Beloved Bodyguard (3 page)

“Absolutely,” Danje said. “I’ve only recently
found my own way to influence policy. I’m just like you. I want to
make the Worlds a better place.”

Leelah used the opening to bring up the
D’jeering issue. “Where do you stand on the bill for penal colony
reform? I understand Anu is on the fence with factions on either
side of the debate.”

Danje gazed into his cup of
pinia
for
a moment before answering. “My mother supports your father’s bill.
She believes the prison at D’jeering and others like it are an
abomination, and there should be either severe reform or
abolishment of the system.”

“You don’t agree?” She probed his seeming
reluctance to give his own opinion.

He shrugged and glanced at her. “I think the
dregs of society have to be housed somewhere. While some of us are
focused on keeping order in the world, others seem bent on
destroying it and need to be locked away.”

“Perhaps. But must the conditions be so
deplorable? Punishment shouldn’t include enforced labor on
starvation rations in cold, lightless cells. Wouldn’t efforts at
rehabilitation be more useful?”

“I think … that this topic is way too heavy
for a party.” Danje shot her his sunshine grin and grabbed her
hand. “Let’s dance. And maybe, after a little while, we can find
someplace more private to continue our conversation.” His lowered
eyelids, letting her know that more discussion was the last thing
on his mind.

Having fun and pushing her father’s platform
didn’t have to be mutually exclusive. Leelah abandoned her lobbying
and allowed Danje to pull her onto the dance floor, where they
engaged in another hot and heavy faux fuck. She shimmied against
him, her boobs grazing his chest. Her nipples were diamond-tipped,
threatening to poke through the material of her bikini top, and her
pussy throbbed in time to the music. There would be sex tonight.
She had no doubt Danje would be a great lay. But as gorgeous as he
was, she couldn’t stop picturing Ja-hun’s black eyes and stern
features. She turned her back on her partner to rub her ass against
him, the better to imagine her bodyguard in Danje’s place. Her eyes
half closed as she writhed, getting into her fantasy of Ja-hun.

Then she saw the man himself approaching
across the dance floor and her eyes flew open. She blinked, but the
large, dark figure didn’t disappear. Nope. He was really there.

Ja-hun looked like an ominous cloud against a
rainbow, his monochromatic white shirt and black suit a complete
contrast to the butterfly colors and naked flesh of the party
guests. They parted before him like he was a plague carrier, and
Leelah’s heart nearly stopped at the thunderous expression on his
face as he strode toward her.

“Oh,
shenje
!”

* * * * *

The girl was practically fucking her partner
right there on the dance floor. A surge of heat which was a mixture
of fury and lust swept through Ja-hun as he headed toward his
errant charge. Leelah had stopped thrusting her ass toward her
pretty-boy partner, and stood staring at Ja-hun, openmouthed. He
stopped directly in front of her, schooling his expression to cool
aloofness. “Miss Blaine.”

“How’d you find me?”

Was she kidding? He’d tracked mech-killers in
the course of his career. Finding one runaway party girl who’d
already made it clear she wanted to go to her friend’s house wasn’t
a challenge.

“You’re going to need to come with me.” He
kept his voice level and his eyes away from the tits that were
practically spilling out of her tiny top.

“Oh, come on! Do you honestly think
something’s going to happen to me here? Most of the people at this
party are affiliated with politicians from one planet or another.
There’s enough security here to fend off an entire army of
assassins. You’re supposed to be my bodyguard, so guard me, but
don’t cage me like some kind of animal in my father’s house.”

Again, Ja-hun wished her father had allowed
him to share with her a few of the messages received on his comset.
They’d made it clear that the person or organization had intimate
knowledge of the Blaines’ lives and would as soon kill Leelah as
kidnap her just to demonstrate they could strike anywhere at any
time. The girl was a card in their game. Ja-hun had a gut feeling a
member of this group might even be part of the president’s
household. If he didn’t feel comfortable letting Leelah wander
freely in her own home, he certainly wasn’t going to allow her to
stay at some party. Something could be slipped into her drink so
easily. She could be killed when she went to use the bathroom or
even in the middle of the crowd with so many bodies pressed
together. In the past, Ja-hun had used all of these methods to
eliminate a target. Or, if the author of the threats wanted to take
her, that could easily happen, too.

