“But what about Elena, Alex?” Kari asked. “You’re overlooking her entirely. You don’t know what it’s like to be poor and helpless in this world, and have all kinds of people preying on you. I’ve been there. I know what that’s like. Elena knows what that’s like. And I failed her!” Kari yelled. “We failed her. We let a monster get away with raping her.”
Alex stared at Kari. Then he reached out his hand to her. She was close, but just out of reach. “Come here,” he said to her.
Kari saw that pained look in Alex’s eyes. He wasn’t as cavalier now as he portrayed earlier. She moved a little closer, and took his hand.
“I have told you time and again,” he said, “that no one, in this life, gets away with anything. If in his heart he seeks to harm, he will be harmed. If he seeks to destroy, he will be destroyed. That is the way it has always worked in this world. Smart people realize it and go on with their lives. They leave other people’s lives alone. The stupid never gets the message. That man didn’t get away with anything, Karena. He thinks he did, and he’s probably patting himself on the back for another hit job well done, but he hasn’t gotten away with anything. You know why?”
Kari smiled. “Because you’re still Alex Drakos,” she said.
“Damn right,” Alex said as if he was Shaft, and they both smiled. Then his look turned chilling. “He’ll get his,” he promised Kari.
How could she have forgotten who Alex used to be? He was an enforcer for his deceased father’s syndicate in Greece, and then his underboss. She’d seen him in action in Greece, and he was no joke. But seeing him in action in the States, where he was a businessman first and last, with no mob ties, was what she thought about whenever she thought about his profession. He let that old life go. It was so far behind him that it was like a blur. But sometimes, like this time for their employee’s sake, he had to pick it back up. She hated that he had to, but for Elena’s sake and for the sake of so many other poor, defenseless maids out there that predator might seek to prey on, he had to.
Kari stared into his eyes.
Alex searched her eyes. Did she doubt him? “You believe me, don’t you?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she said. “You know I do, Alex. But it’s Elena. She’ll never know that he’s been dealt with.”
He opened his legs and pulled Kari between them. “We’ll figure out a way to let her know. Will that help?”
Kari smiled. “Yes,” she said. Then she stared at him. “What are you going to do to him?” she asked.
“Not your worry,” he said, as he removed her towel, tossing it aside, and then laid her on top of him, as they both laid back.
Alex was a kisser. He loved kissing Kari, and this time was no exception. He wrapped her in his arms and for the longest time did nothing more than kiss his wife. It got so good to him he was moaning and groaning as he kissed her. It got so good to him that he was moving his head from side to side, to get every angle of her mouth and tongue. And then he wanted more.
He moved down, to her breasts, and began kissing them with that sense of urgency brought on, not by circumstance, but pure animalistic lust. They wanted each other desperately, and Alex was showing just how much.
Kari wanted him, too, and she pushed her big breasts into his face enough to make him mad for more. He couldn’t get enough of her. Her chest was turning red from his passionate kisses, and her breasts were swelling from his hard handling, but that was how she loved it. And that was how Alex gave it. They were in their groove.
It took many more kisses and groans and moans before Alex moved Kari off of him, lying her on her back, and he stood up. He stood up, and then walked over and closed and locked their bedroom door, in case Jordan decided to come home and then come up. And then he removed every strap of clothing he had on. He wanted Kari badly, and he was going to do this right.
He pulled back the bedding and laid her naked brown body on their silk sheets. Then he got in beside her. And their kissing began all over again. It was something about her taste; something about the way she made him feel, that kept him going back for more. And then he was doing her breasts again.
Kari took his penis in her hand and was rubbing it as he kissed and sucked and squeezed her breasts. She had never cum from breast strokes alone, but because of Alex’s skills, she was getting close.
That was why she was relieved when he put both of them out of their misery and entered her. And that feeling of fulness, of her man pushing so deep inside of her that she felt as if she wasn’t going to be able to take him all in, made her cum quickly. She had her first orgasm right away.
But it was only her first. Rarely was she ever with Alex when she didn’t cum more than one time. This time, as he continued to pump his love inside of her, and as he continued to suck her breasts as he pumped her, she came again, and then again.
And then Alex came too. Right along with her third time. And when they came together, the third time was the charm. Kari grabbed Alex and squeezed him as she came. It was her strongest orgasm.
It was mainly because he wouldn’t relent. Even as he poured into her, and was straining out every ounce of his semen deep into her, he continued to stroke her with an even faster, more urgent rhythm.
At the height of their orgasm, he was pounding her. So much so that when it was finally over, and he slowly pulled out of her, Kari’s vagina was red and swollen from his pounding. She wondered if she’d be able to walk after such a screw.
But it was Sunday. Work was optional on Sundays, as far as she was concerned. She was fine.
Alex was, too, as he kept her in his arms. He felt so good, and so relaxed to have her with him, that even when his cell phone began ringing, as it always did, he almost didn’t answer.
Almost.
He looked at the Caller ID. It was Matthew Scribner, his CFO in his New York corporate headquarters. But Alex wasn’t having it. “It’s Sunday, Matt,” he said over the phone.
