The Bodyguard (59)

“What’s going on?” I asked, closing the door behind me.

Glenn, looking pissed, pointed at me. “This is your fault, too.”

“My fault!” I said. “I just got here.”

“Twenty-five years I went without any of my agents sleeping with each other. Twenty-five years! Then you and Romeo over here break that rule, and now it’s a free-for-all.”

I looked over at Robby, who was staring at the floor. Then, Taylor. Who was staring straight ahead, her eyes red and her face puffy.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Did you know these two were sleeping together?” Glenn demanded.

I flared my nostrils. “Yes.”

“Well, now he’s dumped her,” Glenn announced, like it was somehow my fault. “And she can’t get any work done—and neither can anybody else—because she cannot stop crying.”

Did I feel a tiny flicker of triumph?

No comment.

“Does this mean I get London?” I asked. “Since he’s such a troublemaker?”

But Glenn was in no mood. “You’ve got your downsides, too.”

He wasn’t wrong. I turned to Robby. “You dumped her, huh?”

“Do you even need to ask?” Glenn demanded. “Look at her!”

Now there were fresh tears on Taylor’s face.

“You want a lesson on how to get dumped?” Glenn demanded of Taylor. “That,” he said, pointing right at me, “is how you get dumped! She’s the gold standard! This guy ripped her heart out on the night after her mother’s funeral, but she was back at work the next day like a goddamned superhero.”

Taylor was actively crying now.

“Ugh,” Glenn said, turning away in disgust. “Get out of here and pull yourself together. Go get some fresh air. Amadi, take her some water.”

Taylor scuttled out, and Amadi followed.

Glenn rounded on Robby then. “Just what are you and that horndog personality of yours trying to accomplish? Are you trying to drive me into bankruptcy? Is there one woman in this company you haven’t screwed?”

Kelly raised her hand cheerfully in the back corner. “He hasn’t screwed me!”

“Keep it that way,” Glenn growled.

“Yeah,” Doghouse added. “Keep it that way.”

“Yes, sirs,” Kelly said, saluting them both.

“Hey, Kelly,” I said with a wave.

“Hey.”

But Glenn wanted answers. “What are you doing?” he demanded of Robby. “What are you thinking?”

“I made a mistake,” Robby said.

“You sure as hell did.”

“No,” Robby said. “I made a mistake when I broke up with Hannah.”

“Oh God,” I said, smacking my hand on my forehead and walking toward the door. “Seriously?”

But Robby stopped me. “You can’t go.”

I gave Glenn a look. “Are you really gonna make me stay for this?”

Glenn tilted his head. “I believe we still have work to do. You remember work?”

“What am I supposed to do?” Robby demanded of Glenn, in a voice like there was no bigger victim in this room than him. “All day long, I have to watch these monitors.” Robby turned to me. “You know we put cameras everywhere, right? Whatever you two do outside, I’m watching it. If he gives you a piggyback ride. If he helps you in the garden. If he shows you tricks on the horse, or he teaches you how to do a handstand, or he stares at you when you aren’t looking. I see it all.”

Wait. Jack stared at me when I wasn’t looking?

Robby kept going. Back to Glenn: “You did this to torture me.”

Glenn didn’t even lift his eyebrows. “Absolutely.”

“Well, it’s working. It’s driving me insane.”

“Good. You deserve it.”

“Is this personal?”

“It’s life,” Glenn said. “And if you’re smart, you’ll use it to get stronger.”

I squinted at Robby. “Is this a caveman thing? Is this a chemical, knee-jerk, nobody-can-have-my-former-woman thing? Are you peeing on me to mark your territory?”

Kelly was still listening. “Please don’t let him pee on you.”

I gave her a look. “Metaphorically.”

But Robby shook his head. “I’m sorry, okay? I should never have let you go.”

“Let me go?” I said. “You didn’t let me go. You abandoned me.”

“I take it back.”

“There’s no taking it back.”

“Why not?”

“Because now I know who you really are.”

Robby pouted at that. Then he narrowed his eyes. “I know what this is. You think he likes you.”

I held very still.

“I see you with him,” Robby went on. “He’s got you convinced. But that can’t be right. You’re too smart for that. You can’t really think that a world-famous actor who could have any woman in the world picked you. Tell me you didn’t fall for that. Have you seen Kennedy Monroe? He’s playing with you! He’s bored! He’s not even that great an actor! Wake up. You’re choosing a fake relationship over me.”