Secret Bodyguard

by Lori Crawford

  “Trev’s gonna hate that.” Cam reached for Marcy’s hand. “Don’t you think we’ve interfered enough for one day?”

  Marcy snatched her hand away. “It’s not interference if it’s for his own good.”

  “What kind of logic is that?”

  Marcy reared up to her full five foot three inches “The kind you’d do well to get behind.” She handed him her cell phone. “Luigi’s is in my phone book. Make sure they deliver.” She grabbed Winnie’s hand, and they set off telling everyone that the party was over.

  Cam sighed and rubbed his temples. Trevor was going to kill him. He perked up when he remembered Erica. If she was who he believed she was, Winnie was going to be in for a very disappointing night. Cam tried to feel some remorse, but couldn’t. Not when she’d turned into a controlling shrew the moment another woman caught Trevor’s attention. If they got involved, they’d both go insane before long.

  Cam found the number in his wife’s phone. Dialed. When it was picked up on the other end, he grinned when he said, “Hi, I’d like to order for three.”

  Chapter Three

  Glad for a moment out of Trevor’s sight, Erica lowered her aching body into a nearby chair. She grimaced when her elbow brushed the arm of the chair. Erica paused to listen for any sign of Trevor’s return. She could still hear him shuffling papers in his office so she was careful when she shrugged out of one side of her coat. She was dismayed to see bruises beginning to form around her elbow, and her shoulder was tender to the touch. Erica blew out a breath of frustration when she detected some slight swelling. Some bodyguard she was, not double checking to make sure that the pool was filled. Live and learn. She sighed, and pulled the coat back on.

  Except in her line of work, the living depended on the learning beforehand. This time, she’d escaped with just a bruise. In the future, she vowed to always confirm the intel gathered from satellite images before leaping into anything. Literally. There was at least one silver lining that came from her folly. There was no way Trevor would ever suspect her true motive for being there. Not the way she’d tumbled into his life. She wiped the amused smile from her face when footsteps signaled his return.

  “Standard contract,” Trevor remarked with a casual wave of a sheaf of papers. Never taking his eyes off her, he lowered his tall frame into a chair beside hers. He leaned close so he wouldn’t have to yell over the party that was still going strong. Erica fought not to lose herself in his soulful jade eyes. They weren’t dead like she’d expected. Far from it. She forced herself to focus on what he was saying.

  Trevor regarded her when he leaned back in his seat. “But first, I’d like to hear your vision for the performance.”

  “My vision?”

  “Yeah. Since your audition didn’t go as expected, I’d like an idea of what you’re thinking. How would you stage it?”

  Oh crap. She was in trouble. She didn’t know the first thing about staging a show. She spent her day and half of study time learning his life inside and out. Going with her theory that the more inept she looked, there would be less of a chance that he’d deduce her real purpose for being there, Erica decided to bluster her way through. “Well … you saw the costume.”

  “That’s it?” Trevor studied her for a long moment. Her instincts screamed that he was sizing her up and found her woefully lacking. “Why are you really here?”

  No way could he suspect. Not after her less than graceful performance earlier. Nevertheless, she went with the second version of the truth. “I just want to swim.” Erica surprised herself to hear the authenticity resounding in her answer. She thought she’d gotten past missing an audience. It appeared that she’d been wrong. Since the emotion had surfaced, she figured she might as well use it.

  “There’re plenty of pools all over the place. Can’t you swim there?” Trevor stared at Erica not quite sure what to make of her. Even though she continued to hold his gaze, he was pretty certain she was looking inward. The silence stretched between them for so long that he was beginning to think she wasn’t going to answer him. Until he’d gauged her true intentions, he wasn’t giving her that contract. Not with everything that had happened in the past few weeks. And he had every intention of having Cam check her out. Tonight. Make sure she was on the up and up before he allowed her on his payroll.

  “It’s just not the same without an audience.” Her quiet statement caught him by surprise. “It’s … indescribable. The feeling you get when you share what you do with others. The energy they exude … you feed off of it and it just makes you … better.” She refocused on him. “That probably doesn’t make any sense.”

