Thank you for such an amazing response to the first chapter! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well!
Chapter 2
Rose's POV:
I groaned as I slowly rolled out of bed. I had been intensely training with Dimitri for a full week now and felt like the walking dead. My muscles cried out in pain with each step as my eyes struggled to stay open. Dimitri continuously insisted that the pain would go away once I was in better shape, but I had a hard time believing him at the moment.
The good news was that Lissa would be participating in a photo shoot for a beauty magazine this morning which excused me from what would have been my morning workout. My official job training would begin today when I escorted Lissa out into the public for the first time.
I eventually made my way out of bed, and jumped into my private steam shower. Working for Lissa definitely had its benefits, although I really missed my old home as well as Christian. I had spoken with him on the phone many times since I moved out, but have not actually seen him in person since I have been so busy working with Dimitri. When Dimitri isn't pushing me in the workout room, he has me following him around everywhere, teaching me everything that I needed to know about being a good bodyguard. The job was actually very complex. Different bodyguards have very different roles. Dimitri is currently one of Lissa's near bodyguards, and is teaching me how to be one as well. Other bodyguards follow her from a distance, inspecting the area around us for potential security threats.
After showering, I spent quite a bit of time doing my hair and makeup. I definitely liked Lissa so far, but still felt somewhat intimidated by her. I mean, she is one of the most popular teenagers in the country! However, she has been nothing but friendly and kind since I have started working for her.
Once I was finally ready, I headed downstairs and joined Lissa for breakfast. She normally ate alone since many of the other bodyguards did not eat with her, but I enjoyed her company and hoped that she didn't mind my joining.
Lissa's dazzling smile when I sat down beside her definitely reassured me.
"Good morning Rose," she said sweetly. "We have a big day ahead of us. I am so excited, I absolutely love modelling!"
"You love everything you do," I replied jokingly. It was easy to see that Lissa truly did enjoy her work. I had heard her singing while playing along to the piano in her concert rooms many times at night for no reason aside from her passion for the music. It felt like I had been receiving a free and private concert, although I never commented on her singing since it was clear that she wanted the privacy. Unfortunately, privacy is not something that is easy to come by when living in a house full of bodyguards who have been hired to watch your every move.
"But that's a good thing," I added. "It is important to spend your time doing things that you enjoy."
Lissa beamed. "I really do love music and acting."
"Do you like all of the attention that you get?" I asked her.
"Yes, and no," she replied. "I love getting attention directed towards my work. It means so much to me that people enjoy my work. But I hate it when people try to pry into my personal life, and I hate not having the option to go out in public without being swarmed by fans. I don't understand why people even care about me as a person."
"Did you hear that Jesse Zeklos slept with Ralf Sarcozy's girlfriend, and that Ralf is now leaving the band as a result?" I asked her, anticipating her response. Jesse and Ralf were both members of a band that was popular, primarily as a result of Jesse's good looks.
She gave me an odd look for making such a random comment, but her eyes were quickly filled with excitement as she listened to the gossip.
"No way!" she exclaimed. "Although I always thought that Jesse was scum anyways so it isn't all that surprising. But I always thought that those two were really good friends. I wonder if their whole friendship was just a sham or-"
"And now you understand why people care about you as a person," I replied cutting her off. "A lot of people enjoy following celebrity gossip. Your life is like a dream come true for most people, so it is only natural that people will want to know more about you. Even you enjoy celebrity gossip," I added, waggling my eyebrows.
"Fine, you win," she grumbled, but had an amused expression. "It's nice spending time with you," she said abruptly. "You are so real, and honest. When you start attending different celebrity parties and events with me, you will begin to realize how fake and shallow some of these celebrities really are. The occasional one is nice, but most of them are completely self-absorbed.
"So how's Aaron?" I asked her. She groaned, and I had to hold back a laugh. Their relationship was somewhat real, but it was very one sided. Aaron was completely in love with Lissa, while Lissa liked him only a little bit. I had seen him around the mansion twice this week, and he seemed like a good guy, but was surprisingly a dull conversationalist. I would have expected an action film star like him to have been exciting and outgoing. It just goes to show that appearances can be deceptive. "Lissa, you can't complain about people being fakes, and then present your relationship with Aaron to the world as being flawless. If I had to guess, you are only dating him because it is what is expected of you."
"That's not completely true," she retorted, defending herself. "Things are a lot more complicated than that. You wouldn't understand."
And just like that, my comfort with Lissa had diminished. It felt like she had put me in my place, putting me below her with that comment.
