The Bodyguard

Chapter 4: Kidnapped

What in the actual f**k is Adam talking about? He’s the bastard who sent me here! Suddenly, Warren joins me and becomes immediately aware of the expression on my face.

“What’s wrong?”

“It seems that Adam decided to be a guest on the Matt Murphy Show with Olivia Banks.”

“The gossip show?” Warren stares at the screen for a moment before silently taking a seat next to me. “He looks so emotional.”

“He sure does a hell of a job faking.” We focus on the talk show. Olivia: “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, Mr. Lexington.

Adam: “This is all my fault. The re-election has put me on the spot, and my wife was targeted as a consequence. She shouldn’t have to pay for the choice I made.”

Olivia: “Mr. Lexington, there’s nothing you should regret about putting your life on hold for our country. No one can fault you for something like this!”

Adam: “But I blame myself! I thought I was doing everything I could to protect her. I took every measure I could think of and spent so much money to make sure of her safety. It clearly wasn’t enough.”

Olivia: “Enough??? Mr. Lexington, I think we can all fully agree that your wife is one lucky woman. I’m sure she’d run straight into your arms if she was watching this right now.” Olivia leans forward and gives Adam’s hand a gentle squeeze, and he in return gives her a sly smile. When she remembers she’s on TV, she clears her throat. “Our time is up. Do you have anything to say for her kidnappers?”

Adam: “I do.” He faces the camera and straightens his shoulders. “Please whoever you are, I’m begging you to give her back to me. For her safe return, I am offering an award of 3 million dollars. 200,000 for anyone with information on my wife’s location. Help bring her home safely.” His voice breaks as he dips his head down into his hands. “I just want her back.”

Olivia: “You heard the man! If you know anything, don’t hesitate to call the number located at the bottom of the screen! Thank you and have a good night.” As soon as they went to commercial, my mouth dropped open.

Did that bastard really offer my own money as a reward?! I shake my head, completely shocked by what I just watched. But if he’s telling the world I’ve been kidnapped then… I move away from Warren suspiciously. What if he’s not who I think he is? What if…

“Don’t.” Warren said, scowling.

“Don’t what?”

“I know what you’re thinking, and don’t even go there! Your husband knows exactly where we are. I’ve been updating him every 5 hours.”

“Can you prove that?” He nods and pulls out his phone. He dials Adam’s number and presses the speakerphone button. It rings 4 times before going to voicemail. Warren shrugs. “He barely answers. He usually sends a text during the day at some point saying he got the call.”

“That doesn’t sound like him.”

“I’m not a kidnapper Charlotte, Jesus.” He sounded really offended and hurt.

I took his hands and forced him to look at me. “I believe you.”

He smiled. “Good.”

“Why would he lie? What does he gain from that?”

“Probably to confuse whoever is behind the threats. If they think you’ve been kidnapped then maybe they’re not looking hard enouhgh.

“Maybe.” Something still doesn’t make sense.

My phone rings, startling us both. I get it out of my pocket but he takes it from me. “Hey! Give it back!”

“Why do you have this here?”

“What century are you living in? It’s my phone!”

“Do you not understand what’s going on? Someone is trying to kill you! No one can know where you are!”

“And how would they? I haven’t told anyone.”

“Have you been in contact with anyone?” I feel my face pale. s**t. “My best friend Hannah texted, asking if I was okay. I couldn’t ignore her, Warren.”

“Charlotte…”

“Look, I’m sorry but Hannah is really important to me.”

“Important enough for you to be dumb? Anyone could have tracked your location!”

“How the hell was I supposed to know that? I’m not an FBI agent.” I open my mouth to say something else, but his hand suddenly covers it. I push him away and glare at him.

“Excuse me?! You can’t just shut me up when I’m talking to you!”

He ignores me, and it’s only then I realize he’s reading my messages with Hannah. My eyes widen when I remember our conversation about him yesterday. “Warren, stop! Seriously, give it back!”

He doesn’t respond. I reach for my phone and somehow end up with my arms pinned behind me. How did he do that so quickly? And with only one hand? Am I really that easy to detain? “Let go of me!”

“She says she’s worried about you and wants to know if your gorgeous bodyguard is the one who kidnapped you.” He looks at me shortly with a curious look on his face. “You think I’m gorgeous?”

“Yes. So what?” He opens his mouth to say something but his eyes go back to my phone.

“And she’s wondering if you’ve slept with me yet?” He looks at me weirdly.

“She must’ve texted the wrong number. I have no idea why she’d ask something like that.” I squirm and try to get out of his hold.

“The more you move, the tighter I’ll hold you.”

I suppose that doesn’t sound too bad. “She also says yes…”

“You can stop now!” He looks at the phone like he misread the message. Dread comes over me. Why, Hannah?

“She said it saves money to shower together because it saves water.” Please stop. “What does pics or it didn’t happen mean?”

“You can’t just look at my messages!”

