“But can you win a case like that?” Kari asked.
“It’ll never go to court,” Alex said. “But if she doesn’t want me to get on television and tell the truth about what she’s up to, she’ll get on TV herself and correct the record. But trust me, if she continues to hold onto this charade, I will take her ass to court, and I will get on television myself and correct the record. But either way, that will be the end of that.”
Jordan looked at Kari. And they both smiled. They believed Alex. He could be lying his head off, but it didn’t feel like that to them. It felt like it felt before this Natalie Corman drama. It felt like Alex, and them, together again!
And Kari and Jordan both jumped up from the sofa and ran to Alex for a group embrace. Alex felt such relief, and such happiness, that he pulled them both into more than an embrace. It was more like a smothering bear hug. It was the affection Alex was hoping for when he first arrived. They were always so enthusiastic to see him. It warmed his heart in ways they would never know. Alex, in fact, never felt happier than when he was with them.
But although Jordan stood back up and managed to get out of the hug, Kari remained on Alex’s lap.
Kari stood up, and then Alex with her. He looked at her. “Why don’t we go for a little ride?” he asked. He was going to take her to his rental house and fuck her brains out. He’d do it right where they were, in Kari’s bedroom: that would be the fastest way. But she didn’t want that around Jordan.
“A drive would be nice,” Kari said, “but I’ve got to finish Jordan’s spaghetti first.”
Jordan smiled. His mother never kicked him to the curb to be with some man! “That’s right,” he said. “She promised me her world-famous spaghetti tonight. Have you tried it yet, Mr. Drakos?”
“Not yet, no,” Alex said. Then he smiled. “But it looks like I’m going to be trying it tonight.”
Kari laughed, and headed for the kitchen.
But when Alex went to follow her, Jordan pulled him back.
“What is it, J?” Alex asked.
“Nobody’s ever treated my mom like a queen,” he said. “If you do that; if you treat her right, then we’ll love you forever.”
Alex’s throat constricted. He wished to God he was worthy of this wonderful young man and his mother. And his look was as serious as if he had just landed a million-dollar deal. He extended his hand. “You have my word,” he said, and he and Jordan shook on it.
When their handshake agreement was completed, Jordan grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Now for the spaghetti,” he said.
“So your mom’s a world class cook, is she?”
“With spaghetti she is.”
“And with everything else?” Alex asked.
“She’s not the world’s best cook,” Jordan admitted, “but she’s better than nothing.”
Alex laughed a hearty laugh. Jordan was as real as his mother. Then Alex placed his hand on Jordan’s back, and followed him into the kitchen.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
They took it slow. Kari was lying on top of him, stomach to stomach, and he was inside of her. As Kari laid her head on his chest, and closed her eyes to enjoy the sensations, not only of his dick inside of her, but his big, powerful hands all over her. Alex was rubbing her ass, and her back, and her ass all over again. He was squeezing both cheeks so hard that it made those sensations intensify. He was a master of control when he wanted to be, and Alex was in control that night.
Alex was in new territory that night as well. As he stroked inside of her, and slid along her wetness and ridges, he was becoming more rigid and thicker the deeper he penetrated. And he was feeling the heat. Not the heat of their sex. He was well familiar with that kind of heat. But the heat of being with somebody who made his heart feel lighter. Who made his shoulders slump in a relaxation that took away all the burdens he bore, even if just for that moment in time. Who made his mind wander to possibilities that just months before would have been absurd to him. He was in what he could only guess was love territory.
Alex Drakos could not admit it out loud, but he privately felt that he just might be falling in love.
He closed his eyes, enjoyed what it felt to be making love to the woman that just might be the one he never thought would ever be, and imagined the possibility. Karena “Kari” Grant. Kari Grant. Kari Drakos.
He opened his eyes, a little shaken by the thought. He knew it would certainly be a thousand steps up from Linda Drakos. He knew he would be proud to parade around a woman of her character and goodness as his woman. He knew he would be filled with that kind of joy that he always thought would elude him for life.
But what would it do for her?
How would he enhance her life?
He had baggage. So much baggage! How could he put that weight on her?
But he wanted her. How could he not? Because Alex Drakos always had a knack for getting exactly what he wanted.
Except when it came to love.
He pulled Kari tighter into his arms as his strokes began to increase. He knew he was going deeper into that web of love with every stroke he put on her, but he kept stroking anyway. The idea that some Hollywood whore like Natalie Corman would tell the world he had asked her to be his wife, would normally have been mildly amusing to Alex. The idea of that vicious lie being spread around now, hurting this woman in his arms, the woman his dick was impaled inside of, wasn’t funny anymore.
He held Kari tighter and tighter, and fucked her harder and harder at just the thought of hurting her. And when she had her orgasm, and lifted her head and looked her hooded eyes into his hooded eyes as she came, his heart squeezed with the joy her eyes displayed. And he didn’t even cum that night. Just seeing Kari happy, and satisfied, was all the cum he needed.
Alex Drakos was falling in love.
Later that night, as they lay arm in arm, Kari was feeling some kind of happy way too. She even began smiling.
