Had the temperature just risen twenty degrees?
And where was that glass of water he’d been promised?
As he stared, Raj’s mouth curved up into a teasing smirk. He removed his hands from his pockets and glided across the room with a poise and elegance Brent had never witnessed in a man. He stopped in front of Brent and held out his hand.
“I’m Rajkumar, but please, call me Raj. Everyone does.”
Brent stood up. He swallowed hard and took hold of the proffered hand, hoping the rapidly growing erection in his pants wouldn’t be too evident. “Brent Hawthorne.”
Raj’s hand lingered for a moment before he pulled it away, his fingers stroking lightly across Brent’s knuckles. The simple touch had Brent practically panting. He tried to ignore what the touch did to his dick, and he should definitely not have been thinking about the man’s hands on his dick…
“Rahul, you can wait for me in my study. I’d like to speak to Mr. Hawthorne alone.”
Rahul’s eyes widened. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Raj…”
“I wasn’t asking,” Raj interrupted.
Rahul nodded and rose stiffly from the chaise. “Fine. I have some calls to make anyway. You know where to find me.”
Raj waited until Rahul had gone inside the house before speaking. “I’m sorry about that but my agent is not very sympathetic to my condition.”
Brent furrowed his brow. “Your…condition?”
Jesus, was the guy ill?
“The fact that I am gay,” Raj said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Brent’s mouth fell open.
Raj made being gay sound like a disease. Brent chose to ignore the comment. It had nothing to do with why he was here. How the man chose to see himself was none of Brent’s business.
Raj sat down in the chaise Rahul had vacated and when Brent sat back down again he decided to ask Raj about his agent, even though he feared he might be overstepping the mark.
“Forgive me for being so blunt, but why don’t you fire him? Hire someone else?”
Raj smiled indulgently. “Mr. Hawthorne…”
“Please, call me Brent.”
Raj nodded. “Brent, this is India. I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t have a problem with the way I live my life. Besides, Rahul is good at his job.”
“But there must be other agents who are equally capable.”
“Yes, but Rahul got me where I am today. Without him I’d be just another wannabe with Bollywood dreams.”
“If you want to hire my company, I’ll need to see the letters.”
Brent decided to move their conversation back to business before he said something he’d regret, both about Raj’s choice to stay with an obviously homophobic agent and his decision to remain in the closet.
Brent had never had to hide his sexuality, but he could understand why someone in Raj’s position felt the need. An openly gay man would not be hired to play a romantic lead, especially in India where there was an even bigger stigma placed on being gay than in the Western world.
It was unfortunate, he supposed, but it was true.
“What are the police doing about all of this?”
Raj threw Brent a sheepish look. “I’m afraid my agent lied on the phone when he called your office. He was worried you would refuse to help us if you knew the truth. We haven’t taken this matter to the police.”
Brent started to shake his head.
No.
He was happy to guard someone whose life was in danger but he insisted they go through the proper channels if they were under threat. Brent was a bodyguard, not a detective. If Raj had someone stalking and blackmailing him then that person needed to be caught and brought to justice.
“Please, hear me out?” Raj had lowered his head and his large, brown eyes looked up at Brent through thick, dark lashes. The man’s earlier confidence had all but disappeared. The longer he stared into those beautiful brown eyes, the more Brent felt his resistance slip. Raj’s gaze was filled with insecurity and uncertainty.
Crap.
Brent was majorly fucked.
Raj waited for Brent to acknowledge his question. He’d felt an instant connection to him and wasn’t surprised to realize his opinion mattered. He hoped Brent’s agency would take on the job. Something about the way Brent carried himself put Raj at ease. He felt safe around him. He found himself wanting to open up to the man, to trust him and gain his trust in return.
And, damn, but the man was sexy.
Tall and broad, he was the absolute essence of masculinity. Brent Hawthorne was a man Raj wanted to get to know better, and not only in the biblical sense.
The uncertainty disappeared from Brent’s eyes. “Fair enough, go on.”
Raj let out the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding when Brent’s dark blue eyes widened and he nodded, willing him to continue.
“I’m not sure how much you know about Bollywood but it is getting very close to the IIFAs. They are basically our version of the Oscars.”
Brent nodded. “I’ve heard of them.”
“I have been nominated for Best Actor, aside from which I have two films coming out in the next few months. If anyone were to find out about my sexuality, ratings would nosedive and the studio stands to lose a lot of money. I have no doubt they’d sue.”
Brent frowned and Raj had a burning desire to reach across and smooth out the lines on the man’s forehead with his fingers.
“They can’t sue you for being gay.”
“No, but I’m sure they would find something they could sue me for.”
“I’m not sure I understand what this has to do with the threats and reporting the matter to the police.”
“It has everything to do with them. Although our police here are highly competent, they are not infallible. I cannot risk anyone finding out about me.
“The less people that know about my sexuality the better, at least until the IIFAs are over and the films have completed their run in the movie theatres. After that, I don’t care who finds out.”
