by E. E. Marino
Keela swung around and shot her a look that made her cringe. “An accident? What, did he trip and fall and land on your face? That’s bullshit, Laura, and you know it!”
“Calm down, Kee Kee.” Keela heard Nicky’s voice from behind her.
Laura’s lip began to quiver, and a tinge of guilt hit Keela. This poor girl was beaten down, and I’m yelling at her like it’s her fault. Nicky’s eyes softened, and Aaron just stood there.
“Let’s all sit down and relax upstairs. Let’s not forget we do have two tables in the back. I’ll let Natalie know we’ll be upstairs so she can cover the tables until we are finished or until Shannon gets in, in about fifteen minutes. Keela, get her some ice and a stiff drink, okay? Aaron, can I have a word with you?” Nicky directed orders, and the girls filed into the loft.
Keela looked at her friend, and the sight made her want to cry. Laura was a shell of the woman she’d once been. Laura was by far one of the smartest girls Keela knew, and she was also stunningly gorgeous inside and out. She always had a smile and a hug for everyone and a great outlook on life. She had blonde hair that, when not in those silly braids, was long and wavy. She had a petite body with perky breasts and the most piercing blue eyes you ever saw. To see her now, no one would know how vibrant she always was, and Keela blamed only one person for that. Michael.
“Okay, is everyone nice and calm?” Nicky come into the loft and took a seat in his chair.
Keela lit up a cigarette.
“Laura,” Nicky began. “We’re family here. You know that. Seeing you like this is something that hurts all of us, so please trust us and tell us what happened.”
Laura held on tightly to her glass, which contained vodka, and sighed. “We were in Jamaica with friends of his and their girlfriends and wives. It was supposed to be a fun trip, and he promised me that he would leave the phone in the room and not do any business while we were there, but as usual, that was a lie. The second we got to the hotel they were on their phones working while the girls and I were left to our own devices. Those women aren’t my friends, and I was miserable because they looked down on me. I was just a bartender to them.”
Keela’s anger began to rise. She had heard that same song and dance from her sister’s boyfriend and countless other people because they didn’t realize that being a great bartender and managing a business was hard work. Keela snuffed out the butt of her cigarette and lit another one.
“This went on for the two weeks we were there until, finally, I snapped and got in his face about how ridiculous and selfish he was being. He all but wrote me off as having PMS and continued to do what he wanted until I couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed that stupid phone and threw it out the window. That’s when he lost it and grabbed me by my throat, screaming at me and then punching me in the face. He apologized the whole way home, but how can I forgive that? But then how do I overlook me being a brat and throwing his phone out the window? I don’t know what to do.”
When she started crying, Keela removed herself from the comforting embrace of the sofa and wrapped Laura into a tight hug. Keela rubbed her back in soothing circles while looking at Nicky.
“Laura, this ends today,” said Nicky. “You are coming to stay with Keela and me. We have a couch for now, which is comfy, and Aaron and I will accompany you to get your things from your and Michael’s apartment. Aaron is also going to make sure Michael never steps food inside this establishment ever again. We love you, sweetie. We can’t let him hurt you, okay?”
Laura nodded, and everyone relaxed.
“Laura, honey…” Keela started as Laura looked at her sadly. “Is Michael at work right now?” When she nodded, Keela continued. “Nicky, can you and Aaron go now and get her things? It’s slow, so Shannon and I should be able to handle it until you all are done. Plus Louis will be here in an hour, so if we get slammed I can call him in early.”
* * * *
When they agreed, everyone began making their way downstairs. Aaron’s heart broke for Keela. She looked so sad for her friend, and even though he didn’t know Laura, he was angry that any man would put his hands on a woman.
Nicky quickly filled Aaron in on the situation, and he immediately agreed. Keela asked Aaron to stay back for a few, so Nicky took Laura outside to his car. When both Laura and Nicky were out of sight, she moved into Aaron’s arms and kissed him gently but hungrily.
When they finally pulled apart for air, he chuckled. “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”
Keela smiled and lightly kissed his lips. “I wanted to thank you for being so great and helping Laura. But, also, I wanted to remember what a good man kisses like.”
