LAYLA ABRAHAM

Hailey continued to stare between them both with wide eyes. She leaned forward to whisper to Layla. "I don't want to alarm you, but that isn't Alejandro."

Layla threw her head back and laughed heartily at her friend's antics. "I know, Hails. This is Jerome." She introduced them both to each other. "My new bodyguard."

"New bodyguard?" Hailey asked, confused.

Layla nodded and sighed. "I'll explain everything to you later."

Shortly after, Hailey returned to work behind the till as there were some customers who had begun to line up.

"So, this is what you do for work?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I run a bakery during the day and a bar during the evenings."

"A bakery-bar? Impressive."

She chuckled as she reached behind the counter for an apron to tie it around her waist. "I try to be."

"Where do you want me?"

She shrugged. "I guess you should take a seat. Anywhere is fine."

He nodded and sat down at a random table, unbothered with which one.

When her eyes drifted over to his booth, her heart constricted painfully at the fact that it was empty. She reminded herself that she would see him in the evening.

Jerome called out to her to grab his attention. When she blinked to get out of the daze, he gave her a funny look. "What does Alejandro usually do?"

"He's usually on his laptop because he had work to do."

"Serrano Bodyguards, right?"

"Right." She nodded.

"Well, I guess I should let you get back to work."

Layla nodded again.

"I'll be right here, okay? Let me know if you need anything."

Customers were still frequenting the bakery for their early morning coffee which kept her both physically and mentally busy for a while. But when lunch came rolling round and she sat down in his booth with her chicken sausages and mashed potatoes, she found herself missing him more than ever.

How could she miss something that was still hers?

"Okay, spill." Hailey sat across from her, in his seat. "Where is Alejandro and why have you been so sad and mopey all day?"

"I haven't been moping around." She frowned.

Hailey smirked. "Yes, you have. Don't even try denying it."

"Okay," Layla sighed and played around with the food on her plate. "Maybe I have been kind of mopey but I can't help it."

Hailey pouted slightly; her expression softer this time. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She nodded her head. Maybe talking about it would help. "After Byron left yesterday, he called up the police and told them about mine and Alejandro's relationship. The chief of police found out about it and she took him off the job."

"That's so unfair. Isn't there anything that you guys can do?"

Layla shook her head and sighed. "Apparently us being romantically involved goes against protocol."

"So, where is Alejandro? I doubt him being kicked off the case is going to keep him away from you."

Layla laughed softly and smiled at her friend in thanks, her words truly comforting. "They propositioned him. If he took on another job for a while, they said they'll keep our names and his bodyguard business from the press."

"They're playing dirty."

"Yeah, and it isn't the first time."

"They've done something like this before?"

Layla huffed and nodded as she thought back to those 2 weeks that she had wasted pretending to go out with Byron to extract information for detective Hardy, only for it to blow up in their faces.

"I can't really talk about it right now." She gestured to their public environment but sent her a pointed look.

Hailey hesitated. "They can't break you guys up, can they?"

She shook her head frantically. "No, thankfully they don't have the power to do that."

"Seems like they're making it as hard as possible for you guys to be together, though. If you ask me, it sounds like they're punishing you."

"My thoughts exactly."

When she felt something vibrate in the pocket of her leather skirt, Layla fished for her phone. When she saw his name flash up on the screen, she was unable to hold back the smile.

"Let me guess. Alejandro?" A knowing smirk played on her lips.

Layla nodded her head excitedly and excused herself before grabbing her plate and heading into the confines of the kitchen for some privacy.

"Beautiful." He greeted as soon as she picked up the call. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you all morning."

"Same here. I miss you."

"I miss you too, baby. We'll see each other this evening though."

"When do you finish?"

"10." He sighed and she groaned. That was so late. She would be finished working at the bakery by 7 at the latest. That meant she would be forced to wait at least 3 hours for him to get home with only Jerome as company. It wasn't that she had anything against her new bodyguard, it was just the fact that he wasn't who she wanted him to be.

"Is there anyway they'll let you off early?"

