by Tracy Ellen
I stood there, mind racing. ‘Good God, was Candy involved in some sick father-son ritual where dear old dad brings his virgin boy to her boudoir to devour, I mean deflower?’
Reg wiggled the photo head in front of my eyes. “Well?”
“Oh no!” Anna’s cry came from close by.
I plucked the photo from Reg’s grasp when he ran by. I scooped up the other heads off the desk, shoving them back into the envelope and into my purse before running after my brother.
We slid to a halt outside the bedroom door in the small foyer area. Anna stared at us blankly with her phone raised in the air and a hand to her mouth. Fat tears were rolling down her cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” Reg asked urgently, reaching out to her as Luke came around the corner followed by everyone else. She didn’t answer, but stood there crying harder.
Shrugging my bafflement in response to Luke’s inquiring look, I asked gently, “Hey Anna, what’s happened? Are you okay?”
Lips quivering uncontrollably, she shook her head rapidly no and wailed, “NanaBel’s flight has been cancelled!”
At Anna’s distressing announcement, Reg put his arms around her and ushered us all into the media room. Soon the weather channel was blaring on an enormous flat screen TV.
Reports showed London and the outlying areas getting hammered hard with a winter storm. Heavy snows throughout the afternoon had been in the forecast. The snow would have made for miserable driving conditions, but not caused NanaBel’s flight to be cancelled--that was the fault of the surprise ice storm.
Due to unexpectedly warm temps, instead of snowing as predicted, it had downpoured in the morning. When the temperatures plummeted, the torrential rains turned into sleet and then ice. The city’s Road and Transportation Division couldn’t keep up with the roads and they became ice rinks from hell by the afternoon.
The channel showed images of downed telephone lines and residential streets littered with fallen tree branches that were snapping like twigs from the buildup of ice and subsequent heavy snows.
Except for Anna’s sniffing, our group silently watched the blizzard on the big screen as a reporter on site at Gatwick Airport confirmed the dangerous conditions. All air traffic was officially cancelled until further notice.
Reg pulled Anna closer in his embrace while saying, “NanaBel will move heaven and earth to get here as soon as she can.”
“I know,” she hiccupped, trying to smile, “but it’s already around one o’clock in the morning their time and the snow isn’t predicted to stop for hours.” Her face crumpled again. “They’re on standby for a noon flight. Even if the weather clears and they get on that plane, it’s a ten hour flight, plus customs. Our wedding’s at 4:00 PM tomorrow. Do the fucking math and maybe you’ll come up with a better answer than I did.”
I handed her a bunch of tissues and she miserably nodded her thanks. Everyone patted her on the back in commiseration, but I could see their wheels turning as they did what she said and tried to calculate all the variables. Except Crookie, he’d grimaced sadly the minute Anna said the flight was cancelled. I’m surprised he hadn’t gotten on the phone and told NanaBel what coat she should be wearing during the storm.
‘Why, a London Fog with the fur lining zippered in, of course,’ the mean mommy voice drawled sarcastically, and we sniggered together.
Crookie smiled at me then, lifting his hands in a helpless gesture towards Reg and Anna. At his sweetness, I called myself nine kinds of a bitch for making fun of his caring nature, no matter how bizarrely it was manifested. I smiled back reassuringly.
I moved over to stand by Luke and he put his arm around me.
“Dudes, this bites, but postpone the wedding until she gets here. What’s the big deal?” Ash asked, smiling around the group. His big brown eyes reflected pleasure at his own genius for coming up with this simple solution.
Anna fired a wadded up Kleenex in answer. It bounced off his wide forehead.
Ash put his hands up. “Whoa! I was only trying to help!”
Jazy smiled grimly. “I’d be tempted to screw you, Ash, if you weren’t my brother’s friend and such a dumb ass. Do you have any idea the amount of effort and money Anna and Reg put into getting this wedding planned? It’s New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas, dude. Everything is booked solid. You can’t postpone anything or there will be no wedding or wedding dinner.”
Anna stopped crying to stare at Jazy. Actually, I think everybody was staring at Jazy, for one reason or another.
