Protecting Her Heart

by Chance Carter

  “Nice to meet you too,” Emma offered politely. Luke squeezed her shoulders gently, offering her the reassurance she needed. As if on cue, the DJ flipped the music and started spinning a slow, sultry ballad to lure more people onto the dance floor.

  “Do you guys want to get a drink? We can grab those free couches over there,” Luke suggested, taking Emma’s hand. In agreement, they all followed Luke through a narrow trail of warm bodies and a cloudy concoction of many different scents, most of them pleasant.

  They sat down on the comfortable sofas, Jane making herself cozy on her husband’s lap. He embraced her tightly and kissed her shoulder, gazing at her like she was the greatest treasure on earth. It warmed Emma’s heart, even made her a tad envious. They seemed so in love. She glanced at Luke, who was smiling warmly at her. He raised his eyebrows and gave her a look that asked, ‘are you ok?’. Emma nodded, assuring him that she was.

  “Emma, honey, we are just thrilled you’re here, Luke talks about you all the time. He just thinks the world of you,” Jane said, offering her another bright smile.

  “Thank you! We’ve been friends a long time,” Emma replied, taking Luke’s hand gently into her own, professing her point. “How long have you two been married?”

  “Well, we’ve been married four years but together six. We met at work. At first, I resisted him but his persistence paid off. I mean, how could I say no to this face,” Jane gushed, kissing her man on the forehead. “I finally went out with him and what a sweetheart he turned out to be!” She giggled, wiping away the trace of red lipstick her kiss left behind.

  “I wore her down,” Paul contributed, clearly delighted by his memories, “I’m a lucky man.”

  “Come on now,” Jane said, “I’m the lucky one. He’s so good to me, the best kind of man. A good boy with bad boy blood in his veins. He keeps me on my toes!”

  “I think it’s the other way around, Janie,” Luke teased, as though he was aware of this fact intimately. Emma looked at the three of them curiously, tuning in to their obvious chemistry.

  “Where did you work?” Emma asked, amused by their banter.

  “Clay Lacy Aviation. It’s a private jet charter company. They cater mainly to dignitaries, Fortune 500 companies, professional athletes, celebrities. We still work for them,” Paul chimed in, waiving down the waitress as she walked by. “Can we get a bottle of Beringer Private Reserve? Four glasses, please.”

  “Wow, you’re a pilot?” Emma asked as soon as the server walked away.

  “I am,” Paul replied, helping his wife slide off his lap. He draped his arm around her casually. “Jane is too.”

  “Really?” Emma looked back and forth between them and then at Luke, trying to hide her surprise. She had made the assumption that Jane was a flight attendant and felt more than a little foolish for underestimating her. Jane nodded warmly and smiled, completely unfazed, as though she was usually underestimated.

  “I’m sorry, I hope that didn’t come across as rude,” Emma exclaimed genuinely. “It’s a rare thing to meet a female pilot. I’m impressed!”

  “No worries, Darlin, happens all the time. I don’t exactly look like a pilot, now do I?”

  “Maybe Pilot Barbie. I’ve flown on her pink airplane, it’s quite cozy,” Luke teased, receiving a good-natured, middle finger salute from his feisty friend.

  “Careful with that,” Luke winked, stealing a giggle from her. She shook her head and glanced back at Emma, as if to say ‘can you believe this guy?’.

  “The airline has been good to us. We get lots of fun perks! A couple of times a year we get all expense paid vacations anywhere we want to go. That’s how we met Luke,” Jane explained, smiling warmly at him. The server returned with the wine and they waited for her to uncork and pour for them.

  “So tell me the story of how you met Luke,” Emma urged, anticipating a tawdry tale. She took a sip off her wine, appreciating the velvety flavor on her tongue.

  “Well...” Jane hesitated, her eyes trying to read Luke’s before continuing.

  “Go ahead,” he gestured with a soft shrug of his shoulders, “I tell Mimi pretty much everything.”

  “We met in Cabo, about 3 years ago, right Luke?” she began.

  He nodded casually, “Sounds about right.”

