The Last Chance

by Darrien Lee

  “I’m just telling you what she said.”

  Luke sat down in the leather chair in front of the desk and pulled out his cell phone. “Did you tell her about the grand opening for the new casino?”

  Genesis stood up and stretched his long limbs. “Yeah, I told her, but not in any detail.”

  Luke dialed Keilah’s number and loosened his necktie as he waited for her to answer.

  In the meantime, Keilah was still trying to recover from her recent sexual encounter with Ramsey when her phone rang. Ramsey helped her off the floor and gave her a playful pat on her bare backside before he started gathering his clothes. Keilah hurriedly slid into his dress shirt and answered her telephone. “Hello?”

  “Good evening, baby girl.”

  Keilah smiled and said, “Hey, Luke. What’s up?”

  He didn’t waste any time tearing into her. “What’s this nonsense I hear about you not coming home until after the holidays? What’s going on? “

  Keilah sat down on the sofa and watched Ramsey get dressed. “It’s not nonsense, Luke but—”

  Luke interrupted her. “What’s keeping you there? Can’t Ramsey handle things for a couple of days?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Ramsey’s very capable of handling things by himself, but he shouldn’t have to. We’re stretched thin enough as it is and sometimes you guys act like my business is not as important as yours.”

  Ramsey glanced over at her briefly upon hearing his name, then started gathering up all the items Keilah had knocked on the floor as they made love.

  “That’s not true, Keilah, but if you guys are stretched so thin, you need to look into hiring more people. This is our grand opening and it’s important to the entire family.”

  “I know it’s important, Luke, but my employees still have to be trained, and it takes time. Ramsey can’t do that by himself, and I won’t ask him to.”

  Luke looked at Genesis and shook his head. Keilah was being just as stubborn with him as she was with Genesis. It was difficult for them to realize that she was just like them: full of passion about her job.

  “Just run it by Ramsey. I’m only asking for a couple of days, Keilah.”

  Keilah held the telephone in silence for a moment. Even though Ramsey had given her his blessings on her trip home, she wanted to make Luke simmer for a few more days. “I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not going to promise you anything.”

  “Good. Now get back to me as soon as you can, because I can’t stress to you enough how important this is to the family.”

  Keilah scooted over closer to Ramsey on the sofa and massaged his neck as he powered up her laptop. Her subtle gesture weakened him once again. He whispered, “You’d better stop.”

  She smiled and continued her conversation with Luke. “I’ll let you know. Tell everyone I said hello.”

  “I will,” Luke said. “I have to run to a meeting now, but call me back after you talk to Ramsey. I love you, and be careful.”

  “I love you too, Luke. Good-bye.”

  “Good-bye, Keilah.”

  Keilah hung up the telephone and stared at Ramsey. He glanced over at her. “May I help you?”

  She started massaging his neck again. “How did you know I needed a fix?”

  “I didn’t,” he replied. “Besides, I figured you and G. I. Joe had been burning up the sheets.”

  She moved her massage from his neck to his back. “No, we haven’t slept together yet.”

  Ramsey was relieved and surprised by her admission. “You haven’t slept with him? Why not?”

  Keilah sighed and lay back on the sofa. “I don’t know why, Ramsey. Things have gotten pretty hot between us, but he always stops himself at the last moment.”

  Without looking at her he replied, “What’s wrong with him?”

  She buttoned Ramsey’s shirt and said, “I don’t know. He keeps telling me I’m the one and that he doesn’t want to mess things up.”

  Ramsey frowned as he typed on the laptop a little more. “The one? He’s moving a little fast isn’t he? Besides, I thought you two hadn’t had a lot of time to hang out together, and now he’s calling you the one?”

  “We have had some time together, just not like it should be, and when we do get together it’s only for an hour or two and then one of us has to run off to an assignment, meeting, or whatever.”

  “That’s too bad. You both have demanding careers, so that will probably be the norm with you guys,” Ramsey pointed out.

  Keilah stood and gathered up her clothing. “You’re probably right, Ramsey, but a girl can hope for better, can’t she?”

  “Of course,” he replied as he watched her and thought she’d never looked sexier than she did at the moment in his dress shirt. Keilah smiled when she caught him staring at her once again. “Ramsey, are you upset with me about something? You seemed a little tense earlier.”

  He shook his head and said, “No.”

  “You might not be now, but you were acting like you were before we made love. Maybe you needed a fix more than I did.”

  Ramsey stopped typing and ran his hands over his face. He smiled and said, “I’m cool, Keilah, and I’m sorry I gave you that impression.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m sure.”

  Keilah watched his movements as he pulled a folder out of his briefcase. She knew something was going on with Ramsey but realized he wasn’t going to tell her. He sat back down and opened the folder. “Are you ready to get to work now?” She giggled. “Yes, boss, but can I change clothes first?”

  “No, because if you go upstairs you’ll find something to distract you and I’ll be down here working all by myself. Besides, you look hot in my shirt so keep it on.”

