Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
I hummed while I worked, like some happy freaking dwarf. I’d enjoyed a nice evening with Apollo and had another to look forward to. Hopefully with another kiss. Mmm, that kiss… Just thinking of it had me tingling.
Kill me now. I’d become a cliché giddy girl mooning over a boy.
Make that a man, a man who could have anyone he wanted, supermodel, actress, someone as rich as him, but he chose me.
Yeah, it stroked my ego. It also made me squirm in a way I’d never really experience, which, in turn, had me anticipating tonight’s date with more excitement than… well… anything I could recall.
My practical—and admittedly more bitchy side—kept trying to remind me Apollo represented everything I hated. Wealthy outsider. Client. A dude most likely getting his kicks from flustering the local girl. The latter was what scared me most.
Did I represent a challenge to Apollo? Did the fact I’d not immediately swooned in his presence lead to him pursuing me? Would I simply be a conquest? AKA, once we did the horizontal tango, would he move on to his next victim?
Truthfully, I had no way of knowing. The man I’d been getting to know seemed genuine, and I’d always prided myself on having a pretty decent bullshit radar.
Even if he did play me, did I care? Fact was I needed some fun in my life, and I could do with some sexual relief.
I’d been working hard and barely socializing these last few years, making me well overdue for a fling, and who was to say I wouldn’t be the one to end things?
After all, a woman could take her pleasure and walk away.
I allowed myself only a few breaks that day, determined to finish the two side tables.
Once I’d completed those, I could then tackle the bigger one, get it done and delivered, and then Apollo would no longer be a client, removing at least one obstacle.
Not much I could do to change the rich part; however, it helped to know he’d earned his fortune rather than inherited.
At lunch, I entered to find Tigger and my grandfather huddled in front of the computer, cackling.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“The people in this forum. Their knowledge of dragons is incredibly inaccurate, so we’ve been mocking them and setting them straight,” Tigger announced.
“Is that wise? I thought we were keeping your existence a secret for the moment.”
“Bah, I’m not dumb,” Tutu exclaimed. “I created a fresh account with a throwaway email. No name. No address. It’s fine.”
Rather than get in a debate over how they chose to entertain themselves—trolling people online—I commented, “Glad to see you both getting along.”
“The dragon and I have come to a mutual understanding,” Tutu declared.
“Keanu has more use than expected,” added Tigger. “He’s been expanding my knowledge of this modern world.”
“This afternoon, we’re gonna rip apart some dragon movies.”
“With popcorn!” an excited Tigger added.
It occurred to me to forbid Reign of Fire, a bleak flick where the dragons torched Earth and decimated mankind, but that would probably make them more likely to put it first on their watch list.
“How to Train Your Dragon is a fun one,” I stated, heading for the fridge to see what leftovers we had for a quick meal.
“Cartoons, bah.” Tutu might not mind CGI and other cinematic tricks, but he’d never been one for animation. “We will begin with Dragonheart. A classic.”
Not a bad choice. I grimaced, as the fridge didn’t reveal anything I could simply reheat.
“What happened to all the food?”
“We need more. Our Tigger is a growing boy.”
Our Tigger? When had Tutu suddenly become fond of my pet? Or should I call His Imperiousness my owner?
“Given the lack of anything, you’ll have to grab yourself dinner from a restaurant since I’m going out tonight.”
“So I heard. You’re meeting with our client again, but not for business. Is that wise?”
“Probably not,” I admitted with a shrug as I opened our freezer to see a box of corn dogs and a few pizza pockets.
Junk food, I know, but I didn’t always want to create meals from scratch.
I grabbed all of them, since I assumed Tigger and Tutu would want some.
I threw the ones I planned to eat in the air fryer and the rest in the microwave.
Was it rude of me to toast mine and give them theirs nuked?
Not really, because neither of them would care, as they prized quantity over quality.
“You will call and cancel,” my grandfather commanded.
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
I leaned against the counter with my arms crossed. “It’s not up to you.”
“I don’t see why you’d even bother. You don’t have anything in common,” Tutu argued.
“Not true,” Tigger interjected. “They are both my servants.”
“Making them coworkers. Even worse.” Tutu shook his head. “You leave me choice, Iolana. I forbid it.”
The decree arched my brow. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“You live under my roof.”
“A situation I can easily change.”
“Gonna move into your boyfriend’s mansion?” Tutu queried with a sneer.
“Maybe I will.” Not actually, but it was worth it to see Tutu’s face turn red.
