Bulletproof

by Melissa Pearl

  I gave her my smile, the one that turned her brown gaze into bedroom eyes. “I don’t care what the papers say. You’re my girl, Morgan.”

  She gently wriggled her hand free, her bedroom eyes nowhere to be seen. “Nobody else knows that, Sean.”

  My jaw worked to the side as I tried to think of an intelligent reply that didn’t involve the same words I’d been spouting off for weeks.

  “I know you’re doing this to protect me. I know you want to keep me safe, but I told you I wasn’t afraid. If anything, it feels like you’re afraid...afraid to let the world know you’ve fallen in love again. Afraid of what they might think of us together. Afraid of how it might hurt your career.”

  “It’s not that. It’s Travis...”

  “It can’t just be Travis. He’s not going to write you out of the show. Harley is too important.”

  I had no reply. Rhonda told me to keep it quiet and I agreed, because I was protecting the girl I loved. Morgan said she got that, but she didn’t seem to. Maybe I hadn’t been clear on how much the Abigail thing nearly destroyed me...or how powerful Travis really was. I couldn’t jeopardize my career again.

  Her phone saved my ass. She cleared the message and huffed, shoving it back into her pocket.

  “I gotta go.”

  I wanted to hold her one more time, promise that everything would be okay, but instead, I let her walk out the door.

  “You coming?” Isabella paused in my doorway, giving me an odd look before indicating with her thumb that we had work to do.

  I rubbed my hand over my lips and nodded, whipping off my shirt and changing for dance rehearsal.

  Three hours later, I was a sweaty mess. I had forty minutes to get showered and down to makeup. I only had a short scene to shoot today and I was grateful. This whole Morgan thing was making me restless. All I wanted to do was get her back to her place and show her how much I cared about her.

  “Hey, sweaty man.” I looked up at the sound of Rhonda’s voice. Her warm smile made it impossible not to reciprocate.

  “Hey, how’s it going?”

  “Good, I was driving past and thought I’d drop off those cologne posters for signing. I collected them this morning and they look fantastic. I popped them in your dressing room, so if you can find a minute to scrawl your name on those today, that’d be great.”

  “Yeah, yeah, sure.” I wiped the towel over my face.

  “Oh, and Andrew and I have pulled a few strings. There’s going to be an article in the next Entertainment Weekly about the show. Travis is on board and a few people will be flitting around set taking photos and such, and I wanted to assure you that we’ll make sure we go for that cast-is-close type spin.”

  “Thanks, I appre—”

  “You didn’t ask for blue, you specifically said gold, because you wanted it to match the color themes of the show.” I recognized Morgan’s terse tone immediately.

  I frowned, pausing outside the office door to make sure she was okay.

  Travis snatched the sheet she was holding and slowly ripped it in half.

  She tutted, pulling her neck straight and lifting her chin as the pieces of paper floated to the floor.

  “You dumb piece of shit. Can you not do anything right?”

  Morgan’s shoulders shuddered as if the dormant volcano in her belly was finally being unleashed. She made two fists and then let them go, throwing her face to the sky.

  “You know what, that’s it! If I’m so stupid and useless, why the hell don’t you fire my sorry ass!”

  Travis stepped back from her venom, a smirk resting on his lips. Slowly crossing his arms, he gave her a goading smile before quietly asking, “Why don’t you just quit?”

  “I wouldn’t want to give you the satisfaction, you sadist.”

  Travis guffawed. “Good, because your pain is my pleasure.” He leaned toward her, his beady gaze making her recoil. “So please, keep coming to work. You’re the best form of stress relief I have ever had, and I wouldn’t want to lose you.”

  He ran his knuckle gently down her cheek. She slapped his hand away, making him snort with laughter. I flinched, my insides scorched hot with rage. That was it. He just crossed a line. I went to step into the room, ready to introduce Travis to my own very effective form of stress relief. My fist rounded into a tight ball as I moved, but Rhonda pinched my arm, her long nails sinking into my skin.

