LAYLA ABRAHAM

The thought of re-visiting the bank for a loan played on her mind all day as she worked at the bakery and enjoyed a simple lunch with both Hailey and Alejandro, though it was cut short as an influx of tourists came streaming through the door. Her chicken soup and dipping bread may have remained half-finished and her coffee untouched, but it was for the good of the business so she couldn't complain.

She had seriously been considering hiring one more waiter for the bakery as over the past couple of months, they had gotten busier and while the extra traffic was more than welcome, it had become increasingly difficult for them to handle it all. Alejandro had been a great help as of late, jumping in whenever things got busy but she couldn't always rely on him to be there.

Plus, it wasn't in his job description to wait tables, as she loved to remind him whenever she eyed him slipping off his suit jacket and rolling the sleeves of his button-down shirt to his forearms, readying himself to serve customers and carry food and drinks around on circular trays. While she always reminded him that he didn't need to help, she appreciated it very much. That, and he looked extra sexy with his sleeves rolled up like that.

Layla made a mental note to ask James if any of his college friends would be interested in working part-time for her. She briefly remembering him dropping a few names to her previously. Hopefully at least one of them would still be interested.

"What do you need done?" Alejandro asked as he approached her, having just taken the bins out back for her, his suit jacket, phone and laptop now left abandoned at his booth.

She glanced around her bakery.

"We're pretty much done here." She mused aloud and placed her hands on her hips as she surveyed her surroundings. While the booths remained, the tables were put away in the back room for the bar every evening. "Chris and the others should be able to handle anything that's left."

"Does that mean you're done for the day?"

Layla hummed and eyed the display of desserts. They had sold out of every sweet treat they had to offer and she couldn't be happier about it.

It made sense to get started on the desserts for tomorrow, even if Jax had mentioned that he was be coming in a little earlier to bake tomorrow's fresh goodies.

When she made a move to head towards the kitchen, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her flush against a chiselled, swoon worthy body. A shiver ran down her spine at their close proximity, all thoughts of getting ahead of work, forgotten. Nothing more than a distant thought now.

"Where do you think you're going?" His breath fanned over the side of her neck as he whispered into her ear, his tongue teasing the lobe before he bit into it.

Words escaped her as she let loose and leaned back in his embrace, welcoming any and every one of his ministrations on her body. He hummed in satisfaction as she turned her neck to give him more room to explore, grazing his mouth up and down the delectable slope of her neck.

When a small moan passed her lips, he spun her around and pulled her back into his arms until her chest was flush against hers and his knee leg pressed between her legs.

Alejandro bowed his head and rubbed his nose against hers softly in an eskimo kiss. When her eyes fluttered closed and she tilted her head up, he felt like his heart was going to explode in his chest from beating so fast. Then, when she parted her lips and leaned up to sought his mouth, he knew he was a goner for sure.

Just as his lips grazed hers, the bell chimed.

At the sudden sound of it, she jerked in surprise and he allowed her to pull away from the kiss but not his arms.

Reluctantly, of course.

She smiled at him before turning to glance at the door.

"The bar isn't open yet." She greeted the customer but when she saw who it was, she froze.

Byron.

"So, this is why you rejected me?"

Layla gulped and attempted to de-tangle herself from Alejandro's arms but her brute of a man wasn't having anything of that. Instead, he tightened his around her waist and shot a dark, dangerous glare at the intruder. Alejandro didn't appreciate being disturbed, especially not when things were just about to get good.

"Byron, what are you doing here?"

"I was planning to ask you out for coffee, but I see you got your hands full here." He spat in anger.

Before she could speak, Alejandro jumped into bodyguard mode and released Layla before stalking up to Byron. There was a good few inches between them, Byron the shorter one of the pair.

Layla watched as the shorter man puffed out his chest in attempt to appear intimidating but it didn't work. Alejandro had the look and stance pinned without even trying. It was like intimidation tactics and instilling fear into his peers was second nature to him, reserving his soft side for only her and his family and friends.

Her heart warmed at the thought, but now was not the time for that.

Byron stared Alejandro straight in the eye, adrenaline pumping through his blood. Dangerous move.

"Does detective Hardy you're making out with Layla? That you're fucking your client?"

When Alejandro's jaw visibly clenched and he ground his teeth, Byron knew that he had hit a nerve.

"He doesn't, does he?" He laughed bitterly, craning his neck around the man towering in front of him to get a look at the woman whom he had actually wanted to see.

Alejandro clenched his hands into fists and stepped to the side so he was blocking Byron's view of Layla.

"That's none of your concern."

Byron wasn't happy about that. "This is wrong on so many levels." He squared his shoulders and scowled viciously.

"Where's your bodyguard? Why are you not with Neil?"

"He's gone to visit his brother."

Alejandro locked his jaw. He had forgotten that he had granted Neil an evening off every week to visit his sick brother in hospital.

"And his temporary replacement?"

Byron smirked. "Fast asleep on my sofa. He didn't even stir when I left. Probably won't even know that I had left in the first place."

Clearly, the replacement bodyguard was just as bad, if not worse, than the first.

Layla frowned as she watched the interaction. It was evident that this was more than doing the right thing and following the book, but rather a rivalry between both men. She was in the right mind to grab a couple of rulers so they could whip out their cocks to measure whose was bigger.

Not for a second did she doubt who would win in that department.

"Layla." Byron called out for her. He tried to push past the bodyguard but the man didn't even budge.

She huffed and came to stand in front of both the men. Alejandro tried to reach out to move her behind him, but she pushed his hands away and sighed. That would just aggravate Byron more.

"Byron, I think it's best you leave."

"You're choosing him over me?"

Layla pursed her lips. "I'm not choosing anyone. Alejandro is my bodyguard and we're not supposed to have contact." She tried to reason with him in hopes that he would calm down and leave. "You could get in trouble for this."

"Not nearly as much trouble as he would get in when I tell detective Hardy exactly what I saw." Byron snorted and sent a disgusted look at the bodyguard in question. "What do you see in this Spaniard anyway?"

Layla gasped in shock at the term he had used. While it wasn't a direct slur, it was definitely an insult as he had used it in a derogatory manner.

The fire simmered in Alejandro's eyes. If Layla hadn't been present, fists definitely would have been thrown.

"Care to repeat yourself?"

Aware that he had stepped over a dangerous line, Byron gulped and took a wary step back. However, the threat still remained. He walked backwards until he reached the door.

"Just wait until I tell detective Hardy. I'm sure he'll love to learn about what's going on between you two." He spat.

The bell chimed as he exited and walked down the street. They both watched him until he disappeared from sight, making sure that he wouldn't be coming back to stir up more trouble.

Layla turned to Alejandro before throwing herself into his arms, pushing her face into his chest. "What are we going to do?"

Alejandro didn't answer. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and laid his chin on the top of her head, cocooning her from the rest of the world.

-

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Layla Knight

30.05.2020