My Fiancé’s Bodyguard by Ivy Wild

“Doris?”I asked as I pushed open the prep kitchen door. She was standing off to the side and the moment she saw me, she dropped the mixing bowl she was holding and ran towards me.

“Oh my lord, Maddie!” She wrapped her arms around me, crushing me in a hug I hadn’t known I needed for the last two weeks. I tried to fight the tears that were threatening to spill out of my eyes, but there was no use. She held me as I began to weep into her shoulder.

When the river finally began to run dry, she patted my back comfortingly. “Come on, dear.” She twisted a bit of my dark hair in her fingers and smiled. “Rebellion suits you.” I gave her something between a hiccup and a smile before I shook my head.

“I can’t keep it this way. Think you can help me?”

I loved Doris. She didn’t ask me questions about what had happened. She didn’t ask me why I couldn’t keep my hair dark. She let me open or close at my own pace. Instead, she just nodded her head, gave me silent support and said, “Come on. Let’s get you fixed up.”

I followed behind her quietly. The halls were empty and I was grateful, because I didn’t want anyone else to see me breaking so clearly down the middle.

I wanted to tell Doris everything that happened, but I was also too scared to. She had played a part in my disappearance and I feared for her safety. My father knew that she and I were close. It would be very easy for him to suspect her. I think that’s what broke my heart the most. Doris and I had a friendship that was, at its heart, built on trust. We trusted and loved one another. But, it was my love for her that had me biting my tongue all the way down the hall. The last thing I wanted to do was to put her in danger.

So, with each step I took down the hallways, the feelings of emptiness and loneliness that had always surrounded me in this house began to wrap themselves around me. I never understood why doing the right thing always hurt so much.

We made it back to my rooms and Doris drew me a bath while I sat on the edge of my bed, looking down at my hands quietly. I didn’t say anything and neither did she. But when the water was ready, she helped me into the oversized clawfoot tub and began to scrub the boxed dye out of my hair.

The waters that had been so crystal clear when I entered started to turn a murky brown as the lie I was so desperately trying to tell the world peeled off of me. I swirled my fingers through the mud-colored water absently before Doris finally spoke.

“You know,” she said. “Failure’s really just an attitude, not an outcome.”

I shook my head against her hands. “Not this time, Doris. There’s no trying again for me.” I didn’t want her putting herself in danger just to reach out to Phil. And for that matter, I didn’t want Phil dragged into my mess again, either.

My fingers continued to swirl through the murky water as more and more of the life I thought I could build outside these walls sloughed off me.

Doris’s fingers stilled and I knew she was going to try and fight with me. I knew she meant well. This attitude shift of mine must have been a huge shock for her, but I didn’t know what else to do. The realization that I'd be accompanying Johnny on a trip was fast setting in and this time, I had no hope of escape.

“It’s no use, Doris,” I said, trying to elevate my voice slightly to make it sound more upbeat.

“Something happened to you out there,” she said, her fingers beginning to work against my scalp again.

“I just learned that I wasn’t meant to live outside these walls,” I replied, trying desperately to convince myself.

“That’s bullshit and you know it!”

“It is what it is, Doris. I don’t have any fight left in me,” I said.

“You sure you don’t have anything to tell me?” she asked.

I shook my head and she sighed.

“Well, when you’re ready my dear,” was all she said before she finished my hair in silence, unable to hear my heartbreaking.

Doris had helpedme pack up a few of my belongings to take with me. The entire night I'd laid awake, staring at the ceiling. I so desperately wanted to leave this house, but certainly not with Johnny.

My situation with Max also completely confused me. He'd come to my room that one time. He'd kissed me like he wanted me. But, when we were alone together in his apartment, he'd shut me out completely.

Kissing your own bodyguard was dangerous. Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner had taught me that. But, kissing the bodyguard of the mob boss you were supposed to marry? That was basically asking both of us to end up in the Charles River.

But still, he'd done it. And so had I.

I didn't know where that left us.

And I had no clue what to expect over the next days, weeks, months. I felt completely blind in this entire situation.

I sighed and closed my eyes and waited for the sun to rise. It was pretty much the only constant I could count on these days.

Despite gettingsome time to myself last night, I'd barely slept. My entire apartment smelled like her and it irritated the fuck out of me. Not because it smelled bad, but because I secretly liked it and found myself sleeping on the fucking couch just to be surrounded by it.

What a pussy I was becoming.

I looked at her as she looked out the jet's window. Johnny and I had ridden to the house to pick her up the next morning in relative silence. He hadn't told me where the fuck we were going or given me any information about the trip. It bothered me, but I guess it didn't really matter. I'd find out soon enough.

I guess I'd been staring too long because Madelyn turned to look at me.

"What?" she bit out.

I shrugged my shoulders and leaned back in the plush leather chair. I had to give Johnny credit, he traveled in style. The new Gulfstream G700 we were cruising in had a bedroom to the back and as soon as we'd taken off, he'd excused himself to get some shut-eye. It was the first time I'd seen the man admit to sleeping.

