Miami Bodyguard (Kendall Family Book 5)(13)

"Cut!" Eddie grunts, throwing his hands up in the air and turning around. "Who are you? How'd you get back here?"

"I have to speak to her!" a female voice yells out.

Chills trickle down my back with the familiar voice. I crawl off Theo and grab my robe, tying it around my waist as the ruckus on the far end of the set escalates.

"Babe, that was hot," Theo tells me, standing at my side with a small strip of cloth falling off his hard cock. His eyebrows wiggle. "You gonna take me to your room and help me get rid of this wood?"

"I have to run to the restroom," I mumble, pushing past him. Just when I'm in the clear, the woman yells, "Angelina, wait!" Heart leaping into my throat, I freeze on the spot when a young woman in a skin-tight dress emerges from the shadows, giving me a look that's part angry, part hopeful. "I just want to talk. Please."

She's beautifully exotic and undoubtedly a model. Doe eyes dark with eyeliner, thick black hair, large breasts spilling out between the deep neckline … she must make a killing in the business. Despite hating her guts, I've followed her on social media enough to know she's developed a sizable following too.

"Don't make me say things you won't want everyone here to know about," she adds quietly.

Asher steps in behind her with as deep of a frown as I've ever seen as he motions to her. "You know her?"

There's no way of admitting to him that I do know her without embarrassing myself and causing a scene. I don't think anyone on set knows who she is to me, although a majority of them may recognize her from commercials and billboards.

Heaving a great sigh, I hold up my hand, gesturing with a "take five" to Eddie. Then I turn to Gabrielle, arms crossed and scowling. "We'll talk in my dressing room."

"I'll wait outside the door," Asher insists, pressing a firm hand on my lower back.

It's the first time he's touched me in public since we started our affair. My body becomes electrified to the point I want to rub up against him and purr. Instead I lead the way off the set and down the hallway. When I open the door to my room, Asher grabs my arm.                       
       
           



       

His eyes narrow. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I lie, tipping my head in confirmation before gently shutting the door in his face.

Gabrielle stands in the center of my little dressing room, lips pursed and one hand on her hip. I've come to the conclusion that she's at least 5 years younger, and it's hard not to be jealous of her smooth, tight skin, or the fact that she's on top of the world. Then there's the 5-carat diamond on her ring finger, reminding me of what I lost.

"I'm sorry I just left you in your hallway that night," she blurts. "I didn't know what else to do, so I called an ambulance and split. I knew you wouldn't want it somehow getting out that we're associated."

I start for the vanity, swiping the last bottle of pills from Theo. "What were you doing there in the first place?"

"What do you think?" The clipped, icy reply sends a shiver through me. "I want a fucking apology for what you did!"

Popping a few pills into my mouth, I glance at the doorway as I swallow them dry. "Please keep your voice down."

"Are you kidding me right now? I have every right to be upset!" She comes toward me with her hands held out at her sides. "It's time you moved on! You have Theo Carr! Why can't you just be happy with him?"

Eyes jumping to the other side of the room, I wrap my arms around my waist as my face burns. "I have moved on."

"Yet I still haven't heard any kind of an apology! Do you have any idea how humiliating it was to have to beg our friends and family not to leak anything about that night to social media when I hadn't done anything wrong? It was supposed to be the best night of my life, but you ruined it!"

"I'm truly sorry," I say, meeting her angry glare. Deep-seated remorse rises in my stomach. "It was never my intention to ruin your night, or embarrass you in any way. But that was a whole month ago. I've gotten over him since then. I promise I won't bother either one of you again."

"Next time we're filing a restraining order against you, and I won't give a shit whether or not the media finds out." Her clouded expression clears as she watches me, like she's waiting for me to confess it's a lie. "Are we clear?"

I nod. The moment she's gone, I collapse onto my couch. A rush of memories from that night return all at once.



