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KEITH LET HIMSELF INTO the hall and paused to listen to the sounds of the house. There were raised voices emanating from the dining room where Dorothy, Simone and Charlie were entertaining Dorian Ganley. The sounds of female laughter reached him, and Keith deduced the women were going out of their way to massage Ganley’s ego by finding his every witticism vastly amusing.
Creating no noise as he moved, he wandered into the kitchen and found it deserted. No doubt Jack and Marco were safely tucked up in the basement. Even though it was Saturday night and they would normally be out, they had announced their intention of sticking close to the women while Operation Ferret was underway. The entire Radley gang were still very much alive and kicking, therefore it paid to be cautious.
Keith exited the kitchen and headed towards the stairs. Wary of attracting attention from anyone other than his own staff, he made his way upwards on rubber soles, and kept going until he reached the topmost step located slap bang in the middle of Marco’s living area.
The first thing that hit him was the blast of heat from the stove. The second thing was the party music playing through the speakers, albeit at a reduced decibel level, no doubt due to the presence of Ganley in the house. Initially his presence went unnoticed because the occupants were focused on watching one of their number attempting a belly dance. Keith scanned the room in search of one particular person, but from the angle where he stood could see only men.
They were different shapes, ages and sizes, although the one thing they had in common was that each wore a garland of flowers around his neck. After closer scrutiny, Keith also saw each man wore either a pair of patterned shorts or a florid shirt. Fresh pineapples dotted the room, and the glasses scattered around were obviously full of exotic cocktails, if the miniature umbrellas were any indication. Keith had inadvertently wandered into Hawaiian Night at Marco’s.
When the dire timing dawned upon him, he sighed heavily and swore under his breath for good measure, effectively drawing attention to himself. As soon as they registered his presence, the group of men standing closest to the stairs backed away to clear a space, and one of them rushed to turn off the music. Straightaway, Keith spotted Marco lying on one of the sofas with his feet in the lap of a young man as beautiful as a girl.
‘S’up, Chief,’ the chauffeur raised his glass of Pina Colada and grinned cheekily.
Keith ignored him and transferred his attention to the other sofa, the one facing him. On it lay Rosa Barnett. Her long black hair was fanned out around her head and her long thin legs protruded from a pair of green and pink shorts. Her feet were bare and on her top half she wore a crop top that left her midriff bare. She saw him watching her but did not bother to greet him. He was unable to judge whether or not she was drunk, although her black eyes bore into his in a way which suggested she was very much in control of herself.
‘Welcome to Hawaiian evening,’ Patrick and Martin were loitering behind Marco’s sofa, and it was Patrick who now greeted the newcomer. ‘Would you like to try some delicious caviar?’
‘Not right now,’ Keith rumbled. ‘What’s the occasion?’
‘We’re under orders from the boss to keep our honoured guests entertained,’ Martin replied.
Keith glanced around. ‘Who else is here?’
A couple of bodies moved to one side and he saw Diane adorned in a short floral dress, relaxing back in a deep leather recliner. A young man was kneeling at her feet, giving her a foot massage. Keith’s face softened at the sight of the girl. ‘It’s good to see you up and about again, Di,’ he said gently. ‘Where’s your friend this evening?’
‘If you mean Nellie, James drove him and Trixie over to Shankill so she could see the cottage for herself,’ Diane raised her glass in toast before taking a long pull on the pink straw. ‘It’s good they’re getting some family time together. We went shopping earlier, but between the lot of us it was pure carnage, and they barely got a chance to exchange three sentences.’
At this juncture, Keith clocked the identity of the individual sitting at Diane’s feet.
‘Piers,’ he sounded shocked.
‘Hello, Uncle Keith,’ the young man smiled shyly. ‘How are you?’
‘I’m grand,’ Keith shuffled his feet in embarrassment. ‘I’ve been meaning to have a word with you about the trouble you were experiencing at work.’
