CHAPTER FOUR – THE MEETING
Terri Hamilton sighed with impatience as she waited for the elevator to reach her floor. She could hear the men standing behind her snicker obscenely and she felt like turning around and whacking them hard with her briefcase. The chime of the opening door announced her level and she strode off the elevator, but not before she turned around and called them both assholes. Satisfied, she walked down the hall and opened the door that read BSB Human Resources. Piped music of the Backstreet Boys flooded the reception area and she glared accusingly at her secretary. Startled, her secretary quickly reached over to switch off the music and Terri shook her head in amazed resignation. It was bad enough that she had to work for the organization, but to be constantly bombarded with their music!
As she strode over to her office, Terri glanced offhandedly at a guy sitting next to her secretary. He was huge, a brute of a man, and she assumed it was the new bodyguard they had hired. She was pissed to learn of the new employee’s status just hours before; why they hadn’t told her sooner irked her to no end. After all, she was the personnel manager. True, she didn’t do the hiring and firing, but she controlled just about everything else. She wondered for the hundreth time if it was because she was a woman in this man-dominated company she worked for. As she punched her security code to gain access to her office, she felt a twinge of cramps beginning. Great. Just great. A click of acceptance signaled her to enter and she rushed in, giving the bodyguard one last look before she slammed her door. Let him wait, she thought and hurried over to her desk for the Midol.
Elaine Patrick, Terri’s secretary, gave the large man before her an embarrassed smile and shrug. "I guess its not such a good day for her," she apologized weakly.
Xavier gave her his best fake smile. "It’s okay." He leaned toward her conspiratorily and whispered, "Us peons have to stick together, don’t we?"
She smiled, grateful to have an ally. "You know, if I wasn’t working for the Backstreet organization, I would have quit a long time ago."
"Have you ever met anyone of them?" Xavier asked politely.
"No, and neither has my boss. I think that makes her madder than anything."
"Really."
Elaine leaned closer to him, fearful of being overheard. "Well, she was hired originally for the Marketing department, but she got transferred over here." Her voice became even lower and Xavier strained to hear her. "I think she has a crush on Kevin."
"No." Xavier gave her an appealing look for more gossip.
Elaine sat back in her seat and nodded. "It’s killing her that she hasn’t met him. She constantly talks about quitting, but I think she sticks around because she never knows if she might suddenly run into him."
"So, you’ve never seen anyone of the guys come here?"
Elaine gave a snort of laughter. "Nope. We have all their private information, know every aspect of their personal and financial status, but we’ve never met them in person. Funny, huh?"
"Funny, yeah."
Xavier gave her a satisfied grin, happy at the information she so innocently provided.
He stared thoughtfully at the closed door before him for a long time.
CHAPTER FIVE - THE INTERVIEW
With a quick flick of her hand, Terri threw open the door and signaled impatiently for Xavier to follow. He stood in the doorway and waited respectfully until she gestured for him to sit. He closed the door behind him with exaggerated care and took a seat, careful not to look her in the face.
"So, you’re the new hire," she stated sourly.
Xavier looked up and gave her his most humble smile. "Yes. I am so sorry to bother you. I know this is sudden; I’m sure I must be inconveniencing you. Shall I come back at a later time, ma’am?"
Terri was taken aback at his politeness. The Midol began kicking in and she relaxed. "No, no. Now is fine, Mr.?" she left the question hanging.
Xavier jumped up, pretending to act like a nervous recruit. "Xavier, ma’am. Xavier Delgado." He shook her hand ever so gently and Terri was amused at the way his hand trembled.
"Relax, Mr. Delgado. I won’t bite."
"Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am."
"Please sit down."
Xavier sat quietly as she diligently examined the file folder before her, lost in thought. He scanned the room carefully, secretly, then stopped when he saw what he was looking for. The file cabinets were off to one side and he tried not to smile. Bingo. He reached slowly into his pants pocket and closed his hand around the small transmitter, pressing the button firmly with his thumb.
"Okay." She laid down the file on her desk and looked up, clasping her hands together under her chin. "Very impressive. Your resume, I mean."
"Thank you." He gave her a shy smile.
"What makes you think you can bodyguard the Backstreet Boys?" she asked abruptly, her brow furrowed in concern. Her direct question caught Xavier slightly off balance and he took a moment to reply.
"Well, as you can see by my credentials, I have guarded all types of people. I think music stars shouldn’t be that much different. Guarding people is a difficult job, but no more difficult than yours." Xavier tried to keep a straight face on the last sentence.
Terri looked at him questioningly. "You think my job is difficult?"
Xavier smirked inwardly. "Why yes, Ma’am." He waved about her office. "All this responsibility, the decisions you have to make on a daily basis regarding the Backstreet Boys and such. Not everybody can do such a demanding job."
Terri looked at him a little skeptically but was nevertheless flattered. "It can be challenging," she agreed.
"I’ll bet. Those guys should personally thank you. I would if I were them." Xavier fumed inside. Dammit. He had pushed that button, what the hell was taking so long?
"The Backstreet Boys thank me?" She laughed at the idea.
"Yes, ma’am. I’d make them come here and see you, to see just what it takes to make things run smoothly."
Terri gave Xavier a guarded smile. "And just who do you think you’ll be guarding?" She tried to say it nonchalantly but Xavier understood and went in for the kill.
"Not sure, probably that tall, dark guy?"
"Kevin," she sighed.
"Yes."
Xavier could see the fantasies swirling around in her mind. Come on, come on... he willed, angry at himself for hiring such stupid help. He couldn’t take much more of complimenting this bitch.
Terri leaned back into her seat, relaxing. "Well, you do come highly regarded, Mr. Delgado. Has my secretary given you all the necessary information you need regarding your job, signed all the paperwork?" Xavier nodded and waved the large envelope before her. "Fine." She stood up to end the conversation, holding her hand out. "Well, it’s been nice meeting..."
