Rumor Has It: A Bad Boy Romantic Comedy (6 page)

The sound of his voice combined with the way his hand rested on my hip made me nervous.

“I really should call Shonda,” I said.

“Worry about it in the morning. Tonight, sleep.”

“I’m too wired. And I hate how weak I am. It was so easy for him to take me. All he had to do was distract you. He knew that I was too stupid and weak to be a threat.”

“You’re not stupid. You could use some training though. I’m going to teach you self-defense and how to use a gun. At the very least, you need to learn the basics. Starting tomorrow, things are going to change. You’re going to learn how to fight and we’re going to come up with a contingency plan. If something like this happens again and you have to flee, you need to have a plan.”

I was skeptical of how valuable I’d be in an emergency.

“If I’m attacked again I’ll probably be as useless as I was today.”

“You’re not useless. What happened today was my fault. I walked right into a trap. I should have seen it coming. When the limo sped away, I thought you were gone forever. I failed you completely. I was sure you were dead. How could I live with myself after-”

I couldn’t stand the talk of death. I leaned into Theo and kissed him. I acted impulsively. It had been a long time since I’d done anything without first running it by my manager, publicist, agent and stylists. It felt good to act without thinking.

Theo’s lips were soft and full, but he felt a bit stiff. I’d caught him by surprise. I could tell he wasn’t expecting me to kiss him. I wasn’t entirely sure he welcomed my kiss. I pulled away from him and cleared my throat.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what-”

Theo pulled me to him and kissed me hard. My lips parted; his tongue darted into my mouth. I met his kiss like a challenge. I bit his lip and pulled at his clothes. I needed to feel his naked body pressed against mine.

Theo pulled back the covers. He pulled my towel free with a quick flick of his wrist. I gasped at the sudden cold as my nude body was exposed to him and the room.

Theo stopped kissing me. He ran his hand down my chest and across my stomach. His fingertips explored the curves of my body slowly.

A shudder passed over me. It had been ages since a man had touched me. My nipples were hard; goose bumps covered my pale skin. When his fingertips passed over my stomach I laughed. I couldn’t help it; I found it ticklish.

Theo smiled, then kissed me again. He moved lower, kissing the nape of my neck, my chest and breasts. I pulled at his shirt blindly. The stirring of an orgasm already threatened to consume me.

The truth was that my contract with Louis made it impossible to hook up with other guys. Well, almost impossible.

Theo rose up before me and pulled off his shirt. Shadows fell over his chest, deepening the curve of his muscles. A large tattoo covered his chest and left bicep. Several images twisted together, along with roman numerals and other symbols. It was hard to make them out in the dark.

I put my hand over the web of tattoos on his chest. His heart beat strongly beneath my hand. Softness passed over Theo’s expression, as if he was suddenly struck by a painful memory. He took my hand away and brought it to his lips. He kissed my fingers and the palm of my hand.

I heard the sound of his boots hitting the floor as he kicked them off. I fumbled with his pants, but managed to unbutton them. I slid my hands beneath the waistband and around to his backside. I grabbed his ass hard and squeezed.

Theo fell on top of me. His body was warm and hard against mine. Our legs tangled together as he kissed me. His hand slid between our bodies, finding purchase between my legs. He rubbed my clit in fast circles.

I broke away from his hungry mouth and cried out. I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to feel him inside me. Theo couldn’t wait any longer either. He spread my legs with his knees. I ran my hands over his strong back as he positioned himself between my legs. He didn’t waste any time. With a quick thrust, he was inside me.

I let out a sharp cry. Once inside me, he paused for a moment. We stared into each other’s eyes as if we couldn’t quite believe this was happening.

The primal desire that drew us together refused to let him pause any longer. He pumped into me quickly. I matched his rhythm naturally. Our bodies moved as if we were performing a forbidden dance.

I wrapped my legs around him as he drilled into me. I moaned with each smooth stroke of his cock inside me.

He groaned deeply. The sound was almost too much for me. I found myself reaching a tipping point. I cried out, practically screaming, as his punishing rhythm reached its peak.

I came moments before Theo. He stayed inside me for a time, spent and exhausted. When he pulled out of me, a shiver shot up my spine. Without the warmth of his body on top of mine, I felt cold and alone.

