by Loki Renard
“I know what I have,” Cash said, pounding the coffee back in one quick swig. She put the cup down on the table and fixed him with a withering look. “You’re new here. I’m not. This is how I live. There’s not a lot of time for sleeping. So I suggest you learn to keep up.”
Miles gave her one of those deadpan looks as he replied. “I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble keeping up with you, Miss Raine.”
She met his hard gaze with one of her own, but she couldn’t help herself. A playful smirk crept across her face. “Don’t be so sure, Mr. Rock.”
The conversation could have gone anywhere, but they were interrupted by the slamming of the main suite door and a cheerfully trilled, “Hey baby!”
Cash bounded up from the table. She was pleased to see Raoul, a tall, super skinny man who always wore copious amounts of eye liner and who just happened to be one of the top choreographers in Los Angeles. Cash ran across the suite and wrapped him in a hug.
“Hey!”
She was glad to be in the company of someone she knew, glad to have a reason to escape Miles’ increasingly intense look.
As usual, Raoul’s outfit was flamboyant. That morning he’d decided to put on a pair of yellow and black striped tights and top it off with a loose fitting hot pink vest. His fingernails were painted with a color Cash was sure would be called “frosting” or something of that nature and his hair was swept back and up into a bright blue fauxhawk.
Raoul might have dressed like he was about to run away and join Circ du Soleil, but he was damn good at what he did and she knew she was lucky to have his personal attentions. On top of his skill and flair, he also happened to be a really nice guy. Cash smiled as he wrapped his long tan limbs around her and pressed his full lips to her cheek in an exuberant greeting. “Who is that hunk of burning love over there?” He murmured the question in her ear, a conspiratorial whisper from one lover of men to another.
“That’s Miles, he’s the new security guy.”
“Oh he’s cute,” Raoul said, his exotic dark eyes gleaming with approval as he straightened and gave Miles a coy finger wave over Cash’s shoulder. “In a stick up his butt sort of way,” he added. “Let me guess, ex-military?”
Cash’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know?”
“I have an eye for these things, baby girl,” Raoul said. “It’s in the way he moves, they all move the same. And they all… mmmm… never mind.” He let the lascivious sound trail off. “All I can say is, you better watch yourself around him. Those types have a way of getting under your skin – and I guarantee you he’s into some kinky shit,” Raoul added, twirling long fingers in the air, “those ex-military types all are.”
Cash grinned. “He has mentioned spanking…”
“Mm hmm,” Raoul nodded, his head bobbing up and down with exaggerated flair. “Girl, you better be careful. Now, we have some work to do.”
“Yes we do,” Cash agreed quickly. Raoul could switch between girlfriend and drill sergeant in a second. His flamboyant personality didn’t stop him from being a grueling taskmaster when he wanted to be, and she knew better than to raise any objection as he put his large hands on her shoulders and steered her toward the studio.
An hour later, the suite was filling up with people, music was pounding and Raoul was coaching her through one of their newer routines. Cash was aware of Miles’ presence in the room, which was strange because she was used to being surrounded by people and ignoring them all when she was trying to concentrate. Most of the entourage faded to a blur with the music, but for one tall, strong form standing far across the suite.
“Girl, you need to pay attention, that’s the third time you’ve missed that switch,” Raoul said, snapping his fingers in her face.
Cash tried again and again, but when she flubbed the step for the fifth time, Raoul had clearly had enough. He minced out of the studio and made his way over to Miles, who seemed surprised to see him coming. Cash followed out of a sense of curiosity and to help Raoul if he got himself into trouble. She soon wished she hadn’t.
“Excuse me, Mr. Security Man? Mm hmm, yes, you honey,” Raoul drawled as Miles looked at him with clear surprise. “I’m going to need you to step outside, or into another room or anywhere you won’t be such a powerful distraction to miss thing here.”
Miles looked at Cash and Cash could have happily disappeared through the floor. “I’m sorry?”
