Jaxson

by Kris Keldaran

  “Bad experiences with women before?”

  His eyes grew cloudy. “You could say that.” He gazed at her seriously. “The real question is, do you want it?”

  Her heart started to flutter. Boy, you have no idea just how much I want. Being around him like this made her whole body tingle. He was sexy in every way, perfectly carved, like a piece of statuary in the cathedral garden.

  “Yes.” She nodded her head.

  He kissed her then. A slow, lingering kiss that consumed her mind inch by inch. Rough bark scraped against her leg as he backed her up against a tree. Her wrists were in his hands, pinned against the trunk over her head as he rained kisses all across her eyes, her ears, her chin, up and down her neck. Light kisses, the kind that barely touched skin. But every time his lips made contact with her skin, it seemed to reach a nerve ending, making her grow hotter by the second. His rough, chapped lips felt as if they were made of napalm. Her whole life, she'd wanted a man to kiss her like this, in the cathedral garden. Is this how Eve felt in Eden? she wondered.

  Now all she could do was moan for a long glorious moment as he made every inch of her come alive. Her eyes closed, she surrendered to her desires and muttered his name…

  “Ahem.”

  Her eyes opened in an instant. Standing just behind them, a few yards away, was Sister Sarah Marquez da Almeida, the tiny ancient Portuguese nun who worked in the cathedral. And she looked pissed.

  “It is still the Sabbath, and this is still the house of God, children,” Sister Marquez da Almeida declared, as if explaining to an illiterate barbarian proper decorum.

  “Yes, sister,” they both intoned at once.

  She harrumphed and slowly continued on her way around the property, rosary clutched between her hands.

  “She’s quiet for a nun,” Jax said.

  “There’s a reason my Sunday school class calls her ‘The Nun-ja’. You never hear the Ruler of Doom until it hits your knuckles.”

  “Beats what they said in Blues Brothers.”

  “Oh?” she asked.

  “The Penguin.”

  Kehau's hand flew to her mouth as she tried to contain her laughter. Jax pulled her into his arms and held her close. “How does lunch sound right now?”

  “Burgers?”

  “Burgers it is.”

  At a tiny little burger joint on Kapahulu Avenue, Jax introduced her to sweet potato fries on her burger. Kehau thought it was another difference between he and Sione that she liked. He wasn’t afraid to eat, or let her eat. She’d tried going cheap, only to have Jax pull her up short.

  “Kehau, I promise, eat whatever you want, I can afford it.”

  “I shouldn't, I'll regret it tomorrow teaching class,” she’d replied hesitantly.

  “Promise, a real burger won't kill you once in awhile.”

  In the end, she’d gotten a cheeseburger made with Kobe beef, garlic aioli, bacon, onion, lettuce, tomato with a thick slice of mozzarella, and a large side of sweet potato fries.

  “You were right, these are incredible,” she mumbled around a mouthful dipped in the maple-bacon fry sauce.

  “Only place to get them done right on the island.” He eyed her near-empty plate. “Care for another order of those?”

  Kehau looked up from the thick chocolate milkshake she'd started. “Please?”

  Jax chuckled and smiled, “Your wish is my command.”

  Kehau looked at her watch, checking the time. “Actually, can we make that a to-go order? I feel the need for an afternoon nap.”

  Jax laughed. “Certainly.”

  *****

  An hour later, tucked into his left side, Kehau relaxed as she and Jax curled up together for an afternoon nap, on a lounge chair, in the warm Hawaii sun at Kehau's place. Jax’s jacket and tie lay on the dining room table beside Kehau’s purse.

  She was still munching on the sweet potato fries, though she’d slowed down considerably. Finally, she closed the Styrofoam box.

  “Full?” Jax asked.

  “Stuffed. But those were so good!” she moaned. Pulling closer into him, Kehau marveled at how relaxed he seemed. And damn he smells good. It’s the same cologne as last night. Wonder what it is? I swear it’s familiar but I don’t know why.

  “I have to ask, what cologne do you wear?” she said.

