by Nana Malone
By the time she was ready and into work, her head was clearer, but her mood was just as sour. Seeing her car was enough to put her in a yelling mood. When she figured out who was behind the vandalism, they’d find themselves making nice with the sole of her stilettos before being thrown into a very large ditch with a mountain of dirt piled on top of them—if Jaya and Ricca didn’t beat her to it first. Though Ricca was kind of soft and might insist on jail before death. Micha liked the ditch idea much better.
When she walked in, Ryan was standing by his desk waiting for her. She mustered a smile. “Wow standing at the ready. How Devil Wears Prada of you. I can be your barracuda boss, if you want. Could you do me a favor and call the police? Ask for Sargent Romero. See if they can come on over now instead of later. I need to file a police report.”
“Uhm, Miss Bennett—”
“Micha. I told you to call me Micha.” She didn’t pause in her stride. All she wanted to do was get into her office and sit down.”
“M-Micha, they’re already here.”
“Say what?” She stopped so abruptly her Louboutins snagged on the carpet, pitching her backward onto her ass. She landed with a soft thud, spilling the contents of her Kate Spade satchel purse.
Ryan sprang into action, collecting her things and helping her up. “Uhm there’s one more thing,” he said in a hushed whisper.
“Can it wait, Ryan? I need to make two calls.”
“But—”
Micha strode into her office then wrenched to a halt as her chair swiveled around. Her heart seized, and she stared at the too-handsome-for-his-own-good blond man in her chair. Oh. Fuck. Me.
Simon Jax. Though now, most of the world knew him as Jax, movie star extraordinaire. The edges of her peripheral vision grayed. She fought the panic by taking three deep breaths. She could do this. How hard could it be? Open your mouth and speak. What the fuck was he doing here?
“It seems like you’re lost,” she muttered.
Slowly he shook his head, a slight smile tugging at his lips. “Nope. I’m right where I want to be.”
“How the hell did you even get in here?” That sounded a little combative. “I mean, what are you doing here?”
“What? I can’t want to see you?”
“Not after six years you can’t. Not after the way everything ended you can’t. Certainly not after what your wife did to me you can’t.”
He winced, then stood up smoothly. “Micha. I’m so sorry about everything that happened with Trisha. I never got the opportunity to speak to you then.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Yeah, well. I wasn’t really in the mood for visitors.”
He took two steps toward her. “Micha, I—”
She put up a hand to halt him. “I should probably warn you that I’m packing. So if you want to keep that pretty face looking pretty, it would be in your interest to back the fuck away from me and get the hell out of my office.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets, but made no move to leave. “You have every right to be pissed off. And I didn’t make enough of an effort back then. I can’t walk back into your life and expect that you want to see me.”
She didn’t have time for this. She needed to sit down. She needed to chase off the sense of panic. What she didn’t need was the ex of Christmas past standing in her office, dredging up old shit. “Jax, I’m exhausted and have a shit ton of work to do. What do you want? What are you doing here? At SDM, in my office.”
He glanced down at his feet. “I guess no one told you.”
“No one told me what?”
“I’m up for the screen tests.”
“Bullshit”.
“Not shitting you. I have a stake in the production company WST has running this little outfit, so I wanted to be involved every step of the way.”
“But you’re a movie star. You don’t have time for this.”
“I made time so I could see you.”
The room spun, and she wobbled in her heels. He came forward to help steady her and clutched her elbow.
She stared down at his hand. Warmth enveloped her, and nausea made her stomach roll. This could not be happening. First this bullshit with her car and Caleb, now Jax was here in her office, about to be working with her if she took this job. She needed to get out of here. “Jax, look—”
“Simon.”
She frowned. “What?”
“You always called me Simon. Jax is what everyone else calls me. I prefer Simon.”
“Look, Jax,” she said deliberately, “I have some things to take care of right now. And we weren’t exactly going to do the Kumbaya, sorry your wife tried to kill me thing. It’s still a century too soon for that.”
