by Kayla Myles
She drove down to the garage, its doors once again lifting up automatically. She parked the car and I got out, taking my duffel bags and backpack out of the trunk as she unlocked the small door and waved me over.
“Welcome to Chateau Langley,” Sasha said jokingly, and my eyes took in the sundrenched interior.
It sort of had a refined industrial, modern aesthetic going on, but I wasn’t so sure. Most of my knowledge in architecture and interior design came from watching one or two episodes of Flipping Vegas. The floors were lined with mahogany panels, the kitchen counters topped with black marble with white cupboards overhead.
The wall by the main door was brown while the couches were beige, and the TV was a 60’’ curved design, fully equipped with a home theater.
There was another door at the kitchen leading to the outside, with exposed brick walls and a garden chair lying against it. Sasha caught me looking and grinned.
“That leads to the swimming pool,” she explained, and I nodded.
The appliances here were fucking state of the art, and there was enough room in this place to house my whole unit. The girl was loaded, I’ll give her that.
“Veronica?” Sasha called, climbing two steps on the marble staircase and peering up at the second floor. She called again but no answer. “Huh. She’s not here. She didn’t tell me she was going out,” Sasha mumbled, and I raised my eyebrows at her.
“Should I be worried?” I asked, and she laughed, waving her hands dismissively.
“No, I hardly think it’s a cause for concern,” she said, but I continued to stare at her. She fidgeted and bit her lip before giving in to my pressure and pulling out her phone, her thumbs flying over the screen as she typed out a message. She tapped her foot impatiently as we waited for a reply and then her phone beeped, making her look at me in triumph.
“Ha! She’s at her best friend’s house,” she said, and I nodded, looking around for a place to drop my stuff. “You can take the guest room upstairs. I already had the maid come over here a few hours ago to get it sorted. The laundry room is over there, and you have your own bathroom inside the room so you don’t have to go far.”
She took out her wallet and pulled out a business card and handed it to me.
“Here you go. Call me if you need anything. I’ll forward you Veronica’s cell as well so you could contact her whenever. Do you need anything else before I go?” she asked, looking at me expectantly. I shook my head.
“No, thanks. I’ll just go ahead and unpack my stuff in my…room,” I said, and she nodded.
“Well, if that’s everything.” She held her hand out to me and I dropped my duffel bag to the ground and took her hand, giving it a firm shake. “It was nice to meet you, Jason, and thank you for your help,” she said good-naturedly. I smiled back and nodded.
She walked back to the garage and I carried my stuff upstairs. I checked the first door and grimaced at the mess I found. The room was scattered with clothes all over the floor. The bed was unkempt, and a couple of bottles in the dresser were turned over. I didn’t need a psychic to know this was Veronica’s room, but I never expected a disaster to come from such a woman. I closed the door and tried the next one on the left, and this time I got it right.
The room was probably as big as my apartment. It had earth tones, with brown and white walls and matching brown carpet that was really soft, my feet sank a couple of inches. There was a California King Bed against the wall with a chocolate-colored duvet on top. There was even a 40-inch TV mounted on the adjacent wall, right next to the bathroom door. There was one big window that went from the floor to the ceiling, covered by thin cream-colored curtains. I placed my bags on top of the bed and started to unpack, placing my clothes inside the closet. I placed my other pair of sneakers at the shoe rack and when I was all done with my personal stuff, I unzipped my duffel bag and got started on my job.
I fastened the strap to my bag and hung it around my shoulders before leaving the room heading to the garage. I looked around for the toolbox and took it with me as well. I grabbed the steel ladder I spotted earlier and carried it upstairs, placing it on the far wall next to Veronica’s room. I took one of the tiny cameras Chase had provided me with and climbed up the ladder, placing the camera by the corner then tilting it down enough so it was focused on Veronica’s door and the staircase. I climbed down and did the same on the other end of the corridor before heading downstairs to set up the rest of the cameras around the place.
I still needed to set up cameras inside and outside of the garage and the swimming pool, as well as access to the camera outside the gates, but these would do for now. I would have to ask Chase to provide me with more tomorrow.
I went back into my room and took my laptop out of my bag, programming all of the cameras so each screen was viewable through my laptop. I set it to ‘record’ and wiped the sweat off my face, feeling my shirt starting to stick on my chest.
Veronica wasn’t here yet, so I might as well take advantage of the moment and take a shower.
I went inside the bathroom and closed the door, not bothering to lock it since no one was here. I slid the glass door of the shower to the side before getting in, and sighed as the water hit my face and body, slowly easing the tension off my muscles and back.
Chapter 8
Veronica
Ugh. I. Am. So. Disgusting.
I continued to upchuck the contents of my stomach, or at least whatever was left that I didn’t throw up last night after getting home from the club.
I woke up with the hangover to end all hangovers and found out my best friend did not come home last night. It was a miracle I was able to remember the spare key to her place was behind the potted plant or else I would’ve probably slept on her front porch.
