Chapter 34
CHAPTER 34
OUR DAYS ON Lorelei Cay were the best of my life, but all too soon, the time came to leave. Mick’s funeral was coming up, and I planned to attend with Black. Plus, I had a meeting at the White House with our Dear Leader himself, and he’d get grumpy if I cancelled. Something about the Middle East, apparently, and Nate was coming too.
And this evening was the annual Blackwood Foundation Ball in Richmond. If we left now and didn’t hit any delays, we could make it back in time to attend. Bradley had gone with a theme again to make the event more fun. Or excruciatingly painful, depending which way you decided to look at it.
At least in our time away, we’d sorted out a story for Black’s absence. Oliver and his team had been busy while the pair of us lounged on the beach. The DEA had kindly confirmed that Black had been on a top secret undercover assignment for them, which resulted in the death of a primo drug lord and a successful operation to shut down his empire. Senator Trent was happy, Stone and Belcourt were happy, and their PR team was busy writing waffle for the media. Oh, and the DEA had also smoothed things over with the local police department, which hopefully meant the cops would leave me alone until the next time I did something to annoy them.
As part of the deal, we’d passed all our intelligence on the Ramos family over to Agent Belcourt, and the DEA was busy shutting down his network on the East Coast. The files Carlos provided meant the number of favours the agency owed us sat comfortably in double figures.
Happy days.
And my death? Well, that was an administrative mix-up. Dr. Beech had done a shiny new press release, and apparently the sofas delivered that morning for the staff room at the hospital were very comfortable, thank you. Oliver got both of our death certificates revoked, and since I’d never filed Black’s will, he should be able to slot back into his old life when we returned.
“What are we going to tell people about us?” I asked.
“What, you mean about our change in sleeping arrangements?”
“Something like that.”
“I haven’t thought about it. I guess we’ll just have to pick the right moment,” was his incredibly insightful reply.
“Which is when?”
“You’re full of difficult questions, aren’t you?”
“Always, but you wouldn’t want me any other way.”
We sailed back to Nassau on the Black Diamond, and although I was sad to leave the Caribbean, our parting would only be temporary thanks to Black’s extravagance.
“I still can’t believe you bought an island,” I said as we tied the boat up in the marina.
He shrugged. “My investments made enough money to cover it while I was locked up. Didn’t even make a dent in my finances.”
“Good. You can buy me plenty of new bikinis for our next trip.”
“I could, but you won’t be needing them.”
He pulled me towards him for a kiss. I’d had the man by my side for a week, and I still couldn’t get enough of him. I never would. I could drink from him forever and I’d crave more. One touch made me shiver, and a single brush of his lips made me melt. It was more than just physical—our souls were joined, bound together into one, and even death couldn’t force them apart. I was his. Forever Black.
We only spent a few minutes at the airport, but a headwind on the flight back meant we touched down in Virginia later than planned.
“Bradley said he’d leave our costumes out in our bedrooms,” I told Black. “Everyone else will have left by the time we get back.”
“What are we going as?”
“I dread to think, but he promised my costume would have more fabric than last time.”
Two years ago, I’d arrived back from a meeting just in time to change into my belly-dancing outfit, while Black had suffered the indignity of gladiator sandals.
“If it doesn’t, we’re not going.”
As we hurried from the plane, Black held out his hand. “Keys. I want to try the Stingray.”
Why not? If I didn’t have to watch the road, I could spend more time staring at him like a hypnosis victim. Thank goodness I didn’t have to hide it anymore.
I might have gazed for longer if Black hadn’t tested the car to the limit of its capabilities. Did I want to see death coming? A tough decision.
“And you complain I drive too fast?” I asked when we reached Riverley. The smell of burned rubber lined the driveway, and I needed new tyres.
“We’re late.”
I’d remember that excuse next time he told me off.
Apart from the ticking of the grandfather clock, the house was silent, the limos having departed fifteen minutes earlier. Black pinned me against the wall in the hallway before I could blink. Git. I kicked his legs out from under him, and we both ended up on the floor. Aww, he was so tempting.
“We can’t. We’re late,” he said.
Party pooper. Black helped me up, and I trailed him up the stairs where, as promised, Bradley had laid out costumes on our beds.
Black grimaced. “Batman?”
“You’re my hero,” I said sweetly, fluttering my eyelashes in pretend adoration.
“And what’s he given you?”
“I’d better check.”
Hero or villain? Batgirl, maybe? Oh, I forgot, this was Bradley’s doing.
Catwoman. I got Catwoman.
I muttered curses as I squeezed myself into the skintight suit. This was going to be horribly sweaty and it freaking squeaked. I was glad we were late now. The less time I had to wear this abomination, the better. I walked back into Black’s bedroom to find him standing in front of the mirror.
“I’m not sure about the cape,” he said. “I feel like an idiot wearing it.”
“ You feel like an idiot? At least you don’t look as if you got lost on the way to a fetish club.”
He turned around and let out a low whistle. “We’re not going to a fetish club. There’s no way I’m sharing you with another man.”
Thank goodness for that. No other man would cut it now. “Woman?”
He raised an eyebrow and laughed. “If you don’t get in the car right now, we’re not going, because as much as I like you in that outfit, I’d like you out of it more.”
I didn’t bother to silence my groan. “We did come all the way back from the Caribbean to go.”
And we only needed to put in a quick appearance, right? Then we could write our own comic strip, one where Catwoman came out on top.