  “Stop,” she whispered between clenched teeth.

  I glanced over my shoulder as she pulled me down the hall. “I can’t let him treat her like that.”

  “If you go in there now, he’s gonna know, and what do you think he’ll do to her then? What do you think he’ll do to you?”

  “Oh come on.”

  “Listen to me, Sean.” Rhonda’s sharp tone made it impossible not to. “He’s the bigwig, and he’s psycho enough not to care that you’re the cash cow for this show. He’d write you out of this just for fun; then where will you be?”

  “He’s not going to fire me.”

  “How do you know? If he’s sick enough to keep her around for stress relief, don’t you think his brain’s warped enough to make your life hell?” Rhonda’s eyebrows rose as she dipped her head forward and gave me that get what I’m telling you look. “Don’t throw it all away. You love your job; this is a great chance for you. You deserve this, Sean.”

  “Morgan des—”

  “Morgan is a tough chick, that’s one of the things you love most about her.”

  How could I argue with the truth?

  “She’ll get over this. She’s strong and you’ll be there to comfort her at the end of the day. She doesn’t need you to fight her battles, and if she thought it would jeopardize your career, there’s no way she’d ask you to do it.” Rhonda shook her head. “If she loves you like she says she does, she’d never let you put your job at risk.”

  I pressed my lips together, hating Rhonda’s words but knowing they were right. A flash of movement from the office caught my eye, and I glanced up to see Morgan stride out of the room.

  She saw me and jerked to a stop.

  I gave her a sympathetic smile, letting her know I’d heard it all and I was there for her. No one else but Rhonda was in the hallway, so as she walked toward me I reached out my hand.

  Her gaze narrowed as she approached, her arms remaining locked at her side. She gave my manager a sharp look before her cold glare landed on me.

  “Thanks for your help,” she choked out before brushing past me.

  I knew I’d let her down. I should have barreled in there; I should have stood up for my woman.

  “Just give her time to cool off, Sean. It’ll be okay.” Rhonda patted my arm. “Don’t go chasing her down while she’s fiery-hot like that. You’ll just get in a fight and then everyone will find out and all your work at keeping things quiet will go down the pooper. You’re doing this because you love her. Just remember that.”

  I nodded, licking my lower lip and heading for the shower. I felt like the piece of dog shit you scrape off someone’s sneaker.

  I didn’t want to lose my job or Morgan. I didn’t want to lose favor with Travis. I hated that work was hard for Morgan, but wouldn’t it be even worse if it was hard for both of us? I didn’t want to open my girl up to further humiliation.

  All I could hope was that Rhonda was right, because seeing that look of betrayal on Morgan’s face about killed me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  MORGAN

  I slammed the car door shut and started the engine. My nerves were frayed to fine threads, barely holding me together. To say work sucked was the understatement of the century. My outburst seemed to ignite some sick pleasure in Travis, his dark side finally having a chance to unleash.

  “Stress relief,” I muttered as I reversed out of my spot and spun the car in the right direction. Slamming down the gas, I screeched out of the parking lot, barely pausing for the barrier to lift. I wanted to smash straight through the damn thing. Now that would be stres
s relief.

  I looked at the clock on the dash and cringed. 10:23. I had hoped to do my weekly check-in with Jody today but felt like it was too late to hassle her now. What if she was asleep already? I could tell by the tired way she constantly answered the phone that school was taking its toll. I had heard that performing arts courses were taxing, but I didn’t realize to this extent. It probably didn’t help that she’d turned into a partying maniac. I knew she was tough enough to take it, but that didn’t stop me worrying about her.

  I really wanted to talk to her, though. I needed the distraction.

  Worrying about someone else’s problems was so much easier than focusing on my own. Sean had finished earlier than me. I’d seen him loitering on the sidelines, no doubt trying to catch me in secret before he left. I stayed as busy as I possibly could, sticking to the most crowded areas on set. He must have given up, because when I went to leave, his car wasn’t in the lot. I should have probably called him, sorted this out, but I honestly didn’t have the energy to get into it.