“Can you do your security thing somewhere else? Anywhere not in her sight line, she can’t keep her eyes off you, honey,” Raoul trilled.
Cash’s face burned with embarrassment. She didn’t know where to look. Miles cleared his throat. “I’ll be nearby if you need me.”
“Thank you, darling,” Raoul trilled, waving fingers in the air as Miles departed. “Well he’s a gentleman, isn’t he?”
“I’m going to kill you,” Cash muttered.
“If you don’t get this routine right, you sure will,” Raoul agreed, clutching a palm to his chest. “Imma die of a broken heart if you don’t get this. Now let’s do it already.”
*
Miles wasn’t quite sure how to take what was happening in front of his face. Cash Raine was adorable. Overworked, but still adorable - and she obviously had a crush on him. Miles wasn’t one of those clueless men who didn’t know when a woman liked him, he knew damned well what it meant when a lady couldn’t keep her eyes off him and went out of her way to get his attention.
He retired to the lounge and kitchen area of the suite, rationalizing it away, telling himself that it was just a silly puppy love crush, it didn’t mean anything. She was young and he was in a position of protection and authority. It was only natural for her to have some feelings toward him.
The other part of his mind, the devilish part that he hid away under a formal demeanor, stiff posture and proper speech, told him that she wasn’t that young and she certainly knew how to move like the grown woman she undoubtedly was. He groaned inwardly, remembering how she’d looked dancing that morning. When she thought nobody was looking she was even better than she had been in front of an audience. Her moves had been less blatantly sexual than the ones she’d performed on stage, but somehow they’d also been more alluring. The girl could dance; there wasn’t a part of her body that wasn’t imbued with grace. On top of that, she was all charm, even when she was tired and upset.
“Get a grip, Rock,” he told himself. It was up to him to keep things professional. It would be all too easy to take advantage of the way she was responding to him, to turn her crush into something more intimate. But that would make him as despicable as that overweight drug pusher who had been sniffing around the previous evening. He didn’t know how Cash had maintained her innocence in this environment, but he certainly wasn’t going to be the one to take it.
Miles was glad to be distracted by Kevin’s arrival. Kevin came sauntering in, wearing a linen shirt, presumably designer jeans judging by the fashionable creases and tears in them, and his five o’clock shadow was even more pronounced than ever. It was hard to believe Kevin had ever been in the military.
“You’re still here,” Kevin observed astutely. “Does that mean you’ll take the job?”
“We’ll have to discuss a few things first,” Miles said.
“Sure,” Kevin nodded. “How did your night go?” He gave Miles a conspiratorial look. “Those concerts are godawful, aren’t they?”
“The concert was loud,” Miles agreed. “Cash is… interesting.”
“Oh yeah,” Kevin grinned. “She’s got the interest of half the men in the country.”
“I didn’t mean that,” Miles frowned. “I meant…”
“Don’t tell me she’s being a little diva,” Kevin interrupted. “She’s usually pretty relaxed, but she has her moments.”
“Not quite.” Miles tried to put his finger on it. “She’s a good girl desperately trying to look like a bad girl. Have you heard the ridiculous songs she sings?”
“Yeah,” Kevin said,
sitting back on the couch, letting his legs splay as he relaxed. “A lot of hot young performers end up in the trap Cash is in. They’re just famous enough to be a product, but they don’t have quite enough traction, backing or faith to do what they really want to do. She’s a talented kid – but right now she’s riding on the strength of her ass. For all intents and purposes, the studio owns her. So she sings whatever they tell her to sing and she dances how they tell her to dance.”
“Like a puppet,” Miles said, unable to keep the disapproval out of his voice.
“Like a very rich and famous puppet,” Kevin amended.
Miles’ concern was growing by the moment. “She needs someone to look after her. Where are her parents in all this?”
Kevin glanced around to make sure nobody was listening before answering Miles quietly. “Her parents have five other kids and live in Minnesota. They take the checks she sends and encourage her to earn more. She’s nineteen years old and working her little butt off to support a family.”