‘It’s all stopped,’ Piers cut in, ‘there’s no need to worry about me.’
‘If I had known how serious things were, I would have gone over there and sorted out those lads personally,’ his uncle frowned. ‘I honestly thought it was nothing more than workplace banter. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, Piers.’
The young man looked startled by this. ‘None of it was your fault,’ he replied gently. ‘I’m just grateful Marco and the guys put the fear of God into those creeps. Things are a million times better now, and I even sold a house today. That’s why I’m here. I’m celebrating my second big sale in a month.’
Keith heard him out in silence and then said, ‘That’s big of you, son, but nonetheless I should have taken better care of you. Feel free to come to me with any worries you might have in the future, and I’ll do what I can. I won’t have a nephew of mine bullied or harassed by a shower of bigots.’
There was a distinctive sniff and a blonde young man wearing only the scantiest of shorts brushed a tear away. ‘I’d love to have an uncle like you,’ he sniffed. ‘Piers is so lucky.’
‘There’s no need to go getting all emotional,’ Keith scowled at him. ‘Is it any wonder you lads get picked on if you keep bursting into tears and whatnot? Strap on a pair for feck sake and maybe slip on a shirt while you’re at it.’ Having delivered the snub, Keith turned back to his nephew and said, ‘Now you’ve made a few sales, are you happier working as an estate agent?’
The young man’s face fell. ‘I hate it,’ he admitted rather fearfully. ‘I totally miss the hairdressing, but I’m not fully trained so I can’t make a living at it.’
Keith appeared to be baffled by this response, causing Patrick to take pity on him and step in. ‘An apprentice hairdresser earns a fraction of what an estate agent does,’ the piano man explained softly. ‘If Piers threw in the towel and returned to the salon, he’d need financial support until he was qualified. His dad has made it very clear he’s not in favour of that course of action. Ergo, the boy would have to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea.’
‘He’d probably end up homeless,’ was Marco’s unexpected contribution to the conversation.
‘But pure fab at colouring and styling,’ added the young man who had been reprimanded by Keith and subsequently stopped crying, albeit without the benefit of a shirt.
Keith cleared his throat and rubbed his hand across his chin in vexation. The assembled group distinctly heard the rasping sound the bristle made against the calluses on his hand.
‘I guess I could have a word with Bowser about the situation,’ he told Piers gruffly. ‘But I’m not promising anything so don’t go getting your hopes up. You’d understand if you’d known your grandfather better. May God forgive me for saying this about my own father, but he was the ultimate homophobe, and he raised us to be the same.’
This was greeted by a heavy silence which was broken by Diane who said, ‘You’re not homophobic, Keith. I’ve never seen you as much as raise a hand to Marco or any of his friends in all the time I’ve known you. I’ve never heard you say a mean word to them either.’
‘Yes, well,’ Keith shuffled his feet. ‘I’m of the opinion a man should paddle his own canoe and make his own choices in life. Every one of us can choose not to be a product of his or her upbringing. When I was a young fella, I started working for a man called Seamus Downey. He was a hard man but a fair one. After a couple of years, I took the decision to make him my role model, and forget everything my da ever taught me about life. I still loved him as a parent, but I turned my back on his teachings and allowed Seamus to mentor me. If I hadn’t done that, my life would have turned out very differently. I expect I would have been killed years ago in a prison brawl. I’ve never been much good at walking away from a fight.’
‘You make it sound easy,’ Diane was regarding the managing director in astonishment. ‘The man was your father.’
‘He was an alcoholic who was full of hatred,’ Keith replied gently. ‘He never admitted to it publicly, but I know for a fact that Hitler was one of his heroes. I’ve never denied him or refused to acknowledge him. If asked, I tell folks about him and what he was like. Nonetheless, thirty-five years ago, I made the choice not to become his creature, and I’ve stuck to that over the years. I am not my da and never will be. Regardless of my parentage, I am my own man.’
