“Yes,” I replied.
“I’m Shane Brown, Alex Harbour’s bodyguard and driver. Gina asked me to pick you up.” Alex’s bodyguard was a good-looking guy and wore a suit very well. He had a shaved head, dark brooding eyes, and was extremely well built. Hewassecurity, though. I suspected he also had abs of steel. Why was I such a pervert?
“I can carry a few bags, I don’t mind.”
“It’s fine. I have them all. Please follow me. The car is just outside.” He led me outside toward a large black SUV. “How was your flight?”
“I slept most of it. I’m not a great flyer.”
“That will soon fade. You’ll be flying a lot with Alex.” Crap, I hadn’t considered all the travelling. “So you’re from London?”
“Yes.”
“I haven’t seen much of London. The trips I take with Alex are always short, but I do love the chocolate Alex imports from there.” Cadbury’s chocolate was the best.
“Do you like working for him?” I asked as Shane pulled onto the highway. It still felt surreal. I couldn’t believe that I was in LA! The sky was pure blue, and I’d never seen the sun this bright before. It could have just been the excitement making me see things differently, though.
“Yes, he’s fine once you’ve become accustomed to his ways, Miss White.”
“Shane, please call me Natasha or Nat. We’re going to be working together after all. What do you mean by ‘his ways’?”
“You’ll see. Alex is a complex individual. He has many layers, but I’m positive you’ll get used to him quickly.”
“You’re not doing a very good job selling this position to me. I was apprehensive about taking it in the first place.”
“I’m sorry. Please ignore me. Diego knows him better than I do, anyway. I’m sure he’ll fill you in.”
“Diego?”
“His stylist. He’s also Alex’s oldest friend. He was the only person to follow him from Steel Roses.”
“Oh, okay. Does he live with Alex, too?”
“Yes. He has the pool house, and I have the apartment above the garage. Mary is the housekeeper and cook. She goes home on the weekends. Steve is my right hand man on the security detail, but he doesn’t live at the mansion. There are others that come and go, but I don’t want to confuse you with all their names.” Wow, that was a lot of people to look after one man. “Everyone is excited to meet you, though.” He grinned over at me. “Milly is hard to replace, but Gina spoke very highly of you and how youhandledAlex.”
“I’m not sure that I handled him. I pissed him off, though. That’s for sure.”
“He argued with Milly a lot. They were like an old married couple. He needs to be put in his place from time to time.”
“I don’t want to spend every day fighting with him. That would be exhausting.”
“Unfortunately, that’s Alex.” Shane was quiet for the rest of the drive. I gazed out the window, mesmerized by the sites in front of me.
Alex’s mansion was high up in the Hollywood Hills. It was surreal how quickly the scenery changed. One moment we were driving through the horrible traffic toward the downtown lights, and the next we were high up in the hills. It took my breath away. It was very secluded compared to the other mansions in the area.
“Steve, open the gates,” Shane called at the intercom once we’d approached the long driveway. Two large steel gates began to creak and slowly open, revealing the stunning mansion.
Holy shit! I was going to live in this paradise? The whitewash mansion was gigantic and very modern. It looked as if it had three floors to it, all surrounded in glass to capture the amazing view I expected. There were also the side buildings and the Olympic sized swimming pool, with a cascading waterfall that ran down a beautiful rock structure. Alex’s Hollywood mansion was more than I could have ever imagined, and I hadn’t even looked inside yet.
“It’s quite something, isn’t it?” Shane chuckled, looking at my gob smacked expression.
“Uh huh.” Still stunned, I could hardly speak. He pulled up outside the three-door garage.
“Couldn’t Alex afford a house with more garage doors?” I teased.
“Don’t let Alex here you say that,” he chuckled. “I’ll get your bags later. Come on. You need to meet everyone first.” I liked Shane. He was very calm and collected. I could see why he was in the security industry. He put everyone at ease. I was glad Gina has asked him to pick me up.
The inside of this place was just as magnificent as the outside. It was a mass of white walls, gold frames, and deep red carpets. I met Mary in the grand white marble kitchen first. She was a middle-aged woman, with light brown hair cut into a bob. The cookies she was busy making gave her a motherly feel and smelled amazing.