Courted by Karma (The Adventures of Anabel Axelrod) (38 page)

“Yes,
girlfriend, we’re so happy!” Misty agreed, hugging me from the other side and also kissing me.

Then they were off whooping again
while I was caught in the middle of their playful puppy sandwich. They rolled with me on the floor, hugging exuberantly and talking a mile a minute. They often finished each other’s sentences, like two opposite halves of a whole. Caught in their affectionate embrace, I was helpless to do anything but laugh.

“Luke, vill you look!
Now An-a-bel is on the floor! Vat is she doing being kissed by vomen on the floor?”

The airport
was busy with people scurrying to and fro. It was filled with noise and confusion. I thought I was hallucinating when I heard that damn voice. I only wished it were true. When I made it up on my elbows, despite the two Florida girls clinging to me like human barnacles, Luke and Svettie were staring down at me. Next to them stood a smirking John, and an older couple that could only be Luke’s parents.

Chin up;
I kept my eyes steadily on Luke’s expressionless face. Unfortunately, crawling away on my hands and knees was not a viable option. “Hello, Luke, fancy meeting you here. Let me introduce my friends visiting from Florida. This is Celeste,” pushing back the drooping pink plumes from my eyes and with the fringe dancing merrily on my shirt, I motioned to the girl on my right, “and this is Misty.” I nodded my head at the circle of women looking expectantly towards us with big, curious smiles. “And that is my cousin, Layla Axelrod. Florida girls, this is my…” Stumped, I didn’t know how to introduce Luke. My fake boyfriend? My Hero? My sexual addiction? I muttered, “Luke Drake.”

With flirtatious eyes and smiles, t
he playful puppies at my sides simpered and called out together, “Hi, Luke Drake!”

Luke nodded in return
while his cool glance took in their hands petting me absently. Celeste had me around the shoulders and Misty had an arm around my waist. They both have a leg pinned across my legs that were sprawled out straight on the carpet.

My cousin
Layla, who looked so much like Jazy, yet nothing like me, sent him a quiet, little wave and said nervously, “Hi there, Luke.”

Luke smiled
over at her. “Hey, Layla.”

Eyeing our group, he
added, “I didn’t have any idea you all would be performing a Flash Mob at the airport tonight,” he turned and cast me a reproachful look, “or I would have arrived in time to see the whole act.”

A giggling Anna and Stella greeted Luke while
talking over each other to tell him what he’d missed. When he answered, Misty said out of the side of her mouth to me, “My God, I want to flash and mob this man, who is he?”

In her throaty voice,
Celeste echoed near my ear, “Yeah, who the fuck
is
he? He looks mean, Bel. I like that. Do you think he’s into spanking? Do you remember me telling you about Scott? He spanked me and…”

Misty interrupted in a
firm whisper, “It wasn’t Scott, it was that other dude from Miami you’re thinking about.”

Celeste
asked doubtfully, “Are you sure? You mean, Chuck?” She giggled. “Chuck didn’t spank me, Misty; he was the one that wanted
me
to spank
him
…”

“Not Chuck
.” Misty made a harassed face at me and then leaned across my reclined form to say to Celeste in a scolding undertone, “That dude was seriously strange, CeCe, and I told you not to give him your number, but you did…”

“Bel, what
the fuck was I supposed to say when he stopped me in the mall and asked so nice?” beseeched Celeste in a whisper, her eyes wide and looking to me for answers. “I couldn’t be
mean
and just say no!”

Misty rolled her eyes and clucked her tongue
in disgust at Celeste, but luckily I didn’t have to answer since Luke came over to us. He held out a hand to me with a grin, but his eyes were doing that glinting thing that could mean he wasn’t happy.

W
ith him in motion, it was harder to be sure. In the past when I’ve made my Hero disappointed, he was standing still and there were other physical tells. Often he had his arms crossed, he drummed his fingers forcefully, and maybe he even snapped his panther tail and showed his sharp, alpha fangs. Plus, when he was disappointed, Luke didn’t just look hot and mean like normal, he looked mouthwateringly cruel.

