The other bodyguards changed position, discreetly but effectively blocking the view of the other girls this time. They weren't escorted out of the premises but they wouldn't get anything out of being there either. It was the most devious of revenges, which was exactly how Staffan wanted Bob to play it.
The whole world might have forgotten that he was once born of the streets, but Staffan hadn't. Before being the stepson of a billionaire, a rockstar famous around the globe, he had once been nothing---a hapless child forced to throw away his innocence and rely on a combination of bullish strength and cunning to survive.
"Stop scowling at them."
He couldn't help scowling at her this time. "Are you truly going to defend them after what they called you?"
"I am a G."
He bit back a sharp retort, knowing it was better to keep pretending that he had believed in her disguise.
"They were just carried away," she said as she touched his arm in a soothing gesture. "They love you so much, you know. They'll do anything for you."
"H … you are too fucking nice." Staffan took a deep breath.
She winced, realizing that Staffan was about to give her another long scolding. But before he could start, someone was calling his name and Saffi whirled around in relief. Saved by the---choreographer!
Eddie waved at them frantically to come over.
Staffan grimaced. "I have to go. He's always panicky during concert days." He walked her to a vacant row of seats. "You'll be okay here?"
She nodded, admitting shyly, "I'm kinda excited to see you practice dancing."
He rolled his eyes. "It's nothing special."
Saffi gasped. "It is very special, excuse me!"
He laughed at her defensive tone. "Okay, okay. Don't fight me – for me."
She giggled, and he carried the sound of it in his heart as he went back to practice.
Staffan dancing on stage was already surreal, but seeing Staffan rehearsing, his body eventually becoming sleek with sweat, was even more so, like Saffi had been allowed a rare glimpse of heaven. And oh, oh, she would never get tired of seeing Staffan move!
Two hours later, Eddie officially called for a break. Saffi smiled when she saw how more relaxed Eddie seemed, which meant the rehearsal had met his expectations. She started to stand when an excited voice called out Staffan's name. This time, she didn't welcome the sound at all.
Saffi turned towards the sound and something inside her heart twisted painfully when she saw a lovely, dark-haired woman walk gracefully towards Staffan with an eager smile on her face. Who was she? Saffi had faithfully followed every media report on Staffan but she had never seen the older woman with him before.
Staffan stiffened when he heard Yanna call his name. Fuck! He had still intended his plan to push through but not like this. Not with everyone around.
Yanna finally reached him, and Staffan automatically kissed her on the cheek. She beat him to speaking, her eyes twinkling as she waved a folder in front of him. "I have the five best women here, Staffan! All you have to do is to choose who you want to date." Then she wagged a finger at him. "But I know what happened last time and I don't want it to happen in my watch so please – don't make love to whoever you're going to choose?"
Chapter Nine
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Saffi March commented on a photo posted by The Official Staffan Aehrenthal Stalker
I really, really, really love this man.
"There you are." Saffi looked up at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and then blinked several times when she realized who it belonged to. The tall dark-haired man standing before her was none other than Constantijin Kastein, once Netherlands' #1 playboy, a part of the Three Pussketeers and one of Staffan's closest friends.
Had she heard him right? Was he really looking for her?
She hastily blinked back her tears and tried not to be so obvious as she wiped those that have already left a wet trail on her cheeks. "M-may I help you?"
Someone had to tell her that groupies never spoke so politely, Constantijin thought as he gazed at the young girl that had Staffan all twisted up in knots.
When Yanna had gone to the restroom before they went looking for Staffan, Constantijin had overheard several of his friend's bodyguards talking among themselves in Swedish. It had been an interesting conversation, which revolved around a groupie called H and whom all of them held in affection.
And on the way to the stage area, with Yanna having gone ahead of him because she had been excited to show Staffan her personal picks, Constantijin had almost bumped into a young girl who had run past him in tears. He had only caught a partial look of her face, but it was more than enough. She was without a doubt the girl Staffan had been stalking online for months---the girl Constantijin suspected had caught Staffan's heart, and now his friend was doing his best to cut his heart out rather than give it to another woman.
Constantijin had waited for Staffan to run after her. When it became clear that his friend wouldn't do so, Constantijin had decided it was up to him to fix his friend's mess before Staffan ended as miserable as he had been, when he had been similarly stupid and threw Yanna's love back at her face.
Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. The girl's doe-eyed looks made him feel like Staffan had beaten up a day-old puppy, tempting Constantijin to tell her that she was better off without his friend.
"I think I'm in a better position to help you instead," he said gently as he handed her his handkerchief.
She shook her head.
"Please. I insist."
"T-thanks." The way "H" gave in so gracefully startled him. It began to dawn on him how she was the very opposite of Staffan, who was cruelty and rudeness personified. Looking at her, Constantijin felt distinctly at a loss of what he should say. Friendship prevented him from sharing Staffan's secrets without his friend's permission but standing by and doing nothing, when the young girl in front him looked like she was broken, completely went against the grain for him.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
Saffi shook her head again. "I'm really quite all right. It's just that the circumstances earlier were rather … upsetting."
Somebody also had to tell her that groupies didn't speak so formally, like a school teacher.
Constantijin nodded solemnly. Cocking his head to the side, he asked, "Are you part of the production team for Staffan's concert?"
"No, sir." Saffi answered the question absently, her mind back on Staffan and the anonymous women he would date. Then she realized how she had answered Staffan's friend and froze, her eyes immediately darting to her companion. Dear God, she hoped he'd think she was being provocative with her ‘sirs'. That would be a very G thing to do. It was better than the truth, which was that she had instinctively called him ‘sir' because she had been raised that way.
Constantijin again pretended not to notice her most recent slip even though he had the damnedest hard time trying not to grin. He was beginning to understand why Staffan appeared so enamored with this girl. "Are you working here then?"
"I'm one of Staffan's groupies." To improve her disguise, Saffi dug inside her pocket for a gum and quickly popped into her mouth. Pride filled her when she was able to blow it out carefully.
Another thing she had to know that groupies did not blow bubbles like it was a matter of life and death, Constantijin thought, having an even harder time keeping his lips from twitching. And that gum-popping groupies were a cliché.
He cleared his throat. "Forgive me for asking, but are you crying because of something Staffan did?"
"No, of course not!"
The quickness and sincerity of the reply impressed him. He said quietly, "You seem like a nice girl so I'll tell you a secret."
She nodded, wide-eyed.
"Everyone knows that Staffan had it pretty rough when he broke up with Chloe. It changed him, made him unwilling to trust any woman again." He paused. "He'd do everything not to be in a position of being in danger of being hurt again---even if it meant hurting people he doesn't want to hurt. Even if it means hurting himself in the process as well."
Saffi's heart started to beat fast as she took in what Constantijin had said. "Why are you telling me this?"
He smiled.
Oh wow. The smile was so blindingly beautiful it left her blinking. Now she saw why millions of women went gaga over him.
"I just like tormenting him and you look like you can be a thorn in his side."
~~~
"There you are," Bob said a few minutes after Constantijin Kastein had left. She stood in the middle of the bonsai garden, which was part of the on-site attractions of the concert venue, contemplating Constantijin's words.
"I was looking for you for a long time, you know." Bob sounded extremely rueful as he stopped a few feet from her. That was also the second time someone had told her that. "We were worried about you."