Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 149137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
After all, he had three acknowledged stalkers. Two women and a man. Those were merely the ones the police were sure about. There were others who were waiting in the wings, waiting for their piece of him. He got too many nasty emails and threats to worry about every single one.
Yet another reason to not get too close to the woman he would hire. But he needed to be able to connect to her. Connection was important. He wanted to feel for her, but then he didn’t have to worry about falling in love. He knew damn well he wasn’t capable of that.
“And the blonde bodyguard is stunning,” Jared continued as salads were placed in front of them. “She’s former Israeli Army. Her credentials are excellent.”
He wasn’t sure about that one. She had the look of an actress. He would bet she’d come out here looking for fortune and fame and fallen back on what she was good at when she needed money. There was nothing wrong with that scenario, but he didn’t want to hire someone who would disappear the minute her agent called with a part.
“Who do you have it narrowed down to?” He’d let Jared run with this. Jared and a couple of the The Reef members he trusted implicitly. They’d done much of the vetting to keep Josh’s name out of it. The woman he hired had to have previous bodyguard training, experience with firearms, and knowledge of security processes.
She also had to be a sexual submissive.
That was important to him. He didn’t want someone who thought it would be fun to try, who’d seen a couple of movies, read some romance bullshit books and thought it would be sexy.
He wanted someone who needed a top to be sexually complete.
And the fact that she would be an employee under a nondisclosure agreement wasn’t bad either.
This time around he would have complete control. He would be her boss, her Dom. He would get what he needed and ensure she was content.
It was probably the best he could ask for. Contentment. Peace.
“You’re meeting with five women this afternoon. The best of the best. I think this is going to work out nicely,” Jared said. “Honestly, I’m hoping it works out for you because I’m thinking about doing something similar.”
That was news. “You breaking the celibacy thing you have going? Because I know a whole bunch of subs who would line up to take care of you.”
Before he’d gone to Dallas to visit his brother, Jared had been a bit of a manwhore. He tore through some subs, but since the incident they didn’t talk about, he’d been quiet, a bit monk-like.
Jared sighed, his shoulders rolling out. “Well, it’s become obvious to me I can’t have the woman I want. I’ve tried calling, sending flowers, texting. She’s no longer interested, but then given the last time I saw her my best friend was about to murder her, I guess I can understand.”
Yep, there was Stubborn Sarah. She was fucking up Jared’s life, and he needed to let go of her. “You know it might be for the best. Civilians…they don’t tend to last long in our world.”
Any woman who dated one of them would be scrutinized on a level most human beings couldn’t accept. Every detail of her body would be up for praise or ridicule—sometimes at the same time. She would be pulled apart, her history laid bare for all to comment on. She would be hated by a large group of “fans” and all because she had the sad fate to fall for a Hollywood star.
Jared nodded, but he seemed to be somewhere else. Likely thinking of her. “Yeah, I know you’re right. But just for a minute I thought I’d found the one who could handle it. She’s the single most confident woman I’ve ever met.”
Then it would be even worse when they tore her down. He didn’t say the words, but he knew Jared was likely thinking the same thing. No one got out of their world whole. There was a hard price to be paid for the glamorous life. He’d started paying it when he was twelve years old.
Hell, maybe he’d started paying it the moment he’d been born.
Jared cleared his throat. “Anyway, like I said, you’re the guinea pig. If it seems to work out for you, maybe I’ll hire a girlfriend.”
He hated how that sounded. “I’m hiring a bodyguard who will also happen to submit to me sexually.”
“A warm blow-up doll, my man.”
He flipped Jared off. He should have known he wouldn’t get out of this without some serious masculine fucking around. “Do you have the contract ready?”
Jared reached down into the backpack he’d carried in for this meeting. “I am always prepared. Well, I’m prepared for other people’s shit. Take a look at this and tell me if I’ve left anything out. You know I could run it by my brother. He’s better at contracts than I am.”