Author's Note: This story is completely fictional and did not happen. All characters and names are fictional and were made up.
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Los Angeles, California
A cool breeze swept through the afternoon hours while the bright sun began to heat up what had only begun as a soft winter morning. The wheels of the Mercedes Benz rolled as the car moved down a street heading closer to it's destination. Silence filled the inner walls of the vehicle. There was no need for a GPS system to give out instructions for the driving, this man knew exactly where he was going. Beyond a pinstriped black suit and red tie, he gripped the steering wheel and made a slow turn. The car moved through an upper class neighborhood of mansions, right into the heart of the wealthy neighborhood of Calabasas. A place that most people could only dream of visiting, unless you could afford a lifestyle of luxury and grandiose. Such living was affordable among the many guests in town associated with Hollywood. Marcus Davis was just the kind of man to understand this place as an outsider.
Born in Mississippi during the mid-seventies, Marcus had traveled to Los Angeles back in his early adulthood looking for a new opportunity in life. He was just a young black man back then, fresh out of serving his four years in the marines to gain a scholarship into UCLA college. His hopes for studying to go into a career of journalism were soon met with an end at the hands of reality. From his time in the military, Marcus had come to realize that he was trained to do only certain types of work and it didn't involve a desk job. With experience in firearms training and as a solider, he dropped out of college and began to pursue a career as a hired bodyguard instead. It was a troubling search of an opportunity, since he lacked connections in town for anyone who could've used his talents at the price of money.
Marcus had a chance to become a police officer, but decided against such an opportunity as he preferred to work alone. All he wanted was a quiet life, earning enough money where he could live comfortably and enjoy himself. He had little to no connections back home with his family, just a young black man all by himself in a new town. His luck changed around the year of 1995 when putting out an ad for hire in local newspapers. A man within the music industry called him up, offering a job to take him along as a bodyguard for a producer in need of help with protection. From that day on, Marcus took on his new career working as a bodyguard and earning a valuable income. Seven years later, he ended up working into the security personnel of a pop star who went on world tour. His job granted him the chance to visit other places of the world, all whine earning a high salary to afford a nice living once he got back home.
Things changed for Marcus around the year of 2008. He spent some time switching employers, still working as a bodyguard for famous names associated with Hollywood. He finally had found a long term solution for his line of work. An actress by the name of Katherine Heigl wanted his services to replace a bodyguard who had recently quit his position. Marcus had found himself in good hands, as Katherine was a woman on the road to a break out career in Hollywood at the time. She was fresh off her success in television, leaving Grey's Anatomy to pursue a career on the big screen. For the time being, Marcus found himself well paid as he would spend the next decade working as a bodyguard for the blonde haired actress.
Katherine was a married woman. Marcus knew his boundaries of respect when it came towards the woman whom he had referred to as 'boss'. She had already been married by the time Marcus stepped into the picture, so he knew his limits when it came to her. With a habit of having affairs in the past, Marcus had lived a rather lonely life. As he approached middle age, he came to realize that he had never shared his life with a woman in marriage. Having children was something he had never considered, as he preferred the simple living under a quiet lifestyle. Most of the time he was sitting back, saving his money and only buying the bare necessities for life all while keeping his focus on the job at hand. Acting as the bodyguard for Katherine Heigl for almost a decade now had it's fair share of good times, as well as the ugly moments.
For anyone whom craved a taste for gossip and rumors inside the lives of the rich and famous, Marcus had experienced such things face to face. The summer of 2018 would mark a whole ten years since he had taken on his wok as Katherine's bodyguard. As time moved on, Marcus had witnessed her married life up close and personal. Her husband was a Country music singer, failing to make charts with his singles over the years. Rumors had sometimes swirled about affairs, as Marcus had also heard the rumors about his wild times with partying during tours. Much work went towards maintaining their marriage, though both of them had their habits outside affairs. Marcus' loyalty remained with the woman who was writing his pay checks every month. Whatever secrets she had, his lips remained sealed for all times. He understood that she sometimes had to take her frustrations out in other ways while her husband was away touring.
During the years, Marcus had watched the career of an actress change throughout time. At Katherine's high point, she was one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood. It all changed with a string of box office bombs, leading her to try again with television shows. Regardless the outcome, he remained there at her side acting as her bodyguard at all times. Her life was mostly quiet, as she and her husband had to play as parents back home with their children. Marcus never received the opportunity to deal with many interesting events, nothing such as a 'stalker fan' as one may have guessed. At one point, he had dealt with a man who attempted to extort the actress out of a few thousand dollars with the threat of leaking photos of her with another man. Marcus took care of the incident, introducing her enemy to a baseball bat after spending a month tracking him down.
The car stopped at a driveway as Marcus sat behind the wheel awaiting the big white gates. It always took a few seconds for the gates to open, something he had become used to over all these years. Usually it was on the count of about six to eight seconds, as he always knew the gates were coming undone. Moving the car forward, Marcus parked in the same place he always brought his metallic silver Mercedes Benz. Katherine's own white Lexus car was always parked in the same place. He backed up, so he could park right behind her vehicle. Katherine had phoned him last night, informing Marcus that she had a meeting to attend today downtown with her agent around 2 PM. He didn't poke her for any details, simply giving her his word that he would be there like any other time in the past. With the car pulled up, Marcus reached for his cellphone within the inner pocket of his jacket.
He made a quick text message, alerting Katherine that he was outside waiting. When there was a day like this, he never went to the front door. She was a woman who was very specific about where she wanted a bodyguard at all times. Marcus didn't mind her instructions whatsoever, for he had nothing but the highest respect for a strong woman such as Katherine. She was the type of woman who didn't put up with any nonsense from any man. Such strength in a woman had to be respected no matter what. If she wanted something, she took it all for herself. It was that side of her which Marcus had admired the most. Glancing up into the rear-view mirror, he could see her stepping out of the front doors of her home and walking towards his car. She sore a black skirt with a matching jacket and a white buttoned up blouse beneath the jacket. Katherine's long blonde hair was fixed up in a pony tail while a large pair of sunglasses covered her eyes. In her left hand, she clutched what appeared to be a few folders in a yellow color. A white leather purse was over her left shoulder. The right side back door opened and then Marcus greeted her in his voice.
"Good afternoon, Katherine."
"Hey there Marcus, just on time as always."
She replied while having a seat in the back of his car. Once he heard the door close and the sound of her seat belt clicking, Marcus knew to begin pulling the car out from her driveway. After spending so many years working with her, this was just his style to not waste any time in Katherine's presence. The wheels of the Mercedes Benz rolled past the large gates before reaching the road again. After a minute, Marcus spoke up to her.
"How's things been lately?"
Katherine sighed before replying to him.
"You know, the usual."
Such a response like this was enough to tell Marcus that Katherine wasn't in a good mood this morning. The 'usual' meant her bored life at home or sometimes her career that wasn't quite the same as it once was. During the years of working alongside her, Marcus had witnessed the rise and downfall of her time in Hollywood. Katherine had seen better days long ago, but that didn't stop her from trying. Marcus knew he was escorting her to a meeting that had to do with the possibility of a film role. He changed the subject slightly, trying to lighten up the mood and make her smile.
"So, how's the kids been?"
"They've been great lately. They're spending the week at their grandparents right now, so it's nice to have a bit of time off. It's hard enough though when your husband leaves and is on tour all the time. Sometimes I feel like a single parent in a big house, you know?"
Marcus gripped the steering wheel tighter as he listened to Katherine's response. Over the years, she had grown more trusting of him to speak of the issues within her marriage at times.