  In reality, it made perfect sense. The fact was it was the reason that he still went on tour. He could’ve retired long ago if that’s what he wanted. Every time he got mobbed by crowds of people, the “R” word sprang to mind in an instant. But then he’d go onstage and connect with an audience. The moment that happened, all the other headaches became worth it. He studied Erica. Trying to see if she was putting him on. He didn’t expect to see such a pained look in her eyes. She shook it away and smiled.

  All reservations flew out of Trevor’s head. “Here’s what I’m thinking.” He slid from the chair to kneel next to the table with a pen and piece of scrap paper. “A glass stage. Fill it with water. You’ll swim high above my head.” He sketched out his ideas with stick figures. Erica slid to the floor next to him.

  “Part of the thrill of synchro is to see what’s happening on top of the water.”

  Trevor nodded and scratched out his drawing. On a clean sheet, he started again. “Okay. So we’ll reverse it. I’ll be on top of you.” Trevor blushed to his hairline when his words registered in his ears. “I mean … uh …”

  Erica’s smile put him at ease. “I know what you mean.” She studied the rendering. “How wide and long is the tank?”

  “What do you need it to be?” Erica shot him a puzzled look. “We’ll have to build it,” Trevor clarified.

  Erica looked like a kid in a candy store who’d just been turned loose with his credit card. “A little movement room, at least nine feet of depth and I’m a happy camper.”

  Trevor nodded. “The stage runs about twenty five meters …” He doodled on the paper. “It should be portable and light.”

  “Fiberglass is what you want then. Also easier to maintain.”

  “Maintenance. Hmmm. I wonder if I can convince my pool guy to go on the road. Unless you know one who’ll travel with us?”

  Erica shrugged. “I know a pool girl, though.”

  Trevor looked at her and smiled. That was the moment he realized how close they were sitting. All alone. Behind a closed door. He wondered what she’d do if he sampled her full lips with his. The sudden stirring low in his belly served up a warning, and he made haste to revise his train of thought. He’d lose her as a performer for sure. Talking over plans to add her to the show had his creative juices flowing for the first time in quite a while. This thing could work. And it just might be expensive enough to solve his current tax issue. “You’re going to be an asset, aren’t you?”

  Erica caught the way his eyes darkened and knew she should move away. He was her client. She was supposed to be protecting him, not leading him on. But her body refused to obey the simple command, and it tuned in to everything around her instead—every puff of air on her heated skin, every smell, especially the subtle cologne he was wearing and something more primal. It strengthened when he leaned closer. But there was another aroma that didn’t quite fit. And a sound. Or lack of it.

  Just before his lips could meet hers, she tilted her head toward the door to listen. “Do you hear that?”

  Trevor snapped back to his senses. What was he doing? She was his employee. He couldn’t hit on her, much less kiss her. She’s not your employee until she signs the contract, an impish little voice reminded him. He shook it away. He wanted her to sign the contract. He put some distance between them. Even though he hadn’t gotten to see her swim, his insti
ncts were telling him that she would be amazing. He wasn’t about to jeopardize business with a little meaningless pleasure. He could sense her passion for swimming that would demand perfection. That same passion drove his music.

  “I don’t hear anything.” At last, Trevor convinced his mouth to form the words when all it wanted to do was taste her. He tried to shake that idea away.

  “That’s what I mean. What happened to the party?” With grace, she stood and headed for the door. Now that she’d mentioned it, Trevor noticed that things were indeed much quieter than when they’d snuck away.

  Erica stepped from the salon and looked around. Her instincts weren’t signaling danger, but until she understood why they were alone all of a sudden, she wasn’t going to put him at risk. It seemed Trevor had other ideas. He caught up to her and looked around for himself.

  “That’s odd. Usually I can’t get rid of everybody until at least dawn.”

  Erica sniffed the air. A sudden breeze brought the scent of garlic wafting toward them. Trevor paused, and she watched him inhale. He smiled.

