Chapter One
There were benefits to working for Alpha Security, Ben Hollander thought, as he threw the dart at the board in the company game room, nailing the bull’s-eye on the first try.
“Score,” he muttered, smirking at Jared Wilson, the colleague and friend he was playing with.
“Son of a bitch,” the other man said. “At this rate I’m going to be broke.”
Ben shrugged. The guy should know better than to wager with him. Ben was a crack shot at shooting range practice they attended together on occasional weekends.
“I don’t know why you bother playing him,” Ava Talbott, the female bodyguard in their group, said. “He kicks your ass every time.”
“Because I’ve been practicing.” Jared picked up a dart, took aim, and hit right outside the coveted inner circle, groaning at his near miss.
Ava snickered. “Obviously not enough.” She snagged a fry off his plate and walked away. Jared didn’t tear his gaze away from her ass as she left, heading for the table laden with food.
“Enough games. Time to meet up.” The booming voice of their boss, Dan Wilson, echoed through the game room in the offices of Alpha Security.
The trio made their way to the conference room where Dan discussed cases and handed out assignments. They were missing the other members of the staff, Tate Shaw and Austin Rhodes, who were out on assignment.
They filed into the room where Dan had already taken up lead position at the head of the table. When not working, their boss was a big believer in blowing off steam during off hours, hence the game room with the pool table, dart board, and during lunch, an endless supply of eats. Located in the Whitestone area of the Bronx, there was no better bodyguard agency to work for in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
“Okay, kids, time for new assignments,” Dan said.
Ben did his best to hold back a laugh. Dan considered all of his employees his children of sorts, although Jared was the only legitimate child of Dan’s in the room. Still, he’d practically raised Ava from the time she’d been a lost teen whose mother was more interested in drugs than in her only kid. Dan had stepped into the role of parent, and though Jared and Ava had coexisted in the same house, the friction between them now wasn’t that of siblings.
There was sexual tension there, pure and simple. Except it wasn’t, because neither was willing to acknowledge it. At least so far.
“Sit,” Dan directed, pointing to the chairs around the table.
All did as they were told, glancing up at the man who’d brought them into his business and paid them well. Standing before them wearing a pair of black slacks and a white button-down shirt, he was every inch the professional face of the security and bodyguard firm.
Dan began speaking immediately, giving them an update on where each team member was or would be headed. “A lot of our assignments are status quo. Tate’s in L.A. and the assignment was extended. Austin’s tied up with the governor who’s had threats leveled against him.”
“What do you have for us?” Ava asked.
“Slow down, little girl,” he said, using the affectionate endearment that always caused her to cringe—because she was a grown woman now. “I need you to meet with a new client. A mother who’s worried her ex will come after her kid. She wants a female so her daughter isn’t completely freaked out.” He tossed a file Ava’s way. All the preliminary information she needed would be included.
“Consider it done.” Ava tucked her hair behind her ear and began to peruse the papers.
“Jared, you’ve been requested by a repeat client.” He handed the folder to his son. “And that leaves Ben.”
He rolled his shoulders, leaning his elbow on the table. “Let me have it, boss.”
“You might not be so eager when you hear what it is, but keep in mind, we are out of options. Everyone’s on another assignment.” Dan eyed him with a healthy dose of an apology in his gaze followed by his tough-shit look.
The hair on the back of Ben’s neck stood on end. “What’s going on?”
“A little show-and-tell is in order for this assignment,” Dan said, gesturing to the screen behind him. He pulled out his computer and tapped a few keys.
Up popped a photograph of Jade Glow, one of the world’s most popular contemporary recording artists in the world. “Jade Glow needs an opening act for her fall tour and couldn’t decide between two up-and-coming singers. Her solution? To give both women a chance to build their star power while she waits, watches audience reaction, and makes a decision.”
Dan chose his words carefully. He always did. Which was why the words star power stood out like a beacon to Ben. Four years ago, he’d been a security guard on the set of the hit television show of the same name, where he’d met, fucked, and then proceeded to be fucked over by one of the show’s up-and-coming stars.
He’d not only had an ongoing affair with one of the contestants, Summer Michelle, he’d violated his contract by doing so. Someone had turned him in and the producers had made it clear to him—the word had leaked from Summer herself. Ben had lost his job for consorting with the talent, while she’d gone on to tie for runner-up in the show. His current boss knew the whole sordid story, but he believed in second chances, and besides, Ben had come highly recommended from the firm he’d worked for prior to Dan’s. He’d had to take a trial period while he earned his position and proved to his then-bosses he could be trusted to think smart on the job. Be a professional. Keep his dick in his pants. Not get taken in by a pretty face.