“Fine. I get it. I need to head to the first screen test anyway. But I wanted to say this—even if you don’t believe me, I really am sorry for everything. You meant the world to me. I should have—” He cleared his throat. “I should have come back for you. I wish I had. I hope we get to work together.”
She heard his footsteps move away and down the hallway. One by one her muscles eventually relaxed. And her breathing finally returned to normal. One thing was for sure; she was not going to work with Simon Jax. She’d rather be locked in another elevator.
Ryan poked his head in. “I know you’re having a hell of a day. Sorry I wasn’t here to keep that guy out of your office. I was getting you coffee. I added a double shot for fortification.”
“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver. What would I do without you?”
Ryan grimaced. “Before you ask, there’s something you should know.”
“Oh really? ‘Cause there’s no way this day could possibly get worse.” She heard a murmur from down the hallway. The voice was warm, silky. Made her insides melt from the sizzling heat. Oh no. No no no no no.
Her stomach dropped as she watched Caleb’s confident stride make his way toward her. So much for always looking her best.
“Micha?”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Uhm, that’s what I was trying to tell you,” Ryan murmured, holding her purse out to her.
Caleb held her hand tight when she tried to take it back. “What Ryan is trying to tell you is that I’m your new bodyguard.”
“Bullshit. Last I checked, I have to hire you to be my bodyguard. You can’t swoop in and decide to take over my life. I don’t need a bodyguard. I know how to take care of myself, thank you very much. The last thing I need is you dogging my every step.” Like hell she’d allow this to happen. Caleb of all people! Not to mention, she was going to do the whole five-o thing, so she didn’t need him.
Caleb gave her a bemused smile. “Are you finished yet?”
His nonchalance made her angrier. “Caleb, this takes the cake! How dare you show up at my job and do this macho thing. I’m a professional, for the love of God. I have—”
A smooth feminine voice interrupted her from behind. “Actually, we called him.”
Micha whipped around to find Miranda standing behind her, arms folded. “Say what? Why? Because some idiot sent me flowers? C’mon, you get hate mail at least once a month for putting anorexic models on our covers, but I don’t see you with Lurch by your side.” She could have sworn Caleb scoffed behind her.
“Micha, I know you see this as an intrusion, but it really is for the best. WST Entertainment and Adele have high hopes of you being their new star. We don’t want anything to happen to you. Besides, Mr. Atkins has promised that he and his team will be discreet.”
“His team?” Micha’s eyes bugged. “You understand how ridiculous this is, right? I don’t need a team. I don’t need him.” She jabbed a finger into Caleb’s chest. It was like poking a cement wall. Way to find any excuse to touch him. Idiot.
“I’m afraid it’s already done. When Adele Westhorpe calls, you listen. Suck it up, Micha. Until we find out what’s going on, you have a babysitter.”
Seething, Micha turned to face Caleb. Too angry to speak, she took a minute to sm
ooth her blazer and pants. When she did speak, she kept her voice low. “Adele Westhorpe is responsible for this?”
Caleb’s response was smooth and, screw him, bemused. “Yeah. She heard what happened with your car, and she called me last night.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “If you ask me, this was a rather genius move, considering her plans the other night. But that old lady is diabolical. And opportunistic.”
“You mean to tell me Jaya did this to me?”
“I’ve had about enough,” Caleb said. Taking her by her elbow, he dragged her into her office, seemingly unaware of the onlookers. Once they were inside, he let her go as if his hand had been scorched. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, but it’s happening, so deal with it however you need to. But you and I need to establish some ground rules.”
Micha stared at him. “You’re kidding me. I still haven’t accepted your help.”
“You heard your boss; it’s not like you have a choice. Micha, someone is sending you dead rats and trashing your car. Now isn’t the time to fuck around. You need to take your safety seriously.”