“So that’s why she works all hours, doesn’t sleep and puts up with those ridiculous lyrics.”
“I’m sure she likes the fame and the money too,” Kevin winked, “but she’s definitely a sweet kid.”
“A sweet kid surrounded by leeches,” Miles added.
“Beautiful women will have their admirers,” Kevin shrugged. “Cash has a good head on her shoulders.”
“She must do,” Miles agreed, just as Cash and Raoul sauntered into the kitchen. They had obviously been working hard; they were both pink and sweaty, although Cash wore it better in Miles’ opinion. With natural color on her cheeks and little to no make up, she really was quite beautiful. He tried not to stare as she reached into the refrigerator, bending at the waist and making her dance pants pull tight over the pert curves of her bottom. She was on the smaller side, but her shape was heavenly. For a few delicious moments, he couldn’t help but let his imagination run riot as the thin material shifted over her bottom, almost as if she was presenting herself to him. His palm tingled as he thought back to their conversation that morning, how she’d teased him about being able to keep up. Oh what he would have given to show her exactly how he could keep up with her - his palm slapping those cute, deserving cheeks until she squealed and admitted that maybe she didn’t know absolutely everything.
“… so what do you say?”
Miles became aware of the fact that Kevin was talking again. “Hmmm? Sorry?”
Kevin repeated himself “The tour leaves for London next week. I know it’s short notice…”
“I’ll do it,” Miles said.
“Cash!” Kevin raised his voice to get her attention, then gave her the thumbs up.
In the next instant Cash had forgotten all about lunch and flown across the room to hug Miles. Her slim arms wrapped around his torso with indiscriminate glee. “You said yes!”
“I did,” he said, trying not to look quite as pleased as she did.
She pulled away, still smiling. “Did you know he sent me to bed last night?” She nudged Miles in the gut whilst giving Kevin a wide-eyed look.
Kevin chuckled. “I’m not surprised, I’m more surprised he didn’t have you up at the crack of dawn this morning.”
“Oh I was up long before him,” Cash said smugly. “I woke him up.”
“Dancing,” Miles said. “You never stop dancing.”
Cash stood and performed a little tap two-step as if on cue. “Well would you look at that, I really can’t stop.”
“Girl, you are embarrassing yourself,” Raoul came by, rolling his eyes as he placed an arm around Cash’s shoulders and drew her away. “That’s some Shirley Temple shit right there.”
Miles couldn’t help but smile to himself as Raoul took Cash away. Her little quirks only added to her appeal in his eyes. There weren’t many women as gorgeous, talented, passionate and occasionally completely awkward as Cash. He was going to have to be very careful where Miss Raine was concerned. It would be easy to become distracted, and distractions were dangerous, which was why a professional relationship and professional distance had to be maintained at all times. He cleared his throat, did his best to squash down feelings of tenderness, and turned his attention back to the work at hand.
Chapter Three
“Tell me more about him,” Miles said, nodding in Raoul’s direction.
“Raoul? He’s gay.”
“I wasn’t asking about his sexuality,” Miles scowled.
“Are you sure?” Kevin smiled a teasing smile. “Seriously, no need to worry about him. He’s a vegan who thinks his body is a temple, he won’t slip Cash anything or get her into trouble.”
Miles nodded. “Good, so far he seems to be the closest thing to a friend. There must be other people she socializes with?”
Kevin shrugged. “I’ve been managing Cash for months. Most of these young stars bring a bunch of friends with them as part of their entourage. It’s usually a hell of a mess to keep track of and clean up after, but she’s… well she’s plain quiet. That’s why half this suite is empty.”
“What about parties?”
“She attends promotional events now and then, sometimes it even looks like she’s having a good time, but she’s not a huge partier either.” Kevin smiled. “You’re getting an easy gig with a unicorn – a quiet pop star.”
Miles was not as pleased as Kevin seemed to think he would be, mostly because Kevin wasn’t really telling him anything. So she didn’t have a lot of friends and she didn’t go to a lot of parties. That told him nothing about the things she did do. “What are Miss Raine’s recreational activities?”
