The Movie Star's Bodyguard Boss

Chapter 1

Another night, another giggly twink who bought into the tough guy rumors, Austin thought to himself as he led the guy through the front hall.

A decade ago, he would have been excited about it.

He’d spent a lot of time at the gym getting buff, not to mention all the agonizing hours under the needle for his tattoos.

The makeup team hated his tattoos in his first few acting roles, but over the years, he had been so typecast they let him keep them.

They fit his aesthetic: big, badass bruiser ready to torture the good guy, or drive a car off a cliff, or whatever the movie needed him to do.

Austin wasn’t winning any Oscars. But he always had a job lined up. And no matter what the tabloids said about his famous father—superstar actor-turned-politician, Burt Wayne—Austin had earned every cent of his money.

Not that anybody cared. Tabloids, fans, even his agent—they only gave a shit about him if he kept up the facade. At first, it was fun. But Austin was well into his thirties now, and it was getting a little old.

Especially when he brought home guys like this.

The guy he’d picked up at the bar—Austin was pretty sure his name was Ryan—giggled and traced the knife tattoo on his upper arm. “What does this one mean?”

That tattoo had been a flash sale he’d only gotten to fill in space. But if there was one thing Austin was good at, it was selling his role. He flexed, watching Ryan’s face light up as the muscle shifted under his touch.

“Got that one after I won a knife-throwing match,” Austin lied.

Ryan gasped. “Was that with your brother? I heard your dad got you two to do wild things when you were kids. I was surprised Lev went into modeling instead of doing something fun, like you.”

Austin kept smiling as he led Ryan into the living room.

His little brother Levi hated being called Lev, but somehow it had stuck when he started his modeling career.

Something he absolutely didn’t get on his own and was happy to share in interviews.

He’d gotten his first modeling gig after their dad called in a favor.

“Sure,” Austin lied. “Knife throwing. Hiking with backpacks full of rocks. Lifting weights with those rocks once we got up to the top of the mountain.”

It was bullshit, but it wasn’t entirely bullshit.

Their dad had been hard on them, but he never broke out any knives or loaded their backpacks with rocks.

He just got a home gym installed and had them both take up wrestling in high school.

And there was the constant stream of “what a man should be,” which he’d mostly calmed down on in his old age, to both their relief.

That had been hard to grow up with, especially after both brothers realized they weren’t straight.

“Wow,” Ryan said, running both hands up Austin’s muscled arms. “I bet you could bench press me. Like, literally.”

“Probably,” Austin said, his third lie since he walked in the door.

He was big, but a lot of that was genetics.

Plus, he had put a lot of effort into toning, making his muscles look bigger than they actually were.

His gym trainer always said that if he wanted to get really strong, he should eat more.

But that wasn’t what the studios wanted, so he stuck with his boring steamed chicken and kale salads.

Then again, he considered as he and Ryan came to a stop in front of the couch. Ryan was pretty small, with no hidden muscle to weigh him down. And Austin had picked up more than his fair share of lovers over the years.

“Want to try it?” Austin offered.

Ryan grinned and nodded.

“Tense your core,” Austin told him. Then grabbed him by the back of the knees and the back of his shirt, hauling him up over his head.

Ryan shrieked joyfully. When Austin lowered him back down, he was giggling again.

“Wow,” Ryan gasped. “What a rush. You’re so strong.”

“That’s me,” Austin agreed.

Ryan swayed into him, his cheeks flushed, and his head tilted coyly. “So… now that you have me at your mercy, what will you do with me?”

Austin forced himself to keep smiling. Ryan seemed nice enough, but Austin was so damn tired of everyone wanting him to be dominant.

The sex was fine. Fun, even. But he’d learned a long time ago to quit asking for anything…

unexpected. People just looked at him all confused and even a little betrayed.

Like a guy who looked this big and scary, a guy they had seen play mob bosses and evil world leaders on so many big screens, could never want to be on the other side of things for a change.

Besides, Austin reminded himself as he pulled Ryan closer. He’d worked so hard to make people believe he was that big, scary guy. He couldn’t be mad he was so good at it.

“I think I’m gonna—” Austin started.

A throat cleared behind them.

Ryan yelped. Austin sighed and turned to see his evening bodyguard looming next to the couch, hot and unflappable and huge as ever.