Aaron smirked and nipped her bottom lip. “Well, how about I come over tonight with some food, and then I’ll be more than happy to show you how a man is supposed to treat his woman.”
Keela smiled. “I am your woman now, aren’t I?” He gently moved his hands up her arms to her shoulders and leaned down to kiss her nose. “Just promise me, Aaron, you’ll never hurt me like that, okay?”
Aaron took her chin into his hands and looked her in the eye with the utmost intensity. Seeing the fear there, he kissed her lips gently. “Keela, one thing I will never do is hurt you willingly, whether it physically or mentally or emotionally. I swear to you. You’re too good of a woman to treat any way but amazing.”
“Come on, you two, let’s go. And you better not be doing it on my bar, Keela.” The couple both laughed at Nicky and separated so Aaron could leave.
When they said goodbye, he whispered in her ear, “Keela, you are my new beginning, and I promise I will never make you regret being mine.” Aaron held her in his arms, happy to call her his and excited to show how happy he was later that evening.
Aaron kissed Keela goodbye, and he and Nicky took Laura to collect her things.
* * * *
When Keela heard the phone ring, she ran to get it. When she answered, the blood drained from her face and ran cold. Breathing, but nothing else. “Who is this?” she yelled into the phone as they hung up. With shaky hands, she put the phone back on the hook just as Shannon came walking into the bar. Keela shot her a nod as the young woman waved on her way into the back to prepare for her shift.
This is getting scary. Taking a minute to sip some water and collect herself, Keela spied Aaron’s zipper hoodie off to the side, hanging off of one of the chairs at the bar. He had worn it earlier that day when he was in the stock room so he wouldn’t get his Gypsy’s tee dirty. Keela picked it up from the bar and inhaled his scent deeply as she hugged it to her chest. Suddenly, it was as if Aaron was there hugging her.
They’d only just started dating, but Keela knew that Aaron would always protect her. She already had it bad for the sexy bouncer, but she wasn’t as scared as she was before.
Progress, she thought as she folded up the sweatshirt and put it somewhere safe behind the bar.
All Keela could do the rest of her shift was smile, already knowing Aaron was the first decision in a long time she didn’t think she would ever regret.
Chapter 9
One Week Later
AARON sat on the couch with Nicky, waiting for Kristi and Keela to get ready. The couch had been acting as Laura’s bed the past week after he and Nicky had gotten her possessions, and moved her into Casa de Keela. Today, Laura was holding down the fort at Gypsy’s with the rest of the staff, as the four of them were going to Keela’s parents’ anniversary party. To say he was nervous was an understatement. It had been a long time since Aaron had met a girlfriend’s parents, but they all paled in comparison to Keela’s importance in his life. Nicky and Aaron had been dressed for about an hour, but the girls were taking longer as expected, but more so Keela.
Keela had been on edge all morning, despite how many times Aaron tried to “distract” her. Apparently, her sister and her boyfriend were giving Keela a lot of anxiety, which made Aaron instantly dislike them because he hated to see her upset.
“Hey, I’m goi
ng to go check on Keela, okay? I see Kristi is walking out now.”
Aaron noticed Nicky’s eyes widen slightly at the red and white polka dot ’50s style dress Kristi wore with a pair of red heels. Aaron had to admit that, while Kristi was no Keela, she did look very beautiful. Aaron smirked at Nicky, who looked at him innocently and said, “What?”
Aaron waved him off and smirked as he made my way down to Keela’s room and knocked before walking in. Standing with her back to him, Keela bent over her vanity in nothing but a thong and a lacy nude bra. It was a sight Aaron would never be sick of. He walked over and gave her pert behind a good slap.
“Aaron!” she yelped and spun around. She huffed in frustration, and Aaron couldn’t help but laugh at how damn cute she was when she was mad. “You better not have messed up my makeup.”
Aaron couldn’t help but laugh as he wrapped his arms around her waist and nibbled her ear lobe. “You don’t need makeup, your hair looks great, and anything you wear today will make you the most gorgeous woman in the room like always.” He pulled back to see Keela smiling and her eyes shining. “I don’t know why you are suddenly so self-conscious of the way you look. You are always beautiful, so what’s going on? Why do your sister and her boyfriend bother you so much?”