Ben’s lesson had been learned the hard way.
“No. Fucking. Way.” Another thing about Dan. He invited his people to speak their mind, which was why Ben had no problem expressing himself now. “If you are telling me I’m now bodyguard to Summer Michelle … that’s a hell no.”
Dan ran a hand over his cropped short salt-and-pepper hair. “I’m not finished with the explanation, although now that you’ve put together who’s involved…” Dan hit a key on the laptop, and Summer’s picture jumped onto the screen alongside a girl he remembered from the show as well, Tawny Renee.
Ben’s visceral reaction to Summer’s photo didn’t bode well for this potential assignment. He hadn’t seen Summer in years, but looking at her was like a punch to the gut and a kick start to his groin at the same time. The publicity photo accentuated her glossy black hair still long, still curling over her shoulders in a glorious silken wave. Her golden-brown eyes stared back at him while her pink lips were glossed in a pretty pout. And he distinctly remembered having those same lips wrapped around his dick while her tongue did her best to make him come.
Damn. How had fate landed her back in his lap?
Okay, bad choice of words, he thought, and cringed.
“You with me?” Dan asked.
Beside them, Jared and Ava were silent, no doubt either enjoying his discomfort or uncomfortable themselves with the situation Ben now found himself in.
“I’m listening,” Ben muttered to Dan.
The older man nodded. “Vague threats have come to Jade Glow’s people regarding picking Summer for the opening act, so Orion Motors, the sponsor of her world tour, wants to hire protection for both women just to be safe.”
“Are you giving me a choice of who I get to protect?” Ben asked. Neither option appealed. Tawny had been a spoiled brat with constant demands, but for some reason, Summer had liked the other girl. The two had been friends. Maybe that should have been Ben’s first clue to steer clear of Summer Michelle.
“No. There’s no choice for you. We’re the best in the business, and Jade’s people want us to look out for Summer since the threats focused solely on her. Unfortunately we have no other bodyguards to offer, at least for the moment, so they hired another firm for Tawny. You going to be okay?”
Since he didn’t have a choice, he nodded.
“Good. Everything else you need to know about the case is in the file,” Dan went on. “Her itinerary is in there as well, so you’ll know where to meet up with her later today. She has a series of events lined up over the next month. You’ll stick close.”
“How close?” Ben asked warily. Some cases involved daytime surveillance only.
“Summer lives on the West Side in a one-bedroom walk-up. No doorman. No protection. So we’re talking twenty-four-seven cover.”
Of course they were. Because why should he catch a break?
They filed out of the room, Ben tense and really pissed at this latest assignment.
“Ben, wait up,” Ava called out to him.
He wasn’t in the mood to talk, but he slowed his step and waited for her to catch up with him.
“Hey,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “Are you okay?” Concern flashed in her gaze and expression.
“I’m fine.”
She eyed him as if she wasn’t quite sure she believed him. “And this assignment? I know it can’t be easy for you. Dan knows it too. He’s just cornered without anyone else to send in your place.”
Ben nodded. “I get it. And I can handle it.”
“I never said you couldn’t. I just know you had feelings for this woman and—”
“And nothing. I’ve been burned and lived to tell the tale. I learned my lesson.” Which Ava knew, since he’d opened up to her in a drunken moment when the team had all been available for a night out.
“Okay. Just know I’m here for you. Call if you need to talk or blow off steam.” She squeezed his arm again and walked away. The people who worked for Dan were a tight-knit group, and Ben valued their friendship.
His job was important to him; it always had been. He took pride in protecting people, be it basic security as he’d done when he was younger and a few years after leaving the police force behind or now with Alpha Security. He wouldn’t betray the people who meant so much to him.
As for Summer? He shook his head, the memory of that time still possessing the power to hurt him. In the tight world of the television show, the staff and talent had been together twenty-four seven. It had been easy for them to sneak away often, and although their time together had been brief, he’d believed they’d had a deeper connection. Something he’d honestly thought could turn into more over time, or else he never would have violated the terms of his contract. Not for a quick lay. Unfortunately she’d betrayed him for reasons he still couldn’t fathom, and it burned in his gut because he should have known better.