  She giggled again, sat down beside him, and started working on their project. Little did Ramsey know just sitting next to him was distraction enough for Keilah. He was gorgeous, and every few minutes the scent of his cologne on the shirt made her mind wander back to their earlier lovemaking session making it hard for her to stay focused on the work at hand.

  The couple worked into the wee hours of the night. Keilah eventually fell asleep on the sofa while Ramsey continued to work on the fuel of a couple of Red Bull energy drinks. They were supposed to be taking turns napping, but Keilah just couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. Ramsey looked at his watch and rubbed his eyes. It was one o’clock in the morning, and he was exhausted from putting in a seventeen-hour day. He turned off the laptop and yawned. When he looked over at Keilah, she was still sound asleep and had the face of an angel, even when she snored. Ramsey decided to call it a night, so he turned off all the lights in the room before picking Keilah up off the sofa. He carried her up the stairs and into the bedroom, placing her under the warm sheets. He found it difficult to hold his eyes open any longer, so he removed his clothes and climbed into bed beside her. Keilah stirred slightly in her sleep as he pulled the comforter over them. Keilah spooned her hips against his body, snuggling close to him. Ramsey wrapped his arms securely around Keilah, but before falling asleep he whispered softly in her ear, “I love you, Keilah Chance.”

  As soon as Ramsey closed his eyes, Keilah slowly opened hers. She stared into the darkness after hearing Ramsey’s breathless confession. She laid there listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat for several minutes before succumbing to sleep once again.

  The next morning, Keilah decided not the tell Ramsey she overheard his loving confession. For one, she didn’t know if it was a sleep-deprived utterance or if he really meant it. They’d told each other they loved each other before, but there was something different about the way Ramsey said it this time. They were in a compromising position and it sounded like he meant it in the most intimate way. She had to admit to herself that her heart thumped hard in her chest when she heard his loving words, and it also opened her eyes to things she’d been in denial about for several months now. Until she had a better understanding of what was r
eally going on, she decided to go on with her life as usual, so she got dressed and went in to work like she normally did. Ramsey had to drive home to get dressed before heading out on an assignment with a new agent.

  When Keilah got into her office, the first thing on her list was to call Luke and put him out of his misery and let him know she would be coming home on the twelfth of September. Needless to say, he was very happy with the news. She also reluctantly mentioned to him that she would be bringing a friend along for the trip in the form of Major Michael Monroe. She figured now was a better time than any for her brothers to meet Michael, and it was best they didn’t know much about him ahead of time. Otherwise they would gang up on her as soon as she stepped off the plane. All she told Luke was that Michael was a thirty-five-year-old, single, career military man. Luke wasn’t happy at all about the age difference, but decided to wait until he was face to face with Keilah and Michael before engaging in any more conversation about the new man in her life. Keilah prayed the trip home would give her the opportunity to sort out everything, especially her true feelings, before things progressed and possibly got complicated.

  Ramsey wasn’t happy at all when Keilah told him she was taking Michael home with her to meet her family. His only comfort was the fact that he knew her brothers well and found solace in knowing the Chance brothers would interrogate Michael to the fullest. If they felt like he wasn’t on the up and up for any reason, they would make Keilah end the relationship before it had a chance to get started. That, he was sure of, and he prayed things would play out just like he hoped.

  Chapter Nine

  The Lucky Chance Casino had been the Chance brothers’ pride and joy for almost seven years. It was the only one of its kind in the area, and business was booming. Because of this, everyone wanted a piece of the action. The Chances vowed to keep their business only in the family without allowing outsiders to penetrate their sanctuary. Because of their success, gangs and other undesirables were trying hard to muscle their way into the business. Opening the new casino was going to be even more profitable because it would not only be named after Keilah, but it would be for her and her heirs. The brothers had decided to call it the Special K Casino, and they hoped to keep it a surprise until the grand opening. The decor would have a more feminine touch to it, and some of the amenities were a spa, beauty salon, and nail shop off from the main floor and a designer shoe store and boutique on the second floor. They wanted to cater to female patrons by providing them with things near and dear to their heart. The Chance brothers made sure all the businesses would be available to their customers twenty-four hours a day.

  It didn’t take long for the twelfth to roll around, and Keilah was due to arrive within a few hours. Malachi and Roman were overseeing the finishing touches on the interior decor of the casino while Luke and Genesis conducted final interviews on the last group of prospective employees. They had to be careful and run background checks, because they didn’t want anyone working for them who could possibly allow the underworld to infiltrate their establishment. Keilah would be arriving later, and they wanted everything to go as planned.

  Malachi pulled his direct-talk telephone from his pocket and said, “Roman, what time will the delivery trucks be here with the spa equipment?”

  Roman looked at his watch. “They should be here by two and the liquor warehouse will be here around three. I have to go check on Keilah’s gift, but I’ll back in about an hour.”

  “Cool, make sure everything’s set. I would hate to have to pull my nine on them,” Malachi responded.

  Roman shook his head and tucked his phone inside his pocket.

  Keilah’s gift was going to be extra special, and the brothers hoped it would be just enough to convince her to stay in town permanently. They hated that she lived so far away. She was their baby sister, and even though she was an adult, they felt like they still needed to keep a closer eye on her.

