The Bailey Brothers Box Set- the Complete Trilogy

by Melissa Devenport

  “Good morning,” she murmured, tiredness clinging to her words.

  “Morning. Did you manage to sleep at all?” Ace looked awkward, knowing the answer to the question by the black bags underneath her eyes.

  “As good as I could,” she mumbled.

  “About last night…”

  “Please don’t say it was a mistake or that I was too drunk. I knew what I was doing and I still do now. But in light of recent events, I think there are more important things to focus on for the time being.”

  Ace was half surprised she owned up to her sexual advances last night. It excited him slightly. But she was right. I have to keep her safe.

  “Right, I’m going to get ready and I’ll meet you downstairs for breakfast in an hour. Sound good?” She finally managed to give him a bleary-eyed smile.

  “Sure.”

  Jennifer headed from the room. Ace couldn’t help but notice how translucent her dressing gown was in the sunlight streaming through the hallway windows. The curves of her body were accented in shadow. He remembered how it felt to feel her skin against his. He wanted more. Even the sight of her walking away appeared to arouse him, and he could feel his jeans get tighter around the crotch area.

  Down, boy!

  His ringtone pierced through his thoughts and disturbed him from his lustful daydream. Quickly, he checked the caller ID and answered.

  “How you doing, big boy?” Pearl’s voice was too high-pitched for his liking.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Good. And how’s the job coming along? You found the little perv stalking our Miss Jacobs yet?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Well, you better hurry up. Looks like there’s a couple of glimpses of you in the tabloids today. Don’t want to stick around with her too long or people might start speculating if you’re just a bodyguard. Especially if you’re her date to big events. Nice tux by the way.”

  “I’m working on it. This guy is covering his tracks pretty well.”

  “You’d better start covering yours too. I don’t like seeing you so close to our assets, particularly with you living with her. Get the job done. I’ll be waiting.”

  The phone line went dead.

  Is Pearl getting jealous? Better not push my luck.

  Ace continued to look through the pile of notes and gifts before breakfast. When he heard Jen calling from downstairs, he collected them back into the box and placed it on the table. Even reading those letters made him feel disgusted. He wondered what must be going round in Jen’s head.

  The smell of sweet pancakes teased his nostrils as he walked down the stairs. Following his nose, he saw the display of fresh fruits, pancakes, syrup, and sizzling bacon awaiting him on the table by the pool. Ace’s mouth watered as he sat down opposite Jen and dived in.

  After what could only be described as a mountain of food, he was satisfied. Jen seemed happy at his appreciation of her cooking. It was probably very rare for her to get to cook for anyone, considering she lived alone.

  “Why are you single?” he blurted out before his senses took over.

  She looked surprised and then giggled before answering, “I just haven’t met the right person yet. Sure, I’ve had a couple of boyfriends but nothing serious. Plus, nowadays most guys only want me to share my spotlight or get a taste of the high-life. But, as you can see, I’m not one for partying and would rather keep my face out the papers when I’m not promoting a movie. I like to live a simple life when I’m off set. My house is my sanctuary, and I spend most of my time hanging out here. Once my suitors realize that I’m not an exciting bimbo to do body shots off, they soon lose interest and, with that, yet another relationship comes to an end. I’m not really looking anymore. I just hope the right one finds me, but for the time being, I’m perfectly fine on my own. Enough about me, though. Why are you single? You are single…right?”

  “I don’t have enough time for a committed relationship. You may notice that my job isn’t exactly couple-friendly.”

  Jennifer laughed, “Very true. But aren’t you looking?”

  Ace wanted to tell her about his dream so badly, but the thought of opening up to her kept him silent. Sure, he had had a tough life, but that just made him stronger. He didn’t need her seeing anything other than the scary bodyguard he was meant to be. He grunted as he stood up and started to clear the plates. Jennifer seemed to get the hint and dropped the subject, helping him clean.