  Emma remembered when Luke had gone to Mexico. It was during a particularly rough period with her ex. She had just found out about what she thought was his first affair. When Luke returned he had been so relaxed and happy that she didn’t want to burden him with her crap, so she avoided him for a few months. He finally put his foot down and insisted that they get together for drinks. He told her back then to leave Andrew but she had been too afraid to start over, afraid of the consequences.

  “Paul and I were on our first trip ever to a hedonist resort. We had no idea what to expect, other than the fact that we were excited to add little extra spice to our relationship, a different flavor if you will,” Jane continued, giving her husband a little squeeze to his thigh. Paul smiled at her lovingly and placed his hand over hers. Emma smiled at the gesture.

  “We were a little nervous and kept to ourselves for the first few days, sunbathing on the nude beach, late night hot tubs, making love under the stars. It was just lovely, but not exactly what we were hoping for”, she paused to take a sip of her wine before continuing. “Then we met this handsome man. There was a foam party by the pool on the third night of our vacation and the place was just packed. Half naked people were just everywhere, dancing, laughing, kissing, partying. It was a crazy fiesta! We were sitting at a table just soaking it all in, polishing off a bottle of wine...”

  “It might have been our second, Darling,” Paul corrected her playfully. She laughed and nodded enthusiastically. Emma decided there and then that she loved Jane’s vibe. Her energy was infectious.

  “Yes, it probably was! Anyway, we happened to have two empty chairs at the table we were sitting at and along comes this handsome fella wearing only a pair of swim trunks, towing a little brunette behind him. She was a cutie, page boy haircut, athletic body....goodness, what was her name Luke?”

  Luke cocked his head and grinned, as though shifting through the memories right along with her, “Sara. She was a nursing student, We flew down together on her spring break. Fun girl. Freaky.”

  “Oh yeah, Sara,” Emma chimed in, recalling that she had been one of the longer relationships that Luke had enjoyed. They had been together three or four months if she remembered correctly. “What ever happened to her?”

  “She started dating her roommate Annie”, Luke shrugged, “pretty sure they’re a couple

  still.”

  “Right! I remember that!” Emma giggled, her hand loosely landing on his thigh. He smiled at her and toasted his wine glass in her direction.

  “Yes, Sara, she was all over the place that week, wasn’t she?” Jane continued her story, pleased to have the stage. “But we didn’t mind! We got Luke all to ourselves. Boy did we have a good time with you, my friend. So many laughs! It was the start of a life-long friendship, wasn’t it?”

  “It sure was,” Paul agreed, holding his fist out towards Luke, which he quickly bumped back. Total bros.

  “It was a fun week, that’s for sure,” Luke agreed. Jane looked at him warmly and paused to see if he would go on. He shrugged his shoulders, silently giving her the go-ahead to continue.

  “Did you tell Emma about that vacation?” she asked casually, sipping the cabernet.

  “I think you did, didn’t you Luke?” Emma asked, thinking that if he had, he definitely left out some of the juicy details.

  “Did you kiss and tell, Luke?” Jane taunted, her smile making it clear that she didn’t really mind one way or the other.

  “Honestly, I’m not sure,” Luke admitted, looking at Emma for confirmation. She shook her head, thinking that he might have kept some of the details of the trip to himself, just because of the shit she had been dealing with at the time.

  “Well, let’s
just say we got to know each other intimately, didn’t we? He certainly made the trip memorable,” Jane gushed, her giggle punctuating her memories. “He was delightfully naughty.”

  “I’m sure he was,” Emma laughed, throwing Luke a knowing glance. He shrugged, his dirty smile proving he had no regrets. She hoped that he would fill her in on the rest of the story later.

  A pause in the conversation gave them all a chance to listen to the music and peruse the room. The carnal electricity in the air was palpable, they all felt it. People were grouped together, flirting, teasing, kissing, caressing one another sensually, inspired by the sexy music, dim lighting, and of course, the alcohol. Emma couldn’t help but be aroused by it all. As her eyes drifted back to her new friends, she noticed Jane assessing her, smiling sweetly. She modestly averted her gaze, certain her arousal was evident.