  “That’s a secret and you can't tell.”

  “I promise I won’t tell,” Kehau swore.

  “Nope. Not gonna say it. But I will let you try to figure it out on your own,” Jax smirked.

  “You should probably know that you smell utterly delicious.”

  “So you like it?”

  She snuggled up closer and took an appreciative sniff. “Very much so.”

  “Then I’ll make sure to wear it when I’m around you.”

  Kehau looked up into his dark eyes. “You’re a very strange man.”

  “Strange how?”

  “You don’t act or behave like any man I know.”

  “That’s the joy of being me. I am what God made me, and I don’t ever claim to be different.”

  “You're very set in your ways, aren't you?”

  “A little.” She scowled at him and he relented. “Okay, a lot.”

  “Hmmm…maybe it’s time for some questions,” she mused aloud.

  “This sounds dangerous,” Jax remarked.

  “Depends on the answers you give.”

  “Okay. Hit me with your best shot.” He challenged her.

  “Number of girlfriends you’ve had.”

  His eyes rolled upwards, as if stopping to count. “Eight. You?”

  “Sione was my third boyfriend. When was your last relationship?”

  “Three years ago.”

  Kehau looked at him curiously. “Why so long?”

  “Got out of the military and started a new job. Just been busy working ever since.”

  There was more to that story, but Kehau didn’t feel like pressing him. Not right now.

  “Mango or papaya,” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  Kehau rolled her eyes. “C’mon! How is that an answer?”

  “It’s like picking between my truck and my motorcycle. I love them both.”

  “Okay, fair enough. What do you for a living?”

  Jax paused. “I’m a consultant. Who and what I can’t say because I maintain very strict client confidentiality.” He looked at her seriously. “But I promise it’s nothing illegal. Speaking of work, I have to leave Monday for some negotiations. I’ll be back later in the week, probably Thursday night.”

  Kehau frowned. “That’s no fun!” she protested.

  “I know, but think of it this way, you can spend all week thinking of what you’d like to do when I get back. And anytime I’m inside Wi-Fi I’ll be able to get text messages from you.” His fingers feathered their way through her soft hair. “I really will miss you while I’m gone.”

  This was enough to make Kehau happy. Ignoring his comment, she stretched across him and before long Jax felt her breathing level out, she'd fallen asleep.

  Jax had no complaints about the matter. He hadn't slept right in years. But there was something about Kehau, something about her personality that caused his body to relax enough he could get real sleep. Almost be worth it to move in together. I've almost forgotten what it's like to get more than three hours at time. God, I've known her all of two days and talking of moving in together. Yeah, I'm sleep deprived but I'm not stupid to believe that is the only reason.

  He looked at the beautiful dark-haired woman lying beside him. How do you do it, Kehau? And why didn't I meet you sooner? Gently, he kissed her forehead, then closed his eyes and drifted away.

  Chapter Six

  You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain

  Too much love drives a man insane

  You broke my will, oh what a thrill

  Goodness gracious great balls of fire

  Jerry Lee Lewis

  Monday morning was Kehau's least favorite day
of the week. She loathed having to get up and actually be somewhere after a weekend. Especially after having such a good time like this last weekend!

  “Somebody’s in a good mood today,” a voice called out. It was Mrs. Parajillo, the head of the dance program at HPU.

  “I think I have a new boyfriend,” Kehau said cheerfully.

  “Well I think this one’s legitimate,” Mrs. Parajillo replied. She opened the office door for Kehau and flipped on the lights. On her desk stood a massive vase, full of pink and white roses. Kehau pulled up short in shock.

  “I had a delivery guy waiting for me when I got here this morning,” Mrs. Parajillo said from behind her.

  Kehau’s eyes went wide.

  Mrs. Parajillo handed her a card. “He said this was for you too.”

  It was a simple thing, but the sight just reminded her of one more thing Sione had never tried to do for her and it was enough to make Kehau feel like crying.

  “Are those happy tears or sad, my dear?”

  Kehau wiped away the tear that had started to form. “Happy, Mrs. Parajillo, very happy.”