"I'm afraid not, beautiful." He sighed airily. "They're running a pretty tight ship here."

"How is work going for you?"

"To be honest, it's boring. I forgot how boring being a bodyguard can be sometimes. Being your bodyguard had felt like I was just hanging out with you, instead of actually working." He chuckled lightly.

"I set the bar high." She replied proudly, butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the sound of his deep, throaty chuckle.

"Way too high." She could hear the grin in his voice, and in turn, that made her grin also. "I'm never going to find another assignment like you."

"Good."

"I wouldn't want it any other way." He chuckled. "Have you had lunch yet?"

"Yes. Chicken sausages. You missed out."

"That sounds amazing."

"What about you?"

"I made myself a turkey sandwich this morning before I left your apartment." He replied, having eaten his sandwich when he got bored earlier. When he told her of this, Layla couldn't help but laugh.

"You want me to grab a couple sausages for you, tonight?"

"That would be amazing. Thanks, beautiful. I'll be sure to give you a sausage of your very own tonight to show you how grateful I am." The promise was clear as his voice dropped in tone, husky with a deep baritone.

Her cheeks heated immensely at his crude words, but she couldn't help the cheeky smile that grew on her face.

"I think I've had enough sausage for one day." She referred to this morning when she had awoken to him rubbing his engorged morning wood between her bare ass cheeks. When she called out for him, he lifted her hips and rode her from behind until both of them saw stars.

"I'll change your mind." The promise was clear.

"Layla?" A voice sounded. When she glanced over her shoulder, she noted Jerome had stepped into the kitchen with his empty plate in hand. She gestured to her phone with an apologetic smile and reached over to take the plate from him.

He smiled in thanks.

She noted the way he did a quick scan of the kitchen before he turned around and left, just like Alejandro did.

"Was that Jerome?" He asked on the phone.

"Yes. He just finished lunch."

"Put him on the phone. Let me have a word with him."

"What? No." She shook her head, forgetting for a moment that he wouldn't be able to see her do so.

Alejandro paused for a second. "Did he sit in my seat?"

Layla giggled. "Is that jealousy I hear?"

"Of course, it is." He murmured bitterly to himself. If she wasn't hanging off his every word, she wouldn't have picked up on it.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about. I'm pretty sure he's married."

"Did he tell you that himself?"

"He didn't need to. He's wearing a wedding ring. Plus, he's got a picture of his kids as a screensaver on his phone. 2 boys."

"They could be his nephews."

"Alejandro, come on." She urged him.

"Fine. He's a family man. Okay, that makes me feel better."

"Don't tell me you took detective Hardy's words to heart." She said, referring to the detective's parting words to her yesterday. "I promise not to fall in love with him. I've only got eyes for you. Do you not believe me?" She asked, slightly concerned.

While the detective's choice of words had been poor and unfortunate, she knew they were harmless and wished that her lover saw that too. The last thing she wanted was an overly jealous boyfriend. Alejandro was a force to be reckoned with on a good day. She could only imagine how hard he would be to handle when jealous.

Layla chastised herself when a slow grin spread on her face at the thought.

"Of course, I do. I trust you completely, you know that." His tone was soft and soothing, making her wish that he was with her right now so she could pull him into a hug. "I'm just jealous he gets to spend so much time around you. That should be me." His voice grew lower in sound towards the end, and she couldn't help but frown.

"I know, baby. But there isn't anything we can do about it." She couldn't keep the pout off her face as she reassured him. "Before you know it, this will all be over."

Alejandro hummed. "The contract they drew up did say that I only needed to do this job for a month at the very most."

"See, there you go." She was already starting to feel better.

"Thanks, Layla. I love you."

She smacked a kiss into the phone and grinned when he did the same. They said their goodbyes before hanging up, but not before he promised that he would come home as soon as he was released from his duty.

Glancing at the time on her phone, 10pm could not come any sooner.

For the millionth time that day, Layla couldn't help but wish Alejandro was still her bodyguard. She was honestly starting to wonder if she was suffering from withdrawal.

More than her lover, she missed her friend.

-

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Layla Knight

09.06.2020