The Bodyguard

In reality I can throw Kayla over my shoulder round up the troops and take her back to the hotel. There have been many nights where she has been too drunk to walk that I have had to do that. But I know she's not that drunk and if I was to take her back to the hotel, I would probably take her straight to my room. I need some fresh air.

I get out through the back entrance and walk towards the alley. There is a small group of people smoking. I haven't smoked in years but right now I need it. I walk up to them, asking if I can bum a smoke. It's two girls and one guy. The guy hands me a cigarette and one of the girls a lighter. The guy begins to ask about me, probably trying to gauge what I'm doing at a club dressed like a nun. One of the girls has a glint in her eye. Her gaydar is going off in her head.

She is cute. Short and curvy. Her skin is tan, she looks like she could be from the middle east. I try to make small talk with all of them but she is the only one entertaining me after a few minutes. I stare at her appreciatively. If her gaydar is already going off maybe she just needs a nudge. Having her warm my bed doesn't sound too bad at the moment. My need for physical contact is becoming unbearable. The other two people talk among themselves, are they dating? She looks interested in him.

"Sophie?" I turn to see Kayla walking towards us.

I'm relieved to see that she's alone. I don't know how I would handle seeing another girl hanging off her shoulder as she tries to talk to me. I can't believe I'm jealous of some random girl just because Kayla is giving her some attention. I turn back to the group. All of them are staring at Kayla with wide eyes and open mouths. I want to roll my eyes.

"I didn't know you smoked." She comes to stand next to me.

The three people just continue to look at her.

Patty, the middle eastern girl, is the first one to recover. "Hi." She is star struck.

"This is Patty." I introduce her with a smile.

Kayla looks at her down her nose, which should be hard to do with Kayla being the shortest one out of all of us. She manages just fine. "Hi." There is no fake smile.

Patty looks uncomfortable under her gaze and turns to her friends. "We better get back inside. I'll see you around." She smiles at me and then gushes at Kayla.

Once they're out of ear shot Kayla hisses at me. "What are you doing?"

I throw the bud away and sigh deeply. "I'm trying to make friends."

"With that slut?" Her cheeks are pink. I know it's from the alcohol. I need to deescalate the situation. I have finally realized that although I am hired to guard Kayla, she mostly needs protecting from herself and her emotions.

"Patty is actually nice." I place both hands behind myself. I want to reach out and brush her cheek. Pull her close and kiss her until she is squirming under me. The street light gives her the perfect spotlight. My little diva. I wish it didn't sound so nice in my head.

"So, you like them nice?"

I like them sassy and bossy apparently. "Maybe."

Her cheeks turn darker and she crosses her arms. "I like them brunette and pretty."

I feel the air leave my lungs. Apparently, I am ugly and most obviously not a brunette. My hands ball into fists and I want to punch something. I close my eyes and count to ten. I take deep breaths. A month ago, this would not have bothered me. Or maybe not to this level. But right now, it is tearing me up inside. Someone pretty brunette touching her, kissing her, making her forget about us. What can I expect though? This is a game for her and I am tired of playing.

"Go back inside." I warn her. God, she drives me insane.

"Make me."

I open my eyes to see her standing inches away. I push her against the brick wall and kiss her. My lips are brutal against hers but she just moans. She tries to touch me but I keep her arms at her side. Eventually I pull her hands behind her and hold on to both with one hand. My other hand grabs her breast and she moans louder. I plunge my tongue into her warm mouth tasting liquor. A primitive side of me wants to mark her as mine. Just mine.

Her hips push against mine and I let my hand fall to the hem of her dress. Without thinking about it I go straight to her sweet center. She's not wearing underwear. Her wet pussy greets my greedy fingers.

"Fuck. Kayla. Fuuuck." I say against her lips.

I rub my middle and ring finger against her clit and her breathing becomes more labored. Her moans become more frequent and her hips move with urgency. In the moment nothing in the world matters more than to have her cum all over my hand. Her tongue is rubbing against mine. I stick both fingers inside and let my palm rub against her clit. She's trying to move her hands but I hold her there. She always has the upper hand in our encounters, she's never seen this side of me. The side that wants to see her lose all reasoning under my touch. Feeding my ego with her cute noises and slick juices all over my hand. Her moans turn into desperate cries and I use my body to hold her up.