“Yes I can. I have to make sure you don’t reveal any information.”

“I would never tell anyone. Do you really think I’m that stupid?”

“Never be too careful. Even the smallest thing can lead to someone finding you.”

“This is ridiculous. Why can’t you take my word and trust me?” He scrolls up further, ignoring me. I watch with horror as his face goes from confused to shock. Oh, s**t. “You can stop now. Clearly nothing has been shared. If you’d just give it back…”

“You’ve been discussing my package with your best friend?” he raises an eyebrow. “Wait, have you seen my package?”

“No, I haven’t seen your pack.. Why are we still talking about this?!?” he eyes me suspiciously then releases me. “Are you spying on me when I shower?”

“No! Of course not! I wasn’t even the one who brought it up. She was just playing a dumb joke, nothing more.”

“A joke?”

“Yes, a joke! There’s nothing to get worked up.”

“Do I need to lock the door when I’m showering now?”

“You’re just mocking me now.”

“Well, your location hasn’t been compromised so thank you for not telling.”

“See, I told you. You should’ve trusted me instead of invading my privacy.”

“Well, you did say you had a bodyguard. But as long as she can stay quiet about it…”

“She will. I trust her with my life.”

“I don’t like this but we don’t have an option.”

“I’m sorry I got you into this.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” He stands up and walks to the door with my phone still in his hand.

“Wait! What about my phone?”

“I have to get rid of it.” “

What? No you don’t!”

“Yes, I do. Someone could be tracking you.”

“But I need to tell Hannah I’m okay!” He suddenly pulls out my SIM card and snaps it in half. “Warren!” He prevents me from getting my phone. He takes a lighter and the SIM card melts from the flame. He drops it in the trash and breaks my phone in two. What the f**k! I don’t say a word ; instead, I turn my back to him.

“This is for the best Charlotte. I’m not doing this to hurt you.”

I ignore him and walk away without looking back. How could he do this to me? He has no idea what could’ve been on my phone. What if I don’t have anything backed up to iCloud??? Call me nuts but being detached from the world is out of my comfort zone. Suddenly, my stomach growls with hunger. Looking at the clock, I realize it’s past noon. I open the cupboard and see the cereal boxes.

“I can make us lunch.”

I jump, my heart pounding in my chest. “What the hell is wrong with you?! Don’t sneak up on me when I’m mad at you!”

“When you’re mad?”

“Yes. I’m not happy with you, so go away.”

“So...You don’t want me to make you lunch?”

My stomach growls again. “I never said that. I simply told you to go away.”

He laughs. “How does Honey Chicken Stir Fry sound?”

“Never heard of it.”

“Trust me, it’s good.”

“Really.” I see him fully grinning at me. He’s incredibly handsome, especially with that smile of his.

“Still mad?”

“What you did wasn’t okay. You know that, right?”

He sighs. “Maybe I overreacted a little too much. I’m only trying to keep you safe Charlotte.”

“I get that, but there’s better ways to do that. You didn’t have to destroy my phone and burn the pieces in front of me.”

“That was harsh, I know. Let me make it up to you? I’ll make you my specialty and tell me afterwards if your still angry.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“I can’t let anything bad happen to you Charlotte. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I know why you’re mad...I wish I knew how to fix this.” He’s apologizing. I’ll make him sweat a bit.

“Sorry, but it’s not good enough.”

“Really?”

“You think cooking is going to make me forgive you so easily?”

“It was worth a shot, don’t you think? But I’m truly sorry for upsetting you.”

I sigh. “Well I wish you were wrong, but somehow you figured it out. Food is the true way to my heart.”

A huge sigh of relief came across his face. He turns around and begins to get the ingredients out of the fridge.

“Oh, and Warren?”

“Yeah?” I walked over and kissed him softly on his cheek. “Thanks for looking out for me.” His cheeks turn red as he appears to be lost for words. “I’ll get out of your way. Just let me know when it’s ready.” I brush past him, walking towards the living room. This kind of speechless Warren is one I’d love to see more often.

*One hour later: “Where did you learn to make this? It tastes amazing!”

“When you’ve lived alone as much as I have, you learn how to cook good meals.”

“I almost envy you. When I grew up, my parents had chefs preparing our meals or we would dine out at fancy restaurants. The food was great, but all I’ve ever learned was how to make basic things.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“It has its perks. I used to love my life, but now I see it’s not the best for me.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Honestly, coming here. There’s something nice about falling asleep with a fire crackling in the other room and preparing our own meals instead of ordering from a menu. I think I’d like living this life.”

“With me?”

“Yes. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Us seeing each other naked accidentally from time to time? I can live with that.”

His eyes pierced mine, showing we both clearly remember the incident. He pushes his chair back, picks up his plate and puts it in the dishwasher. “I forgot I was planning on fixing my motorcycle today.”

“Now? But you said it wasn’t broken?”

