by I. T. Lucas
But on the other hand, the issue of them attending the wedding wasn’t the only thing to worry about regarding her parents. In the long run, the real problem would be how to explain why she wasn’t aging.
Makeup?
Refrain from seeing them altogether?
“I need to think about it.”
“You do that, dear. But do not take too long, because if you decide to invite them, we will need time for the travel arrangements.”
“Yes, I know.”
“How about we ring Amanda now? If we are to pull it off successfully, we need her on board.” Annani handed Syssi the phone. “Go ahead, call her,” she prompted.
Syssi narrowed her eyes at the Goddess. “I see what you’re doing. You want to lure her back with the wedding plans.”
“But of course, what is wrong with that?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
CHAPTER 24: AMANDA
On board the Anna, Amanda lounged on the top deck with a martini in one hand and a tablet in the other—reading the same paragraph for the third time.
Her mind just refused to stay focused on the romance novel, even though it was the latest release by one of her favorite authors. And it wasn’t as if reading about someone else’s love tribulations was upsetting her. After all, misery liked company. However, unlike the novel’s protagonist, Amanda’s problems wouldn’t get resolved at the end of the three hundred and some pages, and her story had no chance of culminating with and-they-lived-happily-ever-after.
But her troubles, as grave and as daunting as they were, weren’t the reason for her inattention.
Since her first moment onboard, Amanda couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something fishy about Captain Geneva and her crew. And if these females were Alex’s type, then there was something wrong with the guy as well.
The Anna’s all female crew was an unpleasant bunch of butch lesbos if she ever saw one. The vibe they projected was absolutely nasty.
The gay part didn’t bother her, and it wasn’t as if anyone could accuse Amanda of having a prejudice against her own gender. To the contrary. Although she loved men for sex, she preferred the company of other women. And not only because she could carry on an intelligent conversation without lust scrambling her brain.
In her experience, and contrary to popular belief, women were by far more honest and trustworthy than men.
Unless they were vying for the attention of the same guy, then all bets were off. But when chasing tail, men weren’t any better, and the whole bros-before-hoes was another urban legend.
At first, Amanda had thought she was imagining the nasty looks. Then, as Captain Geneva had made the introductions, and Amanda had realized all six women were Russian, she had speculated that cultural differences might’ve been responsible for the cold welcome.
Then again, she had known quite a few Russians in her day, and although a scowl was the Russians’ most popular expression, the people she had met were also easy to joke and laugh with once they’d grew comfortable around her, especially after a few drinks. Not these girls, though. They’d remained unfriendly, if not outwardly hostile.
Apparently, onboard the Anna, the cold war was still on.
Except, she hadn’t tried to get them drunk yet.
Hmm, alcohol might improve their predisposition. If she wanted to enjoy her trip, she should throw a party and get the bitches drunk. Hopefully, the free booze would cure their hostility.
“Hey, Lana,” she called the one who was supposed to be a stewardess. A tall, leggy blonde that kept an eye on her as if suspecting Amanda of planning to abscond with the silverware.
“What you want?”
Now, how is that for polite?
“Do you have a karaoke on board?”
“Why?” Lana of the many words asked.
“Maybe I want to throw a party, get you girls to loosen up a bit so you’ll pull the sticks out of your butts.”
“Ha, you lucky Alexander said to treat you nice.”
“Or what?” Bring it on, bitch…
“Or you find out what happens to stupid American girls like you.” Lana smiled menacingly.
“Lana!” Geneva barked. “Zat’knis!” Shut up.
“Shto?” What? Lana shrugged. “Ona nie ponimayu.” She doesn’t understand.
Oh, she understands all right, suka—bitch.
“Idi suyda,” come here, Geneva commanded.
“B’lyad…” Fuck, Lana muttered and stomped up to Geneva.
The captain said nothing besides glaring and pointing a finger toward the stairs leading down. Once Lana disappeared down the stairwell, Geneva walked over to Amanda.
“I apologize for Lana’s rudeness. She will be punished.” Geneva dipped her head then pivoted on her heel.
“Wait…”
“What?”
“What are you going to do to her?”
“What disciplinary action I decide on is none of your concern, Dr. Dokani.”
Oh, so now I am Dr. Dokani…how cordial.
“Look, Captain, Geneva, I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t understand why you are all so, how to put it nicely, bitchy. Did everyone go into her period at the same time or something? I heard it happens when several females live together.”
“Again, I apologize. Is there anything I can do to make you feel more welcome?” Her eyes colder than a Siberian winter, Geneva looked like she was holding herself in check by a thread.
“Yeah, give everyone a bottle of vodka, I’ll gladly pay for it. But seriously, what have I done to earn such animosity? I’m a pretty cool chick once you get to know me.”
Geneva dipped her head and took in a long breath. “It’s not really about you. Please don’t tell Alexander I told you this, but we were promised two weeks off. And believe me, the crew needs it.”
Alex had mentioned something about not needing the Anna for the next couple of weeks. But Amanda had a feeling the captain was deflecting with a convenient excuse.
