Page 50 of Vain
She looks over at me and smiles with a hint of sadness. “I’m having a moment. If you could ignore the teeny tiny pity party I’m having, I’ll get over it. I’ve just gotta be dramatic first.”
“You’re the least dramatic person I know.”
“I saw that on a T-shirt once and always wanted to throw it into a conversation,” she admits. This time her grin is more mischievous. “I’m okay, promise. I let myself get stuck in my head for a minute, but I’m all good now.”
When the car stops, I pay the driver and give him a large tip before coming out. I grab the bags first before holding out my hand for Matilda. I’m just closing the door when Daniel rounds the corner with a face of thunder.
“You motherfucker!” he snarls, making Matilda shriek and whirl around.
I step up to him, nudging Matilda behind me. “First of all, watch your fucking mouth.”
He pokes me in the chest. “You took her away from her security team. Do you know how fucking reckless that is?”
I grab his finger and twist, stepping into him and sweeping his legs from under him once he’s off balance. He hits the floor with a groan.
I stare down at him with zero fucking sympathy. “Why am I always repeating myself around you? You are to protect the fucking property. I am the one protecting Matilda, and where we went, nobody knew who the fuck she was. It was a decision I made. Taking a whole fucking entourage would have outed her almost immediately.”
“You put her at risk?—”
“She was never in danger. Matilda wanted to come?—”
“That’s not her decision to make,” he roars.
The silence falls between us all before Matilda steps around me and looks down at Daniel.
“I’m a grown-ass woman. I pay your fucking wages. This house is supposed to be my home, not my prison. I get to decide where I go and who I go with. And if there is a risk involved, I’m the one who gets to decide if I’m comfortable with it. What you don’t seem to realize is that there’s always a fucking riskinvolved in being me. I was attacked on a movie set surrounded by a dozen other people. I’ve been swamped by the press, stalked by over-eager fans, pushed, shoved, and hounded by the general public, and made to feel like an over-entitled nuisance by the police. I’m done trying to excuse everyone else’s behavior, including yours. You’re fired.”
It’s probably a really poor time to pop a boner but fuck me, she’s magnificent when she’s fierce.
“You can’t fire me,” he hisses, getting to his feet.
“Actually, I can. I’m happy for your team to continue as long as they respect the boundaries I’ve put in place. I just don’t want you on my property any longer. If that’s a conflict of interest for you, you can take your whole team, and I’ll hire another.”
“You’ll regret this.”
“Threaten her again, I dare you.”
“I’m not threatening you. I’m warning you that this stalker isn’t going to back off. You’re making yourself vulnerable. Take your emotions out of this for a second and listen to reason.”
“Are you serious right now? You came out here like a bull in a china shop, acting on pure emotion because I took Matilda with me for a few days. And this isn’t the first time you’ve overreacted. You’re in love with her.”
He snaps his mouth closed and takes a step back.
Matilda frowns and looks up at me. “What? He doesn’t love me. Don’t be silly.” When Daniel doesn’t say anything, Matilda slowly turns to face him. “Daniel?”
“I was never going to cross the line. A bodyguard has to do his job, first and foremost.”
That dig is aimed my way, but I shrug it off. “And how did that work out for you? The way I see it, I’m the one standing here with the girl.”
Daniel launches himself at me, but Matilda steps between us. “Stop it, both of you.”
I shut up and step back, knowing I was being a dick.
Daniel’s chest is heaving as he looks Matilda up and down. “You were lucky one of the crowd didn’t attack you at the airport. He’s reckless with your safety, and you’re going to get hurt because of it.”
She cocks her head, her hands fisting at her sides. “How did you know there was a crowd at the airport?”
I pause, my eyes going to Daniel’s as he swallows. “I saw it on the news.”