  How could he just stand there and listen to Travis treat me that way?

  If there was a line, my boss had freaking pole-vaulted over it, and my boyfriend had done jack-all. I wanted to blame Rhonda; she had been standing right there, no doubt trying to stop him.

  I gripped the wheel, anger surging through me like a tidal wave.

  I wished I didn’t need this stupid job. I wished there was something better out there for me.

  “I wish, I wish, I wish. Shut the hell up, Morgan! Stop feeling so damn sorry for yourself.”

  I bit down on my lip, relishing the pain. It was a habit I’d picked up as a teen. I never went as far as cutting, but during those really bad months I used to dig my nails into the soft flesh of my arm, anything to stop the tears from falling. When I didn’t have any free hands my teeth went for my lip.

  My eyes stung as I drew to a stop at the red light. I was two minutes from home, and it was the last place I wanted to go. Putting on my blinker, I decided a late-night drive wouldn’t kill me. I needed to unwind or I’d never get to sleep.

  Collecting my phone, I unlocked it to look for some music and noticed I was still on my contacts list. Jody’s name was highlighted on the screen; that was as far as I’d gotten throughout my hectic day. I pressed the number and slid the phone into my hands-free unit. I didn’t care what the time was; I wanted to check up on my sister.

  “Hey, sis, what’s up?”

  Her sweet voice was like a soothing balm. “Oh, good, I’m glad you’re up. I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “Nope. Awake.”

  “You sound tired, though.”

  “I’m always tired.”

  “Me too.” I chuckled. “Work can be a real bitch that way.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it.” She still sounded flat.

  How could I get her voice to sparkle again?

  “So, how is work?” Jody cleared her throat.

  “Oh, it’s okay, I guess.” I shrugged as if she could see me. “I mean, my boss is still a total asshole, but you know, a job’s a job.”

  “Yeah, true. Plus you get to work with your boyfriend all day.”

  “Hmm, not as much as you think. This whole secret relationship thing...I don’t know, it’s hard to catch those moments sometimes.”

  “I thought you loved it...being pulled into some dark closet to make out with Mr. Hollywood.”

  I forced a chuckle. “Yeah, that only happened once and didn’t end so well.”

  “But he still comes over after work, right?”

  “Yeah.” I cleared my throat.

  “Let me guess, it’s not happening anymore.” There was a bitter twang to her tone, which concerned me. I was opening my mouth to ask about her fella, fish for information, but she got in first. “I saw the paper, Morgan. I’m guessing it’s bullshit, just the media spinning a story, but is that all it is?”

  “Yeah, definitely.” There was no way I wanted to dive into that conversation; I’d finally managed to put it out of my head. “Sean told me not to worry...and I’m not. Really.”

  “You don’t sound convinced.”

  “I am. I trust Sean. I know he cares about me.”

  “Then why do you sound so down? Why the hell are you calling me at like ten-thirty at night when you should be in bed with your man right now?”

  I sighed, figuring I might as well tell her the truth. I needed to talk to someone about my day, and as much as I didn’t want to burden her, she had asked.

  “I had a really crap day, Travis went off at me and was totally cruel, and Sean didn’t do anything to stop it. I guess I felt kind of let-down.”

  There was a long pause. I could picture Jody licking her lips, giving the receiver a sad smile. I was waiting for her sigh of sympathy, her words of comfort. I was definitely not expecting what she dished out.

  “Why are you doing this again?” she snapped.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You let your boss treat you that way and you didn’t walk out the door? You let Sean listen to that bullshit, do absolutely nothing about it, and you didn’t slap him in the face?”

  My face scrunched with a frown. I looked at my phone screen in horror. Jody had never spoken to me like that before. She didn’t yell when she got angry—she sulked. And she certainly never made people feel bad.

  “You always do this, Morgan. End up in these shitty situations that you just refuse to walk away from, even though you totally can!”

  “What...where...where the hell is this coming from?”

