Love and Pride

Pride, Love and First Impressions-Part 2

Ayhan

Five years later

It was my 21st birthday and my sisters had thrown me a party. Not just any party but a karaoke party in the garden of Sanem's house. I was busy singing my heart out and murdering everyone's ears in the process when he walked back into my life.

My heart leaped at the sight of his straight back and his smartly tailored suit and his serious face. My vocal chords produced an incoherent sound that sounded like a dying animal at the picture he made. The years seemed to have skipped him altogether. He looked exactly the same with that hair that refused to be tamed even though he'd given it his best shot.

He walked up straight to Can and Sanem and they all retreated into the house. I handed the mike to one of my friends and leaped off the mini stage and ran in after them, I barged into the library and locked eyes with him. He gave me a disapproving look probably due to my barging in without knocking.

I gave him my most dazzling smile. He looked startled for a moment and then he frowned and his eyes darted away.

My sister spoke up first. "You might as well sit down. I was hoping to wait until after the party to talk to you about this but recent events have forced me to consider private security."

For me. She and the kids already had security which was provided by none other than Osman's security firm. He had branched out from private investigation some years ago. That had actually been the reason for his presence at Sanem's office that fateful day when I lost my heart.

"So am I going to have to attend classes with some stone-faced goon following me?"

"I don't employ goons," Osman said. "You'll have a professional with you who will accomplish his job unobtrusively," he enunciated the words slowly which annoyed the hell out of me.

Before I could retort back Can interrupted, "this is non-negotiable.That asshole has gotten too close for comfort."

The asshole in question was my ex-boyfriend turned psycho stalker who didn't know the meaning of the word no. I broke up with him and he decided that I was just misguided and leading him on in the manner of an elegant female. I had never been or would never be an elegant female but the moron wouldn't leave me alone. The unending texts and phone calls had been just an annoyance until one night he broke into my apartment and left a note on my pillow.

He had been my first boyfriend and I managed to pick the one that wanted to wear me as a skin suit or something.

I couldn't argue with Can. I knew he was unmovable when it came to the safety of his family and so was my sister.

"I need to get to know this person first. I'm not going to have some strange goon," I looked at Osman squarely in the eye as I repeated the word just aggravate him, "that I don't know following me around."

He nodded. "Very well. I'll answer all your questions and concerns."

"Oh great! Well, then come on. I'd like to talk to you in private. I have many questions and concerns."

The only concern I had was greedily hoarding every moment I could with him. But he didn't need to know that.

I walked out of the library through the patio door leading to the pool away from the screeching of my friends attempting karaoke.

"Where's your dog?" he said when we stopped by the pool.

My heart stopped, tumbled, and then resumed beating. He remembered my dog so then he remembered our first meeting. I knew I was reading too much into this. Damn him for being so tempting.

"He's away with a dog sitter. The noise of the party would aggravate his anxiety."

"Your dog has anxiety," he stated flatly. No doubt thinking me ridiculous.

"So," I folded my arms unknowingly pushing up my boobs to indecent heights. His eyes flickered down and he blushed. The iceberg had a weakness. I was a curvy girl with bountiful bosoms. While I was very comfortable in my body, I didn't normally display my boobs like this as they were generally more of an aggravation and made shopping for a bra a pain in the rear. But maybe I'd been short-sighted. Maybe it was time to let the girls have their day in the sun if it meant bringing forth more cute blushes.

"Tell me about this bodyguard business," I said purposefully keeping my arms where they were. He studiously avoided looking below my chin.

He explained how it was going to work. One his most trusted men, blah, blah. I listened with half an ear instead my attention was riveted on his full lips and how much I'd wished he'd been my first kiss instead of my ex Mr.Creepy McCreeperPants.

"I want you to be my bodyguard," I blurted out.

He stopped his monologue and looked at me oddly. "Impossible. I have a company to run."

"Yet here you are. Why not send one of your goons?"

He took a tight breath. "Because your sister asked me as a personal favor."

"You owe her a lot." It was a statement of fact. Sanem had helped him with his new venture at every turn. She was nothing if not loyal and she valued the trait in others.

"I do," he said simply.

"Then you should thank her by protecting her beloved sister from psycho ex-boyfriends." I couldn't stop pushing, it wasn't in my nature.

"That's what I am trying to do. I just won't be doing the actual day to day protecting," he said between gritted teeth.

I loved to get under his skin. I recognized the reason why now when I couldn't at seventeen. Desire. I was hot for him. His mild mannered-ness, his seriousness, his seeming lack of humor. All of it made me crazy hot.

"Fine, you don't have to..." and I never finished my sentence because a Disney princess ran past us at full speed yelling "cannonball!" and jumped into the pool, princess gown and all.

"Oh, for the love! Hey, Princess Elsa! It's too cold to swim and your mom is going to have a conniption. Get out of there!" My niece was a live wire and had been giving her mother mini heart attacks pretty much from the day she was born. Her crazy father was just as insane so she got it honest. I couldn't love her more.

"It's not Princess Elsa. It's Queen Elsa," she informed me primly when she resurfaced.
But her heavy wet gown seemed to drag her under and before I could take a single step, a fully dressed Osman jumped in the pool and fished her out without a second thought. My crazy niece just sputtered, straightened her long blond wet wig and laughed.

"I know how to swim, my papa taught me," she told him holding on to his neck like a monkey.

"I'm sure you do. I just wanted to help Your Majesty exit the pool," he took her to the steps, set her on her feet and extended his dripping arm. She took his hand very regally like the queen she insisted she was.

And that was the moment I knew I was head over heels in love.