  “Luigi’s. Mmmm. Polenta Alla Valdostana. Ravioli Rossini, Farfaline al pollo e broccoli. And he always throws in an extra loaf of his fresh baked garlic bread.”

  Erica looked at Trevor in amazement. “You can smell all that?”

  He grinned at her while he slid down to the main deck. “You can’t?”

  Erica scrambled to catch him. Since he sounded as surprised as she, he couldn’t have ordered anything. She knew she hadn’t. Where had this food come from? She couldn’t shake away a disturbing theory.

  She watched Trevor halt in his tracks, and her heart skipped a beat. Had she inadvertently let him run head on into danger? She fingered the switchblade she’d tucked in the back of her costume and rushed to his side.

  “Winnie? Where is everybody? What’s all this?” Trevor stared at the woman leaning against the rail.

  Erica relaxed her grip a bit on the knife when she saw the other woman alone on the deck. A table was set for two complete with candles and flowers.

  “I figured you might be hungry.” Her smile faded when she noticed Erica just over his shoulder. “And you’re still here.”

  Erica opened her mouth to reply, but Trevor beat her to it. “It’s awfully nice of you to feed us like this. I’m afraid we got a little caught up in work, and the time just flew by.”

  Erica admired the way he misunderstood Winnie’s intentions. Winnie opened her mouth to correct him, but seemed to reconsider. Her smile was a little more brittle this time around.

  “I just wanted to help.”

  “You have.” He inspected the table. “How’d you know to get all my favorites?”

  Erica tensed at the question. How, indeed?

  Winnie giggled. “I might’ve had a little help from Cam. He’s a great guy.”

  Erica heard the ring of truth in the other woman’s statement and relaxed her grip on the switchblade.

  “Good man.” Before Winnie could protest, Trevor swept a third chair over to the table for Erica and seated both women before taking a seat himself. It was interesting to Erica that he’d seated her between them and didn’t appear to have even considered asking her to leave. Erica was relieved. She had no intention of leaving him alone until he was safely tucked in his bed back at the mansion. She didn’t care if it were alone or not. The yacht was too much of an open target for her to leave him there. If he’d decided to stay, she would have to come up with a plausible story to remain, too, but she’d cross that bridge when she got to it.

  Trevor kept up a running commentary while he served up all three dishes to each of them. The fact that there were three dishes let him know that Cam expected Erica to stay. He’d also figured that Marcy was the one behind the abbreviated party. He had to give the woman credit for being determined, even if her matchmaking skills left a whole lot to be desired. He smiled at Erica while she tried everything he put on her plate with gusto. Winnie pretended to eat. She did manage a few bites and he could tell she enjoyed those, but she just wouldn’t eat any more. Another strike against her.

  “Mmmm,” Erica sighed and sat back in her chair after cleaning her plate. “That was delicious. I can’t believe I’ve never tried this restaurant before.”

  “See why it’s my favorite?” His smile included Winnie in the conversation. “What’d you think?”

  She gave a polite nod at the food still on her plate. “It was very good. I’m just sorry I couldn’t eat more.” She looked at Erica. “You sure did some damage though. Aren’t you afraid of losing that lovely figure?”

  Trevor eyed Erica when she looked at the woman. Her dig came through loud and clear judging by Erica’s tight smile. It seemed she felt the same way about Winnie that he did. Less of the woman was definitely more. What on earth was Marcy thinking?

  “I swim at least three miles a day. And I’m thankful to have a high metabolism.” She smiled, radiating innocence. Trevor refused to admit he enjoyed the sour look that flitted over Winnie’s plump face. “My only worry tends toward whether there’s dessert or not. Speaking of …” Erica turned to him.

  Trevor retrieved another bag and pulled out an aromatic concoction of chocolate. Erica inhaled in appreciation. He smiled while he served up the dish to all three of them. Winnie indicated that she just wanted a small piece and Trevor was happy to oblige. More for him and Erica.

  “Ah, if only I had the time for that luxury. How do you find the time to work?”