“I know this seems extreme, but you’ve
enjoyed some free time, and now I want to get you back home.” He
hoped she wouldn’t get stubborn so he’d have to force her out to
his waiting car. “I’m sorry,” he added as an afterthought.

For a moment, he thought she was going to do
exactly what he feared, throw a tantrum and dig her bare heels into
the floor. Rather than toss her over his shoulder and carry her
away kicking and screaming, he might have to back down and spend
some time at this noisy bacchanal. Leelah was more trouble than
Crin-tai. At least the mogul had listened when Ja-hun warned him of
danger.

“Fine! Let me get my things.” Her arms folded
just under her breasts, pushing her cleavage dangerously higher.
Considering he’d seen her entire chest bared earlier that day, he
didn’t know why cleavage should seem just as provocative.

She turned to talk to her dance partner.
“Sorry, Danje. I’ve got to go. My bodyguard is having a
meltdown.”

After locating and slipping on her dress and
sandals, Leelah walked stiffly past Ja-hun toward the door. She
waved at a dark-haired girl across the room and spoke into her
comset. “Trianne. Sorry to leave so when the party’s just getting
started, but as you can see, I’m being arrested. Talk later,
okay?”

Trianne waved back and stared at Ja-hun. Her
lips moved in answer.

Leelah laughed at what only she could hear.
“Yeah, I know. Scary, yet strangely sexy.”

Ja-hun perked at her words.
She thinks I’m
sexy.
He trampled the thought with a mental grind of a boot
heel. Such an unprofessional feeling didn’t deserve to live.

Gathering his focus, he unholstered his
zynpher
in case something happened between the house and the
car. His weapon would be useless against snipers, so when they
reached the outdoors, he scanned the area for any sign of a scope
as he walked Leelah to his vehicle.

He opened her door and watched her sundress
ride up to reveal long legs as she slid into the seat. The sight of
her dancing in the skimpy bathing suit she wore underneath had been
nearly as erotic as walking in on her masturbating. He’d felt an
urge to slam his fist into her dance partner’s face and drag Leelah
away. Where were these animalistic urges coming from? He didn’t
like the hormone-driven primitive he was turning into.

Ja-hun slipped behind the console of his V-1
and engaged the screen. He gave his destination and the vehicle
slid smoothly down the drive of the Garan estate, past the lax
security post, and onto the street. Though skycabs flew overhead,
privately owned vehicles were still land-bound. The V-1 ate up the
miles, taking them back to the presidential compound.

“Don’t blame Pratt for letting me go,” Leelah
said after a moment. “He’s good at his job, but I’m even better at
getting my way.”

Ja-hun believed that. “He should’ve followed
orders. I told him to stay with you until I returned.”

Her eyes widened and she looked alarmed.
“Seriously, it wasn’t his fault. I wouldn’t want him to lose his
job over this.”

“Maybe you should have thought of that before
you left the building.” Ja-hun imagined he’d cut Pratt some slack,
but he wanted to force Leelah to think about the possible
consequences of her actions for someone other than herself.

He focused his gaze on the road. They were
passing the city center, where bright holo-signs clamored for
attention.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a contrite voice.
“My will is stronger than my common sense sometimes. Don’t take it
out on him.”

It was obvious she was playing him, trying to
buy his lenience with an apology. Somehow he doubted Ms. Headstrong
had really learned her lesson.

Leelah gestured to a holo-sign advertising a
restaurant. “Can we stop for something to eat? I haven’t had
anything all day.”

Ja-hun thought of the Blaines’ huge kitchen
and the on-site cook always available and didn’t feel any sympathy
for her.

“Just a drive-through? Anything to stay away
from that house a little longer. I feel like a four-year-old. When
will I finally be able to live my life instead of being
overprotected?”

He wanted to tell her there were a lot worse
things in life than being pampered, but he kept his mouth shut.

