Up Close and Personal

by Kathryn Freeman

  ‘Oh, it’s you.’

  ‘Yes, Kat Parker, it’s me.’ Any annoyance he’d felt immediately vanished at the sight of the woman he’d spent a tantalising twenty minutes with last night, before she’d disappeared. ‘Do you have something against me?’

  ‘Of course not, why?’

  ‘First you drown me in champagne, now you pinch my parking space. I wondered if this was part of some sort of vendetta.’

  She tipped her head back and laughed. A spontaneous sound, as natural as breathing yet startlingly attractive. ‘The champagne I can blame on my shoes. The car park space was entirely your doing. You should have been quicker.’

  ‘Or perhaps you should have been more considerate,’ he countered mildly.

  She shook her head, slamming the Jeep door shut. ‘I saw an empty space and I went for it. If you’d wanted it, you should have put your foot down.’ Her eyes flicked over his car. ‘You’ve got a, what, six-litre engine?’

  He was ashamed to realise he had no clue what engine size the Aston had. He only knew it was elegant, and he loved elegant things. ‘Probably.’

  A grin settled across the face he’d spent an embarrassing amount of time searching for last night. ‘You don’t even know the engine size, do you? Well, whatever it is, it’s wasted if you don’t use it.’

  ‘I thought I was in a car park,’ he felt compelled to point out. ‘Not a race circuit.’

  She laughed again, this time adding a small shake of her head. ‘I remember that about you from last night. You’re funny.’

  ‘Thank you. I think.’

  She moved away from the Jeep and now he could see her trim figure, dressed today in black leggings, black boots and a plain black T-shirt.

  ‘I see you’ve got your boots on today. Does that mean the public are safe from flying beverages?’

  Another husky laugh. ‘I’m not sure about safe, but I’m certainly a lot steadier on my feet. Look, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got to leg it, I’m late. Good luck finding a place for the Aston.’ Her face lit up with another smile. ‘Fancy cars are a dime a dozen round here, but she’s a beauty.’

  Intrigued by her, he watched as she marched quickly towards the Vision Films entrance. What connection did she have to the production company? The fact that she was at the party last night and here again today suggested she worked for them. Film editor? Set designer? She was confident enough to be a director, but he didn’t recognise her. Maybe she was in admin, though it was hard to see her in anything so ordinary. Even dressed as she was, all in black, she was far too … vivid.

  Whatever she did, she didn’t have to walk far to it. He, on the other hand, was probably going to end up in the overflow car park. Not that he was against a walk, but preferably not on a hot June morning when he was wearing a lightweight wool suit. Yes, he knew he hadn’t needed the suit. He also knew that linen would have been a more sensible choice. But linen creased, and when Zac didn’t know the person he was meeting, he preferred the armour of a smart suit.

  Muttering under his breath, he climbed back into the Aston and blasted the air-conditioning up as he drove slowly around the car park looking for another space.

  Five minutes later he strolled through the entrance. Despite the car park altercation, he was still early for his meeting because punctuality was one of his – obsessions was too severe a word – he preferred idiosyncrasies. It was manners not to keep people waiting, just as it was manners to dress well for them and be polite. It was also manners not to tear into someone else’s car park space, but Kat Parker didn’t seem to observe the usual conventions.

  Maybe he’d check with reception after his appointment and see if she worked here.

  The thought of potentially seeing her again gave his mood a brief, but very welcome lift. Considering everything else that was going on in his life, he could do with another dose of the vital, attractive woman he’d enjoyed verbally sparring with last night.

  First though, he had a rather more pressing matter to attend to. Shoulders set, he strode through the swanky marble reception area of Vision Films, trying to ignore the insecurity that pricked, like needles, whenever he was faced with the enormity of the world he was currently inhabiting. His star was on the rise, he was working with a major film production company, yet the doubts and worries continued to plague him. How long would it all last? And when the bubble burst, how damaging would the fallout be?

  Christ. He was piling paranoia on top of paranoia. Brushing the negative thoughts aside, he slid a hand into the pocket of his suit trousers and pasted on a smile for the pretty blonde on the reception desk. ‘Good morning, Cassie.’