The wail of a siren cut off her last words and she swirled to find the source of the noise.
"What the..." she trailed.
Finally! seethed Xavier as he moved into action. He stood up swiftly, walked around her desk and grabbed her elbow, none too gently.
"Come on. That’s a fire alarm. We need to leave, quick."
Terri stammered, confused. "Ff, fire? Are you sure?"
Xavier went into his bodyguard mode. "Yes. Go! Get out, now! Don’t take the elevator, use the stairs."
Terri stood there frozen, scared a little at Xavier’s change of behavior. She looked frantically around her office, trying to decide what to do, what to lock up. Xavier sensed this and forced her to the door.
"Go, Ms. Hamilton. Your life is more important than documents."
"But..."
Xavier grabbed her hand and pulled her to the hallway. Elaine, he noted, was already gone. Terri turned, panicked. "My purse! I forgot my purse!" she yelled over the wail of the siren.
Xavier swore under his breath, ran back into her office, grabbed it, then returned, shoving it into her arms. "Go!"
"What about you?" she quavered.
"I’ll be down soon. I’m going to check the other offices, see if I can help anyone."
Terri looked at Xavier in awe; he was so calm, in control. He’ll make a good bodyguard she thought, as he led her to the stairwell. She turned to look at him, unable to hear anything with the vibrating scream of the alarm, but she saw him smile, mouth the word "Go" and she obeyed.
Xavier didn’t wait to see the stairway door close, he ran back into the room and slammed the door behind him, placing a heavy chair behind it when he realized the door would only lock with a key. He hurried into Terri’s office, yanking file after file drawer open until he located what he wanted. He grabbed the manila files and spread them over her desk, carefully scanning the info before him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small camera and began clicking away with a fierce determination.
Terri Hamilton paced nervously outside the building, annoyed that her secretary could look so relaxed. Elaine was leaning up against the wall, smoking and chatting with the others who were waiting to get the okay from the firemen to leave or go back to their offices. Terri wished she could find out what the hell was going on. Everyone she had asked merely shrugged and shook their heads. The glare of the sun was intense and she was disappointed that she had forgotten her sunglasses again. A tap on her shoulder caused her to turn around and squint. There stood the bodyguard and she sighed with relief.
"What’s going on?" she asked curiously.
Xavier wiped the sweat off his forehead with the inside of his sleeve. "False alarm. Probably some kids." He looked at her anxiously. "You’re okay, right?"
Terri smiled, touched at his concern. "Yeah, fine. Just a hassle, though."
"When it comes to your safety, it’s never a hassle, Ms. Hamilton."
Terri shook her head at the corny phrase. "Thank you, Mr. Delgado. I hope this," she waved her hands at the scene before him, "wasn’t too much of a problem."
Xavier gave her his first true smile. "Believe me, it was no trouble."
CHAPTER SIX – PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
The Backstreet Boys watched with some trepidation as the crew harnessed the group up, each being checked individually for security. Kevin studied one of the crew members hefting the straps even tighter on Nick, then glanced over to Brian, knowing that his cousin was trying to act calm. He caught Brian’s eye and gave him a thumb’s up signal to which Brian replied with a half-hearted smile.
Nick, as usual, was excited. "This is so cool, huh Bri?"
"Yeah, cool," replied Brian in a monotone and Howie, who was standing next to him laughed at his friend’s discomfort. He slapped a comforting hand onto Brian’s shoulder and said, "Well, it wasn’t me who thought up this idea."
Nick caught Brian’s accusing glare and made a face back at him. "Hey, when I told you about it, you said it sounded great."
Brian sighed. Nick, visiting friends in Phoenix, had gone to see a Phoenix Suns basketball game. During half-time the Suns’ mascot, a gorilla, had repelled down from the ceiling and slammed dunked a basketball into the net below. The crowd went wild and so had Nick. The thought of doing the same thing for the opening act appealed to Kevin, Howie, and AJ, so Brian agreed, happy to be rid of the flying boards. The guys had discussed what costumes to wear; Kevin wanted spy clothing, AJ voted for gangster. Howie suggested Nick’s comic book characters and everyone approved.
Now, in dress rehearsal, Brian wasn’t so sure. He glanced at his own costume, then the others. "I look ridiculous," he stated flatly.
AJ, the last one being adjusted, nodded. "Yeah, you do. I, on the other hand, look awesome. By the way Nick, thanks."
"What for?"
"For making me so true-to-life." AJ glanced down at his over-stuffed hero costume, especially the crotch area.
They all laughed, complimenting each other in lewd terms. A bull-horn interrupted, the stage manager instructing them to get set for the first jump. Up on the catwalk, they waited as the crew adjusted their rigging one more time. It was a tight fit with all them up there.
"I say we let Brian go first," teased Howie.
"Naw," drawled Kevin, "he’s too busy praying right now."
Brian’s eyes had been closed, but he opened them quickly.
"Screw you, guys."
"Oooohhh…" they said, mockingly.
"I’ll go first," volunteered Nick.
"Good," said AJ. "If you fall, I’ll have something large to land on."
"No way, super-freak!" retorted Nick. "Watch this! Three point landing." He jumped and all four leaned over to watch as he made the perfect touchdown. Nick looked up, pumping his fist into the air as the guys cheered.
"Damn," said Howie, admiringly. "My turn."
One after another completed the jump, with Brian landing last. AJ came up to Brian, grabbed his shoulders and gave him a small push of congratulations and high-fived him.
Brian, his face flushed, looked up toward the ceiling, then closed his eyes in resignation.
"It’s gonna be a long tour," he sighed and the rest laughed.