"Actually, I think I do understand. You are dating someone that you have no feelings for, and I think it's because you are being a coward," I told her, picking up my breakfast, getting ready to eat somewhere else.
"I'm sorry Rose, I didn't mean anything, I just, it's really hard having the media follow you around everywhere! I wish I could meet someone and fall in love with them, but it's so damn hard for me to meet people, and at least Aaron is someone for me to socialize with. He actually likes me for me."
I immediately felt bad for lashing out at her. In a way, she had probably been right. I didn't understand, and probably wouldn't until after at least a few public appearances with Lissa.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken that so personally." I told her sitting back down.
"It's totally fine, now hurry up and finish your breakfast because we have to leave soon."
As if on cue, Dimitri entered the kitchen along with a woman that I hadn't met yet. My eyes were immediately drawn to Dimitri. Why did he have to be so freaking hot? I would have expected to have grown accustomed to his looks by now, but I seem to be more and more enthralled by him each time we are together. God dammit.
"Good morning Vasilisa," Dimitri said, giving a polite nod to Lissa.
"Call her Lissa," I groaned at the same time that Lissa begged, "Call me Lissa." Both of us laughed. Dimitri nodded, but he never seemed to greet her by her nickname for whatever reason. I would have to ask him about why he refused to do so later on.
"Hi Lissa, everything is all set to go. I just spoke to the set manager and the photographer will arrive shortly. A prep team is awaiting your arrival," said the woman who was standing with Dimitri. I could only assume this was Lissa's agent, Alberta Petrov. "A limo is outside waiting for you."
"Alright, let's go then," Lissa said. I would be joining Dimitri, Alberta, and two other bodyguards in Lissa's car while some other bodyguards would be tagging along behind us in separate cars. Since the limo picked us up right on Lissa's property, we were able to get in the car easily without disturbance from fans.
It took about an hour to drive to the studio since Lissa lived so far away from everything. When we finally got there, I found that the paparazzi and fans swarmed the property.
"Rose, it is important to for Vas-" Dimitri began, but Lissa and I glared at him. "Lissa," he corrected, "to be safe on the walk from here to the building. However, Alberta is advising that we go slowly to allow the paparazzi to take a few pictures, and for Lissa to sign a few autographs. You need to make sure that you are always close enough to Lissa to ensure that you can get at anyone who poses a direct threat to her safety." I nodded in response, and we got out of the car when the area around the studio was a bit less chaotic.
When Lissa stepped out of the car, fans started screaming and threw up their arms, waving at her crazily. Lissa stood up straight, and put on a beautiful smile as she greeted the crowd. She waved to everyone, signed autographs, and even posed for a couple of pictures. It had been challenging, but I had managed to keep myself near her the entire time that we were outside. When we finally entered the building, I let out a sigh of relief.
"You did well Rose, most bodyguards end up being blocked from their charges by the crowd on their first public appearances." Dimitri told me.
"Thanks," I replied to him smiling. He didn't smile in response. Now that I think about it, I don't think I have really seen him smile before… Or have fun, or make a joke, or act like a normal human being. His face is normally an unreadable mask, and his words are always so serious, and so work related. I can't help but wonder who he is underneath his exterior, that is, if he even is more than what he appears to be.
We were quickly greeted by an overly enthusiastic lady who quickly led Lissa into a dressing room. Dimitri told me to follow Lissa into the changing room since she hated it when the male bodyguards had to. I was to message him through the earpiece that he gave me if any problems arose. I was just about to walk into the room, when I was stopped by security.
"How did you get in here?" the man demanded. "This room is private."
"I am Lissa's bodyguard!" I exclaimed in response. The man gave me a weird look, and then bent over laughing.
"Of all the things I have heard you teenage girls come up with, this has to be one of the funnier ones. You are a teenage girl, not a bodyguard!"
"I am her freaking bodyguard, and if you don't let me through, I will use my fist to prove that I am not some innocent young girl," I growled at him.
"Mam, you may either leave now, or we will escort you out." The man replied. I was in the midst of contemplating whether to punch him or not when Dimitri's voice came from behind me.
"Mr. Nagy," Dimitri greeted him, however his tone held a very rough edge to it.
"Mr. Belikov, how may I help you?" the man asked.
"This is Lissa's newest bodyguard, Rose Hathaway. I told security exactly who she was earlier!" Dimitri exclaimed, sounding frustrated.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't know." Mr. Nagy replied, clearly beginning to get nervous.
"Whatever, it's not your fault that this place's security is disorganized," Dimitri replied in both a polite, and annoyed way. "Just let her in already."
