fangirl 01 - an unconventional meeting Read online

  The boy nodded happily and motioned that this was Frank, his papa’s guard.

  ‘He keeps Papa safe,’ he announced, then threw his arms around the man’s neck, burrowing into him for a hug. Ellie smiled at the image and instantly felt calmer, but now she was even more intrigued about who the boy’s father was. Was he one of the actors? A crew member? Writer? Was it even anything to do with the convention or just a coincidence some guy needing a bodyguard happened to be in Vegas, in the same hotel as the biggest TV show convention in the world?

  ‘I’m sorry about that,’ she finally directed at Frank, still signing as best she could with her rusty American signs, so Tyler wouldn’t be left out. ‘But the woman he’s with doesn’t appear to know he’s hearing impaired. She was scolding him for signing and not speaking. He was very distressed, as you can imagine.’

  ‘That so?’ Frank asked frowning as he looked back at the woman who had caused the commotion in the first place. Her face was scarlet with the news and she was obviously furious at Ellie revealing such a thing; her hands balled into fists at her side.

  ‘Tyke. Hey, Tyler.’ Frank clicked his fingers at the boy, getting him to face him. ‘Ashley being mean?’ Frank spoke slowly and carefully, allowing Tyler to read his lips.

  Tyler nodded, pouting, and Ellie realised, with a small smile, that this child probably had everyone in his life wrapped around his little finger. Hell, he’d had her from the moment he turned those big, tearful eyes on her.

  ‘That lady’—Tyler pointed at Ellie without looking at her—‘is nice.’

  ‘That so?’ Frank chuckled, rubbing the boy’s belly again before turning back to the brunette. ‘Listen, that lady, I’m sorry about the misunderstanding. His usual nanny left last week and his father hasn’t found a suitable replacement yet. Ashley’s been sent by the Studio and obviously has no clue about kids, let alone about Tyler’s needs.’

  Ellie raised an eyebrow, trying to convey a cool, aloof attitude towards that little slip of information from the man while excitement bubbled away at his words. The studio! An actor? A director? One of the writers who’d come for the first time?

  ‘No hearing aid?’ she asked.

  Frank shook his head. ‘He has implants, but unfortunately, the hearing processors got damaged a few days back. We were supposed to go the doc’s tomorrow.’ He motioned to the hotel around them. ‘Last minute change of plans.’

  ‘Listen’—Ellie continued to sign automatically—‘he needs someone with signing capabilities, or at least someone with enough foresight to ensure they’re looking at him when they speak’—Ellie glared at the woman called Ashley—‘and that they remember he’s, what? Four?’

  ‘Four and a half!’ Tyler piped up, holding up his fingers on one hand. Ellie smiled indulgently at him.

  ‘Such a big boy!’

  ‘Ellie? Ellie!’ Marie’s voice called down the corridor, manners and indoor voice completely forgotten as she searched for her friend. Ellie peered around the towering man and waved at her forgotten companion. ‘Ellie! There you are.’

  ‘Sorry, that’s my friend. Hey, Tyler, are you going to be okay?’ Ellie asked as the click-clack of Marie’s high heels hurried toward them. The boy nodded in earnest, one of his arms sliding back around Frank’s neck as he leant his head against his giant companion’s.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Marie asked as she slid to a stop on the polished hotel floor. ‘Where have you been? And who are you?’ she demanded as she turned quickly on Frank, hands on her hips and head cocked to one side, ready to take on the world with her friend. Frank’s eyes looked over Marie’s curvy hips and busty bosom barely contained in her vintage fifties-style dress. Ellie bit back a smile at the sight of the red that hit his cheeks as he extended his free hand.

  ‘Frank Charles, security operative. Bodyguard, in other words.’

  ‘Marie Hadfield,’ the blonde said with a wink. ‘Interpreter.’

  ‘You’re both deaf interpreters?’ Marie nodded. ‘Well, what are the chances of that?’

  Marie beamed her million-dollar smile at him and Ellie knew her friend was instantly smitten. ‘I’m his Right Honourable Lord Hollingbrook’s interpreter,’ Marie advised proudly, before scrunching up her face. ‘And Ellie has the unfortunate job of interpreting for his little shit of a grandson.’