"Sophie, I'm cumming."

Her body shudders and I feel her juices coat my hand. The high I feel at the moment is unlike anything I have ever felt. I bask in the glory of getting her to cum for me. She said my name, her moans got me excited. If only I could taste her. I want to drop on my knees and taste my accomplishment but I wait for her to catch her breath.

"That was hot." A deep voice says behind me.

Kayla yelps and I turn around in the blink of an eye.

I feel her pulling herself together against my back. My heart is threatening to beat out of my chest but my mind goes into protective mode.

The guy looks like he's in his mid-thirties, about my height, his beer belly is visible under his gray worn out sweater, gray beard, bald. He has no visible tattoos or weapon. He's holding his phone out, probably recorded everything. His smile is disgusting, he looks sleazy. I can take him down with no problem.

"What do you ladies think the title should be: 'Kayla is a Slut for Her Bodyguard' or 'Bodyguard Bangs Body She is Guarding?" He sounds like a smoker. Now that he has revealed that he knows I am her bodyguard I have to be more careful. Element of surprise is only slightly ruined. He probably doesn't think I can do any real damage.

"How much do you want?" Kayla's voice doesn't waver but her tiny body is shaking behind me.

"Don't talk to him." I snap her.

He tries to step closer but I hold a hand out. "You either give me the phone or I will have to take it and shove it down your throat."

He chuckles. "I'd like to shove something down your throat." The disgust is written all over my face. "Look sweetheart, Miss.Pop Star here has the right idea. I can get thousands for this video."

I grind my teeth. I didn't think I would regret it so soon. I wanted just one more second longer to enjoy being with Kayla in such an intimate way. I knew she deserves a better setting but I was fine with the alley. Now it will be all over social media. My career will be ruined, she will take a hit in sales, no good can come of this. I have to take that phone away and hope he hasn't sent the video to anyone.

"You have three seconds to hand over the phone." I start to count while holding my hand out for the phone. I see his other hand reaches for the front pocket of his hoodie. Something metal, looks like a weapon! Shit! I need to take him down now. I stand in a more defensive pose and prepare to launch. Before I get to three, I run a couple feet and slap the phone out of his hand. My other hand comes up palm up and pushes his nose into his brains. His scream is cut off when I chop him in the throat and drop him to the floor with one swift kick to the chest. In a blur I am grabbing his hands and putting them behind his back, pushing is face against the floor. The cursing and yelling start and I look up to see Kayla staring at me wide eyed and pale.

"Code blue, east exit, south side of the alley." I calmly say over my speaker.

"On the way." Mike responds immediately.

"Are you okay?" Kayla tries to step closer but I hold my hand out. She stops.

"If you move, I will shoot you." I warn him. I take my gun out of my leg strap and point it to the dirt bag on the floor. I search until I find the gun against his stomach. I pull it out and kick it away from us. Kayla's eyes go wide and she stumbles back against the wall. The guys rush out, all guns out, and start barking orders. Paul takes Kayla and tugs her towards the black SUV waiting on the other side of the alley.

"Sophie!" There is terror in her voice.

"Kayla go!" I yell over the guys.

I hear the police sirens. She looks afraid, I should probably be empathetic but my adrenaline is kicking in and I can't slow down. I hear her yell some more but Paul manages to drag her out.

***

It is about 5 in the morning when I make it back to the hotel with Mike. After being at the police station for an hour or so they let us go and said they would call if they had any more questions. They assured us the video will never get out. Mike only asked me a couple of questions but he pretty much knew what was on the video. The car ride to the hotel was quiet.

"Can I just say one thing?" Mike opens the hotel door for me.

He takes my silence as an answer.

"I've been working with this girl for over a year now and I've never seen her like this." I open my mouth to stop him but he holds his hand up. "I swear believe it or not she used to be a lot worse. Blackout drunk every night, sleeping with multiple women, living in her own world with no consequences. She has grown up."

I want to yell at him. Nothing that he says is going to change my mind.

After we get off the elevator he goes to his room and I go to mine.

Kayla is there and so is Brady and Jasmine. Paul is in the corner, he looks beat.

