All three of us hurried to the kitchen window to peer out at what was happening on the front lawn. I hadn’t been paying attention to where I was stepping and accidentally got cut on the bottom of my foot by a piece of glass. I stopped and lifted up my foot and then proceeded to pull out a shard of glass. Blood spilled out of the cut.
“Shit!” I snapped, as I tried to maintain my balance and hop back into the living room to sit on the couch.
“Oh my God,” my mom muttered, as she and Cassie stared out of the window. Cassie didn’t say anything. “Damian attacked a reporter. Smashed the man’s camera and everything,” my mom said, as she shook her head. She looked over her shoulder expecting to see me. “Simone,” she said, when she didn’t see me, she turned all the way around, eyes searching until she saw me sitting on the couch, trying to stop the blood from running out of my foot. “Oh my goodness!” She exclaimed, when she saw the blood, hurrying over to me. “Cassie, get a first aid kit and have Margaret come clean this mess up so that no one else gets cut,” my mom instructed.
“Yes Mrs. Leshay,” Cassie answered with a nod, as she hurried out of the room. My mom grabbed a napkin, wet it at the sink and headed into the living room to sit beside me. She shook her head as she wiped my foot clean.
“That boy is out of control,” she muttered. She looked me in the eyes. “You need to stay away from him. He’s headed for destruction, don’t let him drag you down with him.”
“I know mom, I won’t,” I assured her. Margaret, my housekeeper and chef, entered the kitchen and began silently cleaning up the mess of glass, water, and roses. Cassie came into the living room and handed my mom the first aid kit. My mom took it, opened it, and began cleaning my foot. We could see the flashing lights of police sirens outside.
“Probably because of that reporter Damian attacked,” my mom muttered, shaking her head and sucking her teeth. There was a loud knock at the door. My mom handed me the band-aid that she was about to put over the cut on my foot, before rising. “I’ll handle this,” she said, as she headed toward the front door. Margaret had cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and disappeared as quietly as she had come. While my mom talked to the police, I bandaged my foot. Cassie came into the living room and placed the bags of sushi on the coffee table, and handed me a mango smoothie.
“Thank you Cassie,” I told her, as I took a sip of the delicious drink. While my mom talked to the police, I opened some of the sushi. I realized that I was extremely hungry and stuffed a California roll into my mouth. My mom finished talking to the police, closed the front door and returned to the living to sit beside me. She dug into the bag and removed two sets of chop sticks, handing one to me. Using the chop sticks, my mom picked up a sushi roll and popped it into her mouth. Cassie handed my mom a smoothie and sat beside her, sipping her own. My mom thanked her and took a sip of the thick smoothie.
“I told the police what happened,” my mom informed me, after eating another roll. “Now, given today’s events, I have a few recommendations for how you should proceed,” she said, going into momager mode. She began counting off on her fingers. “For one, you should discontinue any and all contact with Damian. Secondly, you should file a restraining order. Thirdly, you should hire a private bodyguard, who will be here with you at the house and with you when you go out.” I nodded in agreement with the first recommendation, but groaned at the other two. My mom gave me a look. “As your momager, I will file the restraining order for you, but you definitely need a bodyguard. I’ll make some calls and we can start interviewing bodyguards as soon as tomorrow.” I sighed. I was sad that it had come to this. Police. Restraining orders? Bodyguards?! I shook my head, wanting nothing more than this nightmare to be over. Finally, I nodded.
“Fine. Let’s interview some bodyguards,” I agreed.
*****
Protect and Serve
We interviewed bodyguards all morning. Met so many of them that their faces all blurred together. Ex-marines, ex-navy seals, ex-military men. Guards who had worked for politicians, ambassadors, princes, actors, and musicians. It took hours, and I still had not found one. And then he walked in. His name was Hunter. He was thirty-five, six foot two, two hundred pounds of pure muscle and he was gorgeous. He wore his long blonde hair in dreadlocks that were pulled back in an elastic band at the nape of his neck. He had these magnificent blue-green eyes, that shined when he smiled and freckles. I for one, love freckles. I couldn’t stop staring at him. None of us could. When he sat down, my mom, Cassie, and I were all speechless. Hunter seemed unfazed by the silence, maintaining his composure as he waited patiently for one of us to speak.