Alex looked at her, and couldn’t help but smile too. “What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Nothing’s funny,” Kari said. “But it seems so quiet now. Every time I came over here there was always so much noise and activity and the sound of machines doing what machines do.”
Alex smiled. “That’s over for now.” Then he thought about it. Now was as good a time as any to tell her, he decided. “I’m having a house built here in Apple Valley,” he said.
Kari was surprised. She looked at him. “A house?”
Alex looked at her. “Yes.”
What did that mean, Kari wondered? And being Kari, she had to ask it. “Does that mean you plan to move to Apple Valley?”
Alex exhaled. “I don’t know yet,” he said truthfully. “But just in case.”
Kari smiled. “Just in case you may move here, you’re having a house built here?”
“That’s right.”
Kari shook her head. “You are one odd hombre,” she said.
Alex laughed.
When the laugher died down, she moved closer against him. “It’ll be great if you did move here,” she said. “I know two people who will be very happy.”
Alex knew it too. He pulled her closer, and kissed her on her forehead.
After another pause of silence, Kari remembered what he had said. “You’re going to Greece,” she said.
Alex nodded. “Yes.”
“When?”
“After the Meet and Greet.”
Kari looked at him. “What Meet and Greet?”
Alex was surprised. “You didn’t get an invite?”
“No.”
“That’s what happens when you leave it to politicians. I guess the mayor is inviting only those he wants to attend.”
“What is it about?”
“It’s meant to be for vendors who already have secured contracts with the hotel and casino I’m building. But also for vendors who want contracts. I’ll be meeting and greeting both. It was supposed to happen later this week, but I had to push it up for tomorrow at noon.”
“Because you were coming to town?”
“That, yes,” Alex responded, “and because I need to get to Greece. Speaking of which,” he added.
When he didn’t say anything else, Kari looked at him. “What?” she asked.
“I want you to come with me.”
Did Kari hear him right? “Come with you where?” she asked, to clarify it for herself.
“To Greece,” Alex replied. “I want you to drop everything tomorrow afternoon, come with me to the Meet and Greet, and then board my plane and come with me to Greece.”
Kari was stunned.
“I think you should meet my family,” Alex said.
“You mean the gangsters?” Kari asked with a smile.
Alex looked at her. No smile. No sugarcoat. “Yes,” he said. “That’s why I’m going.”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard something disturbing about my brother. I need to find out if it’s true.”
Kari wanted to ask what was it that was so disturbing, but she held her peace.
“Will you come?” he asked her. “Benny and Faye will see after Jordan. Dezzamaine will take care of Maid for Mom, I’m sure, while we’re gone.”
But he could tell Kari was waffling. He decided to make himself plain. “It’s been years since I’ve been home,” he said. “I was lost, and adrift while I lived there. I need you with me, to anchor me. To remind me . . .”
“To remind you of what?” Kari asked.
“To remind me that I’m not that person anymore,” Alex said.
Kari felt a lump in her throat. This man, this strong, powerful man, was saying something to her that nobody had ever said to her and she believed him. Alex was saying that he needed her. To want her was one thing. Lust was built on want. But to need her was a different ballgame. Love was built on need.
And somehow, Kari didn’t fight it. He needed her, and just like he was there for Jordan, and for her so many times already, she was going to be there for him.
“It’ll be my honor to go meet your family,” she said.
Alex pulled her into his arms. “They’re fucked up,” he said. “They are not what Americans might call a Brady Bunch kind of family. But we’re used to that, too.”
Kari laughed. “Yes, we are,” she said happily, as he held her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The Meet-and-Greet was held in the City Hall ballroom, and what was supposed to be an event featuring a cross-section of the community looked more like a pay-for-play on steroids. Kari, along with Faye and their friend Lucinda Mayes, the owner of a local diner where Kari sometimes worked to make ends meet, and also where she first met Alex, saw it as soon as they entered the room.
“Every big-dollar donor that’s ever contributed to the mayor’s campaigns are up in here,” Faye said. “He’s trying to run the table with these contracts.”
“Sure is,” Lucinda agreed. She fingered her long, blonde extensions on the right side, and then jerked it back on the left side. Although she was an attractive woman in her own right, and was always on the prowl for an attractive man, it was Faye Church, she and Kari both knew, who was the real beauty in their group. “He’s running this Meet-and-Greet like a graft operation.”
“It’s pay-for-play, baby,” said Faye, jerking her long, brown hair back too. “You grease my palms, I’ll grease yours. I sure hope Alex understands this.” Then Faye and Lucinda looked at Kari.
Kari smiled. “Alex is a businessman with a worldwide company, ladies. I think he’s seen his share of greedy politicians, and in bigger places than little Apple Valley. He can handle it.”
Lucinda gave her a sidelong look. When Alex first hit town, Lucinda, like almost every single woman in Apple Valley, wanted to get her claws in him. She was disappointed that he didn’t give her, or anybody else but Kari (to everybody’s shock, including Kari’s), a second glance. “So what are you saying?” she asked. “You’re still down with him like that? Even after what happened with Natalie Corman?”