Ben had seen his father humiliated and betrayed by his wife, yet Nate had taken his wife back the first time, only to be cuckolded again by Rita with the same man—Nate’s longtime friend and partner. In the end, Nate Hollander had lost a lot more than his pride. He’d lost his business as well. He’d been a broken shell of a man after, that and Ben had sworn never to repeat his father’s mistakes … only to find himself screwed over by a woman.
Summer Michelle had been Ben’s undoing four years ago, but he was determined not only to keep his distance but to make certain that he was the one calling the shots this time around.
* * *
Summer Michelle was living her dream, and how many people were able to say the same? This morning she’d rehearsed with the band the producers put together for her appearances, and now she was working with a stylist. She followed as the woman dragged her past rack after rack of clothing in the New York City showroom. She’d been instructed to choose a wardrobe for a variety of appearances she had coming up, from the opening of a restaurant to performing at a club to morning show appearances. All in conjunction with the competition to be the opening act for the world tour of Jade Glow, pop star extraordinaire.
Summer was a jeans-and-tee-shirt kind of woman, but if the dresses and elaborate designer clothing were any indication, that was about to change, and she had to admit she was extremely excited about the opportunity. She hadn’t had any major appearances since the tour after the television show, Star Power, ended, and she’d been left to her own devices in choosing her clothing.
That had been four years ago, and now at twenty-six years old, she wasn’t used to people telling her what to do or how to dress. But if she wanted the opportunity to open for Jade, she was going to have to learn to play the game.
Starting right now.
“So? Let’s start with the colors that work best on you, yes?” Rose Lafoy, the stylist, asked.
“Black and white,” Summer automatically said, glancing down at her black tee shirt, ripped jeans, and white sneakers.
Rose’s eyes opened wide in horror. “No. Color. We want people to notice you. You need to stand out. You have a beautiful complexion, so let’s bring out the gold in your eyes.” She immediately began to pull warm colors, like reds, golds, and burgundy, and then she went on to explain Summer could also pull off bright blues, aquas, and deeper navy tones, as she layered clothing over her arm from the racks. “These are for daily wear. You can’t run around the city like an average girl who blends in. Not if you want social media presence and coverage.”
Other than Summer’s voice, she was an average girl, but she had to stop thinking that way. She needed to remember to photograph the process, build her Instagram presence, her Snapchat stories, and a million other things she normally ignored so she could get lost in her head and create her music.
At the reminder, she pulled out her iPhone for a selfie with the clothes in the background, put on a playful pout, snapped, chose a filter, typed, “All in a day’s work!” and hit share.
“Jessie, put these in the dressing room,” Rose said to a harried-looking young girl, who hopped to do her bidding.
“Now for the club opening, what about this Chanel?” She chose a light gold beaded gown that appeared to have low cleavage and a high slit along one leg.
“Gorgeous!” Summer exclaimed, all the while wondering how she was going to hold her ample size C’s in that skimpy dress.
“Good. And this Givenchy for the morning show appearance?” She lifted a bold yellow fitted dress that also had Summer pondering where she’d put the girls.
But the woman was a stylist and hopefully knew her business. “Let’s try it!” She kept her excitement high despite her nerves.
She glanced at the time on her cell, wondering when the bodyguard she’d been assigned would appear. She’d been told he’d meet up with her at the stylist’s studio. Thanks to some creepy, semi-threatening emails sent to Jade’s PR firm, someone was fixated on the opening act. On Summer in particular, so the firm had hired protection for both her and Tawny Renee, the other runner-up for the opportunity, just as a precaution.
Summer wasn’t worried about the threat. There were plenty of crazy people out there who wrote nasty letters but didn’t act out their fantasies. Still, in this day and age, you couldn’t take a threat lightly, and Summer appreciated the security. Even if she thought it was unnecessary because she doubted she was the object of anyone’s obsession.
“Come. Let’s go to the sitting area,” Rose said, breaking into her thoughts. “There’s a private fitting room where you can try on the clothes, then come out and show me. Good? Good,” she said without waiting for Summer to reply.
Summer followed her from the large room filled with racks of clothing into a spacious studio area, and then Summer went alone into the small back room to change. For the next thirty minutes, she dutifully performed the equivalent of a fashion show, twirling out into the lounge area to show Rose each outfit.
She donned skirts, dresses, shorts, and jeans, slipped on high-heeled Christian Louboutin heels—gorgeous shoes with red soles that she teetered in because she wore flip-flops in her normal life. Still, she smiled and preened her way out to where Rose and her assistant waited to appraise her, and after a while, the excitement of new clothes and Rose’s elation were contagious. After accumulating a wardrobe of daywear for when the paparazzi caught her out getting Starbucks or traveling to and from the recording studio, it was time for the dressier items for the big events.