“Hello Hunter. We have interviewed many capable candidates today. What sets you apart from the rest? Why should we hire you?” I asked.
“I’m sure that you have met many with similar backgrounds as mine, but I am confident that you have not met one with a heart like mine. I chose you. I chose this job specifically, because of you. I do not just take jobs. I choose jobs that resonate within me and yours touches close to home. When I was nine years old, I watched an unfaithful, lying ex-boyfriend beat my mom to death. At the time, I was afraid and very small, but I tried my best to kill my mother’s murderer, and I would have succeeded, but I stopped myself because I knew that my mother would not have wanted me to become a murderer. Instead, he wound up in a hospital in critical condition, with a broken jaw and two broken hands. I am not a murderer. I serve and protect the people I am hired to serve and protect, just as I had done during my time in the military,” Hunter explained. We were all in awe. No one spoke, while he spoke. We were all captivated and listened to his very touching story. I had heard all that I needed to hear.
“You’re hired,” I announced. My mom looked me like I was crazy.
“Simone, wouldn’t you like to take your time and contemplate all of your options?” My mom asked me.
“No, I have thought and contemplated and deliberated, and Hunter is the man for the job,” I said to my mom. To Hunter, I asked, “how soon can you start?”
“As soon as you need me to start,” he answered.
“Perfect! Then you’ll start today!” I clapped my hands and stood up. “Cassie will draw up the contract and go over your salary with you. Your first assignment will be to accompany me to my studio session this afternoon. It will be here, at the house, in my home studio. I don’t know if you need to be present in the actual studio or if you survey the grounds. I’m going to let you decide how to go about doing your job. Just keep the paparazzi and the crazies away and I will be happy.” At this, Hunter nodded with a very serious expression that almost made me laugh.
“Just one question. Where will I be sleeping?” Hunter asked. My house, or mansion as it was probably considered, had seven bedrooms, a home theater, a gym, an indoor swimming pool, a studio, three offices, a library, a conference room and a four-car garage. We were actually conducting the bodyguard interviews in my conference room. My mom was planning on moving in, but had opted against it while I was dating Damian, as the two of them didn’t really get along. Now that Damian was out of the picture, I was considering having my mom move in after all, but baby steps. First, I would give her a key. Cassie didn’t live with me per se, but she did have a room here for when I did need her to stay over. Cassie and my mom also had offices here.
“You can choose from one of the unused bedrooms. Cassie will show those to you as soon as you two finish with the paperwork,” I told him. Hunter nodded and stood up to shake my hand. We shook. My mom stood up as well and also shook Hunters hand.
“It was nice to meet you,” Hunter expressed to my mother.
“Likewise,” she said.
“Cassie, please give Hunter a tour of the property after he chooses a bedroom. Also, give him copies of my schedule.” I instructed before my mom and I left Cassie and Hunter in the conference room.
As soon as the door was closed, my mom turned to me and asked, “Are you sure that you weren’t a little hasty back there?”
“Absolutely not. Hunter is the one that we have been looking for. On that, I am sure,” I assured her.
“Well, if you’re sure.”
“I am and before I forget,” I pulled a key out of my pocket. “I meant to give you this yesterday, but with all of the chaos, I forgot. I had the locks changed the other day; this is a copy of the new key,” I said, as I handed the key to her. She took her keys out of her purse and immediately looped the new key on with the others. Once we reached the living room, we stopped and my mom sat down on the sofa, but I remained seated. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have a studio session scheduled in less than half an hour and have suddenly been inspired with a new song. I would like to write it down while it’s in my head. I’ll see you later.” I told her, as I bent down to kiss her on the cheek. I left the living room and headed back down a hall where the bedrooms were. There was a studio connected to my master bedroom so that if I ever woke up inspired, it was easily accessible. This was my private studio; the other one I would sometimes rent out.
