Wild About The Bodyguard (12 page)

“
Time will
tell.” He drew her down on top of him. “For now, we should
concentrate on celebrating you getting that part.”

She
surrendered a grin. “I haven’t auditioned yet.”

“
A mere
formality.”

“
Just wish me
luck.”

“
Luck
.” He swung her over onto her
back and then murmured against her lips. “But you won’t need
it.”

Chase didn’t
hear from Sammy the next morning. By eleven a.m., the not knowing
was driving him nuts. He’d lost count of the times he’d picked up
his cell to phone.

After her
private recital the night before, he had no doubt she would land
that part. At this very moment she was probably enjoying in-depth
talks and negotiations with her new producer. She would be so
engrossed, so excited, she wouldn’t even think to phone. Of course,
this was only the beginning. She’d have stacks more on her plate
when she became a star.

By midday,
Chase needed a break from cutting glass. He was feeling edgy.
Needing company. He called Leo. Unavailable. Then
Taylor.

“
Want to
catch up for a burger and beer?” he said, putting his safety
glasses away.

“
Can’t today.
I’m taking Plain Jane turned Prom Queen out to dinner.”

There was
something unfamiliar in his cousin’s deep voice. Chase thought it
might be...the rumblings of
commitment
?

“
Buddy, you
sound serious,” Chase said.

“
I
am
.”

“
As in
wedding bells and two point five kids serious?” Chase
asked.

“
I can only
say, she sure is different.”

“
Guess you’ll
be taking her somewhere special for dinner then.”

“
Hawaii.”

Chase
chuckled. “Anyone else and I’d think they were joking.”

“
Sorry,
buddy. Gotta go. I need to finalize some arrangements.”

Putting on a
fresh pot in the kitchen, Chase thought over his conversation with
his cousin. Maybe he ought to book a nice place for tonight, too,
so that he and Sammy could celebrate her new job. Not Maui, but a
real dinner with wine rather than beer, and flickering candlelight
and maybe French cuisine. Or perhaps she was into Italian, or
Thai.

He’d do some
research.

After making a
reservation, he succumbed to the pressure and phoned her cell.
Sammy’s recorded voice on the other end of the line asked him to
leave a message. He walked around the house a couple of times
before jumping in the car and driving to the club. He needed to get
out—get his mind on something else.

Rather than
use the back entrance, he walked in through the front. The
receptionist blinked twice before smiling and asking how his day
had been so far. As he moved between the various areas, the
managers checked their watches for the day. Yep. Monday. Chase only
gave them an easy smile. No drama here. He was merely feeling a
little, well, restless.

After making
sure lunch in the main dining room had gone well, and the gym was
tidy and smelling okay, he walked by Tessa’s office on the way to
his own. He hadn’t made it to his desk before she was at his
door.

“
It’s
Monday.” She looked perplexed but also pleased. “Have you finished
your renovations?”

He rubbed his
jaw. “I’m a little stuck at the moment.”

She waved a
shiny gray envelope before drawing out a slip of paper.

“
I sent out
the anniversary invites,” she said, coming to stand at his side so
he could peruse her work. “They’ve gone out by email, too, of
course. I’m a little worried at the short notice. Ladies like to
know well ahead.”

“
Three weeks
ought to be enough time to book a hairdresser and sort out a
dress.”

He became
aware of Tessa’s perfume, something she wore that reminded him of
lavender fields now he thought about it. He glanced across. She
wore a light tailored jacket...only he wasn’t used to having her
stand quite this close. Or getting a bird’s eye view of her
cleavage.

Clearing his
throat, he moved around to his desk and took a seat.

“
All looks
good,” he said. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Easy listening
entertainment as well as a noteworthy solo performer.

Tessa rounded
the desk and rested her behind against the edge right beside him as
she slotted the paper away. He watched her finger and thumb grease
over the envelope’s seal.

“
I was
thinking,” she said. “Might be an idea if you and I were to stand
at the entrance to the main area to welcome couples in as they
arrive. It would provide a sort of mirror. Make the ladies feel
more welcome and at home.” Tessa rolled slightly toward him so that
her hip, more than her rear, rested on the desk’s edge. When her
outer leg edged up against the other, her skirt crept a little
higher.

Pushing back
his chair, Chase got to his feet. “I think that’s a great
idea.”

Her smile slow
and uncertain, she leaned back again. “You do?”

“
I think I
should definitely welcome guests with someone at my side.” He
collected his “gun” from the bottom drawer. “I’ll bring a date of
my own.”

As he moved to
his designated line in front of the target, he heard Tessa’s breath
escape her lungs. He popped off three electronic slugs—not bull’s
eyes but close—while Tessa straightened.

“
Do I know
her?” she asked quietly.

“
As a matter
of fact,” he said, heading back, “she’s the woman who sneaked in
here the other week.”

Tessa coughed
out a laugh. “Chase, it’s one thing to sleep with someone like
that—”

He cut her a
look. “Someone like what?”

As Tessa’s
lips pressed together, he dropped the gun back in its drawer. When
their eyes met again, her expression was veiled.

He didn’t want
to hurt her, but maybe now she would quit with the moves. He liked
Tessa, appreciated her work. But that other stuff just wasn’t
happening.

After Tessa
had left, Chase found his cell and dialled Sammy again. This time
she picked up.

“
I stank,”
she said down the line. “The guy cut in halfway through and told me
I could leave.”

He held his
stomach.
Fuck
.
But it wasn’t over yet...was it?

