by KaLyn Cooper
“Oh, Damnit isn’t a service dog. He’s a rescue mutt.” She petted the furry creature and scratched his ears.
“Didn’t you tell me that Tanner Hill trained him?” The doctor opened the door.
“Yes. To all the basic commands.” Katlin turned and made a fist. “Sit.” Damnit’s butt hit the floor. They went through a few others showing off. “See? Just a mutt.”
Dr. Bowden gave her a knowing smile. “He’s good for you. I want you to conference me in five days after you practice the techniques we discussed.”
“Thank you, Dr. Bowden.” Katlin turned her attention to Tim who was waiting beside the car. “Guess what, we’re going to sleep in our own beds tonight. Let’s go home.”
22
“And, cut.” The director stood and clapped his hands. “That’s a wrap. I’ll see everybody in three days in Vancouver where we’ll shoot the outdoor scenes of Finding Justice.” The extremely thin man dashed to Alex. “Mr. Wolf, I’d like to thank you and your men for working with our talented JJ making her scenes completely realistic.” He threw an arm around his female star and stared down at her. “Those scenes alone are going to get you an Oscar nomination.”
“Don’t tease me like that,” JJ chided. “I wasn’t that good.”
Alex’s friend was still acting. Currently, she was acting humble. Last night, as he’d taken her home, she’d been bouncing in her seat, squealing at how well she’d performed the big fight scenes that day. They were child’s play compared to the real hand-to-hand combat he’d seen from Katlin and her team as they’d taken on terrorists with their bare hands.
He truly hated most things about Hollywood, starting with the fact that nobody was real, and anything could be faked. As he turned to leave for the last time, he watched JJ’s bodyguard wander off the set. Concerned, he turned to his friend. “Do you need a ride home? I see your bodyguard is gone.”
Jae threw her arms around Alex’s neck. “We’re done with this segment and we get two days off. Come on, we’re all going out to celebrate.”
Alex didn’t think it was a good idea for Jae to go out drinking without a bodyguard. She received dozens of threats a day. He pointed to the man’s retreating back. “Are they sending a replacement for you for tonight?”
She playfully slapped him on the bicep. “No. I’m free of my watchdog, too. At least until I get to Vancouver.” She hooked her hand into his elbow. “Come on. You deserve a drink as much as the rest of us.”
“Come with us, Alex.” Noah, the male lead slapped his shoulder. “You’re part of this crew, so you need to come out and party with us.”
Alex didn’t have to get back to Guardian early since Katlin was staying in San Diego. He could go and have a drink with the men and women he’d gotten to know quite well over the past few days. “All right, just one though.”
“And one dance with me.” Jae moved in front of him and slithered her body against his. “I know you’re a good dancer.” She threw a sassy glance at Bexx, the supporting actress. “That’s not all he’s good at.”
“I’ll just bet,” the other woman said in a husky voice. “Alex, promise me at least one dance, too?”
“And what am I? Dog food?” Noah moved in behind Bexx as they danced to the beat in their heads.
Thirty minutes later, they were in the VIP section of a trendy Los Angeles nightclub. When the waitress came by, Alex asked for his standard beer while everyone else ordered exotic concoctions. The one-upmanship never seemed to end with these people. Jae was just as bad as the rest when she was around them. When they were alone, she was Jael Martinez. He much preferred that woman.
“Come dance with me, Alex.” Jae stood and grabbed his hand just as the drinks arrived. “Somebody stay here and watch our drinks.”
Noah sat back in the club chair with his classic Blood and Sand. “I’m too comfortable to move right now. Go have fun.”
Alex took a swig of his beer before setting it down on the coffee table. A number of the crew slid onto the two couches while others filled the chairs, excited to get the night started.
Jae loved to dance but wasn’t comfortable with other men trying to wiggle their way in, so most of the time, she had a hand on Alex. He was good at emitting a keep away vibe, but since they’d arrived at the club close to midnight, many of the men who tried to barge in were too inebriated to get the message. Alex certainly didn’t want to hurt anybody, but he wasn’t going to let someone maul his friend.