She sighed and leaned into his embrace as he rested his chin on her head.
“William just always looks down on me, which normally I don’t care about because you know how much I love my job and where I work, but he puts me and my family down all the time, and Sandra just lets him do it. Like family is nothing to her. I’m not the ideal beauty that most people think of, but—”
Having heard enough, Aaron kissed her with every fiber of his being he could muster. He didn’t like this Keela. This Keela wasn’t his Keela, and he would bring his girl back the only way he knew how.
*
When he pulled back, Keela had her eyes closed, but she could feel her lips were swollen. Thankfully, she never wore lipstick, just vanilla-flavored balm, so she wasn’t smeared. Aaron had been trying all day to perk her up. She knew if he kept that up, his fingers and tongue would be so sore and tired. She adored how he tried to always make her smile.
Aaron leaned down and rested his forehead against hers, his tone very serious. “Sweetheart, listen to me and listen to me good. This William character is an ass, and you are so wrong about a lot of things you just said but primarily about your beauty because let me tell you something. When I think of beauty, strength, and sexiness, there is only one name that comes to mind, and that’s Keela. Okay? So don’t insult me anymore by saying my girl isn’t special or beautiful because it’s my job to remind you every day how stunning you are.”
Keela wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her.
“Thank you,” she said as she pulled away. “You always know what to say to make me feel great. How’d I get so lucky?”
*
Aaron kissed her forehead as she turned to put her dress on. Aaron leaned against her vanity and watched her. He was still in awe of how gorgeous she was and that every night for the past month he’d been able to kiss, lick, and suck every part of her, but he loved seeing her outside of work most of all. At work, she was all business and often dressed in her T-shirt, but outside of work, she was softer. Today she wore a simple sundress and flip-flops. There was a carefree vibe about her, and it made her look amazingly beautiful.
“Um, Aaron. Can you please zip this?” she asked, presenting her back to him.
Aaron’s fingers ghosted her back as he carefully zipped up her strapless dress and proceeded to lay kisses all over her shoulders. She leaned against him and moaned contently.
This was the scene Kristi stumbled upon as she stepped into the doorframe of Keela’s room. “Oh, for the love of God, don’t you guys ever stop?”
They both looked up to see Kristi standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.
“They at it again?” Nicky yelled from down the hall and laughed.
Keela flipped off Kristi, who rolled her eyes. “Hey, Nicky, can you guess what I’m doing now?”
Aaron had to chuckle when Nicky yelled correctly that Keela was flipping Kristi off. Aaron loved watching them interact. It had been a long time since he had a family. He had been back only a few weeks, but already it felt as though he was home.
Finally making it outside, Aaron handed Keela a helmet and a jacket, and she hopped on the bike while Aaron strapped on his helmet. After firing up his bike, he took off with Nicky and Kristi following behind. The couple had talked about taking her car to the party, but Keela really loved the bike, and she thought her dad would get a real kick out of it.
Aaron felt Keela squeeze him tightly, and he gave her a reassuring squeeze back. She had no idea how nervous he was as well, but he knew if he wanted a future with Keela, he had to go about doing these kinds of things to get to the next step. I will make all the steps because Keela is home to me, he thought as he turned down their block.
Thirty minutes later, the couple parked the bike in front of Keela’s mother’s house, and Aaron helped Keela off the bike. She took a moment to fix her hair and adjust her clothes, but Aaron could tell she was still nervous.
“You know it’s not going to do you any good,” Aaron said without looking at her as he pulled a bag out of his bike compartment.
“What’s not going to do me any good?” She put her hands on her hips, challenging him.
She’s very cute when she’s mad, he thought as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.
“Trying to make yourself more beautiful with all that fluffing because you can’t get any more beautiful.” Keela smiled at him as he took her in his arms and gave her a quick kiss before taking her hand and leading her up the driveway.
