9I own nothing your recognize. All original characters and storylines are my own.
The One You're With
"Hullo lovely." Keegan said as he approached Milla as she walked toward Ashby's Provisions.
"Hello...Keegan right?" She asked and he nodded, pleased that she remembered him.
"Right, headin ta work?" He asked and Milla shook her head.
"Nah, I'm just getting some snacks I have a big test tomorrow." She explained as she continued on and he fell into step beside her.
"That's too bad." He said and she turned to look at him, not sure of the game he was playing.
"What's too bad?" She asked as she leaned against the wall by the door and he leaned next to her.
"If ya were workin I was gonna chat ya up then take ya out ta dinner an' a drink at tha pub when yer shift was over. Now I hear yer studyin." He shook his head and continued. "Here I was lookin forward ta gettin ta know ya."
Milla blushed at the attention and got a look at him again. He was so beautiful, one of the most beautiful men she'd ever seen. He had eyes so dark they were almost black, long dark hair that tangled in curls at the nape of his neck. His nose was just the right amount of crooked to show that he'd been a fight or two in his life and he had a nice smile, though it couldn't compare to Juice's smile. She gave herself a mental shake that was not to be so she'd have to get him out of her head. A good way to do that would be to spend some time with a handsome man with a sexy accent; yeah that's what she'd have to do.
…
Trinity watched Milla out the window of the shop and saw Keegan ladling on the charm. She glared, the arsehole was up to something and she knew it and if he was just goin for a pull she'd stop him. Milla was better than that, better than an errand boy's woman. She deserved better than a man who'd shag anything in a skirt but didn't know how to please them. She closed her eyes and tried to banish the one, pathetic night they'd shared from her mind. She never should've slept with him but enough shots make anyone attractive. She watched him type something into Milla's phone and her do the same for him before she turned toward the door again. Trinity quickly moved behind the counter and pretended to be busy before Milla walked through the door.
"Ya need somethin Milla?" Trinity asked and Milla looked up, startled, obviously having been deep in thought.
"Umm, I'm just here to get some snacks. Maureen said I could put them on the store account and take care of them when I had more money." She said and Trinity nodded before she got out from behind the counter and got Milla a couple of packages of Maltesers, a large bottle of Irn Bru and a bottle of Coke then she got her some crisps and a loaf of bread for the Nutella she knew Milla kept in her room. While she did that she noticed Milla looking out the window with a dreamy look on her face.
"Oy, am I doin all the work or are ya goin ta pick out yer own shite?" Trinity asked loudly and Milla practically jumped.
"Right, let's see...Maltesers. Irn Bru, Coke, crisps, bread...All I'm missing is a couple of Mars bars and some peanut butter." She said and Trinity shook her head.
"I don' know where ya put it. If I ate that much I'd be a bloody whale." She laughed and Milla smiled, they'd had this discussion before. "What's got yer head in the clouds?"
"I don't have my head in the clouds." Milla denied before she turned to Trinity and bit her lip before she continued. "I have a question..."
"What is it?" Trinity asked, already knowing what it had to be.
"What do you think about Keegan...I heard he hangs around here a bit...?" Milla said and Trinity rolled her eyes and decided to be honest.
"I don' like 'im, never have. All he wants is a leg up. I'm sorry Milla, I know he seems interested but it's just an act." She said and Milla's face fell, which caused Trinity to backpedal. "I'm sure he finds ya beautiful, go fer it if ya want ta. Just look out for yourself. Promise me yeh'll look after yerself."
"I promise." Milla said then she blushed. "He's taking me out tomorrow night."
With that, Milla bagged up her stuff and went up the back stairs. She still had a test to study for.
…
The next night...
Keegan stood outside of Dugan's Pub smoking a fag as he thought about what to tell Jimmy. His night with Milla hadn't exactly been a disaster but it hadn't exactly been a success either. They'd had a good dinner, had a drink at O'Finnegan's and went for a walk. That had been a success, what hadn't been was the fact that she wouldn't stop talking about a Son that she'd left in the States. She was obviously pining for him, but that just made Keegan more determined to achieve his goal and move forward with his mission. It also gave him an angle to work. Biker boy was in Charming and he was there, he could do what the biker couldn't and he'd be sure to do just that. Finishing his fag he walked into the pub and found Jimmy sitting with O'Flaherty and the oddness of it hit him. O'Flaherty made it a point to avoid Jimmy unless there was business, he never socialized but as he looked at them the position of their bodies showed that maybe they were conducting business. Confident in his interpretation he walked up to them, nodding at Donny and Cormac as he approached.