“Go. Start with the gold gown. I have to take a call,” Rose called out to her. “I’ll be right back.”
Take your time, Summer thought. She could use a break from being constantly on for the bubbly French woman.
Summer had just stripped out of her last pair of designer-label jeans and sighed as she reached for the gorgeous gown. Knowing her bra wouldn’t work, she pulled it off, unzipped the back, and stepped into the beaded, delicate dress.
Since she couldn’t reach the zipper and needed Rose’s help, she placed one hand on her hip, holding the material in place with the other hand, and pivoted toward the mirror for a first look. Her cleavage spilled out from the low V in front, but not in an inappropriate way. In a take-notice kind of way, for sure, but even she had to admit, she looked good, she thought, excited to show the stylist.
The fitting room was stuffy, so she headed out to wait for Rose in the bigger, airy sitting area. She was still falling out of the unzipped dress, but since it was just Rose and her assistant, her nearly exposed boobs didn’t overly concern her. She’d be tucked in soon enough, and Rose would probably come running with Spanx to hold everything else in place.
She stepped into the main sitting area and stopped short, shocked to find a man standing there, leaning against the wall. Jet-black tousled hair, piercing blue eyes, strong jaw, and full lips she’d once experienced gliding over her body, bringing her to a fevered state of arousal, and kissing her like she’d never been kissed before. In their short time together, Ben Hollander had ruined her for all other men.
She’d never expected to see him again. Not since their affair while she was on Star Power, and his subsequent firing for fraternizing with the talent. He’d ignored her calls and disappeared from her life, never to be heard from again.
Until now. He stood in her dressing room, eyeing her with cool detachment, but as his gaze raked over her body and landed on her nearly exposed breasts, it darkened with a heat she recognized. Because she’d seen his eyes hooded with desire before.
Her nipples hardened, but she had no jacket to grab in order to cover herself, so she folded her arms across her chest and met his steady stare.
She finally found her voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m your new bodyguard. And if how easily I got in here is anything to go by, you desperately need one.”
He’d worked security when she’d known him last. Now he was her bodyguard?
“Seriously? You’re worried about how easily you got in here? I thought the PR people were just being cautious.”
He narrowed his gaze. “I don’t take anything about my job lightly. Not anymore,” he said pointedly.
Direct hit and she winced at the overt reminder of their awkward past.
She never did know for sure how the producers found out about her relationship with Ben, but she if she had to guess, Tawny Renee had tattled. From the minute she and the other girl had met early on during filming of the show, Tawny had buddied up to her, and Summer had thought she was a friend. Until the night Tawny had turned on her, the end result being a girl fight video that had gone viral—Summer trying to get away, Tawny going after her for some imagined slight.
Only later had Summer discovered that Tawny staged the whole thing in an effort to build ratings. Just as she’d hoped, America had tuned in. And voted. She’d increased the rivalry that Summer would have preferred revolved around their voices, not their personalities. Unfortunately, prior to that incident, Summer had trusted her. Enough to fill her in on her time with Ben—because stupidly Summer had thought Tawny was a friend, just as she’d thought she had meant something to Ben, because he had sure meant something to her.
But, as she’d realized later on, the same girl who’d staged a cat fight would have no qualms about turning Summer in for violating the rules about sleeping with people working on set. No doubt she’d hoped they’d let Summer go due to the infraction, leaving Tawny as the front-runner on the show.
At the time, Summer had tried to get Ben’s job back, begged the producers, explaining their affair was mutual. She’d even been willing to sacrifice herself, but they’d opted to make an example of Ben, firing him instead. Summer, they claimed, was too popular—a front-runner even before Tawny’s staged event—to eliminate from the show.
She’d tried to call him and apologize. She’d texted her desire to talk and explain in person. He’d ignored her every attempt. From the tense set of his jaw, she doubted he’d care to hear her explanation even now.
He studied her intently, clearly letting her process the shock of seeing him and accepting his new position in her life.
She analyzed and came to one conclusion. “I really don’t think you being my bodyguard is a good idea. You know, in light of our history.”
“If I can handle it, I’m sure you can. Time has passed. We’re both adults. It’s business.” His cold voice told her exactly where she stood.
“Fine.” If he didn’t mind being around her and protecting her, then she’d make the best of the situation and pretend his icy exterior didn’t hurt her feelings at all.