  “Actually, I’m down to a fifteen minute mile in open water and a little faster in a pool. It really doesn’t take too long.” Erica smiled at Trevor. The woman just got better and better. Now he was listening with an employer’s ear more than his I’m-on-a-bad-date-save-me ear. “And now that swimming is my job, I expect to train even longer.”

  Trevor returned the smile and watched in satisfaction while Erica savored every bite. He was irritated when Winnie just took a small bite or two then pushed the dessert away. Having come from a family who’d not been wealthy, Trevor appreciated the cost of things. By his calculation, Winnie wasted about forty dollars’ worth of food that evening. Now that he’d come into some success, he was vigilant about being wasteful. His band even joked at his expense when he took his leftovers home from the restaurants they’d frequent while on the road. He’d always have the last laugh when the midnight munchies hit and he was the one who had a snack on hand.

  Trevor polished off the last of his dessert and stretched. “Such a lovely meal shared with two beautiful ladies. Thank you, both. But I’m afraid I need to call it a night.” He gave them a sheepish smile. “Not as young as I used to be.”

  “Of course.” Erica got up and began clearing the table. She looked at Winnie. “Did you want to take any of this with you?”

  Winnie looked appalled at the question. She risked a glance at Trevor then turned her nose up at Erica. “I’m finished. Thank you.”

  Erica shrugged and dumped the woman’s plate into an empty bag. Winnie stood and pulled Trevor to his feet and smiled up at him.

  “Everything was wonderful. Did you enjoy the break?”

  From the corner of his eye, he watched Erica put the leftovers still in their containers aside and stack the china. Trevor tried to remember the question. “Yes. Do you need a cab, or did you drive?”

  Erica’s lips quirked like she was fighting a smile when Winnie blustered, “I … I … uh rode with the Dobbs.”

  Trevor nodded and checked his watch. “We’ll call you a cab from here. I’ll walk you up to the restaurant on the dock to wait after I close things up. Sound good?”

  Winnie’s expression left no doubt that she hated the idea. Surely she hadn’t imagined he would take her home with him. Erica on the other hand … The woman recovered and smiled.

  “That sounds perfect.” She eyed Erica, hoping she would be the first to leave. “What about you? Share a cab?” Winnie offered, sugar dripping from every syllable.

  “I drove. But
I appreciate the gesture.” Erica picked up their dishes. “It won’t take me a moment to wash these.”

  Trevor put up a hand stopping her. “There’s a dishwasher. I’ll load it when I do my walk through.” Erica nodded and handed the dishes to him. It was obvious she was looking for something to do. Winnie grabbed the bag of leftovers.

  “I’ll just throw these out.”

  “No!” Trevor and Erica protested together. They looked at each other in surprise. Trevor nodded in deference to Erica, curious to see what she was thinking.

  “It’d be a shame to waste that much food. I’ll take it.” She shot a questioning look at Trevor. “Unless you …”

  “It’s all yours.” Trevor watched Winnie hand the food over to Erica. Seemed like he wouldn’t be the only one taking a doggy bag with him while on the road. His smile was hidden when he hurried off to secure the yacht.

  Erica kept a vigilant eye on Trevor when he was in the open on the upper decks. She looked around the darkened marina trying to ascertain any threat that might be awaiting them.

  “Trevor is a nice guy,” Winnie remarked while they stood ready to disembark.

  “He is, isn’t he? I think I’m going to like working for him.”

  “Cut the crap. We both know you’re not here to work for him.” Winnie glared at Erica. “But you’ve certainly put on quite the performance today.”

  “Excuse me?” Erica was surprised at the venom spewing from the woman’s mouth all of a sudden.

  “Miss I Swim Three Miles A Day. I bet you don’t even know how to swim.”

  “I didn’t come here to crash your date or whatever it is you have going,” Erica tried to explain.

  “The two of us were having a perfectly lovely time before you pulled your little stunt. And don’t think Marcy isn’t onto you, too.”

  “That’s a good trick. Since there’s nothing to be onto.”

  “All set, ladies?” Trevor joined them. Judging by his expression, Erica could tell that he’d heard quite a bit of the exchange.