“Not that guy,” Lacey said, remaining on the couch. “The one on the rock outcropping.”
He scanned the area, finally finding a man who appeared to be taking pictures of the little fish that sometimes got stuck in tide pools along the water’s edge. “The guy taking pictures of fish?”
“With a long-distance lens? Maybe if the fish were fifty feet away.” She stood and swept her hands down her blazer, brushing off dog hair. “No offense, Mr. Randall, but I am highly trained and specialized in protecting people far more important than you. I’ve thwarted assassins, been a bodyguard to rock stars, a shield to royalty, and a ghost in the night that sees everything. If you don’t feel I meet the needs of your security concerns, then I’ll be on my way and good luck finding someone more qualified.”
“Ms. Grace, wait. Rex is being stubborn as usual. He hasn’t heard the rest of my plan and I think that will make him see the benefit of having you, specifically, for this position.”
“There’s more than hiring a bodyguard I didn’t ask for? Wow, you’ve really outdone yourself this time, Gabe.”
“Hear me out.” Gabe sat on the couch and motioned for them to do the same.
Rex folded his arms across his chest. On the other side of the room, Lacey did the same.
“I’ll stand,” they said in unison, their eyes meeting, neither blinking.
Oh, she’s a feisty one. He wasn’t used to a woman who did something other than fawn all over him. Usually he couldn’t squash their advances fast enough. But it seemed Lacey could care less about him, which was good, because it was only a matter of time before she left.
“Okay then. You two do whatever it is you’re doing, and I’ll talk.” Gabe cleared his throat, something he did whenever he was nervous. “I know you don’t want a bodyguard because you think it’ll ruin your image.”
“Smart reason,” Lacey mumbled.
“I’m sure you’ve been too busy killing people, or whatever it is you claim to do, to watch any of my movies lately, but I’m kind of a big deal in the action movie world. Fans expect me to be the tough guy they see on-screen and that’s what I give them when I’m off-screen too.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been too busy living in a world with real action, actual bad guys who try to kill me with real bullets, and dodging explosions that literally blow things to pieces, to watch you play grown up while your adoring fans eat popcorn and dream about licking melted butter off your abs.”
“Is that their fantasy or yours?”
She rolled her eyes. It was the first real expression he’d seen, and he liked that he’d been able to break through her carefully constructed outer shell.
“As I was saying,” Gabe chimed in from the couch. “You need a solution that won’t hurt your reputation and Lacey is the perfect person for the job. In fact, she’s the perfect person for two jobs.”
“I only agreed to be security.”
“I know. And that’s what you’ll do. You’ll simply do it while also pretending to be Rex’s new personal assistant, which he actually needs.”
“I’m not trained to be an assistant. I don’t fetch lattes.”
“What’s wrong, sugar? That beneath your pay grade?” Rex asked.
Her cheeks pinked ever so slightly as she narrowed her eyes. “Yes. And call me sugar again and I will break you.”
He laughed. Loudly. “You’ll break me? Wow. You’re hardcore. Good thing I don’t break easily, or I might be worried.”
There was a long pause of silence, then Gabe cleared his throat again. “Ms. Grace will appear to be your assistant, so she can be with you at all times, but behind the scenes I’ve hired another assistant to do the actual scheduling and things that need to get done. You’d have protection by your side while also maintaining your image. I think this is a win, win situation. Best of all, it’s a temporary one, just until the premiere and the threats stop. A month or so, tops.”
A month sounded like a long time to be saddled with protection, but it made sense. Lacey would fit the description of a typical personal assistant. Well, with a little fashion adjustment. She’d also have to lighten up her attitude a bit and look a lot friendlier, but it could work.
As much as he didn’t want a bodyguard, the threats were coming in. This could be a way to have it all—protection and image. Of course, that also meant he’d have to put up with Lacey all the time too. Was he willing to sign up for that?
“What do you think, Ms. Grace?” he asked. “Can you still do your real job while pretending to do a different one?”
“Who do you think protects royal toddlers when they travel out in public like a normal family?”
“Nannies, of course.” Was this a trick question? “At least until that one incident. Now, I’m sure they never go anywhere without a team of security.” He remembered hearing about the attempted shooting of a royal European family. He couldn’t remember which family exactly since it wasn’t the British one he was most familiar with, but regardless, it was a serious event.
“To the general public that would appear true. But there were bodyguards that day too. The nannies.”
“You were a royal nanny? Were you actually there the day someone took a shot at them?”
She raised her chin slightly. “Yes, to both, at least whenever they were in public. There were also real nannies to take care of the children.”
“Impressive.”
“Just doing my job.”
Rex walked across the room and stood in front of her, extending his hand. This wasn’t the way he saw this meeting ending, but he couldn’t deny that the plan was good. He’d have the protection he reluctantly needed, and no one would ever know.
Lacey met his gaze and slipped her hand into his, squeezing.
He squeezed back, carefully walking the line of showing her his strength and ability to protect himself while also not crushing her hand. “You’re officially hired. As my assistant slash bodyguard.”