  ‘Marie!’ Ellie exclaimed, waving her arm to indicate Tyler’s presence. Marie blinked at the boy in Frank’s arms before her gaze slid back to Frank.

  ‘Lord?’ Frank whistled at the title. ‘Well, that’s pretty fancy.’

  ‘Oh, his lordship’s a big pussycat—’

  ‘Well, anyway,’ Ellie interrupted. ‘As long as Tyler’s going to be okay, we’d best be off.’

  ‘Oh, sure, of course.’ Frank looked disappointed and gave Marie another glance until Tyler grabbed Frank’s face and tugged it to face him.

  ‘Papa?’

  ‘Yeah, c’mon, Tyke, let’s go see your daddy.’ Frank threw the four-year-old over his shoulder with ease as the child giggled. ‘Nice meeting you, ladies.’ He nodded at them both, but his eyes lingered on Marie. ‘See you around.’

  Tyler waved goodbye to Ellie as Frank walked back the way Marie had come, just a few moments before. Both girls watched as Ashley hurried to catch up with the pair, throwing a scathing look back over her shoulder at the duo.

  ‘Man, forget the TV stars,’ Marie said, her eyes fixated on Frank’s retreating back. ‘I want me a bodyguard. He was all man. And the way he was with that kid; hells yeah!’

  ‘Tyler,’ Ellie said absently as they watched the group turn the corner. ‘The kid was called Tyler.’

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Marc was furious. He’d never been so furious in all his life. Not even Kelly had made him this mad; yes, he’d pitied her, feared her, and later hated her, but fury had never been part of it. However, he was ready to kill this little devil in Prada.

  She had ignored Tyler, left him alone while she did whatever she was really employed by the network to do. She’d put his son down in front of a TV—without captions—and sat herself in another room so he didn’t disturb her. Then she’d lost his son and hadn’t even realised! She, Frank, and a number of the hotel’s security team had been running around for nearly twenty minutes looking for him, and only God knew how long his son had been missing before that.

  What if something had happened to him? What if he’d got into a stairwell and tripped, and no one had found him immediately? What if someone had taken him? Marc shuddered at the thought of the news reports from Europe over the past few years, of the hideous child trafficking ring overtaking the continent, and what he would feel should Tyler ever—

  Luc must have seen his face go white because his friend placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder; Marc felt himself sway on his feet at the thought of his beautiful son in the hands of evil monsters. Marc shook his head and turned away from the woman in front of him, lest he do something he would regret. Or not regret, but would end up splashed across a tabloid as an ‘exclusive’ after the little bitch sold the story.

  ‘Sonya,’ Luc spoke calmly, his hand keeping Marc grounded. ‘I think it would be best for everyone if Ashley left. Get the studio to get her on the next flight home.’

  ‘I am standing—’ Ashley began.

  ‘I also think it would be a good idea if you didn’t speak. At all,’ Luc cut over Ashley as she tried to protest. ‘Right now, you’re lucky we’re not encouraging the studio to find you a more suitable position, like sorting the mail.’

  Marc heard the girl’s intake of breath before the sudden tip-tap of her heels as she scurried away.

  ‘Breathe, Marc,’ Jen told him as she came and stood on his other side. ‘Tyler’s okay—he’s having a whale of a time playing with Frank.’ His eyes darted over to his son who was sitting on Frank’s shoulders as the giant made him a drink and fetched him a cookie. His son was giggling merrily as he was jostled by the large man, and Marc was once again thankful to his old
friend for sticking with him throughout the years.

  Frank had completed a floor sweep and returned to the room they’d commandeered for Ashley and Tyler, only to find his charge missing as Ashley merrily conversed on her phone; the bodyguard had lost control. He’d been with Marc longer than Sonya had, minus the time with Kelly—Frank had been the only one to immediately see Marc’s ex for what she was. When Marc had tracked him down after Kelly, Frank had simply accepted his apology, handed in his notice to the guy he was guarding and flew across the country to work for him again. No questions, no quibbles, no I told you so’s. Frank had taken care of both Marc and Tyler as if they were family. If he couldn’t look after Tyler, Frank was the next best choice.

