Chapter 2. Ace
Ace
A-list actress Jessica Swanson wanted me in her bed.
I knew this because she’d run off to change into something “more comfortable” after we’d returned to her Beverly Hills mansion.
She’d been devastated by her loss at the Academy Awards, and although she’d put in an Oscar-worthy performance at the Vanity Fair afterparty, the moment we were safely in the limo, she’d crumpled.
I knew then I was in trouble, and it became crystal clear when she swanned into the living room where I was checking the security system and put her hand on my arm.
For me, “more comfortable” meant ditching the suit and tie and pulling on a pair of track pants and my favorite Chicago Bears jersey. For Jessica, it meant see-through lingerie with nothing underneath.
Jessica fucking Swanson.
In the two years I’d been working as a celebrity bodyguard for Stellar Security, I’d seen clients in all states of undress.
I’d been propositioned by actresses and singers multiple times, but I had never crossed that professional line, and I wasn’t about to do it when my client was in an emotional crisis.
Most celebrities, I’d discovered, were very lonely people, prone to making inappropriate attachments with anyone who was a solid, stable presence in their life.
It was why I never accepted a job with the same client twice or stayed with a client more than my self-imposed limit of six months.
It was why I was going to call my boss, Tony, and ask him to reassign me first thing in the morning.
“Ace, have a drink with me.” She tugged on my arm. “It’s been the worst night. I can’t believe they gave the Oscar to Sophie Louis. It was totally political.”
“Ma’am.” I gently moved her hand off my arm. “I can’t protect you if I’m distracted or under the influence.”
Jessica twirled her blond hair around her finger and looked up at me with her big blue eyes.
She was a very beautiful woman, and her team had spent the last two days glamming her up for the Academy Awards.
I didn’t know many men who would turn down an invitation from one of the hottest celebrities in Hollywood, but I was done with hookups and one-night stands.
Nothing could fill the black hole in the center of my chest, and I wasn’t interested in trying.
“Don’t call me ma’am.” Her plump lips turned down in a frown. “It makes me feel old. I’m only twenty-nine, and you’re, what? A year or two younger?”
“Twenty-four,” I corrected her. “And your security file said you’re thirty-five.”
“Someone made a mistake.” She wandered over to the marble minibar in the corner of a room ten times the size of the hotel room I’d lived in between this job and the last. “I can’t be over thirty in this industry, or my career will be over.
I’ll be stuck playing single mothers and divorcees.
I’ve asked Rachel to try and get my birth certificate changed. ”
Rachel wasn’t just an agent; she was a Hollywood fixer. I had no doubt she could get the birth certificate changed. There was no problem she couldn’t solve.
Jessica poured herself a shot of vodka, downed it, and poured another.
She’d already had a full bottle of champagne at the party.
I felt a pang of sympathy for her. I understood all too well the need to self-medicate with alcohol.
Despite her star status, Jessica was deeply insecure, and tonight’s loss had cut deep.
I didn’t want to add to her feelings of rejection, but she’d lost her sense of boundaries and if I didn’t manage the situation, it would mean trouble for both of us.
“I saw your tattoos the other day when you were working out downstairs.” She pulled on my sleeve, trying to get me to remove my jacket. “Where did you get them?”
“Air force. I spent four years on active duty.” I pulled out my phone and pressed Rachel’s number. She was always able to calm Jessica down when she was distressed.
“Come sit with me on the couch.” She grabbed my free hand and led me to the enormous feather-stuffed sectional in the center of the room.
“I’m sorry, Jessica. I can’t stay. I need to go outside and do a sweep of the grounds.”
“But you work for me.” She patted the cushion beside her. “And I’m sure everything is fine outside. Talk to me. Do you have someone in your life? A wife? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?”
It was ironic that she chose to ask the question now, three months into the contract, and not at the start of the awards season when the house had been full and she’d been everybody’s darling. Her previous bodyguard had left to get married. I didn’t have a similar excuse.
“No, ma’am. I’m all about the job.”
“Then there’s no reason why we can’t get to know each other better.”