The beautiful young man who was massaging Marco’s feet suddenly emitted a tiny gasp and his eyes swivelled in the direction of the stairs. Keith swung around and saw Josh and Deco standing near the glass enclosure, listening aptly to the little speech. Deco was chewing on his lower lip, while Josh’s brow was furrowed. Both boys were dressed for a night out in freshly ironed shirts and pants.
‘Can I help you lads with anything?’ Keith enquired calmly.
‘We thought the Dog was up here,’ Deco replied.
‘He’s in the basement with Harry,’ Martin piped up.
‘I tried to persuade him to join us earlier,’ the foot massager added. ‘He told me to fuck off and not be annoying him. He’s so dreamy. I’d love to get my hands on that rocking body of his for five minutes. No dice though. He wasn’t interested.’
‘You offered yourself to Jack?’ Deco looked shocked at the notion.
‘I thought he might appreciate a blow job after all the stress he’s been under,’ the man shrugged and brushed his blonde fringe out of his eyes. ‘He wasn’t interested, and Harry threatened me with violence. Then Dorothy came in and told him off for being a bully. Then she told me off for being a slut, and said that sort of behaviour gives the homosexual community a bad name. She looks amazing tonight in that Stella McCartney dress. It’s a shame she’s so small. I’d love to try it on, but there’s no way it would fit me in the hips.’
Keith cleared his throat and folded his arms across his chest. ‘It’s not appropriate to be coming into this house and putting your eye on the boss’s clothes and offering to suck the Dog off,’ he said crossly. ‘Just because you’re beautiful like a girl does not give you the right to take liberties. I suggest you bear that in mind if you’re to become a regular visitor.’
‘Okey dokey, Chief,’ the culprit winked at him. ‘Glad to know you think I’m beautiful.’
‘Who are you?’ Keith demanded in exasperation.
‘Aaron Kells at your service, although I prefer to be called Amber when I’m not at work.’
‘What do you do for a living?’
‘I’m a solicitor.’
‘The fuck you are,’ Keith expostulated.
‘He specialises in family law,’ Patrick chuckled. ‘During the boom, he made a fortune from conveyancing, but as we all know to our cost, that ship has sailed.’
‘Charmed to make your acquaintance, Amber,’ Deco sounded vastly entertained. ‘Hope to see you again sometime, but right now we have to find the Dog and get a pass to leave the house. I hope he doesn’t want to surgically implant us with tracking devices because you can bet your girlie ass he won’t use anaesthetic.’
With that, he waved around casually and moved towards the stairs. Josh had not uttered one word since entering the apartment, and seemed oblivious to Amber and his surroundings in general. His eyes never once left Keith’s face, and it was clear to all that his brain was racing behind his blue eyes. Eventually he moved to follow his friend. He paused on the top step and spoke one word to Keith. ‘Thanks,’ he said croakily, and disappeared from view.
‘Why did he thank me?’ Keith regarded Marco helplessly.
‘You’re the first person to explain it to him in a way that makes sense,’ Diane was the one who answered. ‘He can feel our dad’s DNA coursing through his veins, and there’s a part of him that truly believes he must be a bad guy as well. Then there’s another part of him that thinks he’s such a soft touch, everybody he meets will try to take advantage of him for the rest of his life. It’s like he’s half-sweet and half-sour. You’ve made him see he can be anybody he chooses to be, regardless of his parents. Something tells me Joshua Lyle is about to take up canoeing.’
‘I didn’t even know he was standing there listening,’ Keith admitted hoarsely. ‘I was just trying to explain to Piers why his da can be a tad contrary.’
‘Hey, Chief,’ Marco was looking thoughtful, ‘If you’ve started the healing process with Prince Josh, the boss is going to be eternally grateful to you. You’d look pretty hot behind the wheel of a Lamborghini.’
‘Nonsense,’ Patrick butted in firmly. ‘He’s clearly an Aston Martin man.’