“Understood,” Matthew said, “but we need to discuss that lateral move to Sydney. Australia’s been calling. They want an answer by tonight.”
“Tell them they’ll get an answer Monday morning, when I return to work. I am home with my family this weekend.”
“Yes, sir, but it’s not just the company in Sydney, it’s the whole of the Australian government. Some of the politicians staked their campaigns on a successful merger with The Drakos Corporation. They want an answer too.”
“They’ll get the answer Monday. Goodbye, Matt.” Alex ended the call.
Kari looked at him. Although Alex had to divide his time between Florida and New York, he made a vow to always spend the weekends with Kari and Jordan. So far, he kept his word. “I guess that means you’ll be back in New York Monday morning,” she said.
Alex nodded. “Yes.”
“For how long?”
“A few days at least. I should be back by mid-week. I’ll take my corporate jet and leave my private plane here, in case you get the urge to come and see about me.”
They smiled. “I wish you didn’t have to go at all,” Kari said, “but I understand it. The turnover rate in housekeeping has my department constantly shorthanded. We expected The Drakos to be busy, but it’s above and beyond what we could have ever thought it would be. Going anywhere out of town is out of the question for me right now.”
“That should change soon,” Alex said.
Kari looked at him. “You mean if the ambassadorship goes through?” she asked.
“I mean once I’m comfortable the hotel and casino are running smoother than it is right now, we’re going to be moving to New York. That’s my corporate headquarters. That’s where I have my home. That’s where I want my family.”
Kari had a concerned look on her face. “But that hasn’t been decided yet, Alex,” she said. “New York is a nice place to visit, but I don’t know if I want to raise our children there.” They had already decided that they would have kids together.
“It’s a better place than this place
,” Alex said bluntly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The racism here, Kari. I’m tired of that shit! Before I married you, guess how many times I had to deal with racist bull crap?”
Kari looked at him. “How many?”
“Zero,” Alex said. “I’m in my forties, Karena, and I have never had to deal with that bullshit until I married a black woman. Not that racism wasn’t there. I’m certain it was. But because it didn’t concern my white privilege ass, it didn’t concern me. But now I have a wife and a son, and all of the children we’ll have together will be people of color too. At least in New York, we’ll fit right in. Everybody hates everybody.”
Kari laughed.
“Nobody’s singled out,” Alex continued, laughing too.
But then his look changed. He was serious again. “But here, racism is like a sport to these people. It’s as if they can’t feel good about themselves unless they’re denigrating somebody else. It sickens me. I don’t want our children to have to deal with that.”
“That’ll have to deal with it whether you want them to or not, Alex,” Kari said bluntly. “There will always be bigots in this world. The way I see it, Apple Valley is good training ground for them to learn how to handle it. Because they will have to handle it.”
Alex looked at her. “I’m surprised you didn’t go off on those fools at the club yesterday,” he said.
“Oh, I wanted to,” Kari said and he laughed. “Believe me, I wanted to. But . . .”
“But what?”
“I don’t just represent myself anymore. I’m a married lady. I represent you. I’m not about to have somebody snap a photo of me with the caption, Alex Drakos’s Angry Black Wife. No thank you.”
Alex smiled, but they both knew it was hardly funny. He pulled her into his arms.
“I’m not sure about New York, Alex,” Kari said.
“And I’m not sure about Florida,” Alex said. “And then there’s Greece to consider, too. Maybe.”
“Yeah. There’s Greece.”
Alex pulled her closer. “No worries,” he said. “We’ll figure it out.” He kissed her forehead. “We always do.”
And eventually, they were able to fall asleep.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Alex was in the lobby of The Drakos, heading for his waiting SUV, when a gaggle of reporters rushed through the lobby doors, bum-rushed Alex, and shoved microphones in his face. Alex’s security bum-rushed them, and pushed them all back.
“Mr. Drakos? Mr. Drakos? Is it true, Mr. Drakos?”
But Alex didn’t skip a step. With his security blanketing him, he continued to head for the exit. He assumed they were talking about the pop star and how he refused her demands. She performed last night, anyway, but not without airing her grievances on stage.
But when one reporter asked, “is it true about the rape?” he nearly stopped in his tracks.
Another reporter chimed in. “Did a guest get raped at The Drakos, sir?”
As usual, the reporters had it backwards: a guest was the rapist. But Alex kept walking.
“Where did it happen, Mr. Drakos?”
“Which room was the guest raped in?”
“What are you doing to secure your guests, sir?”
Alex hurried out of the lobby, across the sidewalk of the portico, and into his waiting SUV. His security detail held the door open for him, and he hurried in.
Toker de Bergeron was already seated inside. And Alex was livid.
“Who talked?” he asked his General Manager as the SUV drove away.
“Talked about what?”
“Those reporters know that a rape occurred at my hotel.”
“What? Elena swore not to tell a living soul!”
“Somebody told somebody something. The reporters had it backwards, but they knew a rape happened at my hotel. You’ve got to clean this shit up, Toker.”
“Don’t worry, sir, I will. I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
Although they both knew, and Alex especially knew, that getting to the bottom of a leak was never going to happen.
