The lunch crowd has taken off to tend to their afternoon naps or downtown strolls, so it’s a little quieter at the pool now. At least I missed the morning rush. It’s weird. I don’t think I’ve ever called into work sick. Maybe I need a break sometimes.
At least I have a view for now. The pool is typically only for guests, but Denver seems to have made friends with the right people while he was staying here, so no one minds him using the pool, I guess. He’s such a charmer—with a nice ass that his wet bathing suit clings to as if it were tattooed onto his body.
As if he had an inkling that I was looking at him, he looks over his shoulder at me from across the pool, then looks down at his ass, and smiles. I get a thumbs-up, and I throw my hand over my eyes and look the other way. My God. He knows I like to keep my professionalism on the up-and-up, and he taunts me because of it.
“Kai!” Aya yells from across the pool. She’s standing on the ledge in her neon purple bathing suit, pinching her nose as she prepares to jump into the pool. “Watch this!”
I cup my hand over my eyes to see her without a glare, and I smile so she knows I’m watching as she jumps in cannonball style. She’s been practicing her cannonball form all week, and she’s making quite a splash now.
“You got me wet all the way over here,” I shout over to her as she emerges from the water.
Of course, Denver is standing on the ledge with his arms crossed, staring at me with a raised brow, forcing me to rethink what I just said. I’m starting to believe he’s been placed in my life to torture me, but I’m not sure what I’m being tortured for. I’m starting to wonder if he’d like me to act on my threat.
I try my best not to give him the reaction he’s looking for, which I know makes him crazy, but I need to focus on the pool.
“Excuse me, miss,” an older man approaches me. He’s probably about sixty-ish, with a tan that he’s likely been working on since March. The gold dripping off his body screams money. That is the typical type of clientele around here. He either has a dumb question about pool hours, where to find towels, or he’s wondering if I give private swim lessons. Of course, I could be wrong, and he could have an honest question, but I’m quick to judge after working here for so long.
“How can I help you, sir?”
“Yeah,” he says, leaning against the guard chair as he looks up at me. “Do you know what time the luau is tonight?”
“It starts at six,” I tell him. Thank God for my dark sunglasses so I don’t have to make eye contact with this guy. By the slur in his voice, it sounds like he’s been day drinking.
“Are you going to be there in one of those cute little tutu things?” I got to give myself credit. I called it.
“No, sir, I’m afraid we don’t wear tutus at a luau.”
“That’s too bad,” he says with an exaggerated sigh. “You have the legs for it.”
“If you don’t mind, I need to keep my attention on the pool,” I tell him. Creep.
“What if I was in the pool? Would you pay attention to me?” I notice he’s wearing a wedding ring, and while I know I shouldn’t counteract his behavior, it’s tempting.
I ignore his question, hoping he’ll go away, but after a long, awkward minute, it’s safe to assume he’s not leaving yet.
Denver has made his way around to my side of the pool in the time this jerk has been standing here, but I don’t want him getting involved in this. I can handle it.
“Excuse me,” Denver speaks up, but he’s looking directly at me. “Do you have a Band-Aid by any chance? My daughter cut her toe on the side of the pool. She has a blood phobia, so I just want to get it cleaned up for her.”
“She’s busy, kid. Get lost,” the man says.
“Are you kidding me?” Denver asks.
“You heard me,” the moron says. Shit. Denver really wasn’t going to start anything. He was trying to help me in a subtle way, and it’s pretty much the first time a man has ever tactfully handled a situation like that in front of me. I’m impressed, but this is about to go downhill quickly.
“You’re right, I did, but did you hear yourself? I’m asking for a Band-Aid for my daughter, and you’re telling me to get lost. That’s kind of rude—don’t you think?” Denver continues, still civil. Considering I’m seconds from losing my shit, I don’t know how the hell Denver is able to keep calm the way he is. It’s quite a quality.
“I know what I said, and this woman doesn’t want to hear about your daughter’s bleeding toe. I’m sure the front desk has a Band-Aid to solve your problems.”
“Very well,” Denver says. He takes Aya by the shoulder and walks her away from the pool. I’m not sure where he’s going or why he left like that, but with as much as I know about Denver by now, he’s up to something.
“Sorry about that asshole,” the man continues.
“You’re incredibly rude, and you just kept me from doing my job. You need to go sober up somewhere else, and you owe that man and his daughter an apology on top of that,” I tell him quietly.
“Whoa, whoa, there’s no need to get frisky, not here. I’ve got a room.”
“You have a wife too, and I don’t see a price tag hanging from my neck, so step away, sir.”
“No price tag just means you’re free,” he says, touching my knee with the back of his knuckle. Now he’s gone too far. “You have one second to get your hands off of me and remove yourself from the vicinity, or I’m calling security.”
I spot Denver out of the corner of my eye, leaning over the bar at the cabana, talking to Talon. I assume he’s handling the security call, but I have a walkie-talkie that goes directly to security.
“Look, just come with me for a few minutes. I won’t keep you long, but it will make your day,” he says. I lift the walkie-talkie and hold it up to my mouth, hovering my thumb over the button.
“Go, now,” I tell him.