For now, though, Amanda would give her the benefit of the doubt.
“I see, sorry I’ve ruined your vacation plans. Now I can understand why you guys are pissed off at me. How about I double your pay for the time I’m here? Will that improve everyone’s mood?’
“You’ll do that?”
“Sure, I want to enjoy myself and I am willing to pay for it. Give me the names and numbers and I’ll wire the money to each girl’s account. And put the vodka on my tab as well.” Suddenly, Amanda was struck by a brilliant idea. “One bottle for each girl and one for me. I bet a hundred that this American can outdrink all of you Russians.”
Geneva’s smile was the first Amanda had seen since getting on board. “In that case, American, you will have to pay for at least three bottles of vodka for each. One bottle is not a challenge for a Russian.”
Yeah, like these girls could handle three bottles.
Amanda pretended being horrified for about five seconds, then narrowed her eyes at Geneva and smiled. “You are on, suka.” She watched as Geneva’s eyes widened.
“You speak Russian?”
“Nah, just a few curse words.” No need to reveal her cards, yet, or ever. For some reason Amanda suspected there was more going on than met the eye on board the Anna.
Things didn’t add up.
Why hire a graceless, foreign crew for a luxury blue water yacht that must’ve cost Alex something in the range of twenty-five million?
Save some chump-change on wages?
Come to think of it, where did he get the kind of money needed to buy a boat like this?
His share in the clan profits was enough to keep him in style, but not this kind of style, and his club, although successful, wasn’t making this kind of money either.
Was Alex really dealing drugs as Kian had insinuated?
Well, tonight, she was going to get the crew drunk and ask some questions. With an immortal’s high tolerance for alcohol, even the infamous Russians had no chance of besting her in a drinking competition
.
CHAPTER 25: SEBASTIAN
It was late evening when Sebastian’s plane taxied up to the sleeve at Tom Bradley International Terminal in Los Angeles.
Immigration took forever, but everything went without a hitch. An hour and a half later, he and his assistants walked up the ramp where they were greeted by a uniformed limo driver with a sign that read ‘Mr. Sebastian Shar’.
Slugging along the freeway in LA’s infamous traffic, it took another hour to reach their accommodations for the night—the renowned Beverly Hills hotel.
“Nice,” Robert said as he looked around the elegant lobby.
“Wait until you see the suites I’ve reserved for us, each with a bedroom, a separate living room, and a balcony.” Tom glanced at Sebastian. “You said to go for the best…”
“Yes, I did.” He’d meant for himself, but what the hell, it wasn’t like the cost was going out of his own pocket. Let the men enjoy. “Only the best for my team. Go settle down, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Sebastian pocketed the card-key to his suite.
“Eh, boss…” Tom stopped him. “What about some ass? I don’t know about you, but I need some, and so does Robert. He is just too shy to say anything.”
“Call the concierge, tell him you’re with me and you need special accommodation. He’ll know what to do.”
“Sweet…”
Sebastian had tried the service before. Unfortunately, it couldn’t provide for his particular tastes. And it wasn’t a good idea to indulge with an unreceptive hooker anywhere other than the island. Even with the fast healing the venom facilitated, it took time for the evidence to disappear, and the last thing he needed was to call attention to himself by getting arrested.
Besides, in a hotel, there was no way to contain the screams other than gagging his victim, which he preferred not to do. It was like watching a movie without the sound.
And what fun was that…
Which meant no room service for Sebastian. He had to scratch his itch elsewhere.
But as the saying went; where there was demand, for the right amount of money, there was supply.
The first time Sebastian had visited LA, he had found a club catering to his extreme tastes and had been a loyal member, or customer as it was, since.
“Tomorrow, nine, my suite. Until then, I bid you goodnight,” he told his men and headed to his room.
Let them think what they would.
Sebastian waited until the bellboy brought his luggage, then grabbed a quick shower, changed into something appropriate for his planned activity, and called for a taxi to take him to the club.
CHAPTER 26: DALHU
The passage of time progressed at a different pace in rooms without windows, Dalhu reflected as he stared at the ceiling. Or maybe it was the isolation and lack of activity that made it seem as if he’d been stuck in there forever. Though in reality, it was less than forty-eight hours since he had been imprisoned.
And twenty-one hours thirty-two minutes since he’d last seen Amanda.
But who was counting?
Fuck.
Why had she abandoned him?
She could’ve at least called. There was a phone in his fancy prison. And although it wasn’t connected to the outside world, only to some guy in security, she could’ve obtained the number with ease.
Or not.
Maybe her brother had forbidden it.
Probably.
It was the most likely explanation.
Amanda had loved their bathroom interlude, and Dalhu could think of no reason for her to stay away unless she had no choice.
He was going out of his mind with worry.
And boredom…
How many movies could a guy watch?
The only other entertainment option was a large assortment of video games, but he’d never learned how to play.
Not that he had any desire to.
Grown men shouldn’t entertain themselves with boys’ games.
By now, he’d hoped Amanda would come see him again. But the only visitor he’d had for the past day and a half was the stoic butler who had been bringing in his meals.