Kayla rushes into my arms and I feel her body shake. I want to pull back, put some space between us. Brady silently watches as I wrap my arms around her and pull her close. Jasmine sits up from the bed and blinks a couple of times. She doesn't seem to understand what is going on. Why would I, Kayla's bodyguard, be holding her so tenderly?

"Kayla, you see she is safe, go back to your room." Brady says quietly.

She ignores him but her body tenses.

I pull her face from my neck and place a hand on each side of her face. She has dark circles around her eyes and they look puffy. She's probably been crying. I lean in and kiss her deeply. I kiss her like my life depends on it. She hangs on tight kissing me back. I reluctantly pull back and stare into her eyes.

"I'm fine," I kiss her forehead. Jasmine stands up from the bed, even more confused. "Jasmine can you take her to her room? She needs to sleep."

Kayla tries to argue but I brush my thumb along her lips. "I'll be there soon." She nods and leaves with Jasmine. Paul follows them out but not before giving me a pat on the back.

"Well," Brady stands from the chair and begins to pace the room. "Tonight, could have gone horribly wrong had you not been more careful."

I remove my heels and walk over to my bed. I sit at the edge of the bed and take a deep breath. "None of it would have happened if I didn't get distracted by Kayla." I'm not sure what story Brady received but I don't think it's the right one. "I let my guard down and we almost died." My voice is tired, my body is sagging. One second too late and I could have lost her. I shudder at the thought. A world without Kayla. It is unimaginable.

"But you didn't." He put his hands in his pockets and stands in front of me. "You should take today off, rest and then be ready to come back tomorrow."

I stare at him, thinking my words through. "I have to quit."

He doesn't seem surprised. "You don't have to. She trusts you, you saved her. You did your job."

"After I fucked her and put her life in danger." I broke my rules. I failed at my job. I should have never been so careless. Because of my selfish actions I could have lost her. I would rather walk away now, knowing she is safe, than staying and tempting fate. It is quite obvious that I can't be around her without trying to be with her. How can I be so careless?

The color rises to his cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so blunt. But I'm going to pack my things and leave immediately. I already called in someone to take my place, he is qualified and will do a much better job. All I ask is that you don't tell her anything until I'm gone."

He looks uneasy. I'm basically setting him up to deal with an angry, hurt, and irrational Kayla.

"Do it while one of the guys are around." I suggest.

***

It has been a couple of months now. I have been traveling. I have seen beautiful, breathtaking sights. I have eaten some of the best dishes I have ever had. So many different cultures and experiences. And yet no matter where I go, I can't get far away enough. She's everywhere. The paparazzi don't get enough of her. There are billboards everywhere with her face and body all over them. Her music gets played everywhere.

There were pretty girls everywhere I went. Most of them willing to make me forget about her but I couldn't. I couldn't touch them or kiss them without imagining Kayla. So, I stayed away from them as well.

The day I left Kayla I got home I turned off my phone and slept for hours. The first week was hard. I slept most of the days away. I barely ate, never left the house. When I did decide to turn on my phone there were missed calls from Kayla, Brady, Mike and so many others. I had texts and unheard voice message. Lucy tried calling and emailing a couple of times but I couldn't bare having to go into detail as to why I had to leave so abruptly. So, I decided to pack my bags and travel as much as I could.

Now I am back home.

There is a knock on my door. My heart accelerates. There is a small part that always wishes she would come to me. But that is the selfish part I tune out. I walked away from Kayla just like my mom walked away from me. I don't care about where she is now. I learned to deal with it. Hopefully Kayla did too. Deep down I know I'm lying to myself but it is easier this way.

I open the door and Lucy stomps in pushing me out of the way.

I sigh and walk over to the couch. She stands in the center of the living room with her hands on her hips. I look at the time, she must have just gotten out of school.

"How long have you been home?" Her glare doesn't do much to me. She's been mad at me before. And at this point no one can be any angrier with me than I already am.

"I just got back. How did you know I was here?"

She stomps her foot. "I didn't! I've been knocking on your door at least twice a week and since you haven't checked your mail, I assumed you left for good."

I sit up and place my elbows on my thighs. "I'm sorry Lucy."

"I thought something terrible happened." Her voice breaks and I see the tears threatening to spill. "Sophie how could you be so careless!"