  Mrs. Parajillo gave her a hug and a pat on the back.

  “Oh good. I'm glad to hear that, dear.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled. I’m going to drive him crazy every day this week. Gone until Thursday and only gets texts in Wi-Fi? We’ll see about that.

  *****

  The day had been a long one already for Jaxson. Flying to Tokyo was not cheap and jet lag was always a royal ass pain. Could he have done everything over Skype? Possibly. But some things were meant to be done in person. And in his line of work, he wanted everybody involved to make sure they understood what they were getting. Unreal expectations and all that happy nonsense.

  It justified why he was sitting in a corporate boardroom in downtown Tokyo, rather than chasing Kehau around a beach on Oahu. His mind slowly drifted back to Saturday night. Damn, what a good time that had been! He could still taste her cherry lip gloss, feel her hair playing across his hands, the way she’d moaned as she gave herself to him… Down boy! he ordered himself as an erection began to build up. Now was neither the time nor the place for that, shifting in his chair to relieve the pressure.

  “Mr. Kuznia, we need to discuss the options you have presented to us. May we speak with you again tomorrow morning, perhaps over a late breakfast?” Director Hiroyo Kikuchi asked.

  “Of course.” He stood. “I will be in my hotel next door if any of you should require my services.”

  Jax walked through the double doors of the building and out onto the Tokyo street as the late afternoon sun shone all around. He enjoyed Japan for visits. Granted the manner of doing business here was very different from America, but still enjoyable. Not as much fun as being with Kehau though! That’s for damned sure! If I keep thinking about her, the front desk will think I’m a pervert. He tried to relax.

  A woman walking past tossed her hair over her shoulder and the scent hit him. She must have recently washed her hair with something fruity and delicious though, causing even more memories to run through his mind. Thursday will not get here fast enough! As he walked along, a man followed him, shadowing his footsteps.

  All the way up to the hotel room, he kept thinking about her. “Wonder what she’d want to see if she were here with me?” he mused aloud to the empty elevator. The door dinged, signally they'd stopped and the doors slid open smoothly. Jax exited, watching for any signs of trouble. It came with the territory. Xavier was waiting for him in the hallway. The elevator next to them dinged and the door opened. Out stepped the shadow.

  “We should be good, boss. No trails that I picked up,” Joachim Drake announced.

  Both men were slender, Joachim’s complexion being darker, his café au lait skin in sharp contrast to his razor-sharp black suit. Xavier was taller and lanky, wearing tattered blue jeans with a baseball sized bulge in his right cheek and heavily scuffed up work boots.

  “So what's the news, hoss?” Xavier asked as he spit into a convenient wide-mouthed bottle.

  “They seem solid, but Kikuchi needs to confirm it with the board.”

  “Oh lovely,” the bearded Idahoan said as he swiped his room key through the lock.

  “Relax, Hillbilly,” Jax countered. “If we don't get the contract it’s not the end of world.”

  Within the multi-roomed suite, two more men lounged in casual pants and t-shirts. Normally, Jax traveled alone. After the Belmopan Incident, he never left American soil without an escort. This time it was the squad leaders. Donny "Rockstar" Seth, Marius "Pop Eye" Colonna, Xavier "Hillbilly" Bell, and Joachim "Dandy Man" Drake.

  Even when he’d been in the service, Jaxson Kuznia knew he couldn’t stay forever. It was a good life, but not what he wanted. One did not join the military to become rich. And it was hard on the body. He had over a dozen friends who were medically retired with spinal compression, arthritic hip and knee joints, plus dozens of other problems.

  One night over a handle of Jägermeister Donny had brought to his house, Jax, Donny, and a couple other NCOs had come up with an idea to start a security and training company. People with security problems called looking for a team to show them how to improve their physical systems. Police departments in desperate need of a better public image could hire them to teach modern breach and sweep techniques so they didn’t screw up and shoot innocent civilians. Things that utilized the skills they'd gained in the service of the government. Jax had written down everything that night before he passed out. It had taken some work to convince everybody the day after, when they sobered up, but he’d gotten them onboard. Three sergeants and a corporal, all signatories to ‘The Plan’. Two years later, the men began to make their idea come true as they mustered out of the service. In honor of the beverage which had inspired the idea, the company was registered and Jaëger Guard LLC was born.

