Jake couldn’t help himself, he smirked. “Yeah, we’ve met.”
The pop princess’s lips pursed and she pulled her long, blonde hair over one shoulder, avoiding his gaze. Clearly, she wasn’t pleased with his comment or with his presence.
Not wanting to screw this up, Jake forced a respectful smile onto his lips as he held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Ross.”
She stared right into his eyes like she was trying to tell him that she didn’t want him there and that he was wasting her time. Annoyed by her arrogance, he withdrew his ignored hand.
Beth cleared her throat. “So, Scotty Moore hired you?”
Glad for an excuse to pretend he wasn’t being scrutinized by the pop princess, Jake shifted his attention to Beth. “That’s my understanding.” At least, that was what Tyler had said when Jake had told him that the pop princess had had no clue that a bodyguard would be coming.
Beth nodded, then glanced at Chloe before turning back to him. “Ms. Ross has work to do, so I’ll show you around.”
Jake shifted his attention to Ms. Ross—it felt strange to call her that when she was several years younger than him, but he knew his place. “Again, nice to meet you.”
Cooly meeting his gaze, she frowned, then spun on her heel and stalked back toward the front door. Jake watched her every step, and once she was safely inside, he turned to look at Beth, who was watching him.
“Maybe I shouldn’t say this,” she began, “but I’m sorry about the way she treated you.”
“Why shouldn’t you say it?”
Laughing with a tone of discomfort, she said, “Because she’s my boss. And my best friend.”
Jake slowly nodded. “Uh-huh.” Tempted to ask what Ms. Ross’s problem was, he kept his mouth closed. It wasn’t his place to ask. Besides, he’d already made his judgement—spoiled, rich, and famous, Chloe Ross was a pop princess who believed the world revolved around her. Why should he expect her to show him any respect?
Schooling his expression, he reminded himself that he was the hired help, that’s all. He needed to focus on the job he was hired to do and not care what the pop princess thought about him.
Beth smiled. “Let me give you that tour.”
Chloe couldn’t help it. When she heard Beth talking to the bodyguard—Jake something or other—she strained to hear what they were saying. She was working in her music room, the door open a few inches, and at the sound of his deep voice—it sounded like he was asking a question—she couldn’t stop herself from picturing his face. Like Beth said, he was hot. But who cared?
After her last break-up, one in which she’d been publicly humiliated by the jerk she’d thought she was falling in love with, she’d come to realize that she needed to be more choosy in who she dated, to be more cautious about the man’s motives. The only good thing that had come from that awful break-up had been fodder for her latest album. Sadly, getting her heart torn out of her chest and stomped on was a sure-fire recipe for a hit song.
“This is Ms. Ross’s main workspace,” Chloe heard Beth say in a low voice just outside the door. “It’s her music room.”
Were they going to come in? Moments later the sound of footsteps walking away filled the air. Breathing a sigh of relief—and maybe a little disappointment—Chloe turned her attention back to the song she was composing.
Chapter Four
“This is where you’ll stay,” Beth said to Jake as he walked beside her toward the four car garage, motioning to the apartment above the structure.
Jake lifted his gaze to the windows that fronted the building, then followed Beth up sturdy stairs that led to a door at the top. Beth unlocked the door, then opened it before stepping back and sweeping her arm toward the interior.
Jake stepped past her and went inside.
“You should have everything you need,” she said.
A large couch took up a good portion of the wall in the spacious living room, and a huge TV hung on the wall across from it. The living room was open to a beautifully updated kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances. A cozy dining area was nearby. Jake walked through the living room to check out the bedroom. Fully furnished, it was spacious too, with a well-appointed bathroom attached.
This would be the nicest place he had ever lived. Nicer than his apartment in LA, which, despite being a live-in bodyguard, he’d decided to hang on to. The rent was reasonable and he liked the location so hadn’t seen a reason to end his lease.
He went back into the living room where Beth waited. “Who lived here before?”
Beth shrugged. “Ms. Ross only moved to this house a few months ago, so no one’s lived here yet.” She paused a moment. “I’ll let you settle in.”
Jake nodded. “Thanks for the tour.”
With a final smile, she turned and left.
After the door closed, Jake looked out the windows to inspect the sight-lines. From here he could see the pop princess’s front door. Good. Easier to keep an eye on who came and went when he was off-duty. For now though, he had other things to do.
He left the apartment and went back into the house, heading toward the music room to see if the pop princess was still there. When he reached it, he stopped outside the slightly open door. The sound of a guitar being strummed reached his ears. He stood there a moment, listening. Not a fan of pop music—his genre of choice was classic rock—he’d never heard the pop princess’s music.
The melodic sound of her singing filled the air, and as she sang, Jake found himself caught up in the song. She stopped, re-sang a verse, stopped again, sang again. Clearly working, she sang with a lack of self-consciousness that he admired. Then again, she thought she was alone. Embarrassed to realize he was eavesdropping, Jake quietly walked away, focusing his attention on places in the house where security could be improved.
An hour later, while he was walking the perimeter of the property, Beth approached.
“Ms. Ross would like to speak with you,” she said. “She’s in her office.” She paused. “Do you need me to show you where that is?”
Jake shook his head. That was one thing he had no trouble with—remembering the layout of places. “I remember.”
Beth nodded. “Good.” She smiled, then turned and walked away.
Jake strode toward the house and went inside, but as he approached the pop princess’s office, a sense of nervousness swept over him. Momentarily caught off guard by the feeling he rarely had, he frowned, but he knew what was at the root of it. He needed this job, had to make this work, and since the pop princess had made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t happy about his presence, everything felt uncertain.
Quietly sighing, he knocked on the closed door, then stood there waiting outside like a servant, which he guessed he kind of was.
Ten seconds passed, then twenty. Was she in there? He lifted his fist to knock again when a voice called out, “Come in.”
Irritated by the power play, Jake swallowed his pride and opened the door.
There she sat, completely ignoring him like he was a nuisance she wanted to pretend didn’t exist. Jake cleared his throat. She looked up with a frown then glanced at the chair on the other side of her desk. Settling into the chair, he kept his shoulders back and his gaze steady on hers.