"Keegan my boy! How was yer evenin'? I thought yeh'd be balls deep in the biker princess by now." He said as he moved over and Keegan sat down, suddenly feeling like he'd failed Jimmy.
"Not that easy Jimmy. She didn' even go fer the kiss, she just ducked away. I t'ink she's pinin' fer another man. That'll set the plan back some." He said and Jimmy looked at O'Flaherty.
"Maybe we shoulda' used yer man. Cormac's not bad lookin, he woulda' gotten tha' job done." Jimmy smilied sadistically. He hated O'Flaherty and thought his man was too moral for them but that didn't mean that he couldn't use them to fuck with his boy who wasn't pulling his weight.
"I'll do my job an' do it well Jimmy. I heard her Ma's an ice queen, maybe I gotta defrost a few layers on her too." He defended himself and Jimmy just stared, giving his errand boy neither praise or scorn. "I'll get in her knickers; it just might take some time."
"Yer not supposed ta get in her knickers boyo, yer supposed ta get in her heart and that will take time. The Council didn' expect results tha first night. Jus' keep at it an' don' forget ta remind tha girl she's special. In the world she knows she's worthless b'cause she doesn't have a patch an' if her Ma's like I remember she's made sure her girl knows it." O'Flaherty said and Jimmy looked at him. He knew O'Flaherty was opposed to the pan and now he was giving his boy advice. Something didn't add up.
O'Flaherty looked smugly at Jimmy. Keegan wasn't a good man or even a good soldier but he had his purpose. He was a pretty face and Kellan had insisted that they needed a pretty face to turn the Morrow girl's head. His stomach turned at the thought of their plans for the girl but he forced the feelings down. They needed ties to Charming and Clay's girl was their best option.
…
Milla sat down on her bed and gave herself a mental beatdown. She'd fucked up. She was out on a date with a handsome, interesting man who had an accent to die for and was interested in her. He hit three of four on her criteria for the right person; the only thing lacking was intelligence. He didn't even know who Nikola Tesla was! Shaking her head again she berated herself. She'd spent the whole night talking about Juice, telling stories, in-jokes the whole shebang and Keegan had just plastered a smile on and listened to her prattle on. It was number one on the first date no-no list and she'd done it...enthusiastically. She blushed at the thought and blushed deeper when she remembered that he'd ducked in for a kiss and she'd turned her head in time to present him with a cheek. He'd looked disappointed then and maybe a bit frustrated but something told her that kissing him wasn't a good idea at the time and now the same voice was telling her to call home and she listened to the voice, but instead of calling her parents she called a different number. She took a deep breath and listened for an impossibly long time until the tell-tale click told her it had been answered.
"Juicy's phone, who can I say is calling?" A high-pitched voice asked before it giggled and the next words were muffled in a way that said the phone was being pressed against something. "It's a call for you. You gonna answer?"
There was the sound of a small scuffle before a thump was heard on the other end followed by moans. Milla held onto the phone, paralyzed by a combination of disgust and a wounded heart. Just as the female voice called his name Milla could move her fingers again and she hung up as the tears poured down her face. A small part of her had believed that he'd wait for her to return that he'd be the one. This proved that her Mom was right. Juice wasn't some Prince Charming. He was a man, a man with access to pussy 24/7. Why would he possibly wait for some chickenshit virgin too scared to kiss? No she wasn't scared to kiss, the night of his Patch Party they'd almost kiss and her regret was that it didn't happen. Sighing she made a vow to learn from this experience. Juice was a dream and she had to let that dream die.
…
Three days later...
"Hullo Lovely!" Keegan greeted enthusiastically as Milla practically bounced into his arms. They'd gone out the night before and there had been a drastic change in her. She'd never mentioned the other man once and at the end of the night they'd kissed under the streetlight by the alley. It had been good and as Milla pressed her mouth to his he could tell that his mission was back on track, he'd have her in his bed by Christmas.
…
Milla burrowed into Keegan's arms after he'd kissed her thoroughly and made sure her mask was firmly in place before her eyes met his. She didn't want him to know he was her consolation prize. She couldn't be with the man she loved so she'd love the one she was with. It was only for a year, then she could find another way to mend her heart.