Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just my Husband, laptop, my 3 dogs and a very overactive imagination… Dragon Ball Z and any songs mentioned in this fic DO NOT belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own twisted amusement.
The Popstar
Chapter 1
The first time Vegeta had seen her on TV, he'd probably been in his late teens, early twenties maybe, and he had been transfixed by her. The way she moved, the way she'd flip her hair, move her hips and cock a perfect eyebrow alluringly when the lyrics of a song she was performing were somewhat suggestive in nature. Everyone had been under her spell; himself included. Every female wanted to look like her and every male wanted to bed her. However, like most celebrity crushes, he'd eventually grown bored of her from the over exposure she'd received and forgot about his fantasies of the blue haired beauty.
When he'd received the call from Goku, a former war comrade of his, asking him if he wanted his job of working as her personal bodyguard, he'd initially flat out declined. Why would he want to put his life on the line for some spoiled pop star? He had been a soldier since his late teens and risked his life daily for his country; had nearly been killed recently even, while on the line of duty, and that made sense to him. Why should he feel compelled to waste himself and his talents on some pampered star?
Ironically enough, a perfume advertisement happened to come on the TV while he was talking and catching up with his old friend. On it was the pop star in question, writhing on a bed with white silk sheets and biting her lower lip suggestively as a handsome, very well built male hovered suggestively over her. In the background played one of her tacky songs full of sexually provocative, double-meaning lyrics and obnoxious beat. He had to admit however, it was catchy.
He watched as the camera quickly showed legs being tangled, bodies moving against each other and fingers interlacing over her head for a quick moment before it was over in a blur. Not exactly primetime television appropriate in his opinion; though it was only about 20 seconds long, it was still practically soft core porn!
Vegeta wasn't sure what it was about that commercial that changed his mind, but before he could think twice, his mouth moved and the words "Fine, I'll do it," came out and just like that, Vegeta was officially the new bodyguard of Miss. Bulma Briefs, current reining pop princess of the world.
He agreed to be at the airport in West City, the city where she lived during her down time, by the following afternoon. They had not discussed salary, but one of his conditions was that Justice, his partner and cherished Belgian Malinois, accompany him on this job. That part of the deal was non-negotiable.
Goku had naturally agreed to his terms and the two men agreed they would see each other the next day.
"Looks like we have a job again, boy," he said to Justice as he shut the TV off and began packing his things. "I know you're just as bored as I am sitting around rotting here." he added bitterly to the fawn Belgian Shepherd.
It had been six months since the incident.
Vegeta had been leading a platoon of men through the mountains, looking for an extremely dangerous terrorist group that called themselves the Ginyu Force. They were notorious for rigging the areas around their hidden bases or where they decided was their territory with dangerous explosives and land mines. They had received a reliable tip that their base was within the area and their mission had been to apprehend not only all the members of the Ginyu Force, but their leader, Captain Ginyu was especially dangerous and was wanted for interrogation with regards to his boss, a well-known dictator named Frieza.
Vegeta had sent Justice ahead of them to search out for land mines and other possible explosives. It had been late in the evening and they all had been exhausted, hungry and irritable. Justice had done his job and had indicated to go one way, but the way he was leading them down would have taken them a long way off, adding possibly an hour or more travel time to their final destination where they were supposed to set up camp that evening and await further instructions.
Twice, Justice had shown an aversion to going in that direction, but Vegeta had made an executive decision based off the pressure coming from his comrades and so they ignored Justice and went that way anyway, agreeing to be extra cautious seeing as the dog was indicating that there were explosives in the immediate area.
The next thing Vegeta knew, he'd heard an explosion so loud it pained his ears and gave him an instant headache. He'd felt the ground shake, Justice had leaped onto him, knocking him over and after that, the only thing he recalled was waking up in a hospital bed alone and back in his own country.
He had needed surgery to repair several broken ribs, his collar bone and remove shrapnel, but he would be fine. Justice had saved his life. Unfortunately, the dog had needed one of his front legs amputated at the shoulder, but he had made it through his surgery as well and it amazed Vegeta how quickly the dog had recovered and how little the loss of a front leg impeded him. He was still the same; high drive and willing to go back work. That was why they made a great team; they were essentially the same in that regard. Both were prone to working and training themselves into the ground without a break and both were going stir crazy now that their wounds had mostly healed.
Unfortunately, the rest of his men from his unit had been killed and they had been discovered the next day by a nearby platoon that had been sent out to search for them when they had not checked in when they were supposed to.