Actually, I’m surprised I got here alive, without any of my stuff stolen since I was pretty out of it last night. I didn’t even remember what happened in the club after I got wasted.
Meh. It’s probably fine. Leila would tell me if something career-shattering happened.
I ransacked the contents of her kitchen and medicine cabinet but I did not find even one Advil, which amazes me. It made me wonder if my best friend was immune to hangovers or something. Nevertheless, once I figured I was going to have to live with this mother of all headaches for a couple of hours, I shed the little black dress I was wearing and borrowed some of Leila’s clothes, picking up a brown hoodie and some grey sweatpants from the pile, not even feeling the least bit intrusive. I doubt she’s even going to know they’re missing.
Okay, now to get out of here. I picked up my purse and took my phone out, sending a quick text to Leila and telling her I’m gonna split. She’s probably still knocked out at wherever place she decided to crash.
I locked her place up and hid the key back under the plant and hailed a cab. I rummaged around my purse, and thank God I hid a pair of sunglasses in there because the lights were blinding my eyes. I quickly put them on and leaned my head back against the backseat, massaging my temples with both of my hands as I rattled off my address.
I got home faster than I expected and looked around the block first before leaving, making sure there were no paparazzi around to see my walk of shame. It looked like the coast was clear so I hopped out of the cab and keyed in the code for the gate then headed inside.
I let out a sigh of contentment when a gush of cool air from the air conditioning hit me full in the face after going inside. Sasha must’ve come here earlier and set everything up, which was really nice of her. I saw her message asking me where I was, but because I was still feeling like crap, I just sent a quick reply that I was at Leila’s.
“I’ll call her later. I’ll take a shower first,” I said, saying it aloud so I’ll remember.
I climbed the stairs sluggishly and was about to enter my room, when I heard something weird coming from the guest room. I furrowed my brows and tilted my head, trying to place the sound.
It sounded like…a shower was running.
>
I shook my head vigorously, thinking I was just imagining things, but after waiting few seconds, the sound was still there. Someone was inside my house.
Could it be Sasha? No way, she never sleeps here, much less take a shower. My eyes widened, and my instincts kicked in, replacing my initial fear into anger. How dare this piece of shit take a shower at my house? The nerve of him! Or her, now that I thought about it, thievery doesn’t discriminate.
This thief sure had a lot of balls though, taking a shower as well as my stuff. I wondered whether I should get in there and scare the motherfucker out of here or just call the police immediately, but I decided on the former. I wanted to give this fucker his just desserts for even thinking to do this to me.
I hurried to my room and looked around for something as a weapon and remembered getting a baseball set from Henry for Christmas last year. He told me I needed to engage in more sports instead of playing my video games, and maybe swing a couple of home runs. Well, I was going to swing a home run, alright.
I opened my closet and dug through my things, finding the box at the bottom. I picked it up and removed the lid cover, my face forming an evil grin as I saw the bat was made with metal alloy. This would do just fine.
I grabbed the bat with both my hands gripping on the handles tightly and I cautiously went back to the corridor, opening the door softly so I wouldn’t startle whoever was in there. I kept my footsteps light and quiet, raising my bat high as I spotted the bathroom door slightly ajar. I swallowed and pushed the door open, but I couldn’t see much as the steam from the shower was fogging up the glass door. The outline suggested it was a guy though…a really tall one with a nice ass.
Oh my God, why did I just think about that? He’s a fucking thief, for crying out loud!
I shook my head, getting rid of those vulgar thoughts and raised my bat high with one hand and the other wrapping around the steel handle of the glass door.
Well, this was it. It was go time.
I took a deep breath and pursed my lips in determination. I counted off to three, and opened the door wide.
I screamed bloody murder as I raised the bat, ready to swing, but my voice died as I got a good look of this ‘thief’.
I recognized him immediately from the picture on his file. His green eyes were wide as he stared at me, his muscular arms raised at his side but not making any move to cover himself. His thick lips were shut and he had an angular jawline that I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was able to cut diamonds. His shoulders were wide and muscular, a sexy prelude to the huge chest he had, going down to six—no, eight packs in his abdomen. I swallowed the saliva gathering in my mouth as I looked at him and I stopped for half of a second. Did my eyes go ever lower?
I zoned in on the main course because, of course, they did.
And oh boy, was I not disappointed.
Sweet Mary, Mother of God, he was so…HUGE.
Chapter 9
Jason
Well, I got to say that was an interesting way to meet your client.
I saw Veronica lick her lips as she stared at my ‘package’ and I couldn’t help but smirk. I knew the normal reaction for a person who got interrupted all of a sudden in his shower was to cover up, but as soon as I noticed Veronica checking me out, I didn’t bother and let her look her fill. I have to be honest that it boosted my ego a lot to have such a famous actress checking me out.
