Shut Up and Give It to Me

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.

"What time you got right now, Marcus?"

Her sudden shift of the subject was a surprise to him. His eyes glanced over at the digital clock near the air conditioner and heating controls of the car, just before shifting his view back to the road. Marcus spoke up to Katherine.

"I've got 1:17 at the moment."

"Alright, that's not bad. If my meeting goes as planned, I should be outta there before three."

Marcus gripped the steering wheel as her words had now left him wondering. If Katherine was organizing her day around a schedule, perhaps she had something else planned beyond this meeting. Despite his curiosity, he didn't speak up in regards to her words. All he did was focus on driving the vehicle and bringing the actress out where she needed to be for the day. While sitting in the back seat, Katherine opened up her purse to retrieve her carton of cigarettes and a lighter. She usually smoked in the back of Marcus' car, so he made sure an ash tray was always present among the backseat of the car. Silence filled the vehicle along with slight smoke as Katherine had lit her cigarette and proceeded to begin smoking. It never bothered Marcus since he had a habit of smoking back in his youth. After all, she was the one signing his checks so he wasn't going to complain about the smell regardless.

Less than twenty minutes passed when Marcus pulled the car into the parking lot of her destination. Outside stood a tall building, just on the west end near Hollywood. Katherine shoved her used cigarette into the ash tray before clutching her folders and stepping out of the car. Marcus sat behind, watching something he had witnessed countless times before in the last several years. Katherine Heigl left his vehicle and swaggered off. He always enjoyed to watch her walking off, extending her right leg out before the left. She was always marching in high heels, a confident woman who wasn't about to put up with anything that didn't go her way. As her bodyguard, he always sat back in the car when she had a meeting like this. It was Marcus' duty to be there as her chauffeur when she had left. After a few minutes sitting in his car, he shut the engine off and stepped out. He needed a bit of fresh air in the afternoon sun while he waited around for her.

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1 HOUR LATER

Grey clouds formed in the sky above while Marcus had stepped through the front doors and into the lobby of the office. The building itself was almost like a lawyer's office, acting as a secluded place for a few executives in the film industry. Time had went by as he sat in the lobby flipping through a health magazine that was sitting on the coffee table. Katherine's agent had soon arrived after them. The man stood tall in a black suit with short graying hair. Marcus had seen him around but had never asked any questions about his presence. In his time as her bodyguard, Katherine had went through a number of agents in Hollywood. The subject of the meeting was beyond locked doors, as he was left in the lobby occupying himself with the magazine. In the far corner, a young man sat with his arms crossed appearing bored out of his mind. Marcus figured that he must have been waiting there for a much longer period of time than himself. Soon, the booming sound of stomps could be heard from the hallway as it grew louder with each passing second. Marcus closed the magazine as he saw Katherine storming out of the room. Glancing to Marcus, she continued to march to the door with her heels stomping into the floor's surface.

"Come on, we're getting the fuck out of here."

From the tone of her voice and choice of words, he knew that she was not in a mood to be pushed around. When Katherine became angry, she didn't hesitate one bit to unleash her wrath on anyone that got in her way. The meeting must have went sour going by her bad mood. Marcus got up from his chair and followed her out the door, moving back to the car as he didn't waste any time whatsoever getting into the driver's side and shoving the key into the ignition. Katherine found her way to the back seat, sitting among the same place she had before they had arrived. With the car now running, Marcus began to pull out from the parking lot as he spoke up to her.

"You wanna go home?"

"Yeah, floor it! I don't want to waste another fucking minute at this shit hole place!"

Katherine yelled to him. Marcus soon realized just how angry she truly was. While he pulled away from the parking lot and moved the vehicle back on the roads, Katherine's cellphone began to ring. Marcus didn't utter a word as he focused on driving. Katherine let the phone ring for a few seconds while laughing.

"Oh, now he wants to call me after I leave. What a fucking joke."

She laughed before answering the phone. Marcus sat back in the driver's seat, piloting the car through traffic as a few seconds went by. He soon realized that the 'he' must have been referring to her agent, whom Marcus did not see leave the building. Katherine laughed again before talking back into the phone.

