"Come on, Leggy! Give us a money shot."
The paparazzo who yelled out was one of the regulars who followed her from city to city. He was just as annoying as all the others, but at least he sold good shots of her. Unlike the greasy pig who'd deliberately gotten down low to take a crotch shot when she was exiting her limo after a night of partying last year. He'd made her look like she'd been completely wasted and showing her thong on purpose. Anyone would look like they were flashing their underwear if they had someone kneeling in front of them taking a picture!
"Just one, Sam," she murmured.
Samuel Gannon, her chief of security, turned back to her and nodded. He motioned for the other security guards to flank her, preventing the photographers from getting too close.
She turned to the side, lowered her chin and flashed a wide smile. A blinding flurry of flashbulbs went off as the group scrambled to take shots before she whipped around and ducked into her limo. A second later Sam, and two other security agents, followed. The rest would trail them in a second limo. She only needed this much security when traveling and she couldn’t deny that it was weird having so many people following her around.
In the beginning she'd tried to keep current on who was guarding her and would chat with them, ask about their families. As time went on and her need for additional security grew, it became too difficult to keep track. Sam had been with her since the beginning and she trusted his judgment.
That had to be good enough.
“This morning you have another shoot for,” Sam consulted the clipboard he held, “La Fleur. The skin care company. Then this afternoon, we have the layout for the energy drink.”
“Vitamin supplement.”
Sam smirked. “Whatever you want to call it.”
She pulled her cell phone from her purse and turned it on. She'd been so exhausted the night before that she'd shut it off before falling into bed. As it powered up, she looked out the window of the limo as they inched through the crowded streets of Central Singapore. People lined the streets, their garments a kaleidoscope of colors. A bike passed by the limo so closely she wouldn’t be surprised if he’d taken the paint off the door.
It was a controlled chaos and she wished she could stop the limo and go wading in the sea of people. For once, she’d like to actually experience and enjoy a city while she was there. But she was booked solid for the next two days. Then she was off to the Bahamas for her first shoot with Sports Illustrated.
It was everything she'd been working toward for the last five years. The only thing she hadn't gotten yet was a major sponsorship deal. Her agent was working on a possible deal with a lingerie company, but she wouldn't agree unless she was going to be treated like a star.
If they weren’t going to give her a pair of diamond-studded wings, then it wasn’t worth her time.
The screen of her phone flashed and she swiped her thumb over the face to view her log of missed voicemail messages. Her sister Ridley had called several more times. It was probably time she stopped avoiding her. This was the longest they’d ever gone without speaking since they’d had a crush on the same boy in high school.
“Oh crap.”
Sam looked up from the printed schedule he was reviewing. “What? Is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure. My sister came to see me and I forgot to tell her I changed the security code.”
“Oh, you mean the pathetically obvious security code that I made you change a month ago?” His deep laugh sounded more like the growl of an irritable bear. “Who uses their birthday?”
She gritted her teeth. “Whatever. The point is, my sister is locked out. I’m so glad Jackson was home. At least I know she’s safe with him.”
Sam frowned. “What do we know about this guy?”
Raina rolled her eyes and pulled up Ridley’s contact information so she could call her back.
“His boys come over and play in my yard all the time. He’s a music producer, a single dad and a real sweetheart. Any man who loves his momma that much is okay in my book. Ridley is probably safer with him than she would be staying at my house all alone. I was actually hoping to introduce them at some point, anyway. He’s just the kind of guy my sister needs to be involved with, unlike the losers she normally picks. He’s handsome, successful and most importantly, rich.”
She heaved a breath. “I’m really happy my sister came but man, this timing sucks. I’ve been trying to get in with Sports Illustrated forever. I can’t miss this shoot.”
“Why would you need to go home? Can't you just call your sister and give her the code?” Sam asked.
“I don't want her to be alone. I can barely understand her messages but she sounds like she’s been crying. All I can hear is ‘David’s gone’ so it sounds like she broke up with her new boyfriend, who was more than a little weird in my opinion. I told her he sounded like a scam artist but at least this one didn’t last long—” she stopped suddenly, tracing her thumb over the screen of her phone. Ridley’s number was still displayed.
“What?” Sam asked.
“Nothing, it’s just… I could have not checked my messages this morning. That’s possible, right?”
“Raina,” Sam warned.
“What! I’m just saying this time change is huge. Killer. It’s actually still Saturday evening back home. I could have been so tired that I shut my phone off last night and forgot to turn it back on this morning. Even if I remembered around lunch time, well it would be too late to call the East Coast then because it would be midnight there.” Her lips curled up in a small smile.