12. Guard Dog
TWELVE
guard dog
The elevator doors open, revealing the infamous tenth floor of Siren Song. I haven’t been on this floor since signing the paperwork with Char after I agreed to be Bree’s bodyguard.
I mean, her boyfriend .
I’m certainly not as nervous as I was that day. Freaking shitting bricks. But I held it together even when approaching Rachel, the receptionist.
The very receptionist eyeing me this second, as I walk through Siren’s doors.
Dang, does this woman ever crack a smile? She’s like a guard dog. I’ve faced off with black belts less intimidating than she is. Rachel may be tiny, but she’d probably cut a man.
I swallow hard and clear my throat before speaking. I don’t need my voice to crack. She’s the type who’d pounce the second she smelled my weakness.
“Hey, Rachel.” I manage to speak with false confidence. I wish I could walk right past her without a word, but I have a feeling brushing her off wouldn’t go over too well with her pit bull-like disposition.
“You again,” she says. I see her eyes roll slightly. She knows I can see it too. “Hasn’t she gotten rid of you yet?” Rachel speaks without looking at me.
Even if her words weren’t as harsh as they are, her tone would say it all.
I’m not her favorite person.
Yeah, you’re not mine either, sweetheart.
“Nope. Dropped Bree off here this morning to work on editing. Now I’m back to pick her up.”
Won’t be getting rid of me that easily, ice queen.
“If I were you, I’d watch my back. A star like Brianna tends to bring out the psychos. Maybe that black belt will be put to use after all.”
I lean against the counter separating us and glare at her. “Why? Is she not safe here? I thought this building was secure.”
I know it is. I’ve spoken with Char about the guards on the main floor. She instructed them no one gets to the tenth floor without her clearance. This is the safest place for Brianna to be, and she needed some time in sound mixing without me breathing down her neck.
Not that I have been breathing down her neck. But it’s been a couple of weeks now, and other than when she locks herself in her room to write, we’ve been together constantly. Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of boring work-related meetings, not dates.
That is, until today.
“Typical.” Rachel huffs, turning back to her work. Her feathers are definitely ruffled. Which tells me I’ve struck a chord.
I don’t bother saying any more as I stroll by. But I do gloat.
I walk down the hallway to the lounge up ahead. Light from the large bank of windows is the only illumination, but the sun is in the perfect position on the horizon to fill the room. The white couches reflect the pink-and-orange glow of the sunset, washing the room in color.
Brianna’s sprawled across the biggest couch in the middle of the space, gazing out the windows. She seems lost in her own world of thoughts. I find her like this every once in a while, on the deck or in the living room of her house—places she told me she wants to spend more time. She’s finally found the time, and I’m really happy she has. But I wonder why. What made the difference? Could it have been me?
“Hey,” I call softly, not wanting to startle her but knowing it’s a real possibility. Although, I’m hesitant to pull her out of whatever thoughts she’s having.
Even when she gives me the privilege of her full smile, I’ve never gotten the sense Brianna’s truly happy. Right now, as she gazes out the window overlooking the Hollywood valley, she looks as close to happy as I’ve ever seen.
She turns her head slowly in my direction, and once she sees me behind the couch, she sits up straight. She runs a hand through her hair, smoothing it in place, before wrapping her arms around her waist. Brianna isn’t as peaceful as she was seconds ago.
“Hi! You’re early.” She looks away from me.
“Yeah. I finished up at the dojo saying goodbye to everyone faster than I thought, so I came straight here. If you need more time, I can wait.” I walk around the couch to sit down next to her.
She slides over a bit to give me some room. “No, I’m done. I was just ...” Brianna stops for a second and gives me a little side-glance. “Um, just thinking.” She shrugs. “There’s something about this view, you know? I get kind of lost in it.”
I look out the windows and nod. “I know what you mean. The first time I walked into this room and looked out these windows ... wow . It’s got to be one of the best views in town.”
“I think so. The second I stepped into this space, I knew this was the spot for our company. Seeing the roof access was the clincher though.” She clears her throat. “I’m sorry you had to quit your job. It seems like you really liked it.”
I did like it. But something tells me being with Brianna is more important. I say none of this, just shrugging instead.
The two of us stay seated, our arms almost touching. The heat from her skin, warmed after lounging across the leather couch in the sun, radiates through my shirt. My fingers itch to reach out and touch her. Her arm, her hand, her fingers ... But I don’t.
The thing is, whatever draw I’m feeling toward Brianna, it’s there for both of us. The more time I spend with her, the more I’m sure of it. She feels something too, probably as strongly as I do. Even as hard as I worked to keep things between us light and friendly in the beginning, the attraction has been building.
But I don’t act on it. I can’t. Not now. Not while I’m working for her.
I can tell she’s scared of what this is. Hell, I don’t even know what this is, so I really can’t blame her.
“Are you ready?” I ask after a few minutes. When I first sat down, the nervous energy coming from Bree was almost tangible. I feel it coming back to the surface now it’s time for us to go.
“I don’t even know where we’re going, but I guess I’m as ready as I can be for a complete mystery.”
“Don’t worry, it’s a Char-approved activity.” I reach out and grab her hand—something I wish I could do without the fake label of boyfriend. But that’s what I am, and this is what I have to do to sell our relationship in public.