  Staying in Hawaii had been Marius's idea. Most of the major corporations were based out of the Eastern Seaboard, leaving the Pacific Rim region a fertile ground for them to harvest. To his credit, the former Petty Officer had been right. Jax had met Marius when he went aboard ship as part of a Marine Expeditionary Unit. A fist fight started in the well decks over allegations of cheating from a sailor toward one of Jax’s Marines, leading to a fight between the two senior NCOs. After putting each other in sick bay, they’d become fast friends as men have since time immemorial. Sounding him out confirmed what Jax had already observed, and after the approval of the others was obtained, he had brought Special Boat Operator First Class Marius Colonna in on ‘The Plan’.

  Marius was also responsible for the third major tenet of their business—word of mouth only. No business cards, no fancy skyscraper office, no t-shirts. Nothing. Quiet, simple, effective. And lucrative. If they got the job in Japan, it would mean nearly ten million dollars in revenue. Even after taxes, overhead, and splitting it up evenly amongst themselves, it was still a butt load of cash. And Jax had a good thing going with Mrs. Franklin’s famous son, Benjamin. He’d invested smartly, and assuming nothing else went wrong, they were going to be very rich men in the near future.

  Japan being Japan, certain sectors had heard quite a bit about Jaëger’s work. Which led to an industrial magnate calling them out of the blue for contract negotiations. And now he was here, with his four best men, one step closer to making it into the millionaires’ club. Damn I love my job, Jax thought cheerfully.

  “Hey, Johnny Rocket,” Donny called out from the opposite end of the room where he was watching an Angels’ baseball game. “You should know your iPad’s been going off like crazy. Somebody’s been texting you a ton.”

  “So what's her name?” Xavier asked from the suite’s dining table where he was seated once more, inspecting their firearms. A self-taught machinist, the lanky machine gunner did double duty as the team’s resident Armorer and the heavy weapons squad leader.

  “Kehau,” Jax said casually, pulling a beer from the fully stocked fridge.

  “Local gir
l?” Joachim asked in surprise.

  Donny was looking upward at the ceiling and mumbling to himself. Then he looked back at Jax with a grin. “Nope, can’t remember catching any Kehaus recently. You’re safe, boss man.”

  “Appreciate it, Donny.”

  The company’s resident womanizer, Donny sowed wild oats with abandon. Mothers locked their daughters up when the Rockstar went to town.

  “Hey, look on the bright side,” Joachim announced as he grabbed a bag of popcorn from the microwave. “At least you won’t have to worry about clap or gonna-sypha-jerp-alitis.”

  Donny threw a finger at him from the couch and Joachim laughed.

  “So, where’d you meet her?” Xavier asked.

  “At the gym. Took her for a date that night. Saw her again the next day.”

  Every eye in the room stared at Jax.

  “What?” he said exasperatedly. “I can’t help it that she’s hot, a college dance teacher, and knows how to cook.”

  Donny looked at him desperately. “Please tell me she has lots of hot friends.”

  “Yes and they’ve all got more IQ points than you have brain cells.” Donny’s face fell as the others laughed.

  “Somebody hand that man a beer so he can cool that burn off,” Joachim quipped, barely able to contain himself.

  Jax picked up the tablet as he wandered back to his room, closing the door behind him. Wonder what she’s thinking right now? Pulling up his text message, he started to read.

  Kehau: What do u think I should wear for class tomorrow?

  Jax's eyebrow rose as he scrolled down. Holy butt cheeks batman! The tight shorts she had on left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Continuing to scroll, he stopped again.

  Kehau: Or should I go with the pants?

  Now she was in leopard print yoga pants with ‘PINK’ stenciled on the side and a sports bra that looked ready to explode trying to contain her ample bosom.