“Maybe you can hold a press briefing after this meeting we’re going to,” Toker said. “That should allay some fears.”
“I have to handle some business out of town after this meeting,” Alex said. “And I’m not holding any press briefing regardless. Have the press office issue a denial, and leave it at that. We don’t want to make it any bigger than it already is.”
“And what? Just hope it blows away?”
Alex almost wished he had followed Kari’s advice and involved the cops. At least the real story would have gotten out.
But his decision was his decision.
It was done now.
“We have no choice,” he said.
Later, that evening, Oscar Milner felt a hand grab him from behind and before he could turn and face his attacker, he was thrown against the backside of his patio wall so hard that he could feel a rib crack. And then he was grabbed again and thrown onto the pavement. He saw the shoe slam down on his chest first; a very expensive shoe, and then he saw the man with that foot on his chest. When he saw it was Alex Drakos himself, his big eyes stretched.
Oscar was in so much agony, he could barely speak. But he knew he had to defend himself. “I didn’t do anything to you, sir. I don’t even know you. There’s been some mistake. Why are you at my home? How did you get in here?”
But Alex didn’t say a word to him. He kept his foot planted on his chest, and he kept his eyes planted on the eyes of the man who raped his maid.
“What have I done?” the man finally asked.
And that was when Alex reacted. He removed his shoe from the man’s chest, grabbed the man up again, ran with him until he slammed him against the patio wall again. Oscar screamed out in pain.
Then he grabbed Oscar again, and ran with him to his massive swimming pool, and threw him to the pavement onto his back.
Alex then got down and put Oscar’s head in the water. “You like to assault women,” Alex said as he choked and attempted to drown Oscar.
Oscar wiggled and jerked and did all he could to break free. He was holding his breath, but he knew he couldn’t hold on much longer.
“You’ve been at it for a very long time,” Alex said, choking him harder and watching him squirm even mightier.
“So long,” Alex continued, “that you think it’s a game. That you think you can get away with it no matter where you are.”
Oscar was turning blue. He was trying to reach for Alex, begging with his terrified eyes for the very man killing him to save him.
“Your mistake,” Alex continued, “was that you played your game on my gameboard. And I don’t play games,” Alex said. And just when it appeared Oscar was going to lose his battle with consciousness, Alex pulled Oscar’s head out of the water and dropped him onto the pavement.
Oscar was gasping for breath, and coughing hard, but he was grateful. He looked up at Alex, who was now standing upright and staring down at him. “Thank you,” he said. “Thank you for saving my life.”
“I wasn’t going to kill you,” Alex said.
Oscar nodded. “Thank you. I’ve learned my lesson. Thank you.”
“I’m not going to kill you,” Alex said, “but you will be punished for what you did to my maid.”
Oscar stared at him. “Punished for that? You came here because of some maid? Why should you care what happens to some maid?”
“You raped her,” Alex said.
“It was just a bit of fun,” Oscar said. “She’s nothing! You came here because of her?”
He had one thing right: had it only been about that maid, Alex still would have handled it, but he would have sent some of his goons to handle it. He would not have been there himself. But she wasn’t just some maid. She was one of Kari’s maids. Kari looked out for her maids. Alex looked out for Kari. That was why he came.
He looked toward the sliding glass door that led into Oscar’s home. A man
carrying a doctor’s bag, along with two other big, burly men, walked out. Oscar looked at the man, and then looked at Alex.
“You’re going to have an operation,” Alex said to Oscar.
Oscar sat up then. “An operation? I don’t need any operation. What kind of operation?”
“This gentleman used to be a doctor,” Alex said as the doctor and the two men made their way up to him. “A very prominent doctor before he lost his license to practice in every state in the union. He was incompetent, you see. Too many patients died in his care. But he can give the meanest castration I’ve ever seen.”
When Oscar heard the c word, he tried to jump to his feet, despite his pain. But Alex angrily kicked Oscar in the face with his expensive shoe, knocking him backwards, and then placed that same shoe on Oscar’s chest again.
“Rape, they say, is all about power and possession,” Alex said to him. “It’s a power trip. I can’t do anything about what’s in your head up there. But,” Alex said, as he moved his shoe further down, to Oscar’s penis. He smashed it like he was smashing a bug. Oscar screamed.
“But I can do something about what’s in your head down here,” Alex continued. “When the good doctor finishes with you, this instrument of destruction will be nothing. That’s what will be down there. Absolutely nothing. I’m no rapist, but I suspect it will be very difficult to rape with no tool of the trade. Wouldn’t you say so, Mr. Milner? Won’t be much fun without it.”
Then Alex added, with a chilling look in his eyes: “Raping that maid might have been a bit of fun to you. A game to you. But you picked the wrong playhouse to play that game in, Mr. Milner. The absolute wrong one.”
Oscar started begging for mercy, but Alex wasn’t interested. “Tell anyone about our visit, and it will be your end. There’s no two ways about it. You will die a horrible death. That you can count on.”
Alex was about to turn it over to the doctor. But he saw something in Oscar’s eyes. He stared at him. “What are you not telling me?” he asked him.
Alex Drakos: For My Lover Page 12