The One That Got Away.

Desmond Darnelle Paisimond

Ultimately, Kelly stays on the coach, curiosity about this Desmond Paisimond welling up. Before long, the eerie silence starts to frighten her. Are these coaches secure? What if a crazed fan were to sneak on board and do something to her? She sure didn't know what they would do and didn't want to find out. She grabs her phone and slowly creeps her way through the coach.

Halfway to the front of the coach she pauses, wondering if she should call Shayla. She has no idea where to go when she gets off the bus, furthermore, she has nothing to identify her as part of the staff, or band, or whatever she is. 

She frowns at her phone. She'd rather invite a serial killer on board to kill her right now than ask Shayla for a damn thing. I'll find my way somehow.

She pulls back a heavy privacy curtain separating the front of the coach from the rest of it. She is startled when a large, intimidating man staring down at his phone snaps to attention as soon as the curtain opens. He juts his hand out, "Desmond Darnelle Paisimond," he states in a deep booming voice, giving her a vigorous handshake. He is a towering 6' 5" and has more muscle than she has ever seen on anyone in real life. He's slick bald, has a kind smile, and impeccable, gleaming white teeth. 

"Hello," she says timidly.

"I'm getting the feeling Jared didn't tell you anything about me, did he?" he throws his head back, laughing. "I am your executive protection agent. Your bodyguard, if you will. We're talking Beyonce-level security. I will keep you safe from everyone, including Jared. I will also be your chaperone when Jared, or Josh, is unavailable."

He grabs some paperwork, "The best part is, even though my fee has been paid in full for the entire six months - with a nice bonus, by the way, thank you Jared - I work for you, and only you. I am not authorized to take orders from Jared, Josh, or anyone else." He taps the paperwork with this finger, "You don't have to read through this contract right now but basically it says, Desmond Darnelle Paisimond is your armed security professional blah blah blah," he flips through the paperwork to find the specific section, "without your permission, I cannot tell anyone anything you say or do. Complete confidentiality. I will be accompanying you round the clock. I understand you've not had a protection specialist before so I am happy to answer any questions."

Kelly is tongue-tied; she isn't sure what to say, ask, or even do right now. How the hell many servants did a person need? 

"It's also my job to keep you in the loop of everything going on. At this very moment, Emma is showing the boys to their respective dressing rooms." Desmond looks to the ceiling and squints trying to remember, "I think...Emma is going to help Josh get settled and dressed. After that, the band will converge, do soundcheck, followed by the Meet and Greet with fans. At the Meet and Greet, the new girl Ari will take over for Shayla and Emma, corralling the fans for a Q and A, pictures, and so on. That takes about an hour. Then the band will relax for a while, warm-up, then take the stage and perform. Cade will be instructing and directing the videographers and running the live social media. Tonight's show is sold out. Every show on the tour has sold out." He finally pauses and waits for a response. 

Kelly remains speechless. 

"You're going to watch the show tonight, right?" he breaks her silence.

"Uhh," Kelly's brain is having trouble processing all the rapid-fire information. "This sounds expensive," she accidentally utters.

Desmond's resounding laugh reverberates through the coach. "Yes, yes. Very expensive! But look," he pretends to check his surroundings for eavesdroppers, "your man Jared is loaded." He booms with laughter once again, slapping his leg. He explains, "Let me put it to you this way, no one can hire a single bodyguard. Company policy dictates two agents per client, no exception. We work 24/7, it's for our safety and comfort, as well as the clients'. Jared advised us that you would not be amenable to more than one agent, uh, he phrased it something like you didn't want that many people on the bus with you. But Jared has a way of making offers the owner can't refuse!"