by Ali Parker
"Call already. Get over here. What's taking so damn long?"
My phone buzzed as if on cue. I answered it, not thinking to check the number. Mistake.
"Hello?"
"Chloe-bear. It's Jeremy, baby. How are you?"
I groaned internally. Of course it was Jeremy. Who else called a grown woman Chloe-bear? Creepy.
"I'm good, buddy. How are you?"
"Ugh. You know I hate it when you call me buddy. It reminds me of my failures." He laughed and I forced myself to do so as well.
"I was about to run out the door, so let's make this quick and I'll call you later when I have a little more time." I lifted my hand in front of my face and checked for nicks in my fingernail polish while he droned on about the Taylor Swift concert that he wanted to take me to.
"So, are you going to be able to go with me?" His tone was hopeful, and where I was over the brief infatuation with the good-looking creeper, I still hated to crush anyone.
"I'm not sure, but I'll let you know when I call back. You know how my dad is about my schedule." I snorted and closed my eyes, ready for the torture to end.
"Yeah, speaking of your dad. How is he? Any more situations come up since that horrible mess a few weeks back?"
Here we go. Moving from me to my dad like he always does.
"Nope. He's being super careful and Pauly is on full alert. That guy's the best thing that ever happened to my father."
"Yeah, like you were the best thing that ever happened to me." Sadness again.
"All right, Jer. I'll call you later, okay? Have a great day. Hugs and kisses." I hung up before he could respond and dropped the phone on the couch beside me.
"Fucking creepy," I mumbled and checked my other hand, satisfied that my bright pink nail polish was perfect and I looked the part.
Having a bodyguard was probably a good thing seeing that my father kept receiving death threats and I had an old boyfriend that reminded me more and more of Norman Bates.
My phone beeped and it was Jessica with her tenth request to come to the house for a few days. I texted her back that I would let her know the minute she could come over and the phone rang.
She obviously didn't like my response.
"Hey girl." I stood and moved toward the bedroom, digging through my closet for a pretty dress to wear to my father's office. I was done waiting around to find out what the hell was going on. I would just go visit and get the scoop from the source.
"Hey yourself. When can I come hang out with you? You've been home three days and I've only gotten like two hours with you."
"Soon, girlie. I told you that I'm trying to work through some shit with my dad."
"Like what shit?" She sounded incredulous.
"Like him wanting me to have a bodyguard and me not wanting that at all. It's like wearing a ball and chain around." I sighed and pulled the dark blue dress off the hanger that my father hated most. It was girlie, but showed a little too much of my legs for his liking. Good.
"Hmmm... That's interesting." Jessica laughed and I smiled, always having loved the openness of her laugh. "Have you met the guy he's hiring? Is he old or young? Ugly? Hot? Big?"
"He's beautiful with big muscles and delicious tats running down into his shirt. I want to strip naked and bend over every time I think about him like I’m a cat in heat. It's great." I rolled my eyes and tugged my pajama bottoms off, grunting softly.
"Oh shit. That can't be good." She laughed again and I flipped her to speaker so I could continue getting ready.
"Nope. He's a total ass too."
"Does he drive a bike?" The girl knew me too well.
"Fuck yes. I swear he crawled out of my deepest fantasies and now he's here to haunt me."
"Tell me more. I need a fantasy to crawl into."
"He's got dark brown eyes and brown flippy hair that falls into his eyes. I've only seen him once, but he's sick levels of confident. His bike is big and from what I can tell, his cock is a monster."
"Oh my God, C. You saw his package?"
"No. I wish." I pulled my shirt over my head and worked to get my bra on while keeping my tone even. "He and I got into a bit of a fight outside of the club, and to prove his point he pressed me against a building. He was hard, or getting there."
"Oh wow. So he's totally into you?" A soft chuckle resounded from the phone and I smiled again before pulling the tight cotton dress over my head.
"I guess, but it's not going to go anywhere. He needs the job and I need the protection. Fucking Jeremy has called every day since we broke up. It's getting old, but I don't want to tell him to fuck off and have him go postal." I picked up the phone and walked to the sink to fix my hair and work on my make-up.
"Do you think he's capable of that?"
"I don't know. He's in L.A. anyway, so another problem for another day."
"Well, be careful. I don't like the sound of that shit."
"I will, boo. I'm going to go visit my dad to see where this stuff is going with Ian and I'll call you later."
"Ian? Is that the hottie bodyguard's name?"
I laughed. "Yeah. Even his name is hot."
"I smell trouble."
"I just smell sex and candy." We both laughed and I hung up, grabbing my keys and heading into downtown La Jolla to find my dad and figure out what was coming next.
The drive to the office was long and arduous, the traffic heinous for the middle of the day. I parked in a no parking zone and got out, tired of driving around and knowing that my dad would pay the ticket.
I gave a quick wave to the people at the security desk and walked through the metal detectors as the alarm went off. I didn't have a badge, but I rarely did. They would clear me, they always did. I paused by the elevator and let out a long sigh.
"Why aren't there more elevators in this God forsaken building?" I growled and pushed the button with impatience. I couldn't seem to get myself under control and trying wasn't going to help anything. Nerves had me on edge and left me acting like the spoiled-ass brat that I was raised to be.