  Luke made notes on the clipboard as he spoke with a female employee. “Ronda, this job is going to be hectic at times, but rewarding in salary. Are you up for it?”

  She smiled nervously. “I sure am. I have a lot of patience and actually enjoy working with an enthusiastic crowd, Mr. Chance.”

  He looked up at her and took note of her confidence.

  “Please, call me Luke. We want to keep things on a firstname basis; however, this is a business, and we expect our employees to conduct themselves as such.”

  The young lady crossed her legs slowly. “I wouldn’t expect it to be any other way, Mr. Chance.”

  He smiled. “It’s Luke, remember?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s going to take me a while to get used to calling my bosses by their first names,” she replied with a smile.

  “We want to make sure your career here with us will be a pleasant one. Are you sure this isn’t going to interfere with your classes at the university?”

  “Not at all, sir.”

  “Well, if you don’t have any other questions, all that’s left is for me to welcome you aboard,” Luke said as he stood up and extended his hand.

  Ronda stood and happily shook his hand. “I’ll see you on Monday, Luke,” she replied.

  “Have a good day.”

  Luke turned and watched a nice pair of legs walk out of his office. He was going to have to remember how young she was and the fact that he was a happily married man. Ronda Gilbert was the last name on his list. He knew Genesis was still interviewing in his office so he walked over and tapped on the door.

  “Come in,” the deep voice replied from the other side.

  Luke opened the door and greeted the man Genesis was interviewing. Luke shook the gentleman’s hand and said, “Excuse me for interrupting.”

  “It’s okay, sir,” the young man answered.

  Luke looked over at Genesis and held his hand up to his ear. “Hit me up on the phone and let me know when you’re done. I’ll be out on the floor for a while, and then I have to pick Keilah up at the airport in a couple of hours.”

  Genesis leaned back in his chair. “I will.”

  Keilah held onto Michael’s hand as they sat side by side on the airplane. Since their morning had started so early, Michael was taking the opportunity to catch up on sleep. Keilah was too excited to sleep. She hadn’t seen her brothers in a long time and was anxious to see them again. Tears formed in her eyes just at the thought of them. She wiped her eyes and turned and looked out the window at the clouds floating in the blue skies. It was then she remembered how protective they were, and because of that, she wasn’t allowed to have many friends. When they were younger, their fear was that someone would try to hurt her to get back at them.

  The reason the Chance brothers weren’t always on the up and up was that they indulged in the sale of street pharmaceuticals to help their mother after their father ran out on them. It took their mother a while to find out what they were involved in and by the time she did, they were deep into it. She thought they were working reputable jobs, but gossip from neighbors told her otherwise. It wasn’t until she saw it for herself that the reality sunk in, and it broke her heart. She’d raised her sons in the church, so they knew right from wrong. In a way, she felt guilty that her sons felt they needed to resort to illegal activities to help her, but the real blame fell on her husband, who had abandoned them.

  Keilah shook those awful thoughts from her head just as the captain of the airplane spoke over the intercom.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. If you would look to the right, you can see the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River.”

  The captain’s voice woke Michael up from his nap. When he looked at Keilah he could see the sad look on her face. He sat up and gave her hand a squeeze.

  “What’s wrong, Keilah?”

  “Oh, nothing much. I just have a few things on my mind.” Michael kissed her gently on the lips. “Is it anything you want to talk about?”

  She smiled as she wiped her eyes. “No, I’ll be fine. Thanks for ask
ing though.”

  Keilah and Michael had gotten very close over the past month ... very close. They finally took their relationship to the next level and made love. Actually, they made love almost every night that first week, and it had been great.

  Michael kissed Keilah again. “Do you want me to get you something to drink?”

  “No, I’m going to try and grab a nap before we land because I know my brothers are going to have us on the go as soon as our feet hit the ground.”

  “I’m ready if you are,” he joked. “I hope they like me.”

  Keilah linked her arm with his, laid her head against his shoulder, and sighed. “I’m sure they will, Michael.”

  “I love you, Keilah.”

  She sat up and looked at him. “You do?”

  “Of course I do. You make it easy. Besides, I told you not long after we met that you were the one, remember?” he explained.

  Keilah didn’t know how to take Michael’s comment. How could he be in love with her in the short time they’d known each other, and why did he keep calling her “the one?”

  Michael leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. Keilah didn’t know how to respond to Michael. Yes, they’d had a passionate four weeks, but sex was her favorite pastime. Surely he hadn’t fallen in love already. Or had he?

  It wasn’t long before the airplane touched down in sunny California. As they taxied toward the terminal, Keilah touched up her makeup and smoothed down her hair.

  Michael looked over at her and announced, “You can’t improve perfection, Keilah.”

  “You’re biased, Michael, but thank you. So are you ready?”

  He patted her thigh and said, “Stop worrying, Keilah. If I can handle Iraq, I’m sure I can handle your brothers.”

  Keilah put her compact back in her purse and shook her head. “You don’t know them, Michael. They can be very unreasonable.”

  He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “We’ll be fine. You’ll see.”