Resting my head on his chest, I curled my body around his. I watched his big chest rise and fall. Closer now, I could make out his tattoos better. A shield with a skull in the middle stained his skin.

I ran my fingers along the outline of the shield. Below it were numbers. 303. I traced the curve of the skull. Something about its big hollow eyes gave me the chills. I pulled my hand away, resting it on his stomach.

Theo kissed the top of my head and ran his hand along my arm.

“Close your eyes,” he said. “You need sleep.”

I closed my eyes thinking I’d never sleep. I was surprised to find myself drifting off. My sleep was short-lived. I was awoken- minutes, or hours later, it was impossible to tell- by the sound of Theo calling out in his sleep.

“Get down,” he shouted. “No!”

I shook him awake. “Theo?”

He jumped up in bed. He looked bewildered, as if his mind was a million miles away. Slowly, his expression cleared. Sanity returned to his eyes.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”

“But-”

“It’s nothing- just a nightmare.”

He laid back down and pulled me to him. He wrapped his arm around me so tightly that it was hard to get comfortable. Theo held me protectively. Was he afraid something would happen? That my attacker might return? He blamed himself for my kidnapping. He was being silly. It wasn’t his fault.

Had the night’s events triggered bad memories? I looked up at him. Shadows fell over his face, hiding his expression from me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“You scared me. Are you okay?”

He sighed. “I’m fine. Get some rest.”

I squirmed beneath his grip. “You’re squeezing me.”

“Sorry.”

He relaxed enough for me to get comfortable. Sleep wouldn’t come for several hours. When I woke, the sun was up, filling the room with blinding light. I blinked and rubbed my face. Theo sat on the edge of the mattress staring at his hands.

“Theo…?”

Without turning to face me, he said: “You should get dressed. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”

With that, he rose and walked out of the room.

5

Drawn by the smell of coffee, I stumbled into the kitchen. Theo had his back to me. He was pulling several Styrofoam boxes out of a brown paper bag.

“I ordered breakfast,” he said. “There’s not much to eat around here.”

I remembered the empty refrigerator.

“I got you some pancakes, hash, breakfast tacos, biscuits and gravy…”

“Is that all?” I said jokingly.

It was a huge amount of food. More than I could eat alone.

“You need your strength,” he said humorlessly.

He put the food out in front of me then returned to the counter. He stood while eating a breakfast taco. It was odd. Why didn’t he join me at the table? Why was I getting such an icy reception this morning?

I started to dig into the food when I caught the headline of the morning’s paper. I dropped my fork. On the front page was a picture of me from the other day when Theo had abandoned me to the fans in front of my hotel to teach me a lesson.

The photo was heavily photoshopped. The screaming fans had been cropped out of the image. All that remained was my face. My eyes were wild with fear; my hair was a mess of long tendrils and my mascara was smudged.

Above my photo, the headline screamed: ‘Kidnap Horror!’

I opened the paper, flipping through the pages until I got to the story. There was a second photo. This one was of Louis. He looked stoic and handsome, like a soldier returning home from war. I recognized the photo as an unused publicity shot from his new movie.

What the hell was going on?

I skimmed the article.

Disaster befell Hollywood’s hottest couple last night when a deranged homeless man attempted to kidnap the young starlet, Jamie Kelly. Luckily, her beau Louis Huntsmen was there to save her. Single-handedly, he subdued her would-be attacker. He took custody of the man until the police could arrive. We’re told Miss Kelly suffered minor injuries that were treated at the scene.

‘Jamie’s just so grateful for Louis,’
an insider with firsthand knowledge of the couple tells us.
‘He’s her hero. He saved her life. Louis would do anything for Jamie. They’re just so in love. They’re such an inspiration to everyone.’

The source went on to add
: ‘Louis’s been doing a lot of training for his latest movie, Field of Honor. He plays a soldier that returns home from war only to discover his wife has been kidnapped by terrorists with a vendetta against his unit. The movie is set for a summer release. He really got into character for the role. It’s consumed him. So you can imagine how close it hit home when someone tried to kidnap the love of his life.’

The article went on to describe the scene of my attack. The details were all completely wrong.

“What the hell…?” I said. “Have you read this?”

“I have.”

“It’s bullshit.”

“Indeed it is,” he replied drily. He looked nonplussed by the situation.