He unexpectedly slaps the walkie-talkie out of my hand, and it lands on the cement below me. Now, I’ve had it. I’m allowed to use physical force if someone is threatening me, and he’s crossed the line.
I hop down from the chair, quickly grab the guy’s wrist, and swing it over his head, pinning him against the guard chair while grabbing his other wrist. “Is this what you wanted?” I turn him to the side and jerk my knee into his lower back, forcing him to his knees. I push all my weight onto him, as the side of his face meets the cement. “I need back up and security!” I shout from the top of my lungs.
I figured Denver would make it over here before anyone else, and he does. I just don’t want him getting into trouble, considering he’s not even supposed to be here.
“Did someone call security?” I ask as Denver shoves the heel of his palm into the guy’s back, holding him down.
“Talon just did. They’re on their way. Prick,” Denver mutters.
The guy just groans in response. At least he’s not fighting back, but I wouldn’t expect a man in his sixties to be fighting through a restraint anyway. This guy is just drunk and stupid.
Security arrives relatively quickly and takes over, cuffing the guy and getting him away from the pool area to avoid any more of a crowd. They try to keep scuffles quiet to keep the hotel’s high ratings. It’s not always easy with so many entitled assholes walking around, but we handle it discreetly most of the time.
“I can’t believe that just happened,” Denver says to me. I shake my head to snap out of the moment.
“It’s happened before, unfortunately. Drunk, rich men often have the confidence of mountain lions, thinking they can get whatever they want, whenever they please.”
“Actually, I’m referring more to the way you handled the situation. You’re this tiny little thing who just totally jacked that guy up with what looked like little effort. I’m kind of scared to admit how much that just turned me on.”
“Dirty talk at the pool isn’t allowed, Wonder Buns, so watch yourself.”
“Well, feel free to use your moves on me when we’re not at the pool
.”
I pull my sunglasses down my nose, giving him a look I’m sure he will clearly understand. “I’ve warned you to be careful about what you ask for.”
“Talon told me you had it under control, and I’m sorry for underestimating you. I’m just in awe. Plus, you’re Aya’s new favorite superhero now.”
“Every girl should know how to defend herself,” I tell him.
“You kidding me? I’ve had Aya in Tai Kwan Do since she was three. My girl will know how to defend herself.”
“Good,” I tell him, happy to hear he’s on the same page as me. I look down at my watch, and I can’t believe it’s already three. “I get off in an hour, so I can get ready for the luau.”
“Without me?” he asks.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re getting off without me?”
“Denver, you’re getting filthier by the minute. Maybe you need to go take a dip in the pool and cool off.” I’d love to sit around here with him all day, talking, joking, laughing, and learning more about him and Aya, but I can’t, and I hate choosing to be responsible. It’s the last thing I want to do right now.
“Maybe you’re right. I won’t make it until tonight if I don’t settle down,” he says.
“What’s tonight?” I ask. He knows I’m working the luau.
“We’ll see,” he says. I chuckle, calling his bluff because I have no clue what’s up his sleeve, and I get the feeling he doesn’t either. Things have kind of just happened with us, and I like it that way. It takes the stress out of planning what’s next and when it will happen. “Have a little faith in me …”
“Is Aya sitting at the bar?” I ask him, looking past him at the little girl dangling her legs from a bar stool.
“Yup, she’s getting a Piña Colada. Why?”
“A virgin one, I’m sure,” I correct him.
“Unlike you,” he mutters, looking smug. He loops his arm around me and gives me a quick peck on the cheek. “Catch you later, beautiful.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Denver
There was a time in my life when I worried about everything—what people thought about me, whether or not they liked me, and it killed my confidence. I went through high school with very few friends, watching as Brielle, my ever-so-popular younger sister had crowds of friends swarming her. It was like she was born to be the center of attention. I was bullied and teased for being scrawny and book smart because back then, that was something to hide. Kids are awful, but it turns out adults aren’t always better. I’ve kept to myself most of my life, trusting very few people, but when I decided the Marine Corps would be the best avenue for me after a shitty high school experience, I had to change my mindset about others. I had to let people in and learn to trust. The guys I spent my time with and deployed with became more like family than friends, and I gained a sense of confidence during that time, finding out that it didn’t matter what any of us looked like. We had a common goal of protecting and surviving that brought us together, making bodily features a blurry difference in the background of our lives.
Battling my way through combat and having to watch friends get hurt and sometimes even die put life into perspective for me. I promised myself then I wouldn’t let anyone affect the way I think or feel about myself, and it’s been the best gift I could have given myself.
I see a similar sense of pride in Kai, and I think that’s what’s highlighted our connection. Her dry sense of humor oozes confidence but without being over the top. She’s beautiful, yet doesn’t care to think of herself that way, or so it seems. She’s just easy to read and get to know. It’s a fresh breath of air after my past relationships. She’s special. I know that.
“I’m bored,” Aya says, dropping her head down on top of the white-linen-covered table we’re seated at.
“The show is going to start in a few minutes. It will be worth the wait. I promise.” We’ve eaten the traditional pig roast and enjoyed the accompanying sides, and other kids are running around playing, but I asked Aya to sit still so she’s here when the show starts. “Are you excited to see Kai?”
