Alex Drakos 2_His Scandalous Family

by Mallory Monroe

  The intercom button buzzed again. Alex, accustomed to constant interruptions, pressed it. “Yes?”

  “The deputy chief is here to see the chief, sir.”

  Hines frowned. “Tell him to wait,” he yelled at the intercom. “His ass knows I’m in a meeting with the boss!”

  “He said,” the voice over the intercom responded, “that it’s about the boss, and the boss’s woman.”

  Hines frowned. “The boss’s woman? What the fuck is he talking about?”

  But Alex kept his voice measured as he spoke into the intercom, although he was suddenly worried. “Send him through,” he said.

  That surprised the chief, and he looked back as his deputy quickly came into the office and made his way up to the desk.

  “What’s this about?” the chief asked. He knew how Alex felt about that black girl in Florida. Every one of his security chiefs knew it, and had been given their orders concerning her and her kid. If anything came up regarding either one of them, Alex had ordered, they were to get in touch with him personally. No back channels. No third-and-forth hand. He wanted to hear directly from them. That was why the deputy felt he was on solid ground by the interruption. But was it worth interrupting them, was the chief’s question.

  “I just received a phone call from our guys in the field in Apple Valley,” he said.

  “Go on,” Alex said.

  “There’s rumors going around, sir. Very nasty rumors.”

  The chief frowned. “Rumors? You barged in on our meeting because of rumors?”

  But Alex was far less dismissive. “What are the rumors about?” he asked.

  “Natalie Corman is all over the internet, and as of right now on some television programs too, saying that you and she are engaged. She’s displaying the engagement ring you allegedly gave to her as well.”

  The chief looked at Alex. “Engaged?” he asked him. That was news to him. But Alex didn’t look at the chief. He was too busy staring at the deputy. More, he knew, was to come.

  “We have every reason to believe that,” the deputy said, “given how hot the story is in that town, and I mean it’s hot, sir: we have every reason to believe that Miss Grant heard those rumors too. From what her office manager told us, and that woman is very concerned about Miss Grant, she probably saw Natalie Corman’s announcement too.”

  Alex suspected that would be the other part. Natalie Corman went public. Her ass did it anyway. And now Kari knew.

  Alex leaned back in his chair and clasped his fingers together. He didn’t say anything, but his chief and deputy both could see that tightening of his jaw.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  At a motel in Apple Valley, Kari was on her knees cleaning the toilet when she heard her best friend’s voice.

  “Kari? Kari? Kari Grant, where are you, girl?”

  Kari wiped her forehead with the back of her rubber-gloved hand. “Back here,” she said loudly. “In the bathroom.”

  “They told me you were over here,” Faye Church began saying, but when she arrived in the doorway of the bathroom, she stopped in her tracks and frowned. “What on earth are you doing?” she asked.

  Kari looked at her friend, who stood before her dressed in Prada head-to-toe, with keys in one hand and a Styrofoam cup of Starbucks coffee in the other. Then she continued scrubbing. “One of my girls called in sick,” she said.

  “Then make your other girls clean her rooms,” Faye said.

  “Nope,” Kari said firmly. “This is a new contract. If we get behind like that, they may cancel us. I can’t afford that. I’ll clean every toilet in Apple Valley before I let that happen.”

  Faye shook her head. “You’re better than me, girl. Cleaning toilets? I’ll just have to lose this particular contract. I’m sorry.”

  “Sure you would, Faye,” Kari said as she rose to her feet.

  “I’m serious!”

  “If you owned a business, and didn’t have Benny as your backup, a man who happens to be a successful lawyer by the way, then you’d do whatever you had to do to stay afloat. Trust. Okay?”

  Faye smiled. “I guess you’re right.”

  “So what’s up?” Kari began removing the rubber gloves and placing them in her supply cart. When Faye didn’t respond, Kari glanced back at her.

  “Did J tell you?” Faye asked.

  Kari exhaled, turned toward Faye, and leaned against the sink vanity. “He told me.”

  “It’s a crying shame, Kare. I’d kick his ass myself if he was here right now.”