“Let’s go sit down for a while,” Alex finally suggested after elbowing the last asshole who tried to dance with Jae by stepping in front of him. When they sat back down, she got sucked into a conversation with the people next to her. Alex decided this was a great time to check his messages as he finished his beer. Given the number of empty glasses that littered the table, he was quite sure everyone was making up for lost time. There had to be two-dozen empty shot glasses.
He’d just started scrolling through his voicemails when JJ playfully plucked the phone from his hands. “All work and no play makes Alex…no fun at all.” She slid his phone into her bra then raised one eyebrow in challenge.
Alex was not going to go there. No way in hell.
“JJ, may I have my phone back?” He tried to sound stern, but the pounding music was so loud he had to yell.
“Dance with me one more time, and I’ll give it back.” She teased.
He could dance with her.
“But, Alex, it’s my turn.” Bexx stood and grabbed his hand, pulling him off the couch.
“I expect to get my phone back as soon as we’re done,” he warned Jae as he finished the new beer someone had ordered for him.
JJ crossed her long shapely legs as she flagged down a waitress and signaled for another round. Two was Alex’s limit. He didn’t like the out-of-control feeling he got when drunk.
Bexx was a nice person, probably the reason she’d never make it any further in Hollywood. Her dancing was sexy, but not sultry like JJ. He and the supporting actress moved like the acquaintances they were, but he became protective of her as well when a couple of drunk college boys tried to grab her, insisting she dance with them. As a trained bodyguard, Alex made quick work of the young men in their early twenties. Idiots.
When they returned to the exclusive area, Noah pointed to his fresh beer. “Yours was getting a little stale so we bought you another one.”
He was quite thirsty by then and downed half of it.
JJ grinned at him. “Finish your beer and then I demand another dance.” She stood and ran her fingers up and down his chest. “And if you’re good, and I mean very good, then I’ll give you back your phone.”
She pressed her breasts up against him. He looked at his phone tightly nestled between her large natural breasts. She looked up at him with those big Bambi eyes that popped on camera, making her a favorite for close-ups.
“Go ahead, take it from me,” she taunted.
He stepped back and drained his glass of draft beer. “I’ll dance with you one more time, but I really do need to get home. Unlike you, I can’t sleep in tomorrow morning. And I really should check my messages.”
“After we dance.” When they walked down to the dance floor, JJ wove, wobbling on her extremely high stilettos. She giggled. “I’m glad you’re here to hold me up.”
“How many drinks did you have while I was dancing with Bexx?” He swung her out then pulled her back to his body.
“A few.” She danced away from him.
“How few?” He insisted.
“I was doing shots with Noah.” She plastered herself to him, kissing her way up his neck. “You could come and stay with me tonight. Then you wouldn’t have to get up so early in the morning.” She snickered. “And you could make me come…and I’d make you come…” She giggled again. “But you’d have to come to my place.”
Her movements weren’t very coordinated, and she was slurring her speech. Alex was afraid she was drunk.
“How about I take you ho
me now so you can go to bed? I think you’ve had plenty to drink.” His suggestion was met with a dramatic frown. Then suddenly she smiled.
“Are you going to tuck me in?” JJ ran her arms around his neck and wove her fingers into his long hair as she kissed and nipped at his neck. When he lowered his face to talk to her, she went on tiptoes and kissed him.
Alex instantly pulled back, but he lost his footing for a second. “JJ, I drunk you think too much.” The words didn’t come out quite right.
She giggled up at him. “I think you’re drunk, too.”
What the fuck? Had somebody drugged his beer?
“Let’s get you out of here.” Alex took her hand and they started back toward the VIP area so she could pick up her purse. When they reached the exclusive area, the entire cast and crew were rolling around, laughing.