“It can be improved some more.” I watched him in shock as he went to the door, opened it and slammed it behind him. I guess he doesn’t understand the concept of jokes.

As I sit thinking about what just happened, a thought occurs to me. He used to live alone a lot. Could it be that he’s just as sexually frustrated as I am? Maybe he got an erection and went away so I wouldn’t notice. If that’s the case, maybe he just needs a small push to cross the boundaries he laid out for us…

I remember my college days and my lap-dance skills. As the plan forms in my head, a smile breaks out across my face. This is going to be so much fun!

One hour later while he is showering, I find and change into my sexiest outfit. It’s skin, silk and more skin. There’s so little fabric that he’d be a fool to turn me down. The bathroom food opens to reveal him shirtless wearing only boxers. My mouth drops open at the strong, defined muscles of his abdomen and chest.

“Charlotte? I thought you were in the living room?” His eyes scan my body with a predatory gaze.

I feel my thighs clench in anticipation. “I wanted to get changed into my pajamas before bed.”

“Your...pajamas?”

Teasing him, I trail my hand along my tightly fit clothing. His eyes follow my every move with clear lust and hunger. “The material is just so soft. I love the way it feels against my skin.”

“It looks soft.”

“How about you touch it so you can see what I mean?”

He takes a step backward, clearly not pleased with my statement. I bite my lips as my gaze flickers between his chest and his eyes.

He seems to be conflicted but allows me to take his hand and pull him over to the bed. “Is that music playing?”

“Yes, do you like it?

” “It almost sounds like music you’d hear at a club.”

“It was too quiet.”

“I suppose.” When we reach the bed, I turn to face him and push him down.

“Whoa, Charlotte. What’s going on?”

“I want to show you something.”

“I don’t think…”

I put a finger to his lips. “Shh… Do you trust me?”

He stays quiet but I can see it in his eyes. He can’t resist me.

I lift my leg up to straddle him, and his eyes widen.

“What are you doing?”

“Something you’ll see I’m very good at.”

He looks confused so I elaborate by moving my hips sensually against him. He freezes then closes his eyes.

I lean in towards his ear and whisper quietly “Have you ever had a lap dance before?”

His breathing picks up the harder I press down against his muscular thighs. My hands roam his broad, naked chest, and I graze my nails along his exposed skin.

“I know you don’t want to cross boundaries...so I won’t kiss you. But you know as well as I do that there’s a connection between us. We both crave human touch, and it’s been too long since either of us were intimate.”

He doesn’t argue and lets me continue. I take his hands and place them on my thighs, and I feel as his fingers tighten around me. I move my body slowly, seductively against him in time with the music.

My fingers weave into his hair, and I hear him let out a low moan of pleasure. I can feel him hardening beneath me, and the sound of my name from his lips only fuels my desire and needs for him.

“Charlotte…” I pressed my lips against his neck and feel his hands travel up the curve of my backside, pulling me closer. His stubble scrapes against my lips, and I imagine how it would feel against other parts of my body. I press myself against him, and the wet droplets trickling down his chest begin to dampen my skin and my clothes. Both of us are breathing heavily.

We’re so caught up in the moment that it takes us a while to notice the song ended. “Was that the last song?”

I don’t answer. Our faces are a hairsbreadth apart, so close the scent of his toothpaste kisses my lips. His eyes search mine, and when they find them, he whispers “Thank you.”

“Thank you?” He nods and shifts uncomfortably underneath me. I glance down at the very appealing arousal he’s trying to hide from me.

“Charlotte…” I lean forward and press my lips firmly against his. He hesitates for a split second, but then begins to return my kiss hungrily, all the second thoughts gone. He slides my body forward until I’m right above his erection.

“Warren…” I gasp at the feeling, and he takes the chance to slip his tongue into my mouth. I’m suddenly slipped over and pinned down on the bed. My legs automatically wrap around him, and I feel his hand grip my thigh and then slide down. The kiss becomes more heated, our tongues perfectly in sync. His teeth gently bite my lower lip before he entirely breaks the kiss.

“Damn it.” We’re both panting, struggling to catch our breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“I shouldn’t...WE shouldn’t have done that.”

My eyes search for a look of guilt, but there is none.” You broke your promise.”

“I know.”

“Why did you kiss me?”

“Sometimes you just have to cheat to win the grand prize.”

A few hours later, I’m still unable to sleep through the night. I’ve woken up countless times, tossing and turning trying to find a comfortable position, but I can’t. I glance down and see Warren sleeping peacefully. His lips are parted slightly, his face relaxed. Suddenly, I hear something.

“Charlotte…” I freeze wondering if I’d spoken out loud. Peering down, I see Warren with his eyes closed still sound asleep.

“Did you say something?” I hear it again.

“Charlotte…”

“Yes?” I watch him curiously, trying to figure out what he’s saying until it becomes clear.

“Charlotte… Charlotte… Charlotte.” He’s moaning my name.