Her hand flexed tighter than he expected. Damn, she was stronger than she looked.
“Real bodyguard, pretend assistant,” she said as firmly as her handshake. “I don’t fetch lattes.”
“Noted.” He let go of her and sent her his best “I’m winning” smile, the one that warmed the icy exterior of even the most frigid reporter like the sun warmed a frozen pond. “Welcome to the Rex Randall team.”
“Thank you, Mr. Randall. I promise to keep you safe at all costs.”
“You sound so serious.”
“That’s because your safety is serious.”
He nodded. “Well, if you’re sticking around, you can call me Rex. No more Mr. Randall. That’s not what an assistant would do.”
“Absolutely, Rex. Anything else?”
“Maybe try to be a little more casual. My assistants don’t usually stand like soldiers.”
Lacey relaxed her posture, sticking her hands in her pockets, and shifting her hip to the side. A lopsided grin spread easily on her lips. The transformation was instantaneous, and convincing. “Noted.”
Fucking impressive.
“So, when do you start? Will I see you tomorrow? We usually get things going around here by ten unless it’s been a late night or there are some early daytime commitments. Or will you only be tailing me when I have to go out?”
“Actually, I started work the second I drove through your front gate, and I’m on the clock—”
“About that,” Gabe interrupted. “Lacey and I discussed it, and we feel you need protection twenty-four, seven. She’ll be moving in. Today.”
“Moving in where exactly? The guesthouse?”
“The last time I checked you didn’t have one of those.”
“Exactly,” Rex replied. Being “protected” was bad enough when he was out in public. He certainly didn’t need that when he was home.
“I can’t predict when or where an assailant will make a move, so as long as you are under my care, I’ll be watching you at all times. Starting now.”
“I’m not under your care. I’m not a child who needs watching. You’re my employee. Let’s not forget who’s the boss around here. I won’t have you staying in my home. I’m barely okay with this situation as it is. You’re pushing my limits.”
“I can’t do my job effectively if you won’t give me access to your life.” She stepped forward, invading his space. “Unless you’re willing to let me do my job, my way, I can’t guarantee your safety. I won’t work a job where I put either of our lives at risk. I’m with you fulltime, or you’re not my problem anymore.”
“Sounds like an ultimatum.”
“My security protocol, my rules.” She folded her arms across her chest and glared up at him. From this distance he could see the little flecks of green speckled throughout the blue of her irises. Her eyes were stunning.
And full of hostility, confidence, and determination. Not the typical look he got from a girl about to stay at his house. But then again, nothing about Lacey was typical.
“Fine. But my house, my rules.”
He had no idea what those rules would be, but if she had rules about her work, he’d damn well get creative with some rules for his house.
2
Rex Randall wasn’t at all like she’d expected. He was worse.
Not only was he a spoiled A-lister, but he had a solid dose of Alpha male running through his veins. Most girls might find that appealing—and the feminine side of herself could be tempted by that on occasion—but all it meant for her in this situation, was that he was unlikely to listen to her orders.
She definitely had her work cut out for her.
Not to mention, the house she was supposed to protect was huge. The next few days would be filled installing a proper security system to get the place up to the standards it already should’ve been for a celebrity like Rex.
“This is your room,” Gabe said, pushing open a door. He’d quickly shown her the main common areas—kitchen, living room, and media room—Rex’s wing of the house on the western side, which included his bedroom, workout room and office, and finally the eastern wing, where the guest rooms were.
Not that she was Rex’s guest. He’d made it perfectly clear she was unwanted, which was fine by her. She didn’t need to be wanted to do her job. In fact, the less personal their relationship was, the better she’d be able to work.
As soon as they’d made their employment agreement, Rex excused himself and disappeared. To where, she didn’t know, and she didn’t care. Unfortunately, she needed to start caring if she actually wanted to do her job well. Right now, she needed a moment alone to pull herself together. As long as he didn’t leave the house, she didn’t need to be by his side.
“I think you’ll find everything you need,” Gabe said, walking into the oversized room. It was larger than any other room she’d been given on assignment. Huge floor to ceiling windows looked out over the ocean and beach. They were lightly tinted, so the sun didn’t shine in too brightly, but she wondered if they actually offered any protection from people on the beach looking into the rooms. She’d have to check. Not that she planned to wander around naked, but that didn’t mean Rex wouldn’t.
“Thank you, Gabe. This will be more than enough.”
The room held a king-sized bed, dresser, walk-in closet—far bigger than she’d need for her meager belongings—and a sitting area complete with sofa, gas fireplace, and wall-mounted TV. Why anyone needed a fireplace in a bedroom in California was beyond her, but it was certainly pretty to look at. Of course, she didn’t plan to spend that much time in her room anyway.
Although, if she could get the closed-circuit security cameras running, then the sitting area might come in handy as a work space and monitoring center at night. She could definitely make the space functional, while still getting a little time alone.