“You don’t care?” Brent raised his eyebrows. “Wouldn’t it harm your chances of getting more roles in the future if people were to know you are gay?”
“It doesn’t matter. The movie I am currently filming will be my last. I am quitting the business for good. I enjoyed it once but not anymore. I’m tired. Tired of the falseness of the industry I once loved and of pretending to be something I’m not. I don’t want to continue with this double life anymore.
“Besides, I’ve made more than enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life. And I already have some ideas for businesses I’d like to start up as soon as my time is my own again. As you can see, it is paramount that my sexual preference remains a secret even if only for another few months.”
“I have to admit I wasn’t happy about the idea of hiring new bodyguards but my agent insists upon it. I don’t like many of his suggestions, however on this matter, I’m afraid I have to concede.
The threats I’ve been receiving are becoming more frequent and the level of violence they allude to is escalating. I hope you can appreciate my dilemma.”
There.
Raj had laid his cards on the table. What Brent did with them was up to him, but he prayed the man would understand and help. The bodyguard sat back in his chair and used his thumb and forefinger to scrub at the stubble on his chin. Raj wondered what it would feel like rubbing against his own if they were to kiss. Brent’s eyes moved from side to side before he finally met Raj’s gaze.
“What happened to your previous bodyguards? Why are you looking to hire a new team at such a pivotal stage in your career? Did you have an issue with them?”
“You haven’t heard, then?” Raj sighed. “I’m surprised. It has been all over the news here. Two of the bodyguards at my agency were involved in, shall we say, a disagreement? They had what you’d call a shootout and a man was killed.
“The incident created all sorts of
bad press for them and many actors’ management companies have stopped using the agency. It’s unfortunate. They guards that worked for me were good at their job. Rahul has spent the past few weeks looking for another agency. Although your company is new, it comes highly recommended.”
Raj waited with bated breath.
“Actually, I did hear of the incident. Didn’t it happen at the home of an actor the bodyguards were working for?”
Raj nodded. “Yes, in the grounds. Two of the guards had a personal disagreement and the argument turned into a fight. From what I understand it got out of hand and they pulled their guns on one other. One of the guards was shot and later died in hospital.”
“Did you know the guards that were involved?”
“Not personally, no. They never worked for me but I’d heard of them from my own bodyguards, who it seems could very well be out of a job now unless another company would hire them.
“I don’t think the agency wanted to close its doors but it looks as though it has no choice. It’s a shame—my guards were good men and they have families to support.”
Brent nodded thoughtfully. “As you said, our company is new but we could do with more hard-working, experienced men. Get them to give us a call.”
Wow.
Raj hadn’t expected that but it showed what a decent man Brent was.
It made him even more certain that he’d like Brent’s agency to take on the job of protecting him.
“Thank you, that’s very good of you. I’ll do that.”
“There are a few more details I’ll need to discuss with you and obviously we’ll need to get some contracts in place first, but…”Brent sighed then slumped his shoulders in what Raj could only assume was resignation.“When would you like us to start?”
Chapter Four
“Wow, it’s fucking hot out there,” Jack said by way of a greeting as he strode into the office and took a seat behind his desk.
Brent nodded. “Tell me about it. I never thought I’d say this, but I miss the rain.”
Jack cocked his head to the side. “Do you regret moving here?”
“Not regret, no, but it’s been harder to settle here than I expected. It’s not just the climate—it’s the culture. The language barrier is difficult at times, too.”
“But the food is great.” Jack grinned. “I always did like a curry.”
Brent chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’ve got no complaints there. Where’s Jessie?”
Jack sighed dramatically. “Shopping. She’s buying things for the office. Apparently, you can never have too much stationery. Who would have thought?”
Brent threw his head back and laughed. “Sounds like Jessie, all right. She seems to like it here.”
“Yeah, but you know Jessie—always fits in wherever she goes…and she loves the heat.”
“She does.” Brent smiled fondly, thinking back to their youth. “You know, when we were in our second year of college there was a heat wave. It lasted for a couple of weeks, and Jessie convinced me to bunk off classes for five days in a row so we could go to the beach.
“I got in so much shit for that when my parents found out. You wouldn’t believe the damn lecture they gave me about wasting my education. Of course, I was a cocky bastard back then and argued the merits of a business degree, or lack of, for someone who wanted to join the police force.”
Jack’s grin broadened. “Did you win?”
“Hell, no. They told me I could skip classes all I wanted but, if I did, they’d be taking back the car they’d given me and I could forget about my allowance. Didn’t miss another lesson for the rest of my degree.”
Jack laughed airily. “Money’s a powerful motivator.”
“You got that right.”
“You know, I often forget how long you and Jessie have been friends. Sometimes it’s like you know her better than I do.”
“Not better,” Brent disagreed. “Just longer.”
“Still, if I was a jealous man I might be worried.”
Amused by the comment, Brent raised an eyebrow. “You did notice she’s a woman, right?”
“Oh yeah, I noticed all right.” Jack grinned then pulled a cigar out of his pocket. “For as long as I live, I don’t think I’ll ever understand your attraction to men.”
