“Then the next few days will be awkward and uncomfortable for us both. The fact is, your daddy paid me a shit-ton of money to watch over your spoiled ass and, pardon me, frankly I’m not sure you’re worth the money, but it’s his dime so here I stay.”
“How dare you!” She’d never been so boldly dissed in her life and she didn’t like it. “You don’t have the right to talk to me like that.”
Rian smirked. “Yeah, I call ’em as I see ’em and that’s a fact. I know all about you, CoCo Abelli. For that matter, who doesn’t? You’re a spoiled heiress with daddy issues and you’re always in the spotlight for doing something dumb. Usually getting drunk and falling all over yourself or something like that. Made quite a reputation for yourself and, to be honest, I didn’t want this job. In fact, I tried to refuse, but your daddy seems to think that his daughter deserves the best so here I am. Far be it from me to refuse good money even if I think it’s a fool’s errand. So do us both a favor and march your butt into your room and stay there for the rest of the night, because this party is a security nightmare. You don’t really think all these people are your friends, right?”
CoCo could only stare. No one spoke to her like that. No one! And it hurt. She was more than just a paparazzi payday. “Are you finished?” she asked. When Rian simply folded his arms across his chest and waited, she stared him down with all the European disdain she had flowing through her veins and said, “Not only are you finished with this job... I’m going to see to it that you never work in this town again.”
“Good luck, honey. Better people than you have tried—and failed. But don’t do me no favors. Being let go from this detail would be the biggest blessing of the year.”
What could she say to that? He wasn’t pulling any punches and she had no doubt that he was being truthful. He truly didn’t want the job, which only made her feel like a boil on someone’s butt. She wasn’t going to win any arguments with him at the moment and she wasn’t going to waste her time trying, especially when she was a bit dulled from all the alcohol. “I won’t lower myself to your level, Mr. Dalton,” she said icily. “Stay if you choose but I am not going to my room like some child. I have people to entertain.”
“Ah, yes, the nip-slip hasn’t quite occurred yet, right? Don’t want to miss out on that.”
She glared. “Screw you.”
“No, thanks. I don’t mix business with pleasure.”
Her blood boiled but she wasn’t about to make a scene. Lifting her chin, she turned on her heel and deliberately left him behind. She had to get away from that man. What was her father thinking hiring a thug like him?
She went straight to the bar and ordered a whiskey sour. She’d just managed to down it when Stella sidled up to her, nearly falling down drunk. “Who was that hottie you were talking to in the kitchen?” she slurred. “He’s the freshest meat in this place. I call dibs!”
“You can have him,” CoCo muttered even though she knew Stella wouldn’t remember a thing they were saying. She was nearly at puke level.
“Have you seen Drake? He was looking for you. You two are so cute together...”
“Drake is a slime,” she said, her thoughts still centered on Rian and how she’d like to wipe that smirk off his smug face. Stella giggled and CoCo wished her friend were at least halfway sober so she could tell her what’d happened, but she knew it was pointless to try to get Stella to focus right now. “Are you staying here tonight?” she asked.
“Only if I don’t get lucky,” Stella answered with a drunken giggle, swiveling around to survey the crowd with bleary eyes. “Now, where did Mr. Hottie run off to?”
She ought to sic Stella on Rian. That ought to keep him busy for a bit. But even as the uncharitable thought raced through her mind, she discarded it. The last thing she needed was Stella hooking up with the man her father had hired to protect her. It was bad enough he was here at all, no sense in making things worse.
Besides, if CoCo wasn’t getting lucky—neither was her jerk of a bodyguard.