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[ B L A I R E ' S   P O V ] 

      "Wait... you got a job as a what?" Belle's voice rings in my ears. I have to put the phone on loudspeaker so I won't get deaf from her shrill voice.

I needed to call Belle today for a couple of reasons. I'm not the one to chicken out on my first day on the job—actually, I wouldn't know considering the fact that this is my first job—but I definitely feel a little bit nervous. And I know I could count on Belle to make it all go away. And also, if I didn't tell her about the job, Belle would hear it from Ben or some other source and she will cut me.

Blind or not blind, she will do it. After a few months of being friends with her, I learn not to underestimate her.

"A bodyguard," I hiss. "Jax's bodyguard."

"Oh my god." She starts laughing. "This is hilarious. You? Protect Jax? I mean—isn't he like really strong and really capable of handling himself? From the way Ben describe him to me, I can tell he's really muscular and buff and really, really fine-"

"Focus, Belle, focus!" I snap my fingers. "I know he's more than capable to protecting himself. Hell, he'll most likely be protecting me if something ever happens, not the other way around."

"True." I can picture Belle nodding. "But you know, if Baxton saw something in you, you must be special."

"Yeah, well, I don't know what he's doing, but he's not hiring me for my skills. Because I definitely lack of it." I sigh.

"That Baxton guy—he's sketchy," Belle murmurs. "But what can you do now anyway? He gave you the job. And you do need the money. I'm not going to lend you anymore money to spend on Caffeinated coffee. At least now, you can afford that shit on your own."

I laugh. "Sorry, Belle. I promise I'll buy my own coffee next time."

"Don't worry too much about this job, alright?" Belle says, her voice growing softer. "It's just a job. You don't have to like the Jax guy. But..." she pauses for the while, then continues, "Do you... like the Jax guy?"

"What? No way!" I say. "He's all the things I don't want in a man."

"That just makes him all the more right for you," she teases. "You really need to have a love life, Blaire. And before you say you do, I'm going to stop you right there because Ben. Doesn't. Count. You need someone who can be there for you when you need them. Someone you can count on. Someone that you feel comfortable around with. I'll always be here babe, but not for long. It's only a matter of time before someone looks past the whole blind thing and sweeps me off my feet-"

"Okay, you really need to stop watching those rom coms. Those movies make you set realistic expectations on love," I tell her, "and calm down. Love can wait. I got more important things to do."

"Like what?"

I want to tell her about Eden and my plan for getting him out, but the words just get lodged in my throat. I'm scared that if I tell her, she'll tell me to stop stealing. She'll call my entire plan off because she will think it's ridiculous and stupid.

And yeah, maybe it is all of that. But I don't care.

My life feels so empty without Eden. I feel like I'm living life with a hole in my heart. I need him like I need air. He's the sole reason why I'm still living.

Belle won't get that. Nobody will. Hell, the only person I did tell doesn't even support my plan. So what's the point to telling Belle too? Nobody will back me up on this.

So instead of telling Belle what I want to say, I say something else instead. "Like this job," I say.

"Bullshit. You were going to say something else."

Belle knows me so well.

"Look, I gotta go," I rush out. "Tell Ben I can't make it to his house these few days. I have a feeling Jax is going to keep me really busy."

"You better hope he does," she says teasingly.

"You know I don't mean it that way." I roll my eyes.

"I wish you did." Belle sighs. "I don't even know him but I have a feeling he's a thousand times way better than my brother."

Maybe you're right.

"Keep dreaming, Belle. Keep dreaming that I'm screwing someone else other than your brother," I say.

"Oh I will," she says, "and I could still hear you when you guys fucked in the car two days ago! It's disgusting!"

"Bye, bitch." I blow a kiss.

"Bye, hoe."

And then I hang up.

I place my phone on the bedside table and turn my attention to the bodyguard's uniform that I laid on my bed just a few minutes before.

Shit.

☸☸☸☸☸☸

I officially hate my job.

As I slide into the bodyguard uniform Baxton made me wear, I feel absolutely stupid. I don't know what is it about uniforms that make my skin crawl. This bodyguard one really doesn't fit me very well; my body feels weird wearing it. The sleeves feel a little too short and the tightness on the upper lower area cause both my tits and my butt to look way bigger than it actually is.

I'm starting to wonder if this was all Baxton's doing... or Jax's.

That and also the embarrassment of having to show this wearing to Jax really has me on edge. Like I'd guessed, the minute I walk down those steps in the uniform, I see Jax's eyes narrow. He spits out the coffee he's sipping on and covers his mouth with his hand, trying to contain his laughter.

"Shit," he wheezes. "You look like you're about to do a porno."

"Thanks," I mutter. "I feel even more ridiculous now."

"Holy fuck," he swears as he drinks me in from head to toe, making sure to linger on my chest area. He even tilts his head, trying to catch a glimpse of my ass but I glare at him and he snorts, looking away. "It looks really uncomfortable, Blaire."

