My Fiancé’s Bodyguard by Ivy Wild

The sun hadlong since set and my original plans of going on a hunger strike faded faster than the battery on a new iPhone. My stomach growled, and I groaned as I pushed off the oversized bed and made my way to the front door of the suite. I pushed it open gingerly, fully expecting Max to be there, but the hallway was empty.

I briefly thought about making a run for it, but quickly realized I had no plan, no money, and no one to help me. As much as I hated to admit it, I was pretty much stuck for the time being. I made my way down the spiral staircase and out to the courtyard.

Tables had been set up and a few guests were dining at them. I looked around for Max, but couldn't seem to find him. A gentle hand on my arm had me jumping, and I turned to see a kind-looking hostess next to me.

"Miss, I'd be happy to show you to your table." She had kind brown eyes and matching brown hair and slightly tanned skin from the eternal summers here. I was instantly jealous of her, her freedom and her carefree life.

"Um, I'm looking for someone," I replied back.

"Do you know his name?"

I thought about whether it would be okay to share Max's name and voted for yes. It was a pretty common name, after all. "Max."

"Oh," the hostess said. "He's in the kitchen. Shall I let him know you're looking for him?"

I smiled. "Actually yes, if you could bring him to my table, that would be perfect."

The hostess nodded and led me over to a seat right by the central fountain. I thanked her as I accepted the menu. I turned my eyes upward first, taking in my surroundings. Even though I was in yet another gilded cage, I could at least appreciate the surroundings. Not just everyone got to dine at the Versace Mansion.

I'd done some googling while I'd laid on top of the bed earlier. The place was the second most visited residence in the US, after the White House. Gianni Versace really had been murdered on the front steps. And the going rate for one of the suites was exorbitant. I couldn't imagine how much Johnny was paying to house me here for however long we were going to be here.

I took my phone out of my pocket to snap a few pictures of the twinkling garden lights against the pretty white tablecloths. An irritated but still quite attractive man came into the frame, and I snapped picture after picture as he walked up to my table.

I smiled at him as I took one last photo of his annoyed disposition before bringing my phone down.

"Having fun?" he asked in a flat tone.

"Too much fun," I replied with a laugh.

He sat down across from me without objection.

"Aren't you worried about me having your photo? Doesn't it prove you're, like, not a vampire or something?"

Max raised his hand up to the waitress and she came over. "We'll do an order of garlic bread for the table," he said and she nodded before hurrying away.

"Very funny," I said as he chuckled at my expense. "You're not going to object to having dinner with me? I thought you were all about not being a good host."

"It's either eat leftovers in the kitchen or eat off your tab. I'm an opportunist," he said, pushing his chair out from the little table and crossing his boot on top of his knee. "Don't confuse it with being a good host."

I took in his appearance and wrinkled my nose. He seemed so out of place in his tactical khakis and tan shirt. At least he'd done the place a favor and ditched his bulletproof vest.

"What?" he asked as I continued to stare at him.

"You're not really dressed to impress," I remarked.

He scoffed at me. "Not all of us can go around wearing skinny jeans and bright pink tops," he said, nodding to my current attire.

"You're just jealous 'cause you don't have the thigh gap to pull off skinny jeans," I joked with him.

"The fucks a thigh gap?"

"Nevermind," I muttered into the glass of water in front of me. "So, where do you plan on taking me?" I asked as the waitress brought over a basket of bread.

"Steak. Medium rare," Max almost barked at her and she nodded before turning to me.

"Grilled Caesar please," I replied.

The woman hurried off, and I turned my attention back to Max. He didn't respond, turning instead to his own phone, and I snapped my fingers across the table.

He looked up and narrowed his eyes at me. "That's pretty sassy of you to do to someone like me, princess," he said.

"Stop calling me that," I huffed.

He chuckled darkly. "Not a fucking chance. Especially now that I know it annoys you."

"I'm as much of a princess as you are a prince," I retorted. "It doesn't bother me. It's just factually inaccurate."

He shook his head. "We ain't the same, princess. Stop trying to pretend that we are."

"What do you know?" I muttered under my breath. I sighed. Maybe inviting him to dine with me was a bad idea. Trying to get him to talk was like pulling teeth.

"More than you give me credit for," he replied in a sad voice.

"Whatever," I said, brushing off his comment. "So, where are you taking me this week?" I asked, switching my tone to upbeat.

"Nowhere."

"Just give in to it, Max," I said, pulling apart a piece of the bread on the table and dipping it into the nearby olive oil tray. "It makes it so much harder when you fight."

He barked out a laugh. "I could say the same thing to you, princess."

"Yeah, but there's a reason for my fighting. Freedom and all that jazz. For you? You already signed yours away." I shoved the piece of bread into my mouth and sighed as I chewed. "Besides," I said with my mouth full. "I'm offering you a chance to experience Miami, apparently fully paid for because I have no money. I thought you were an opportunist?"

He growled and I knew I almost had him. "I'll cut you a deal," I said.

He looked up from his phone to give me an amused smirk. "Oh, we're making deals now, are we?"

"With the devil, yes," I said. "But some things have to be done."

"Who's the opportunist now?" he smirked.

"Shh," I said, holding up my hand. "I'm about to make you an offer you can't refuse."

He raised an eyebrow but I continued.

"You take me out on the town, I don't cry wolf to Johnny, and I'll let you pick one place each day to visit."

He let his head fall back and laughed. "Oh, princess, we really gotta work on your delivery skills. You think that's an offer I can't refuse?"

