The Chauffeur

  the chauffeur

  A.P. Hallmark

  Copyright © 2017 by A.P. Hallmark.

  All Right Reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of very brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Cover Artist: Jada D’Lee Designs

  http://www.jadadleedesigns.com/

  Editing By: Jess Molly Brown

  Dedication

  Occasionally, you need to thank the people that actually do make your book possible. When I wrote this story, I had a group of gals (you know who you are) that read each chapter I wrote and little did they know that our conversations guided me.

  Whenever you got close to solving who the man in black was, I took the story in another direction. I want to thank that group of women who not only made a great book possible; they gave me some of the best days and some of the best laughs I’ve ever had.

  To the girls of Dishie’s Stash, thank you for making this one the best time’s I’ve had.

  Also, thank YOU, the person reading this, I hope you enjoy the book.

  CHAPTER 1

  ~April~

  “May I take your bag, sir?”

  “No, I’ve got it, thanks.” He’s not paying attention as he taps out a message on his phone.

  I open the trunk so he can place the Louis Vuitton that’s hanging from his shoulder inside. He bumps into me as he rounds the rear of the car, causing me to lose my footing.

  “Sorry,” he mumbles.

  I’ve already opened the door for him, and he slips in, never taking his eyes off his phone.

  I hurry to the driver’s side door, and once I’m comfortable, adjust the inside temperature. After pulling my seatbelt over my shoulder, I put the limo in drive and make my way out of the circular driveway to the massive, ornate gate. I tap my fingers on the steering wheel, impatient for it to open wide enough to drive through.

  I could be here until tomorrow.

  Sneaking a peek at him in the rear-view mirror, I observe how handsome he is. By far, the most noticeable feature is his thick hair. I want to run my hands through it before kissing that sculpted mouth.

  When his phone rings with the classic telephone tone, I look in the mirror. That’s when I notice his beautiful, white smile and nearly drive off the road. He catches me staring and offers me a smile of my own.

  "Shit," I blurt out like a truck driver.

  Should I be offended that he raises the privacy glass?

  Shrugging my shoulders, I follow the directions on the GPS to the second passenger pickup location—Ms. Kathryn Walsh. After pulling up to the front of the high-rise apartment building, I release the trunk before Ms. Walsh reaches the limousine. I’m startled when Mr. Rowe exits the back seat, and my gaze follows his to see what it is that has made him smile like that. Of course, it would have to be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Graceful as she can be in five-inch Jimmy Choos, she runs toward him. Her ample breasts beg for release, and if she had another two feet further to run, the task would be complete.

  He would date only the best!

  “Jason,” she cries, her arms open wide.

  “Hey, beautiful.” He sweeps her up, spinning her around in his embrace before planting the most amazing kiss on her. The way that chiseled jaw stands out as his mouth moves over hers is a sight to behold.

  I break my stare before I get caught again.

  “Kathryn, my love, you look stunning as ever. Are you ready to have some fun in the sun?"

  Gag.

  I nearly puke listening to baby this, beautiful that, handsome, my love—Barf.

  Do women fall for that? Okay, I would if this Romeo were saying that mush to me. I stick my tongue out at her behind the sanctuary of the trunk lid while loading her five- hundred-piece luggage set. All right, it’s only three, but still. How much luggage does one need while having fun in the sun, living in a bikini and your birthday suit?

  Always the professional, I hold the door open for them until they finish tongue-fucking and resist the powerful urge to roll my eyes.

  Beautiful bends over to enter the car, and I catch a glimpse of Romeo out of the corner of my eye just as he fondles her ass. Thank God, I keep a bottle of spray bleach in the car to clean up after this crap.

  Pressing the volume control on my steering wheel, I turn up the radio, so I don’t have to hear the sound effects. The residual cleanup is bad enough as it is.

  Okay, so I’m jealous. Is it wrong to want someone to touch me like that?

  After I pull into the Executive Airport, I release the trunk and hurry to open the passenger door, and they both exit with a level of grace you can’t help but envy. I can’t help but notice the new, slightly rumpled style of Romeo’s hair.

  A male flight attendant runs up to my car, winks at me, and wastes no time grabbing the luggage and loading it onto the jet.

  “I’ll see you in a week,” he says before slipping his hand around Beautiful’s three-inch waist. He guides her to the plane, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, eliciting giggles from her.

  Closing the car door, I resist looking in the back seat knowing I’ll have to wipe it down before picking up my next passenger. I glance back at the plane and watch the hatch slowly close. Out of habit, I chew my bottom lip, pondering if I will ever have fun in the sun like that—with someone like him.

  ~.~

  Thank God, it’s Friday. I’ve just dropped off my last client, and it's time to let my hair down and hang with my girl. After returning to the limo corral, I hand Mark a fifty to clean lord-knows-what off the back seat. It’s worth it to me, and I get enough in tips to afford it.

  “Thanks, Mark. I wiped down the seat. Hope I got it all. I’ll see you on Monday,” I shout as I run to my car.