Since all of the drama with Damian began, I had been doing a lot of writing. I had a lot of new material and was excited to begin recording. Many of the songs were sad, but all of them were inspiring. I wanted to be an inspiration to other women, who have been, or are currently in unhealthy relationships. Through my music, I wanted to give those women the strength to walk away from anything that no longer fulfilled them. Once in the studio, I sat down at a desk and began writing. As I was finishing up, I got a call from a producer who was meeting me here for my studio session. He was outside so I called Cassie and told her to let him in and bring him to Studio 1.
When Charlie the Producer, as he was called, arrived in the studio, he looked both amused and concerned, which is a very strange way to look.
“I see that you have hired a bodyguard,” he noted, sitting down beside me.
“Yes, I did. I hired him this morning. His name is Hunter,” I explained. Charlie nodded.
“Well, that’s good. There’s a lot of crazies out here and your big time. Probably, should have been gotten one before now,” he pointed out.
“Yea, well, I feel safer already,” I joked. We both laughed.
The session went great! I was on fire! We stayed in the studio until well into the night. Charlie didn’t mind putting in the time because he was being paid for it. We had only taken a break for dinner, which was Chinese takeout. I was able to record five amazing songs. Charlie and I agreed that the one I had written right before he showed up could possibly be the next single released. My failing love life had proved terrible for my heart but great for my career. Right after the break up, I kind of disappeared from the public eye. I’d had Cassie clear my schedule while I visited a small remote island to get some clarity and a beautiful tan. Now that I was back and better than ever, I was ready to drop some new heartbreak/moving on/empowering music and take my career to the next level.
For the next couple of weeks, I would be very busy as I prepared to release my much anticipated new album, Truth is Love. I had videos to shoot for the songs from the album. I had a single to drop, photoshoots to be fabulous for. I had shows and interviews to go on to promote my album. Everyone wanted me to answer questions about the break up, and I was ready for whatever they threw at me. I was seeing everything with new eyes, and had already forgiven Damian. I wasn’t just moving on, I was Moving Strong, which also happened to be the name of the single I planned on dropping; it’s amazing, definitely one for the clubs. Thankfully, Damian had left me alone. A part of me was a little disappointed that he hadn’t fought for me harder, but I knew that was only my ego talking and that I was much better off this way. My heart was still very vulnerable and I didn’t need him tempting me back into a bad situation.
When loneliness crept up on me late in the night, I crept into the studio and recorded more songs. When inspiration evaded me, but loneliness kept me up and miserable, I did some extensive retail therapy by online shopping. I would get the packages expedited and everyday was like Christmas, waking up to packages of gifts that I had bought for myself, my mom, Cassie, and Margaret. Eventually, my mom had a talk with me about all of the spending I was doing. She convinced me that material things would not fill the void in my heart and instead took me to get a puppy. Her name was Victoria and she was a black and brown Yorkshire terrier. She was rescued and we adopted her from a shelter. It was love at first sight. I even wrote a few songs about her, those would not be on the album but I was definitely putting them on my mixtape and would be shooting videos for them as well. Ladies, before you get a man, get yourself a dog! It’s basically the same thing, only dogs are much more loyal.
My mom loved Victoria too. They became the best of friends instantly. We ended up taking another trip to the shelter so that my mom could adopt Victoria’s sister, Madison. We took them shopping and out to eat. They had little play dates and under our care, blossomed into little furry divas. Hunter and I also became close. Sometimes, I got tired of confiding in Victoria and needed stimulating adult conversation. Insomnia proved to be something that Hunter and I had in common. More often than not, I would run into him in the kitchen, both in search of midnight snacks. Hunter quickly became family to us and I even began buying him gifts when I went online shopping as well.