Mr. Nagy stepped aside and finally let me into the room. I knew it was going to be hard to be taken seriously as a bodyguard, but I had no idea it would be this bad.
I ended up basically standing in Lissa's prep room, doing absolutely nothing aside from awkwardly watch as she was dressed and primped up. After prepping her for over an hour, Lissa was finally released onto the set. She looked absolutely breathtaking. Her blond hair had been curled into luscious waves that fell down her back. Her eyes had also been lined, and highlighted with light shadows, making them look even bigger and brighter, while adding a sexy edge. The look was topped off with red lipstick and blush. The makeup was clearly overdone and would be too much for any other occasion, but for a photo shoot, I suppose exaggeration contributes to a stronger final product.
I took a seat next to Dimitri and Alberta while the photographer seemed to take endless shots of Lissa. She was even sent back to the dressing room a few times to have her makeup re-touched.
"Is it always this boring?" I asked Dimitri. "I thought public events with her were going to be exciting."
Dimitri arched up one eyebrow at me. "Well, this is exciting for her." He replied. "As for us, we are only on duty."
"Do you ever relax?" I asked. "I know that you would never relax while doing something important for Lissa, but it is like you are on duty even when you are off duty. You never actually take a break from your work."
"I can't afford to take breaks," he said quickly. "I did that once and…" he trailed off, not finishing. For the first time since I had met him, I saw an actual emotion pass through him. Unfortunately, this was one of sadness. Something must really be bothering him for an emotion to be showing through.
"You can talk about it you know," I told him softly. "It's ok to shed your stoic appearance sometimes."
Dimitri didn't reply to me, and we sat in silence for the next ten minutes.
"I have wonderful news!" Alberta exclaimed to the two of us after returning from a phone call. "Lissa got the lead role in the upcoming movie-musical, Spirit Bound!"
"That's awesome!" I replied. "What's her character and what is the movie going to be about?" I asked.
"It is a romantic comedy with some really good music," Alberta replied. "The script actually looks very funny. I believe that the move has a lot of potential. As well, she will be starring alongside Adrian Ivashkov, as her love interest."
My eyes widened when she mentioned Adrian Ivashkov. He was such a famous actor and singer just like Lissa, but instead of maintaining a clean and flawless reputation like she did, he had a bad-boy reputation. He allegedly smoked and drank a lot, and partied an unhealthy amount. He was also rumored to be a huge player with women. Despite his terrible reputation, girls from all over the world seemed to be completely in love with him. Even I nearly squealed at the thought of meeting him despite what a cocky asshole he was rumored to be.
"Wow, that is quite the co-star," I replied after a moment.
Alberta laughed. "Yes, he definitely is," she replied.
When Lissa's photo shoot finally ended, Alberta told her the good news, and she jumped up and down squealing with delight.
"I cannot believe I am going to star with Adrian Ivashkov!" Lissa exclaimed. "I have always wanted to meet him!" Clearly Lissa had fallen for his bad boy charms as well. In her defense, so had nearly half of the teenage female population of the country. I wonder how Aaron will react to this, I mean, there will probably be kissing scenes at the minimum if it is a romantic comedy.
"This movie is going to be amazing!" Lissa concluded after rambling some more. I thought it was really cute that Lissa still got so worked up over individual jobs after having so much success already.
We retreated back to Lissa's mansion shortly after, and I ate a large supper with her as she gushed some more about her role in the movie. The food was divine. Lissa had a personal chef who made the best food.
"Rose, do you want to go swimming or something?" Lissa asked me.
"Sure," I replied smiling. While I had been eating meals with her, we hadn't interacted much with one another during other times of the day.
"Make that rigorous swimming Rose," Dimitri's voice exclaimed, coming out of nowhere. "You already missed your morning workout."
"Yeah, yeah," I yelled back to him. Lissa laughed.
"He really is hard on you, isn't he?" she asked, still giggling.
"Yes, he definitely is," I replied.
"It's good, it means he see's potential in you. Otherwise, he wouldn't be putting in the effort to help you, and probably would have recommended that I fire you by now." Lissa said.
I smiled, and Lissa and I ended up spending the night in her pool and hot tub. It almost felt like a normal night out with a friend.
I'm sorry there wasn't much action in this chapter, but I felt that it was needed to continue introducing the story.
Do you think Rose is going to be able to build up a reputation for herself in a world full of bulky male bodyguards? What do you think Adrian will be like, and how do you think the movie is going to go?
Please review your thoughts!