‘
He better not be disappointed in me!’

I’d no
idea he’d be here to pick up his parents. Thinking about it now, I was sure it never crossed my mind to mention we were coming to the airport tonight. I have a long standing rule to avoid complications by never talking about my entertainment plans to the men I was dating, not unless they
were
my plans. I’d assumed his folks were driving up from Chicago. What were the damn odds of us seeing each other at a busy airport? HHH terminal wasn’t that small of an airport, so talk about bad timing.

I glinted my eyes right back at him.
‘Geez Louise, I don’t know what he’s got to be so upset about, anyway.’

Could
Luke be embarrassed to have me meet his parents for the first time dressed like an Indian go-go dancer? Or could his disappointed glint be caused by his parent’s first impression of me being that of a woman rolling on the airport floor while being mauled and kissed by two girls? The same two girls who still were hanging onto me, even as they drooled lasciviously over my fake boyfriend?

I agree,
that was just tough if he’s ashamed of me. These are the kinds of things I do!

My voice
s cheered me on to not let Luke shame or intimidate me into changing.

‘Heck, he
’s disappointing ME, if this is the kind of rod he has stuck past his sphincter!’

I
did take Luke’s hand and let him pull me, along with the girls, up off the floor like we were fish caught in his cargo net. Stella came over and hugged Misty and CeCe while Luke steered me to the silent couple standing and observing us all with polite expressions.

John
was still smirking, but I ignored him to pay attention when Luke said “Anabel, these are my parents, Damaris and Paul Drake. Mom, Dad, this is Anabel Axelrod.”

As Luke introduced us, m
y smiling glances at each of his parents confirmed that his dad was just as I imagined. Paul’s an attractively fit man near sixty with a thick head of graying, blonde hair. He has a friendly air about him that immediately put you at ease. The only thing unexpected was seeing Luke’s dark green eyes smiling back at me, albeit not with the black lashes and slashing, black brows. My polite smile turned into a grin at that recognizable twinkle in his eye. I laughed when he waved off my extended hand and pulled me in for a squeeze. Released from his bear hug, I smiled at Luke’s mother.

Luke’s dramatic dark coloring
comes from his coolly elegant mother. Her Greek heritage was evident in her dark eyes and olive skin. Her hair was pewter gray and worn at a sleek bob length. The pewter color was stunning against her complexion. Damaris was tall, slender, poised, and dressed beautifully. She was very attractive in a strong, handsome way.

Damaris
was regarding me with a smiling, polite expression, but not with the warmth of her husband. That’s okay, though. I was usually the last woman to want to share cuddles with strangers. Svettie was clinging to Luke’s mother’s arm and smiling at me with venom, but I was not letting any of her communist craziness deter me.

I am who I am. If that’s not good enough for Mr. Tricky,
or his mother, or their little dog, well then, that’s too damn bad for them.

Luke
watched us in that observant way he has while we shook hands and exchanged polite greetings.

“
Mom and Dad, like I mentioned to you both, Anabel’s invited us all for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.” He paused for a beat and then added with a straight face, “Providing your baklava passes muster, Mom.”

I
gasped and shook my fist at Luke. “Why, you little rabble rouser!”

He laughed
and so did his parents, but after giving Luke a look of reproof promising retribution, I went to his mother. She was watching us with an intense expression. This was so reminiscent of Luke that I smiled even wider. Damaris may not know if she liked me, but I instinctively liked her.

‘Good
god, the brilliant sparkle of her diamond stud earrings alone was enough to entrance me!’

It must be so cool to have a
kick-ass mother with great jewelry.

Ignoring Svettie’s frown, I put my arm through Damaris’ other
, unoccupied arm and confided, “I don’t know if you are aware of this, but your son is one very smooth operator. I didn’t even know you were coming into town this weekend until late last night. He boldly invited the whole bunch of you over, slick as you please, and I couldn’t resist him.”