Mob bosses rarely did. I think they liked to reinforce the idea that they were the things that went bump in the night.

Whatever it was, it was humanizing. And that wasn't a good look on a boss.

I shrugged my shoulders at the little princess and leaned back in my chair, trying to act like she didn't affect me.

She rolled her eyes at my lack of response. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Fuck if I know," I replied truthfully, reaching for the tumbler of whiskey in front of me.

She wrinkled her nose. "Should you really be drinking on the job?"

"This ain't a job, sweetheart. It's a lifestyle."

She gave me a look full of exasperation. "Let me rephrase. Should you really be drinking at eleven in the morning?"

"And this is why I usually drink alone," I muttered into my glass.

"Your life seems sad," she said, obviously goading me.

"It ain't any sadder than yours," I replied, taking another sip from the crystal. I didn't like how accurate her assessment of things was.

"This isn't my life," she mumbled, looking back out the window.

"Someone mind controlling you or some shit?"

She scoffed and turned to meet my gaze. "I wish, but no. What I meant was that this life is not my choosing. It's not my life."

"It may not be your choosing, but it's still your life, princess. Bad shit happens and it may not be fair, but it is your responsibility."

"That's rich coming from you," she all but spat.

"Ain't nothing rich about me. That'd be you."

She made a face and turned back to face the window. "You've got me all wrong and you know it."

"Same could be said for you, princess. Same could be said for you," I said before downing the rest of my drink.

She seemed intent on not looking at me for the rest of the flight. That was fine. I didn't need her distracting me from my goals, yet again. I stood and stretched and made my way towards the back of the plane. Johnny was locked in the bedroom, but there was a seat in front of the door that separated the bedroom from the main cabin.

As I neared it, I could hear faint mumbling between the wall. I took a seat next to the door and pulled out my phone to act like I was playing a game while I tried to listen in.

I could barely make out the words he was saying over the hum of the engines, but I was able to catch some of the conversation.

"...landing in thirty...be in town for a little over a week...like to get the meeting handled as early as possible...need to ensure the shipments are safe..."

"Can I get you anything else before we land?" the stewardess asked and I startled as I looked up at her. I'd forgotten that we weren't the only ones on the plane.

"No," I said quickly, desperately wanting to get back to catching what I could of Johnny's conversation.

"You sure?" The woman was around my age, gorgeous and lacking subtlety. If it were just me and Johnny on the plane, there would have been a high probability that this woman would have sucked my cock in the bathroom by the time we landed.

But, the little princess was curled up in her pout fest at the front of the plane, and it appeared her presence had turned my dick off. At least as far as other women were concerned...

....which in and of itself was disconcerting.

"I'm good, sweetheart," I said to her without meeting her gaze. She moved back to the front of the plane and I tried to tune back into Johnny's conversation.

"...see you at the meeting...work it all out then."

A bit of movement behind the door indicated that Johnny was making his way closer. As expected, Johnny opened the partition and seemed surprised to see me there. I knew I didn't have enough time to change locations, and I wasn't going to try and make myself look guilty.

"Max," he said, adjusting the suit jacket on his somewhat large frame. "Did you need something from me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I stayed relaxed in the seat, still playing a game on my phone.

"No," was all I replied.

"Is there some reason that you're back here then?"

I still didn't look up from my phone. "The princess didn't seem too fond of my company," I responded. "Still don't understand why you brought her anyways. She's just gonna be more work."

"For you, maybe," Johnny replied. "But, this is a good opportunity for her to get to know me."

I shrugged as I tapped the screen to launch another bird at some precariously constructed buildings. The dumb animal snickered, which was far too fitting for our current conversation.

"She's different," Johnny responded.

"How so?"

Johnny paused for a moment, seemingly considering his words. "She potentially has more value than a mere bride."

"I don't see it," I replied as the house on my phone tumbled to the ground and disappeared.

"You wouldn't," Johnny responded, clearly a dig at me.

I clicked my phone off and shoved it back in my pocket. "Whatever," I said. "I'm just here to shoot things that could be a threat."

"And to watch after a princess who is fond of running away," Johnny added.

I rolled my shoulders. "Might put in a request for hazard pay on this one, boss."

Johnny laughed. "Granted." He moved to the front of the plane and I stayed seated. I could see him sit across from Madelyn and try and strike up a conversation. She cowered away from him, but I knew the whole thing was an act. That damn girl wasn't afraid of anyone or anything, and damn if it didn't turn me on.

She'd given me enough lip in 24 hours to make a Kardashian cosmetologist jealous.

I knew she could handle Johnny. Even if the idea of him with her made me sick. I needed to keep my fucking eye on the prize.

Which was not Madelyn Dimes.