“Obviously,” Aya says. “Isn’t that the only reason we’re here?” When Aya is bored, it’s her thing to make sure I pay the consequence for not keeping her entertained every second of the day. I try to ignore her moments of irritability, hoping they’ll subside, but I know it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
“No, you’ve been asking me to take you to a real luau for years and here we are.”
“But you just want to see Kai,” she says with a small smile.
“I want you to have fun, baby.”
“Well, I’m bored.”
Just as I hear the word bored for the thirtieth time since we finished dinner twenty minutes ago, the sound of drums slowly grows in the distance. “It’s starting,” I tell her, feeling excited to see the show too. I’ve never been to a luau either. We definitely didn’t have them on base, and I wasn’t invited to any off base. I know this type of luau is the entertaining-tourist kind, which is different than traditional luaus, but nevertheless, it’s fun, and I get to see Kai in a grass skirt again.
The lesson she gave us last week was very slow and easy going, but from what I’ve heard of these luaus, they aren’t very slow paced, so I’m curious as to what we’ll see.
Flash forward fifteen minutes, and I’m being dragged up on stage. “This is payback,” Kai whispers in my ear. How can I truly be upset when she’s wearing a traditional grass skirt with nothing more than a bikini top and a puka shell necklace. Her bronze skin is illuminated by the glowing tiki torches encircling the area.
Volunteers were invited to join in with the Hukilau dance. Aya is sitting with Noa and Lea at the table, clapping her heart out and shrieking my name with excitement.
“I know you have moves.” Kai isn’t letting me off the hook with this one, and I admit I deserve it, even though it wasn’t my idea to put the spotlight on her at Man Buns.
One of the dancers is instructing the guests on the few arm and hip gestures to follow when the music restarts. “I’m not ashamed of my moves,” I tell her. “I know what you’re doing.”
“I think the other guests deserve the privilege of enjoying your talent as much as the clientele at work,” she whispers.
“Well, I don’t know about that. There are kids in the audience, so I’ll need to keep it tame here,” I respond.
“Hmm,” she says. The music restarts, and Kai’s hands fall to my hips as if I need assistance with the movements. She’s pressed up against me, her breasts feathering against my back. Her touch is slight, and it’s enough to send a wave of flames through my body, rather than allowing me to focus on the dance. “Remember, people are watching.”
“I know people are watching,” I mutter back.
“Don’t lose your focus,” she whispers as she gently drags her fingernails up my back. Shit. This isn’t part of the dance. “Maintain control.”
“Kai,” I grumble.
“You want me?” she whispers.
“You can’t do that right now,” I try to convey through a slur of words.
Her hands slide up to my arms, repositioning them to match what everyone else is doing, then her knee gently presses into the back of one of my knees. “Bend your knees slightly,” she says. When she removes her knee, she makes sure to slide it up the back of my leg first.
“Kai, I can’t control myself with you like this. People are watching. Aya is watching.” Her hands release from my body, and she moves on to the next person, using incredibly different teaching tactics that don’t require physical contact. Now, I’m just standing here with everyone staring at me as I’m supposed to be doing the Hukilau, except I’m focused on keeping my dick in place. Damn her.
My mind spins throughout the entire volunteer dancing section of the show, and I finally snap out of it as I’m chauffeured back to my seat by Kai’s soft hand. “Good job, Marine. I’m glad I can teach you some new moves,” she say
s softly as I arrive at my seat.
“Nice, Den. I had no idea you could do the hula too,” Noa says. “I’ll have to have a hula night at the restaurant.”
God, I need to find another job. One that preferably has a desk and no uniform.
“Dad, your phone keeps ringing,” Aya says, handing it over to me. “It’s Auntie Brielle. Do you think she’s finally coming to visit us?”
That’s weird. We talk about once a week for a few minutes or on text, but she doesn’t usually call me at night during the week. “I don’t think she’s coming out, baby. She’s all the way in Massachusetts. It’s a pretty long flight out here, and she just saw us a few months ago.”
“Oh,” Aya says, looking downcast. She loves Brielle, but we only see her once a year, at most. She went to college out on the East coast and stayed there afterward.
“I’ll call her back after the show is over,” I tell Aya.
The fire twirlers are up next, followed by another volunteer activity for the kids. Aya didn’t want to go up for some reason, but with her recent mood swings, I decided not to push her like I normally would.
As the show comes to a close, lawn lights slowly brighten from around the seating area, and a path back to the hotel lights up for the guests to follow. We remain in our seats, waiting for Kai, but while we’re sitting here, I pick my phone back up and call Brielle.
“Hi, Brophy,” Brielle answers.
“What’s up? Is everything okay?” Aya’s staring at me, waiting for an answer that she won’t be able to hear.
“Um … define what you mean by ‘okay?’” she continues, dragging out whatever it is she has to say. I want to think if it was bad news, she would be crying and have spit it out by now, so that eases my concern just a bit.
“Bri, do not make me guess. Just tell me.”
“Well, you know how you changed your phone number last year?”
“Yes, I know how I changed my phone number last year,” I tell her.
Man Buns Page 17