  Jane chuckled warmly and said, “It’s quite the place, isn’t it? It’s so sexy being around such uninhibited people, driven by nothing more than a desire to give and receive pleasure.”

  Emma nodded softly, a blush rising in her cheeks.

  “You’re such a beauty, Emma. Why do I get the sense that you don’t really know how gorgeous you are?” Jane asked, her tone laced with sincerity. Emma felt the compliment land on her in the best way possible and gave pause, considering Jane’s question carefully. She had felt pretty tonight but that was a rare thing for her. Flattery from her husband had been infrequent and was usually back-handed, insults disguised as compliments. Out of self-preservation, she learned to side-step it, like one might dodge a slap.

  “Thank you, Jane. You’re a sweetheart,” Emma replied shrugging dismissively, unsure how to navigate her way through genuine kindness, offered without any expectation.

  She turned to Luke, who was enjoying his conversation with Paul, and listened in on a story about a recent flight in which he chartered a famous movie star and his wife to the Cannes Film Festival in France. The actor had just won an Oscar for a major block-buster, a fantastic film that she and Luke had seen together just a few short weeks after her separation. Apparently, the two of them, madly in love, were quite amorous in their private quarters and joined the mile-high club on the flight. Paul told the story proudly, like it was a badge of honor.

  Chuckling, Luke gazed over at Emma, “You good?”

  She really was, content, horny and happy, but she really had to pee.

  “I’m awesome, but if you’ll excuse me, I need to use the ladies room,” she admitted, standing up and straightening her dress.

  “I’ll walk you,” he said, gesturing to follow.

  “I’m fine, enjoy your friends. Just point me in the right direction.”

  Emma washed her hands and touched up her lipstick, giving her hair a quick fluff with her fingertips. The bathroom was just as high-end as the rest of the club with grey-blue Carrara marble countertops and funky cobalt blue glass faucets, unlike anything she had ever seen before. Kudos to swingers with good taste, she thought, rearranging her breasts inside her push up bra, ensuring they were presented in the best light possible. She made a funny face in the mirror before turning to leave.

  Walking down the long corridor from the bathroom her body tingled with anticipation, as though it sensed that something racy might happen. She eased past a couple that were up against the wall, making out, their bodies entwined in the kind of embrace reserved for new lovers, intense, passionate, all-consuming. It made her ache with longing, to be held like that. As she passed them, another couple skirted by, oblivious that she was in their path. She jumped out of their way, spinning around to avoid their frolicking, and smacked right into a man’s chest. He reached out and scooped her into his arms before she could tumble to the ground.

  She heard his voice before she saw him, a familiar creamy accent that instantly made her weak in the knees, and pretty much everywhere else too.

  “Hello, Mimi McGuire, fancy meeting you here,” Arran purred, righting her to her feet. “Are you stalking me, clever girl?”

  “No!” Emma blurted, “I had no idea you would be here,” she stammered, tripping over her own tongue.

  She saw his face brighten playfully, realizing he was only teasing. He was just as striking as she remembered and at that moment all the hot fantasies she’d had the night she met him came surging back, pinking her cheeks with pleasure.

  “No matter, I’m just happy to make your acquaintance again. You are a ray of sunshine in a rather bland evening. Let’s enjoy a cocktail and get to know each other, shall we?” he said, reluctantly releasing his hold on her. Emma smiled sweetly at him, grateful her trembling legs held her up.

  She nodded, bewitched by his persuasive blue eyes and inviting smile. He clasped her hand in his and guided her toward the bar.

  Chapter 19

  “Is that Emma?” Paul asked, signaling to the other side of the room. Luke followed his gesture and easily picked her out, sitting on a bar stool, one long leg crossed over the other. With that long auburn hair she was hard to miss. She definitely stood out in the crowd.

  “Who’s that tall drink of water with her?” Jane cooed, her Alabama accent thick and sultry. Luke knew exactly who he was. He just wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

  “That is Arran Barlow,” Luke explained, downing the last of his wine. He gestured impatiently for more.

  “The business tycoon? Doesn’t he own a multitude of companies?” Paul asked, filling Luke’s glass.