  “Just because somebody said something on the internet doesn’t make it true,” Kari responded.

  “But it’s not just on the internet,” Faye pointed out. “It’s all over. Access Hollywood. TMZ. Even Wendy Williams mentioned it in her Hot Topics, and you know that woman’s legit.”

  “But it’s still gossip,” Kari said as she stood erect and began pushing her cart toward the bathroom’s exit, where Faye stood.

  “Did he call you?” Faye asked, as she moved aside.

  Kari didn’t answer that. She already felt like crap. Here she was, cleaning toilets for a living, and some gorgeous actress was claiming to be engaged to Alex. And that actress’s engagement to him seemed far more plausible and real to everybody in town than Kari’s relationship to him.

  As Kari (and her cart) walked out of the motel’s bathroom, and was about to head for the next room to clean, Faye placed her hand on Kari’s arm.

  Kari looked at her hand, and then looked into Faye’s eyes. When their eyes met, and Kari could see that tears of empathy had pooled in Faye’s eyes, those unshed tears Kari had been fighting all day appeared in Kari’s eyes too. And the two friends embraced.

  “You’ll find you a good man, Kari,” Faye said as she held her best friend. “You’ll find somebody who deserves you.”

  They held onto each other for a long time, and then stopped embracing. Kari wiped away a tear. Faye still had her hands on both of Kari’s arms. “You do believe that, don’t you?” Faye asked her.

  “Do I believe that good men are out there?” Kari asked. “Yes, I do. Do I believe I’ll get one?”

  Kari scrunched up her face. She dreaded even answering such a pitiful question. “I’ve got to get back to work,” she said, just as her cell phone rang.

  “Why don’t you and Jordan come to dinner tonight?” Faye asked, as Kari pulled out her cell phone. “Benny and I would love to have you.”

  Kari looked at her Caller ID, and Faye immediately saw a change in her expression. “Who is it?” Faye asked. Then she realized who. “Is it him? Don’t answer it if it is. Make that asshole sweat. Don’t answer it, Kari!”

  Kari loved Faye, but she wasn’t trying to hear her. This was Kari’s life. And her heart. And nobody, not even Faye, was going to dictate that. She answered the call. “Hello?”

  “I’m coming to town tonight.”

  Just the sound of his voice caused Kari to close her eyes in a tight squeeze that left her filled with all kinds of emotions.

  Alex continued: “I need to see you concerning a matter,” he said.

  It was true then, thought Kari. And there was no way around it: they needed to talk about it. “Okay,” she said.

  “Okay,” said Alex. Then there was a longer-than-usual pause. “See you tonight,” he added.

  Kari didn’t add anything. She ended the call.

  “What did he say?” Faye asked anxiously.

  “He’s coming to town tonight.”

  “And?”

  “We’re going to talk.”

  Faye’s heart dropped. She knew what that meant. She pulled Kari into her arms again.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Kari stirred her pot of pasta one more time and then walked over to the center island, picked up her cellphone, and continued to stare at the photograph in front of her. Natalie Corman. A gorgeous redhead all the men in Hollywood supposedly wanted. According to what Kari had been reading, this woman and Alex had been in what they called an
on-again, off-again relationship for years. Now it was apparently on again, if all of these stories were to be believed. But Kari needed to hear it from Alex himself before she could become a true believer.

  But what was bothering her even more was the why. Not the why of any relationship he might or might not have with that actress. But why would a man who had his pick of glamour girls like Natalie Corman decide to pitch his tent with a decidedly un-glamourous girl like Kari? That woman undoubtedly spent her afternoons getting manicures and pedicures. Kari spent her afternoon cleaning toilets!

  But when Kari heard Jordan’s bedroom door open, she immediately closed the screen she had been viewing on her phone. If Kari were perplexed by it all, Jordan was downright pissed.

  He entered the kitchen, with his cellphone in hand, too, and sat at the center island.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  “Finished your homework?”

  “Yeah.”

  Kari stared at him.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Anything you needed me to help you with?”

  “Why are you cooking for him?” Jordan asked.

  Kari frowned. “What?”

  “Why are you cooking for him after what he’s done to you?”