“I don’t think—”
Her phone buzzed and she picked it up, instantly distracted. “Rachel. Oh my God. I looked everywhere for you after the ceremony. Where were you? What happened? I thought you sent gifts to all the judges. You told me it was in the bag.”
With a sigh of relief, I went out the back door for a breath of air.
I was done with this assignment. The awards season was over.
Jessica didn’t have any new projects lined up.
The house would no longer be filled with stylists, makeup artists, hairdressers, and the multitude of sycophants who clung to the biggest stars.
This was the third time I’d had to turn her down and I couldn’t see things getting any better.
I sent a quick message to Tony asking for a reassignment before heading outside to do a sweep of the walled garden, a lush oasis in the concrete desert of LA.
Even in the dark, I could make out the symphony of vibrant colors—a riot of pink, purple, and yellow flowers, perfectly planted and groomed until they looked almost unreal.
The air was heavy with the sweet scent of jasmine, lavender, and roses.
Rich and lush as it was, it couldn’t compare to the crisp mountain air and the fresh scent of pine from home.
Jessica had spent ten million dollars to buy the LA mansion and fix it up, including an entire redesign of the landscaping, but in the three months I’d been with her, not once had she walked through the garden.
Given the chance, I would have spent all my time outdoors.
Before moving to the small town of Riverstone, Virginia, I’d spent most of my childhood alone in run-down apartments while my parents gambled at casinos or got high with their friends.
When social services finally caught up with them and took me to live with a grandmother I didn’t even know I had, I’d immediately been drawn to the outdoors.
Riverstone was nestled at the edge of a forest, and I’d taken full advantage of the natural beauty, swimming in the nearby lake, hiking and mountain biking on the nearby trails, camping with my best friend Matt, and skating and snowshoeing in winter.
It was the only place I truly felt free.
My phone buzzed and I picked up the call. “I just talked to her. She’s in a bad way,” Rachel said. “I need to know you’re going to stay up with her. I’m sure Sophie’s team bought off the judges. It’s outrageous.”
“You also tried to buy off the judges,” I pointed out.
“I was discreet about it,” she said. “And Jessica deserved that award. I cry every time I see that performance.”
“My job is to protect her twenty-four/seven,” I assured her. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I don’t mean just setting the security alarm,” Rachel snapped.
“Do I really have to spell it out? She needs comfort, Ace. She needs someone to hold her tonight. She’s so distraught, I don’t know what she’s going to do.
I don’t need you to protect her from strangers.
I need you to protect her from herself.”
My stomach tightened in a knot. “I’m not going to cross that professional line.”
“Damnit, Ace. This has been the biggest blow to her career. She needs to feel loved. She needs to feel wanted. Not one of her previous bodyguards has ever refused her.”
“We all need to feel loved and wanted,” I reminded her. “One night with me isn’t going to make any difference about how she feels about herself tomorrow.”
Of course, Rachel didn’t give up. She hadn’t become the top fixer in Hollywood without reason.
“I can’t believe you would give up the opportunity to sleep with one of the most beautiful women on the planet.
” She hesitated and I could almost hear the wheels turning in her mind.
“Are you not attracted to women? Or are you with someone? Her last bodyguard had a girlfriend, but he was prepared to step up. It was hush-hush. No strings. No expectations. His girlfriend never knew and now they’re getting married, so no harm, no foul. ”
“I’m not going to sleep with her, Rachel.” I bit back my irritation. “I can’t do the job and the client at the same time.”
“Crude,” she said with a sigh. “And disappointing. I’ll have to send someone over. He’s a friend of a friend who has been dying to meet her.”
No doubt the “friend” would come from an escort service and would be paid a huge sum of money to make Jessica feel special.
I opened my mouth to tell Rachel that lying to Jessica wasn’t going to help her, and that Band-Aid solutions didn’t solve deeper problems. She needed a therapist to help her work through her issues.
But who the fuck was I to give that kind of advice when I couldn’t take it myself?
I still couldn’t sleep through the night.
The things I’d experienced on deployment still haunted me, but worse was the accident I’d witnessed and had been helpless to stop—the one that killed my best friend.