Kevin looked into the middle distance thoughtfully. “You know, I don’t really know. You’ll have to ask her. Cash!” He called out across the room. She came obedient as a puppy and smiled at them both, cocking her head to the side in a questioning manner. “Miles has a few questions for you, Cash,” Kevin explained. “Now that he’s agreed to take the job, he needs to get to know you better.”
“Oh, okay.” Her eyes sparkled. “You can ask me anything you like.”
Miles was starting to think that the bright blue of her eyes might actually be natural. Her gaze was quite breathtaking. For a moment, he forgot all about the questions he wanted to ask, and just stared. Fortunately, Cash took the initiative.
“I know,” she said, clapping her hands together. “You can ask me questions over lunch!”
*
Sitting on the balcony with Miles, Cash was quite pleased with herself. Raoul had done her the favor of going out for lunch, giving them some time almost alone. Kevin was still floating about somewhere, organizing details for the tour, but other than that, the suite was empty.
Room service had put on a lovely spread, but she wasn’t much interested in the food. She was far more interested in the man sitting opposite her, the man who seemed to have so much hidden behind his eyes. There was a deep worldliness to Miles, she couldn’t begin to imagine what he must have done in his life to have cultivated such a personality. She’d already forgiven his earlier arrogance, it paled in comparison to other men she’d met in Hollywood and at least Miles tried to be nice about it.
“So what did you need to know?” she asked, trying not to look too eager.
Miles nodded toward her plate. “You can eat your lunch first, Miss Raine,” he said. “You’ve barely eaten anything today.”
Unlike the food in front of her, his comment piqued her interest. “How would you know?”
“I pay attention, it’s my job to,” he said with a little wink that made her tingle. He really was paying attention, and not just to her feminine assets, but to her as a person. That was a neat change. Cash was starting to get used to the attention from fans, but it was still a strange kind of attention, closer to adulation, which she’d never been comfortable with. Even worse were the journalists. When talking to reporters, Cash felt like a woolen sweater just waiting to be picked apart. No matter how much they smiled and flattered her, she knew
she was one loose thread away from being unraveled for all the world to see. But Miles didn’t make her feel that way. He made her feel safe and normal. He hadn’t treated her like a celebrity when she was upset; he’d treated her like a person. And that had made all the difference.
“Well you’re not here to watch me eat, you’re here to ask me some questions, right?” She pressed him further.
He raised a brow. “You’re not one of those women who doesn’t eat around men, are you?”
His question offended her momentarily. She dealt with it by lifting up the baked potato that had been nestling in a pile of lettuce atop her plate and stuffing it into her mouth. She tried to say ‘continue’, but it came out more like ‘compfliblule’.
Miles gave her a dour look as she tried to consume the mass of potato, bacon, sour cream and cheese occupying her orifice. “Point made, Miss Raine. Now stop that before you choke yourself.”
With a significant effort, Cash managed to clear her mouth. “So if you’re satisfied with my calorie intake, maybe I can satisfy your curiosity? Or are you planning on watching to make sure I eat all my lunch before I have any dessert?”
Miles didn’t respond verbally, but he did pull a notebook and pencil out of his jacket pocket.
Cash guffawed. “Pencil and paper? Just how old are you, Mr. Mild Mannered Reporter?”
“I’m near enough thirty, Miss Raine,” he replied, sounding far older than that. “And I use a pencil and paper because it’s more secure and private than a phone or a laptop. It’s pretty hard to hack a pencil.”
“I guess that makes sense,” she said, picking at bits of crispy bacon. “So what did you want to know?”
“I need to get a sense of the sort of activities you like to undertake, the people I can expect to be around, that sort of thing,” he explained. “I have to know what is normal, so I’ll know if anything is out of the ordinary.”
“Oh,” she nodded, “okay.”
“I asked Kevin a little bit about you,” Miles continued, glancing down at his notebook. “He says you don’t have any leisure activities?”
