My Fiancé’s Bodyguard by Ivy Wild

I keptquiet as Johnny and I made our way back to the Dimes Estate the next day. I committed myself to not caring about Johnny’s interest in the girl and tried to keep my mask impassive. Tried.

“What’s on your mind?” Johnny asked, reading me like a children’s book.

I tried to keep my cool, responding with a simple, “Nothing.”

Johnny chuckled. “We both know that ain’t true. And I think I have a right to know what the man tasked with my protection is thinking”

I internally grumbled, knowing I wasn’t getting out of this conversation without saying something. “Just a little unclear about all this business at the Dimes Estate, that’s all,” I gruffed.

Johnny shrugged his shoulders. “You’ve never wanted to know the status of my business affairs before. So, why now?”

I stayed quiet for a moment, weighing my response. “In the past, I’ve always had a general understanding of any discussions. I’m totally in the dark here.” I was being honest with him. I had no clue why we were suddenly showing up at the Dimes Estate and so often. Henry Dimes ran a number of businesses across the city. I wasn’t an idiot. I knew that even though his image was gilded, that didn’t mean there wasn’t a bit of tarnish underneath. Success at that level came with rooms full of skeletons.

I also had a vested interest in knowing as much of Johnny’s business as possible. It was the reason I was here, even if I sometimes forgot. I kept my head down and my ears open and generally, I understood enough of what was going on to know whether or not it was important to me or not. But this? Nothing.

“Henry Dimes runs a few—shall we call them, side businesses—that are in need of security details from time to time. We’ve been in discussions about that.”

I nodded my head before Johnny added, “as well as his daughter.”

I could tell Johnny was watching for my response, but knowing I was under scrutiny gave me the extra push I needed to keep my head level.

“His daughter like marriage?” I replied, seemingly without interest. “I thought after your fifth divorce, you’d give it a rest for a while.”

Johnny shrugged. “That depends on options and prices.”

I just nodded.

“Does that sate your curiosity?”

I shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Good,” Johnny responded before we spent the remainder of the car ride in silence.

When we arrived at the house, we were led, not to the study as we had been before, but instead to a dining room set for two people. I looked at the extravagant area and rolled my eyes. An ornate table centered the room, draped in silk cloth and topped with polished silverware. The walls were decorated with rich tapestries and the chandelier looked more crystal-encrusted than a pop star’s stage outfit.

“Johnny,” Henry’s voice boomed as we entered the area from the opposite door.

“Henry!” Johnny responded in an equally boisterous voice. The two men shook hands, each giving the other a fake smile. “To what do I owe such extravagance?” Johnny asked, gesturing to the settings.

“I thought we could discuss business over lunch,” Henry responded, gesturing for Johnny to take a seat.

“I’d be honored,” Johnny responded, sitting where indicated.

“Splendid! Doris!” Henry called and an elderly maid appeared.

“Yessir,” she responded, scurrying out from one of the side doors. She was short with graying hair and a little heavyset, but her smile seemed genuine, if not for Henry. She pushed Henry’s chair in as he took a seat.

“Doris, please go ahead and see to our meal,” he instructed her.

The woman nodded, eyeing me, who remained standing. “Shall I set an extra place, Sir?”

“No, that’s not necessary,” Johnny chimed in before Henry could answer. “He’s quite comfortable standing over there in the corner,” he said in an almost laugh. I gritted my teeth. I didn’t appreciate being the butt of jokes. I was told that meant I had no sense of humor, but the guy who told me that was also missing teeth by the time we parted ways, and I thought that was pretty funny, so what did he know?

Doris nodded. “At least let me whisk him to the kitchen to serve him a bite to eat, then,” she responded.

“I’m not so sure,” Johnny was about to say, but Henry interrupted him.

“That’s a splendid idea, Doris. Besides,” Henry said, leaning towards Johnny. “Some discussions are better kept private.” Johnny nodded his understanding. “Fabulous!” Henry said. “Doris, please arrange for our additional guest to eat in the kitchen.”

“Right this way,” Doris said to me, indicating that I should follow her into the galley. I nodded and fell into line behind the little old woman.

Within seconds of the door closing, the woman turned around and fixed me with an inquisitive stare, as if sizing me up. When she finally spoke, it was not at all what I had expected. “Two rights then down the hallway. Her room is the last door on the left.” She said it with a raised eyebrow, as if she knew something she wasn’t supposed to.

“What do you--?” I began to respond but the woman shushed me.

“You’ll only have roughly an hour, so get going,” she said with a smack to my rear followed by far too large of a grin.

“Yes, ma’am,” I responded, a little perplexed.