“You’re wasting your time chasing after a man like Apollo. If you’re so desperate, Akuma—”
“Is not, and will never be, an option. I’ll choose whom I date, thank you.”
Tigger’s head bobbed back and forth as we argued before he snorted. “Humans. Always fighting over the dumbest things.”
My gaze veered to my orange menace. “You going to forbid me from seeing Apollo as well?”
“I’m thinking of it. Earlier, your grandfather pointed out that you haven’t had much success in keeping a male as your partner. I would hate for you to do something that will cause Apollo to turn against us. I need his wealth.”
I rolled my eyes. “And I keep telling you, it’s not yours to take.”
“We’ll see about that.” A reply that might have been more ominous if the voice didn’t squeak.
My grandfather just wouldn’t let it go. He kept harping on what a mistake I was making. Annoyed, I practically threw their lunch at them before stalking back to the shop with my own.
I’d date who I wanted, and nothing either of those idiots said would sway me.
As a matter of fact, it made me only more determined to see where this thing with Apollo led.
Hopefully his bed. Given it might happen that evening, when I finished work for the day, I shaved everything in the shower.
Legs. Pits. The giant Venus bush between my legs.
My poor razor didn’t survive that encounter.
Next time I let it grow that wild I should use the pruning shears.
I dressed nicer than I had the previous night, choosing a practically new summer dress in a flowery pattern.
I’d bought it years ago to attend a wedding and worn it exactly once.
It hugged my boobs, nipped in at the waist, and flowed from the hips.
The inch-thick straps left my shoulders bare.
Rather than yank my hair back in a scalp-pulling ponytail, I left it loose, a silken wave that smelled of the coconut-hued shampoo I’d used.
When I emerged from primping, Tigger gaped. “Iolana, is that you?”
“Of course it is, idiot.”
“But you look like a woman,” he exclaimed.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Would Apollo appreciate the effort, or did he prefer my usual grungy appearance? Too late to change now. He’d be here any minute. In his convertible. Shit. I snared a scrunchy and slid it on my wrist, just in time. I heard a vehicle approaching.
“Ready, Your Majesty?” I said it mockingly, but Tigger, squatting on my pillow—make that this his pillow now—lifted his head and in a regal tone stated, “I am. You may carry me to the motorized chariot.”
Since I didn’t exactly have fabric sleeves for my dragon to climb, I crouched and held open my arms. I emerged from my bedroom with Tigger cradled to my chest and noted Tutu not in his usual spot, his chair facing the television empty.
Since I didn’t hear him bellowing, he’d probably gone to grab his dinner.
Seeing as how he’d departed without saying goodbye, he likely sulked, annoyed I’d blatantly chosen to disobey. As if I’d let him decide who I dated.
With Tigger still tucked against me, I emerged from the house with a smile—initially.
Apollo stood beside an SUV, a sleek and dark truck with blacked-out windows. He wore khakis, a cream-colored polo shirt, and a grin.
He uttered a low whistle. “You look amazing.”
My cheeks heated in pleasure. “Thanks.”
The rear passenger window on his SUV lowered, and Tutu stuck his head out. “Enough with the googly eyes. I’m hungry.”
My jaw dropped to the ground. “What are you doing in Apollo’s truck?”
“Going to dinner, of course,” Tutu stated in a tone that added a duh. “Someone needs to chaperone you.”
A comment that had me blurting out, “Since when?”
“Since you appear to be thinking with your girl parts and not your head.”
The heat in my cheeks turned to embarrassment. “You can’t be serious. Get out of that truck right now.”
“Nope.” With that, the window rolled shut.
I glanced at Apollo. “I swear I didn’t know he was going to crash our date.”
“It’s okay. He’s your grandfather, and he’s just worried I’m going to take advantage of you. You know, wicked outsider seducing the innocent island girl.”
I snorted. “Hardly innocent, and who says you’d be the one doing the seducing?”
The shock on his face? Totally worth my bold declaration.
Before he could recover, Tigger groused. “Are you done bantering, because I’m with the old man. I’m hungry too!”
“Shall we?” Apollo’s amused expression indicated he wasn’t bummed our date had been ruined by my cock-blocking grandfather. Maybe he had a sadistic side.
As he helped me into the passenger seat, I murmured, “Nice wheels.”
“Thanks.”
“How many cars do you own?”
“Here or in total?”
“Never mind. I don’t think I want to know.”
As I buckled in, Tigger chose to leave my lap and scampered into the back to hang out with Tutu, apparently so they could argue.