  I approach her with a smile, and my palms begin to sweat just thinking about driving her. I am having an affair with my pewter BMW Z4 Roadster and have a mini every time I get her up to one hundred miles per hour. Anything under that is foreplay.

  As soon as I get behind the wheel, I call Emily to check on tonight’s plans.

  “Hey, April. Are you ready? I’m almost finished getting dressed.”

  “Christ, Emily, I just got off work and haven’t even left the parking lot yet. I still need to run home and get showered.” I look at the clock on the dash; it’s only six-thirty, and she’s ready to go? “How long is Adam holding the table for us?”

  Emily’s brother, Adam, is the manager at the Underground and has a table reserved for us.

  “He said he'll hold it as long as he can, so hurry and get ready or else he may have to give it away. I’ll drive over to your place to save some time. This is going to be so much fun. See you in a few!”

  After pulling out of the parking lot, I resist the urge to drive my car the way she’s designed but still make it home in record time.

  Running up the stairs to my apartment, I fumble with my keys before getting the door open. Slamming it shut behind me, I head straight for my bathroom, and after stripping out of my uniform, I step under the shower. By the time Emily arrives, I’m rushing out the door I just came through.

  “You look awesome, April. I love that dress.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You look great in that color of yellow. I just hope you can dance without the boobage slipping out,” Emily says, pointing out the low-cut bodice of the dress.

  Laughing, I look down, and pull it up to cover the girls. Jumping up and down, I make sure I wo
n’t have a wardrobe malfunction tonight. Yep, they’re packed in there nice and snug, and after I tuck them in a bit more, I look up and see my neighbor watching me from his balcony.

  “Oh, hi, Mr. Abernathy.” I wave his way before tugging some more. I’m sure I’ve given the old guy enough fodder to regale his friends with at the senior center.

  “You’re going to give that poor man a heart attack one day, April. Mark my words.”

  Emily is wearing a white strapless dress that has a full skirt with matching hipster panties underneath in case her dancing gets a little wild, which it tends to do. My girl loves to dance.

  Once we arrive at the club, I pull into valet parking and place my keys in the hand attached to a heavily tattooed arm. As he pulls away from the curb, that asshole squeals the tires on my baby. Not budging an inch, I wait for him to return so that I can kick his ass. I may be little, but I’m scrappy—my dad says so.

  “Come on, we need to get inside!” Emily says, pulling at my arm.

  “Nobody drives her like that but me.” I take my arm back and wait several more minutes.

  “April!”

  “Okay,” I whine. I’ll deal with that little shit later.

  We see Adam as soon as we walk into the club. Weaving through the crowd, he brushes off the throng of ladies vying for his attention. I smile when his six-foot-three-inch ripped frame reaches us, and I can’t help but notice the black T-shirt that stretches tight over perfect pecs.

  After we are taken to the best booth in the house, Adam delivers a bottle of Moët Chandon Champagne on ice. And this is why he’s the best club manager in town, or perhaps the sweetest brother on the planet.

  “Ladies, you outshine everyone here tonight.” He pours out the compliments like he pours the champagne—he’s the master. Once he fills our glasses, he gives us a courteous bow and leaves us to enjoy ourselves.

  “Cheers, girlfriend.” Emily holds her flute out to me.

  “Cheers, sister,” I reply, touching mine to hers.

  After we have several glasses, and with the DJ killing the music tonight, we end up dancing to exhaustion.

  When the eighth song ends, and another begins, I’m parched. “I need some water,” I tell my dance partner and head for the table. When I turn around, expecting to find him behind me, he’s nowhere to be seen. Shrugging my shoulders, I walk the remaining distance to the table where Adam has placed several bottles of cold bottled water in the ice bucket. I search the room, finding him at the far end of the bar. When he sees me, I blow him a kiss in thanks. I smile when he snaps my kiss out of the air and places it over his heart.

  After I finish a bottle of water, I head for the ladies' room to freshen up. When I return, Emily is sitting at the table with the guy she’s been dancing with since we arrived.

  “April, I want you to meet Kyle. Kyle, this is my best friend, April.”

  “It's nice to meet you,” I say, shaking his hand. “You’re quite the dancer.”

  “Thank you. I just hope I can keep up with this little spitfire here,” he replies staring into Emily’s eyes. My heart flips at the way he's looking at her—full of want and longing. I haven’t seen anything like it in a very long time. I peek at Emily, and she’s looking at him the very same way. I hope I’m witnessing something wonderful beginning for her.

  The DJ plays a slow song, and Kyle whisks her onto the dance floor again, and just as I'm about to go outside to get some fresh air, I feel a hand on my shoulder. Looking back, I see Adam.

  “Dance with me?” he whispers in my ear.

  “Sure,” I reply, taking his hand.

  “You look lovely tonight, April.”

  “Thank you, and thanks for taking such good care of Emily and me tonight. It’s sweet of you.” I lay my palm on his massive bicep, wanting to give it a squeeze, but remind myself this is Emily’s brother.

  “You’re welcome. I want you to have fun tonight, all right?” He pulls me a little closer and picks up the tempo of our dance.

