Rage festers in my gut. I've been around all kinds of drunks after working at the bar for six years. I know one thing to be true about Theo in this moment: he's sure as hell not drunk.
I can't believe she even gives this dirtbag the time of day.
"You're not going anywhere, Theo! You need to lay down and sleep it off!"
Stopping myself from charging into the room and kicking him out on his pathetic ass is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Even if it seems like the right thing to do, I know it would only infuriate Angie, especially when she told me I'm "off the clock." If he physically does something to her, however, then it's game over for Mr. Hollywood.
Several minutes pass where I can't hear their voices over the music. Makes my stomach surge when I consider what they could be doing.
Just when I'm contemplating whether or not to jump off the balcony and put my misery to an end, I hear her bare feet padding against the floor, headed in my direction. When she comes into view, she drops her chin and her cheeks flush pink. "I'm sorry. He's going to have to stay here for the night. I can't let him go anywhere else like this."
"I'll give him a ride back to his place."
"No, he's out cold. And he can't risk being seen like this."
Closing my eyes for a moment, I shake my head. "We need to have a serious talk about his drug use. The guy needs help, Ang."
She lets out a shaky breath. "Now's not the time to get into that. He gets irrationally angry and paranoid when he's high. You have to leave while he's still out."
I shake my head, ready to go in the other room and beat the asshole to death. "Do you do coke too?"
The way her eyes pop wide, I already know my answer before she hisses, "Of course not. Who do you think I am?"
Thank fuck she at least seems to be telling the truth.
Studying her long and hard, my eyebrows knit together. "I don't know anymore. The Angie I knew wouldn't have associated with someone who was into that shit."
Her lips twist with a scowl. "Well I guess I've changed. I understand that not everyone's perfect." She mirrors my defensive pose, seeming on the verge of a scream. "Please. Just go back to your place. I'll let you know the new plan in the morning. I imagine he's going to want to head back to the Keys once he's up for the drive."
As much as I care about her, I can't believe she's putting up with his shit. Worse yet, from the way it sounds, she won't be telling him about us anytime soon. Not that there actually was an "us" aside from what was shaping up to be killer sex, but she's making it crystal clear that's all it was going to be. How was I so quick to agree to sleep with her?
"So this is it?" I ask. "You're going to pretend nothing significant happened tonight?"
"Ash … " Her fingers skim over my arm before she draws her hand back, giving me this fake as shit smile that's condescending in too many ways. "That night in New York, you told me we could have fun together. Isn't that all it was going to be? A good time?"
While I remember saying something along those lines, I thought our relationship had taken another turn since then. I'm an idiot to think this was anything more. I lean in and sneer, angry as I've ever been with a woman.
"Have fun with your bullshit boyfriend. I'll be next door if you come to your senses and decide you want help booting his ass to the curb."
I nudge my way past her, vision tunneled. Don't know how I keep walking to the door without throttling the asshole passed out on the couch. The whole situation is fucked.
My second day on the job starts out even shittier than the first. I couldn't sleep after leaving Angie with the jerk, so instead I used the property's gym until four in the morning. I passed out less than two hours before she sent a message letting me know they were gearing up to leave.
When the new car arrives, I finally meet Theo face-to-face inside Angie's apartment. Without the trick of cameras and set lighting, he could be an average guy in expensive clothes and designer sunglasses. If I'm being perfectly honest, I don't get why women are so into guys like him who only have a decent smile, and not a whole lot else to bring to the table. Makes my skin crawl that Angie can't see past his act.
Arm possessively hooked around her neck, he gives me this holier-than-thou smirk. "You're the guy Charlie hired to protect my girl? Have any experience?"
I bristle with the "my girl comment." He doesn't deserve to have any claim on her. A million responses rifle through my head, all meant to insult the bastard and call him out for being a dickless prick.
"As a bouncer," I decide on with a grunt.
The jerk laughs. "Nice of him to give an old family friend a job."
Nudging him, Angie collects her beach bag off the floor. Then she throws me a friendly smile, like I'm supposed to pretend this is all normal and she's not faking a relationship with a junkie. "Let's hit the road so we're settled in by lunch."
If I'm going to survive this day, I'm going to have to focus on my job, and forget the night before ever happened.
The mansion Theo rents in the Keys turns out to be nauseatingly pretentious. Unlike 90% of the homes we drove past, it's modern and lacking Southern charm, primarily constructed out of glass walls. I would've guessed the three-story structure with two guest houses out back was a 5-star resort. Dozens of partygoers run around in swim attire, some of the women not even bothering with a top. It's the ultimate bachelor pad where a guy like me could have the time of his life if I wasn't working and didn't want to rearrange the face of the man renting it out.
The entire day is like watching an 80s music video in real time. I fill up on water and energy drinks while the rich and famous day-drink and smoke joints while acting like over-privileged morons. Angie doesn't actually spend much time with Theo, and only finishes three wine coolers before they move inside for a catered dinner. She caught my attention a few times throughout the day, either throwing me a wave or the kind of smile that asks if we're going to be alright.
I only ever acknowledged her with a nod of my head. Theo was so busy entertaining his female admirers that he didn't stop once to check in with Angie. On my way to the bathroom earlier, I caught him snorting a line with a chick in one of the bedrooms. As I hang back from the rest of the crowd, watching Angie from afar, I catch him beside the guest house with his hand shoved between the same chick's legs.
Stopping a few feet away from them, I clear my throat. "Shouldn't you be headed inside to entertain your guests?"
Theo backs away from the woman, brushing his fingertips over his gums before smirking. "Shouldn't you be minding your own fuckin' business?"
I square up to him. "Angelina is my business."
He laughs brightly, then turns back to the woman, rubbing his palm across her perky ass. She's young, possibly even a minor, with huge golden hair, too much makeup, and some of the largest fake tits I've ever seen. If she wasn't wearing a tiny scrap of silver material, you'd think she was getting ready for a centerfold shoot.
"Go inside and wait for me," he tells her, motioning to the guest house. "I'll be along in a minute to destroy that sweet body." Their lips meet again in a sloppy, open mouthed kiss. When they're done, Theo's chewing her gum. It's so revolting that the sandwich I ate earlier starts to make its way back up.
Holding my angry stare, the woman licks her red lips. "Sure you don't want to join us, big guy? There's more than enough of me to share."
Then she reaches behind her back, pulling on the string holding her tiny top in place. When I refuse to move my eyes downward to watch the material fall, she shrugs and turns for the guesthouse.
Theo licks his lips, eyes not straying from the woman. "That is one fine piece of ass."
I grunt with my fist burning for action at my side. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't knock you to the ground."
"Because the studio's lawyers would slap a lawsuit on your redneck ass for messing up this face." With a barking laugh, he claps his hand on my shoulder. "Lighten up, big guy. Angie knows what we have isn't exclusive. We're just playing it up for the fans."
"In that case, you can stop showing up at her place unannounced, coked out of your mind, expecting her to take you in."
"Brother, you're not hearing me. I said we weren't exclusive. That doesn't mean I can't claim a piece of her fine ass every now and then."
"The fuck you say?"
I grab the front of his tank-top and crank my arm back, ready to pummel him to pieces. But movement beside the main house catches my eye, stopping me mid-stroke. A gaggle of photographers creep up from the beachfront of the property, headed straight for the house. There must be at least a dozen of them.
"Motherfuckers!" Theo roars in their direction. "You're trespassing!"
One of the men raises their camera our way. Grumbling under my breath, I quickly release Theo and head over to the man. Asshole doesn't stop clicking until I'm close enough that I could strangle him. A few of the others turn their cameras in my direction as they start firing questions.