Page 2 of Abraxas

He watched as Lu walked away. It occurred to him that Lu had returned not to check out his work but to meddle. If his advice helped, Abe would say nothing.

For a moment, he thought of Gloria.A blonde Amazon, his female, was easily six feet tall and had the palest blue eyes he'dever seen. Her figure was neither skinny nor curvaceous. She was athletic but still feminine.

Her skills in makeup and costume were miraculous, and Stef had hinted that if he mated her, she wouldn't mind one bit. It would guarantee access to her considerable talents. That wasn't why he wanted her, though. She made his blood run hot and his heart melt.

“There you are.”

"Here I am," Gloria giggled. “What did you need me for?”

He shot her a heated look before he caught himself, but her face turned red anyway. "I wanted you to eat supper with me."

“You know we can’t get involved. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“Aren’t we friends anymore?” He asked.

“Of course we are.”

“Don’t friends enjoy a meal together and talk?”

"Sometimes, but we've not done that in the past," Gloria pointed out.

“Then it’s time we did. I’m feeling a bit sad and lonely. Don’t you want to cheer me up?”

Gloria said nothing for a moment, just looked at him. Clearly, there was no way to get out of it without hurting his feelings.

"Fine, but no funny stuff."

“Meet me at the tables outside at six. We’ll have a nice meal. I’d like to know more about your talents.”

Abe rushed away before she could say anything else. He'd only have a few hours with her since they were leaving early in the morning. The concert was in Anchorage, and there was a sellout crowd. They were completely committed to doing it. Not that they would put off the raid. There really was no choice at all.

Pulling everything together hadn't been easy, but just before six, he stood by the table waiting. He saw Gloria heading his way. She looked nervous as she took in the romantic setup: flowers on the table, fine china, and a lacy tablecloth. Drinks were fancy,with paper umbrellas and tiny plastic swords pushed through the fruit.

"Let me help you into your seat," he offered like a gentleman.

"Thank you," she said as she sat. "What are we eating?"

“I told Stef you deserved to have a nice time. She suggested Cordon Bleu and wild rice. I’ve never had it before.”

"Oh, goodness. I have, and I love it. Stef's sister, Way, made it one time when I was visiting between jobs."

“I’m glad I listened to her then.”

He fixed them each a plate. "You do like grilled asparagus, too, right?"

“Love it.”

He added that and gave her a small bowl of a side salad. He hoped everything would be perfect, and so far, it had been.

Looking at his lovely mate, yeah, that's what she was. He was ready to take the plunge. The problem was she wasn't.

They ate, talked, and enjoyed just being together. “Are you ready for dessert?” He asked.

“I’m stuffed.”

"I have a plan. I wanted to walk on the beach and gather more shells for my collection. We can do that now and return for dessert when we're done."

"If we do that when we return, all we'll see will be empty pans."

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