off.
Breathless, both from the walk and from the anxiety, it took her a moment to realize that Rick sat in the same spot as the night before when the same situation had happened at the club.
“Why didn't you call for the car?” he asked.
“I didn't think they'd be out there at this time of night! What the hell are they doing, waiting for me to leave work? This is crazy!”
Rick exchanged a look with Liam. Her bodyguard – she realized that was what he was, now – looked at his boss and said, “I tried to tell her.”
Rick took a deep breath and said, “Emily, Rob hasn't had a girlfriend in over three years. These people want to be the first ones to get all the dirt on you and on the two of you. They're all pretty pissed that some guy in the club got the first pictures and they want dibs on the next ones.”
“I'm not his girlfriend! We just met yesterday! And I just broke up with my boyfriend officially this morning!”
Liam shook his head, an amused expression on his face. “I told her that didn't matter.”
“Emily, this is the entertainment business. Those photographers make their money digging up dirt, any dirt, on famous people. They only care that Rob is doing something they consider newsworthy. He doesn't date. He takes our mom and sister to most of his events. You're an attractive woman who isn't his relative. You were seen kissing him – passionately, I might add – at a club last night. To those people, this is a big deal even if the two of you aren't anything more than bed buddies.”
“I haven't slept with him,” she said meekly.
“I didn't say you have. Frankly, I hope you do. He needs to get laid. He whines too much when he's been celibate this long. My point is that it doesn't matter to the shutterbugs what you and Rob are to one another yet. As soon as you talked to him in that bar, you were a person of interest to them. They'd hound you one way or another, at least for a little while.”
“How is that fair?”
“No one said it was fair, but it's the way it is. Like I told you at lunch, you get used to it. It's insane and stupid and annoying as hell. But it's a lot easier if you just follow the rules.”
“Oh? And what are the rules?”
“For now, taking a stroll is going to be next to impossible. I know it seems ridiculous to drive the few blocks to the museum from the hotel, but it's the only way to get in and out without being harassed. And if Liam, Rob or I tell you what you should do, you should listen. We've been doing this for a long time, so we know how it works.”
“What if I don't want this? What if I don't want to deal with all this and I tell Rob I'm not interested?” The car was stopped at the hotel's back entrance.
“You're not going to do that, Emily. I know you aren't and so do you. But for the sake of argument, it wouldn't make much difference for the next few weeks. They'd still bother you. And I'd still have Liam on you, he'd just be a lot less visible to you. But he'd be there. He'd follow you home for the short term too, even if you decide that you don't like Rob. But you do. So let's stop pretending the what ifs okay? As long as you two have a thing going, however you want to define it, Liam is your bodyguard. Listen to him, listen to me, and listen to Rob. We'll do our best to make this as painless as possible. Liam will escort you upstairs to your room. He'll do a sweep like I did before and then you can choose to proceed from there. If you want to head to Rob's suite, Liam can take you up there and I'll bring you to your room in the morning again. Either way, Liam will be back in time to accompany you to the museum tomorrow. Got it?”
Em could see that she didn't have much choice. She sighed. “Got it.”
Rick knocked on the divider and in a few seconds, Mo opened the door. Liam got out first and waited for her.
As she stepped out of the limo, Emily looked down the street and she could see photographers at the corner of the building. She just
Breathless, both from the walk and from the anxiety, it took her a moment to realize that Rick sat in the same spot as the night before when the same situation had happened at the club.
“Why didn't you call for the car?” he asked.
“I didn't think they'd be out there at this time of night! What the hell are they doing, waiting for me to leave work? This is crazy!”
Rick exchanged a look with Liam. Her bodyguard – she realized that was what he was, now – looked at his boss and said, “I tried to tell her.”
Rick took a deep breath and said, “Emily, Rob hasn't had a girlfriend in over three years. These people want to be the first ones to get all the dirt on you and on the two of you. They're all pretty pissed that some guy in the club got the first pictures and they want dibs on the next ones.”
“I'm not his girlfriend! We just met yesterday! And I just broke up with my boyfriend officially this morning!”
Liam shook his head, an amused expression on his face. “I told her that didn't matter.”
“Emily, this is the entertainment business. Those photographers make their money digging up dirt, any dirt, on famous people. They only care that Rob is doing something they consider newsworthy. He doesn't date. He takes our mom and sister to most of his events. You're an attractive woman who isn't his relative. You were seen kissing him – passionately, I might add – at a club last night. To those people, this is a big deal even if the two of you aren't anything more than bed buddies.”
“I haven't slept with him,” she said meekly.
“I didn't say you have. Frankly, I hope you do. He needs to get laid. He whines too much when he's been celibate this long. My point is that it doesn't matter to the shutterbugs what you and Rob are to one another yet. As soon as you talked to him in that bar, you were a person of interest to them. They'd hound you one way or another, at least for a little while.”
“How is that fair?”
“No one said it was fair, but it's the way it is. Like I told you at lunch, you get used to it. It's insane and stupid and annoying as hell. But it's a lot easier if you just follow the rules.”
“Oh? And what are the rules?”
“For now, taking a stroll is going to be next to impossible. I know it seems ridiculous to drive the few blocks to the museum from the hotel, but it's the only way to get in and out without being harassed. And if Liam, Rob or I tell you what you should do, you should listen. We've been doing this for a long time, so we know how it works.”
“What if I don't want this? What if I don't want to deal with all this and I tell Rob I'm not interested?” The car was stopped at the hotel's back entrance.
“You're not going to do that, Emily. I know you aren't and so do you. But for the sake of argument, it wouldn't make much difference for the next few weeks. They'd still bother you. And I'd still have Liam on you, he'd just be a lot less visible to you. But he'd be there. He'd follow you home for the short term too, even if you decide that you don't like Rob. But you do. So let's stop pretending the what ifs okay? As long as you two have a thing going, however you want to define it, Liam is your bodyguard. Listen to him, listen to me, and listen to Rob. We'll do our best to make this as painless as possible. Liam will escort you upstairs to your room. He'll do a sweep like I did before and then you can choose to proceed from there. If you want to head to Rob's suite, Liam can take you up there and I'll bring you to your room in the morning again. Either way, Liam will be back in time to accompany you to the museum tomorrow. Got it?”
Em could see that she didn't have much choice. She sighed. “Got it.”
Rick knocked on the divider and in a few seconds, Mo opened the door. Liam got out first and waited for her.
As she stepped out of the limo, Emily looked down the street and she could see photographers at the corner of the building. She just
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