I put my head in my hands and try to hide the same. "I know." I groan. "I almost got her killed. All because I wanted to be with her."

"What?!" Lucy sounds angrier.

I jump at the sound. I look at her through watery eyes. "I put her life at risk. I was careless."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" She slices her hand through the air.

"What?"

"Sophie, I don't hear from you for days and when I call your boss he tells me you quit and I can't reach you on the phone, and-" She starts to cry.

I get up and hug her.

"I was so scared you did something stupid." I keep hugging her and eventually we move to the couch. Her cries turn into sniffles. I get her some tissues and some tea.

She asks where I have been and I tell her everything from the beginning. She doesn't say anything until I get to the very end and then she starts to bombard me with questions. None of which revolve around my trip, all of them are about Kayla. My throat tightens and I cry a couple of times. She seems caught off guard, I have never cried in front of her.

"I can't forget about her." I finish.

She bites her lip. "Well, what are you going to do? Are you going to go to her?"

I snort. "It's not that easy." Last I heard she was somewhere in South America getting ready for some charity concert. It was relieving hearing that she finished her tour. I can only imagine the hoops Brady had to jump through to get her to do the rest of her concerts.

"Sure, it is! There is the Feed the World concert next week! We can buy some tickets and make a trip out of it!" Lucy tugs a strand of hair behind her ear. Her other hand instinctively goes to her stomach

"Oh God, Lucy! I'm sorry, this whole time I've been going on and on about me. Oh My- Are you pregnant?!"

She nods excitedly and I feel genuinely happy. I hug her and we talk about the baby and her job and her family. But she doesn't let me get out of it so easily.

"So, about the trip, how many days should we take off?" Her green eyes have this wicked glint.

"You'll come with me?" I sound unsure. "How about the baby?"

"I just texted Dave about it. He'll buy our plane tickets."

I groan. "Am I really doing this?" I see the light at the end of the tunnel. It has been so dark lately. The hope I feel in my heart begins to lift me higher. "What if she doesn't want me back? I did leave her unannounced when she probably needed me the most. She has probably moved on and is seeing someone." All of these things I have already thought about but none of them are enough to keep me from wanting to see her. Just in person, just one more time. I won't offer to be her bodyguard. I won't put myself through that again. But I could be her friend, if that is the only way she would have me.

"I found two tickets already." Lucy points her phone screen in my direction.

***

"Stop fidgeting." Lucy grabs my hand as we walk through security.

I grab on to her hand for dear life. The stadium is packed. A lot of big-name artists are playing today. I probably chose the worst time to do this.

We pass the concession stand and let the bodies around us guide us in the direction of the stage. I feel someone staring at me. I turn and see Jeremy standing a few feet away. His pale skin and red hair are a dead giveaway in the middle of short brown people. He's wearing shades so I can't see what he is thinking but his mouth drops. I pull Lucy by her hand towards him.

"Sophie?" He yells over the loud noises coming from the stage as well as the people around us.

I stick my hand out. "Hey Jeremy!" He shakes my hand and I point to Lucy. "This is Lucy."

He shakes her hand as well. Then he shakes his head. "You have to come with me."

I want to shake my head. I am not ready for this. It wasn't supposed to happen so soon. I am supposed to watch her perform, wait until after the concert, and try to meet her outback along with all of her other fans.

"Lead the way!" Lucy intervenes. I give her a panicked look but she just smiles. She pulls me by my hand and we follow Jeremy. People make way for him. The walk to get back stage is long, I feel the anticipation radiating off my pours. I am going to see her in the flesh.

I spot Mike outside of, what I am guessing, is her door and his eyes pop wide open. "Sophie!" He looks like he has just seen a ghost.

I stick out my hand but he goes in for a full bear hug. If I wasn't so close to him, I would be annoyed at being handled like a rag doll but I hug him back. All the while I do not let go of Lucy's hand. My anxiety is being held at bay by Lucy's calm demeanor.

"This is Lucy." Mike shakes her hand. He looks at her other hand which is still in mine and looks uneasy.

Ronnie comes out from the door behind him and she almost runs into me. Her reaction is pretty much the same as everyone else's. When she leaves, I turn to Mike.