  ‘Hey there, Zac.’ Her expression, warm, admiring, was a long, luxurious stroke to his ego. ‘You’re here to see Jerry Collier?’

  ‘Correct.’ Exactly why the Head of Security had asked to see him, Zac wasn’t sure, though he hoped it had something to do with the note he’d found taped to the door of his apartment yesterday afternoon. Lucky me, it had said. I know where you live. But will it be lucky for you? All neatly signed off with a vivid pink, lipstick kiss. It had been the fifth such note he’d received, each slightly creepier than the last.

  Likely it was nothing, of course. By starring in the shock success of last year – the relatively low-budget action film, The Good Guy? – he’d probably simply acquired that miserable celebrity curse: a stalker.

  Even so, the idea of someone watching his every move made his stomach turn. He was only just getting to grips with the concept of being famous, and the restrictions that placed on his life. The dread when he noticed he’d been spotted. The interruptions to sign autographs, to take his photo. The worry about the photos he wasn’t aware of. He was a private man, catapulted into a celebrity world where privacy was a luxury. Still, if that’s all this was, a celebrity stalker, he could deal with it. A small price to pay for the joy of being able to make a living from his passion, from immersing himself in another personality. Becoming someone else.

  A skill he’d practised for most of his life.

  But what if he wasn’t being stalked because he was a celebrity? What if there was another reason behind the notes? That’s what had woken him up in a cold sweat last night.

  ‘Jerry says to go straight up.’ Cassie’s voice was a welcome interruption to his spiralling thoughts. ‘He’s on the second floor, first door on the right.’ She gave him a coy smile. ‘Would you like me to show you up?’

  ‘Thank you,’ he answered smoothly. ‘But I’m sure I can find it.’

  With a nod and a further flash of his perfect smile, he strode over to the lifts.

  ***

  Son of a bitch, now she was really late. Kat dashed out of the ladies’ where she’d spent the last few minutes sitting on the loo – yes, she could multi-task but no, in this case she’d put the lid down – trying to talk her sister out of a total meltdown. Mandy, who she’d just dropped off at rehab, had totally freaked out on being told she needed to stay there for sixty days.

  ‘Two fucking months, Kat,’ she’d screamed down the phone. ‘I can’t do that long. Debs will go nuts.’

  Kat had already warned her niece that her mum would need to stay longer this time. ‘Debs will be cool with it,’ she’d reassured her sister, though having spent the second part of the crappy morning taking her truculent fourteen-year-old niece to school, she’d said it with her fingers crossed. ‘I’ll be there for her, and we’ll come and visit you. Chill.’

  ‘I can’t chill. Come and get me, please. I don’t want to be here.’

  Kat’s heart had ached for her, but she’d lived with Mandy’s addictions for too long. Softening her voice, she’d told her the truth. ‘You’ve tried outpatient therapy and shorter stays, and they didn’t work. If you want your daughter to remember you as the strong, vibrant woman I know you are, then you need to work through this.’

  It had done the trick, and her sister had promised she’d stick it out.

  But damn it, now she was
running so far behind even she was embarrassed by it. Collier, the guy in charge of security for the production company, would likely go apeshit. He’d asked her, via Mark, her boss, to turn up half an hour before their meeting with Zac Edwards, so he could brief her. Now she was just hoping she could get to Collier’s office before Edwards did. Why the hell had the man arrived early? Didn’t he realise celebrities were allowed to be late?

  Dashing towards the lifts, she jammed her hand on the button just as the doors were about to close. As they slowly opened again, she stared at the man inside and sighed.

  Looking as cool and laid back as he had in the car park in his immaculately fitting suit, designer shades now slotted into the top pocket, Zac Edwards gave her a sexy smirk of a smile. ‘Not content with pinching my car park space, I see you now want to encroach on my lift.’

  ‘I’m joining you in the lift.’ Ignoring the flutter in her chest, she went to press the second floor, but it had already been pressed. Of course, it had. Because the man she appeared to be having an embarrassing hormonal reaction to, was her new client.

  ‘Apparently you are.’ With a languid grace she’d never aspire to, he leant back against the wall of the lift and crossed his ankles. ‘Are you always so … impatient?’

