Page 2 of Finding My Bodyguard

“Wait up, Monroe.” Kashus met me at the threshold of the door.

“I ain’t trying to start on the wrong foot. We’ll get you a ring, shawty. I ain’t know I was supposed to have one today.” He shrugged. I wasn’t trying to hear his lame ass excuse, so I headed up the stairs. Briskly, he grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “Don’t worry about grabbing a lot. I’ll have someone bring yo’ shit to my crib in the morning.”

He leaned close to my ear. His smell was intoxicating, and I was pissed his presence was rendering me speechless. He was an asshole, but I couldn’t help but be attracted to him. I nodded quickly then turned to head up the stairs to my room. My bag was already packed and had been for weeks. I knew what was coming.

Since I was old enough, I’d known I would be married away to the highest bidder or whoever my father needed to strengthen his business. It was the rightful passage of all the Iris women—what we were born to do. As I entered my bedroom, I glanced around. This would be my last time here. It was bittersweet, but I was ready for the change. This room sometimes felt like a prison. It was where I was often sent for stepping out of line and defending myself against my father’s outdated opinions about my place as a woman.

I stopped to check myself in the mirror and stared at my chocolate reflection. I looked beautiful in my floor length floral maxi dress. It hugged all my curves just right. I always believed I was beautiful, but I knew I needed to shed some pounds. I was a big girl.

“This is it,” I whispered to myself.

“You ready?” My father's wife, Contessa, entered my room. She’d been the first woman my father had married since my mother passed away giving birth to my brother when I was ten. It had been a tragic ordeal because my mom and brother both didn’t make it. For years, it had just been my father and me until five years ago when he brought Contessa home and introduced her as his wife.

Contessa was only four years older than me. She was thirty-two, and I was twenty-eight. It was natural that she became more of a friend than a stepmother. She understood this lifestyle. She understood what it was like to be in an arranged marriage because her marriage to my father had also been a business deal. We bonded over that, and because I had no siblings or cousins I was close to, she’d been the closest thing I had to a friend. Turning to her, I smiled.

“As ready as I can be, Tessa. I’m nervous, and my new husband is an asshole.”

“An asshole that you’re attracted to.” She giggled as she pointed to my hardened nipples.

“Stop!” I looked down quickly, rubbing my arms across my chest to get them to go down.

Tessa laughed. “The nerves are natural. Try to relax. He’s probably just as nervous as you. You’re his first wife. So that’s good.” Tessa moved closer to me, and we both plopped down on the bed. Tessa had six sisters who were in arranged marriages, so she’d been privy to how this thing worked. By the time her father had sent her to mine, she’d seen all her sisters go.

“What’s expected of me tonight? Do I have to sleep with him?”

I was curious. I wasn’t a virgin, but I wasn’t extremely sexually active either. I had been with two men intimately. One was my high school boyfriend, Ricky. We were young and just wanted to explore sex. The other was a guy who used to work for my father, Jansen. Jansen was young and charming, and we loved each other. He treated me nicely, but he wanted us to remain a secret. I was young and foolish and believed that we had a chance.

I thought if I talked to my father, it could be arranged for us to marry. I was wrong, and the moment I confided in my dad, Jansen disappeared without a trace soon after, just like Ricky. I assumed they’d both suffered the same fate for getting involved with me… death. This was why I’d sworn off sex and dating altogether. I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else losing their life because of me. I was already spoken for… promised to someone else. It was no use mingling around anyway. I’d decided to take care of my needs myself.

“Sex is going to happen, Monroe; he’s your fiancé,” Tessa blurted.

“I know, but is it expected tonight?” I wanted to know, not because I was thinking about fucking his arrogant ass, but because I wanted to be prepared.

“Every husband is different, and so is every arrangement. You're lucky because you don’t have to give him a baby since he already has two kids.”

I sighed. I wasn’t too excited about Kash already having two kids, but I had no choice. Plus, it did mean the pressure to produce an heir was off. Still, I wanted to have children of my own one day. I hoped that would still be an option. I wanted a marriage full of love and happiness, even if it was arranged.

Contessa and I lay there for a minute, staring at the ceiling. I was going to miss her. We spent a lot of time together, confiding in one another. I was only going a few hundred miles away, but it felt like millions.

“I’m going to miss you.” I turned to face Tessa.

“I’m going to miss you too. You won’t be in prison, though. We can link up whenever.”

“Still, you won’t be right up the hall. My dad could have found me a closer husband.” I pouted. Valdosta was nearly an entire day’s drive from where we lived in Bristol City.

“Hey, what’s a few miles when we have a private jet and can FaceTime all day?” Contessa sniffled as tears rolled down her cheeks. I joined her, wrapping my arms around her where we lay on the bed. I think Tessa was sadder than I was. She would be in this house alone with my dad for the first time since she and my father had gotten married four years ago.

“Monroe!” That was my father. Slowly getting up from the bed, I grabbed my suitcase and moved to the door. Contessa grabbed my hand and pulled me into one last hug.

“Don’t forget who you are. Don’t lose yourself,” she whispered into my ear. I nodded. Don’t lose myself. I repeated her words as I rolled my suitcase down the hall to the staircase.

Our butler greeted me. “I’ll take that, Miss Monroe.”

I descended the stairs one at a time, staring at my fiancé. Everything I’d prepared for all my life was about to begin today. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, Kashus approached me.

“Let’s go home.” He took my hand and led me to the front door. My knees buckled at his touch. I glanced at my father’s house and waved goodbye to Tessa. I looked over at my father. There was emotion on his face for the first time. He almost looked sad.

“Monroe.” He called me over. My body moved to him, dropping Kashus’s hand. His arms wrapped around me in a warm embrace. I hadn’t gotten one of these hugs from him since I was a little girl.