I got into the small metal box as a whole crowd of people moved in with me.
"Did hell open its doors and offer ice water or was there a special on burritos today?" I grumbled and got a few nasty looks, which forced me to face my shitty comment.
Stop it. You hate this part of you. Pull yourself back and stop acting like that.
My foot tapped on the floor as I tried to swallow the angst that burned along my chest. Did my father hire Ian, and if so, why wasn't he at the house with me already? Could I force him to like me? To adore me like most guys did?
The elevator opened and I pushed my way through, making pissy noises until I popped out of the opening. I straightened my dress and glanced back, growling, "Fucking ridiculous."
Yep. I had officially gone off the deep end. No pulling myself back now. Time to own it.
I didn't stop by the front desk receptionist as the pretty brunette looked up and asked how she could help me.
"Don't bother," I grumbled and walked into my father's office without knocking.
The young guy in a suit in front of him stopped mid-sentence and glanced up at me, his eyes going wide.
"Dad. We need to talk." I pressed my hand to my hip and gave my old man the look that screamed, 'now before I melt down'.
"Right." My father glanced at the guy and stood. "Jonathan, this is my daughter, Chloe. I'll pick back up with you this afternoon?"
"Of course, Sir." The handsome suit turned toward me and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Yep." I turned away from his hand and pressed my hands on the desk between me and my father. "Where in the hell did you find the guy?"
"Um, which guy would that be?" My father glanced toward Jonathan with an apologetic look and then gave his full attention to me.
I waited until the door closed behind me. "Ian. The bodyguard. He's a total thug and I'll not have him guarding anything. Least of all, my body!"
The door opened and
I turned angrily.
Ian slipped in and nodded toward us. "Mr. Moore. You wanted to see me?"
CHAPTER TEN
I called into the hospital for my shift on Wednesday and got dressed up in another set of monkey clothes my brother had forced upon me. Seems it was time to meet up with the good Senator and see what his final decision was regarding the job. I had sent in my agreement on Tuesday, but hadn't heard anything. When I got word to be there, I dropped everything.
The receptionist had pointed to the door when I arrived, telling me to knock and go on in.
I could hear Chloe yelling as I approached the door and my lip lifted at the sound of her meltdown. She was horrified at the thought of me being her protector. Good.
It would keep us from stripping each other naked and fucking like rabbits. I hadn't been able to think of much more than that for the last few days, so knowing she wasn't down with it would save us both. If that changed somewhere along the way, I would turn in my man card and deny the pretty little thing.
I knocked and walked in, glancing up at both of them and keeping my voice even. "Mr. Moore. You wanted to see me?"
"Yes, Ian. Come on in and close the door behind you." He motioned for me to join them, the poor man's cheeks pink from having to deal with the irate girl beside him no doubt.
Chloe raked me with a glare. I winked at her and walked to take the seat in front of her father. The blue dress she wore was a little higher than I would expect from a respectable girl such as herself, but maybe she wasn't the woman I had made her out to be in my head. Her long tanned legs went on forever, the soft smooth skin of her thighs screaming for me to run my fingers along it.
Stop it. Lock that shit up. Now.
"Chloe. Sit down. Now!" He pointed to the chair and she dropped into it, her actions reminding me of a five year old. She needed a spanking. I would have been happy to take that up as part of my job duties, but decided not to mention it, being the good guy I was and all.
I clasped my hands over my stomach and leaned back, keeping my attention on the older man in front of me. He had lived quite a life, and part of my interest in working with him and the pretty girl next to me was to hear more of his story. It wasn't every day that you got to talk to a United States Senator.
"I'm glad that you decided to take the job. I've finished my review and had Pauly sign off on everything. We'll be bringing you in starting today."
Chloe stiffened next to me, sitting up and moving to the edge of her chair. I glanced over at her as she groaned loudly. Her long hair was down, spilling over her back and around her shoulders. I turned my attention back to her dad before I reached out and ran my hand down the silky tresses.
"I don't have a say in this at all? It's fucking unfair." She stood up and I reached up, pressing my hand to my mouth to force myself not to smile. She was such a spoiled ass. It was almost comical.
"Watch your language and no, you do not." He stood as well. His words were loud, but there was no real weight to them. She could push hard enough and he would give in. Why she didn't, left me with more questions than answers. The girl was a complete mystery.
"Fine. Do what you want then. You always have anyway. I'll go back to the box where I live and when you need me, just jerk my strings and I'll come out and dance to your fucking tune." She slapped the desk and turned, walking from the room and slamming the door hard behind her.
The Senator let out a long sigh and dropped down in his chair, his fist pressing against his mouth as he took a minute.
I sat in silence, not willing to offer anything up to assist him. His relationship with his daughter was his own deal. It had nothing to do with me. I was the protection unit and nothing else.
Chloe and I didn't have to speak a word as long as she knew my rules and followed them. If not, we'd have more than just words. My ability to keep this gig would all be based on my effectiveness in keeping her safe and she played a part in that as much as I did.
