Regardless of what Mike thought, Marie really had the upper hand in this relationship.
I saw her touch the hidden microphone in her ear. “Yes, okay. We’re green.”
Ryan leaned into me. “It’s like Spy vs. Spy, you know?”
“They’re practicing their BDSM code talk.
Whip me, master. I’ve been naughty.” I giggled and elbowed him when Marie chucked me the finger.
Ryan tilted his head, smirking. “It’s been a while since we did the bondage thing. I’m feeling inspired by all of this ass-kicking show of dominance.”
Mike leaned over the seat. “If you two are done, we’re up next to exit.” Marie had her game face on, looking all serious and on edge when I climbed out of the car.
Ryan tugged me a few feet before he was pulled right in to give autographs and greet his fans. I stepped back out of the way, as I’d been instructed at all his other appearances.
Marie was on my right side, keeping watch.
Mike had her practice “shielding and removing” me from potential threats, and since she was right-handed, her left arm would be the one she used to grab me. Who knew there was a science to all of this? Mike knew the routine. He handled Ryan’s autographing and posing better than any publicist or manager could ever do, having been with Ryan at every public appearance he’d made in the last year.
“See how Mike keeps things away from Ryan’s face?” I said to her. Mike was holding a hand up, keeping all of the things fans were shoving at him to sign from getting too close.
“Holy shit, Taryn,” Marie muttered, taking in the hundreds of screaming fans lined up behind barricades, hungrily vying for a second of Ryan’s attention. “I thought the premiere was crazy; this is insane. They’re like rabid teenagers.”
“This is almost how it was in Paris.” Her head snapped in my direction. “Like this?”
I nodded, keeping a handle on that memory. I was getting used to it, but this was only Marie’s second time experiencing the “fandemonium” that followed Ryan Christensen the movie star wherever he went, and I could see she was visibly shaken by it all. Ryan seemed so much more collected, cheerful even, giving his fans what they so desperately craved.
“Mike was on the phone with event security all morning coordinating this.” I acknowledged her with a nod, and then glanced around. I noticed the extra security milling behind us. I knew both Ryan and Mike wouldn’t leave her to her own devices should anything go down.
“So is this basically what I do then? Just stand here with you?” Marie asked, glancing around, looking all official as she scanned for possible threats.
“What? Babysit me? Yep. You’re doing it.”
She twisted her lips at my poor attempt at humor.
I nudged my chin toward Ryan and Mike.
“Those two chumps think we have no clue what’s going on.”
Marie nodded. “After the Kyle thing, it’s pretty obvious why Ryan would want you to have a female bodyguard. I gathered that a while ago when Mike first started talking to me about the wonders of being in personal security. He sort of slipped once when he told me that Ryan wanted a female to guard you.”
“Yeah, I’d say their little scheme is pretty transparent.”
“Do we let them know that we’re on to them?”
“And miss an opportunity to mess with them? Nah. This is all part of his master plan to ensure that I don’t get bored and into trouble while he’s busy being famous.”
Marie peered around me, keeping up with her vigil. “I sure as hell won’t be complaining. I get a gorgeous man who fucks like a machine and to travel the globe with my best friend. I have no problem babysitting you while we shop.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that.
“I will start taking yoga classes if Mike gives me my own charge card—I’m telling you that now.”
“Just think of the trouble you could get in-to if you were a contortionist.” She broke into a fit of giggles. “So does this job come with health insurance? I may need it.”
“Not sure, but I’ll let you stare at Ryan Christensen’s ass for an extra ten minutes a day.”
She looked aghast. “Only ten minutes?
Hah! You know, if you would have told me a year ago I’d be part of Ryan Christensen’s entourage, I would have questioned your sanity. This is surreal. And no offense, but his ass is stellar.”
I watched all the faces of his fans light up the moment Ryan stopped in front of them, grinning, too. “What did my mom always say? Dreams come true when you point yourself in their direction.”
“Your mother was a brilliant woman,” Marie stated emphatically, both of us casting our gazes back to Ryan’s and Mike’s stellar asses.
I pulled a vision of my mom’s smiling face into my thoughts, hating that as the years passed since her death, I had to sometimes struggle to remember what she looked like.
Ryan smiled and waved a final goodbye to his screaming fans, then walked with purposeful strides to where I stood waiting. He took me by the hand, raised it to his mouth to softly kiss my fingers, twined his fingers around mine, and continued walking. His random public display of affection left me
breathless. I don’t even think he knew how his unconscious actions made the entire outside world disappear around us or how he set my heart fluttering like a hummingbird’s wings from his natural chivalry. I knew we were going to pose for the press photo op next, but I would have stood in any firing line just to be next to him.
Now that I was paying more attention to all the behind-the-scenes details, I realized just how much Mike truly did for us. The rest of the award show went off without a hitch and Ryan received a large surfboard for winning Best Actor in a Romance. I loved watching him onstage, thanking his fans. His acceptance speech was short and sweet and hanging out with the old Seaside cast backstage was a blast.
When the award show was over, Mike and Marie were waiting to take us to our next destination—a late dinner with them and Call and Kelly at the decadent restaurant Koi.
Thank God Marie was with us as we were bombarded by paparazzi when we came out of the restaurant. Mike had made sure our driver was waiting at the curb before allowing us to leave the safe confines of the building. Ryan had my hand, Marie was flanking me, repeating Mike’s orders for the throng of photographers to back up and let us through.
After two and a half glasses of wine and being blinded in the dark by all of the camera flashes, I was glad I didn’t have to drive.