Ash stood up straighter, another kind of smile breaking over his face. “Jazy, we need to discuss this a little more. Your brother and I are more business partners now than friends, wouldn’t you say, Reg?” He clasped his hands and bowed his head contritely. “I’m sorry, Anna. I’m a dumb ass sometimes and don’t know anything about weddings.”
Anna smiled a little. “Apology accepted. I’m sorry I threw my snot rag at your head, Ash.”
“Apology accepted.” Ash smiled enticingly at Jazy. “What do brains have to do with screwing?”
“If you have to ask…” Jazy muttered under her breath, at the same time Reg laughed and exclaimed to Henry, “Can you believe his shit? Twenty years of friendship and he throws me to the fucking wolves because one of my sisters throws him a bone.”
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” Henry asked, cracking a rare joke.
Even Anna chuckled, as she rubbed her forehead and grimaced.
Luke left my side and came back with a bottle of water for Anna.
“Here, take a drink.” Luke motioned to the water and waited until Anna drank. He smiled. “That wasn’t a drink. Reg, tell your fiancé to drink more water. She needs to stay hydrated. It will help with her headache.”
“You heard the man. Hydrate, woman,” Reg ordered.
She rolled her eyes at me, but raised the bottle and took a few big gulps.
“Nothing will make up for NanaBel not being here, but if worse comes to worse, you guys can FaceTime or Skype.” Luke met my eyes. “Anabel and I have used FaceTime and it works great.”
I nodded, but looked away quickly.
“Yeah, that’s great! At least then she can see and hear everything happening at our wedding real time.” Reg smiled and hugged Anna. “Let’s text NanaBel and ask what works for her.”
Anna looked stricken. “Oh my God, I’m so selfish. Here I’ve been crying about her not being here for my sake while I have all of you. But poor NanaBel is stuck at an airport during a frickin’ blizzard on the other side of the planet.
“Yeah, but one way or another, NanaBel will still walk you down that aisle,” Tre J observed happily. “How cool is that?”
“Way cool,” Anna agreed and they high-fived. She turned to Luke. “I appreciate the encouragement, but you didn’t have to lie about Junior FaceTiming to convince me.”
Luke smiled quizzically. “Why would I do that?”
Anna smiled quizzically in return. “Uh, I don’t know. Why would you?”
“I wouldn’t.”
“Oh.” Anna glanced at me, and then her confusion lifted. “OH!”
I hoped Anna was feeling less bummed, but I was acutely aware of everyone listening again, and tittering, as well. I may be getting used to having a boyfriend, and even getting used to being trapped in his arms in bed all night, but I’d never get used to everybody knowing my blasted business.
Luke went off to confer with Crookie, but not before confidently reassuring Anna that if NanaBel didn’t arrive in time for their wedding, everything would be ready for the next best scenario.
“So…dirty FaceTime, eh, Junior?” Eyes still red from her crying jag, Anna was all smiles now. Evidently having something to leer about cheered her right up.
“Shut up.”
Undeterred, she nudged me and chortled. “I take it social media isn’t such a plague on mankind after all?”
I nudged her back. “You’re a plague on womankind.”
Ten minutes later, she was still chor
tling every time she glanced at me on the way to our suites.
Our suites were located on the twenty-ninth floor. Darcy Milton would probably read something into that coincidence and say it was a good omen for my first trip to Vegas, if you were into omens, which I wasn’t.
Anna’s suite was down the corridor from ours. I verified I’d see her at six when all the women were meeting at her room.
I glanced at her suite number, 2912. “You didn’t tell Crazy your correct suite number, did you?”
“Geesh, Junior, only a complete bitch would play such a low trick on a guest at her own bachelorette party,” Anna sniffed in reply.
“True, so what number did you give her?”
“2812.”
We burst out laughing and bumped fists.
Luke’s eyebrows rose. “You seriously sent Candy on a wild goose chase?”
“More like a wild Tasmanian Devil chase,” I answered with a huge grin.
“Or a wild praying mantis chase,” Anna added, and we held onto each other cracking up while Luke watched, a small smile playing on his lips.
“You two scare me.” He shrugged a broad shoulder. “But I never thought I’d have reason to describe either of you as small-minded.”
Anna laughed louder, but winced. “Ouch. A direct hit.”