  ‘Sonya.’ A ball of emotion, of fear, made his voice crack slightly.

  ‘I’m already on it, I’ve got a girl—’

  ‘No,’ he interrupted her, clearing his throat and taking charge again. ‘You got us into this mess, you’re going to be the one to fix it. You’re looking after Tyler for the weekend—’

  ‘What? No, Marc, I can’t look after a kid—’

  ‘You can and you will. Plus, as you said to Ashley; Frank will be there the whole time.’

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Friday

  ‘I just want to sleep,’ Marie grumbled as she locked their hotel room door. ‘I feel like death.’

  The girls were feeling the effects of the cocktail party the three had embarked on the night before, across Vegas. Ellie and Marie had managed to crawl out of bed, but Mallory had texted from her own room saying the toilet was her new best friend and to go on without her; it was only the autograph signings that morning.

  The surprise gift of VIP tickets meant Mallory had sorted all the registration details for them; when she’d arrived at their room—before whisking them off to dinner—she’d presented their VIP lanyards, gift bags and itinerary of the four-day event. Ellie frowned at the breakfast times; she wasn’t the best person of a morning as it was.

  ‘Seriously, I feel like I’m going to die.’ Marie moaned for effect as they waited for the lift.

  ‘You can just shush,’ Ellie huffed and glared at her friend’s back as they stepped into the lift. She’d barely had time to shower and throw on her no-nonsense-takes-five-minutes face after Marie had spent nearly an hour in the shower. ‘At least you don’t look like death,’ she reminded her friend as she shoved the timetable into the back pocket of her jeans.

  ‘I said I’m sorry.’

  The two women prepared to ride the lift down to the lobby in silence, to enjoy a moment of quiet before joining the throng of convention attendees. Marie wedged herself into the corner of the lift, her perfectly coiffed head dropped to her chest as she used the walls to keep herself on her feet. Ellie dropped her own head back against the wall at the back of the lift, mentally preparing herself for the day ahead and the madness that was Desti-Nation. They’d already missed that morning’s breakfast, and Ellie was grateful their VIP passes would allow her to jump to the front of the autograph queues and be done quickly. Perhaps she could skip lunch too and just make it for Marc’s panel that afternoon? She was definitely avoiding the cocktail party this year!

  She was so caught up in her internal debate on the pros and cons of ordering food by room service, she didn’t notice the lift slow to a stop a few floors below theirs until a familiar voice drifted through the doors as they slowly slid open.

  ‘—No bodyguard? I’m not meeting someone without Phil. I don’t care how much they’re paying me.’

  Ellie’s eyes widened as Luc Truman and another large gentleman stood framed in the lift’s open doors. She had to force her mouth closed when the TV star nodded to her as he stepped inside, listening intently to someone on his phone; he turned and pressed the already-lit button for the lobby. Ellie flung her arm out to try and get Marie’s attention but ended up smacking her friend in the stomach.

  ‘What the hell, El—’ the blonde’s response cut off as her head snapped up and her eyes immediately landed on the profile of their favourite star. Ellie choked back a strangled sound as Luc turned and smiled at them, before returning to his call.

  ‘Look, I don’t mind a private one-to-one, I already agreed to that, but not without Phil or someone I know there. That wasn’t part of the deal. They said—’

  I wouldn’t mind a one-to-one with him! Marie signed as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively; Ellie bit her lip to stop herself bursting out laughing. She blushed and hid her head when the larger man, who she assumed was the Phil the star had referred to, glanced her way with a frown.

  Shut up, Ellie replied to Marie, when the big man’s attention was diverted by Luc’s voice; now more agitated at the other person on the phone.

  You so would, and you know it. Ellie could feel the warmth from her face travelling down her neck, knowing Marie’s words to be true, but not in the manner she was suggesting. She briefly wondered how much someone had to pay for a private meeting with the star—although, if this moment was anything to go by, she reasoned, she probably wouldn’t be able to speak to him even if she could have afforded such an event!

  You’re such a slut, Ellie told her friend. You’d bend over for any of the stars. Marie’s eyes twinkled brightly; she winked and licked her lips at the suggestion.