Guilt and shame had bombarded Vegeta to the point at which it nearly suffocated him at times. While he was thankful to be alive and he was grateful the military had used their resources to get Justice on the mend rather than just euthanizing him, he spent his days since being released from the hospital being bitter and wanting nothing more than to be redeployed so that he could to go back to work. Unfortunately, he was required to take a full year off for recovery, at the very least, and undergo weekly psychiatric evaluations that would hopefully clear him to be approved for redeployment.
He hated these therapy sessions and found them to be nothing more than a complete waste of time, but apparently they were mandatory if he ever wanted to go back into deployment. If the therapist did not clear him, who knew how long it would be before he was allowed back on the mission of stopping those people.
Vegeta sent his therapist a quick email cancelling all of his sessions until further notice, however he did leave behind appropriate contact information and let him in on where he was going and why. He didn't want to admit it, but he had a feeling that this job may be exactly what he needed to get him out of this depressive slump he'd been in. Therapy didn't seem to be working, so maybe putting it on hold for a few months would help him. Not to mention he was curious to meet the woman he had fantasized about in his youth.
Packed up and ready to leave with Justice about an hour later, Vegeta locked up his sparse apartment and called a cab to take them to the airport. It was very late, or early, depending on what kind of hours one kept. Once he had purchased his plane ticket and the airport staff had taken Justice away in his crate to be boarded on the plane, he settled himself down at one of the airport bars with his laptop and ordered a whiskey on the rocks to keep himself entertained until it was time for his flight to board and leave.
Goku had emailed him some further information with regards to his job description and duties as well as some background information on Bulma.
Apparently she had been stalked for a few months and then kidnapped recently. Nothing too terribly traumatic had happened to her and she had been quickly located, rescued and brought home. However the incident had left her very shaken up, especially since her captor had gotten away and was still out there somewhere. There was little to no information on him; he was not someone she knew personally and all they had to go on was a hotel room under a false name and a mediocre sketch that had been done by a sketch artist.
Goku had been shot in the shoulder at the time of her abduction and had undergone surgery, however he would likely make a full recovery in time. The wound was still fresh, as this all had happened about a week or so ago.
Vegeta vaguely remembered seeing it on the news while channel surfing through the celebrity gossip stations, but he had not given it much thought or attention. In fact, he very vaguely remembered inwardly rolling his eyes and assuming that Bulma must have had a new album coming out and this whole thing had been nothing more than a clever marketing ploy by the record label to drum up interest and increase album sales for the pop star. He had not given it enough attention at the time to notice or even realize that his former war partner had been not only employed as her personal bodyguard but also had been injured while in the line of duty.
He scrolled through the information and looked at the police photos of Bulma, who looked shaken up and distressed from the ordeal, but appeared to have been unharmed with the exception of a few bruises on her arms and around her wrists where she'd likely been tied up.
He studied her in the photos and mused at how much younger she looked without the flawless makeup and lighting that constantly surrounded her. She looked like a frightened child. If this had been a hoax, she clearly had not been privy to it… or she was a very good actress.
It was not long before he heard the announcement that his flight was boarding and so he gathered his things and headed to his gate.
As anticipated, he had arrived in the early afternoon hours.
"Kakarott," Vegeta smirked in greeting to his friend after he had acquired his luggage and customs had let him take Justice with him.
"Ouiji," Goku said, extending a hand and the two men shook hands. "Man it's been a long time!"
"It has," Vegeta nodded. "You look good despite the arm brace,"
"Thanks! So do you! You haven't changed at all!"
"Neither have you, surprisingly enough," Vegeta said. "I was expecting you to be fat now that you're all domesticated and such,"
"Fat? Nah! I still work out every day," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I have to. With the way Chi-Chi cooks, if I didn't, I would be! Plus I have to be in good shape if I'm looking out for Bulma. You should see the gym she has in her home!"
They left the airport and arrived shortly later at what looked like an abandoned warehouse. Vegeta and Justice followed Goku into the building.
"She's shooting her new video here." Goku said.
Vegeta grunted and he wasn't sure why he was so nervous to meet this girl, but he was. As they climbed the stairs, he caught himself smoothing out his clothes and running his hands through his hair. Should he have showered before coming here instead of coming straight from the airport? He supposed it didn't matter now.
As they walked in, they were assaulted with the sound of heavy bass and electronic music. They stood at the door quietly a moment, watching as Bulma was performing with a stripper pole and two half-naked, very well built male back up dancers dancing close to her.
As Vegeta watched and listened, it dawned on him that the catchy song was about having a threesome. He sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched her move and suggestively grind her hips into one of the dancers and the second one came in behind her, effectively sandwiching her between them; the erotic visual of the three of them pressed together and gyrating making him stiff already.