  “First of all, young man,” Kari said, “I’m not cooking for him. I’m cooking for us. I promised to fix you spaghetti tonight, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. And second of all, Alex is going to be a guest in my home tonight. He treated us well when we were in his house. We will return the favor. Especially you, buster. He ain’t done shit to you!”

  But Jordan was shaking his head. “That’s not true,” he said. “Anybody who hurts my mama, hurts me.”

  Kari stared at him.

  “We come as a package deal,” Jordan continued. “They get one, they get the other one. Whether they like it or not.”

  Kari smiled. And ruffled Jordan’s soft hair. “You got that right,” she said. “And don’t be upset by what’s going on, Jordan.”

  “It’s not that I’m upset,” Jordan said. “I’m just disappointed in Mr. Drakos. I thought he . . .”

  Kari nodded. She thought so too.

  “And don’t worry, Ma,” Jordan said, “he doesn’t have to take care of you. Just wait until I get out of high school, and get out of college. I’m gonna buy you the biggest house you ever seen before, and I’m gonna buy you a car, too. And it ain’t gonna be no Toyota Tercel!”

  Kari laughed. “That’s a reliable car, boy,” she said. “Don’t knock it!”

  But Kari felt a great need to set Jordan straight. “I appreciate how you feel, J,” she said. “But here’s a novel idea. Why don’t Alex take care of himself. Why don’t you, when you’re grown, take care of yourself. And I’ll take care of myself. How’s that for a deal?”

  But Jordan was shaking his head. He was as stubborn as his mother. “Nope,” he said. “I’m taking care of you.”

  Kari smiled again, but as soon as she did they both heard a car pull up on their driveway.

  Jordan nervously looked at Kari. Kari went over to her pot, removed it from the burner and turned the burner off, and then wiped her hands on the apron she wore. Then she, followed by Jordan, went into the living room and looked out of the picture window.

  Alex, this time, was driving a big Cadillac Escalade SUV, and was on his phone.

  Jordan shook his head. “He’s always on the phone,” he said.

  “He has an empire to run,” Kari said. “It’s amazing he’s even bothering to come and talk to us at all.”

  But that didn’t sit right with Jordan. He looked at his mother. “Stop making excuses for him,” he said. “I don’t want him to play you like that.”

  Kari laughed. “Play me? Boy, please! Nobody’s playing me. I’m just pointing out the obvious. Don’t you ever be so blinded by anger that you refuse to accept the truth. I taught you that. The man runs an empire. That’s the truth. The man took time out of his busy schedule to come see us about whatever it is he’s coming to see us about. That’s the truth too. Regardless of how we may feel about him right now, the truth is still the truth. Got it?”

  Jordan nodded his head. “Yes, ma’am,” he said.

  Kari smiled. She really didn’t deserve this kid!

  But when Alex got out of the SUV, and began heading toward the house, all smiles were gone. He was casually dressed, in slacks and a V-neck pullover knit shirt, and Kari’s heart began to hammer. She cared so deeply for him!

  Then the doorbell rang. Kari was about to answer it, but Jordan pulled her back. “You sit down,” he said. “He doesn’t need to think you’re all anxious to see him again. I’ll answer it.”

  Kari felt odd taking direction from her fourteen-year-old son, but he had a point. She went over to the sofa and sat down. Jordan went to the front door, and opened it.

  Alex smiled when he saw his favorite teenager. “Hey, Jordan! How are you?” he asked.

  Jordan, however, couldn’t muster the same enthusiasm he usually had whenever he saw Mr. Drakos. “I’m okay,” he said.

  Alex felt the chill. He understood why. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. “Good,” he said.

  And he walked on in.

  Kari was seated on the sofa. Her hair was in a messy ponytail where some of the strands had escaped the enclosure. She wore an apron around her small waist, and a pair of jeans beneath it. And unlike all the women he’d ever dated, she was the only one who didn’t go out of her way to impress him with clothes and jewelry and all manner of style and sophistication just to eat dinner at home. But it was Kari, above all those other women, who impressed him the most.