‘Not a roadster though,’ Amber jumped in. ‘Something elegant and timeless, as befits the managing director of SBA. Shall we Google it?’
As one, a dozen hands dived into the pocket of Hawaiian shorts, and a competition began to find the most suitable vehicle for Keith. In the meantime, he addressed his nephew again, determined to finish what he had started.
‘As I was saying, Piers, I’ll have a word with your da and see if I can smooth things over between the pair of you. I’d happily support you myself, but that would drive a wedge between me and Bowser, which is something I’d like to avoid at all costs. I know he can be a bit of bollocks, but he’s the big brother who bailed me out of many a deep hole when we were growing up. I would have been lost without him and your ma when my Maisie passed. They were the ones who organised the funeral, and made sure my kids were taken care of when I was nothing but a zombie. You understand why I don’t want to whisk you off and start treating you as if you were my own boy?’
‘I understand,’ Piers looked overawed by these revelations. ‘He respects you, Uncle Keith. I’d be grateful for anything you can do, no matter how trivial it might seem to you. Thanks for everything, you’re a great guy.’
‘What do we think of the coupé?’ Patrick’s enquiry cut across the sudden silence, effectively spoiling the bonding moment, which was a massive relief to Keith.
‘He’s a family man,’ Amber pointed out. ‘A saloon would be more practical. Besides, the clients want to see him rolling up in a grown-up motor. They don’t want some fella who’s enjoying a midlife crisis handling the security arrangements for their daughter’s wedding.’
‘Good point,’ Marco murmured. ‘A saloon it is. I guess white is out of the question?’
‘Homo,’ ten different voices yelled at the chauffeur.
‘You guys are such bitches,’ Marco snorted happily, and returned to his browsing.
Ignoring all talk of cars, Keith moved away from Piers and Diane and sought out his primary target. The only reason he was hanging out at the palace on a Saturday evening when he had a myriad of other responsibilities, and a to-do list featuring at least a dozen items. Telling himself not to be a pussy, he walked to the foot of the fabric covered aubergine sofa where Rosa still inclined, having contributed precisely nothing to the conversation during the previous half hour.
The piece of furniture was the perfect length for her frame. Her head rested on a cushion against one armrest, while her bare feet rested on the other. Keith noticed her toenails were painted a deep purple to match the hue of the couch. Despite the cold weather, her legs were tanned a light caramel shade.
His eyes travelled along their length until they came to rest on the v of her skimpy shorts. He swallowed and ignored the stirring inside his pants. When he raised his eyes to hers, her face was devoid of expression, although her black orbs mocked him.
‘Good evening, Chief,’ she said coolly.
‘Rosie,’ he cleared his throat and hoped he was not as red as he felt. He regretted wearing a jumper, but refused to give into the temptation of removing it. ‘How are you feeling this evening?’ he croaked.
‘Peachy,’ she smiled like a feline then stretched her limbs like one, her toes creeping a couple of inches closer to his thighs as she did. Keith stood his ground, determined to have his say while he had her in his sights. ‘The boss tells me you’ve resigned,’ he said quietly.
There were a couple of audible gasps from the onlookers, and many phones were suddenly abandoned as Marco and his guests exchanged horrified glances.
‘Not technically,’ Rosa replied calmly. ‘The boss has granted me a leave of absence. When I go home for the holidays, I won’t be coming back. She’s agreed to keep my job open until April. If I decide not to return to Ireland, she’ll hire a new FD to replace me.’
‘I wish you’d spoken to me about this first,’ he said gently, a crease in his forehead.
‘I didn’t want to break into your busy schedule,’ she replied bitingly. ‘You’ve had a hectic week what with one thing and another. Besides, I’ve been pretty much confined to this house since the hideousness that was Castleknock, leaving me plenty of time to ponder my future. It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision if that’s what you’re thinking.’
‘Please don’t leave me, Rosie,’ he blurted out the words before he could help himself.