  Once they were finished, Jen went upstairs to get ready. Her phone started to ping and the screen lit up with messages. Ace found it weird that she had left it downstairs, but couldn’t resist seeing who was blowing up her phone this early in the morning. Unknown number.

  I saw you with him last night. You’re all over the papers with him. I thought he was just a bodyguard.

  Jenny, you better stop this right now. It hurts so badly.

  I’ll find out where he lives and kill him if I see him touch you again. You’re mine.

  I’ll be watching you carefully today.

  No doubt, these text messages were from M. Without hesitation, he picked up her mobile and deleted all traces of her stalker. She didn’t need to think about him today. He would handle it. But, while still with her phone is his hand, he soon realized it wasn’t the first time M had texted her, all with a withheld number. Just like the notes, they were sickeningly desperate and pleaded for her attention.

  Footsteps in the lobby alerted him to Jen’s approach, and he quickly locked the screen and put the phone back in its place. Her sapphire eyes creased at the edges as she gave him one of her dazzling smiles, entering the room.

  “You ready for another day on set? At this rate, you’ll soon have your own part in the movie!”

  Ace grinned and followed her out the house.

  ***

  “Jenny, darling, fabulous scene today. You were absolutely immaculate as always!” James hooked an arm around her shoulders and followed her over to the catering zone.

  Ace wanted to wrench him away from her and snap his arms over his leg. He couldn’t tell whether it was protection fueling his rage or jealousy. A few deep breaths soon settled his uncertain temperament. There was something about that guy that just rubbed him the wrong way.

  “Aww, you’re too sweet. Want a coffee?” she asked as she poured herself a cup.

  “Nah, I’m alright. Although the big guy over here seems to have caffeine injected up his ass the way he’s staring at me,” James snapped in Ace’s direction.

  Ace stepped forward to challenge the man but Jen quickly intervened, laying a hand on his arm. The slight touch soothed him and he backed down. Now was not the time to cause trouble. No matter how much he wanted to curb stomp the fucker.

  “He’s just looking out for me. Don’t be mean, James,” she said. “Is there anything I can help you with, Seth?”

  Ace was surprised to see the scrawny man appear as though out of thin air. The guy was as quiet as a mouse. His hair looked greasy and he clearly wasn’t one for hygiene. Ace wrinkled his nose at the odor emitting from him.

  “I just wanted to say that you really managed to capture Selena perfectly in that scene. The kiss was phenomenal. I mean… of course, it would be, it’s you after all,” he stuttered.

  Sweat appeared to bead on his upper lip, dampening his limp rat’s tail of a mustache. Wow, this guy really doesn’t know how to talk to women. Jen would eat him alive.

  Jen just smiled, “Well, I must thank you for adding those lines. I must say that Selena really came alive through your writing. It’s just a shame that our work together will soon be ending. I doubt I’ll get a scriptwriter even half as good as you in the future.”

  Seth blushed heavily and scuttled off. The actress sipped at her coffee as the rest of the crew started to clear away for the evening. James lingered around, talking to some assistants before he gave one last lingering look at Jennifer and walked off. Jen finished drinking and headed back to her dressing room, Ace trailing behind her.

>   “What the fuck?” Jennifer gasped as she switched on the light.

  Ace nudged her to the side to see in through the doorway. The room looked like it had been ransacked. Furniture lay tipped on the side, makeup was pouring onto the table, the floor length mirror was smashed into a million piece, and writing was scrawled across the wall. It was red and glistening, Ace knew it couldn’t be real blood just by the shade of it, but Jen had no way of telling the difference without a practiced eye.

  HE NEEDS TO GO

  The letters had started to drip where too much of the paint had been used and streaks scarred the clean plaster. Ace heard a small mewl come from Jen before he turned and watched her fall. Just before she hit the wooden floor, he hooked an arm underneath and stopped her. Not wanting to draw attention, he carried her limp body into the room and kicked the door shut behind him. Placing her on the couch, he checked her pulse. She must have fainted. Wetting a spare towel under a tap, he dabbed at her brow. Moaning, she opened her eyes, bewilderment clouding them. She looked like she was going to ask what had happened when she caught sight of the wall and groaned.