"So that's why you called me? You wanna know why I just up and left? I guess you're too fucking stupid to realize when I'm fed up. I was in there, negotiating all by myself while you just sat there doing nothing. Not once did you open your mouth and stick up for me when it was as clear as fucking daylight that I was getting screwed on the pay. You should know I'm not the type of woman in this business who's just gonna sit there and get fucked out of her pay."

Marcus raised his eyebrow, gripping the steering wheel as he made a sharp turn through the traffic. He remained there, listening to Katherine vent her frustrations back at her agent whom was soon to be fired before she hung the phone up.

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that one. Blaming the budget problems on special effects is an old trick, I've been there and heard that a hundred times. You must think I was born yesterday or something, Carl."

Biting down on his lower lip, Marcus had to contain himself from laughing. Over the years, he took quiet pleasure in listening or watching Katherine belittle men who attempted to screw her over. It was interesting to observe, as she was the type of woman who absolutely did not take any nonsense from men. Not even her husband was immune to her wrath of rage when a mood like this had fallen over her.

"Oh my god, you can't be this fucking stupid. Look, I don't give a shit how old you are, that don't make you smart. You must've spent a lot of time just kissing ass in the studio rather than doing anything. I saw it myself today when you just sat there and did nothing for me. You know what, Carl? You should pat yourself on the fucking back for that. Way to go!"

Marcus couldn't prevent himself from chuckling after her latest exchange through the phone. It was only a matter of time she told him the two magic words that her previous agents had received. Katherine had made it loud and clear she wasn't putting up with any excuses.

"No, there won't be a next time. You're fired, don't call me again."

Just like that, she hung up the phone after giving Carl his words of leave. Marcus knew it was coming, as he had witnessed this several times in the past. If Katherine was not satisfied with an agent, she didn't waste any time disposing of them on the spot. Silence filled the car as Marcus was still focused on driving her back home. He listened as Katherine took in a deep breath and let out what sounded to be a sigh of relief. After all this time, Marcus finally spoke to her.

"I'm sorry you're having a bad day."

"You don't have any reason to apologize to me, Marcus. I never have a problem with you. I wish that could be said for a certain agent right now who proved himself to be utterly worthless."

With his eyes focused on the road, Marcus didn't reply back. Rain began to sprinkle down, sending drops over the windshield of the car. He eventually spoke out in frustration.

"Damn, I was hoping we could beat the rain."

"Hold on, that's my hubby calling."

After Katherine had spoken, Marcus didn't reply back. He continued to drive the car as he listened to her side of the cellphone conversation with her husband. Her tone of voice immediately changed as she spoke back into the phone.

"Hey baby, it's good to hear from you..."

She paused while the car was still moving down the wet streets. Katherine continued speaking after a moment.

"No, I didn't get the role. They wanted me to take a pay cut, so I pretty much told them where they could shove it. Why should I get paid for less when I'm the only star power that's going to be in this movie?"

Taking another turn over the streets, Marcus was back into Calabasas where Katherine's multi-million dollar home awaited them.

"Yeah..."

Just after Katherine had spoke a single word, she let out a sigh of frustration. Her tone of voice immediately shifted.

"Well, that's just great. I guess I'll call you back tomorrow. Love you, bye."

She hung up the phone before letting out another sigh. Marcus could guess from how her voice had sounded, Katherine was not satisfied whatsoever for the time being. Marcus spoke up to her as he slowed down the car, ready to approach those familiar gates leading to her home.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. John had to go so he could talk to his manager. Ya know, cause his concert is more important than his wife."

Marcus chuckled at Katherine's comment. She was back into a rude mood, going by the sound of her voice. The car pulled back through the gates of her mansion only to come to a sudden stop in parking. As Katherine opened the door on her side of the car, she spoke to the man in the driver's seat.

"Hey Marcus..."

"Yes, Katherine?"

He turned around to glance into the back seat. The rain had stopped momentarily as the sound of the outside ambiance could be heard with the door opened. Katherine looked back into his eyes and smiled before answering him back.