3. Certified Hunk
THREE
certified hunk
Char gestures to a seat, which I take without hesitation. I need to sit down after catching Brianna’s eye. Do I call her Brianna? I have no idea how formal to be. I guess it is technically a job interview, so I decide to go all out. Char has been pretty casual, but that doesn’t mean I’m allowed to be.
“Brianna, I’d like you to meet Zack Marin.” Char gestures to me as she speaks. It seems a little like a “ta-da” moment, and I’m the rabbit Char has pulled out of a hat.
Brianna keeps her sunglasses on as she looks up at me with the faintest hint of a smile. Behind her shades, I can almost detect one raised eyebrow. It’s an expectant look—one I’ve seen too often on my eldest sister’s face. If I’m reading her right, I get the feeling she’s waiting for me to do something stupid.
I stick my hand out to shake hers while leaning across the chairs. “Hello, Ms. Royce. It’s nice to meet you.”
The second her other eyebrow joins the first in surprise, I realize she doesn’t need to wait anymore. I’ve done something stupid. Guess “Ms. Royce” is out. She doesn’t shake my hand, so I pull it back to my side.
Smooth .
Char clears her throat, trying to clear away the awkwardness I’ve spread all over the roof. Although, it wouldn’t have killed Brianna to be polite and shake my hand anyway.
Siren is right. Brianna comes off as a bigger diva than Jacob.
Char glosses over whatever flashed across Brianna’s face at our introduction and launches right into part two. “So!” She makes a dramatic show of taking a deep breath and plopping her hands into her lap. “I think Zack would make a great counterpart for the ‘Rescue Me’ video.” Char smiles at me, then back at Brianna.
Brianna tilts her head and continues looking at me through her glasses.
“Brianna, Zack is a black belt.” Char looks at me while talking about me as if I’m not sitting right here. “He has some experience modeling for a few businesses in his hometown, and as you can see, he’s a certified hunk.”
My cheeks heat up at her words. I’m starting to feel like a piece of man meat already and the filming hasn’t even started.
Before I’m able to fully recover, Brianna finally speaks, keeping her glasses planted firmly over her eyes.
“What did you model?”
She’s looking right at me, though I can’t quite make eye contact through the shades. But it’s her voice that has me tongue-tied. It’s sweet, smooth, and for some reason nothing like I expected. I thought her voice would be a nasal whine, but I’m not sure why. Her singing voice is smooth and confident. A siren song.
When Char clears her voice, I finally come out of my stupor, shaking my head.
“Oh. Well, at first, it was posters advertising the dojo where I trained. But after a while, the local supply store used me for their catalogs and magazine ads.”
Char speaks up. “Zack grew up on a ranch. He’s a literal cowboy.” She winks at me. It isn’t a flirty wink though. Char comes off like a matchmaker trying to set me and Brianna up on a date.
Weird .
“Really? Can you ride a horse?” Brianna’s suddenly interested.
My tongue is effectively untied, but now I’m worried I’ll say something stupid. Again.
“Yeah. I’ve been riding since I was three.”
“I love horses. I wish I had time for stuff like that,” she says, which makes me sad for her. What is her glamorous life like if she doesn’t have time for the things she loves?
“That’s too bad,” I say quietly.
The smallest smile spreads across her lips as if she’s trying to hold it back.
Char taps her clipboard, getting Brianna’s attention again. I, however, don’t let my eyes travel away from the girl sitting in front of me. She isn’t the diva I expected even after the harsh handshake denial.
And suddenly, I realize why.
This girl soundsdifferentfrom the one I watched in all those videos and interviews.Her singing voice may be confident, but her speaking voice is reserved, demure, nothing like the music temptress I watched for hours last night. Honestly, I like this version of her better.
“Are we in agreement?” Char asks Brianna.
Brianna nods and returns to her book, shutting us out.
Char turns to me, leaning her elbows on her knees. “Okay, Zack, here’s the deal. We’d love to sign you for the video. Shooting starts on Sunday—location to be determined—and should last about a week.”