And she was a hell of a lot more beautiful in person than in the photos. Her wavy, chocolate-brown hair fell on her shoulders, framing her face. Her hazel eyes were slowly darkening with lust, and her cheeks were pink and blooming. She bit her lip unconsciously, and it made me think about how they would taste, if they were as soft as they looked.
Her eyes rose up to meet mine and she caught me smirking. It seemed to have snapped her back to her senses and she put the baseball bat down, turning her eyes away from me.
“I-I-I t-thought you were a thief,” she stammered, looking everywhere but at me. I snickered at that.
“A thief taking a shower?” I asked, chuckling a bit at how ridiculous that sounded.
She must’ve realized it too because her face turned into a scowl as she stared at me again.
“It’s not funny,” she hissed, and I rolled my eyes.
“I hate to end this chat, but can you close the door now? I’m trying to finish,” I said, making my voice sound innocent and polite. She blushed and blinked her eyes rapidly, as if remembering where we were and what I was doing before she so rudely interrupted me.
“Unless you want to watch?” I asked, shrugging. She glared at me and slammed the door, enough to make the glass walls rattle. It made me chuckle as she walked out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her with a bang.
“And lock your fucking door next time!” she yelled.
My, what a vulgar mouth she has.
I finished washing up and patted myself down with the towel before wrapping it around my waist. I wiped the condensation on the glass, and shaved before brushing my teeth. Afterwards, I opened the door, and found a Post-It stuck on it with the words ‘COME TO KITCHEN ASAP’ written on it. I rolled my eyes at how dramatic she was being and wondered if all actors were this way.
“Well, if she wants me to hurry up,” I muttered, making my way out of the room and down the stairs in just the towel. Then she’d have to make do with me looking like this. I snickered under my breath at the thought of her squirming.
She turned her head as she heard me come down and her eyes widened, looking at me from head to toe then back, her head moving slowly with her eyes.
“Like what you see?” I asked. I couldn’t resist teasing her, especially when she looked at me like that. I’d be lying if I said she wasn’t having an effect on me, too, and I was grateful I had enough power to control myself from seeing where this could go.
Her eyes narrowed at me but she said nothing, waving her hand towards the chair in front of her instead. I pulled it out and sat down, and then we just stared at each other for a while with our arms crossed in front of us.
“For the record, I wasn’t expecting you to come here,” she said, and I raised my eyebrows at her.
“Sasha and Henry said they informed you I’d be coming,” I said.
“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting you to come today!” she shrieked. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, composing herself. I just continued to stare at her.
“Okay,” she said. “Just so you know, I’m not exactly thrilled with you being here. I can handle myself,” she said, matter of fact, and I chuckled.
“Yeah. Sure you can,” I drawled, and she furrowed her eyebrows.
“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked, sounding like she’s daring me to answer, so I responded.
“I’m just saying that if they thought you were capable of “handling yourself,” I said, making air quotations with both of my hands. “They wouldn’t have hired me. And you probably wouldn’t have gotten kidnapped last time,” I said.
“Almost kidnapped!” she corrected. Yeah, like that made any difference. I rolled my eyes to show her what I thought about that, and she growled, standing up abruptly from her seat and slamming her hands down on the table. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find her angry face hot. I shifted a little in my seat as I felt my dick harden because of it.
“Listen, buddy. I never wanted a bodyguard and I probably never will, so I’m telling you right now to stay out of my way. I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to feel you, and I don’t want you anywhere near me. Is that understood?” she said, and I stood up this time, making her stand up to her full height, the top of her head barely reaching my armpits.
“Well, I’m sorry to tell you, Miss Langley,” I said, feigning politeness and formality. “But I can’t do that. I have to stay near you if I am to do my job. I can’t protect you if I’m far away. Now why don’t you stop your little hissy fit and let me do my work.”
She screamed in frustration and glared at
me before walking away, and I couldn’t help but check out her ass as her hips swayed from side to side.
I waited for her to climb up the stairs and out of sight before groaning softly. I needed to get ahold of myself. Veronica Langley was under my protection. She’s the job. She’s off-limits.
I went back into my room and lay down on my bed, putting both of my arms behind my head as I stared at the ceiling.
Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.
Chapter 10
Veronica
I held my hair up as I checked myself in the mirror, wondering if I looked good in the swimsuit I was wearing. It was white with black straps that crisscrossed over my shoulders and kept my back bare. It was the third swimsuit I tried on and I still wasn’t convinced.
“I wonder what my bodyguard is going to think when he sees me wearing this,” I murmured to myself.
Wait a minute. What did I just say?
I gasped as I realized what I just said and started slapping my face lightly.
“Oh my God, Veronica. What is wrong with you?” I cried, looking at my reflection worriedly. “You cannot possibly be thinking such thoughts about that asshole! You’re not dressing up in a swimsuit for him! What the hell?” I shrieked, mad at myself for my slip-up.