’t noticed my outfit.”
I ran my hand through my hair. She was teasing me. I knew it was good natured and all in fun. But I was still flustered.
“I didn’t mean that- look, it’s not safe. I can’t allow it.”
She pouted for a minute. “But the video would be so much better…” Suddenly she smiled, looking at me from under her extra long eyelashes.
“Alright Joss. I will do what you say if you do what I say tonight.”
I narrowed my eyes at her.
“What exactly did you have in mind?”
“Nothing. Just some games. We can even stay in the suite.”
I have no idea what possessed me to say ‘yes’ but that was exactly what I did.
“Fine.”
I watched her walk away triumphantly, wondering what the hell I had just gotten myself into.
Trista
I carefully arranged the board games on the table. We had Risk, Monopoly, cards and poker chips. Jenna was ordering snacks from room service.