  “He does, but his main business is a little up and coming company called Deja New, you might of heard of it?” Luke snorted derisively, casually watching the bar. “Just a multinational tech company in the same league with Apple and Microsoft, no big deal.” “No shit,” Paul smirked, failing miserably to hide his reverence.

  “I’ve read that he’s a philanthropist too. Apparently, he does a ton of charity work, gives away millions every year,” Jane chimed in. “Well good for Emma!”

  Luke grinned weakly, hoping it was good for her, but was cynical nevertheless.

  “Will you guys excuse me?” he asked, not waiting for their reply. He stood up quickly and inched his way to the bar, shimming his way past two beautiful, half-naked women loving up on one another, a sight that never failed to liquify him. In spite of his mission, he couldn’t help but take a peek as he walked by.

  Mimi looked pleased to see him he thought as he approached, her smile assuring him that she was fine.

  Luke edged up beside her, placing a protective hand on the curve of her shoulder, a gesture meant to send Arran a message. That he was looking out for her.

  “Hi, Arran, what a surprise to see you here,” he greeted, tossing him a nod in lieu of a handshake.

  Arran smiled back flatly, guarded but not unfriendly. “Luke,” he replied, regarding him curiously, as though questioning his motives. That was the exact response he was hoping for. Luke needed him to know that he was there, watching out for his friend and that Arran’s motives better be fucking honorable.

  “Having a good time?” Luke asked, turning toward Mimi, reading her face carefully.

  She smiled broadly at him, her eyes lighting up in a way he had not seen in many, many years. It made him both regretful and pleased at the same time, a disconcerting feeling that landed heavily in his gut.

  “Yes!” she assured, tapping the hand resting on her shoulder, signaling him to step down, the way one might call off a pit-bull. He dropped his hand awkwardly, unsure what to do with it, suddenly uncomfortable with the physical disconnect. He hooked his thumb in the belt loop of his jeans, hoping he appeared more casual than he felt.

  “Ok, great,” he murmured, knowing it was time to take his leave. He gestured to the bartender for a beer, hoping it would come quickly. It did. He picked the chilled mug off the bar and tipped it towards Arran before taking a manly swig.

  “I’ll be around if you want to come find me later,” he said, directing his words only at Mimi. He shot Arran a stern look but still accepted the handshake he offer
ed.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her,” Arran promised, an amused look on his face. Luke didn’t back down but instead met Arran’s gaze with a smirk of his own. The man was confident he’d give him that, Luke thought irritably.

  “You better,” he replied, his words were light, but the meaning was not. Emma shifted uncomfortably on the bar stool, well aware of the pissing contest unfolding in front of her. The last thing Luke wanted to do was shake her confidence, he just wanted Arran to know, unequivocally, not to fuck with her. “Well, cheerio,” he wisecracked, tipping a make-believe hat. He left them alone together and walked back to his waiting friends, apprehensive, but also happy that she was happy. It was the strangest feeling.

  “All good?” Jane questioned as soon as he sat back down.

  Luke nodded and took another swig from his beer, his eyes searching for Mimi across the room. “He better be,” he chortled.

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine, Luke,” she drawled supportively, “let her have some fun.” He looked at Jane thoughtfully, certain she was right. He needed to lighten up.

  “In the meantime, you should have a little fun yourself,” she purred, patting the couch beside her, inviting him to join her. It was tempting, but he promised Mimi he would be her wingman and he couldn’t let himself get distracted. He looked at her apologetically, glancing back and forth between her and Paul, fondly recalling all the good times he’d shared with them in the past.

  “Rain check?” he asked, his eyes pleading with her to understand. Jane rolled back into the safe nook of her husband’s arm, respecting his answer, her eyes telling him she completely understood how he was feeling. He wished she’d explain it to him, he thought, wondering why the hell he was feeling so uncomfortable. This was what he wanted for Mimi, wasn’t it?

  “You guys should go and have fun though, don’t worry about me,” Luke insisted, shaking off his doubt. The last thing he wanted was to dampen their buzz.