“And through here is your private bathroom.” Gabe pushed open another door and walked into the opulent guest bath. Marble gleamed under the lights. A gorgeous tub, she probably wouldn’t get the opportunity to enjoy, sparkled as if it had never been used. In the corner, a huge steam shower looked incredibly inviting after the long day she’d had, which started many hours earlier with an overseas flight.
While she knew it would be a while before she got to use that amazing-looking shower or rest in the luxurious linens on the bed, seeing the rooms had been useful. There was no way a bachelor movie star had the time or inclination to maintain this house by himself.
“I need a list of every staff member who has access to the house and grounds. I want to know who’s coming and going and when.” She walked out of the bathroom with Gabe on her heels. “I’ll also need a list of any guests Rex has over on a regular basis, as well as an updated list each morning of who’s coming that day. If there’s a girlfriend, or two, I need to know so I can properly screen them.”
Gabe stood silently for a moment then scribbled notes on a pad of paper. “I’ll get this as quickly as I can. Rex doesn’t have a lot of guests, so there may not be a list to give you each morning.”
“That’s fine,” she said. “What about girlfriends?” The word almost stuck in her throat, though she wasn’t sure why. They were from two different worlds and she didn’t want any part of his, even if he was even better looking in real life than he was in the movies.
Totally irrelevant.
She was there to do a job, nothing more.
She didn’t care if Rex had a girlfriend or even multiple girlfriends. Not personally at least. She only needed to know so she could make plans based on who to expect. As long as the girls came back clean on her background check, she could care less who he spent his free time with.
“None, at the moment.” Gabe met her gaze with an expression she had trouble reading. Usually she was pretty good at that. It was as if he thought that might be good news to her. But she’d been hired to do a job and being a girlfriend was not in the description.
“That simplifies things. Keep me apprised of any changes. If you’ll excuse me, I need to do a sweep of the outdoor areas to assess what equipment is lacking.”
“Sure thing. I’ll have your bags brought to your room.”
Lacey took off her suit jacket and tossed it across the back of the couch. She could do without the extra layer. Compared to her last few job assignments, California felt like the surface of the sun, even with the breeze coming off the water. She had work to do before nightfall and had no extra time for the heat to slow her down.
First things first, secure the perimeter, which meant braving the heat again. Heading down the hallway back toward the center of the house, she took mental notes. Four steps and there was another door on the opposite side that led to an additional guest room. Another five steps and there was a linen closet. Ten steps beyond that was a large bathroom for visitors to use while in the main common areas of the house.
As she’d seen before, the living room looked out over the ocean. A deck connected to the room, meaning it was one of the first areas she needed to secure. Outside, she was surprised—and yet not surprised—to find no sign of a security camera. Nor did it look like there’d ever been one.
She climbed onto the railing and felt around underneath the eaves for a solid spot to hang one of the cameras she’d brought for the job and made a small mark on the siding. If she angled it just right, she’d be able to watch both the sliding glass door and the stairway leading up to the deck from the open beach below. She didn’t have to examine the gate to know she wouldn’t find any kind of deterrent to keep people out. And even if there was, the gate itself was only three feet high. This would be the perfect place for an ambush, and yet he hadn’t seen fit to have it protected at all—exactly why he needed her help, even if he didn’t want to admit it.
Air whooshed from the house as Rex opened the door and stepped onto the deck. She grabbed the eaves to steady herself as the door slid to her side.
“Whoa, I didn’t see you there,” he said quickly, rushing up and wrapping his large hands around her hips. His
touch was warm even with the sun on her back. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
“Whoa yourself. I’m perfectly fine up here, so if you don’t mind, please remove your hands from my body. Now.” She noted each finger tightening on her waist instead of loosening. The feeling wasn’t exactly awful.
“Climb down and I’ll let you go. I won’t let you fall off my deck during your first few hours here.”
“Would you feel better if I waited a few days before playing daredevil?” She knew sarcasm wasn’t the answer, especially with a new boss, but she couldn’t help it. There was something that instantly irritated her about the way he treated her like a damsel in distress. “I’m perfectly comfortable up here. I could walk this rail blindfolded.”
“How about you do something wild and crazy like listening to your new boss instead of trying to prove how tough you are?”
She leveled her gaze on him and narrowed her eyes. Letting go of the eaves to help validate her point, she folded her arms across her chest and tightened her core to keep herself from wobbling on the thin railing.
“I wouldn’t even be up here if you had security cameras already installed.”
“I don’t want cameras recording my every move. I’m already on-screen enough as it is for work. My home is private.”
“The cameras aren’t to record you. They’re recording anyone who intends to harm you. Having them up and visible is a deterrent.”
“Fine. I’ll hire someone to put them up. Now come down.”
“You already hired someone. Me.” Was he really so sexist that he didn’t believe she was capable of installing a few cameras? Or could he simply not get over her height, or lack thereof?
Before she could question him on his particular shortcomings, his grip tightened on her waist and he pulled her forward, forcing her off balance. She reached for him to steady herself as he set her on her feet. The muscles beneath her fingertips were firm even after he stopped flexing. She did enjoy a man who took care of his body and used it to its full potential. Clearly Rex worked out as much as she did.
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