The Bodyguard | LGBT x CEO (Excerpt)

31. Beg For It

31. BEG FOR IT

"I can't believe you're leaving me already. And here I thought that what we had would last forever," Aiden said to Cassie, jokingly, as she finished loading the last of her bags into Julian's car. "I can't lie. It was really nice having you around."

"Just nice? Honey, I think what you meant to say was that I was the coolest bitch you've ever met and it's breaking your heart right now to see me go." Cassie teased. Aiden laughed. Julian shook his head and smiled at both of them. "Seriously, though, it's been fun being here. I guess I'll miss you, I don't know."

"We'll have to link up again real soon," Aiden suggested. Cassie agreed. "Now, since you are leaving, I'm going to have Joshua stick by your side until you fly out of town. It'll be safer for you to have some type of protection around being that Clarissa is still out there roaming the streets."

"I have no objections to any of what you said," Cassie said.

Aiden laughed and then looked at Julian. "I'll catch you later at the hotel?"

Julian nodded, leaning in to give Aiden a quick peck on the lips before they separated. Aiden went back inside the house to finish packing for their little getaway.

"Why are you so adamant about leaving so suddenly, anyway? I know things have been crazy around here, but no one wants you to go," Julian said to Cassie after they hopped into his SUV and took off down the road. They were heading to his condo which is where Cassie would be staying until she went back home to New York.

When she told him that she wanted to leave Aiden's place and be on her own for a while, Julian refused to put her in a random hotel, so he suggested she stay at his place instead.

"I just feel like I've overstayed my welcome," Cassie replied, being honest. "And with you two going off to do your own thing this weekend, not trying to sound like a whiny bitch, but I'd be left all alone in Aiden's gigantic house and...I don't know, I guess I'd feel safer on my own if I were in your condo rather than being in Aiden's never-ending mansion. Besides, whats-his-face will be with me, so it's not like I'm entirely all on my own."

"His name is Joshua," Julian informed her, wishing she'd be more serious about all this than what she was showing. "You've got his number saved in your phone, right? So if anything goes wrong, anything at all, you'd better call me immediately."

"I know the rules, Jules." Cassie looked over at her friend and smiled. "I'll call you if anything happens. Which it won't, so please stop worrying and enjoy your weekend getaway with your man. Don't stress out over me, I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. I know karate."

Julian laughed, rolling his eyes. "No, you don't."

"You're right, I don't." Cassie laughed. "But I'm pretty sure Joshua knows how to use his pistol, so I'll be good."

Julian sighed, knowing that this was a battle he wouldn't win. "I really don't want you leaving the house by yourself, Cass. I know how sneaky you are, so I'm letting Joshua know that he needs to keep a close eye on you. Wherever you go, he goes. Understood?"

"Yes, father! Can you be done lecturing me now?" Cassie asked. Julian nodded, chuckling. "So, you and Aiden. You're really serious about him, aren't you?" Cassie asked, changing the subject. Julian nodded. "I like him, too. He can be a real ass sometimes, I mean you've dated worse, but Aiden, he's in his own category. He's different, but in a good way."

"I'm confused. What are you trying to get at?" Julian asked.

"I don't know," Cassie muttered, lost in her thoughts. "I just want you to be careful with him, Jules. I see how happy he makes you and how happy you make him, but the guy has a lot of crazy shit going on in his life right now. I can tell it's taking a toll on you." She paused, turning to look at him. He looked tired but much better than what he looked like yesterday. "I know everyone comes into a relationship bringing a little baggage with them, but Aiden...saying that he has a lot would be an understatement. You two together are picture perfect, true enough, but at the same time you're also polar opposites."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Julian asked.

"Yes and no," Cassie continued. "Some days you guys are like oil and water - you just don't mix. And I know that he can be charming, sweet, and kind when he wants to be, but when he gets in one of his moods and starts lashing out like a psycho it really pisses me off when he comes at you all crazily. And then you just stand there and take it—"

"I don't take anything," Julian said matter-of-factly. "His little tantrums don't faze me. He's harmless. And you should know that there's more to him than the bad boy persona that you've seen him portray. There is good in him, Cassie. You just haven't been around long enough to see it."

"Maybe you're right," Cassie sighed, thinking too much into all this. She was probably just being overprotective. Either way, she had to voice her concerns. "Maybe I'm judging him too harshly. You definitely know him better than me. I'm sorry for talking shit about him. It's not that I don't like him, I just—"

"You care about me," Julian finished her sentence. "I know. You don't have to apologize for that. Everyone's emotions are still riding high thanks to yesterday being so insane."

"Yeah, it was fucking crazy," Cassie added. "You, me, and Aiden were all crazy."

"He's the most infuriating man that I've ever been with, but I can't seem to leave him alone," Julian said with a smile. "Some days I wonder if he's worth all the trouble, but I'm already in too deep to turn away. Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not while Clarissa is still out there. I care for him too much to leave him hanging high and dry."

"And thus, you're stuck at an impasse, my friend," Cassie said. "There's no going back, and no way to move forward. You've just got to deal with the situation, I guess. Deal with it until you can't deal with it anymore."

"I'm hoping this getaway will change things for us for the better," Julian said. "Maybe it'll bring us closer together somehow, I don't know. I just need a break from all the bullshit that's trying to drag us down. He and I both deserve a break."

"Yeah, I'm sure you two will be getting real close to one another; closer than you've ever been before." Cassie teased, already knowing the meaning behind their getaway. "For me and you, don't go easy on him tonight. Make him squirm and beg for it. After all he's done, I think he deserves to be tortured just a little, wouldn't you agree?"

Julian smirked. "Maybe."

. . . . .