Her head snapped back as if she’d slapped her. She took in the grim set of his mouth and the tight lines around his eyes. Caleb was in serious mode. There was no joking and teasing lilt to his moss-green eyes. She studied him more deliberately. His dark suit was exquisitely tailored, but there was no disguising the bulge at his side. A gun. He wasn’t here screwing around. He was in work mode.
Shit. She wasn’t going to get rid of him. She sank onto one of her leather Barcelona chairs in an exhausted heap.
When she spoke, her tone was more modulated. “Caleb, this seems like overkill for a couple of stupid teenage pranks.” But deep down inside, she knew these weren’t pranks. It wasn’t the first time someone wanted to scare her, and she didn’t know the outcome.
“Maybe, but I’d feel better if you went along with it. I’ve already spoken to the police, and they’ve already interviewed everyone in your office about the two sets of flowers you received.”
“Damn, already. It’s only eight. How long have you been here?”
“Since six.” His voice softened. “I notice you didn’t go for your usual run today.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You keeping tabs on me now?” Had he been watching her movements as intently as she’d been watching his?
“I don’t miss much. Not to mention, you’re normally stretching in the courtyard every morning by five am. When you don’t, I have to assume something’s up.”
“I, uh, overslept. Didn’t sleep very well.”
He nodded as if he understood. “Starting now, either I or one of my guys will go running with you. If we can’t, then I’m going to ask that you follow the rules and use the treadmill inside. Understood?”
“Really, Caleb? I’m training for the Rock and Roll Marathon. I don’t want your guys slowing me down.”
He guffawed. “You realize that all the guys I hire are ex-military and could probably run you into the ground, right?”
Micha gave him a smile that was all teeth. “Don’t be sexist. I’m pretty fast.”
“I know. I’ve seen you run. Oh, and that’s another thing. We’re going to vary your routines up. I don’t want anyone being able to guess your schedule.”
“How does this work? Am I getting a babysitter at our place too?” Our place? Stupid. She cleared her throat. “I mean my place.”
“Yeah. For now, I’ll mostly cover the apartment until I can improve the security, starting with cameras in the parking garage. We’ll also go ahead and change out your locks and make your place air tight.”
Caleb, in her place 24/7. This was a recipe for disaster. No way they weren’t going to kill each other with lots of hot, dirty sex. She shook her head to clear the image. “And at work?”
“The same. I’m going to put some cameras up. Do a background check on all your employees. I’ll probably only have a detail on the building for the time being. But you’ll have to consent to being driven everywhere and no coming or going on your own.”
Micha stared at her shaking hands. The adrenaline dump was finally kicking in. “This is really happening?”
“Yeah, it’s really happening.” His voice was soft but determined.
***
As soon as Caleb gave her a minute by herself, Micha stalked to her desk phone and dialed. Jaya picked up on the first ring. “Now, Micha, before you start yelling at me, keep in mind that I don’t control Adele or Caleb for that matter.”
“Jaya, how could you do this? I mean, come on.” Even though no one could see her, she waved her hand in the air impatiently.
“What did I do, exactly? Call Caleb? I mean it’s not like he wasn’t going to see your car for himself. And I didn’t call him. I told Alec, and he called Adele, then Caleb, and Caleb had already seen the car.”
“You mean to tell me you didn’t know Adele was going to meddle in my life?”
“C’mon, you know how she likes to interfere. It’s no big deal. She’ll get bored eventually. Tell her you’re fine, and she’ll move on to another pet project.”
Micha frowned. Was it possible that Jaya really didn’t know? “No, Jai, I mean sic’ing Caleb on me as a body guard. Adele made a call to SDM, and they have now hired Caleb and his team as my protection until we sort this whole mess out.”
There was a beat of silence. “What? Are you serious?”
“Trust me, this is not a joke. I tried getting rid of him, but he gave me the broody eyes. He’s not messing around.” Granted that was kind of hot, but she wasn’t going to tell Jaya that.
“This is extreme, even for Adele. I mean, someone vandalized your car. The police should have been there this morning to get a statement. This shouldn’t trigger her overprotective drive. Do you think she knows about your past?”
