Brent needed to concentrate on doing his job and he couldn’t do that when the man next to him looked good enough to eat. He wondered if the change had had anything to do with the very obvious erection that had been tenting Raj’s silk pants.
Brent was fairly certain Raj was interested into him.
Raj might not have said anything but he hadn’t been hiding his attraction very well. The heated stares Raj threw him had Brent’s dick throbbing. On more than one occasion he had caught Raj ogling his package or his ass.
Then there was the comment he’d made in the restaurant.
Brent was sure he hadn’t misinterpreted that.
Under different circumstances Brent would have been willing and more than happy to indulge in some fun with the sexy actor. Raj was sizzling and exactly Brent’s type, and the way he carried himself told Brent he’d likely be just as blisteringly hot in bed. But Brent couldn’t afford to get involved—not when he worked for the man.
The risks were too great.
“Raj! How wonderful to see you again!”
Brent’s head swiveled in the direction of the British voice. He turned in time to see an attractive man in his early forties walking toward them. He shook Raj’s hand when he approached, his smile wide and seemingly genuine.
Had Brent been mistaken or was there a spark of interest in the man’s eyes? He felt an irrational pang of jealousy as he watched the pair converse like old friends or perhaps like old lovers. The easy rapport they shared informed Brent that they might very well have been more than friends at one time.
He didn’t like that one bit.
“And who might this be?” The man asked, raking his eyes salaciously over Brent’s body.
It made Brent’s skin crawl.
“This is one of my new bodyguards, Brent Hawthorne,” Raj introduced. “Brent, this is an old friend and business acquaintance of mine, Lucas Wade.”
Brent shook the man’s hand.
After it was released, Lucas leaned in near Raj’s ear and whispered. “Does he…know?”
Raj smiled and nodded. “He knows.”
Brent could only assume they were discussing Raj’s sexuality.
Lucas nodded and resumed his perusal of Brent’s body. Brent tried to ignore the man, but the look made him want to take a shower.
“He’s hot. I do love that mean and moody look on a man.”
Brent frowned.
Christ.
Did Lucas have to talk about him as though he wasn’t standing next to him? But it confirmed one thing at least. The man was gay. Still, that didn’t mean they’d fucked.
Raj chuckled and shook his head. “You are incorrigible, Mr. Wade.”
Lucas grinned and shrugged. Leaning close again, he whispered. “You would know.”
Well, damn.
Brent ground his teeth together and tried to remember that bodyguards should be seen but not heard.
It was difficult, but he managed to keep his mouth shut.
They chatted for several more minutes, mainly about mutual friends and what they intended to bid on at the auction, but on more than one occasion Lucas tried to flirt with Raj and each time Raj shut him down, politely but quickly. It seemed that Raj wasn’t interested in anything more than friendship, even if they’d once shared something more. Brent couldn’t help but be pleased by that fact, even though he had no designs on the sexy Bollywood star himself…
Well, none that he could act upon.
Brent stood at the bar when Raj took his seat for the start of the event. Personal bodyguards dotted the edges of the room but most had taken their leave to guard the front of the building. Brent would not leave. When he was guarding someone, he liked to have them within sight at all times.
An attractive woman in a bright blue, backless sari took to the stage and proceeded to make a speech. While she talked, Brent continued to study the room but his gaze kept shifting back to Raj. Each time he looked, the stunning man was looking his way and his lustful gazes made Brent ache in the best possible way.
He sighed.
Why in the hell did he have to be guarding the sexiest man in Bollywood?
Correction. The sexiest gay man in Bollywood for that matter.
It was just his goddamn luck.
The rest of the evening was uneventful. It appeared that the organizers had succeeded in raising a lot of money for the street kids’ charity they were supporting. Brent couldn’t be certain, because the entire event was conducted in Hindi, but by the end of the night there were a lot of happy faces.
The street outside was busy when Brent met up with Jaideep and they escorted Raj to the waiting car, but that was nothing unusual for Mumbai. Brent was getting used to the overpopulated and very hectic city—but it was a far cry from his home in London, which he missed fiercely. He’d take the rain any day over the unbearable heat and clamminess of India. Even the nights were hot and sticky.
“So, the evening went well tonight?” Brent asked when they were safely inside the car on their way back to Raj’s mansion.
“Very. We raised a lot of money for the charity.”
“I’m glad. It’s a worthy cause. I noticed you made a bid. Did you get what you wanted?”
Raj’s gaze raked over Brent like a caress.
The heat and intensity in it made him shiver.
“Not yet,” he replied, watching Brent’s mouth, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. “But the night is young.”
Brent sucked in a breath and chanced a glance at Jaideep and the driver, but they were engrossed in their own conversation and he didn’t think they’d caught Raj’s overture. He certainly hoped not. He didn’t want to be the talk of the other guards.
“I’m not sure I know what you mean, Mr. Khan.”
Raj grinned. “Well then I might have to be more forthcoming.” He leaned in near Brent’s ear and whispered, “When we’re alone, of course.”