“Quit Lou,” Faye said. “Just quit. You know I told your messy butt that it was all lies. Natalie Corman was making it all up. You know I told you that.”
“I know you told me what Alex Drakos told Kari,” Lucinda said. “But I don’t know if that’s the truth.”
“It’s the truth,” Kari said.
“Yeah, but she’s got a point, Kare,” Faye said. “How do you know it’s the truth?”
Kari knew Lucinda and Faye were both coming from a good place. But how do you tell your best friends that you looked into a man’s eyes and decided to believe him? As simple as that? They would declare her naïve and foolish, and, worst of all, blinded by love. She wouldn’t hear the last of it! “It’s the truth,” was all she decided to say about it. Then she added: “Let’s mingle,” and left their side.
Lucinda shook her head. “That girl thinks he’s a saint,” she said.
“I just pray she doesn’t get her heart broken,” said Faye.
“So do I! Because I saw Natalie Corman on one of those celebrity shows. She looked convincing to me. And that rock she wore on her finger was the real deal.”
Faye nodded. “She looked convincing to me, too. But Kari believes her boo.”
“But is that boo worthy of being believed? Is that boo, a man known the world over as the, quote unquote, ‘billionaire playboy,’ worthy of her trust?”
Faye exhaled. It was a question she couldn’t answer either.
Then Lucinda looked at Faye. “I heard she’s going out of the country with him,” she said. “To Greece no less! He’s taking her to meet his mama, Faye.”
Faye nodded. “Yeah, Jordan’s going to stay with us while she’s gone. But dang, Lou. Who told you that already? I just found out myself last night.”
“Your husband told me, matter of fact. He came by the diner this morning.”
Faye smiled and shook her head. “Men love to declare that women are the big gossips, but nobody carries a bone like my hubby.”
“Like your gorgeous hubby that every lady in this town would still love to have as their own man, you mean.”
Faye nodded. “True that.”
“At least, with Kari all into Alex right now, you don’t have to worry about her anymore.”
Faye looked at Lucinda. “Meaning?”
“Oh, come on, Faye! You know Benny Church always felt a little something special for Kari Grant. You had to know that.”
Faye shook her head. “That’s why I mind my own business and do my own thing. A man can’t even be friends with a female without you thirsty-ass bitches going around declaring it something nasty. Benny loves Kari like a big brother loves a little sister, okay? They’re close, and I’m glad they’re close. She needed a man to help look out for her and her son in this cold world, and I’m glad my husband was that man to help her and Jordan out. Now if Alex is willing to take over the spot, then great. I’m all for that, too. But get your head out of the gutter, Lou.”
“My head is not in the gutter, thank you very much.”
“Yes, it is, thank you very much.”
Then Lucinda paused. Faye loved her husband, and every girl in town knew that Benny was nuts about Faye. Lucinda wished she had that kind of relationship herself. “So you trust Benny like that, hun?” she asked.
“I trust Benny, yes, I do,” Faye responded. “But I trust Kari more. And you and I both know Kari. If Benny come at her incorrect, she’ll let me, you, and this whole town know what happened, and that it won’t be happening again.”
Lucinda laughed. “Now that’s true. What was I thinking? Kari Grant and that mouth of hers? That is nothing but the truth!”
And it was Faye’s turn to laugh.
Kari wasn’t laughing, but she had a smile plastered on her face as she glad-handed colleagues and small-talked others in an effort to just make it through that Meet-and-Greet. Alex wasn’t even there yet. He had separate meetings to attend all morning long, and said he would meet her there,
but it had been half an hour and the guest of honor still had not shown up. The mayor even asked if she’d heard from him.
But she hadn’t. And she wasn’t about to try and track him down either. Given the vultures who were in that room, and how they were all friends of the mayor’s rather than worthy potential vendors, she figured they could wait.
And when Alex finally did arrive, looking gorgeous, Kari thought, in his black Brook Brothers suit, she could only smile and shake her head when the vendor hopefuls began applauding him just for showing up.
Faye and Lucinda made their way over to Kari as the applause continued.
“It’s suck-up time,” Kari said.
“Then we’d better pucker our lips,” said Faye.
“Amen,” said Lucinda.
Kari looked at them. She was shocked to hear them say that. “What do you mean?”
“What do you think we mean?” Lucinda asked. “We aren’t just here for our health, Kari. I want my diner to be the official caterer for his hotel.”
“Yeah,” said Faye, “and I want to be the official real estate broker for the employees of his hotel, and casino too. We know we’re friends of yours, but we want to cash in too!”
Kari laughed. “Okay.”
“Especially since you got in by the directive of none other than Alex Drakos himself,” Lucinda added.
That was true. Kari had taken her company out of the running to secure a housekeeping contract with the upcoming hotel and casino, mainly because she had slept with Alex and felt it would be unfair to the other applicants who did not have that so-called “advantage.” But Alex overruled her and said she was getting the contract anyway, a contract Kari knew was going to be the toughest and biggest job she’d ever undertaken. Lucinda wasn’t lying. Kari was still trying to live that one down.
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