“One more time.” When Noah lifted the shot glass, everyone in the area followed suit. “To an Oscar nomination. Finding Justice for Best Picture award.” The drinks were downed, then someone poured a shot into his beer and JJ’s Sex on the Beach drink.
Swaying, she picked up her glass and swallowed most of it.
Bexx handed him his beer. “Drink it down so then you’ll be caught up to us, again.”
“You put shots in my beer?” he accused.
Everyone in the area cracked up laughing.
“Of course, we did,” JJ announced in a loud voice. “We’re all doing shots and we know you wouldn’t want to miss out.”
Fuck. It’d been years since Alex had been drunk. Now, he really needed his phone. There was no way he was going to drive back to Guardian. He’d just call the operations center and have them send a limousine to take home all the drunks from her movie. He’d have one of his men drive him to JJ’s place and he’d see to it that she got in safely. After that, she could be on her own. Then Alex could go up to his apartment and collapse. Thank God Katlin wasn’t around.
“I need my phone.” Alex almost stumbled on his way over to the couch. He plopped down beside JJ and rolled to face her. “If you don’t give me my phone right now, I’m going to start telling people your real name.”
“No!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. “Please, Alex, don’t do that.”
Alex went flying backward through the air and landed on his feet thanks to the strong hands that held him up. “We don’t allow anyone to harass our guests, especially the ladies. I think you’ve had enough to drink. It’s time for you to go home.” A second bouncer showed up and grabbed Alex’s other bicep.
“No.” JJ held out her hands in front of the two men who were bigger than Alex. “It’s all a misunderstanding.” When she pulled his phone from between her breasts, they almost popped out of the dress. “I had his phone and I didn’t want to give it back to him because he was going to call for the limousine and make us all go home.”
Everybody from the movie started speaking at once.
It took nearly fifteen minutes, the manager, the waitress, and a call to Guardian’s operations center, to sort out the situation. As the bouncer helped Alex load the last of the crew into a Guardian limousine, the big man guided JJ to the waiting SUV. Once she was securely inside, the bouncer turned to Alex.
“Your friends are assholes. Dumping vodka shots into your beer is uncool.” He shook his head.
“They’re not my friends. Nor are they clients.” Alex shook the man’s hand. “I appreciate you taking the time to get to the truth.”
“Fucking actresses,” the bouncer said on his way back inside. “You’d better get your girlfriend home before she passes out or pukes in your ride.”
“She’s not my girlfriend, either. My fiancée is down in San Diego tonight.” He felt the need to explain, “JJ is an old friend. Just a friend.”
The bouncer looked back over his shoulder. “You are so fucked. Everybody in the house tonight was taking pictures of the two of you. I hope your fiancée is the understanding kind.”
At that moment, Alex hoped so, too.
It was almost 3 o’clock in the morning when he trudged into his penthouse apartment.
“Help me,” Kat screamed from the bedroom.
Alex had his weapon in his hand as he crept toward the bedroom door.
“Don’t let them take me,” she pleaded.
Recognizing the words from almost every nightmare Kat had, Alex holstered his weapon. Feeling like an absolute shit for not being there sooner to help her wake up, he crawled into bed beside her, boots and all.
“I’ve got you, babe.” He held her tight to him.
Kissing her damp forehead, he told her over and over, “You’re safe. It’s me, Alex.”
Kat’s eyes popped open. She crawled over him as though she was trying to get out of the bed. He held on tight to her.
“Babe, it’s me, Alex. You’re safe, now.”
She twisted and turned, eventually squirming from his grasp. When she reached the nightstand, she grabbed a book and pen.
“What you doing?” He watched as she frantically scribbled words and phrases.
“I have to write this down.”
Once she finished, Alex pulled her back down onto the bed. “Are you all right?”
Katlin smiled. “Yes.” She tapped the book. “Dr. Bowden explained that what I have are not nightmares but my brain trying to remember. She’ll be so pleased that I was able to recall part of the dream.”
Alex could accept that. “Okay,” he said nonchalantly. “I need to take a shower.”