Keela’s parents lived in a moderately-sized house on a small block covered in trees. It was a beautiful house, and everywhere Aaron looked he could see Keela growing up.
“Ah, there’s me girl. Jonathan, your daughter’s ’ere.” A small woman with an Irish brogue, who Aaron guessed was Keela’s mom, came running out of the house. She was slightly taller than Keela with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a thin body.
“Momma.” Keela let go of Aaron’s hand as her mother embraced her. “Happy anniversary, Momma!”
“Ey, me girl! Nothing makes me happier than having me family here all together.” Mary Harper stopped, taking in Aaron’s presence before her, and smiled. Aaron was very happy he’d listened to Keela and worn his nicest jeans and a light blue polo shirt. “Keela, me girl, who is this handsome man before me?”
Keela smiled and grabbed Aaron’s hand, pulling him closer to her. “Momma, this is Aaron Samuels. Our new bouncer and my boyfriend.” Aaron swelled with pride when she gave him the title.
“Oh, thank you, Mother Mary, ya finally got yourself a fella.” Her mother squealed and hugged her daughter before whispering a little too loudly, “And a handsome one at that.”
Aaron smiled and presented his hand to her mother. “A pleasure to meet you, ma’am. These are for you.” Aaron handed her a bouquet of yellow tea roses, and Keela’s mother lit up and gave him a hug.
“Well, aren’t you a sweet lad, and don’t you be calling me ma’am. You better get to calling me Mary.” Aaron pulled out of the hug, and everyone laughed as Nicky and Kristi pulled up.
“Oh, your friends are here. Wonderful! We’ll have a great party tonight.” Her mother smiled before Keela pulled her aside to speak in a language Aaron hadn’t heard before.
“An bhfuil an jerk anseo le Sandra?”
Damn, my girl is sexy even in another language, Aaron thought as he watched the two women converse.
“Tá a fhios agat Ní maith liom é nuair nach bhfuil tú féin agus do dheirfiúr fháil chomh maith,” said Mary intensely before laughing. “Cé go bhfuil sé ina gobshite.”
Aaron saw Keela laugh for the first time since they arrived, and he relaxed. “Is breá liom tú, Momma.”
Mar
y hugged her daughter before shooing them away toward the house to greet Nicky and Kristi.
Aaron grabbed Keela’s hand and walked in. “What was that language you were speaking, baby?”
Keela blushed and looked at Aaron. “Gaelic. My mother wanted us to be connected to our heritage, so she taught us all Gaelic. We all speak it fluently.”
Aaron bent down and kissed her shoulder. “You never cease to amaze me, you know.”
“There’s my baby.” The couple turned to see Keela’s father, a large, muscular man in his fifties with dark brown hair and patches of gray on the side.
“Daddy.” Aaron let go of Keela’s hand for the second time since they’d arrived so she could embrace her father, who lifted her up in a huge bear hug. “Happy anniversary, Daddy.”
He kissed her forehead as he thanked her. The sight made Aaron smile and think of his own parents.
“You must be Aaron.” Aaron was brought from his thoughts by Keela’s father’s booming voice. “I’m Jonathan Harper. Welcome to our home.” He put his hand out, which Aaron took in a firm handshake.
“A pleasure to meet you, sir. I’m Aaron Samuels.” Mr. Harper smiled and released Aaron’s hand. “Thank you for having me, sir. This is for you.”
Keela watched as Aaron handed her father a bottle of Gentleman Jack sipping whiskey. “Keela tells me you’re a cigar and whiskey kind of guy like myself, so I bought you a bottle of one of my favorites.”
Her father smiled and looked at Keela. “Baby, I like him already. I understand you just got out of the Army.”
Aaron smiled. “Yes, sir. Twelve years serving my country is enough for me. Now I’m just home trying to figure out my next step and meeting amazing people in the process.” Aaron shot a smile at Keela as she blushed.
“I understand, son. I was the same. Ten years in the service from eighteen to twenty-eight. When I got out, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but then I met Mary on a layover in England while she was studying in London. Cut to thirty years later, I have my business and my bride, so it will all worked out, plus you already got the best part.” He winked at Keela.
