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“I’ve got an idea for that.”
Marc was sure he was going to hate this idea.Chapter ThreeRoyce parked his Jeep Gladiator truck in Geoffrey Ralse’s driveway, behind one of the black Ward Security SUVs, which meant his coworker, Quinn Lake beat him there to talk over electronic security options with their new client—who happened to not be Geoffrey Ralse. Apparently they were meeting at Geoffrey’s because the new client was a friend of his.
Andrei’s rich playboy description was probably spot-on, then.
These were usually the easiest jobs. Hanging out in nice digs while some paranoid rich guy partied. But this one was different. He didn’t yet have the whole story, but his new client—Marc Foster—couldn’t let anyone know he required a bodyguard, so he couldn’t go to the Ward Security office.
Also, Royce would be posing as his boyfriend.
He’d never had to do that before, and he was still surprised Andrei had picked him. He wasn’t boyfriend material, fake or not. He looked too mean, too angry, to be that convincing in the role of someone’s permanent love monkey. The only person who got a lot of smiles out of him these days was Quinn and even then, he wasn’t comfortable sharing his past with the man.
His coworkers, Garrett and Dominic, were both already on jobs, so they couldn’t do it. Either of them could easily slip into boyfriend mode because they were both good-looking and charming and could pull off that game at the drop of a hat. Royce didn’t do boyfriends. Not anymore.
Before the usual pain could tighten his chest, Royce climbed out of the Jeep and strode to the front door, eyes skimming over the modern front of the home. He’d been to the house only a couple of times when Geoffrey had been a client. The place had been built on a nice plot of land with trees surrounding the edge of the property to give social-media boy some privacy. But that little bit of privacy had nearly cost him his life…and Sven’s, the bodyguard who’d been assigned to protect him.
Turning his mind back to the case at hand, Royce frowned. He hadn’t had time to look up the guy on the Internet, so he had no idea what he was in for, but to him, all rich playboys were the same. Reckless, egotistical, self-centered, and impatient. They all needed to be coddled and their egos stroked. None of which helped to keep a client safe.
Geoffrey opened the door when he rang the bell, and Royce couldn’t stop from sharing his most aggravating smile with the local celebrity. Geoffrey was famous because he’d created a popular hook-up app, and also because he plastered his platinum good looks all over the Internet. Aggravating smile because this celebrity found Royce infinitely frustrating and Royce got a kick out of pushing his buttons. He liked seeing the man get all flustered and frowny with him. He wasn’t in any way Royce’s type, but he was kind of hot when he got riled up. Cute, too, though he was sure Geoffrey would resent that description.
Not that Royce would ever go there. One of his friends and coworkers already had. Gone and fucking stayed. Sven Larsen lived in this lavish house now, and from what Royce had seen, fit perfectly. In the house and with the much smaller Geoffrey Ralse.
“You’re late,” Geoffrey said, frowning as he stepped aside to let Royce in.
“How could I be late when I came here directly after being told about the job?” Well, technically he’d showered and dressed according to his boss’s request first.
Geoffrey shrugged. “I guess Andrei didn’t find you as fast as he thought he would. We’re all outside. I had lunch catered.”
Royce’s belly growled with hunger, causing Geoffrey to laugh.
“I could use some food. I was actually training with Liam, or Andrei would have found me sooner.”
The shiver that rippled through Geoffrey came with his own unique brand of diva. “That’s the new guy Rowe just hired, right? I saw him last week when I stopped by to pick up Sven. I love to watch that man work out. Don’t tell Sven.” His laugh said a lot about how he didn’t worry about that at all. “You’re probably starving, then. This burger place is fantastic.”
He managed not to frown as he followed the blond through the house. He rarely ate burgers, preferring to stick with chicken or fish, but he’d make an exception today. He’d certainly worked out hard enough to warrant a few extra calories and carbs.
As they neared the wall of glass that led out to Geoffrey’s large patio, he heard the front door open and shut behind them. He didn’t even have to wonder who it was because he completely lost Geoffrey at that point. The guy turned and ran into the foyer. There was a loud grunt, followed by a deep laugh. Royce didn’t have to see to know that Geoffrey had taken a running jump to land on his boyfriend—who could more than handle catching the sprite. Sven stood six foot seven, over a foot taller than his boyfriend. The size and personality difference between those two amused the hell out of him, but he couldn’t deny that it worked. The usually quiet and reserved Sven was so happy, he fairly radiated a golden light at all times now.
