Page 40 of Too Cursed To Kiss
“Your hand, dear? These are troubled times for you, and that will not change quickly. I believe in destiny, don’t you, honey? Your heritage speaks volumes about your future,” she replied in a low gravelly voice from behind the screen.
What the hell was she talking about? Everyone in my family was dead. Destiny was only possible if you believed the future was planned out. I didn’t believe that.
I sat down on her dressing table stool and examined my hands. Tapered fingers, a fading scar on the side of my hand from when I’d broken the window in my petty thieving days after Mom died. Short nails with a faint trace of the eggplant nail polish I’d last put on. I needed hand cream. My reflection in the mirror was someone who had slept poorly, in someone else’s clothes. Not quite a disaster but I’d looked better. Agatha’s makeup selection was a girlhood dream of rainbow colors and glitter. I fingered a tube of hand cream, wondering if Agatha would mind, and decided it wouldn’t be polite.
In a couple of minutes, she emerged wearing a Jackie Onassis-style dress that ended below the knee with white gloves and a pillbox hat, all in a shade of powder blue which enhanced her golden complexion. Her amber hair curled at her collarbone. She looked as much like Victoria as the moon resembled a redwood tree.
The powder blue heels were platform. Always being the giant of the room, I never understood why extra-tall people wanted to be taller. I probably should have asked, but there was a knock on the door. It cracked open, and an olderwoman with square glasses poked her head through. “Your car is here, Agatha.”
“Excellent. Follow me kids,” she said, picking up a blue clutch that matched her outfit that was sitting beside the dressing table. She strutted out the door, ripping the sparkly red star off as she passed. She flipped open the clutch, dropped the star in, and shut it. The star fit perfectly, even though it was more than twice the size as the purse she’d dropped it into. That was when I realized we weren’t dealing with a normal human being.
The car creeped forward in the traffic, which clogged the cross street from the Strip alongside the casino.
“Where are we going?”
“To my home, of course.” Agatha slid back a panel in the limo to reveal a bar and hauled a bottle of champagne out of a concealed ice bucket.
By the time the cork popped and the bottle emptied, the car had made it across the Strip and was barreling up side streets. With the firm base of bourbon, chips, and root beer, the champagne bubbles sunk in fast, relaxing me. Maybe once Agatha fixed the ring, she’d fix everything, and I could go home.
I leaned back, listening to the family catch-up chatter, recognizing only Maverick and Victoria’s names, while sipping champagne.
By the time we pulled up in front of an ugly, rundown two-story apartment block, I was laughing at my own jokes and even Britannia’s. A police car with a siren blared past as we spilled out of the car. My heart palpitations instantly sobered me up.
Agatha pressed some bills into Wald’s hand and asked, “Wald, would you be a dear and go pick up my order?” nodding at the Chinese restaurant sign among the array of glowing neon, in the strip mall across the street. There was also an adult video store, tattoo parlor, massage parlor, and a bar advertising strippers. One place to have it all.
Faced with Agatha and Britannia, or a walk in the cooling Vegas air with Wald, the choice was obvious.
I nodded at the apartments as we jaywalked across the street. “If Agatha’s so successful, then why is she living here?”
“Looks can be deceiving,” he said cryptically. I started across the parking lot with him, and he turned into me and blocked my way. “Stay here. There’ll be cameras,” he said, his lips too inviting. I reached up and caught him in a kiss that was long enough it left us both sucking in air. His hands roved down my back to my butt, and I ground my hips against his.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he rasped with that little curved smile, but it was me who pulled back from him.
I was so glad I had done that.
The lingering taste of his kiss was like savoring a good steak and wanting another bite. I wanted a hell of a lot more than that.
I leaned against a lamppost, keeping my back to the cameras while I waited. A car pulled up behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder. A youngish police officer got out of a cop car. Nine hells, maybe I should have stayed with Agatha.
“Excuse me, ma’am, it’s really cloudy, I’d like to ask why you are wearing sunglasses?”
I bit my lip and glanced over at the strip mall. The officer’s partner was entering the Chinese restaurant. Hopefully, Wald would figure out I was in trouble.
“Sensitive eyes and the neon is super bright here.” I laughed, praying he’d laugh back. He didn’t.
“Take off the glasses, please ma’am,” he ordered.
I whipped them off and glared at him with wide eyes, and he leaned over, looking for druggy dilation.
Fortunately, his cursory glance cleared me.
“You guys getting dinner too?” I asked, making small talk while sweat trickled down my back.
“Yes, ma’am. We are required to take breaks.” He hooked a finger through a belt loop.
“So you’re off duty?” I stepped sideways, letting my hair obscure part of my face.
“Yes, ma’am,”
