Pierce
Feeling a little silly, Pierce adjusted the collar of his tailored suit with unhappy fingers. He looked in the mirror again for the millionth time, making sure the suit covered up his most recognizable tattoos. Though he wasn’t sure his own mother would be able to recognize him after Felice and her mother got through with him. They dyed his hair from dark brown to black and buzzed it down to almost nothing on the sides. The top they left about an inch long, making his head feel incredibly naked. Then they got him a few minutes in a tanning booth (which was a few too many minutes for him) and got him brand new clothing that was cut so close to his body that he had to wiggle to get into them.
In the mirror, he looked amazing with his killer shades and sweet clothing, but he still felt incredibly uncomfortable. Knowing he was going to be on TV made it worse; what if someone recognized something about him on the show? He felt like he was walking around with a target on his head. It made him jumpy.
Felice came into his room, her eyes running over him with satisfaction. She put her fingers between her lips and wolf whistled, something only Felice could make sexy. Her appreciative gaze made his stomach twist up with desire, his eyes running over her just as warmly.
Half of him felt incredibly lucky to have stumbled into the life of such a beautiful woman, and the other half was berating himself for ever thinking this was a good idea. How did Dolores talk him into this again?
“You look amazing; I knew you would clean up well.”
“Thanks,” Pierce said, trying to keep his discomfort at this whole plan to himself.
But somehow she knew. “Don’t be nervous; you don’t have any lines. All you have to do is stand there and look mean.”
Pierce made a grumpy face at her, crossing his muscled arms over his chest.
Running her emerald gaze over the length of him, she chuckled. “No, just a little meaner.”
Pierce sneered a little harder, stood a little taller. And he was rewarded with a big smile on Felice’s beautiful face.
“Damn, this woman is trouble.”
“See, you’re a natural at this.” Felice reached out a hand to him, then quickly took it back, like she was having to fight not to touch him.
That thought sent fire through his blood.
“We’re doing an interview, so all we need is for you to be tough and a little overprotective. Make it seem like I’m something precious to you that you are guarding with your life. Don’t say anything. These TMZ guys are like piranha fish; if you say a single word, they’ll find a way to twist it. We’re going to make up some story about a break in or something as an excuse for why I suddenly need a bodyguard.” Felice had a paper rolled up under her arm, and she took it out to bang it on the table a few times. It made a hollow thump thump thump sound as she pondered his appearance. “I know what you need!” she said snapping her fingers and throwing the newspaper to the table of his dressing room. “An earpiece. Let me see what I can find for you.”
Felice left, and Pierce heaved a sigh. “This is going to be harder than I thought,” he whispered out loud to himself. Every inch of that woman turned him on, and every inch of him wanted to touch every one of those inches. But he shouldn’t be here.
Glancing down, Pierce caught an eyeful of the photo on the front page that Felice had been carrying around. The photo was huge, in color, and on the front of the entertainment section. The picture was of two, attractive, smiling young people, hand in hand, dressed to the nines. The young man was a redhead with pale skin and a handsomely chiseled face. The girl looked like she could have been a model out of any magazine, her lithe figure wrapped in a sparkling gown that drew the eye. But the shining dress couldn’t distract Pierce from the words printed in bold above the photo.
CLAY PATTERSON AND FELICE DOMIANO ON THE ROCKS
Patterson seen at the Starlight Gala with new lady. Felice nowhere in sight!
“Clay Patterson, hmm? This is the boy we are trying so hard to make jealous. He doesn’t look like much.” But Pierce turned away from the photo, trying to keep his opinion out of it. It was none of his business, after all.
But he wanted it very much to be his business.
# # #
Felice
“It was a horrible break in. I no longer feel safe being alone.” Felice managed to squeeze a few tears out at those words. “We are doing what we can to recover. Since nothing went missing, we haven’t gotten the police involved, but it just had me a little worried.” She glanced gratefully up a Pierce, her face lighting up to see him standing so close to her. She could feel herself tense a little, thrills running along every single one of her nerves at the sight of that body so close to hers. “Thankfully, I don’t have to be alone anymore.”
The reporter looked a little surprised when Felice turned back to him. “You two seem to have a little more going on than that.”
Felice didn’t have to pretend to blush at that. “Is that so? We are quite good friends.”
“Just friends?” the reporter asked, his tone very suggestive.
“Good friends,” Felice answered, winking a little at him.
“Well, I’m glad you found something to make you feel safer. I’m surprised that with a break in like that, you want to be out in public so soon.”
Felice sat up a little straighter, fire in her emerald eyes. “I may have taken a few extra precautions, but I will never hide away because of a threat or a break in. A Dom never submits.”
The reporter asked a few more questions and made a few more suggestive remarks about Pierce, brushing up against, but never quite asking, if Felice and Pierce were in a relationship. Felice answered the questions with dignity, pretending she didn’t notice the growing chemistry between them.
The interview went well, at least by Dolores’ standards. Clay would probably see the interview in the morning, if Felice knew TMZ. She still felt guilty at manipulating Clay’s emotions for money, but it was what her mother wanted. Why had she made that stupid bet? “I really wish Mother hadn’t insisted on me getting back with Clay. The only thing that could make this worse would be a sobbing phone call from Clay, begging for me back.” Unsure how to feel, Felice and her sexy bodyguard returned to her place.