Brent cleared his throat then turned to stare out of the window, deciding it would be better if they didn’t talk at all.
The rest of the journey was fraught with sexual tension and the car charged with electricity that seemed to zing through Brent’s body every time he looked at Raj and caught the man staring back at him.
Brent shifted in his seat when his hard cock started to rub uncomfortably against his trouser leg. He had never been more grateful for the presence of another bodyguard. If it wasn’t for him and the driver, Brent was sure he would have leaned across the back seat by now and taken Raj’s mouth in the passionate kiss he knew they both wanted.
And that was out of the question.
He had a job to do…a job that didn’t include getting his rocks off.
When the car pulled up outside Raj’s house, Brent sent Jaideep to check the perimeter while he waited for the large orange gates to open and allow them access to the drive. He and Raj got out of the car as soon as the driver cut the engine then made their way up the steps to the porch. As they neared, Brent slowed as he noticed something pinned to the front of the door. He cocked his head to the side and stared at the small, white envelope.
“What the hell?”
Raj sighed loudly and hung his head. “It’s another letter.”
Brent approached the door cautiously. “How the hell did they get past the gate?”
“I don’t know.”
“Call the security company. Get them to check the cameras.”
Raj nodded then paused at the door and lowered his head. His earlier light, carefree attitude had disappeared. Now he looked utterly dejected.
“Who is doing this to me?”
Brent stood before Raj and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He used his other hand to cup Raj’s chin and lift his head until he met his gaze. Raj’s eyes were filled with confusion and something bordering on sadness. It tugged at Brent’s heartstrings. He had an insane urge to wrap Raj in his arms and protect him, but he had to keep things between them on a professional level.
“Don’
t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of all this. Okay?”
“Okay.” Raj nodded, but he looked despondent.
Brent waited for him to take the letter and unlock the door before following him inside. Raj entered the security code into the pad on the wall to switch off the alarm and then stood in the hallway, staring at the letter in his hand. Brent wanted to know what was in the letter but he had to be sure of Raj’s safety first.
“Wait here. I’m going to check the rest of the house is secure.”
Raj sucked in a quick breath, his eyes wide. “You don’t think they got inside, do you? How could they? The alarm would have gone off.”
Brent sure as hell hoped they hadn’t. “I don’t know, Raj. I’d rather be safe than sorry. Better make that call. We need to get this sorted out.”
Raj heaved a sigh, but nodded in agreement to Brent’s instructions.
It took Brent a good fifteen minutes to determine the house was secure. He checked every door and window but there was no sign of forced entry, nothing that made him think the blackmailer had been inside the mansion. He unlocked the back door and checked the garden. Nothing there or in the house looked as though it had been disturbed. Still, that didn’t explain how someone had managed to get past the gates and approach the front door.
When he arrived back in the hall, Raj was talking heatedly on the phone, frowning down at the open letter in his hand. Jaideep hovered near the front door, awaiting instructions.
Raj ended the call and thrust the letter into Brent’s hands. “Can you believe this shit? I called Rahul to tell him about the letter. He’s going to call the security company himself to check the cameras.”
Brent scanned the letter and felt his stomach lurch when his worst fears were confirmed. He clenched his left fist at his side as he read the unspoken threat.
‘Nice sunset picture in the study, but if I were you I’d put it in your bedroom above that beautiful china vase.’
“Damn it. He’s been in the house,” Brent said. It wasn’t a question.
Raj nodded and chewed on his fingernail.
“Who the hell is doing this to me? What do they want?”
The terrified look on Raj’s handsome face made Brent want to pull the man into his arms and reassure him that everything would be all right. But would it? Brent couldn’t stand the thought of something bad happening to Raj.
Not on his shift, it wouldn’t.
“I don’t know. But we’ll find out. Try not to worry about this too much, okay? I know that’s easier said than done, but nothing is going to happen to you while I’m here, I promise you that. You’re safe with me.”
Raj met Brent’s gaze and some of the tension he was holding in his shoulders seemed to subside. “I trust you.”
The simple declaration made butterflies dance in Brent’s stomach.
“Jaideep, call Jack and get him to send another couple of men over to guard the outside of the premises.”
Jaideep nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll stay by the gate until they get here.”
When Jaideep left the house Raj crossed the hall and closed the front door behind him. “I need a drink. Can I get you something?”
Brent shook his head as he followed Raj into the study. “Not for me.”
He crossed to the window and peered out through the blinds.
Brent frowned.
Something didn’t add up but he couldn’t figure out why he felt that way. Raj joined him at the window and stood silently at his side. The entire situation had to have been terrifying for Raj but he was handling it well. Some of the men Brent had guarded in the past had fallen to pieces when they had come under a similar threat. Raj opened his mouth to speak but his phone rang, interrupting him.
He sighed then answered the call before speaking for a few minutes in Hindi. When he hung up, his face was grave.
“What’s wrong?”
“The security company said the camera above the front door isn’t working. They’ve checked through the tapes and it looks as though it’s been off for a couple of days. It’s the only camera that points directly at the gate.”