I laid my hand on Luke’s chest and looked up into his glittering eyes. “You don’t have a reason now. Think of us as guerilla fighters in a bloody war spanning over twenty years. We seize every opportunity to pepper the opposition,” I rolled my eyes, “who, by the way, has much bigger guns.”
“Yeah, and is frickin’ scary crazy,” Anna added helpfully.
I nodded and stroked Luke’s chest. “See? There’s nothing small-minded whatsoever about our actions towards the ex-cousin.” I glanced over at Anna. “Tell me you remembered to bring the rubber cockroach to put in her drink?”
“Yep, General. I brought the jarful of scary maggots for her food, too.”
“Excellent work, soldier.”
Luke raised a brow as he chuckled. “Isn’t putting fake rubber maggots in food about as scary as seeing rice on your plate?”
“That would be a good point, if they were fake,” I agreed, patting his chest.
“But they aren’t,” Anna added.
We laughed merrily while Luke ran a hand over his chin and eyed us like we needed corporal punishment.
Luke and I left Anna in her suite. She was squealing as she devoured chocolates from a complimentary gift basket with one hand, and clutched a cashmere pillow to her chest with the other.
As Luke swiped the door of our suite, I sighed heavily but smiled. “She’s definitely feeling better.”
The green light clicked, and he opened the door a few inches before turning to cup my shoulders. He looked hard into my eyes. “Even allowing for her pregnancy, if you ever cry as much as Anna does, I’ll give you something to cry about.”
I threw my arms around his waist and hugged him tight. “Fair warning, my war-god, but if that threat involves spanking my bare butt,” I let him go to cover my eyes and pretended to cry, “boo hoo, it makes me so, so sad.”
He pulled me into the suite. “I’ve got just the knee to bend you over.”
I kicked off my high heels and slipped off my blazer, smiling at him over my shoulder. “Promises, promises.”
The Bellagio suites were a mere 1,000 square feet of luxury consisting of a living room, a wet bar area, bedroom, and his and her baths. Decorated in golds and blues, sumptuous was the perfect word. Unfortunately, we barely had time to do much squealing ourselves before it was almost time for me to go meet the girls and for Luke to join the men.
Luke was dressing after a quick shower, but my evening was to begin at the spa. After unpacking a party dress for later, I only had to twist my hair up, and change into leggings and a T-shirt.
Captivated by our view beyond the bedroom window, I lazed on a blue brocade chaise and gazed out into the night. My body was comfortably drifting, but my thoughts were a hive of activity.
Seizing upon the opportunity of my entire family out of town, Hood was completing another mission for me sometime in the next two days. He was taking the winter boot cast in frozen dirt from Anna’s fridge to compare it to the boots in Crazy’s closet. If Hood didn’t find a match there, Kenna’s house was his next stop.
Kenna was the suspect I was hoping to clear. If Kenna had lied to me and was a part of the ex-cousin’s plot, it made sense she’d be the person who set up the tripod and camera at the farm. While doable, the timing was tight for Crazy to pull everything off alone. Still operating under the assumption Kenna may have lied to me, and since I ran into her on the road not long after the pictures were taken, she could have been returning to pick up the camera.
I did not want to find out Kenna was Crazy’s partner, but I feared the worst. Kenna had been acting too nice lately. Her behavior smacked of guilty remorse. If my worst fears were realized, all the remorse in the world would not alleviate her guilt in my eyes. I forced my mind off the subject, not willing to give strength to such negative energy unless it was necessary.
Much like at funerals, my next thought urged me to laugh hysterically every time I dwelled on the identity of the boy’s head. Not that underage porn was remotely humorous, but my funny bone was tickled by the grotesquely peculiar. The Patterson father-son boudoir photo shoot certainly fit that description.
Chuckling helplessly, I wondered for the hundredth time, ‘What was Crazy doing?’
I froze at a terrifying idea. It was totally random and unconnected, but persistently demanded to be heard. ‘What if those pictures had something to do with Crazy now being Luke’s employee?’
“What the duck, Axelrod,” I murmured aloud. “Get a grip.”
But the damage was done. A person cannot undo a thought once it’s in there, rattling around in the brain box and shaking things up.