  You know it. Now that would be a collection to have—The Dicks of Destiny.

  Ellie couldn’t help it; she burst out laughing, her blue eyes suddenly alive with mirth. The last vestiges of her hangover were slowly slipping away.

  You’re vile, but I love you.

  Marie’s smile slowly slid off her face as the two girls realised the carriage had gone silent. Ellie licked her lips nervously and glanced towards the star.

  ‘I know you two, don’t I?’ He sounded highly amused, and if Ellie’s face was pink before, it flamed red now as she felt like a child caught with her hand in the biscuit tin. ‘Last year, you,’ he pointed to Marie, ‘asked me the final question of the day. The one about the lack of representation of disability on shows.’

  Marie’s eyes grew wide as she nodded. ‘Yes,’ she managed to squeak, darting her gaze to her friend, which caused Luc to do the same.

  He had always been kind and attentive to his fans, making sure they felt as if they were the centre of his world when he signed their pictures or posed with him in photographs, but never had she actually felt his eyes skimming her form, taking her in, scrutinising every minute detail. Ellie cursed, now deeply regretting she hadn’t pounded on the bathroom door to get Marie out earlier. Why did Luc have to walk into their lift?

  ‘Are you deaf?’ Luc asked Ellie. She blinked for a moment at the abruptness of his question; had she missed him speaking? However, when his hands signed the same question in American Sign Language, Ellie realised he was being genuine in his curiosity and wondered if he was related to Tyler in some way. Her mind scanned over the vast amounts of data she had on the stars of the show, Luc in particular, and was at a loss to come up with anything that indicated he could sign or why that should even be a possibility.

  Luc frowned, his head turning between the pair, before asking Marie, ‘Did I sign that wrong? I’m usually very good, but I’m still learning a lot of it. I didn’t recognise a lot of what you two were saying.’

  ‘No, no,’ both girls hastened to pacify the blond-haired man.

  ‘I was just surprised,’ Ellie tagged on. ‘I didn’t expect you to be able to sign.’

  As the lift came to a smooth stop and the doors slowly slid open, Marie stopped Luc from responding to Ellie by exclaiming, ‘Oh my God! What did you recognise?’

  Luc simply smirked at the duo and threw them a saucy wink as he stepped out of the lift after the man they supposed to be Phil.

  ‘Not much, but that would be a very interesting collection!’ he called back over his shoulder as he started down the corridor.

  The girls stood staring after the star until the doors began to slide close, jostling them out of their
separate reveries. They looked at one another and burst into laughter as they tried to make it out of the lift before the doors shut and the machine whisked them off to another floor.

  ‘Did that just happen?’ Marie asked when she could finally breathe again. ‘Does Luc Truman know that I want his dick?’

  ‘Marie,’ Ellie giggled as she started walking through the lobby. ‘Everyone here wants one of the star’s dicks, I’d wager. He probably already thought we would both bend over for him if he asked.’

  ‘Oh?’ Marie stopped and looked at her friend, her eyes narrowing and her red lips widening in a huge grin. ‘And who would you give it up to?’ Ellie shook her head, smiled and tugged Marie along with her towards the autograph area.

  ‘None of them, and you damn well know it.’

  ‘Oh c’mon! Pick one—any one!’

  Ellie shook her head again as they stepped into the room and ignored her friend’s continuing, good-natured, harassment.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  The woman in front of Marc simpered her thanks as he flicked her now signed Destiny promotional picture back in her direction and resisted, for the umpteenth time that morning, from rolling his eyes as she practically bounced away to re-join her friend.

  BB’s girlish giggle at the table next to him nearly made Marc bite right through his lip. His co-star was acting like an airhead, giggling and fluttering her eyelashes at everyone who graced her desk. He wondered if her face was aching as her plastered-on smile hadn’t once fallen from her lips.

  ‘You’re just too sweet,’ BB told the woman in front of her, clutching the fan’s hand and staring at her as if she were the most important person in the starlet’s life. ‘I hope you’re feeling better soon.’ Marc nearly choked on the air in his throat; did they all try that bullshit? Three women and a guy so far this morning had already told him how he had saved their lives. He sighed and told his autograph assistant he needed a break.