“Doesn’t it piss you off?”

He shrugged. “It’s just more of your Hollywood PR bullshit.”

“This isn’t Shonda’s doing. She would never…”

Would she? Probably- but this wasn’t her work. This stunk of Louis’s PR team. They’d caught wind of what happened to me and used the opportunity to spin the story and make Louis a hero. They even managed to plug his latest movie multiple times. They were slimy snakes.

“I’m going to kill them. When Shonda finds out about this, she’ll flip her shit. I should have called her last night so she could get ahead of the story. Now it’s out of our control.”

Theo finished his taco, balled the tinfoil up in his fist and threw it into the trash.

“Did I do something to piss you off?” I asked.

“Not a thing,” he replied coldly. “You should eat. We need to get to work developing a new security plan. You’re going to start meeting with Connor every day. He’s going to teach you self-defense. We’re also going to develop a new system of communication. Connor will head that up. I’d also like him to-”

“Wait. Are you turning this all over to Connor? Why can’t you teach me self-defense and everything else?”

“I think it’s best he take over. I trust him completely. We served together in Afghanistan. He’s a good soldier. He’ll take care of you.”

“I don’t understand. Are you quitting?” 

“I’ll continue to check in with Connor to ensure the situation is being handled.”

“I don’t want you to ‘handle the situation.’ I want you to stay. I trust you. I don’t want you to leave.”

I sounded pathetic, but Theo was the only one I trusted with my safety. I took Theo at his word about Connor- I was sure he was good at his job- but I didn’t want to lose Theo.

“I’ll talk to Shonda about my replacement,” he said ignoring me.

“Why are you doing this? Is it because we slept together?” Theo ran a hand over his face and looked away. “You can’t abandon me now. I’m lost without you.” It sounded like a cheesy line from one of my movies, but it was true.

“You should get in contact with Shonda. I’m sure you need to talk to her about this situation with your pretend-boyfriend.”

His words dripped with contempt. Was he jealous? I sensed his feelings were closer to disgust. When outsiders are introduced to the real way Hollywood works, they’re always repulsed. I know I was when I first came to Hollywood. After a while you get used to it. The lifestyle changes you. Compromises you could never imagine yourself making come easily. I wasn’t proud of what I’d become, but it was the only way to adapt to my surroundings. No one gets to be an A-list celebrity without a few skeletons in their closet.

“Stay through the week,” I said, desperate for a compromise. If I could convince Theo to stay on for a few more days, then maybe I could convince him to stay for good. “The transition won’t be easy for Connor. He needs you around to get him up to speed on how things work.”

There wasn’t much to explain. My life was basically nothing but shopping, movie premiers, spa visits, interviews, then more shopping. I was sure Connor was more than capable of handling it. Theo understood this. Still, I hoped he’d give me till the end of the week.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said.

“You failed me last night. You said you’d protect me and you weren’t there. I’m lucky I’m not in some creep’s sex dungeon right now. You owe me.”

Theo looked taken aback. I didn’t believe Theo had failed me. Nothing that happened was his fault, but I knew he blamed himself. I was desperate for him to stay and if I had to prey on his guilt to get my way, then I would.

“Okay,” he said quietly. “I’ll stay. But only until I’ve made sure that the threat is neutralized. Then I have to leave.”

I wasn’t sure why Theo had to leave. I didn’t ask any questions. I was just happy he’d agreed to protect me.

“Good. Now, what?”

“I had my people tear apart your limo driver’s house.”

“Did they find the dungeon he claimed to be building in his basement?”

My skin crawled at the thought. The last letter my stalker sent included pictures of the dungeon. There were chains, knives, and other torture devices. He’d promised to make it my new home.

“No,” Theo said. “The guy’s house didn’t even have a basement, and there was no structure on his property that could house a dungeon.”

“So, he’s not the man who sent the letters?”

“No. He’s still out there.”

“I can’t believe there are two men out their willing to kidnap me.”

I stared at my food, poking it with my fork.

“Actually, I’m not sure there are. We found something interesting. When we checked into the limo driver’s history, I expected to find out that his resume had been fabricated, that the man had specifically taken the job to get close to you. Turns out his references were legit. He’s been a limo driver for years for multiple celebrities. They never had a problem with him.”

“So, he snapped?”

