The Bodyguard's Catch

Chapter 2

She was ticked off. For several reasons. All of which revolved around a man. Her buried anger at Remo bubbled to the surface and she was having a hell of a time keeping it from erupting. She was still seriously pissed off at her father, but it paled in comparison. Which was stupid and made her angry at herself. Was it really only ten minutes ago that she'd wanted to strangle her father, and had retreated to the bathroom to keep from making a fool of herself in public? It was his fault she was so desperate for money she'd consider selling the story of Maximillian Chanteur's breakup to the highest bidder. But the fact she was more upset with Remo increased her fury at Remo. She hadn't seen him in over seven years. She shouldn't feel anything for him now, so in reality she had only herself to blame. Too bad feelings weren't dictated by logic.

Get a grip, Jordyn. Focus on something positive. She was riding in a limo with Maximillian Chanteur. She tore her eyes away from Remo's broad shoulders, which filled her vision and fueled her anger, and darted a glance at the celebrity sitting next to her, before looking at her clenched hands in her lap.

Just thinking about how close she was to the singing artist made her palms sweat and her stomach flip, as though she'd never been up close and personal with someone famous before. Her father was a screenwriter and all the famous names in Hollywood wanted to be cast in his films. Even tonight, one of them had come up to their table and asked him to put in a good word with the director about giving her the lead.

But this was Maximillian Chanteur. She'd been to every one of his concerts since she was a teenager. Okay, so she'd had a bit of a crush on him for a few years when she was younger. She was long past that. And she should be long past her crush on Remo too. The fact she wasn't made her squirm in her seat. But she wouldn't because... Maximillian Chanteur. Only a few feet away. She glanced at him again out of the corner of her eye. He was gazing out the window, his clenched hand resting on the seat between them. She stifled a longing to place her hand over his in a gesture of comfort. Something that took her by surprise. Rather than wanting to touch him out of a fangirl moment, she wanted to ease his pain. She stamped down those feelings. They stood in the way of her getting the money she desperately needed from selling his story. Could she really do it?

A fission of excitement ran down her spine as it hit her again. She was sitting next to Maximillian Chanteur, headed for his Malibu mansion. At least, she assumed that's where they were going. She bit her lip. Maybe she could figure out another way to get the money she needed. She really hated the idea of using him.

Stop it. She knew celebrities used situations just like this for publicity, to keep their name out there. And it was no secret this celebrity used the drama he created to his advantage. Though sitting next to him, being near him, she could appreciate a little better how that happened. There was such a presence about him. He seemed so much larger than life. Being in his orbit instantly stirred a person up, got the blood flowing. The man moved people. It's probably what made his concerts such a success. He brought a person's emotions to the surface and created an urge to act on them. Like for her, right now. She wanted to ease his pain. Nothing romantic about it.

Not like what Remo made her feel. Still. After all this time and all that water under the bridge. But she didn't dare go there. She had her immediate future to think about, and the path she wanted her life to take now.

"So, Max, any ideas what we should do with Jordyn?"

Max continued looking out the window and lifted a shoulder. "I really don't care, Remo. Do whatever you think best. Right now I wanna punch Adam's face in and howl at the moon."

"Understandable. But this situation needs to be dealt with. Unless you want me to drop her at her house and let her do whatever she wants with the information she has."