  “How the fuck did he get in here?” her fear had surged into anger just like the day before.

  Ace helped her to her feet, whereupon she wandered over to the wall and touched the wet paint. Her hands came away sticky. She sighed and went to the bathroom. Once Ace heard the shower turn on, he tried to clean as much as possible, to return the room to slight normalcy upon her return. There was nothing much he could do about the paint. He tried to dab it with a cloth but just ended up smearing it up the walls. At least now it wasn’t legible and the cleaners wouldn’t have much to gossip about later when coming onto this mess.

  Steam billowed from the room behind her as Jen, now back in her own clothing, left the bathroom. She didn’t even stop to appreciate his efforts in hiding the previous chaos as she picked up her keys and headed for the studio car parking lot. Ace walked behind her, and both were silent on the journey home.

  Chapter 6

  JENNIFER

  The tang of wine sloshed around her mouth as she gulped down another glass. It numbed her nerves slightly, but she was still shaken from the dressing room. Ace sat awkwardly on the couch opposite and sipped at his beer. He seemed to be at a distant place, lost in his own dark thoughts.

  Upon returning home they had both freshened up and picked at the Chinese takeaway she had ordered in. Neither were much in the mood for talking. She felt bad, knowing that her silence probably fueled Ace’s guilt in letting the incident happen earlier. There was nothing much he could have done though. At least she was safe.

  “So, tell me about your family?” she needed to break the silence.

  Ace’s face hardened, “Not much to say, really.”

  “Come on. If we’re going to be living together for the next couple of weeks, the least you can do is tell me about yourself. How do I know you’re not a killer psychopath?”

  He winced.

  Jen hesitated, “You haven’t killed anyone… have you?”

  “I’d rather not answer that.”

  She wanted to be repulsed but she wasn’t. The pain in his eyes showed that he hadn’t harmed anyone for fun, only necessity, and even then he didn’t want to. She wanted to reach out and let him know that it was okay, but the look on his face made her think twice.

  “Well, at least tell me about your family then!” she tried to lighten the mood.

  Ace looked at her warily, then spoke, “I live with my two brothers – Red and Van. Both older.”

  “You guys get along?”

  “Yeah, we’re really close.”

  “That’s good. Is that why you live together? What about your parents?”

  Ace’s eyes darkened. He took a long sip of his beer before speaking.

  “They’re dead.”

  Jen was taken aback. Both his parents dead? No wonder he had fallen into this lifestyle. She decided not to pry further about the matter. If he wanted to talk, he would. Ace, clearly wanting to divert the conversation from himself, filled the void in the conversation.

  “What about your family? Where are they?”

  “My parents returned to Ireland. They had moved here when they were younger to start a new life and soon after, I popped out. I don’t have any siblings. My dad was a maintenance engineer and my mom made a couple of bucks waitressing, but mainly looked after me. Once I got my break and hit the big screen, they were so proud of me, but I could tell they didn’t want to be in the limelight. I was able to pay for them to return back to the Emerald Isle and live a quiet but comfortable lifestyle. Between movies, when I need a break, I go join them for a week or so. They’re in quite a rural area, so I can really escape.”

  “I wouldn’t mind going there one day.”

  “Maybe I’ll take you,” she teased.

  Ace’s features suddenly turned serious. “We need to talk about today. There was no way an ordinary person could have slipped into the studio two days in a row.”

  “Maybe they’re paying off the security? Or maybe they’re getting assistance from someone in the crew to help deliver these messages?”

  “Possibly. Either way, I have to find out how they’re getting to you. It looks like they’re getting more desperate judging from the increased frequency of the notes. They don’t seem to appreciate my presence around you. It appears to be fueling them.”

