Ask For It
Page 22
Trevor realized that was his answer. The guy was thirty nine years old but would probably see an early grave thanks to his stressful habits. Years ago when they’d first met, Trevor had found the fast paced lifestyle alluring. It had quickly lost its appeal but he didn’t see Brady ever growing out of it.
“I’m about to call Julia. She needs to know what’s going on with this latest stalker. Joe should be touching down here in Atlanta in the next few minutes. Once I’ve discussed things with Julia and Joe, I’ll talk to Chastity again.”
“We need to do whatever Chastity says. You know she’s the best in the biz. The sooner we get on this the better. I’m sure it’s a nice boost, a free boost, for Julia’s book but—”
“She did not leak the story. She wouldn’t do that.”
“How can you be so sure? Look, I know you’ve got the hots for her man, but think with your head for a minute—”
“That’s my girlfriend you’re talking about Brady. I love her. I know her. She lives her life behind the spotlight.”
“Just let Chastity do her thing.”
“Not until Joe is in place. I’m not leaving anything to chance.”
“All right. Keep me in the loop.”
Trevor wanted to snort. He quickly reminded himself that Brady was a business acquaintance, not a friend. He didn’t care much about Trevor’s personal life so long as it didn’t mess up his game or his endorsements and now that endorsements were all that was left, he’d love to keep Trevor’s name in the paper. It was just business.
So instead of snorting and telling Brady to kiss him where the sun didn’t shine he gave a quick ‘sure’ and hung up.
JJ’s body was warring between a sugar rush and the blissful mellowness that three glasses of wine had brought on. She’d probably overindulged, but it was just one of those days. She’d run an extra mile for the rest of the week to even things back out.
She punched her pillow and settled in; knowing sleep would be far away. Part of her wanted to call the cab back and head over to Trevor’s house. But the other half of her was miffed that she hadn’t heard a peep from him in well over twelve hours.
Her phone buzzed atop her night stand and she flopped over. Since she’d given up hope of hearing from Trevor today, she didn’t know who would be calling her this late. If it was another reporter—
Trevor’s name flashed across the top of the screen and she hit the answer button.
“Are you okay?” she said, rather than the standard hello. Inwardly she cringed at how much she’d sounded like her mother just then.
“I’m fine. Are you okay?” He sounded… concerned.
Interesting question considering she had called him several times and gotten no answer. Maybe all her calls made him think something was wrong.
“I’m okay.” She wasn’t going to ask why he hadn’t called her back, not tonight. It was just good to hear his voice, to feel the connection to him, no matter how tenuous. She’d prefer to have him in bed next to her so she could prove to herself that he was fine. Safe.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier. How was girls’ night?”
“Not as much fun as usual. Adam and Cindy broke up.”
“That sucks. Why?”
“Long distance, I guess. She doesn’t want to move and neither does he. I think they were probably tired of trying to make it work.”
“They seemed good together.”
“Yeah.” JJ had thought the same thing. When those two were in the room, it was like two pieces of a puzzle clicking together. They had that annoying habit of finishing each other’s sentences and grinning at each other like lovesick fools.
“So I got a call from your publicist earlier. She wanted to know if I’d be willing to drop in on your signings to lend my support. I—”
“She what?” JJ had hardly spoken more than a few sentences with the woman. April whatever-her-name-was had plenty of ideas for promoting the book and honestly, that just wasn’t JJ’s thing. So she’d smiled dutifully and acted excited all the while longing for freedom. “How—was this before the article or after?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. The story is out. I’ve been getting calls all day.”
“Me too,” JJ inserted.
“Brady’s brought in a PR guru to handle things on my end but I’m more concerned about you.”
“I’m fine. I had a few calls from journalists. One from a blogger.” She couldn’t hold back the sigh. “But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“I know, it’s just, if it starts to grow legs…” He paused, as if regrouping.
“I know,” she said. Boy did she know. She’d been thinking about it off and on since Gretchen had told her. Her fellow journalists would have a field day asking her questions for a change. The men who still considered sports journalism a man’s field would probably resent her more than they already did. In fact, she could just hear their snide comments about sleeping her way to a story.
As if she’d ever do that.
The day she needed to sleep her way to the top was her last day.
She realized he’d been quiet for a while. Or maybe their call had gotten dropped.
“Did we get dropped again?” she asked.
“No. Sorry. Just thinking.”
He didn’t sound like his usual self. “What’s wrong?”
He sighed. “I’ve been getting more letters.”
The way he said the words made her sit up in bed.
“Listen, I’ve brought my former bodyguard back on board. He’s heading to your place right now. I want you to let him in and listen to him completely—”
“You what? What letters? Like letters letters or creepy letters?” Her blood pressure rose and she got up and paced to the window and then back to her closet.
“Creepy letters.” He sounded almost agonized saying those two words and everything in her wanted to rise up and defend him. Go to battle for him. Protect him from the psychos who would make his life hell because of their crazy, sick fascination.