Brent shrugged. “You don’t need to understand it. As long as you don’t have a problem with it, we’re good.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, we’re good.”
“Before I forget, how do you feel about us hiring on a few more bodyguards?”
Jack’s mouth curved up into a smirk. “And I take it you already have people in mind?”
Brent nodded and proceeded to tell Jack about the situation with Raj’s previous bodyguards. When he’d finished the story, Jack nodded and leant back in his chair.
“We could always use experienced men, and we’ve had a steady stream of enquiries this past week but no firm bookings. I have a couple of meetings set up in the next few days and, if they pan out, then, yeah, we’ll need the extra manpower.”
“Good. I think they’re eager to start. A couple of them have got in touch already. I told them I’d need to speak to you first before I could give them a decision—their contact details are on your desk.”
Jack nodded again. “I’ll give them a call.”
The phone on Jack’s desk started ringing just as he lit his cigar.
Brent picked up one of the letters that Raj had been sent and went over it again. After a few moments, Jack hung up the call. Brent threw the letter on his desk and sighed in frustration. He was no private investigator but he liked to have all available information before he began a job. If he knew what sort of threat his client faced then he would be better prepared to combat it. And, from the tone of the letters, Raj was under serious threat.
“So, what are we looking at?” Jack took a chug on his fat, Cuban cigar and the smoke wafted across the room to Brent, making his eyes sting.
“You know those things will kill you in the end, right?”
Jack shrugged and took another puff. “How many men do we need on this?”
Brent frowned and picked up the first letter. “Doesn’t look like it could be anything organized. I’d say this is an individual, a personal attack. Some sort of vendetta, maybe. There are no threats to Raj’s family and the sender hasn’t asked for money. I’d go with our usual amount for the time being, two on each shift.”
Jack came to stand behind Brent, peering down over his shoulder. He picked up one of the letters and read it. “’I’m going to make you pay?’ Original.”
Brent handed over another of the letters. “You think that’s bad, take a look at this.”
Jack scanned the handwritten note and his mouth curved into a grin. “’You’re a blot on the landscape of humanity.’ The guy has style, I’ll give him that. So, we’re good to go.”
“Yeah, something’s bugging me though.” Brent pursed his lips and stared at the letters laid out on his desk.
Jack leant forward and lowered his cigar. He raised his eyebrows in query. “What is it?”
“The notes are all written in English. Raj assures me the handwriting is Indian. So why aren’t the notes written in Hindi, or Punjabi? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Who knows? And, quite frankly, who cares? We’re being paid a shit load of money for this job. When word gets out, we’ll have the whole of fucking Bollywood queuing up to hire us. Don’t fuck it up.”
Brent nodded his agreement but he wasn’t hopeful.
How the hell was he going to manage being in such close proximity to Raj with a constant hard-on? In his profession, thinking with his little head could cost someone their life. He had to get all thoughts of fucking the sexy actor out of his mind before he started guarding him. But tell that to his neglected dick. It hadn’t seen any action in months and the damn thing had been flying at half-mast since it had come into contact with the delectable Mr. Khan earlier that morning.
Just
thinking about the sexy actor made stir to life.
If Brent didn’t get his libido under control, this job was screwed six ways to Sunday.
Chapter Five
Raj felt like his head was about to explode. He’d already sat through three magazine interviews, answering the same questions about his latest film over and over again, and it wasn’t even midday. Then there was the hour of hair and makeup he’d been forced to sit through to look presentable enough to appear on live TV, and he had no doubt he’d be answering the same damn questions again on the show.
There was nothing he hated more than live chat shows. Even though he’d got used to them over the years, they still made his hands clammy and his heartbeat speed up in his chest. When he was acting on set, he was playing a character, but on chat shows he just had to be himself and that was difficult when there was a big part of himself he had to hide.
A young and overly enthusiastic assistant breezed into the room and called for Samira, one of Mumbai’s hottest new singers, who was due to go on before Raj. He wished Samira luck as she left the green room with her bodyguard in tow…which left Raj alone with Brent. He was about to scrub his hands over his face when he remembered the makeup and stopped at the last minute, dropping his hands in his lap with a loud sigh.
“You look nervous,” Brent observed.
“I am. I hate doing these damn shows, but they’re an essential part of the job, unfortunately.”
Brent got up and walked to the water cooler in the corner of the room and picked up a cup. “Can I get you one?”
Raj nodded. “Thanks.”
He watched Brent bend over the machine to fill up two cups. The position gave him a perfect view of the man’s ass, which—it had to be said—was pretty damn fine. Raj tried to tear his eyes away because he was due to go on in fifteen minutes and the last thing he needed was to get turned on. Not unless he wanted to embarrass himself in front of millions of viewers. Unfortunately, all of Raj’s brain cells seemed to be in his pants because his dick was more than happy for him to keep ogling. He was still staring, in fact, when Brent stood up straight, turned and caught him in the act.
Bollywood Bodyguard Page 2