‘I’m taking a sabbatical,’ her voice was totally steady. ‘This is not a personal issue. A lot has happened recently and I’m urgently in need of a break. I won’t be going anywhere until after Clive’s wedding, which means there’s plenty of time for me to tidy up any outstanding items and hand over to a temp. There’s no need to be theatrical and behave as if I’m about to disappear off into the night like a naughty schoolgirl.’
Amber squeezed Marco’s feet so tightly, the other man almost cried out in agony. Standing over them, Patrick hung onto Martin’s arm, his face awash with emotion as he regarded Keith. Once again, the managing director rubbed the bristles on his chin. The expression in his eyes was bleak.
‘Rosie,’ he croaked. ‘I know you’re upset about losing the baby, but this is a step too far. Your place is here with us, not halfway across the globe.’
For the first time, Rosa’s carefully constructed defence shields quivered at the impact of his words, and her voice trembled slightly as she replied, ‘Thank you for the concern, Keith, but I’ll be fine. There’s no need to worry about me.’
‘But I do worry about you,’ he suddenly raised his voice. ‘Goddamn it, woman, you must know by now I’m in love with you. I know things have been rough these past few weeks, but that doesn’t mean you should up-sticks and leave me.’
‘What would you have me do?’ Rosa was proud of how composed she sounded.
‘Marry me!’ he cried hotly. ‘Stay here where you belong and marry me. We can live anywhere you like, and you can have a baby straightaway if that’s what you want.’
The atmosphere on the top floor was thick as Rosa perused Keith’s face, her own deadpan. ‘I hadn’t pegged you as a member of the Mormon community,’ she replied placidly. ‘Which wife would I be? First or second? Juliet’s ten years older than me so in all likelihood she’d expect seniority. I’m not sure that arrangement would suit me, Keith, ergo no thanks to your offer of matrimony. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate some privacy because Colin has agreed to vajazzle me.’
Not one person as much as twitched while Keith processed her dismissal of him. He opened his mouth to respond but changed his mind and closed it again. He looked deep into her eyes and saw only the absence of hope. His shoulder slumped in defeat and he made to leave.
At the last second, he hesitated and Marco could not resist a sharp intake of breath that earned him a few threatening looks from his guests. Keith was so focused on the woman on the couch, he failed to notice. He gently slipped his hands under Rosa’s feet and lifted them higher. Then he bent down and kissed first one and then the other. He released them back to their former position and straightened again.
‘Your happiness is what’s important,’ he said gruffly, and strode away towards the stairs. Nobody spoke until they were certain he was well and truly out of earshot.
‘OMG,’ Piers had tears running down his cheeks. ‘That was super-romantic.’
‘I urgently need a cigarette, a stiff drink, and some fresh air,’ Rosa announced in a voice that brooked no argument.
Martin and Patrick instantly swung into action. Two well-padded sun loungers were produced and installed on the balcony, as was a patio heater and a small cane table. Diane and Rosa each found a man kneeling in front of her pulling on a pair of warm socks over the nail polish.
Once their feet were safely enveloped, the women were gently pulled upright and escorted out to the balcony, where they were tenderly placed in the chairs and candles lit. Amber arrived bearing duvets, which he wrapped around the women, while Marco presented the ladies with a packet of cigarettes, two ashtrays and a lighter.
Martin then miraculously produced two hot water bottles he had heated in the microwave. He slipped one under each duvet and made sure it was comfortably positioned. Lastly, Patrick placed two glasses of punch within easy reach and shooed his friends away.
‘Call us if you need anything,’ he said kindly. ‘The rain should hold off for now so you’ve got plenty of time to chat.’
‘You’re very kind,’ Diane looked awed by the attention.
‘Your mother gave us orders to take care of you,’ he smiled at her warmly. ‘You don’t seem to understand how precious you are, Di.’ Then he was gone, pulling the glass doors closed behind him and leaving the women alone with their cigarettes, duvets and alcohol.