Micha chewed her bottom lip. “I wouldn’t put it past her. But this has nothing to do with that. I’ll deal with it, and I’ll talk to my boss. See if I can’t call off the dogs.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. Do you want me to talk to Adele and tell her to back off?”
“No. She’ll only dig her heels in.” Not to mention the old lady would clue Jaya into her past and stir up a shit storm. She held her phone to her ear and tapped her foot impatiently. “Besides, this is probably some asshole playing a prank, that’s all. It’ll blow over.” She hoped.
“I certainly hope so. One way or another, I’m happy Caleb will be looking out for you. I can’t have my maid of honor hurt before my wedding. It would ruin my day.”
Micha smirked. “There you go making this all about you and shit. I gotta go, but you’re not forgiven. I’m not happy.”
“Tough,” Jaya said. “This is temporarily your new reality, so deal with it. And even though I think it’s overkill and will all blow over, if you try to shake Caleb, you know he’ll put so many men on you that it’ll be like a protective bubble, and you won’t be able to do so much as pee on your own. So I’d do as he tells you. Who knows what Adele will do if she thinks there’s a risk to your wellbeing.”
Micha rubbed her forehead. “I don’t get it. What business is it of hers anyway? I don’t like meddling.” This was still her life, and some crazy old bat wasn’t going to hinder her movements.
Jaya tsked. “Micha, when are you going to get it? Like it or not, because of me, you’re a Westhorpe now. Adele Westhorpe looks after hers.”
***
Caleb kept a sharp eye on Micha as she spoke to her boss. Honestly, he didn’t need to be in the office, but he wanted to check on her. The night on the elevator shook him. He’d never seen her like that. She was always so strong and confident. Very take charge, ‘I don’t need anything from anybody.’ He’d always found it sexy. But then, there she was crying in his arms, and it had awakened possessive parts of him he hadn’t known existed. And as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t take advantage of her. Though his body still ached because of that decision.
She was talking about her latest
assignment, and she was setting her terms. Just like Micha to set terms and announce what she would and would not be doing.
When Miranda reminded her of a term of her own, Micha turned and glowered at him. He waved loose fingers at her. That earned him narrowed eyes. He wanted to grin, but that wasn’t professional. Hell, half the things running through his head about her weren’t professional. And he’d get a handle on that. He’d have his best watching her, and if all his men were unavailable, he’d do it himself. He didn’t particularly trust anyone but himself anyway.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he moved out of earshot to take the call. “Atkins.”
“Ah, Caleb, always so terse.”
“What do you want, Sabine?”
“Oh, relax. Look I only wanted to set new transfer arrangements. It’s taking me a while longer to get back. I ran into a complication or two.”
From his vantage point, he eyed the entrance as SDM employees bustled in and out. “Yeah, about that. I have a complication of my own, so now isn’t the best time.”
“Listen, I need you to keep the girl for another couple of days.”
Caleb ground his teeth. Changing the terms of their deal didn’t bode well for him. It meant she was having trouble keeping her end of the bargain, which meant trouble for all of them. “You want to tell me why?”
“I can’t yet. I need to talk to the girl to make sure she’s safe.”
“Either you trust me, or you don’t. You know how I work. Once the girl was in my care, you don’t get to know where she is or talk to her. In case you’ve forgotten, that’s to protect the kid, in case you get caught pulling one over on Cabrillo and tortured for her location. It’s also to keep you from trying to coerce her to come to you.”
“Fuck you, Caleb. Don’t be a prick.”
“She’s with me. That means she’s fine.” It also meant that Carlotta was safer with him than she was with Sabine. The girl had so far been quiet and hadn’t made any moves. She refused to leave the safe house even for meals, so something Sabine had told her probably scared her into staying put. Caleb didn’t trust his former partner. He didn’t trust the girl either, or at least the story about her. But he was sworn to protect her, and that’s what he was going to do. “How much longer will you be?”