The captain announced that we were beginning our landing, and I ignored the request to put on my seatbelt. The idea that a few bounces from rubber on tarmac could injure me was laughable. Within ten minutes Johnny had unsuccessfully tried to have a conversation with the princess, the stewardess had given me exactly three looks from where she was seated, and the plane had touched down wherever the hell we were.

I threw my Oakleys on and moved in front of the group to be the first off the plane. I may not have always liked Johnny, and I may have had my own reasons for being where I was, but I was still charged with his security. Plenty of bosses had been taken out by a stray bullet when landing at a new destination. And even though I knew we were still domestic, considering we hadn't stopped to refuel, I wasn't taking any chances.

The sun blinded me momentarily and the air around me was warm. I looked around to get my bearings and pretty quickly surmised that we were in South Florida. Palm trees stood tall all around us and the sky was clear and too fucking chipper.

Madelyn descended the stairs after me and then Johnny. She stood next to me and looked around.

"Don't get any ideas, princess," I muttered under my breath as Johnny walked forward to meet the car. He didn't do particularly well in heat. "You're my fucking responsibility and I will not have you fucking things up again for me."

"Again?" she scoffed.

"Yes, again," I repeated.

"You say it like you didn't fuck things up for me just the same."

"I'm just doing my job, princess," I said, looking around before putting my hand in the small of her back to walk her forward.

She moved away from me, dodging my touch. "Who's to say I'm not doing mine?"

"Careful what you say and who you say it around. Maldonado's don't take lightly to informants. And whether they're young, pretty or have vaginas doesn't really make a difference in how they're treated." I paused thinking about some unfortunate situations I'd heard about in the past. "In fact, it usually makes things worse."

"I can take care of myself," she bit back.

I chuckled. "And it's my job to make sure you don't. Just give in a little on this."

"You were the one who told me that Johnny was dangerous for me," she let out in a rushed whisper.

"Sometimes my dick does the talking," I muttered back before we both climbed into the stretch Escalade. I never understood why Johnny insisted on these things. They made us a fucking target.

The driver merged onto the highway and the little princess just stared out the window again, completely ignoring me and Johnny.

"Is this your first time in Miami, my dear?" Johnny asked her, confirming my suspicions about where we were.

"This is my first time outside of Massachusetts." She didn't turn to look at Johnny when she gave her reply and I was surprised by his patience. Her voice was timid and it was apparently fooling Johnny.

I pulled my phone out again to try and have something to distract me from the awkwardness that was on full display in front of me.

The fucking birds on my phone snickered again, and Johnny shot me a look full of venom. I clicked the volume down quickly, not wanting to interfere with his sad attempt to flirt with a woman twenty years younger than him.

No, that wasn't right. I definitely wanted to interfere. I was just smarter than that. For once, my dick wasn't doing the talking.

"Well, I've got some business to handle that will have me away for a few days, but once I'm back I'll take you out to a night on the town," Johnny said.

My eyebrow lifted at Johnny's words. We'd just landed. Where the fuck would he be going that would take him away from the city for a few days? Was this the meeting he was referring to on the phone? And what did he expect us to do with the girl in the meantime? Lock her in the hotel?

Madelyn made a sad face and let out a dramatic sigh. "I was sort of hoping to explore." Then she looked at me.

Oh fuck.

"Maybe Max could show me around while you're gone?" she asked sweetly.

No, fucking no!

"That's a wonderful idea," Johnny said as I vividly pictured punching him in the face.

"You're right. It is," I said through gritted teeth. "But, I'm not sure how that's going to work, boss. Considering I'm the only guy here to provide security, and I can't be in two places at once."

Johnny waved his hand, dismissing the very legitimate point I just made. "Nonsense. My security detail is already provided for on my trip. You're free to tour our guest around the city in the meantime."

What the fuck did he mean 'his security detail was already provided for?'" I really needed to get to the bottom of just what the fuck was going on here. And I wasn't going to be able to do that by playing babysitter for the runaway princess.

I tried to come up with another reason for why I should accompany Johnny to his meeting rather than stay behind but came up blank. "Are you sure you don't need me, boss?" It sounded weak even to me.

"I'll be quite safe where I'm headed," Johnny replied. The driver stopped the car and Johnny looked out the window, giving no more thought to our conversation.

Johnny exited the car first, because he seemed to live for making my job difficult. A security detail for him was a status symbol more than anything else. His words, not mine. He basically believed that he was invincible. That no one would dare harm him.

There was a saying about pride and falling.

Except falling down in this world didn't mean getting a scraped knee.

Falling down in this world was pretty final.

I shoved my phone into my pocket and followed Johnny out of the car, climbing past Madelyn. She gave me a smug smile as I moved past her, and I let out a growl, not caring that she knew she was getting on my nerves.

I wasn't used to people not being scared of me. Especially girls in bright pink. She'd learn soon enough that just because I wanted to fuck her didn't mean she shouldn't fear me.