It was my turn to drive, and I stuck religiously to the speed limit. I didn’t want to explain to the highway patrol why two recently deceased comic book characters were driving too fast in a Corvette Stingray. Trying to save mankind probably wouldn’t be an acceptable excuse.
When we arrived, everyone had just sat down for dinner. Team Blackwood occupied three tables, and I spotted our two empty seats. Time to surprise everybody.
On second thoughts… I motioned to Black to hold back. Why? Because I’d heard someone mention my name, and I was inherently nosy.
Wonder Woman, also known as Dan, knocked back a glass of champagne. “I hope she comes back like the old Emmy. She’s been a shadow of her former self. It’s not natural.”
“I like the new Emmy,” Iron Man said. “We have a meeting next week at the White House, and if she’s reverted to old Emmy, then Black can take her. Old Emmy and the White House was not a good mix.”
Oh, Nate. He’d said that many times before.
“Why?” Luke asked.
“Let’s see, there was the time she decided to test out how well guarded the president was and managed to walk into his private apartment and inform him, just as he sat down to breakfast with the first lady, that his security was sub-par. Although perhaps my particular favourite was when, in a meeting involving the president, the vice president, the Joint Chiefs, and six senators, she asked the state senator for Oklahoma whether he’d been smoking crack. The president snorted coffee out of his nose.”
I couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer. “The president saw the funny side. He told me afterwards he’d been wanting to ask that for ages.”
“Emmy!”
Dan leapt up and hugged me, swiftly followed by Mack, Carmen as Harley Quinn, and Tia.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I muttered into her hair. “That make-up must have taken ages.”
She gave me a twirl, blue from head to foot as Mystique.
“Half the day, but it was worth it.”
And who was that next to her? Ryan? Yes, I recognised the eyes through his Spider-Man mask. He’d better be behaving himself.
Nick gave me a little wave from the other side of the table. “Nice outfit.”
“At least I managed to get my underwear on the inside.”
“Hey, everybody loves Superman.”
Despite the sweating and a slight inability to breathe because my costume was so tight, I had a great evening. All my best friends in one place, some old, some new. We’d survived the trials and tribulations of the past eight-and-a-bit months, and the future looked…okay, it looked kind of blurry right now, but that was the champagne’s fault. Tomorrow, things would look rosy.
“Ooh!” Bradley started clapping, and his Cruella de Vil wig slipped. Apparently, Nate had talked him out of bringing a real Dalmatian. “It’s auction time!”
Dan, Mack, and Tia got up on stage to help sell the lots, which had the men in the room emptying their wallets. A fist fight threatened to start over a bottle of whisky as the bidding reached five figures, and Catwoman waded in to sort things out. I couldn’t resist doing a backflip on the way. That shut them up.
The auction raised just shy of a million dollars, and I knew how far that money would go. The streets of Richmond would be a better place for people like teenage me. I leaned back in my seat with a well-deserved gin and tonic, but then I noticed Luke opposite, staring into a glass of whisky. He’d been quiet all evening. Why? Because Mack was up on stage falling out of her leotard? Or something else?
He didn’t say anything, and I didn’t want to get into a heavy conversation. Not this evening. But as always, the universe had other plans.
I’d just survived an epic trip to the ladies room and been passed in the corridor by Thor, also known as Jed, who gave me a thumbs-up as he trailed a pretty vampire upstairs. Then I saw Luke.
“Have you got a second?” he asked.
“Sure.” I swallowed down a sigh. “Cheer up, it might never happen.”
We found a quiet corner near the bar, and he fidgeted with his collar while I waited for him to speak.
“Come on, spit it out,” I said.
“I’m worried.”
I reached out to smooth the wrinkles on his forehead. “It’s okay, the Joker’s supposed to have lines.” He didn’t smile. “What’s worrying you?”
“What happens if Black finds out about us? I mean that we used to be an item?”
“Oh, he already knows.”
“How?”
“I told him.”
“Really? Mack thought you might, but I wasn’t sure. Is he upset?”
“Of course not. He’s grateful you looked after me when he couldn’t.”
“Are you sure? I mean you were still married to him when we...”
“Relax, it’s fine.” Giggles came from behind, and I glanced over his shoulder. “But you might want to help Mack. I think she’s had one glass of wine too many.”
Luke dashed off, looking happier than he had all evening, and I went to find Black. He was talking to a congressman as I slipped my hand under his cape and squeezed his butt. Taut, firm, mine.
The politician droned on about the constitution while I stifled a yawn, and Black worked his jaw from side to side as he did the same. Dull, dull, dull.
When I could take no more, I stood on tiptoes and whispered into his ear. “I lied to Nick earlier. I’m not wearing any underwear.”
Black’s expression didn’t change as he interrupted the man. “I’m afraid my wife’s just reminded me I have a pressing matter to attend to.”
The pervert looked at me and licked his lips. “Of course. Good to talk to you, Mr. Black.”
“What an idiot,” Black muttered as we walked away. Then he leaned a little closer. “Why do you smell like baby powder?”
“Because when I took a bathroom break, my costume got stuck and two strangers had to help me back into it. Luckily, one of them had kids. And stop laughing. It’s not funny.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Next year, the theme is a pyjama party.”
“You don’t wear pyjamas,” he said.
“Then I guess we’ll have to stay at home.”
“Suits me, Mrs. Black.”