I nod, listening without saying a word. At this point I’m not surprised to hear the offer.
But then Char takes a deep breath, signaling she has something more intense to say. It causes a rush of nerves to flow through me.
What’s going on?
“There is another part to this contract. And you have no obligation whatsoever, so take all the time you need to decide. ”
“What is it?” I’m definitely nervous now. I’m not doing any nudity, if that’s the deal.
“You have the skill set and the look we’re going for with this. We’d like the video shoot to morph into something more. You’re the perfect choice to be Brianna’s full-time bodyguard. It would be a contract—well-paid, of course—to include room and board at Brianna’s estate.”
My mouth drops. This is not what I was expecting at all. A bodyguard? “I don’t have any training for that.”
“Not formal training, no. We actually don’t want a professionally trained bodyguard. Too much public speculation. Instead we want someone with background strengths such as yours. Because ...”
Char takes a pause, which pisses me off, to be honest. Damn, woman, just spit it out! I literally sit on the edge of my seat waiting for her to continue.
“... we need you to pose as her boyfriend.”
Record scratch.
Char glances at Brianna, who’s still immersed in her book.
“For the video?” I’m confused. Isn’t that part obvious? I mean, I’ve seen literally every music video Brianna’s made, and they all include some guy pawing at her. My eyes sweep back and forth between Char and Brianna, waiting for one of them to say something.
“Well, yes. That’s where the image will start. The plan is to film your interaction, building the sense there’s an intimate connection between the two of you. That way, the public story can be that you both just clicked during filming and never looked back. You can move into her house right after filming concludes, so it looks like you guys are already pretty serious. Then it will appear totally natural that you’re always together.” Char finishes her speech, making it sound like a normal, everyday job offer, not the insanity she’s woven together.
“What?” I can’t help the shock in my voice. “So you’re saying you want to hire me as a bodyguard, but I have to act like her boyfriend instead, and this video is just a fake setup? ”
Char’s hands come up to stop me. “No, no. The video is legit. She has a song that’s dropping, and we want the video to coincide with its release. But the timing couldn’t be better for the setup we need to make this look like the real deal.”
“No one will believe this.” I probably shouldn’t shoot down their plans so quickly, but I have to be honest. “I’m no one—just a rancher who took a chance because some agent told me I had the right look. I’m not pop-star boyfriend material, and there’s no way I can be her bodyguard.”
“You’ve already seen this play out.” Char rolls her eyes, continuing to convince me, while Brianna keeps quiet, her nose in her book.
“It’s played out with her?” I thumb over in Brianna’s direction. I can see her hands shaking out of the corner of my eye though. This whole situation is making her as nervous as I am.
“No, but haven’t you seen singers who end up dating their backup dancers, or actors falling madly in love with their makeup artists? It’s all some cover for whatever their publicist wants to keep under wraps.”
Brianna’s eyes rise from her book to look right over at me. What is it that she wants to keep under wraps?
As if reading my mind, Char looks at Brianna and shakes her head. “You need to explain this to him,” she says quietly.
Brianna shrugs then nods, but to me, her casual movements appear stiff. Forced.
“About a month ago, I received a letter,” she begins in a barely audible voice. “I’ve gotten letters like it before, but this one made my skin crawl. Some fans write to me like they know me, like I’m their actual friend or girlfriend, but this person didn’t just say they loved me or wanted to hang out. They said what they wanted to do to me.” Her voice breaks, taking my heart along with it. “And what would happen if I said no.”
I watch her for a minute, knowing I was right about the look in her eye. It is fear. She’s afraid for her life. But am I the right one to keep her safe?
As I’m debating the wisdom of agreeing to their crazy plan, Brianna looks at me. It’s a plea. Her eyes scream for help; for reassurance. Just seeing her looking at me like this, so vulnerable, so raw, pulls on every protective instinct I have. It may be the wrong decision for too many reasons, but that look leaves me with only one choice.
Without breaking Brianna’s gaze, I answer. “Looks like I’m your new boyfriend.”