Vegeta turned to Goku and gave him a look.
"I know," he whispered sheepishly, looking uncomfortable himself. "She's super sweet though, I promise! Nothing like how she is in her videos."
Vegeta shook his head, crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, making a point of not watching the scene in front of him. Maybe taking this job had been a bad idea. Although what did he expect? He couldn't recall ever seeing a video or photograph of her that wasn't provocative or racy. He just hoped Goku was right in that in real life she wasn't a constant temptress. If she wasn't, he just hoped he could manage to remain professional.
Someone suddenly cut the music and everyone froze; the gyrating and groping included.
A man who he assumed must have been the video director, walked up to Bulma and the two male dancers and seemed to be giving them feedback. Bulma rolled her eyes and sighed, but then happened to notice Goku standing at the very back of the room and without excusing herself, kicked off the stiletto shoes she was wearing and bounded across the floor towards them.
"Hey, we don't have time for visiting, we're already way behind schedule!" The director shouted after her.
"I'll just be a second," she said, continuing towards Goku and Vegeta.
She was wearing a backless black body suit with a high neck line and lace sleeves down to her wrists. She jumped up and gave Goku a hearty bear hug that made Vegeta raise an eyebrow at their obvious familiarity and he couldn't help but wonder if there was something more there between them.
Goku put her down after a moment and Vegeta found himself intrigued by how petite she was in person. She was shorter than he'd thought she'd be and while she was perfectly toned and had delicate curves, she still was all around much smaller than he would have ever guessed. It would take almost no effort for someone to grab her and snatch her if they wanted to.
"I'm so glad you're here!" She said. "I can't wait to be done. I'm exhausted and tired and this stupid bodysuit is itchy on my arms, but it's the only thing that will completely hide the stupid bruises on my arms and wrists. They keep making us redo the same thing over and over again!"
"Not trashy enough?" Goku joked.
"Apparently not," she shook her head. "Did you know the director of this video also directs porn?"
"You don't say," Vegeta deadpanned without thinking.
Bulma looked at him for the first time and narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, but apparently it's true. I didn't know that!"
"Well I guess it's too late now," Goku shrugged. "Look I know you're really busy, but this is Vegeta. He's my friend I was telling you about who's going to take over from me. I wanted to bring him by and have him meet you. He'll be leaving here with us and coming back to your place."
Bulma looked at him in assessment; he sure was handsome, she thought to herself and she wondered if he had a girlfriend. If he didn't, this may spell trouble for her.
"Hey!" The director shouted at them and clapped his hands three times to get Bulma's attention, distracting her from her thoughts. "We'd like to be finished shooting this thing at least some time to-day!"
"Alright, I'm coming!" She retorted. "Nice to meet you! I'll look forward to meeting you when I'm fully clothed and don't have seven hundred layers of make up on." She said to Vegeta, shaking his hand briefly and heading back to the set of the video.
As she made her way back, she could not help but look back over her shoulder to glance at Goku's very handsome replacement again. Oh boy he's going to be trouble for me, I just know it, she thought to herself. At least Goku was married and that made him off limits to her. Not to mention they had grown up and gone to school together. In her mind, he was like a big brother to her.
"Want a snack?" Goku asked him.
"Sure," he grunted, ready to leave the warehouse and get a proper meal somewhere.
"No, there's food here," Goku told him, indicating for him to follow, which he did. Beyond the curtained area of the video set was a large spread of food on a long table. "Help yourself. The food at these things is usually pretty good. There's also not much else to do. I usually remain with her while she's shooting these things. I made the exception today and left to come and pick you up, but generally, I stay and enjoy the food."
Vegeta grunted and watched his friend load his plate up and eventually followed suit.
They chatted and got caught up with one another the rest of the afternoon while waiting for Bulma's video to wrap. It was another few hours of trashy dancing and playing the same segments again over and over before they were finished, and Bulma called Goku into her change room.
"Where did you find him?" She asked as she began changing behind a screen.
"I told you, he's a good friend of mine. We went to military school together and were on deployment together for a while. Why, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she shrugged, coming out from behind the screen wearing black fitted yoga pants and a pink t-shirt. "Just not what I was expecting. He's almost too good looking."
"What?" He objected. "You said to make sure my replacement was cute and single."
"I was joking!" She snipped back, feeling her cheeks grow warm. In all fairness to Goku, she had told him that. Though she didn't think he'd actually take her seriously as to have thought that was an actual requirement in order for a candidate to get the job.
