Bodyguarding: Karen Fukuhara
Rick felt like a fraud. He had been back in the States for only a week before he had gotten his next job, but he wasn't bodyguarding, not in the literal sense of the term at least. Last week Rick had spent a whole month bodyguarding one of the hottest young starlets in the world as she promoted a movie and now he was sat stuck in LA traffic with some stapled pieces of paper next to him. He was script guarding, basically a studio has a script it wants to keep confidential and they hire people to make sure the actors only read it themselves and no copies are made. It's the exact type of over importance over nothing Hollywood liked to make, Rick doubted blokes who carried the Nuclear Football got as much drilling into them that nobody could see the content of the pages he had to protect.
He pulled up outside a gated a community, he quickly checked his phone, one new message from Dafne with a picture attacked. 'Wonderful', Rick thought, a picture of her tits, well at least his day wasn't totally shit. He checked his notes and typed in the number on the keypad he had. He waited for a response by looking at the properties inside, big houses with fancy cars in the drives, he always had a sense of unease about these places, he was never sure if the gates were keeping people out or keeping people stuck inside. Finally he heard a beep over the intercom, a bubbly female voice came over the intercom, ''Hello? Who is it?''
''Hello there...'' Rick double checked his notes, ''Miss Fukuhara, it's Rick here, from Paramount. I've got the script for Dashing Horizons?'' That wasn't the real title of the film, studios used different ones during production to stop people snooping, to Rick it sounded just as silly as what the real thing would end up being called though.
''Oh hi! Just come right in and park behind my car,'' with that there was a tone for the intercom shutting off and the gate came to life and slowly opened up for him. He drove his car up the road, seeking out Karen's house. He wasn't familiar with who she was, he knew she was on a big Amazon show but he had never seen it so he was going in blind. He had never heard of her before and generally in his profession that's a good sign since she doesn't have a negative reputation. He got to her drive and pulled in behind her car, it was a big SUV but nothing overly flashy for an actress.
She stood opened the door as Rick got out the car with the script and approached the girl. She had a beaming smile on her face that even Rick play cold with as he smiled back at her. She was a small Asian girl not much younger than Rick, at least over a foot under Rick's height, wearing her brunette hair back in a messy bun, only in grey sweatpants, a black tank top and a pair of bunny slippers. He had opted for comfort too in the heat with a white polo shirt and denim shorts. Rick liked when he saw a celeb not glammed up, there was less of a performance, even in private. The girl held her hand out, ''Hey there! I'm Karen it's lovely to meet you!''
Rick shook it, ''Rick, nice to meet you. Sorry I'm a little late, traffic in this place is a bloody nightmare.''
''Oh my god, you are Scottish?''
''Aye,'' Rick replied, American's always loved to point that out to him.
''That's so cute, well come inside it is boiling out here.'' Rick followed her indoors; the house was clearly just moved into with boxes of belongings in the hall and the walls sparsely decorated.
''You just new in?''
''Oh yes, well kind of, I moved her out of an apartment I had with my ex but then I had to go away filming and blah it's a whole thing,'' she said leading him through to the kitchen.
''My place is sort of similar, I just never get to stay in one place long enough to get unpacked so it just sits there.''
Karen giggled, ''Well we chose a life where you can't get too comfortable didn't we? Can I get you a drink, Rick? It's hot.''
Normally Rick would refuse this sort of thing to just get the job over quick but it was hot and he liked her enough so far, ''Sure actually yeah, just water is fine for me.'' Karen went to the tap while Rick stood at the kitchen island and looked around, ''Hey, is that a sword?''
Karen came back with his glass and one for herself and looked up to the sword hanging on the wall, ''Well it's actually a katana but yeah.''
''Family heirloom type thing?'' Rick asked.
Karen laughed at him, ''Oh yeah, my family were samurai! No it was from a movie.''
Rick felt embarrassed, ''Oh, I'm sorry! Shit aye, that makes more sense.''
Karen laughed at him and that eased the tension, ''Take it you never saw Suicide Squad then?''
''With Idris Elba?''
''No, that's The Suicide Squad,'' Karen pointed to the right to as if something was in front of her. ''I was in Suicide Squad,'' and pointed to the left.
''There was two movies called Suicide Squad?''
''Yes and one was a sequel and no I'm not telling you which one I was in. But after I was in it they gave me the katana to keep,'' she sipped from her glass.
''And who did you play?''
''...Katana,'' Karen answered with a smile breaking out across her face with how this obviously sounded to Rick.
''Katana with a katana. Have to give them credit, they knew what she was all about.''
''It's silly but it was my first big role so it's nice to have around. Also in case someone ever breaks in,'' Karen started making sword motions with her hands that got a chuckle from Rick. She was cute, funny and definitely beautiful.
''Well you want to get this thing read?'' He pointed to the script.
''Sure! My agent said it had good rumblings.''
''I've been told to tell you it's excellent and...'' Rick pulled his phone out and looked, ''You are their first choice.''
''Wow you said that so authentically I almost believed it,'' Karen smiled at his banter.
''Well I need to keep my acting skills secret, don't want to be putting half this city on unemployment.'' Another joke that Karen laughed at. She either actually found him funny or she was a really good actress.
''So room with the windows closed, you have to keep my phone outside of and you have to keep a watch on me to make sure it doesn't end up on Reddit,'' she held up a finger for every aspect of his job she pointed out.
''Well shit, you might be taking my job instead Miss Secret Service.''
''Exactly! Anyway, can we do this in my bedroom?''
Rick raised an eyebrow, ''Normally people have like an office or something...''
''I know but I feel like reading on my bed just lets me get an idea in my head more. You know, imagining I'm on set saying the lines.''
''OK fair, lead the way.''
Karen lead him to the staircase leading up to her bedroom. The house was no less decorated upstairs than downstairs, he didn't really get why she needed such a big house if it was empty but he didn't question her on it. They got to her bedroom, it was at least somewhat lived in. There was a shag carpet on the ground, a four posters bed, plants on the windowsill, a high backed chair in the corner and the doors to a walk-in wardrobe. Rick walked around the room just to check there wasn't any recording devices and shut the blinds in case any super spies wanted to know the plot to a studio movie. He handed the script to Karen who had kicked her slippers off and had sat on the bed, he had taken her phone off her and placed it outside the room when they had went in. ''Well knock yourself out and let me know when you are done,'' he sat in the corner chair and waited for her to be done.