John's majestic yacht occupied the biggest slip at the end of the club's docks, bobbing higher than the others like royalty, lit brightly against the black night surrounding it. Repressed feelings of longing rose in my stomach as I remembered the time we took Serendipity to Turks and Caicos, making love around the clock and sunbathing nude for hours. I believed John's promises that those trips would never end.

"Sure you're okay with me leavin' you here like this?" the driver asked in a thick New Yorker accent, turning to me with a slight scowl. "I don't mind waitin', Ms. Kendall. The studio paid me for the entire night."

"It's alright, Tom," I said as I slipped from the back seat, holding a half-empty bottle of champagne against my chest. "My friend'll take me home later." I leaned through the open window to give him all the cash in my clutch, wishing him a good night before wobbling toward Serendipity.

When met with the delightful aroma of the ocean, I knew I was home where I belonged. Loud music and the trill of lively conversation floated through the night sky as I boarded the yacht. It was like taking a step back into time with the sight of the mahogany floors and white leather furniture. It didn't appear a single thing had changed as I made my way up to the top deck.

There must've been hundreds of guests in attendance, dressed as if being entertained by royalty. Having just come from a friend's premiere, I still out-dressed them all in a floor-length gown. I ping-ponged my way through the crowd until finding John among a circle of men. In a tuxedo, he was more handsome than I remembered.

Then his eyes fell on mine and he scowled. "Jesus Christ."

Even when angry he was striking in an old-world way, like Clark Gable or Marlon Brando. My eyes skipped from his peppered dark hair, to his bright blue eyes, strong jaw, and lean fingers clutching a short glass of what was probably his favorite whiskey. Tears stung my eyes when I noticed he was wearing the cufflinks I picked out when I accompanied him on a business trip to New York.

"Angie, what the fuck do you think you're doing here?"

"Celebrating," I declared, holding out the half-empty bottle of champagne as proof. "Critics are already saying the show is going to be Emmy-worthy."                       
       
           



       

Grumbling, he wiped a hand over his face before excusing himself from the circle. His fingers dug into my elbow, leading me away from the curious men. "What's it going to take for you to get that it's over between us?" When he turned to me, he was as livid as I'd ever seen in all the years I'd known him. "You can't just invite yourself into my home like this!"

"Just please, tell me why you left," I begged, shuffling toward him. "Am I that bad of a person?"

With a shake of his head, his features scrunched up in disgust. "How high are you right now? Did you drive here?"

I hated myself in that moment. I knew I was drunk, and had taken too many pills. I shouldn't have gone to see him in that condition. But my heart ached whenever I thought of the sweet man and how much I had lost when he left.

"I was so in love with you," I whispered with tears spilling down my cheeks. "I always thought we'd live happily ever after."

Suddenly a stunning, dark-haired woman was beside him, her eyes shifting from John onto me as she settled in at his side. She wore a white, lacy A-Line dress that showed off her beautiful curves, and her thick hair was styled into a perfect chignon with delicate wisps framing her face.

My stomach plummeted. John had literally found an angel to replace me.

"What are you doing here?" the younger woman demanded, setting a hand on her hip. Though we had never met, John must've told her all about me. "This is not okay, Angelina. You need help."

When John slipped his arm around her, I caught a flash of metal on his left ring finger.

Violent cramps gripped my stomach.

White dress.

Elegant guests.

4-piece orchestra.

White linen tablecloths with elaborate centerpieces.

It was in that moment the truth clicked into place.

I was at their wedding.



I didn't remember much else about my trip to the marina after coming face-to-face with John's beautiful wife. John called the next morning to let me know I was lucky I didn't spend the night in a cell as she had talked him out of calling the cops.

For weeks, I was reeling over the fact that John got married. I actually clung to hope that he'd change his mind about us eventually, and invite me back into his life. Discovering he'd moved on and committed to spending his life with someone else was almost as upsetting as the call from James saying our father had been stabbed to death.