*****
Moving On is Hard to Do
The next few months were a blur, filled with shows, interviews, concerts, video and photo shoots, and events. Thankfully, I had my strong support system with me every step of the way. Damian began dating someone new. Her name was Carmen and she was an actress. She was beautiful and talented and I wished them the best. It stung a little, but I would get over it. I was too focused on my own endeavors to dwell on anything. My late night snack date with Hunter continued, to the point where I expected him, as though it was scheduled. I began preparing for it like it was an actual date. I would take a shower and oil my body. I did my hair in a way that looked cute but messy. I tried to look like I wasn’t trying. I would wear my sexy nightgown that showed off my thick, well-toned thighs and paired with my short, sexy robe. Once I was sure that I looked perfectly ready for bed, I slipped on my furry slippers and headed for the kitchen. As I arrived, I yawned for dramatic effect and then smiled as I wondered if Hunter went to the same great lengths before our meetings, as I did.
He too looked cleaned and oiled to perfection. His long dreadlocks were pulled up and back in a messy golden bun. He wore a pair of satin pajama pants that I had bought him as a gift and nothing else. His strong body let me know that he was putting the home gym to good use. My smile brightened as I finally noticed that there was food ready and waiting on the island counter. I sat down at a stool and clapped with delight. There was a plate with a short stack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sliced horizontally. Besides the sandwiches, was a tall glass of strawberry milk. Hunter looked pleased that I was pleased, as he observed my reaction.
“My favorites! For me?!” I asked. Hunter smiled and nodded. I picked up a sandwich and took a bite. “Mmm, I had been craving pb&j all day! How did you know?” Hunter threw his head back and laughed his deep belly laugh. He looked so sexy when he laughed. Even his neck was strong and his Adams apple looked so… erect.
“You’ve been mentioning it all day,” he reminded me. My mind replayed through the day. At my studio session, I had said that I wanted a pb&j sandwich. In the car on our way to the Fire 55.5 radio station interview, I had said that I wanted one. I had said it after my performance on BET and then a fourth time before I got in the shower. I almost got mad that I had expressed it so much and yet no one had prepared one for me, until now.
“I should fire Cassie’s ass. She clearly doesn’t listen to me,” I muttered. Hunter and I shared a laugh. I took another bite, chewed and swallowed and then washed it down with a swig of strawberry milk. “Why aren’t you eating?” I asked him. He adjusted himself on his stool.
“I’m never hungry after I cook,” he said seriously. I g
ave him a look and we both laughed. “I’m not hungry.”
“So you’re just going to watch me eat?” I asked. He nodded.
“I like watching you eat. You eat beautifully.” I cocked an eyebrow skeptically. “You really enjoy your food, savoring every bite, every flavor.” I stopped mid bite, suddenly self-conscious about the way I ate.
We were interrupted by a knock at the door. A puzzled expression crossed onto my face.
“Who could that be?” I wondered out loud. Hunter immediately went into guard mode, looking serious as he stood up and peered out the window. Whoever it was, knocked again, more urgently.
“Damian.” Hunter answered me, finally. Damian’s car must be parked outside. I groaned and rolled my eyes, but my pity party was short-lived, as Damian knocked on the door once more. He had always been very impatient. I stood up.
“Do you want me to answer it?” Hunter asked me. I shook my head.
“No, no, I’ll answer it. Just stand by, ok?” Hunter nodded. He followed me as I walked over to the door, standing off to the side, out of sight. I took a deep breath, wrapped my robe tightly around myself before opening the door. “What are you doing here?” I demanded immediately.
“Simone, please, take me back! I can’t live without you!” he sobbed. I wrinkled my nose in disgust as the stench of alcohol hit my nose.
“Have you been drinking?” I asked.
“That’s all I’ve been doing. I’ve been drowning myself in drugs and women to distract myself from thinking about you! Simone, I need you back in my life. I’m lost without you!” he pleaded, down on his knees. I scoffed.
The Crime of Protection Page 73