  “When was the last time you were single? When have you ever gone more than like a week without having some lousy date or scoring some loser boyfriend?”

  “Sean is not a loser.”

  “This isn’t even about Sean anymore! I’m talking about the fact that you seem capable of looking after everyone but yourself. You feel needed so you stay, you stick around and you let these people take total advantage of you.”

  “That is not true! I’m not like that at all. I am a strong, confident woman. People do not push me around.” I flicked my hand in the air. It landed back on the horn, setting it off with a loud honk.

  I flinched at the sound, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to stop Jody’s diatribe.

  “Your boss treats you like a maggot, and your boyfriend isn’t doing anything about it...oh yeah, and he’s hiding you in the shadows, which you hate and he knows...but he’s not doing anything about it.”

  “What the hell is your problem?”

  “My problem is that you are better than this. You don’t belong in the shadows, Morgan. You are amazing and talented and you’re selling yourself short, because you’re too afraid to just take a leap! And the thing that pisses me off the most is that you can, you can do and be whatever the fuck you want; nothing is holding you back except you!”

  And with that she hung up.

  “Jody?” I glanced at my phone and tried to redial her, but it went straight to voicemail. Her sweet, chirpy message was damn irritating after the bitch-fest I’d just endured.

  I looked back to the road and slammed on my brakes, the car screeching to a halt seconds before I almost plowed into the back of a mini-van. I pulled in a breath through my nose, leaning my head against the steering wheel until the car behind me honked.

  Lightly pressing the gas, I made it through the intersection in one piece, despite my shaking hands. Glancing at the street sign, I realized I was unwittingly heading to Reynold’s Pub, so I figured I might as well keep going.

  I increased my speed, hoping I’d make it there before closing.

  Fifteen minutes later, I parked the car and hustled down the road. The lights were still on.

  “Thank God,” I whispered, flinging back the door and having to quickly jump out the way.

  The man stumbled past me, collecting himself before landing face-first on the pavement.

  “And you’re not welcome back.” Cole pointed at him.

  The m
an gave him the finger, swearing loudly as he stumbled off down the street. My eyebrows rose in question. Cole rolled his eyes and ushered me inside, locking the doors firmly behind us.

  “So, what just happened?”

  Ella shook her head, gently collecting up the pieces of shattered glass on the floor. “Some mouthy guy was accusing me of robbing him.” She stood and placed the pieces on the table, looking at Cole with an apologetic frown. “I swear I gave him the right change.”

  “I don’t care if you gave him the wrong change; no one talks to my girl that way.”

  He looked pissed, in a righteous kind of way. Cole was a good-looking guy, but as a knight in shining armor he was damn sexy. Ella was a lucky lady...and she knew it.

  Her sweet smile said it all.

  “C’mere.” Cole pulled her into his strong arms, kissing the top of her head before resting his chin there.

  “Thank you.” At least I thought that’s what she’d said. Either that, or I love you. The words were muffled by his shirt.

  He pulled back from her, tenderly touching her face. I turned away from their little moment, my eyes burning as I imagined what Sean might look like in his armor. I had a sinking feeling I’d never know.

  “So, Morgan, sorry for that welcome. Do you want a drink?”

  I spun to face Cole’s question.

  “Sure.” I nodded, moving to the bar and parking it. “Something strong, please.”

  Cole’s eyes darted to Ella’s. I ignored the look passing between them and sat up straighter as Ella perched herself down beside me. “What’s up?”

  I drew in a breath, figuring I’d go for a downplayed version of events, but as the air came out of my lungs, the words just tumbled free, a quick torrent that recapped my nightmarish day in all its glory.

  Both Ella’s and Cole’s mouths were hanging open by the time I got to my phone call with Jody. Once that recap was done, their chins were basically on the floor.

  “What is up with her at the moment, anyway!” I snatched the shot glass and downed it, not even knowing what the liquid was that burned my throat.

  “Yeah, we’re worried about her too. She’s seemed really distant lately.” Ella gently took the glass and passed it to Cole.