Page 2
Story: Road Trip with Her Bodyguard
“He’s legit. I guess I gotta go,” I tell my friends. After digging in my purse, I hand Tara my beer tickets and backstage pass for tonight’s headliner. “Please give these to anyone who can use them.”
Dane’s intensity softens as he looks at my friends. “Sorry about all this. Favor: could you two please keep posting on social media as if Jorie is with you for a bit longer?”
“For sure.” Tara squeezes my hand. “Stay safe, girl. Text us soon.”
“Yeah,” Ashley adds. “Let us know that you’re okay.”
“Sorry ladies, she’s going to be offline for several days. But I promise to keep her safe.” Dane’s tone is so firm that I automatically believe him.
His thick arm wraps around my waist and he hustles us to the office building a few blocks away. His shoulders are really tight. I wondering if he could use a massage. And more to the point, could I even control myself while I was doing it? I mean, I’m a professional, but…
We reach the office tower and Dane pulls a plastic shopping bag from his pocket. “Anything that could possibly be used to track you needs to go in the bag. Wallet, phone. Keys, too, if they have one of those tracker tags.”
My mind is spinning but I do as he asks. He pulls the SIM card out of my phone, wraps it in a thick cloth, then drops it in the bag as well. We walk into the building, and Dane heads straight for a young woman sitting on a bench in the lobby. She jumps to her feet, and I blink in surprise. She’s almost exactly my height and build, with very similar hair. She’s even wearing black jeans that look just like mine.
“You must be Katrina.” Dane looks her over, then nods decisively. “Perfect. Let’s go.”
After the three of us step into an elevator, I ask, “Anyone want to tell me what’s going on?”
“I need you to give Katrina that lilac top.” His tone is a dark command that I would probably obey even if this wasn’t some kind of…situation.
Katrina hands me a black t-shirt. “Quick. I’m going to pretend to be you and get into the helicopter.”
Dane averts his eyes, indicating I’m to change right here. Everything seems so urgent that I simply do as I’m told, peeling off the shirt and handing it over, then pulling on the new one.
Wow. By the time Katrina pulls on my shirt and fluffs her hair, she definitely looks like me from a distance. The doors slide open, and Dane waves me to the back of the elevator.
He doesn’t get out, simply motioning for Katrina to walk slowly toward the helicopter. There’s another man there who helps her in. Dane scans the nearby rooftops, then, apparently satisfied, pushes the elevator button for the parking garage.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I ask.
His eyes soften. “Not yet. But I promise you that you’re safe with me, Jorie. I’ll explain everything in a few minutes.”
When the doors open, he swings an arm around me, then whispers in my ear. “Pretend you’re a little tipsy, and we’re a couple. Just go with it.”
A quick glance confirms that the parking garage is riddled with security cameras. I have no idea what we’re running from, but I’m too rattled from adrenaline to argue. I giggle behind my hand, then smack his chest. “Stop it. Just drive me home. We have to work in the morning!”
His arm tightens around me as he kisses the top of my hair. “That’s my responsible girl. Always thinking ahead.”
My body apparently doesn’t care that all this snuggling is fake. A warm glow spreads through me from being so close to him. With my face against the t-shirt stretched across his broad, firm chest, I breathe him in – woodsy and clean and oh-so-male.
There’s a split second once we pass the cameras that I swear his arm tightens around me, his lips drifting over the top of my hair. Like… Maybe he’s not just acting.
Dane walks toward the blandest car in the section – a plain dark gray sedan. I get in, and he pops the trunk. When he gets behind the wheel, the plastic bag is gone.
“I’ve got a signal blocking box in there.” He hands me gold-tinted sunglasses and a tacky yellow flowered headband. “A baseball cap is too cliche. Sweep your hair over your shoulder to the window side and pop that on. Then only look toward me as we drive, slouching down a bit. Got it?”
Hello? Keep my eyes on this magnificent man? “Got it.”
The streets are so crowded that it takes us a while to get out of the downtown area. It gives me plenty of time to study Dane’s gorgeous profile, strong frame, and notice the casual way he sits, as if he’s ready to drive for hours. Something about his thick, hard muscles looking that relaxed is wildly sexy.
Once we turn onto the highway, Dane reaches over and pats my knee. “Okay, you can lose the hairband and glasses now.”