"I'm sorry about that." He let out a long sigh and shook his head. "She's really a great kid, she just gets wrapped up in what she believes to be fair and not, and then the world explodes."
"She's not a kid. She's a woman." I moved my hands back into my lap. "Tell me where I'm moving my stuff to and what days I have off."
"Sundays and I'll have Pauly bring a truck to your place later today to pick up anything you want to bring to the beach house."
"Make it a small truck. I don't have much and I'm not giving up my place." I brushed my hand by my nose and sat up. "Anything else you need from me? If not, I'll start packing and then I'll scope out the place before setting up some rules with Chloe."
The Senator laughed. "Good luck with that."
"I figure this will be a good challenge for me. She doesn't want to be put in harm’s way, she just doesn't realize that she's not invincible yet. We all go through it." I shrugged. "I'm going to keep her safe either way."
"I know you will. I trust your brother and he trusts you explicitly." He stood and tapped the desk. "I know I don't have to say this, but as her father, I can't help but lay down the law. No making her uncomfortable by what you wear or don't. No touching her or seducing her in any form or fashion, and no bringing women to the house where she is. Got it?"
I stood and nodded. "Absolutely. I'm here to do a job, nothing else."
"Good. If anything happens to her, I'll be holding you and Jake completely responsible. It's a great opportunity for you, but a difficult one."
"Yes, Sir. I appreciate it." I reached out and shook his hand before turning as the door opened. A rough looking old guy stuck his head in and nodded toward the Senator.
"This the punk?"
I smiled and glanced back as Chloe's father nodded and smiled as well. "This is the guy, Pauly. Please go easy on him. He's seen Chloe at her worst and is still willing to help us out. Let's be good to him."
"Of course, boss. I'll only fuck him up if he hurts our girl." Pauly winked at me and opened the door. "Let's go get your stuff and we'll get you settled."
"Yeah, sounds cool." I walked out and glanced around the large lobby. I guess sending a truck meant he would escort me back to my place. It was irrelevant. I had the job and I would be able to take another step up in the world. The girl was going to act like an ass no matter who landed in the bedroom next to her.
I only prayed I could get her to act relatively amicable toward me. If not, it was going to be a long-ass summer.
"Let me just warn you now that it's going to be a long-ass summer. The Moore's are good people, but they have more family drama than anyone I know." Pauly chuckled as we finished loading up my dresser and closed the bed of his truck.
"I'm fine with drama. It doesn't affect me much, namely because I choose to let it brush by me. It's not my family, so it's all good." I walked around to my side of the truck and got in, buckling up and saying a silent good-bye to poverty for the next few months.
"Good outlook, kid." Pauly pulled out of the parking lot and turned the radio down before clearing his throat. "I know Chloe is a beautiful girl, but you'd do well to remember your only invitation where her body is concerned is to guard it."
"I get it. She's not at all my type and even if she was, I can act as professional as the next guy." I shrugged, not too concerned with my ability to keep my cock in my pants. I wanted the girl, no doubt, but I wasn't willing to deal with any level of emotional bullshit. I'd just pick up a few more one-night stands and imagine them to be her. Easy enough.
"Cool. It's a twenty-four hour detail and you'll have Sundays off, so it's your choice if you want to head out on Sunday mornings to do whatever you want, but you need to be back by Sunday night at midnight."
"Damn. Not one night in my own bed back at home?" I turned to him, a little surprised.
"Nope. We need full coverage on her. I'll be with her on Sundays." He shrugged.
A silence fell between us and I let it, leaning back and closing my eyes for a few minutes.
Twent
y-four hour detail. Fuck me.
We arrived a few minutes later and Pauly helped me get my shit unloaded before going over the rules one more time. There was an alarm on the house that I needed to set each night and his three numbers were locked into my phone.
"You good?" he asked and patted my back.
"Yep. I'll call if I need something. Just do what I do, and go where she goes."
"Exactly. You'll be great." He winked and walked to the truck.
I moved back in the house and breathed in deeply, the smell of her everywhere. It was beautiful and open, the beach a stone's throw out the back door. It was exactly the type of place I could only dream of owning.
I heard her before I saw her, the sound of her voice causing my body to wake up and growl.
"Yeah, it should be really good. We can get some steaks and just grill out tonight."
I turned as she rounded the corner. A soft gasp left her as she stopped short, the tiny brunette beside her half plowing into her. The white bikini she wore barely covered her nipples and the small triangle of her sex.
Smiling, I nodded at her and the girl. "Never too early for a steak and a beer, hm?"
"Oh my goodness." The new girl walked toward me, extending her hand as Chloe stayed back. "You are so much hotter in the sunlight. I'm Angie. We should be friends."
I laughed and shook her hand. Where did these crazy chicks come from? "Ian."
"I'll be in the kitchen." Chloe turned and I moved to follow her, leaving her needy friend just that... needy.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
He couldn't have looked any better than he did. The burnt orange swim trunks, flip flops and a white tank top fit him as beautifully as the dark t-shirt and jeans did in the club. My heart beat so fast it felt like it was trying to make a less than subtle escape. I took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen¸ leaving Angie with him in the living room. They could flirt it up, seeing that nothing could be more dangerous for me.