Damaris’ lips
twitched at this and she said drily, “Ah, do you find my son so irresistible then?”

“No, no, I’m trying real hard to resist him
and I’ve been doing pretty good,” I rushed to assure her, in case she got the wrong impression that I was like a million other women out there clamoring for her son’s attention.

Luke’s dad laughed loudly
, clapped Luke on the back, and crowded closer to hear my low voice. I put my arm through Paul’s and drew him into our huddle, giving Luke my back.

“It was
your son’s promise you’d be bringing a shitload of the world’s best baklava that decided the vote in his favor.” I nodded into her amused eyes and sighed deeply. “Otherwise, I’m afraid you both might have been stuck eating a rotisserie chicken from Aldi’s grocery store and a box of soggy potato wedges. So please, let’s the three of us make a little deal, okay?”

“What’s that?” Damaris
’ face was still reserved, but the amusement was growing in her voice.

“I’
m very happy to extend the warmest hospitality to you all to join my family and friends at the bedlam we call Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, but in exchange, you two must forget you ever saw me wearing this outfit and,” I stressed firmly, “rolling on the airport floor with two women!”

Rolling his finger
in the air, Paul Drake asked, “Does that deal include the flippy thing and the splits, too?”

I
closed my eyes briefly and groaned, “Ah, man, you guys saw that, too?”

Damaris patted my hand on her arm. “I’m afraid so, dear.”

Svettie butted in and putting a hand to her chest, professed nastily, “I vill never forget you rolling on the floor and kissing vomen, An-a-bel.”

I shrugged and said regretfully, “
Okay for you then, Ms. Romanov. Guess you’ll just have to sit in the corner while we eat dinner tomorrow.”

Damaris put a hand
to her mouth while Svettie complained to her, “Vhy does she call me that?” She glared at me around Luke’s mother, “Vhy do you call me that name?”

I smiled and shrugged again. “
For the same reasons you call me An-a-bel the Cow maybe?”

Luke’s dad choked
, and his mother’s eyes flew wide open and her shoulders started shaking.

‘
She is so cute!’
I was fascinated by this coolly reserved female version of Luke. Hating to let her go, and if it wasn’t for her barnacle named Svettie, I would have begged Damaris to ditch the dudes and come with us tonight in the limo.

Exhibiting gracious manners,
Luke began properly introducing his parents, John, and Svettie to everyone in the Northfield group. I finally got to exchange grinning hugs with Layla. My cousin swore eternal vengeance in my ear before her attention was snagged by Anna. Standing back and smiling, I was content to lean back against the pillar and watch everyone chat for a few moments more. With this many people, and so many of them woman, it wasn’t awkward or stilted. Stella was gesturing and raving about the pink limo and the mysterious donor to Luke and his parents, but behaving herself and not revealing my part in that whole story.

John
was having a field day licking his chops over the girls until he looked my way. I narrowed my eyes.

“Dundas!”
He mouthed and grinned. I nodded slightly. Then he leered openly at Layla, CeCe, and Misty before mouthing to me, “Florida!”

My fingers
directed a thrusting V to my throat in warning, shades of Viggo Mortensen’s Russian mob character in “Eastern Promises”, and I mouthed back, “Northfield.”

John
’s eyes widened, but then he looked sly. Shoving his hands in his jacket pockets, the snake sidled up beside Jazy. He interrupted her gesturing conversation with Layla by whispering something in her ear that had my sister rearing back and staring in astonishment. Shaking my head, I couldn’t imagine what John had said to shock speechless the unshakable Jazy.

Pleased that I
recalled that abrupt V move that worked similarly to Luke’s slashing, karate chop, I was grinning when I clashed eyes with Luke. He glanced at John, and then back to me. He’d been observing John’s and my silent communication over the heads of the kibitzing people surrounding him.