“
They do that
sometimes, don’t they? They have a lot of actors to get through.
They get an idea of how good you are and then call
back.”

“
I’ve done
this dozens of times before.
Hundreds
. He thought I
sucked.”

Chase shut his
eyes tight as his gut dropped more.

He needed to
be there, hug her and tell her that asshole today was a cross-eyed
moron. She lit up rooms. Damn it, she had
star
written all over
her.

“
I gotta go,”
she groaned.

He pressed the
phone harder to his ear. “I’ll come around. I’ve booked dinner at a
restaurant on the water. It’s new.”

“
I don’t want
to go out.”

“
It’d make
you feel better.”

“
Just because
I feel like crap doesn’t mean I should bring you down, too. I’d
rather be a grump on my own.”

Chase was
pacing the room. He understood about wanting to escape to lick
one’s wounds, more than Sammy could ever know. On the other hand,
wouldn’t his company, holding and soothing her, help even a
little?

“
Why don’t I
come over—”

“
Please,
Chase. I’m limping and sour and—” Her tone lowered. “Look, I’ll
call you next week.”

Next week? It
was only
Monday
for Christ’s sake. “What about the case?”

“
I don’t
think anyone’s going to bolt and leave the country, do
you?”

“
Well, no.
But at some stage, we need to sit down with your sister and her
husband. And I was thinking, I need to interview Fay.”

“
I’m sorry,
but I can’t talk now. Okay? I’ll call.”

After she
hung up, Chase thought it through. Sammy was upset about missing
out on the part. She didn’t feel like company and wasn’t enthused
about anything much. But finding out who had stolen the heirloom
ring meant the world to her. Nothing would stand in her way. Hell,
she’d got
him
on
board, hadn’t she?

And then a
thought struck like a mallet to the side of the head.

He didn’t want
to be like Tessa–need to be told point blank.

Was he
imagining it?

Or had he just
been dumped?

By the time
Chase called later in the week, Sammy felt better about her
audition flop, probably because she had come to a painful
realization—a tough understanding about where she was going and how
fast, or slow, she would get there.

When Chase
suggested she join him for a boat ride around the bay, just the two
of them on a forty-foot luxury catamaran, she found her missing
smile and accepted. A good dose of sunshine and smoldering Chase
Wild had to be a good thing.

Sunday,
mid-morning, they arrived at the marina and boarded
Free and Breezy
.

“
You own this
rig?” she asked, feeling all Nicky Hilton as he helped her on
board.

“
It belongs
to a wealthy patron. This is a tugboat compared to his real yacht.
Harry and I have enjoyed many a conversation about the property
markets. I swear he owns half of California,” Chase said as he
retrieved a massive rope from a pylon. “He’s been overseas in Asia
for months, putting together a squillion dollar deal. He said if
ever I felt the urge to warm up the motors, be his
guest.”

Set out on the
galley table inside the cabin, champagne was chilling in an ice
bucket. Heaps of gauges and shiny knobs waited down the front.
Looked mega complicated.

“
You sure you
know how to drive this bus?” she asked.

“
Dad had a
runabout. I got my license soon as I was old enough. I’ve only
taken this baby out twice before, but I love the sense of freedom,
the feel of salt air pushing against my face.”

She moved
outside. Hanging over a rail, she tilted her nose up at that big
blue expanse and breathed in the scent of early Fall.

“
You should
definitely do this more often.”

He grabbed her
hand and tugged. “Maybe I will.”

They took a
set of exterior steps to the second story—the fly bridge—which
housed another set of controls. After they took their seats—(he
took up position behind the wheel while she rode shotgun)—he turned
a key and throbbing engines kicked in.

The day was
warm with no sign of fog. Across the water, she admired the orange
vermillion towers and yawning stretch of the Golden Gate Bridge.
But after these days and nights away, Sammy was more inclined to
admire this vessel’s captain. Resting on the wheel, Chase’s hands
were big, bronzed and confident. Her stomach fluttered thinking
about trailing her fingertips over the strip where smooth hand met
the hair on his wrist.

In a
short-sleeved button-down shirt, his chest looked even
broader—deeper. His jaw jutted slightly while a hint of a smile
tugged at his lips. His gaze was set on the sun-jewelled water and
the adventure ahead—which would no doubt include an encounter of
the sexual kind. She guessed there was at least one bedroom
downstairs. She flushed wondering when he might introduce her to
it.

When they were
clear of the marina, he squinted at the glare reflecting off the
water. He needed a hat—which reminded Sammy of his baseball cap.
Some things were pretty much irreplaceable.

He upped the
speed and pitched his voice over the engine noise.

“
Heard from
your friends this week?” He flashed over a smile. “I’m still
grinning at the way your dance brought that house down.”

She confessed,
“I’ve seen way better dances than mine.”

“
I only know
that tongues were dragging on the floor.”

“
Were you
jealous?”

He hesitated.
“A little.”

Sammy didn’t
condone jealousy, but she wasn’t offended that Chase felt a touch
possessive.

Remembering
the moves she had made that night, the adrenaline charge she had
owned on that stage, she sat straighter. “I had fun.”

“
I had even
more fun afterward.”

She caught him
looking at her and read his expression. He was glad she seemed to
be over the hump of that audition rejection earlier in the week.
She was glad, too. And she wasn’t. Thing was...she had a plan. And
she was good with it, even though there would need to be a few
adjustments in her life. Major ones.