“Oh, you don’t mean that.” She reaches across the table, picking up a bottle ofStiletto.It’s a black varnish, glossy like patent leather. “Babe, are you going through a goth phase? Youknowpink is your signature colour.”
Iama big fan of pink. What can I say? I take my style inspiration from fashion’s three biggest icons: Paris Hilton, Sharpay Evans, and Elle Woods. I glance around my office, taking in the pots of pink fluffy pens, the pink marble floor, the pink crystal chandelier hanging over my head. Hell, my house is like Barbie’s Dreamhouse.
But no one wants to be cute and girly all the time. I’m sure even Barbie sometimes wanted to dress like an assassin about to kill a man.
“What do youwant, Julie?”
She rummages through her Gucci purse and slams a thin file on the table. I recognise it immediately. It’s the folder of information I’ve collected about the break-in. I don’t have much: some photographs of my broken window, the police report, and the terrifying Polaroid. My heart starts to beat faster. “Why do you have that?” I’m sure I left it in my bedroom.
“I’ve solved your security problem,” she announces triumphantly.
I grit my teeth. “I told you. I’ll find new security myself. I—”
A man’s voice suddenly rumbles through the office wall, and I freeze, listening. Footsteps move across the living room next door, and there’s the sound of someone tapping on the wall.
Fear washes over me in a wave. The walls of the room seem to close in on me, squeezing all of the air out. “Who the Hell is in my house?” I whisper.
“I swear that these guys are good,” Julie promises. “They’re ex-SAS soldiers. You don’t get better training than that. I heard Kylie Jenner used them for her last trip to Paris.” She leans in, lowering her voice. “People in the business call them The Angels.”
I stare at her. “Are they a boy band?”
“Like guardian angels, I guess.” She shrugs. “They’re in the living room. Waiting for you.Three of them!”
I close my eyes. “You invited three soldiers to my house,” I say slowly. “Without asking me. After a strange man broke into my bedroom. And you didn’t think that might upset me in any way.”
She stands up, smiling brightly. “Yep. Come on, then. They’re already getting fussy. I don’t think they like being kept waiting.” She waves away my product designer. “You can go now. Briar has an appointment she needs to attend.”
The woman blinks at me, surprised to be so suddenly dismissed. I sigh, getting out of my seat. As much as I feel bad about cutting our meeting short, Ireallydon’t like the thought of leaving those men alone in my house. “We’re pretty much done here, right, Sarah?”
“Well, yes, I suppose.” She frowns. “We still haven’t talked about the embossed lid names—”
I wince, guilt plucking at me. Sarah’s one of the best in the business; she flew in from Paris to be here. “I’m sorry. I trust your judgement. Pick whatever you think is best, I’ll approve it by email. Thank yousomuch for coming all the way out here, I really appreciate it.” An idea crosses my mind. “Oh! Do you want to come to the premiere of my new movie? It’s a murder mystery calledPlayers,it releases in a couple weeks.” I pull out my phone, already tapping out an email to my agent. “I’ll be flying to America for the LA premiere, but there’s going to be a big event here in London, too. I can get you a couple tickets?”
Her eyes widen. “I would love that,” she says slowly. “I’ve seen the posters everywhere.”
“Great. My agent will send them right over. Thanks again.”
I toss her one last smile, then Julie grabs my hand and pulls me out of the room. “Comeon,” she mutters. “I don’t want them to get fed up and leave.”
I yank my hand free, turning on her. “Julie, what the Hell? Why would you do this? You put my life in danger. I don’t want you working for me anymore.” She barely batted an eyelid when my house got broken into, for God’s sake.
Her brown eyes shimmer with tears. “Briar, please. Another chance. I really want to make this up to you.” She takes my hand again, squeezing. “Think of everything we’ve been through together, babe.”
I sigh. The truth is, I don’t have many people in my life. My reputation means most people hate me on sight. Julie’s been with me the longest out of any of my team. We go to the gym together. She gives me terrible boy advice and brings over low-calorie wine when I’m upset. She’s not afriend;I know, if I weren’t paying her, I’d never see her again. But right now, she’s the closest thing I’ve got.
“Screw this up, and you’re fucking fired. I mean it.”
She nods, brightening back up like a lightbulb, and pushes open the door to the living room. “Justwaituntil you see them. You’re going todie.”
“What does that mean?”
She just beams, waving me into the lounge. I step inside, and my mouth falls open. “Are youkidding me?”
Sitting hunched on my crushed velvet sofa, their giant knees barely fitting under my crystal coffee table, are three of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen in my life.
I see handsome men every day. Models. Movie stars. In my upcoming film, my co-star was named ‘the hottest actor of 2020’.
These three men knock him out of the park. Dressed in matching dark suits, they’re like a smörgåsbord of broad chests, cheekbones and jawlines. It’s pretty clear why Juliehand-pickedthem.
