OK, quite a lengthy one with a little mix I hope you enjoy. Stone is a bodyguard -- ex-military who heads a small team responsible for close protection of Dave Devine. Dave Devine is a gangster, a king of the underworld with a wife and daughter who are both very sexy and very kinky.
I did think about submitting the chapters individually, but opted instead to lump all 25000 words together in one hit (no pun intended ... gangster ... hit ... geddit?) *ahem* Right, well, yes, I decided to put the piece up in Novels and Novellas, just for the grin.
As I said, I hope you enjoy it. As usual I ask for feedback. PM, email or public comments, whatever your choice. If you want a response back from me, then email is best.
Again -- as usual -- there are very likely to be errors and typos in the text. I've been over the piece a few times but the little buggers still manage to get past me. Please forgive any fuck-ups, and I hope any that remain don't detract too much from the whole.
GA -- Langkawi, Malaysia -- 16th of December 2012.
One -- The Divine Amy
*
The divine Amy, as Tommo had christened her, a play on her real name of Amy Devine, strolled nonchalantly into the gym just as the boys and I finished a gruelling round of circuits. She knew damn well I didn't want her there, but that was Amy all over, a spoilt rich girl who just had to break rules.
Ralph, the team's physical training instructor wound up the post-torture cool down-session. "OK, Stone?" he said.
"Thanks," Ralph, I replied, keeping Amy within the limits of my peripheral vision. "Good session, you evil bastard," I added, knowing Ralph would take the remark as a compliment.
He grinned. "It's 'cause you're getting old and past it, Stone. Let's face it, when you first joined up a Centurion was a rank, not a tank."
The banter could have gone on but I was keen to get the boys into the showers and away from the distraction of Amy. We may have all served in the military at one time, the common denominator that qualified us to work for Amy's father as his close protection team, and even though I was their immediate boss, the discipline within our team wasn't as rigid as it would have been if we were still serving in Her Majesty's Armed Forces. Out in the civilian sector, in the niche we now occupied, the lads didn't have the Damoclean sword of military law hanging over their heads, and as professional as they might be, each of them had a mind and a strong will of his own, which meant that sometimes they could be a handful. And Amy might prove too much of a temptation to resist.
That could lead to a drama, a big fucking problem for the bloke who dallied with Dave Devine's daughter.
"Yeah, yeah, Ralph," I said, holding up a hand to stem any more cheek from the PTI. "Enough of the bollocks. We've got a lot to do today, so let's get on with it, eh."
The years of professionalism kicked in immediately as the whole team, including Ralph the PTI, responded with respectful mumbles of, "OK, Boss," and "No worries, Stone." They recognised where the line was as far as taking the piss went.
The lads, tee-shirts stained dark with sweat after the vicious workout overseen by Ralph, virtually bounced out of the gymnasium, all pumped up on a high after their exertions. I noticed a couple of sideways glances at Amy as the boys moved past her. And didn't she just play up to them too, the saucy little bitch.
"Fuck," I muttered under my breath. If I didn't keep a close eye on the team that girl would most assuredly lead to a problem for me. Not that I knew it at the time of course, but the girl was going to cause me anxiety sooner than I anticipated.
Just like her mother.
"Hello, Stone," the nineteen-year-old murmured, and I saw the devilment of her flash in her green eyes as their unsettling gaze fixed upon me. Amy wore that disconcerting smirk she appeared to reserve just for me -- the one that lifted the corners of her pretty mouth in a way that suggested she knew a secret, something dirty and sordid, about me.
"Amy," I responded gruffly, probably a touch more gravel in my tone than necessary, but I found it embarrassing to be so ... intimidated by a girl less than half my age. During my career in the British army -- first Airborne, then Special Forces -- I'd faced some demanding circumstances. Even now, as head of security for Dave Devine, probably
the
most dangerous gangster in the country, a Face with connection throughout the European underworld, nothing phased me like this girl's frank appraisal. "You know you're not supposed to come in here when we're training."
The cheeky mare just shrugged and gave an impatient flick at her long black hair with her fingers. "I like watching you, Stone," she said. "I like to see you all hot and sweaty."
I found myself uncharacteristically lost for words. The blokes, I could handle, I knew what made them tick and I understood their thought processes. The men in the team were easy to control, we had respect for each other and knew we could rely on one another when we got involved in any shit, but Amy was a wildcard, I couldn't handle her -- and she knew it. I was also more used to women my own age, women who'd been around a bit and who knew the score. It disconcerted me that Amy, as young as she was, came over all confident and aware of her own sex appeal as a woman twice her age. I'd been married once, briefly, to a woman who'd run off with a pub landlord in Hereford, and I could understand my erstwhile spouse's reasons for buggering off -- the months I'd be away, the demands of the job -- but I couldn't figure this girl out at all.
My face reddened as I gaped at Amy for a few seconds. Then, finally finding both my wits and my voice, I responded with, "You still shouldn't be in here. It puts the lads off. They're difficult enough to handle as it is without you giving them ideas." I pointedly looked at Amy's tight tee-shirt and miniscule, buttock-hugging shorts. "Especially dressed like that," I added, wincing internally at the stuffy tone of my voice.
