Guarding The Good Girl.

“We’ve talked about this, Dad. I don’t need a bodyguard.” I huff into the phone, holding it close between my shoulder and ear as I rummage through my belongings for my lip-gloss. “This isn’t up for debate, darling.” Dad snaps through the phone. I knew I shouldn’t have called him. Ringing Father up at five in the morning when he’s all fuzzy with weird ideas is bad for my health. But he holds my life together and I only get to talk to him once a day before he’s swamped with his presidential activities and appointments. My mother died from third-stage terminal cancer and it’s been the both of us since I was seven. When he told me he was running for the presidential election, I wasn’t pleased. All my life, I hated the cameras and paparazzi that comes with fame. I’d rather live under the radar than be the big-shot everyone’s too jobless to talk about. But I wanted him to be happy so I encouraged him to go for it, hoping he’d lose but somehow fate threw us in for a loop and he emerged victorious. Now I’m the sore loser. “Heck. Where’s my gloss?” I mumble to myself, digging deeper into my seemingly bottomless bag. “Top drawer, darling.” I roll my eyes, only because Dad isn’t here to see it. He chuckles at my silence as I saunter over to the wardrobe and take out my lip gloss. “It’s creepy when you do that, considering you’re a man.” “No, what’s creepy is that my precious daughter’s got a mean stalker on her heels and she’s so unconcerned about it.” His tone is laced with worry. I’d probably be the same way if this was directed at him but he’s got huge hunks watching over him every bloody second and a stalker for me just seems strange. If anyone should be stalked, it’s Dad. He’d gotten a few threat letters over the past month he’d been elected, and some of them went from desperate – like ladies wanting to alert the public that he had an illegitimate child somewhere unless he paid some humongous amount of cash into some account – to jealous men who promised he wouldn’t see the light of day if he didn’t step down as President. Even tried assassinating him when he took a trip to Tokyo on vacation. You should see the way the tabloids carried the story for months. It’s actually kind of nauseating, because don’t people have better things to do than gossip all day? They just sit back and monitor his every move, listening to his every word and follow him around like lost puppies with no brain. I’ve seen the prettiest of ladies fool themselves while around him and I’ve witnessed his receptionist try seduce him. With a sigh, I apply fresh lip-gloss to my lips. “Okay, I’ll meet up with someone if that’ll make you happy.” I give in easily because there isn’t much of a choice at this point. Fighting Dad on something he wants is like fighting a brick wall. Moreover, he had the interest of my safety in mind so it’s better to spend my energy elsewhere. I grab my back and head out of the room, flipping the lock back in place and turn, hitting a concrete wall of a man. “Oww!” “Good, he’s there already,” I hear Dad say as my eyes travel upwards. Up and up, until my eyes finally land on a hard face with a chiseled jaw. I push a few strands of hair that’d strayed to my eyes at the abrupt contact, trying to get a better look at him. Christ, he’s hot in that oh-my-god-please-f**k-me way. Wait, where did that thought come from? It’s then I realize he’s got his hands locked on my shoulders, holding me in place. I would have landed so hard on my arse that I bet I wouldn’t be able to sit up straight ever again but he’s grabbed me. My body grinds against his, and I swallow hard when his nostrils flare as he breathes me in. He releases me and one hand goes to the glasses on my face, fixing them. “Um…Dad there’s a sexy bloke here.” I whisper into the phone like the man in front of me can’t hear me. He has the words ‘Sawyer’ on his breast pocket. I watch as he retraces two steps back away from me. “Is he big?” My Dad asks, seeming to have perked up at my words. “Big is putting it mildly. He’s f*****g huge!” The man furrows his brows as he gives me a once over. I’m short compared to him, with lots of curves and for the first time in my life I feel self-conscious, wondering if he likes what he’s seeing. I’ve never gotten the male attention and this isn’t news to me nor does it bother me. I always had better things to worry about anyway. Dad had showed me a picture of Mom when she was younger and it’s sad to note that I look nothing like her. She was tall, blonde, and had the darkest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. She was also skinny, sexy as hell and a smooth talker. I’m the complete opposite, tending to blend into the crowd. I actually have no problem with this since I’m a horrible conversationalist. I have this problem of having nothing exciting to say when I’m surrounded with people and it tends to make them think I’m a boring snob. I’ve had Dad shout at me countless times for being dull and no fun. It doesn’t bother me like it seems to everyone else, though. And having the most handsome and biggest man I’ve ever seen stepping back from me, I conclude that just like everyone else he thinks I’m gonna be a bore. “He’s a great guy, from my observations. Down-to-earth too. I don’t think you’ll be having any problems with him watching over you.” I gulp. God, I’d be having so much problems. His body for one. I don’t recall when last I thought a man was hot. Maybe I’m just under the weather but he definitely isn’t that. He’s got a big scar running diagonally across his exposed shirt and his nose looks like it’s been broken several times. He’s got lots of tattoos covering his arms and neck. I wonder if he has more underneath his shirt. My eyes travel down to his bulging biceps and I wonder how his shirt hasn’t bust their seams yet. “Do you have more tattoos?” I ask meekly. “C-Can I see them?” He takes in a sharp breath at this and Dad’s voice reminds me that I’ve still got him on the line. “Don’t get any funny ideas darling. He’s gonna be your bodyguard not your lover. I don’t want to hear that you tried seducing him.” “What? I wouldn’t dream of it Dad! He’s not my type.” I pout. He has no right to make assumptions no matter how true they are. Sawyer clenches his fists, and I regret saying the last bit out loud. I just needed to convince Father that I wasn’t dreaming of having his d**k balls deep inside me. Or fantasizing about licking ice cream off the tattoos on his chest. Gah, I should focus. “Let me talk with him.” Dad demands, his voice monotonous. I hold out the phone to him. For once I’m thankful I don’t have a beautiful sibling to steal this man’s attention. Having an older sister that looks like my mother would be fun, but the idea that she could have caught this man’s fancy, a man I don’t even know, bothers me. That might seem selfish but I can’t be normal. He hit the speakerphone and presses the phone to his ear. “Greetings, Your Excellency.” “Greetings to you too, Mr. Devil. I’m impressed you’ve arrived there already and I want to thank you for handling this job personally and not handing it off to someone inexperienced.” “Your Excellency, the security here is s**t. I got in past the guys you employed to watch over Miss Fayes and they didn’t even notice. The doorman wasn’t even at his duty post.” His eyes meet mine. “Furthermore, your daughter seems to be comfortable with a man she doesn’t even know in her apartment.” He grits his teeth at the last part and I shiver. “Dad, I’ll call you back.” I say as I snatch the phone and disconnect the call before narrowing my eyes at Mr. Giant. He’s beeping red in rage and appears larger than his massive self. “Listen her, Hulk. I was against this bodyguard s**t from the very beginning. If you’re planning to make me look careless and stupid before my Father then you can take your incredible body and services elsewhere. I’m doubly sure I won’t be needing them.” My face warms a little at the word services. He takes two menacing steps towards me, crowding my personal space, a space that ripples with s****l electricity. He tilts his head lower till we’re nose to nose and sneers. “Sorry, chipmunk. Contract’s signed. You’re mine.”