  Feeling him hold me even closer, I wonder what’s going on. I try to make eye contact with Emily, but she’s in a bubble with Kyle.

  After the song ends, Adam places his hands on my shoulders, and I think he might kiss me, but he does something equally as surprising—he asks me to dinner.

  “Um … do you think that’s a good idea, Adam? I mean with Emily and I being so close and all?” I want to take those words back as soon as I say them. The look on his face says it all.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he says, looking down at the floor. “Thanks for the dance.” And just like that, he’s gone.

  I glance over my shoulder before sitting down at my table. While I’m looking for him, Kyle escorts Emily over, bends down, places a lingering kiss on her willing lips, and whispers something in her ear, then leaves.

  “Oh, my god, April. I think I’m in love.”

  I laugh and hand her a chilled bottle of water.

  “It’s not funny. We both felt this instant connection. I believe it was a love-at-first-sight connection. He felt it too. He told me he felt something right away.” She watches him make his way back to his friends.

  I’m not going to squash her happiness because I would never want to take away the look she has on her face right now.

  “Hey, Emily, Adam asked me out on a date,” I confess, waiting for her reaction.

  “It’s about fucking time. He’s been wanting to ask you out, but was too nervous.”

  “And you're just now telling me this, why?”

  “Because he asked me not to. He’s shy when it comes to you. Did you say yes?” Her eyes go wide with excitement.

  “No.”

  She jerks her head around and looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind.

  “Why would you say that? Why didn’t you say yes?” she shrieks.

  “Because he’s your brother, Emily. I won’t do anything to screw us up, and I didn’t know how you would feel about me dating him.”

  “April, Adam is one of the most decent human beings I’ve ever known. I won’t give him to just anyone, you know.”

  “I know. I need to think about this. We’ve all been friends for so long; I just don’t know about entering into a different relationship with him. I’ll think about it.” I around for him again seeing that he’s returned to his position at the end of the bar. He takes a drink from a coffee cup when an attractive blonde sits next to him. He doesn’t look at me again for the rest of the night.

  As the evening wears down, Kyle takes a seat next to Emily.

  “Hey, ladies, my sister, myself and our friends are going for breakfast. Would you care to join us?” Emily agrees and looks to me for confirmation.

  “Which one’s your sister?” I ask looking at the table he sits at when he’s not at ours. He points to the beautiful blonde who has taken ownership of the seat next to Adam.

  “I think I'm going to pass. It’s a rare weekend off for me, and I want to rest. Emily, don’t forget that your car is at my place.”

  By the way they continue to stare at each other, I doubt she heard me. I’m confident she won’t see her bed tonight. I doubt they even know I’m here.

  “All righty, then. I’m going to head out now. Kyle, it was nice meeting you. You take care of my girl and get her home safely?” I watch as he stares into her eyes and nods. As I get up from my seat, he tears away from Emily to stand when I do.

  “Thank you for loaning me your friend. You might not get her back if I have anything to say about it,” he says before giving me a warm hug.

  I think that could quite possibly be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.

  ~.~

  After trying to sleep in for the first time in months, I wake to the ringtone of one Emily Hanson.

  “Hey, Em.” I roll over and stretch before checking the time on my phone.

  “Good morning,” she sings.

  “So, did someone get lucky last night?” I ask, anxious to hear the details.

  �
�Nope. After we had breakfast, he drove me to my car, and then I went home.”

  “No kidding? That’s a shocker. I thought you were a sure thing for him.” I gather the energy to get out of bed to fix myself some coffee.

  “I was, but he happens to be a gentleman. We’re going out to dinner on Tuesday, though. Anyway, I have some good news for you.”

  “I can always use good news.” I need that coffee first, though.

  “I was telling Kyle what you do for a living, and he asked me if you might be interested in applying for a full-time position as their family’s private driver.”

  “Get out!” That bit of news had me out of bed faster than the need for coffee did.

  “The driver they've had for the past twenty-five years is retiring, and when I told him you had been doing it for years, he asked if you would want to talk to him. If you’re interested, and with your approval, he’ll order your DMV records Monday and run a background check. If there aren’t any problems, he’d like to see you. And get this—it comes with a two-bedroom apartment located on the property over the garages, and you would have all the privacy you need. He also said that the pay and benefits are excellent.”

  “Are you kidding me?” I nearly spill the coffee I’ve just poured into my cup. “Good pay and zero rent? And benefits? I haven’t had benefits in six years. I’ve been afraid of getting sick. And all I do is drive the family around? How many are in the family?”

  “There are five—his parents, Kyle, his sister, and another brother. Do I tell him you’re interested and to email you the application?”

  “To get out of that hellhole I’ve been in for the past four years? Hell yes! You’re the best, Emily. Thanks so much, and tell Kyle he won’t regret it.”

  “All right, I’ll call him right now. He said he wants to get this done so that John can retire. He intends to move to his son’s home in Florida as soon as he can.”

  “Okay, I’ll do it as soon as I get it. I am so taking you to dinner when I get my first paycheck, Emily,” I promise before hanging up.