  She hiccupped out a laugh. ‘I’m not impatient. I’m late. And please don’t give me the speech about setting off earlier, because I know that now. Trust me when I say I’ve had the sort of morning it would be hard to predict.’

  He gave a lazy shrug of broad shoulders that were showcased by his perfectly fitted jacket. ‘Expect the unexpected.’

  She rolled her eyes. ‘Hey, you’re preaching to the converted. That’s totally the motto I live my professional life by.’

  ‘But?’

  ‘Let’s just say my private life is way too chaotic to call.’ Suddenly the lift came to a shuddering stop. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

  He eased off the wall. ‘Not claustrophobic, I hope.’

  ‘No. Just frustrated that I’m now going to be even later.’ She jabbed at the emergency button. ‘Come on, come on.’

  ‘There’s that impatience again.’ His lips curved into the smile that had made him a household name. ‘Relax. It’ll just be a temporary blip.’

  Sighing, she turned to face him. ‘I suppose there are worse things than being stuck in a lift with, you know.’ She waved a hand in his direction. ‘You. I could have been stuck here by myself, or with a sweaty, overweight bloke who smelt of BO.’

  ‘I’m glad I was here to save you from that purgatory.’

  Kat had to bite into her cheek to stop an unprofessional giggle. This man with his fancy suits and fancy looks sure used a lot of really funny, fancy words.

  The lift gave another shudder before moving again, smoothly coming to a stop a few seconds later.

  As she stepped out and turned down the corridor, she was acutely aware of him walking beside her. The warmth of his body through that ridiculously smart suit – who wore a suit during the hottest June on record? Then there was his expensive aftershave. She was almost hyperventilating with the desire to keep inhaling it.

  ‘I see we’re going in the same direction.’ He gave her a quizzical look. ‘What is it you do for Vision Films?’

  They both came to a stop outside Jerry Collier’s door and she sucked in a deep breath. ‘You’re about to find out.’

  At his bewildered expression, she felt the first jangle of nerves. This wasn’t how it had been planned. Mark was already worried about assigning her to such a high-profile case, a fact that had both touched and really frigging annoyed her. Despite assuring him she was totally up to it though, here she was, ballsing it up before she’d even properly started. She wasn’t supposed to have met Edwards yet. She also wasn’t supposed to be so late this morning that she was arriving with the guy. And they certainly shouldn’t have been flirting with each other, no matter how mildly.

  The door swung open and Jerry, a big, imposing guy in his mid-fifties you wouldn’t want to piss off, stared at her before reaching out to shake the actor by the hand. ‘Good to meet you, Zac. I see you and Kat have already been introduced.’

  ‘Err, not exactly.’ Usually Kat had no problem talking herself out of a situation, but this was a bit tricky. ‘We sort of bumped into each other last night.’

  ‘Literally.’ Zac narrowed his eyes. ‘What’s going on here?’

  Jerry looked between her and Edwards, and sighed. ‘When I heard about the note stuck on your front door yesterday, I asked Kat to discreetly keep an eye out for you last night. Today she was supposed to have arrived before you, so I could make the introductions properly, but it seems she’s jumped the gun.’

  ‘Keep an eye out for me?’ Zac was clearly confused, and Kat felt a knot of tension tighten in her stomach. Her gut told her he wasn’t going to like what he heard next.

  ‘Yes. That’s what she’s here for.’ Jerry nodded in her direction. ‘Zac Edwards, meet Kat Parker. Your bodyguard.’

  As she watched the news sink in, Kat noticed the differing emotions flicker across her new client’s handsome face. The bewilderment and disbelief, she was used to. All part of the joy of being a woman in a man’s world. She didn’t mind the annoyance either, because God knows she wouldn’t like to have someone foisted on her. No, it was the interlaced horror that alarmed her.

  Was he horrified Vision Films were so worried about his safety they’d assigned him a bodyguard? Or horrified his bodyguard was a woman?

  Worse still, was the horror because his bodyguard was her?

  Kat unconsciously squared her shoulders. She couldn’t do much about her job, or her gender, but she could make sure he only saw Kat the professional from now on.

