Price of Fame (Duet)

By Treva Harte

Gene Price, former teenage star, has been living the simple life, cut off from anyone who knows about him and his former bad reputation. When Gene gets death threats he turns to Leo, the bodyguard and lover he fired years ago. He doesn’t want any part of his past, but Leo is the only one he trusts to protect him.

Leo is sure Gene will stay in California -- with Leo -- once he gets Gene back home. But it looks like Gene’s only here to make sure his only friend in the state isn’t the one making threats.

It probably doesn’t matter that Leo cares a hell of a lot for Gene. Enough to protect him, find out the truth, and let Gene decide whether to stay or go.

Publisher's Note: The Price of Fame Duet includes the previously published novellas Going Back and Guarded Heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Changeling Press
• Release date: Aug 23, 2020

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Price of Fame (Duet)

Treva Harte

All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2020 Treva Harte

BIN: 009493-03076

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Publisher:

Changeling Press LLC

315 N. Centre St.

Martinsburg, WV 25404

www.ChangelingPress.com

Editor: Jean Cooper

Cover Artist: Bryan Keller

Adult Sexual Content

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Table of Contents

Price of Fame (Duet)

Going Back (Price of Fame 1)

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Guarded Heart (Price of Fame 2)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Treva Harte

Price of Fame (Duet)

Treva Harte

Gene Price, former teenage star, has been living the simple life, cut off from anyone who knows about him and his former bad reputation. When Gene gets death threats he turns to Leo, the bodyguard and lover he fired years ago. He doesn’t want any part of his past, but Leo is the only one he trusts to protect him.

Leo is sure Gene will stay in California -- with Leo -- once he gets Gene back home. But it looks like Gene’s only here to make sure his only friend in the state isn’t the one making threats.

It probably doesn’t matter that Leo cares a hell of a lot for Gene. Enough to protect him, find out the truth, and let Gene decide whether to stay or go.

Going Back (Price of Fame 1)

Treva Harte

Gene Price, former teenage star, has been living the simple life. He’s cut himself off from anyone who knows about him and his former bad reputation. Out of the blue he begins to get death threats. He doesn’t want any part of his past nowadays, but the only one he trusts to find out what’s going on and protect him is Leo, his former bodyguard -- the one he’d slept with before he fired him.

Will Leo be wiling to protect Gene? And could he ever be interested in the changed man Gene’s become?

Chapter One

Morning, Jerry. I nodded to my nearest neighbor -- the one who lived about three-quarters of a mile down the road -- as I returned from my morning walk.

Eugene. No one here ever called me by my nickname. Looks like we’re in for some bad weather soon.

Jerry had lived in Maine all his life, and I’d learned to never question his weather forecasts, even if it was sunny and mid-April.

Real soon? I could stand to pick up a few things at the store, but I’d lived here long enough to know how to keep all the staples on hand.

Wouldn’t go too far today. Might not be smart. Jerry would never commit himself to a time, but that was as good an answer as any. I waved and picked up the pace.

Anyone back in the day would have been stunned to hear I had conversations with my neighbors. Fortunately, there weren’t that many and -- damn, remembering their names to say hello had become a pride thing. My brain might be fucked, but my memory was still there. Usually.

Once I got in the house, I took a deep breath. Then I locked the door. I was still a city boy, and I took the threats of the outside world seriously. Then I took another breath. I walked every day. But now I’d better make the call before a storm wouldn’t give me the option of taking more time to think it over. Storms could take out phone lines and power for days.

And what was there to think over? I could pretend, but I needed some help. I picked up the phone.

Lane? I hadn’t seen Melaney Neale in… I drew a blank. Too long. At least a year. It might have been two. Or so. She was still the one I counted on for all the practical aspects of dealing with my old life.

Jesus, Gene! I was starting to wonder if you were dead out there in Bumfuck. Her rough buzz of a voice made me smile a little. Then I stopped. There was just a bit of truth to that.

Well, not quite dead. We used to watch Monty Python marathons back in the day. But funny thing you should mention that. I need you to hire me a bodyguard. Maybe from the old company I used to use.

You coming back to the fame and glamour, boo?

No. It appears the fame and glamour have caught up to me here. God damn it.

Oh? Going to film something out there?

You know I’m not. No, I just recently got a few reminders of why California isn’t the place for me. Some nasty warnings.

What?

Notes, email. Maybe phone calls -- there’ve been a few phone calls with no messages although that could be your average robo-caller. Thing is, why? I dropped out of sight a long time ago. There’s no reason to start up on me now.

Damn shame, too. I don’t have any clients with the star power you did. But this sounds serious. Lane hesitated. You called the police?

I could. I will if my new security company tells me to. But while the police here are good at what they do, they don’t do much in the way of threatening notes. Not their usual thing.

You’ve done nothing, then.

I called you. I doubt Leo is still around, but he was a good guard. Smart. If he and his company are still around and available, I could trust him. I figure those guys knew their shit back then. I don’t see why they wouldn’t now. I ignored the clutch in my belly. Then I told myself it was because I was going to have to start up the old routine again or at least some it. It wasn’t because of Leo, who probably had long since moved on.

Damn it, Gene. I -- oh, why bother to yell about anything? That won’t change you. I’ll get on it.

Thanks, Lane. Once again you’ve saved my ass. I looked at the wind picking up and the sky clouding over. Jerry had been right again.

No one would be getting to my place for the next day or so, looked like. By then I might have myself a bodyguard once again. God damn it. What if it was Leo?

* * *

Want a blast from the past? Got a call today from one of your first clients.

Nice to have repeat customers.

You hated this one the first go round. Begged to get off the account.

I’ve done that before.

Funny thing is, he