Katlin sniffed him playfully. Then her eyes went wide. “It wasn’t the peppermint that made me wake up. It was the smell of you. You ground me.” She sniffed him again and her eyebrows slammed together.
He dropped his head and inhaled deeply through his nose. He smelled sweaty. “I know, I need that shower.” He stood and gave himself a second for his head to stop spinning.
“You smell like a woman’s perfume,” Kat said through clenched teeth.
Alex almost fell over on his next step.
“They were done shooting here in L.A., so everyone went out for drinks and dancing.” He sat back down next to her. “While I was out dancing, the fuckers poured shots of vodka into my beer.”
“So, you’re drunk. That explains the smell of alcohol.” She ran her finger over his neck then held it in front of his face. “I can’t wait to hear how you’re going to explain this lipstick.”
Fuck. JJ had been all over him most of the night. He practically had to fight her off when he’d taken her unconscious body into her condo and put her to bed.
“Is that why you’re in such a hurry to take a shower? Maybe hoping to wash the lipstick and perfume off before I discovered it?” Kat stood, completely naked as usual. “I’m going to take a shower. You know these nightmares wring me out.”
“I’m right behind you.” He started to follow her.
Katlin whipped around and punched her fists on her bare hips. “No, you won’t be taking a shower with me. I’m still waiting for the explanation.”
“I’m sorry, Kat.” He was so drunk he’d forgotten she even asked the question. “JJ passed out in the car so when we got to her place, I had to take her inside and put her into her bed. She was kissing me, trying to get me to stay.”
He slowly approached her, using every ounce of his ability to stay upright. He cupped her face in his hands. “You have to know I would never have stayed.” He laid his lips on hers, giving her a gentle kiss. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when the nightmare first started.” He kissed her again. “You are everything to me.”
As he kissed her that time, she responded but cut the kiss short. “You smell like her perfume. Go shower. I don’t even want to kiss you because all I smell is her.”
“Babe, I’m sorry.” He started stripping out of his clothes on the way to the bathroom. At the door to the shower, he looked back at Kat. “Are you going to join me?”
“I haven’t decided, yet, but definitely not until you’ve removed every remnant of her from
your skin.”
Alex scrubbed from the top of his head to his toes, rinsed, and scrubbed again. The hot water felt wonderful, but he knew if she caught even a whiff of Jae’s perfume, he might never get laid again.
When the door opened and Kat stepped in, his world had righted itself.
“You can change the sheets while I shower.” She reached for her shower poof and squirted her body wash on it, her back to him.
Alex took it from her hand and worked it into suds. He started with her shoulders then worked his way down her left arm. Stepping in close behind her, he raised her fingers. “When I gave you this ring, it was more than a promise to marry you. It was a promise that you would be the only woman in my heart and my bed. I’ve never broken that promise, and I never will. I did nothing wrong tonight. I put a passed-out drunk friend in her bed.”
She turned in his arms and kissed him. Taking the poof from his hand, she asked, “Will you please change the sheets on our bed while I finish my shower?”
“Are you going to take advantage of my condition?” He said with a grin.
She shook her head. “I can’t take advantage of a drunk man any more than you could take advantage of that drunk woman.” She kissed him and pushed him toward the shower door. On his way out, she smacked his ass. “Besides, I know how much you like morning sex.”
Oh, yes. He loved morning sex.
23
Surrounded by four thousand people, Jack sat alone in the front row of the National Cathedral, sorrowful music saturating the air. The seat beside him was vacant, the aisle on his right. To his left was the vice president of the United States and his wife. The President’s Secret Service thought it was too risky for him to attend, but he and his wife had sent their condolences.
It was only right that POTUS be concerned because the man was up for reelection and Jack’s parents had seen to it that he’d been elected the first time. John Edward Ashworth had been a gray eminence in world politics for four decades. No one got nominated for the highest offices in government without the seal of approval of the Ashworth family. That stamp included the wife passing Suzanne Koch Ashworth’s etiquette and grace standard.