“His name is Joe Catrell. Tall, dark haired. He’s really good and he’ll keep you safe. I’m going to stay put tonight but we’ll meet up at the airport tomorrow.”
“Wait. Backup. He’s coming here?”
“You were mentioned in today’s letter, Julia.”
Her? His words sent a trickle of fear down her spine.
“Because the media outed us?” she said. Stupid party. It’d been a wonderful night but not worth causing them future problems.
“Yes.”
“And you think there’s a valid enough threat that I need protection?”
“After last time, I’m not willing to take chances, sweetheart.”
There was a knock at her door and it took her a moment to calm herself. How had he gotten past— right. She was in her loft now. No extra security downstairs.
“Hold on a sec,” she said.
“Is he there? Did Greg install the peep-hole yet?”
Ignoring him while she wrestled with the door lock, she kept the safety chain in place and her foot against the door. But as she cracked it open and got a look at the tall man on the other side she quickly realized that her foot and a safety chain had no chance whatsoever.
“Miss Fairchild?” he said. She nodded. “Name’s Joe Catrell.”
She heard a hint of accent and presumed Texan. In the dim hall light, she got an impression of deep blue eyes, strong cheek bones and a lean, whipcord body.
“I don’t suppose you have ID on you?” she asked, feeling the need to be a little extra cautious. No doubt he could snap her in two at will.
“Julia—is Joe there?” Trevor’s voice came through the line.
The man outside her door held up a wallet with his driver’s license on one side and a photo of a couple of kids on the other.
“Does he have kids?” JJ asked Trevor. She asked partly to verify the man’s identity and partly because the idea of a bodyguard having kids struck her as… odd.
“Two nieces and a nephew,” Trevor said.
“Holly, Summer and Sam,” Joe said, putting the wallet away.
She shut the door, unlocked the security chain and opened it again. And her imagination was suddenly running wild with her.
She gave him a quick once over now that she could see more of him. She realized he was looking her over as well.
“You’re smart to ask for ID, but you really should have a peep-hole.”
He came inside, dropped a duffel bag on the floor, kicked the door shut and flipped the lock like he’d live here for years.
“Working on it.” She hadn’t been here much to really need one. Until now.
“Tell Trevor I made it and I’m having a look around now.”
Oh you are, are you… “Joe’s here. Having a look around,” she relayed, eyebrow raised as she watched him circle her apartment.
“Good.” She could actually hear the relief in his voice. “I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow.”
“Okay. Night. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
She ended the call and watched as Joe poked his head into her bathroom and then her closet before he came back out and looked out the windows.
“Do you think we’re… in danger?” she asked. Part of her wanted to shake off the notion. She was boring and mostly harmless. But after what Trevor had told her about that terrible night with Stephanie, the agony in his voice made her realize anything was possible. And that her simple ho-hum life wouldn’t be as simple with him in it.
But that was just the way it’d have to be, because she wasn’t going anywhere.
Joe turned around and gave her his attention but she wondered if he was keenly aware of his surroundings. He seemed intense and ‘on’ in a way she’d never experienced before.
“Hard to say, but I live by the rule that there’s always danger around.”
How very… sad. But she supposed in his line of work, it felt that way.
She wanted to ask him more questions but exhaustion was weighing on her. Suddenly she wondered where he would sleep. Glancing from his tall, broad shouldered frame to the couch, she didn’t think he’d fit.
He must have noticed because he said “don’t worry about me. I come prepared.” He nodded toward his bag.
Of course, he did. Why didn’t that surprise her?
“Anything else you need from me before I go to bed?”
“I think we can cover everything in the morning. Feel free to lock your door.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’ve got nothing to fear from me, but you’d be crazy to take my word for it. You won’t hurt my feelings if you lock your bedroom door.”
He stalked across the room to gather his bag.
“Okay, well… help yourself to anything in the kitchen.” She headed for her bedroom and saw him unroll an air bed. In his line of work, it was probably dangerous not to have a good night’s sleep. Her respect for him went up, knowing he made sure he was well rested.
Realizing he was right about her not knowing him well enough to trust him, though if Trevor trusted him, she did too… she locked her bedroom door. Thought again how piddly the chain on her front door had seemed when compared with the man in her living room. She scooted her favorite tufted chair in front of the door and then got back into bed.
Sitting there wide awake, she finally realized what it was that put her on edge where Joe Catrell was concerned. He reminded her of a storm cloud, strong and dark that bore down on you whether you were ready or not.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
JJ was running behind and still getting used to having a shadow that stuck to her movements like glue. She had to give Joe credit though, he’d yet to annoy her or get in her way. Game day chaos had once embraced her like a fuzzy blanket, pumping her full of excitement. But today it seemed like the universe was conspiring against her. Throwing one obstacle after another in her path, getting dirty looks from some of the other journalists, raised eyebrows in Joe’s direction. Luckily he was good at smooth-talking himself through any situation.