If I were a betting man, and I wasn’t, I’d bet that she gave me directions to Madelyn’s room. And my dumb ass started walking there. With each step I took, I told myself to turn around and go back to the kitchen. But I kept on fucking walking to my own goddamn funeral.

God, some days I was such a moron. It was probably the reason that after five years, I still hadn’t accomplished what I’d set out to do when I joined the Maldonado Family and instead found myself deeper and deeper in a world where I didn’t belong.

I arrived at the door in question and knocked.

“Coming,” Madelyn’s voice responded from the other side.

When she opened the door, she gasped, clearly not expecting to see me. “Max?” she asked, stepping a bit past me to look in the hallway to see if anyone was behind me. “What are you doing here?”

“Some old woman directed me here,” I responded honestly, taking in my surroundings. I pushed past her into her room, and she huffed but closed the door. I did hope she hadn’t been allowed to decorate the room herself, because the entire place was covered with pink ruffles in various shapes and patterns.

“Not my doing. But I do like pink,” she added, referring to the simple pink tee and jeans she was wearing. My lip quirked up but I just nodded.

She gestured to the small table in the corner of the room, and I took a seat.

“So, you must have figured she was sending you to my room,” Madelyn said a bit hesitantly, taking a seat herself. “And you actually came.” It was more of a question than a statement.

“I guess that means you’re not the only idiot in the room,” I gruffed. Her eyes widened in genuine shock, and I couldn’t stop the laugh that left my lips. “You’re so easy to rile up, you know that?”

“Is that what you came here to do? To rile me up?” she huffed.

I shrugged. “I dunno, maybe? Can’t think of anything else worth my time or quite as amusing.”

“Well, if that’s how you’re going to be, then you can just leave,” she said haughtily, standing up and walking by me, intent on showing me the door. My brain had obviously switched off because my hand reached out for her, and I pulled her into my lap.

She gasped as she fell into me, and I caught her easily. My hands moved, placing themselves on the girl’s hips, pinning her further into me. “You said I intrigued you.”

She gulped but nodded her head. From this close, I could smell the gentle sweet pea scent of her shampoo and it was driving me wild. Mainly, because I was a fucking idiot.

“Is that still true?”

“Very much so,” she said in a hushed voice. Her lips quivered as she said the words, my hands moving further up her body. Unlike with her corseted dress, I could feel her form beneath my fingers.

Maybe it was because I was lonely. Maybe it was because I lacked willpower. Or maybe it was because I really was an idiot. But, my lips descending onto hers sealed both our fates.

She was the daughter of Henry Dimes. Rich fucks came from all over the country to ask for her hand. She was a prize to be bartered away and certainly not to some foot soldier like me. More than that, she was the potential fiancée of Johnny Maldonado. Not only was he my boss, but he was Boston’s boss.

She wasn’t for me.

But I kissed her like she was.

And she kissed me back like she was none of that.

My tongue pressed against her seam, asking for entry, and she granted it, parting her lips so that I could taste her.

And fuck, she tasted sweet.

She reached her hands up, encircling them both around my neck and shoulders, and shifted her body so that she was straddling me in the chair. My hands grasped her hips, pushing my growing erection into her soft curves. I explored her body, but moved slowly, knowing I shouldn’t be doing what I was doing but also not able to stop myself.

But I needed to stop myself. And the more and more her hands roamed my chest as she pushed herself into me, the more and more I told myself that.

If I got caught with her here, everything I worked for the last five years would be over. I’d likely be shot or worse. Even if I did manage to stay alive, there was no way Maldonado would ever trust me again.

No.

No fucking way.

I wasn’t risking the last five years for this.

For her.

She wasn’t worth it.

No one was.

I separated from her abruptly and pushed her off. She nearly tumbled to the floor but landed on her feet. “What the--?” She gave me a look full of hurt and confusion and another knife slipped its way into my soul. But this time, I was the bastard that put it there.

“Nice try, princess. But you shouldn’t be kissing strangers when your daddy is in the other room planning your wedding.” I stood and made my way to the door. I turned around, and she was glaring daggers at me.

It was fine. I didn’t mind adding hers to my growing collection.

“What? You always get the boys to fall hard for you or something? Never felt rejection before?” I scoffed at her, trying purposely to create a rift between us that could never heal.

“You’re an asshole,” she said in a low voice.

“I know, princess,” I said before closing the door and locking her back up in her room.

I made my way back to the kitchen and breathed a sigh of relief that the old woman wasn’t there. The last thing I needed was more questions from women.

The door to the meeting between the two men was slightly ajar, and I ate the plate of food left out for me in silence as I listened to their rather disgusting conversation.