"Well, look at it as a bonus," he shrugged. "Vegeta is single too, as far as I know; but he is the perfect candidate. He takes his work very seriously and to be honest, I would entrust him with mine and my own family's safety; he's a lot more serious and detail oriented than I am. You're in good hands, Bulma. Trust me. If I had any doubts about his dedication or ability to keep you safe, I wouldn't have called him."
Bulma wrinkled her nose as she tied her hair up and put it into a messy bun on top of her head. "I know you wouldn't, but still…" she whined almost petulantly. "I don't want you to go."
"I know, I don't want to quit either, but this last incident really shook Chi-Chi up," he said. "I'll see if I can try and convince her to let me come back once this all blows over and I'm all recovered. Who knows, maybe Vegeta will be better than me and you won't want me back." He added with a wink.
"Fat chance," she snorted. "He's got some really big shoes to fill. Physically and figuratively."
"You'll be fine," he insisted. "It's not like you'll never see me again. I'll be around, just not working for you. Just make him feel welcome, give him the tour of your home; he'll love the gym you have, and don't be put off by his demeanour. He's not exactly the conversationalist. He's more of the…"
"Strong and silent type," she dead panned.
"Yea," he nodded. "That sounds about right!"
"Great," she sighed. "And what's with the dog?"
"Oh, Justice? Right, that's his K-9 partner and I forgot to tell you that if I wanted him to take this job, Justice had to be included," he said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I don't really know what happened, but Justice saved his life. Whatever happened, it's the reason he's on disability and not out in the field right now. I know he told me a bit, but I can't remember the specifics, but that's ok. It will make for a good conversation starter for you both. Hope it's okay he has a dog,"
"It's fine," she said. "Just so long as it doesn't destroy anything or bathroom in my home,"
"Oh, Justice won't," Goku said confidently. "He's so much more than your basic house pet. Plus I'm sure Vegeta will take care of him and make sure everything is fine."
"Alright then," she said. "I have no problem with it."
The three of them and Justice piled back into Goku's car. He tried to keep things light and keep a conversation going, but the ride back to Bulma's place ended up being more him talking to himself than anything else.
"Do you guys want to go out for a bite to eat first or just head home and settle in?" Goku asked. He was nervous that they had barely spoken a word to each other.
"It does not matter to me," Vegeta shrugged.
"I'm tired and would really like to just go home," Bulma admitted. "You guys can go out if you'd like."
"If you are going home, then I will turn in as well," Vegeta said.
"Sounds good," Bulma sighed. She was tired and not in the mood to go out and visit. She'd have to show Vegeta her home, help him get settled in and figure out where to put the dog.
Tired or not, her day apparently wasn't even close to finished, however she was relieved that Goku had found someone else so quickly to replace him and that this someone could stay with her. She knew it was stupid, but she really wanted the company; even if it was a complete stranger.
Since her abduction, she hated being alone. Goku had been kind enough to offer to stay with her right after it had happened and he had been released from the hospital, but she had declined his offer. It wasn't appropriate since he was married and while she was very good friends with Chi-Chi, and the other woman knew their relationship was strictly professional and platonic, she was more afraid of the media finding out about it and spinning some false story and she felt that was highly unfair to both Goku and Chi-Chi.
In the meantime, she had been living with her parents in her old room, who technically resided at the same place she did, only she'd had her own, private living space built years before because her mother's well-meaning coddling drove her insane.
She was the daughter of a revolutionary inventor; they were practically a monopoly for anything to do with modern day conveniences because no one else had rivalled her father's brilliance or had been able to replicate anything he had created. The fact that Bulma herself was as much a technological genius as her father, yet chose a life of fame and stardom in show business, drove both of her parents crazy and while they supported their daughter in her dreams of being a famous performer, they did not understand it and were patiently waiting for the day when she would grow tired of it and ask to join the company she was made to run.
Since the abduction, they had been putting a lot of pressure on her to retire and begin again with a new career in her father's company; something Bulma was not opposed to, but she loved her current life of fame and performing. In her mind, you only live once, why not do the things you wanted? Especially if one had the means to do so? She was a success all on her own without her father's influence or backing, and that meant something to her. When she decided she was tired of the attention, hectic and grueling schedules and no privacy, then she'd call it quits and join her father's company. She was only twenty-seven; why adult if you did not have to?
When everything had blown over somewhat with regards to her abduction, Goku had given her his notice, but told her he had the perfect replacement that would be able to reside with her if that was what she wanted. Initially, she'd been apprehensive about having a stranger move in with her, but if Goku trusted this man, she'd be willing to give him a chance.
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Thanks for reading!