  Chapter 3

  Zac didn’t know which of the mind-blowing pieces of information to focus on first. That the production company had hired him a bodyguard who looked so inexperienced, and appeared so chaotic. Or that said bodyguard was the woman he’d been flirting with last night and just now in the lift.

  Five minutes ago, he’d been anticipating tracking her down so he could ask her out for a drink, hopefully get to know her. Now he didn’t need to do that. Because from now on she was going to be sticking to him like glue.

  ‘Pardon?’ It seemed the safest response. He’d long ago curbed his natural instinct to say what he thought, which was something along the lines of Are you shitting me?, with a heavy dose of What the fuck?

  Jerry let out another long exhale – he’d clearly been expecting this to go more smoothly – before pointing to the seating area in the corner of his office. ‘Why don’t you take a seat and I can go over a few things.’ He narrowed his eyes at Kat. ‘With both of you.’

  Kat winced, and Zac felt a smidgen of sympathy for her. Then again, she’d known about this … arrangement all along, and hadn’t had the decency to tell him. Not even after she’d upended champagne all over him.

  Not even after he’d tried to flirt with her.

  Steering clear of the sofa, he headed for the armchair, figuring he needed the small amount of space it provided. Space to remind himself that Jerry didn’t know the things Zac did. Jerry had no reason to believe the stalker wasn’t just a crazy fan, and likely, make that extremely likely, that’s all he or she was. It’s just, in those moments between sleep and wake, when doubts and worries were hugely exaggerated … in those moments, Zac had begun to think of other, far more terrifying possibilities. None of which he could voice, because in the world of Zac Edwards, actor, the part of his life that lent itself to those dark thoughts, had been scrubbed clean.

  Jerry hunkered down on the sofa, but Kat shook her head and walked over to the desk, resting against it with her arms crossed. Her face, the one he’d enjoyed seeing smile, was now serious, those dark eyes watching him. Under different circumstances he’d have enjoyed her eyes on him, but not as his bodyguard. Not when he was riddled with fear over who might be trying to frighten him.

  Deciding his
best play was to feign nonchalance, Zac leant forward on the chair, loosely clasping his hands. ‘Who decided that I need a bodyguard?’

  ‘I did.’ Jerry twisted to face him. ‘We’re used to actors getting weird mail, but when the sender sticks the letter to the actor’s front door, it’s time to worry.’

  ‘Really?’ Zac felt his pulse kick up a gear. ‘You don’t think it’s just a deranged fan? Notes signed in pink lipstick don’t exactly scream menacing.’

  ‘And you’d know menacing when you saw it?’ Kat asked, her tone detached now. No longer the warm, chatty woman he’d talked to in the lift.

  You have no idea what I know. Words he couldn’t say. ‘I know I don’t need a bodyguard if this is simply a crazy female fan,’ he settled for.

  ‘So because the stalker might be a female, you think you’re safe?’ Kat’s eyes narrowed. ‘If I decided to attack you, you could, what, just swat me away?’

  She was offended, he realised. ‘Of course not. You’re a professional. You’d wipe the floor with me.’

  At last, a return of her smile. ‘Good answer.’

  ‘All I’m saying is that if it’s just a crazy fan, then I don’t see the need for a bodyguard.’ He could do without intrusion in his life, thank you very much. ‘But if you believe the stalker might be more dangerous than that …’ Or if my fears turn out to be correct, he thought grimly. ‘If you really believe I’m at risk, then I’m happy to concede that I need protection.’ In fact I’ll need the most experienced, most professional bodyguard you can put your hands on. He doubted that was Kat.

  ‘It’s less about how dangerous the stalker might be,’ Jerry interjected. ‘And more about anticipating and preventing an attack in the first place. That’s where Kat comes in.’

  Zac avoided looking at Kat as he spoke his next words to Jerry. ‘Do you mind if we discuss this privately?’

  Jerry heaved out a sigh and with that, and the way Kat’s back turned ramrod straight, Zac knew exactly how unimpressed they were with his request. ‘There’s nothing you can say in front of Kat that she won’t have heard already.’