She slid closer to him and rested her hand on
his thigh. His cock automatically stirred.

“Please, Ja-hun.” It was the first time she’d
used his name. “I’m sorry I ran away. It was childish, and I’m not
just saying that to get you to do what I want. I know sometimes I
come across like a spoiled brat, but that’s not who I really am.”
She paused. “Or at least not
all
I am. I have dreams and
goals. I didn’t get an education so I could sit around being
catered to by servants like some OldEarth princess. I want to do
things. I want to
help
people. But because of who my father
is, I’m not free to make my own future. You can imagine how
frustrating that is.”

Ja-hun glanced sideways at her earnest
expression. It didn’t seem like she was only trying to get more
time away from the house. This was the most she’d said to him in
the few days he’d been around her. Mostly she’d mocked, teased,
complained, or begged. Sincerity was a refreshing change.

Her hand pressing his thigh had nothing to do
with his decision.

“All right. Where do you want to go?”

* * * * *

They ended up at a restaurant, in a back
corner booth where he could keep his eye on all of the entrances
and the people at the other tables. Since not even the security
staff at the estate knew where he and Leelah were, it was probably
pretty safe here. Ja-hun had checked in with Nigeri to say he had
Leelah with him and they would return shortly.

Leelah ordered a surf and turf platter,
Mahene crab and Korat steak. Ja-hun chose greens and fruit.

“You don’t eat meat?” she asked.

“A little fish sometimes.” He’d also eaten
rat and beetles for protein when he was starving in a D’jeering
prison, but he wasn’t going to mention that.

“Interesting. I wouldn’t have pegged you as a
vegetarian.” She rested her chin on her hand and leaned against the
table. “Actually, you do have a sort of austere monk vibe going, so
it’s not too surprising.”

He didn’t reply to her nonsense, just sipped
his water and scanned the restaurant.

“You know, dinner conversation is more
interesting when there are actually two people talking.” She cocked
her head and caught his gaze. “You already know everything there is
to know about me. Tell me something about you. How did you get into
the bodyguard business? What was Crin-tai like? Yes, I did my
homework, and I know guarding him was your last job. But what did
you do before that?”

You don’t want to know.
“Other jobs.
Other clients.”

“Mm. That’s very illuminating. Thank you,”
she said dryly. “All right, let’s try something less complicated.
What’s your favorite color?”

He paused. No one had ever asked him such an
inane question. A favorite color? Who had time to think about such
things? “Gray.”

She burst out laughing. “Why am I not
surprised?”

“What about you?” he asked in an effort to
participate in her ritual of small talk.

“Oh,
shenje
, that’s too hard. Any bold
primary color. Royal blue and indigo are so satisfying and rich,
but sometimes I’m more in a sexy scarlet mood, you know? Then
again, sunny yellow is a real spirit lifter, and a primeval forest
green speaks to the soul.”

She rattled on in a crazy monologue about
colors. He’d never heard anyone sound so passionate about something
so banal, and he nearly smiled at the absurdity.

“Are you smiling? You think colors don’t
matter?” she demanded.

He shrugged. “They’re colors.”

“Color is life. Anything that touches our
senses and stirs us to
feel
is important. And feeling is
everything.”

Ja-hun remained silent.

“Go ahead. Say something. Your mind isn’t a
complete blank, is it? You must be thinking something.”

“Most people I’ve known are passionate about
either money or power, or both. You’re the first person I’ve ever
met who could get excited about the qualities of colors or even
suggest that colors have qualities.”

“I guess you’ve led a sheltered life.” She
folded her arms on the table and leaned toward him. “What about
you? What are you passionate about?”

“Nothing. Except doing my job so no one gets
killed.” A far cry from the days when doing his job meant someone
definitely got killed.

“That’s a noble thing, but what about your
life outside your work? What stirs you?”

You.
“I prefer to keep my private and
professional life separate.” He straightened the flatware on the
table.

“I’m guessing your private life doesn’t exist
at all.” Leelah’s voice lowered and softened. “I think your life
is
your job, and you’ve forgotten how to do anything
else.”