Lucky me.
“You talked to Char about this? And she’s okay that we ditched her schedule?” Brianna sounds shocked.
“Why is that a surprise?” I shrug. “She just wants the headlines. Doesn’t matter how we get them.” Char seemed happy I was taking charge of my time with Brianna. When I told the woman she could shove her dating schedule, she literally handed me her clipboard and a pen and said, “Have at it, cowboy.”
So I did. And now I’m taking Brianna on what I consider our first date.
“You’ve got a funny look on your face. Do I need to bust out some popcorn?” Brianna shoves her elbow into my side playfully as we walk from the couch to her office.
“No popcorn required. You’ll know what I’m up to soon enough.” I wink.
She laughs, and I don’t think she’s ever been as beautiful as she is right now. Relaxed is a good look on Bree.
Once she’s grabbed her bags, we head for the elevator. I’ve almost forgotten about Rachel, but then we walk through the reception area.
“Bye, Rachel,” Brianna calls as we pass.
“Short workday for you. Do you already need a day off?” Rachel’s icy reply literally cools the room down. Having her in the office must save on air-conditioning.
“Something like that.” Brianna doesn’t even blink at the way Rachel just spoke to her. I, on the other hand, throw the darkest glare I’m capable of in her evil direction.
Rachel smirks knowingly at me. She hates me. I wouldn’t have said this before, but the feeling is beginning to be mutual after the exchange I just witnessed.
“Don’t forget this. It’s been sitting here all week.” Rachel’s hand shoots out. She’s holding several envelopes and is obviously irritated at having to babysit Brianna’s mail.
“Oh, whoops. Thanks.” Brianna shoves the mail into one of her bags before we get to the elevator.
Once the heavy doors have closed and the elevator has begun its descent, I turn to Brianna.
“Why did you let her talk to you like that?” I’m frustrated by the situation, but I keep my voice quiet, not wanting Brianna to think I’m mad at her.
“I don’t mind it. I actually like that Rachel is basically a bitch to me. Most people tiptoe around me, not wanting to piss off the diva. But I’m not like that.” She shakes her head. “Rachel is just being herself. I can respect that, even if she’s kind of mean.”
“ Kind of? ” I scoff. “Shit, she’s the worst! I seriously panic when I walk through your doors, knowing I have to face her. ”
Brianna laughs. “That’s something I need to witness. Tough-guy Zack, all intimidated by four-foot-ten Rachel.”
“She’s not even five feet tall? I’ve never seen her standing, but for some reason, it makes sense that someone so tiny would be such a nightmare.”
The elevator opens. We’re both still laughing when we walk into the parking lot. I take Brianna’s hand again to lead her to my truck, but the second she sees it, she stops.
“Um, Zack? I’m all for acting like two completely normal people, but ...” She looks at my truck like it’s a bomb ready to go off.
“What?” I dropped her off in the Tesla this morning but decided to get the truck for the full experience. I’m trying to show her a normal-people date. Normal people drive shitty cars.
“Does that thing even run?”
“It got me here, didn’t it?”
Brianna gives me a look, telling me she’s clearly not joking, and neither should I.
“Listen, it’s not much to look at, but I promise, it will get us to where we need to go. Plus, who in their right mind would expect Brianna Royce to be riding around Los Angeles in a beat-up 1999 Nissan pickup truck?”
I guide her over to the passenger door and open it. Inside is one of my baseball caps and a cheap pair of aviator sunglasses, both of which I hand to Brianna. She raises her eyebrows at me, but the two new accessories already go perfectly with her cutoff jeans and white V-neck shirt.
“It’s a disguise,” I say as I put them on her. Dang , she’s cute in my hat, blonde hair spilling out from underneath it. A country boy’s wet dream. I’m never going to be able to look at this hat again without picturing her wearing it.
“Awesome,” she deadpans as she climbs into the truck. “This date had better be worth the pictures of me in this stuff.”
“They’ll be the best pictures ever taken of you.” And they will be. She’s gorgeous beyond words right now .
“Yeah, right.”
I get into the driver’s seat and turn to face her. “I’m serious, Bree. You look amazing.”
Her eyes find mine, and I see them soften. We gaze at each other in silence, drinking in the longing looks. Because hell yeah , that’s what these are. I’m letting all my longing show right now, and so is Bree. It feels like a secret we’re telling each other without actually speaking. Like we aren’t pretending. Like this might be real. The small cab of my truck feels electric as our eyes remain locked.
Just as I’m about to lean across the bench seat in a complete trance, a loud burst of laughter fills the parking lot, bouncing off the asphalt and echoing through the air.
Brianna startles.
Perfect timing.
She glances around nervously, so I start up the truck. I may have sounded confident when I told her about the condition of its motor, but I was pretty much exaggerating. I’m happy when the thing starts smoothly. Let’s hope I can get her home tonight too.
“Okay, let’s get this date started.” I pull the truck out of the parking lot and onto the street. Traffic is already getting heavy, so it takes a few minutes to get to the freeway.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Not until we get there.” I give her a side-glance, and I’m pretty happy to see her smiling about my mystery.
If she’s still smiling when she finds out what it is, then maybe I’ll actually stand a chance.