“And they’re only noticing now?”
Raj shrugged.
The muscles in the back of Brent’s neck tightened and his nostrils flared. The security company should have known that the camera was out—that was one of the things they were being paid for. He hated incompetence. Unease settled over him as he crossed the room to check on the camera.
Raj followed in his wake.
He threw open the front door and walked to the end of the porch. Looking up, he could see the wires hanging out of the camera. He hadn’t wanted to believe it but there didn’t appear to be any other explanation.
Raj had been right.
If someone had broken in, the alarm would have been raised, but there was another alternative.
“What is it?” Raj looked up at the camera and frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“It looks like an inside job.” Brent tensed his mouth and crossed his arms over his chest. “The wires have been pulled out. Whoever did it had to have already been in the house. I’m afraid it looks as though someone you know is trying to scare you.
“We just need to find out who…and why.”
Chapter Nine
Raj took another sip of whisky then leaned his head back against the sofa.
Brent had gone outside to brief the other bodyguards that had shown up to guard the house. Raj thought about what Brent had said to him.
Could it really be someone he knew that was sending him the notes?
Why?
It didn’t make any sense.
The sender hadn’t asked for anything and Raj couldn’t think of a single person who worked for him that would have anything to gain by threatening to expose his secrets. Whoever this was must hate him. Were they doing this just to upset him or did they have something more sinister in mind. Raj shivered at the thought that someone might actually want to hurt him physically. Or worse—kill him.
His agent, Rahul spent the most time at the house but he would stand to lose just as much as Raj should his biggest client’s orientation become public knowledge. Raj didn’t know what to make of the whole mess.
It could be anyone.
He had so many people in and out of his house on a daily basis that he often lost track of them all. From his houseboy Aakash to the cleaning staff, his accountant, his tailors, hairdressers… The list went on.
Raj could only hope that despite what Brent thought, none of the people he knew had been sending him the notes. He hated the idea that someone he had welcomed into his home would do this to him. But the more he thought about it, the more he suspected Brent could be right. The wires had been pulled from the camera. That must have been done by someone who was already inside the house, but Raj couldn’t start accusing people, not without offending them, so how else could he find the culprit without involving the police?
“All done.” Brent entered the room and took a seat on the large sofa next to Raj. “I need you to make me a list of your entire staff. We’re going to have to perform background checks on them.”
“My previous agency already performed checks on everyone before they started working for me.”
“Even so, I’d like to check again. They might have missed something.”
“Fair enough. I’ll get the names to you by morning.”
Brent nodded. He closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger.
“You look tired,” Raj noted.
Brent opened his eyes and met Raj’s gaze. “Guess I am. It’s been a long day.” He lifted his right arm to knead at his shoulder.
An idea formed as Raj watched Brent’s fingers work out the knot in the back of his neck. He put his drink down on the coffee table and held out his hands in invitation.
“Why don’t you let me give you a massage?”
Just the idea of getting his hands on the handsome Brit was a powerful aphrodisiac a
nd his cock twitched in anticipation.
Brent, unfortunately, didn’t look as enamored with the idea. He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea, do you?”
Raj’s mouth curled up into a teasing smirk. “Yes, I do or I wouldn’t have offered. Besides, I have great hands. I’ve been told I’ve got quite the touch.”
Brent chuckled and his eyes twinkled. “I bet you do, but I think it would be best to keep things strictly professional between us.”
Raj pouted. “You’re no fun, Mr. Hawthorne.”
Brent barked out a laugh. “Oh, I can be plenty of fun, I assure you. But you, Mr. Khan, are my employer and I don’t mix business with pleasure, however much fun it might be for the both of us.”
So Brent was gay, although Raj had never had much doubt.
And Brent thought it would be fun to indulge?
Raj smiled inwardly.
The man was as good as his.
Brent frowned and continued to work his shoulder.
“Come on, you’re in pain. Let me massage your shoulders for you. I promise I’ll keep it on a professional level.” Raj offered up his most innocent face and tried to bite back his grin. “My hands won’t wander once, honest.”
Brent pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “Fine,” he conceded. “Just keep your hands on my shoulders and we’re good.”
Score.
Raj watched in awe as Brent removed his dinner jacket, revealing what appeared to be a wide expanse of chest and deliciously broad shoulders under his white cotton shirt. He was tempted to ask the man to remove his shirt, too, but he didn’t want to push his luck.
Brent unsnapped a holster from his shoulder and placed it and the gun it held on the coffee table in front of them.
“Have you ever shot anyone with that thing?”
Raj had always been curious about a bodyguard’s life. They had a very dangerous job. He’d played one once in a movie but he didn’t think it was something he’d be able to do in real life. He didn’t have the balls, but he admired those who did.
Brent shook his head. “Nope, I never had to.” He opened the top two buttons of his shirt and turned, offering Raj his back. “Not that I’m complaining about that. I hope I never have to use it.”
Bollywood Bodyguard Page 4
