Aurelia Cruz is a well respected club owner and madame in London, but she has things she holds very sacred and sacred things that hold her.
Thomas Shelby is a Birmingham gangster making his way up in the business world, and is trying to expand busin...
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"Sorry, that was Dougie calling to tell me how everything at the club is going." She gives him a smile with her excuse standing in front of him as he sits in the bar stool facing her instead of the bar. "And how is everything going?" Thomas asks looking her over before gaining one of the barmaid's attentions "A whiskey and a white rum!" He shouts to the bar maid. "Good, everything is good." She replies. "Well, I didn't know you'd be 'ere, Angel!" John shouts drunkenly with his arms up pulling Aurelia into a hug after she turned to face him her back to Thomas. "Hello, John. This must be your lovely wife you told me about." Aurelia says holding her hand out to Esme once John had let her go. "Esme Shelby." She introduces herself politely. "Aurelia Cruz but people call me The Angel. You have a gorgeous wife, John." Aurelia compliments making Esme smile. "Deja imi place de ea." (I like her already.) Esme said to her husband in Romany. "Ma buscur sa aud." (Glad to hear) Aurelia replies to her making Esme laugh in surprise. "Holy shit!" John shouted in surprise nearly falling over. "Alright I need to get 'im home before he hurts 'imself." Esme excuses herself and John waving goodbye to Aurelia and giving a less than happy farewell to Thomas. "She doesn't like you much." Aurelia observes hearing Thomas scoff as he gets two cigarettes out of their metal case handing one over to Aurelia. She gladly takes the cigarette placing it in her mouth turning to Thomas as he swipes the cigarette along his lips a few times before placing it then patting his pockets for his matches. Aurelia slowly lifts one side of her dress just to her upper thigh revealing the lighter tucked into the top of her stockings. Thomas watched her as she did so, and she slipped the lighter out flicking it open and on in one movement lighting her own cigarette then his before closing off the flame and tucking the lighter back in its place.
Their drinks had been placed in front of them and that tension that had been ruined earlier returned. "Seems most my family likes you. Though, you haven't met my brother Finn yet or my aunt Pol, so we'll see how they feel about you." He jests grabbing their glasses handing hers to her. She gently takes the drink in one hand while her cigarette is in her other a red stain on it from her lipstick. "Actually, your aunt seems to like me, though that may be the champagne she's drinking or the young man she's dancing with at the moment putting her in a good mood." She points out downing her drink. Thomas looks over to see his aunt flirting with a young man, far too young in his opinion. "Oh, fuck's sake." He says shaking his head. "She's having fun, Thomas, and he seems to be reciprocating. Leave them be, it's a night of celebration." She says trying to relax him, placing the glass down leaning over him slightly before placing her now empty hand on his shoulder and her cigarette in her mouth.
Thomas watched as she took a drag then removed the addiction from her lips holding the smoke in for a moment as she slightly swayed to the rhythm of the song that played then released the white smoke from her lungs. 'Fuck, how could she be so...?' There isn't a word that Thomas' mind could come up with to describe her. He'd be stupid to call her perfect because there isn't a single person on this earth who is. Gorgeous would fit if that was all she was but Aurelia Cruz is more than gorgeous, she is smart and successful. She cares for people, even the people the rest of the world looks down upon. She's an angel who loves sinners and saints alike because, to her, they are one in the same.
Thomas continued his admiration of her as she looked around the pub slightly swaying to the music. She felt arms go around her hips bringing her closer to his sitting figure and smiles as her cheeks grow a pink tint. She looks at Thomas and he has a look on his face that she doesn't recognize, not when it's aimed towards her. It's the look that Marcus from the bar gets when he takes out his picture of Nancy that he's kept since the war. It's the look her father gave her mother every moment of everyday that they were alive, even when they were angry at one another. It was the look of a man in love with a woman. A look she has never had given to her until now and won't recognize until later. "What?" She asks in a smile stamping out her cigarette in a nearby ashtray. Thomas turns and does the same keeping one arm still around her. "Come outside with me. The noise is giving me a headache." Thomas spoke standing up their bodies pressing together once again as he did so. She nodded so Thomas asked one of the bar maids for Aurelia's coat and he gingerly pulled her through the crowd by her waist once she had it on.
When they got outside the noise from The Garrison muffled and they let out a breath at the slightly cooler atmosphere. They stood with Aurelia tucked into Thomas' side leaning against the pub's bricks. Aurelia knew that this would be the best moment to tell him everything about Marianna and about Steven, but she also didn't want to ruin this moment or this night. She knows Polly is right. He must know, and he deserves to know as the man that Aurelia is falling for; a truth she denied only hours earlier. "I'm wrong." Aurelia spoke suddenly. "About?" Thomas asks facing her when she was already admiring him. "When we met. I said 'dancing isn't just dancing to men like you' but I was wrong. Because there are no men like you, Thomas Shelby." She admits with a smile. Thomas grins back pulling her close and resting his forehead on hers.
"Grace sent me a letter the other day. I never opened it but having it and seeing her name felt different. Felt like it just didn't matter anymore, like I truly don't care instead of pretending I don't. None of that bothered me though, that wasn't what has been going through my mind since. Do you know what has?" Thomas put his hand on her cheek and lightly touches her lip with the pad of his thumb as both her hands laid on his strong chest. Her lip color slightly faded between the drinks and the cigarette, but where it was bare cosmetics was still stained a deep pink from the red color. "What?" Her question is barely audible and her lungs stutter in their breathing. Her chest feels both incredibly loud and utterly silent while her body only feels his warmth. Thomas leaned in just close enough for them to almost kiss, for their lips to exchange breath and their eyes to close, enough for both their walls to crumble to nothing but dust. Then their lips meet, and their souls settle into one another.
Aurelia feels heat rush from her heart to the rest of her body igniting her hands to glide up Thomas' chest over his shoulder pulling him against her. Thomas's arm around her waist then pulls her up and into him lifting her to the tips of her toes as the hand that was on her cheek is now lost in her hair. Their kissing was slow and sensual, they wanted to feel one another, and they wanted the other to feel what they couldn't say out loud. They could taste each other's drinks and the cigarette they just finished; they could taste the euphoria of giving in, of allowing their deepest wants to happen. As they pulled apart panting for breath, they craved to do it again and again; the thought to take it farther invaded both their minds and it couldn't be stopped. "Thomas..." Aurelia's breathless voice whispered out his name begging him to either satiate both of their needs or quit while he's ahead before they reach the point of no return. He kisses her one more time before dragging them both down the street and she doesn't ask questions because she already knows where they are going and why. The ache between her thighs gets more unbearable with every step, like her body has been wanting this for longer than Aurelia would admit, and it has.
Thomas opens the door to his home for her and she walks in, Thomas removes her coat hanging it on a rack as she begins taking in the way he decorated his home, simple but refined with pictures here and there. The sound of the door locking makes it to her ears as she still faces away from him. The feeling of Thomas' strong arms around her mid-section sends waves of anticipation through her but his lips on her neck make her gasp in pleasure. She reaches one hand above and behind her into his hair encouraging his actions as she tilts her head to the side permitting him to continue. The taste of his lips on her made her thighs clench to gain some form of friction where she desired him to be most. "Thomas." She breathed his name like it was the freshest air as her hands gripped onto him not wanting him to stop, never wanting him to stop, but he did so anyways. The absence of his touch was met with a whine in protest that was quickly silenced as he turned Aurelia around before lifting her off her feet and over his shoulder making her shoes fall off as she shouts in surprise before laughing. He walks with her like that up the stairs and into his room with a firm grip on her thighs and a glance at her ass every now and then.