I sit up straighter, taking them off. “Can I ask where we’re going yet?”
“Saddleback.”
“Umm… I think I’m going to need more information than that.”
Dane’s intensity softens as he looks at my friends. “Sorry about all this. Favor: could you two please keep posting on social media as if Jorie is with you for a bit longer?”
“For sure.” Tara squeezes my hand. “Stay safe, girl. Text us soon.”
“Yeah,” Ashley adds. “Let us know that you’re okay.”
“Sorry ladies, she’s going to be offline for several days. But I promise to keep her safe.” Dane’s tone is so firm that I automatically believe him.
His thick arm wraps around my waist and he hustles us to the office building a few blocks away. His shoulders are really tight. I wondering if he could use a massage. And more to the point, could I even control myself while I was doing it? I mean, I’m a professional, but…
We reach the office tower and Dane pulls a plastic shopping bag from his pocket. “Anything that could possibly be used to track you needs to go in the bag. Wallet, phone. Keys, too, if they have one of those tracker tags.”
My mind is spinning but I do as he asks. He pulls the SIM card out of my phone, wraps it in a thick cloth, then drops it in the bag as well. We walk into the building, and Dane heads straight for a young woman sitting on a bench in the lobby. She jumps to her feet, and I blink in surprise. She’s almost exactly my height and build, with very similar hair. She’s even wearing black jeans that look just like mine.
“You must be Katrina.” Dane looks her over, then nods decisively. “Perfect. Let’s go.”
After the three of us step into an elevator, I ask, “Anyone want to tell me what’s going on?”
“I need you to give Katrina that lilac top.” His tone is a dark command that I would probably obey even if this wasn’t some kind of…situation.
Katrina hands me a black t-shirt. “Quick. I’m going to pretend to be you and get into the helicopter.”
Dane averts his eyes, indicating I’m to change right here. Everything seems so urgent that I simply do as I’m told, peeling off the shirt and handing it over, then pulling on the new one.
Wow. By the time Katrina pulls on my shirt and fluffs her hair, she definitely looks like me from a distance. The doors slide open, and Dane waves me to the back of the elevator.
He doesn’t get out, simply motioning for Katrina to walk slowly toward the helicopter. There’s another man there who helps her in. Dane scans the nearby rooftops, then, apparently satisfied, pushes the elevator button for the parking garage.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I ask.
His eyes soften. “Not yet. But I promise you that you’re safe with me, Jorie. I’ll explain everything in a few minutes.”
When the doors open, he swings an arm around me, then whispers in my ear. “Pretend you’re a little tipsy, and we’re a couple. Just go with it.”
A quick glance confirms that the parking garage is riddled with security cameras. I have no idea what we’re running from, but I’m too rattled from adrenaline to argue. I giggle behind my hand, then smack his chest. “Stop it. Just drive me home. We have to work in the morning!”
His arm tightens around me as he kisses the top of my hair. “That’s my responsible girl. Always thinking ahead.”
My body apparently doesn’t care that all this snuggling is fake. A warm glow spreads through me from being so close to him. With my face against the t-shirt stretched across his broad, firm chest, I breathe him in – woodsy and clean and oh-so-male.
There’s a split second once we pass the cameras that I swear his arm tightens around me, his lips drifting over the top of my hair. Like… Maybe he’s not just acting.
Dane walks toward the blandest car in the section – a plain dark gray sedan. I get in, and he pops the trunk. When he gets behind the wheel, the plastic bag is gone.
“I’ve got a signal blocking box in there.” He hands me gold-tinted sunglasses and a tacky yellow flowered headband. “A baseball cap is too cliche. Sweep your hair over your shoulder to the window side and pop that on. Then only look toward me as we drive, slouching down a bit. Got it?”
Hello? Keep my eyes on this magnificent man? “Got it.”
The streets are so crowded that it takes us a while to get out of the downtown area. It gives me plenty of time to study Dane’s gorgeous profile, strong frame, and notice the casual way he sits, as if he’s ready to drive for hours. Something about his thick, hard muscles looking that relaxed is wildly sexy.
Once we turn onto the highway, Dane reaches over and pats my knee. “Okay, you can lose the hairband and glasses now.”
I sit up straighter, taking them off. “Can I ask where we’re going yet?”
“Saddleback.”
“Umm… I think I’m going to need more information than that.”