  “Hello,” he said to her as he walked toward her.

  “Hey,” she responded.

  But when he leaned down, to kiss her on the lips, he fully expected her to recoil. Any other woman in her circumstance would. Besides, if Jordan was the barometer, he was certain she was the reason.

  But Kari, to his inward delight, didn’t recoil at all. She accepted his kiss. She, at least, was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. And if he wanted anybody on the face of this earth to give him that benefit, it was Kari.

  And when their lips met, it was Alex who closed his eyes tightly and felt that sweetness she always gave to him. The fact that she was hurting angered him. He had to make this right!

  His plan was to sit beside her, and hold her, but Jordan came up while they were kissing and sat beside Kari himself. He was highly protective of his mother, especially when he felt she was vulnerable. Alex appreciated that. When he wasn’t around, he knew he was going to be able to depend on Jordan. He was counting on it!

  He sat in the chair that flanked the sofa, while mother and son stared at him. He got to it. “I’ve got to make a trip to Fiskardo,” he said.

  Jordan frowned. “To where?”

  “His hometown,” Kari said. “It’s in Greece.”

  Jordan and Alex both looked at her.

  “I read that much in that unauthorized biography,” Kari said.

  Alex smiled. “It was about the only thing in that entire book that lady got right,” he said.

  But then there was a pause. A very tense, awkward pause.

  It was Kari who decided to get on with it. “Why are you here, Alex?” she asked him pointblank.

  “I heard you’ve heard some things,” he said.

  “Such as?” Kari asked.

  “About myself and Natalie Corman.”

  Kari nodded. Now they were getting down to it, she thought. “Yes. I’ve heard.”

  “So have I,” said Jordan.

  “I think you need to go to your room, Jordan,” Alex began saying.

  But Jordan looked at his mother, ready to object.

  “But,” Alex continued, “given that it’s apparently the juicy topic of conversation all over this town, I think you need to hear this, too. Agreed?”

  Jordan nodded his head. “Yeah,” he said.

  But Kari h
it him upside his head. Jordan looked at her. “I don’t care how upset you are, boy,” she said firmly, “we will not do that. Not today. Not ever.”

  Jordan, knowing exactly what she meant even if Alex wasn’t quite sure, looked at Alex. “I meant yes, sir,” he said.

  Alex understood. Despite her pain, Kari was teaching her son a lesson: respect his elders, even if he thought them to be a pile of shit.

  Alex leaned forward, as if the closer he was to the two people who were quickly becoming the two most important people in his life, the more they would believe him. “Here’s the story,” he said. “I went out on two dates with Natalie Corman. The first one was at a dinner party in Manhattan. The second one was at some other public function that I can’t even remember the name of or what it entailed. I slept with her both times,” he said.

  Kari hated that Jordan had to hear that, and she glanced at him, but Jordan didn’t even seem fazed. Because he didn’t care about any of that. That all happened in the past, before Alex met his mother. What Jordan wanted to know was in the here and now: the final verdict. Was Alex going to marry that woman?

  “After those two initial meetings, I never called her again. Nor did I see her again.”

  “You didn’t see her again?” Kari asked. “But all those stories are saying you and she have been in an on-again, off-again relationship for years.”

  “She’s been in an imaginary, for publicity reasons, on-and-off relationship with me. Now she’s starting it back up again.”

  “But why?” Kari asked, still confused. “And why is she all over television and the internet claiming that you and she are engaged? And why is she showing off this big rock you supposedly gave to her?”

  “Because her career is waning again and she need some buzz to get back in the main. What better way to do that than to claim an engagement to the billionaire playboy, that nonsense title they have bestowed upon me?”

  Kari was feeling hopeful again. So was Jordan. “So you’re saying,” Kari asked him, “that this is all a publicity stunt?”

  “Pure and simple,” Alex said. “A stunt orchestrated by Natalie herself. Normally, it would not faze me at all. She’s not the only one who pulls that shit just to get a little buzz. I’m used to it. But I have you now, and Jordan, and the two of you to think about. Your reputations. My lawyers have contacted her lawyers to notify them of my intent to sue her for slander.”