"Like you actually care," I say, rolling my eyes. "You just want to see the goods." I gesture to my chest area, then my butt.

He grins, his eyes following my hands. "Damn right I do. Bless my father for giving you this."

"You sure this is the one he gave me?" I place my hands on my hips and glare at Jax. "Or did you tamper with it purposely so I'd look more like a hooker than an actual bodyguard?"

"Porn star," he corrects me. "You look more like a porn star than an actual bodyguard."

"Thanks. Because swapping those words will make me feel even better about my current situation," I deadpan.

"Okay, it doesn't look that bad." Jax crosses his arms and takes his sweet ass time to examine me. I turn to scowl at him. He merely grins back. "I'm going to enjoy this. Really. Aw, look. You even have a little holster for the dildo—I mean, gun. Of course."

"Wait a minute," I pause, completing ignoring the sick humor of what he just said. "I get a gun?"


      "Of course you get a gun! Nobody is going to take you seriously without one," he says, like I should know.

"Cool. Do I get a taser too?"

"Depends on what's Hunter going to give you." Jax looks at his watch and nods. "He should be here soon."

"Wait, who's Hunter?" I ask.

"My dad's bodyguard," Jax shrugs. "He's been working for him ever since dad started his career here. Since there's no time for proper training, he's just going to tag along for the first couple of days. You don't mind, do you?"

"Wait, doesn't your father need his bodyguard too?"

"Like you saw yesterday, he has two." Jax tells me. "I think he can live without one for a few days."

"Wait, then why couldn't he just be your bodyguard?" I ask, crossing my arms.

Jax sighs. "What part of 'only a few days' do you not get, Blaire? I know you really want out of this. But fuck, Blaire, think about the rewards you're reaping with this job. You get money, Blaire. Money. Isn't that what you want? I'm not happy about this arrangement too but dammit, at least I understand that you need this job."

I blink, trying to process his words. I hadn't expected him to say that to me.

"Jax, I—" I start off but he waves me off.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He rolls his eyes. "I know you didn't mean it that way, but I know that's what you're thinking. Just do the damn job. Three months, Blaire. Three fucking months. We only spend time with each other for three months. After that, you can hate me all you want."

I open my mouth to protest but the words die down just as Jax saunters to the door and opens it. The guy that walks in is huge. I mean, I saw him yesterday, but I was too wrapped up in the whole Baxton-offering-me-a-job-as-Jax's-bodyguard thing to really take notice of him.

First off, he's buff. Really really buff. Like he could crush me into a pile of bones with just his fist. He wears a dark suit accompanied with long black slacks. He has this earpiece slung from his right ear to the side of his mouth. I wonder how annoying it gets having that shit next to his mouth all the time.

When Hunter finally steps into the house, he takes off the shades he's wearing and tucks them into the place where his shirt parts. I don't know what I had expected from him—okay, scratch that. I know exactly what I expected. I had expected him to be really serious, with a constant frown on his face, like the ones I always see in movies, but Hunter isn't like that. When he sees me, he breaks into a huge smile—a gesture that didn't seem to fit with how he looked with the shades and the intimidating suit—and walks over to me, then grabs my hand and shakes it vigorously.

"Hello, Blaire," he says, still smiling. "I'm Hunter."

"Cool," I say, gritting my teeth. "Um, you're murdering my hand."

Hunter stares at our cupped hands and immediately lets go, grinning sheepishly. "Ah, sorry about that. I guess the daily workout paid off—perhaps a little too much."

"Shit, you work out everyday?" I ask incredulously.

"Yeah," he says, blushing a little. Hunter is so... adorable. I like it. "But my workout routine is nothing compared to this guy." He points to Jax and Jax snorts.

"Damn straight," Jax saunters over to the both of us, folds his sleeve back and flexed his muscles. "Hunter, you've definitely been slacking off. Look at my guns."

Hunter throws his head back and laughs. He does the same, showing off his biceps to Jax.

I wonder if this is what guys do all day. Comparing who has bigger muscles.

"Right," I say, whistling lowly. "Should we get going?"

"Sure," Hunter nods to Jax. "If we don't leave soon, you're going to be late for your interview with People Magazine. They're going to do a full page spread on you."

"Seriously?" I ask, my brows knitting. "Come on, he's not that famous."

"True," Hunter says. "But Baxton turned this interview down and they need someone else last minute so..."

I grin at Jax. "Makes more sense."

Jax rolls his eyes. "Whatever. We going or what?"

"You bruise his ego and that's how he gets," Hunter laughs. "Like father, like son."

I have a feeling I'm going to like Hunter a lot.

☸☸☸☸☸☸

"Awesome. We have a limo," I say, letting Hunter open the door for me so I can slide in the backseat. Jax takes his place next to me and Hunter up front next to the driver, Bassanio, whom we were allowed to call 'Bass.'

