Bodyguard Book Boyfriend (Book Boyfriend Dating Agency)

Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

GRANT

“ H ey, Chrissy. What’re you doing here?” Tarae leaves my arms to greet her neighbor.

I would like to know the answer to that question myself. Christina Marcus is on my radar. I always trust my gut, and something about her doesn’t sit right with me.

It’s not just the fact that she was rude as fuck to me for no reason. I don’t give a shit about that. But I noticed things that Tarae hasn’t. Like the fact that Chrissy just so happens to be in the hall when we are, or the way she’s always watching Tarae, or how she just shows up out of nowhere all the time. Even now, she’s watching Tarae like a hawk.

I got my eyes on Chrissy. I haven’t figured out what she’s all about, but I will. I don’t like the idea of my woman being uncomfortable in any way, shape, or form.

“I wanted to do a little shopping today, and I saw you come in here. I was surprised you would be in this neighborhood. I didn’t think you could afford this place with the little job you have.”

“Excuse me? I know you didn’t just say… you know what, let me go finish trying on my clothes.” Tarae walks away without saying anything else, but I know she’s holding back.

“Hey, darlin’.” I follow behind her. I pull Tarae to my chest and kiss her soundly on the lips. “She’ll be gone when you come back.”

Tarae nods, heading into the dressing room. I approach Chrissy like I did the bomb, with a lot of suspicion. There’s a reason she’s always taking jabs at Tarae, but I don’t care what her reason is. Just because they’re neighbors doesn’t mean they have to be friends. Tarae doesn’t deserve assholes in her life after what her ex has put her through.

CeCe comes from the back where Tarae disappeared, and she has a mean scowl on her face. I smirk because I know CeCe is in best friend mode, and now I won’t have to look like the big bad wolf. I were caught yelling at a woman. I know exactly how that would look in the press. And what’s bad is they would probably find a way to blame Tarae.

“What did you say to Tarae? No, scratch that. Why are you even here? Better yet, when are you leaving? That jealous aura is throwing off the vibe in here, so why don’t you go on and get the hell outta here.” CeCe doesn’t even let Chrissy respond as she throws out question after question with her hands on her hips.

“You can’t tell me to leave. This is a public place.” Chrissy smirks.

“Yeah, but I had it closed down today for Tarae. So, you need to go,” CeCe says.

I signal the owner, and she comes from behind the counter and stands near Chrissy, ready to do my bidding.

“Yo— you can’t do that!”

“Yeah, she can. She asked you to leave, so just go,” I firmly respond.

“Oh shut up! Who are you? You’re just some security guard!” Chrissy shouts.

“Nah, I’m a bodyguard.” I wave my hand again, and the owner escorts a blubbering Chrissy out of the shop and locks the door behind her.

“You know she’s gonna be a problem, right?” CeCe questions, squinting after Chrissy.

“She’s already a problem,” I say as both CeCe and I stare at the door Chrissy was just pushed out of.

I knew I should’ve done a background check on her. But I will rectify that. I won’t brush off her rash comments this time. I pull out my cell and begin texting my guy. He will have background, phone records, and even Chrissy’s blood type by the time Tarae is finished with her fitting.

It takes about another hour and a half for Tarae to finish up, and I offer to take both ladies to lunch. CeCe declines, saying she has to make sure the outfits are tailored to fit Tarae so they will be ready in plenty of time for the show. I’m just glad all I have to do is wear a black suit, and I’m good to go.

“So, darlin’, what do you wanna eat?” I question, unlocking and opening the door for Tarae.

She doesn’t respond because she’s distracted by her phone. When she abruptly stops walking, I go on high alert. Tarae’s expression morphs into devastation and the look alone has me ready to kill. I can only assume it’s more media bullshit by the way she’s scrolling on her phone, but I can’t be sure. With all the shit that’s going on there’s no telling what has her upset.

“Grant, what is this?” Tarae brokenly whispers.

I frown, looking at her carefully. “What’s what?” Tarae holds out the phone, and I take it from her hand.

I scroll through her phone, but I don’t react right away because I’m used to this. The fact that there are pictures of me and Honey looking very compromising is nothing new. But they could potentially hurt Tarae, and that pisses me off.

The media has always tried to ship Honey and me since the beginning of her career. They can’t tie her to anyone because she’s extremely private about her love life, so they make shit up. I’m the closest man in her circle, so they do everything they can to make it seem like our relationship is romantic.

“It’s pictures of me and Honey,” I simply answer.

“It’s you and Honey snuggled in an intimate embrace, Grant. You two look like lovers.” She shakes her head. “I can’t go through this shit again.”

I pull Tarae back into the shop and close the door behind us. The last thing I want to do is argue out in public. And I know this conversation is about to get unnecessarily heated.

“Tarae, you know I wouldn’t cheat on you. Honey is like a sister to me. I don’t want it to sound cliché, but I swear to God Tarae, those pictures aren’t telling the whole story. I swear it isn’t what it looks like.”

“You think that I think you cheated on me?” Tarae condescendingly questions, still shaking her head.

“I mean, that’s what the picture suggests,” I carefully respond.

I pride myself on reading situations and knowing exactly what to do and when to do it. I know that Tarae has been hurt, and the wounds from her ex are still fresh. But we’ve been dating for almost two months, and I’m pretty good at reading her moods. But I have to admit that I’m a little confused.

“First of all, nobody in their right mind would cheat on Honey—”

“Nobody in their right mind would cheat on you,” I interrupt her.

Tarae sighs, and her shoulders slump. For the first time, I can’t predict what she’s thinking or how I should handle it. I want to fix this, but the truth is, only her trust in me can fix this situation.