Strange that they were sending the small man by himself with no Guardian backup. Not that Dalhu had any intention of hurting the guy, still, they had no way of knowing it. And although the Goddess hadn’t seemed to regard Dalhu as a murderous abomination, her son definitely had.
Not that the fucker was wrong necessarily.
But the butler didn’t appear to have a problem with Dalhu. Polite, as if serving an honored guest, the stout little man wasn’t nervous around him at all.
Getting some information out of the guy, though, had been a no go. Same for the significantly less cordial guy in security.
No one would tell Dalhu anything.
Still, when the butler showed up again with the evening snack, Dalhu gave it another try.
“Hey, my man, does anyone plan on seeing me tonight?”
“I do not know, sir.”
“And Amanda, is she well?”
“As I have said before, I do not know.”
Well, it was worth a try.
But then the butler added, “I have not seen the mistress today to ask about her well-being.”
“Why? Where did she go?”
“I do not know, sir.”
Fuck, the guy didn’t deny that Amanda was gone.
Had her brother had something to do with it? Had he sent her away to prevent any further contact between them?
Anger rising to the surface, Dalhu managed to appear calm until the little guy left. Once he was alone, though, the urge to destroy everything in his vicinity became almost overpowering. He didn’t. All that trashing the room would have achieved, aside from releasing the excess steam, would have been to prove Kian’s point, and Dalhu was not about to give the fucker the satisfaction.
Still, the barely contained rage needed an outlet.
A good, rigorous fight would’ve helped, or even a long run, but as those were not an option, Dalhu dropped to the floor and began a series of fast pushups.
He slowed the pace after the first thousand but kept going without rest until he was drenched in sweat.
It wasn’t enough, though.
It took another three thousand sit-ups until he was finally ready to quit and hit the shower.
CHAPTER 27: KIAN
“Have you talked with Amanda?” Kian asked, giving the comforter a tug from his side and stretching it nice and flat over the bed the way Syssi liked it.
For some unfathomable reason, Syssi had insisted on making the bed herself instead of leaving the task to Okidu.
It wasn’t like the butler needed help with the house chores; after all, he never tired and never slept, which thanks to Annani, Syssi was now well aware of.
Kian still couldn’t believe he hadn’t explained about Okidu. But the truth was that he’d never regarded his butler as anything other than a person, often catching himself giving Okidu incomplete instructions because it was so damn easy to forget the guy’s limits.
And besides, considering the whirlwind of events following Syssi’s transition and Amanda’s kidnaping, no wonder the subject had never come up.
It had slipped his mind.
Not that Syssi had made a big deal out of it. In fact, Syssi was not the type to make a big deal out of anything other than the really important stuff.
His sweet Syssi, he smiled at her from across the bed. He was so lucky to have her.
And he had to admit that doing this little morning chore together felt kind of nice. Intimate, in a familiar sort of way. Kian was looking forward to countless mornings just like this one.
Each time he’d woken up with Syssi’s warm body in his arms, Kian had thanked the fates for the gift of her—the happiness and gratitude setting a positive tone for the rest of his day.
And whether it was her chest or her back that was pressed to his front, he had no particular preference—both were equally enticing.
Now
that Syssi wasn’t allowing him out of bed before she was up, he was making love to her every morning as well as every night.
Good times. Good times indeed.
“No, I’m giving her space. I wanted to call her yesterday, you know, after your mother sprung that whole wedding thing on me, but then I decided to wait. Amanda didn’t get away just to have me heap my troubles on top of hers. She has enough stuff to sort out.”
Troubles?
“I’ll pretend I didn’t just hear you say that.”
“What?”
“Marrying me is trouble?”
“Oh, you know what I mean. But here…” Syssi climbed on top of the just-made bed and crab-walked on her knees to where he was standing on the other side. Grabbing him by his shirt, she pulled him to her mouth and kissed him until they were both starved for breath. “Better?” she panted.
“A little…” Kian lifted her in his arms then spread her out on the bed, covering her with his body like a blanket. “Now, this is better…” He began trailing kisses, starting with her sweet lips, going down to her chin, then her neck, until he reached her breasts. Cupping her through her shirt he pushed them together and licked the valley in between.
Syssi giggled. “Oh, shoot, now we’ll have to make the bed again.”
“We could wait, you know…” Kian gazed into her smiling eyes, so full of love, so adoring. “I want our wedding to be a source of joy for you, not anxiety.”
“I know, right? My heart is fully on board with it, but I can’t stop thinking about how little we know each other. And after a lifetime of cautiously examining each and every decision, no matter how trivial, I’m having trouble with just jumping headlong into the most important one. It’s not like I’m having doubts, you know my heart belongs to you, forever. I’m just a big, fat, chicken, that’s all.”
“First of all, you’re not big, and not fat. And as to being a chicken, well, you are my scrumptious, hot chick.” Kian gave the valley between her breasts another long lick. “Yummy…” He smacked his lips.
“How come you’re not freaking out? I thought men were supposed to be the commitment-phobes …”