What a cool nickname.

"Courtesy of my dad," Jax lets his arm rest on the chair and his legs dangle in front of him. I glare at his relaxed posture and he raises his eyebrows at me as if saying what? I'm entitled to do any fucking thing I want. "He has one of these and four other cars. He uses the Bentley a lot. Oh, and he has a helicopter too."

"Wow," I snort. "What's next? A private jet?"

"Mr. Deneris actually does own one," Hunter chimes in. "He uses it to get to Boston to visit Jax sometimes."

My eyes soften. "That's nice. At least he visits you."

Jax grumbles. "Certainly not enough."

I want him to tell me more about it, but I don't wan to press him for information when he looks like he really doesn't want to tell me about it. So I keep my mouth shut and allow the silence to fill the void between us.

It's only after a while when we're stuck in a traffic jam that the silence is finally broken when Hunter turns towards us—or to be more specific, me—and smiles. "I thought since we have a little bit of time, I should probably show you the stuff you need." He gestures to the top compartment above me. "Grab that box."

I do just as he says, placing the box on my legs. I ask Hunter in silent permission to open it and he nods. I take out the cover and my eyes narrow at the things that are in it—a gun, a taser and a private security badge. "Holy crap a load."

He merely grins. "Baxton said you can shoot so I figured I'd give you one."

I take the gun out and snort. "A 22-caliber? Are you kidding me? This is for kids."

Hunter laughs. "Then I guess you're going to be one for the next few days. What? Don't look at me like that. You're lucky you're even getting a gun. Actually, you're lucky you even got hired to be a bodyguard. People like me had to work hard for it. We needed a security license and we had to go for training courses. It's not that simple, kid. Be happy with what you got."

"Fine. Thanks," I say.

"Speaking of training," Hunter starts off, "I need to see you shoot sometime during the weekend."

I frown. Weekends are reserve solely for Eden. "I can't make it during the weekends. I'm busy. How about whenever Jax is free?"

"Okay," Hunter nods. "But I also need to train you. Do you do a lot of physical and body work?"

      Oh helllllll to the no.

"Sorry but no," I smile sheepishly.

"Then, we need to work on it. We'll work on your training times soon."

"Okay." I nod. I notice Jax staring at me intently and I sigh. "What?"

"I can train you," he says quietly.

I don't think I heard that correctly.

"Um, what?" I say, hoping I heard him wrong. "Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?" he snaps. "Don't you need the training?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then I'll train you," Jax says in finality.

I blink a couple of times. I look at Hunter helplessly, hoping that he would get me out of this but he just nods.

"That's actually not a bad idea," he says. "Blaire, he's good. Better than me."

Again, still don't know why Jax needs a bodyguard.

"Why do you want to train me?" I cross my legs and stare at Jax in confusion. He watches my legs fold and gulps.

"Because you need it," he says. "And other than doing this—" he gestures with his hands, "—I got nothing better to do. LA is boring as fuck. It will be fun to train you. Besides, I'm going to like watching you suffer." He wears a smirk on his face and I want to wipe it off.

Or keep it.

Damn him. Damn him because he's just too fucking irresistible.

"You're a sadist." I scowl, eyes narrowing.

He hunches his shoulders. "Whatever. Been called worse."

There's a little bit of sadness laced with his tone and I can't help wondering that maybe he had a rough life. Baxton did say that he's been a troubled kid ever since he left for LA to pursue his acting career. Baxton did say that he felt really bad that him leaving may be the cause of Jax acting this way, but I don't think that's it. Something happened—something that brutalized him that causes him to act like this.

"Fine," I eventually snap. "You'll train me."

"Good," he leans over, his arms rested on his thighs. "I'm not going to go easy on you, you know. Try to keep up, yeah?"

"Oh, Jackson," I say sweetly, clicking my tongue. "You have no idea who you're talking to. I practically live under suffering and pain. I think I can handle a little bit more."

He opens his mouth to speak, perhaps wanting to ask what had I meant by that, but before he can do so, the limo slows down and Hunter announces, "we're here."

I peer outside the window and watch as the paparazzi trail the limo. There's only a couple of them, much less than yesterday, but they look persistent. Some of them attempt to shove through the security guards posted outside the building, and one even managed to get away. I hold my breath, realizing that this is what I'm going to have to deal with for the next three months.

"You okay, Blaire?" There's concern in Jax's eyes when he asks me. Genuine concern.

"Never been better." I lie.

So day one of being Jax's bodyguard officially begins.

☸☸☸☸☸☸

A/N: Not much happens in this chapter. But I love the little JAIRE moments. Always such a blast to write.

What do you think of them so far? Tell me in the comments section below!

Anyways, wish me luck! Exams are in three days and I don't feel very ready. I'll try to connect with you guys as much as I can off Wattpad, like on my ask.fm and Facebook. So do try to contact me there!

Next update: Friday!

Love, Claudia.