Page 24 of Abraxas

He headed back to the office, where they were working on a broad range of things with the grand opening less than a week away. This was not the best time for this kind of drama, but Lu’s timing was also not the best. He tended to throw a bunch of stuff in the pot, mix it up, and see what happened. The results could be explosive, and it looked like that was going to happen now.

It wasn't long before Lu showed up. Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to explain, but he said nothing.

“So don't make us wait. What did Cirrus say?” Abe asked.

"He was stunned. At first, he couldn't say anything. I asked him what was wrong. He said, 'That woman,' and he pointed at her. I asked him what was the matter with that woman. He could only say she was difficult to work with and very stubborn. He never communicated clearly after he saw her. I strongly hope her being here will knock some information out of him. Now that wecan record his communications going out, you'll have something to say, and I have no doubt about it.”

“Doesn't he know his messages aren't getting through?”

“No, we've been sending him answers. Maybe not ones he likes, but he's getting answers from his boss. The boss keeps telling him the heat is on, and things are difficult, so we shouldn't surprise him. They are telling him to wait before trying to take action or approach Risa. So far, he seems to think that he's talking to his boss and getting the answers that he's getting because they're on the move and being chased," Lu replied.

“We've not been able to track the outgoing messages?”

“Only in a limited way because we aren't allowing them to go where they're supposed to go. We did let one limited message go through that didn't have anything in it that we felt was a problem, and it went to Antarctica. The com specialist believes it's a relay point.”

“It doesn't sound like having him here is as helpful as you hoped.”

“We did get a name but only a last one. Booth, that's his boss’s last name. Now, we need to try to connect it with somebody who worked for Origin. Once we do that, we'll track them," Lu observed.

“I was thinking about the information we have been gathering, and I think we need to expand it. When Risa came, several of the demons had known her previously, and we had no clue. Some of them knew Cirrus, too. It would have helped us make the decisions we needed to make had we had more information. We need to start a database that anyone can contribute to if someone comes here that they know, good or bad.”

“Who do you intend to put in charge of that?” Lu asked.

“Why don't we ask for a volunteer. This is a subject that is important to all of us.”

“You're right about that. Send a message out to everyone and see if you can get a volunteer.”

The meeting was over, and it hadn't taken as long as he thought. It wasn't supper time yet, so he had a little time to kill. He planned to gather a few shells and saw his buddy Art hanging around in the hallway.

“Hey Art, do you want to do some shell collecting? Lu, is not letting anyone go out on the beach alone," Abe admitted.

“Why not.”

They headed outside and down to the beach. The walk was relaxing. Abe hadn't spent much time with his friend in a while. He was called Art, but no one knew what it stood for. Everyone assumed it was some crazy demon name that was hard to pronounce. Abe didn't try to hide his name, nor did he make an effort to announce it. Everyone knew it, or at least he thought they did.

Abe felt guilty because the whole time they were out finding shells, he thought of Gloria and missed her. He tried to talk to Art, and they usually found a lot to discuss. Art was interested in the hotel opening, and even though he hadn't chosen a job yet, he wanted to learn hotel management. It was a good time for him to decide because he could work as an assistant manager and learn the job while they had someone in charge. Abe urged him to talk to Lu, begin taking college classes, and take on an assistant job at the hotel. If he didn't like it, he could change his mind easily when someone else was still in charge.

They finished their collection, and each had a huge bag to carry back to the cafeteria. When they entered, the first person he saw was Gloria. Guilt washed over him, especially with the look she gave him. Clearly, she saw what they had been doing and felt left out. Abe knew no good way to explain it. Clearly, he should have tried to figure out where she was and ask her if she wanted to go too. Now, he would have to find a way to make itup to her, or she would be mad at him again. This dating was difficult, and he wasn't sure he would ever get the hang of it. Abe supposed that it was easier on human men because they learned about it as they were growing up. Maybe their moms taught them or their dads. It was true that he'd seen a lot of romantic comedies, but he didn't believe the situations with relationships could really get that crazy.

Art was no dummy. As soon as he saw Gloria, he disappeared. “Hey, sweetheart. I saw an old friend with whom I had not spent time with in quite a while. We decided to pick up some shells since Lu doesn't want anyone to go on the beach alone.”

“Is that what you were doing?” Gloria asked.

“Yeah?” He really had no idea how to answer her or how upset she was at him.

All he knew was that he had finally gotten on the right track and didn't want anything to come between them. Abe honestly wasn't sure what the right and wrong things to do were when you were dating someone. Maybe he should have spoken to Stef to find out the ins and outs of dating. It was too late for this situation, and he would have to deal with it himself.

Gloria giggled. “You really don't know much about relationships, do you? It's alright to do something with someone else. It does depend on what it is and the situation. In this case, it was all right because I wasn't available. I have friends, too. Sometimes, I might want to do something with one of my friends, and I'm sure you'll understand.”

He felt relieved that he wasn't in the doghouse again. Maybe he would begin to learn how to deal with the relationship with a woman. He wanted to be fair and didn't want to upset her. Abe hadn't even thought about the fact that he hadn't invited Gloria along, and she probably wouldn't have been that hard to find. Regardless of what she said, he thought he would ask her next time. It was supper time. They would have a nice meal, and thenhe intended to take her to his room and ravish her. No joke, that was what he intended to do if she let him. He had waited long enough, and it was time for their relationship to take that final leap.

They both filled their plates, and he didn't even notice what they were eating because he was so concerned about how he would work this out. Would Gloria let him, or would she say she wasn't ready yet? Abe had thought she was ready the night they were attacked, but now that she had had time to get over it, wouldn't she be ready now? The meal was finally done, and they cleaned up their area and dropped their plates off in the bins. He took her hand, and he led her away. She knew they were heading toward his room and didn't seem to mind. His mind was on seduction, and he hoped her mind was on giving in.

They opened the door, and as soon as he pulled her through it, he pulled her in his arms and gave her a passionate kiss as his hands roamed over her body. She felt so right as his arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. Nothing had ever felt better. Abe had never been so sure of anything. He knew if she gave in, it meant she was sure, too. He began to undress her, starting with her shirt and then working on her pants.

She pushed his hands away. Was she going to stop them? No, she was going to undress herself, so he started on himself. He didn't know how he had waited so long when she fired such passion in his blood. They were both naked. As he looked at Gloria’s body, desire hit him like a punch in the gut. He lifted her and carried her to his bed, where he lay her down. Abe rolled on top of her, leaning on his elbows to keep his weight from crushing her. The heat between them was unbelievable, and he was awed at the thought that she could be his.

Leaning down, he claimed her mouth with a soft kiss first. The kiss gathered intensity and became an urgent, needy thing. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest and wasdetermined to give them the attention they deserved. Abe used his tongue to slide down her neck and then stopped at the place where it joined her shoulder to give her a kiss and mark the spot that he would go back to when they mated. Abe already felt connected to her, but he knew it would be so much more when they mated.

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