Dominic Sheath’s massive size had been a worry for his agent. She had been concerned that people would see him standing next to Austin and realize that Austin wasn’t that big after all. But Austin had insisted on him. He liked feeling small, for once.

“Dominic,” Austin said. “What did I say about making noise when you walk?”

Dominic didn’t even smile. He rarely did.

In the full year he had worked for Austin, he could count the number of times he’d made the guy smile on one hand—which was a shame.

Dominic had a gorgeous smile, soft and understated, completely at odds with his massive physique.

Every time Austin glimpsed that smile, he wanted to grovel to have it again.

“Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Wayne,” Dominic began. “But I was wondering if I could have your guest’s phone?”

Austin held back a groan. Dominic had never been wrong about this once. He let go of Ryan and stepped back. “You heard the man.”

Ryan gaped. He was still blushing, though now it was turning from excitement to blotchy panic.

“What?” Ryan asked. “Why?”

“I couldn’t possibly guess,” Austin said coolly.

He kept his posture lazy and calm, the way he always did in roles.

No need to get scary until the situation called for it.

Luckily, so many people had seen his movies they could recognize what his calm demeanor hid.

At least, what his characters hid. In real life, Austin was about as threatening as a baby squirrel.

But Ryan didn’t know that. He shrank back, rubbing his arms self-consciously. “I—I don’t know what you guys are talking about.”

Austin tried to think of a threatening monologue. He’d delivered so many on-screen threats it was hard to keep track. But before he could decide on one, Dominic stepped up and held out a hand.

“It’s very simple,” he said. “Give me your phone.”

Ryan spluttered. He was utterly focused on Dominic now—his massive, looming stature and his muscles bulging under his impeccable suit.

It was the kind of voice that would suit something rough, like Austin played up in his roles.

But Dominic’s voice was so smooth and commanding that it featured in Austin’s fantasies ever since he started working here last year.

“Now,” Dominic said, his voice sharpening.

Ryan squirmed.

Dominic stepped closer, his polished shoes brushing Ryan’s. “Mr. Highsmith. You can make this easy for yourself, or you can make it very hard. Which do you prefer?”

Austin held back a shiver. God, what he wouldn’t do to have Dominic talk to him like that. Sometimes he pushed the guy just to hear him talk to him in that tone of voice. Like Austin was some unruly brat that Dominic could order around.

“Okay,” Ryan blurted, digging his phone out of his pocket. “But I wasn’t doing anything bad! I was just—”

Dominic took it off him. Austin walked around to peer at the screen: a voice recording. Great.

“It’s not streaming anywhere,” Dominic reported. He ended the recording, then held it out. “Delete it.”

Ryan swallowed. “What?”

“Delete it,” Dominic repeated. “Now.”

Austin had to reach down and adjust himself. He loved watching Dominic deal with these assholes.

Ryan grudgingly hit the delete button. “There. Happy?”

“When you’re safely off the property, yes.

” Dominic tucked Ryan’s phone back in his pocket, the intimacy making Ryan choke on air.

“I’ll walk you to the door. Someone else will be there to escort you out.

If you ever trespass on Mr. Wayne’s property again, we will slap you with so many lawsuits your head will ring. Now turn around and walk to the door.”

Still spluttering, Ryan did.

Austin watched them vanish into the front hall, his heart and his cock throbbing in unison.

Tonight would provide him with weeks’ worth of spank bank material.

Maybe he should start seeking out people like this.

It was risky, but he’d risk it and more to witness Dominic being all commanding like that.

He sat down on the couch, splaying out as casually as he could. If he couldn’t calm his racing heart, he could at least hide it.

“Your shift is over,” he said as Dominic came back into the room, his footsteps virtually soundless despite his hulking size. “Night shift’s taking over. Why are you still here?”

“I only leave when you’re in bed,” Dominic said simply. “Then night shift can take over.”

Austin rolled his eyes, fighting down a flutter of butterflies that always arose when Dominic was protective. It didn’t mean anything. Being protective was literally his job. He just took it more seriously than most.

“Those aren’t the rules, and you know it,” Austin said, fiddling idly with the top button of his shirt. He undid it with a sigh, sagging back into the couch. “I should have gotten laid tonight. You owe me.”