“No. My theory is that he was paid to deliver you to someone. He wasn’t stalking you, he was just the deliveryman.”

“The man who sent me the letters paid the limo driver to kidnap me?”

“Right.”

“Who paid him?”

“That’s the problem. We don’t know.”

“Can’t you trace the money?”

“Your stalker paid the driver in cash. We know because he made a cash deposit into his checking account for fifty thousand dollars three days ago.”

“
Fifty thousand
? That’s all?”

Theo made a face. “Fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money to some people- most people, in fact.” It had been a long time since fifty grand was a lot of money to me, but I took his point.

“Well, of course, but is fifty thousand dollars all my life is worth?”

“No, of course not. But you’d be surprised what people are willing to do for far less money.”

“So you don’t know who gave him the money?”

“We’re looking into his life- his acquaintances, friends, family- but it will take some time. He seemed to be a bit of a recluse, and well, we can’t question him.”

“Why not?”

Then I remembered. The image of his lifeless body lying on the road flashed through my mind. I was suddenly cold all over. My chest felt tight. When I was inside the trunk, I thought I would never escape. I knew it was the end for me. I’d never see the light of day again.

“He’s dead,” Theo said matter-of-factly.

“You seem pleased.”

“He was going to kidnap you. Death is too easy for that piece of shit. He deserved worse. The only thing that makes me sad is that he’s not around to be questioned. I would have liked to interrogate him.”

A flash of anger ignited his eyes. I could imagine Theo beating a confession out of the limo driver. I swallowed hard. Sometimes, it was easy to forget Theo was a soldier. He’d survived a war and been through God knows what else. He did not take threats lightly.

“But it’s not a total bust,” he continued. “We know more today than we did yesterday. Like the fact that your stalker has money.”

“How do you know that?”

“Like I said, fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money to most people. He had the means to pay that amount to the limo driver.”

“And now he’s lost it all,” I said with satisfaction.

“Right. But that was always a risk. He had to know his plan wasn’t full proof. I’m sure he’s seen your security detail. He had to know there was a good chance the driver wouldn’t succeed in kidnapping you. I mean, the guy’s just a driver. There’s nothing in his background that hints at experience in kidnappings, or any other violence. He pissed that money away without a second thought. That means money isn’t a problem for him.”

“So, he’s rich. That doesn’t narrow it down much.”

“Most stalkers aren’t wealthy. If we come up with a list of suspects it could help narrow it down.”

“What about the truck that blocked our way? Was he paid too?”

“No. It turns out that was a one-way street. The limo driver turned down that path because he knew he’d run into a delivery truck. They make multiple stops daily to the restaurants and markets along the streets downtown.”

I chewed on the inside of my mouth. Things didn’t look good. We basically had no leads.

“I need to call Shonda,” I said. Without thinking, I reached for my pocket. Then I remembered: I’d lost my cell phone during the attempted kidnapping. “Shit. My cell phone is in the limo. It slid under the seat when he drove off.”

“I’ll call the cops and see if they’ve recovered it.”

Theo pulled out his cell phone and started to dial.

“Theo,” I said before he got lost in a conversation with the cops. “I never thanked you for what you did last night.” Awkwardly, I realized it sounded as if I was talking about sleeping together. “Thank you for saving me,” I said, clearing my throat.

“That’s my job.”

His words left me cold. Was I nothing more than a professional nuisance to him? I took a bite of pancakes while Theo asked the man on the other end of his call about my cell phone. They tasted cold and soggy. I took a bite of the biscuit just so I’d have something in my stomach. I hadn’t eaten much yesterday and though I wasn’t hungry, I knew I needed to eat something. It was difficult. My nerves were fried. My stomach cramped around the small amount of food in my stomach. I felt full even though I hadn’t really eaten anything.

“You’re sure?” Theo said into the phone. “Nothing? Alright, thanks.”

He hung up. “Your cell phone wasn’t recovered from the scene,” he said to me.

“Where is it?”

“Are you sure you didn’t lose it in the street or somewhere else?”

“I’m positive.”

Theo frowned. “Well, you’d better get in touch with Shonda. I’m sure the two you have a lot to talk about.”

He handed me his cell phone. I dialed her number. The phone barely rang once before Shonda screamed into the phone: “What did you do?”