But right now she had a short, floppy haired kid chasing alongside her like a dog who chased cars. She’d been surprised when one of the internet bloggers who’d managed to get closer access to the action had turned his camera her way and started peppering her with questions.
Problem with bloggers was they weren’t bound by the same standards as journalists usually were.
“How about an exclusive? I can get you some incredible promotion for your book.”
She doubted that, but what did she know about promotion? Or his blog stats? Hard as it was, she tamped down on her frustration. Calling on years of her mother’s southern lady training, she stopped short and felt Joe almost run into her.
“That’s so sweet of you. I’ll be sure to give my publicist your information. I’ve got to run right now, but maybe closer to publication day we can chat. K? Thanks.” She gave him what she hoped was a sweet smile and saw the puzzled expression cross his face.
She took that second-long break and made her escape, motoring forward again. She hated that she was late for her lunch with Trevor.
As they burst out into the sunlight she heard Joe’s chuckle.
She smiled up at him. “Something on your mind, Joe?”
“Just haven’t seen many people handle reporters the way you do, that’s all. Color me impressed.”
“It’s all part of my charm. That and I’m a journalist, so that helps.”
“I thought that guy’s eyes were going to cross.”
“Too bad they won’t stay that way.”
He escorted her to the car Trevor had hired. She didn’t blame Trevor for wanting to stay out of the chaos. He planned to attend the game, from the relative sanity of a box with a few friends, but there were too many people around that would no doubt want to “chat” with him right now.
Having Chastity give a statement that Trevor and JJ were dating had only piqued the interest of the more entertainment style reporters. Bloggers were eating it up.
Yesterday they’d confirmed that Trevor had indeed purchased a home in Atlanta to be closer to JJ. She couldn’t believe people were interested in stuff like that. For her, the game had always been about the war on the field. Or on the court. Or in the boxing ring. Whatever the conflict was between the players or the coaches, she’d found that interesting.
This fascination with her personal life… it was crazy.
How did Trevor stand it? How did any celebrity? How had he managed to keep the details of his accident such a secret? Carson’s family must have a ton of sway…
How wearing that must be on him. It’s not like he’d done anything wrong. Feeling like he had to keep it a secret… why did he keep it a secret? Had Carson asked him to? Had they signed an agreement?
He hadn’t mentioned anything about that.
It’s not like other celebrities hadn’t come forward about their stalkers. And there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Not really, despite what he thought.
She knew he didn’t think a big tough football player should admit to being scared, but how could he not have been?
“Can I ask you something, Joe?”
He inclined his head. He would’ve looked right at home in a cowboy hat, she decided.
“What happened to Trevor that night…”
He nodded again.
“Were you working for him at the time?”
She saw a muscle tick in his jaw.
“No. Few days before he left for the Hamptons he told me I’d fulfilled my responsibility to him and since things had been quiet for so long he didn’t feel he needed me any longer.”
“You didn’t agree?”
“No.”
“Why’d you agree to work with him again?”
“Trevor’s one of the good guys
.”
He was right about that. And those simple words spoke volumes about both Trevor and Joe.
After the third set of fans had interrupted his lunch with Julia, Trevor realized it had been a mistake to eat out. When would he learn?
Usually he could get away with a little anonymity in a city as big at New York, but on a major game weekend… it was like everyone had on player radar.
But he’d eaten here once years ago and thought Julia would enjoy it. So he’d brought her. Not that they’d had much time to enjoy it in peace. He felt guilty for being annoyed with his fans. But there it was. And it wasn’t like Joe could fend everyone off without Trevor looking like a complete asshole.
So he decided it was best to grin and bear it. That’s what Julia seemed to be doing, although he could tell, she was getting a little flustered herself.
He was starting to wonder if his idea to accompany her on her trip was a bad one. His presence was bringing her undo attention. Attention she didn’t want or need right now.
The moment they were back in the car he apologized to her for the chaos at the restaurant, but she just smiled.
“You’re famous. They love you. I understand that.”
Her phone rang in her purse and she quickly sent the call to voice mail. “It’s like every sports blogger in the world thinks I’m today’s story,” she grumbled. “I wouldn’t put it past some of the guys to leak my number.”
“We’ll get you a new number as soon as we get back to Atlanta,” Joe said from the front seat.
“I’d appreciate that,” she said, sounding somewhat relieved.
Once again Trevor questioned the wisdom of accompanying her. Hell, of starting a relationship with her at all. But it was far too late for that thought now. He couldn’t live without her. The sooner they were back in Atlanta and she was situated behind the gates of the new house, the better.
But perhaps he was just fooling himself. Perhaps this constant state of looking over his shoulder was his permanent reality. Perhaps his money would’ve been better spent on a private island far away from photographers.
“Have you gotten any more letters?” Julia asked quietly.