  All the texts, notes, and gifts came flooding back into her memory from the last couple of months. The fear of what was coming next, combined with the weight of hatred for her stalker finally caused her to breakdown. Jennifer tried to hold back the tears as they pricked at the corner of her eyes, but she couldn’t stop them for long before they trickled down her cheeks. Curling her feet underneath her, she started sobbing, her body racking with the pain.

  Why me?

  The cushion shifted under added weight, and she could feel Ace’s presence next to her. His arms wrapped around her, and she buried her face into his chest, breathing in his cologne as she cried. It seemed like hours had passed by the time she was able to pull herself together and steady her breathing. She was an emotional wreck lately, and the stress was showing. Gently, she peeled away from his now soaked shirt and gave him a watery smile.

  “Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For dealing with a mess like me.”

  He lifted her chin up, caressing it with his thumb. “You’re far from being a mess.”

  Jen suddenly felt all light-headed as she leaned forward, sucking in her breath. She brushed her lips ever so gently against his. His lips were surprisingly soft compared to the rest of his body, and she couldn’t resist biting gently on his lower one. His eyes widened in surprise before his hand snaked around the back of her head and pulled her in, merging their mouths together. The world appeared to darken around her and sparks traveled down her spine. He tasted of beer and smelt like leather. All man. And right now, he’s all mine.

  Her tongue plunged into his mouth, exploring the walls and meshing with his. They clashed together like titans in a fierce battle. She knew he wanted to take control, but she was never one for backing down. Sexuality was her domain, and she took ownership of it. While their kiss continued, she clambered on top of him, trapping his thighs between hers. She could feel his passion pushing at his jeans, and she reached her hand down between her legs to grab it. He gasped in surprise, breaking their kiss, but only momentarily before she lunged back into him. Skilled hands managed to undo his pants and dart beneath to his boxers. She teased his trapped cock, rubbing up and down the shaft causing him to bite down painfully on her lip. He smothered her cry as he placed his mouth back onto hers, gripping into her hair tightly.

  Jennifer was relentless as she continued stroking the ever-hardening cock, brushing at the tip with her thumb. It got rougher as the make-out session continued. She started to grind into his thigh, the motion of material against her mound driving her even wilder with lust. The temptation
to see the erection grew too strong, and she hooked her fingers under the elastic of his boxers and yanked it forward. His cock sprung from its entrapment, wobbling proudly as a moan escaped his lips. The head was hot and swollen, a drip of pre-cum tantalizingly dangling on the edge. She smiled as she pushed herself away from him, scratching trails into his skin as she worked his legs apart and crouched in front of him on the floor. The cold of the wood jolted her senses, but did nothing to cool the fire burning within her core. Ace only had a brief moment to widen his eyes, and she lapped up the drop playfully with her tongue. Within a blink, she had taken him into her mouth and pushed him to the back of her throat. She felt his end tickle her tonsils, and she gagged in pleasure. Ace’s eyes flared with passion as he gripped the back of her head while she toyed with his balls in her hand. Her head bobbed up and down, saliva dripping down the length, spilling over his balls and squelching in her hands. Hot air panted from his mouth and blew loose strands of her hair across her face. The throbbing between her legs intensified and although she could sense he was on the precipice, she wouldn’t let him off that easy.

  I need to quench my thirst too.

  Ace looked like he was about to scream with frustration when she pulled away, a string of spit still connecting her lips to the end of his cock. Wiping her mouth with the back of her arm, she stood up and started to strip. His eyes didn’t leave her for a moment. Slowly, she lifted her t-shirt up her body, first exposing her perfectly toned midriff then a peek of her silky black bra. Her breasts formed perfect fleshy mountains, cupped within the material. She tossed her top to the side and started undoing the ties of her sweatpants. Not the sexiest of ensembles, I admit, but I’m glad I put on a decent pair of underwear today! Still maintaining the teasing slow speed, she inched the pants down her legs, kicking them to the side. Ace leaned forward, his penis hidden under a billow of his shirt as he seemed to get a closer look at what was going to be revealed next.