‘Okay, I can deal with this,’ I coached myself silently, stomach twisting in unaccountable knots. ‘It makes no logical sense, but my gut says to listen, so I will.’
I proceeded to talk myself down. I ended with the conclusion that even if the weird idea had any merit, I trusted Luke. If those pictures involved him in any way, they didn’t exist at his request.
‘Ah, how cute. You sound like every girlfriend across the country using their vacation time to visit their man in prison,’ the mean mommy voice cooed.
After gesturing double middle fingers, twice, and a Viggo V with feeling at my head, I breathed deeply and exerted some self-control over my thoughts.
I decided the next two days were devoted entirely to my family’s weddings. I’d given my word to try not to suck as a maid of honor. The grotesquely peculiar case of Crazy and her carnivorous C would have to wait until my boots hit the ground in Minnesota. And then there would be no more duckfucking around. I would be getting answers or somebody would be getting their butt kicked.
An image of Kyle Koch sprang up, but I shook my head quickly and muttered firmly, “Nope, not going there, either.”
I shivered and rubbed my arms.
That was over and done with, so I wasn’t wasting another millisecond on that dangerous dandy man.
“I’ve hesitated to interrupt, but I wanted a chance to talk with you, too, before we had to leave.”
Covering my face with both hands, I uttered a small groaning laugh. I peeked up between my fingers at my boyfriend. I had no clue how long he’d been standing there by the chaise lounge, but I was busted again. His grin grew wider when his eyes dropped to my chest outlined in the tight T-shirt. I had to start paying closer attention to my nipples.
He offered his hand and pulled me to my feet, as I replied with dignity, “Thanks for patiently waiting your turn.”
Luke laughed while we held each other. “Anabel, Anabel, looking back, I can’t believe how boring my life was before I met you.”
Can I help it if he held me so closely that I was forced to rub my
chest against his?
I agree, it’s unhealthy not to keep the blood circulating in all our body parts.
My Dark Prince was dressed in jeans, a black buttoned-down shirt that hugged his muscles like I wanted to do, and black boots. He smelled delicious. Short jet black hair shined, still a little damp, but it was the brilliant green eyes that mesmerized my soul.
But not my mouth.
“Yeah, I imagine jumping out of planes and fighting bad dudes all over the world, with exotic women crawling out of the woodwork, was pretty tame in comparison.”
“It was excruciatingly tame,” he replied solemnly, “but I love how you make exotic women sound like they need to be exterminated.”
I giggled and nuzzled his neck. “I love that I have a boyfriend who says E words like ‘excruciatingly’ and ‘exterminated’.” I licked his neck. “It gets me hot.”
“Existentialist.” He brought my hands up around his neck. “Extraordinary. Extrapolate.” His lips touched mine. “Exacerbation.”
We kissed deeply. Luke slid my shirt up until it was over my chest and bunched up around my neck. He pulled the cups of my white lace bra down under my breasts. It plumped them up almost painfully, but I forgot that discomfort when my nipples were rubbed roughly with his thumbs.
“Extravagant.” Luke bent his head to suck hard on one nipple and then the other. I melted down to the floor with him and reached for his belt.
Our clothes flew off while we touched and kissed, tasting each other frantically. Well, I was frantic. Sitting back on his knees, my legs over his shoulders, Luke palmed my ass and lifted me to his mouth. He taunted me with E words between each licking, sucking caress.
“Exquisite. Erotic. Enflamed.”
When my head started thrashing wildly, his hands on my butt lifted my body until I was sitting up and spread over his thighs. He penetrated slowly, but soon we were frantically moving in a rhythm. Well, it was me frantic again. Luke held my hips and moved me this way and that until I was tightening convulsively and wildly thrashing again.
He spoke with each hard stroke, “Equivocating. Executing.” He groaned. “Ejaculation.”
Holding my butt in both hands, he held me impaled and then thrust deeply inside me, at the same time he leaned back on his heels. The move tilted me forward. My hands grabbed his shoulders to prevent falling sideways, my butt in the air and breasts in his face. On the edge, I begged him not to stop when his mouth found my nipples again, spasms of pleasure in my cha-cha clenching him while he pumped inside me.