“I must compliment you on the meal, Henry,” Johnny said. “Exceptional. But I’d expect nothing less from a man such as yourself.”

“I can’t help but notice the interest you’ve taken in my Madelyn,” Henry said.

I heard the scrape of a chair as someone pushed their seat back. “I hope you don’t take any offense to it,” Johnny said.

“Not necessarily. I suppose it depends on your intentions towards her.”

“I’d say that rather depends on how you see her future,” Johnny retorted.

“Well, she is my only remaining daughter, after all,” Henry said. “Scarlett married Mark one year ago and what father wouldn’t want to see his daughter happily married?”

“Indeed,” was all Johnny replied.

A pregnant pause filled the air before Henry cleared his throat. “Is that something in which you’re interested?” he asked, tentatively.

“I find my interests wax and wane depending on the situation. So what’s her situation?” Johnny asked. I knew he was goading Henry. Johnny was the master of tricks, bribes, and schemes. He was going to negotiate this girl’s virtue and still come out on top. Although, all that being said, given our recent encounter, I did wonder just how much her father truly knew her.

“Situation?” Henry asked in a somewhat miffed tone.

“She’s obviously a headstrong girl. Would she even entertain something like this?”

“She’ll do as she’s told, if that’s what you’re getting at,” Henry replied a bit curtly.

“Fair enough,” was Johnny’s reply. “So, hypothetically, if she were something that piqued my interest, what would the price be?”

“Well,” Henry said, sounding a bit more confident. “Like I said, she’s my oldest daughter. I love her dearly. Her happiness is worth a great deal, as is her hand in marriage. I cannot begin to even tell you how many marriage proposals I’ve gotten for her!”

I almost snorted into my food at the blatant lies the man was pitching.

“And each of them rejected? Or rescinded?” Johnny replied, always quick on the draw.

“Negotiations are a delicate thing. Sometimes parties just can’t come to agreements,” Henry said, a bit too fast.

“I doubt you and I would have such a problem. But if you’re serious about this, I think you should make an offer,” Johnny said.

“Her hand in exchange for mercenary support for my shipments,” Henry said flatly.

Johnny scoffed. “That hardly seems fair. How are those men supposed to be paid for their work? I never took you to be unreasonable.” This was where Johnny shined. He always used this tactic and it always worked.

“Fair enough,” Henry responded. “But I don’t think it’s an unreasonable offer. You get my Madelyn forever after. To do with and enjoy as you see fit. Only seems fair that I get something in exchange for that.”

God, that man made me so sick.

“But I understand your position,” Henry continued. “Reduced rates, then. I’ll pay your men 25% of their normal fee.”

“Good luck getting them to agree to that,” Johnny retorted. “They’re not the ones that are going to get to experience your daughter. At least that’s how they’ll see it.”

“Fine. How about we agree to no upcharge. Your men get work and instead of a kickback on your end, you get Madelyn.”

“My men work at $100 an hour. I’ll keep you at that rate,” Johnny said.

“Deal!” Henry said all too quickly.

Johnny was such a fucking snake, and Henry fell right into the fucking viper den. Johnny had never paid me even close to $100 an hour in all the times I worked security detail jobs.

Movement behind me had me turning and I could see the old woman listening from a crack in the kitchen door. “Hey grandma,” I said to her. She startled and came into the room.

But before I could say anything to her, Johnny’s voice cut through the kitchen. “Holt!” he barked.

I huffed before crossing the room, my boots thumping against the tile floor. I opened the heavy door to the dining area. “Yeah?” I said in an annoyed voice.

“I believe Henry and I are done for the day.”

I gave the two men a bored look. “Congrats?”

Johnny chuckled. “His sense of humor is so spot on.” Henry let out an awkward laugh before the two men shook hands. The butler appeared on the other side of the room to escort us out. “Looking forward to the paperwork,” Johnny said as we left the space.

Johnny and I climbed into the car, the routine becoming somewhat of a nuisance for me by this point. As I pulled the car away from the mansion, I had to keep my anger in check. I watched Johnny out of the corner of my eye. He seemed far too pleased with himself, which was never a good thing.

“You really wanna get married again?” I asked him.

“I think it’s true love this time,” Johnny said in a mocking tone.

“I seriously doubt that.”

Johnny shrugged his shoulders. “She’ll be nice to use until I grow tired of her or she can’t take my attentions any longer. Then perhaps the men will have some fun with her.”

My fingers were a death grip on the steering wheel despite my best efforts to remain calm. This girl meant nothing to me. Abso-fucking-lutely nothing and I needed to remind myself of that. Raising suspicions in the mob meant death. Plain and fucking simple.

“Sounds good, boss,” I managed to say as I pulled the car onto the highway.