I gritted my teeth but stayed quiet as the waitress brought over our meals. Max, however, continued to laugh and cause a scene at my expense.

"Fine, I guess you're okay with me going to Johnny, then," I huffed.

Max cut into his steak and pushed a piece of meat into his mouth. I wrinkled my nose at him as he took his time, savoring the flavor and my ridicule.

"I'll agree to your deal," he said, swallowing before reaching for the bottle of wine on the table. He poured himself a glass and looked at me with those intense gray eyes of his. "But, not because I'm scared of you talking. But, because you tried so hard and it's just really pitiful to watch you like this."

"Jeez, don't go all soft on me," I said, shoving a bit of lettuce into my mouth.

"Oh, princess, I can guarantee you, nothing about me is soft."

"I don't rememberhow to get back to my room," I admitted to him at the end of our weird dinner date.

He rolled his eyes and looked highly exasperated with me. "Seriously?"

I gave him an irritated look. "It's a mansion. It's kind of a big place."

"You lived in a mansion," he retorted.

"Um, yeah, but not this one," I replied.

He sighed. "Come on." He started walking towards a spiral staircase that looked slightly familiar. I ran my hands along the texture of the walls and against the placards that decorated our assent.

"Besides, if you don't walk me back to my room, how would you know I wouldn't try to escape."

"Because I know you're looking forward to dragging me around town tomorrow." His voice echoed in the stone cylinder, reverberating deeper inside of me than I'd have liked to admit. "And also, because there are armed guards that roam the exterior of this place. Just in case you got any ideas."

We reached the top of the stairs and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Careful, princess. You've become far too familiar for your own good."

I rolled my eyes at him, but followed him as he started walking down one of the hallways. "You're harmless," I said, mostly trying to convince myself of this fact. Because Max was right. For some reason I felt like I could push him, even though it was clear no one else was afforded that luxury.

He barked out a laugh. "That's the first time anyone's ever said that to me. Not sure if you're yanking my chain or if you're actually stupid."

He stopped and opened the door to my bedroom suite. I stood at the threshold and met his intense gaze.

"If I'm stupid it's because I was denied the opportunity to go to college. All thanks to you."

"Let it go, princess. Girls like you don't need college."

I dug my finger into his pectoral; the muscle didn't budge. "No one needs college. You're right. It's not some essential item like food, water or shelter. But people should be able to learn if they want to."

He pushed me into the room, and I yelped because I hadn't expected him to touch me. He closed the door behind us, and I stood there looking at him, my arms crossed over my chest, my skin still tingling where his hand had been.

"Just give it a rest already and stop causing scenes," he said dismissively before laying down on the sofa.

"And just what the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, irritated by his lack of caring.

"Developing a headache, apparently."

"No one asked you to be here," I said with a huff, sitting down on one of the chairs opposite him.

"You're right. Maldonado's don't ask. They tell. Welcome to the family, princess. Get used to doing what you're told."

I leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. The intricate gold painting a reminder that no matter where I went, I was still very much in a cage.

"Yeah," I said. "Thanks for committing me to this life."

"It's not my fault you decided to stay within a twenty-mile radius of the city, princess. Better that I found you than another one of Johnny's guys."

I frowned. "I'm a twenty-two-year-old girl with no money or connections to my name. What the hell was I supposed to do? Where else could I have gone?"

He was quiet for a minute. "Doesn't matter now, does it," he finally said.

I grabbed the pillow behind my back and threw it at him. He must not have expected it, because it landed square on his face. He pushed it to the floor and sat up, glaring at me. "The fuck was that for?"

"You and all your shit!" I yelled at him.

He just shook his head at me and laid back down on the sofa, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

He pissed me off. He really pissed me off with his whole "don't give a fuck" attitude.

"Would you do me the courtesy of fucking responding to what I said?" I huffed at him, the anger inside of me starting to bubble over.

He didn't look at me. "You talk about courtesy after throwing things at me?"

I got up and made my way to his side of the sitting area. "Look at me!" I demanded. At this point, I didn't even know why I wanted his attention. I just hated the fact that he was refusing to give it to me.

He continued to look at his phone.

So, I reached forward and snatched it from his hands, throwing it to the other side of the room to land with a soft thud on the tiger-print loveseat.

Apparently that was his limit, because within an instant, he was no longer laying on the sofa. I was. And I was very much caged beneath his hulking form.

Looking up, I couldn't see the bars of the gilded cage on the ceiling anymore.

All I could see was him.

"Just what are you trying to do here, hmm?” he asked me in a low voice. It rattled its way through my body and into my chest. "Why are you continuing to egg me on? It's not good for either of us. I don't need to tell you why." The hum of his voice wrapped around my heart and squeezed.

"What are you trying to do?" I asked him in a breathy voice, turning the question back around on him.

His hardened body was inches from mine, and I wanted nothing more than to feel the weight of him on top of me. But, he held himself at bay.

"Survive. Listen. Learn. You're making all three rather difficult."

"I'm sorry," I replied quietly.

"No, you're not," he said, pulling back from me suddenly. He walked over to the other side of the room and grabbed his phone. He shoved it in his pocket and made his way to the door. "Breakfast will be brought to your room. Meet me in the lobby when you're ready to go out."

He didn't say anything else and he didn't let me, either. Within seconds, the door clicked and I found myself alone in the still of the room.

Without his presence there, the golden bars came back into view.