Chapter 11:
After Lulu finished her work, Dante walked her back to the loft. She didn't say two words on the entire trip. It had to be more than Ronnie busting in on them. Something must have happened while she was in Kate's office while she was finishing up work. It wasn't that much time.
"You were quiet on the walk home," Dante said as he and Lulu entered the loft.
Lulu sat down the sofa. "I'm just still a little embarrassed. What did he see exactly? What did he want? Never mind, I'm better off not knowing, right?"
"Lulu, I know that we haven't known each other for a long time but I do know when you are not being truthful. Why don't tell me what's bugging you?" Dante sat down next to her.
"It nothing really," Lulu lied.
"Lulu." Dante took her hand in his. "Please. Tell me."
"What were you going to tell me?" Lulu asked instead. "It seemed important to tell me when I was naked and lying on top of you."
Dante smiled at the memory of their skin pressing against each other. "You are trying to distract me."
"Is it working?" Lulu said, pressing her lips to his neck.
"Lulu, what happened when I went talk to Ronnie?"
Dante tried to keep his mind clear as Lulu nibbled on his shoulder. She was doing a good job trying to divert his attention from the information that he sought.
"Nothing that can't wait until morning," Lulu said, pulling him up and leading him to the bed.
Dante sighed. Another day and he still hasn't told her the truth. Dante just hoped that he wasn't running out of time to tell her.
Jorge came into Santos' office first thing in the morning. He was surprised to see his boss was already there on the phone discussing a shipment that was about to land.
"Good morning, boss. I didn't expect to see you this early," Jorge greeted.
"The shipment is coming in tonight. Anything new information on the girl?" Santos as he hung up the phone.
"Mr. Perelli doesn't leave her side. According to our guy on the inside, he even goes to work with her," Jorge explained. "It would be hard to get her alone after we sent her the flowers and the phone call."
"Flowers yes, phone call no. If Mr. Perelli was in the vicinity of his wife when she got the phone call, he would have gone on the line and he would have threatened our lives," Santos began. "I think that little Miss Lulu is keeping this tidbit from her husband. Besides before you came in Gavin called saying that there is going to be a big photo shoot outside in the garden of the Metro Court Hotel tomorrow. Can you and our men be ready to grab her then when there is a preplanned distraction?"
"Yes sir. Where do you want her after we grab her?" Jorge asked. "We have many locations in the area than Corinthos doesn't know about."
"The one that is the furthest away and the most difficult to escape from. I have a feeling that Miss Lulu will try her damnest to escape. We just want to make it much harder for her." Santos said with an evil gleam in his eye.
"You have a suspicion that Miss Lulu is going to be a handful, huh boss?" Jorge asked. "She is a little thing, how much trouble can she be?"
"Yes I do think she is going to be trouble. And tell the guys that Lulu is not to be harmed at all. I don't care if she fights back for all she's worth. If I see her and she is injured I will kill that person myself. Am I making myself clear?"
"Yes sir, I'll let the others know."
Dante awoke the next morning to the aroma of coffee brewing. He swung his arm on Lulu's side of the bed; he hit a cool mattress instead of a warm body. He instantly sat up in bed, looking around. "Lulu?" he asked hoarsely. "Lulu? Where are you?"
"Hey sleepyhead." Lulu came by the bed only wearing one of his t-shirts and carrying two mugs. "I brewed some coffee. Sorry if I frightened you." She held out a mug to him.
"What's on tap today in the world of high fashion?" he blew on the coffee before he took a sip.
"Getting ready for a huge photo shoot that is going to happen tomorrow in the garden at the Metro Court, I need to help set it up." Lulu took a sip of her own coffee. "It's going to be a long day, I have to warn you."
"It won't be so bad because I get to spend it with you," Dante answered.
"Aww that was sweet," Lulu said. "I'm going to take a shower and get dressed and no you can't join me in there because we are never going to leave this apartment." She gave him quick kiss on the cheek and headed to the bathroom.
Dante checked his watch; he promised Ronnie that he would call him in the morning. With Lulu in the shower, this would be a perfect time to call him.
"Hello?" Ronnie asked when he picked up.
"It's me; make it quick Lulu is in the shower and getting dressed." Dante said as he got up from the bed rummaging through his dresser to find something to wear.
"I think Santos is going to make his move soon. He's been in town too long and only sent Lulu dead flowers?" Ronnie stated. "I want you to be on your guard and keep a look out for everything."
"I will. I will protect Lulu until my dying breath," Dante said. "Santos is not going to touch her."
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the Metro Court. The photo shoot was going to be outside in the lush garden. As soon as Lulu set foot on the property, her cell phone began to ring off the hook. "The flowers are here," she said to Dante as she listened to the call. "I need to supervise them setting it up."
"Let's go." Dante took her arm and led her outside to the garden.
The garden was transformed into a tropical island paradise. There were buckets and buckets of tropical flowers all over the place. Palm trees were shipped in. Some workers were spreading sand under the palm trees. Some other workers where setting up coconuts on the sand that was just spread out.
"Wow," Dante breathed as Lulu got another call. "What is the photo shoot is called?"
"Island Bliss," Lulu said before she answered the phone. "No! I want… the ice sculpture is supposed to be here tomorrow. What do you mean it's at the lobby? Take it to the kitchen and have them store it in the walk-in freezer. I don't care! Have them re organize the freezer! After the photo shoot is finished they can smash it and put it in martinis for all I care! Do it now!"
She hung up; Dante looked at her with his mouth agape. "Remind me not to piss you off," he said as Lulu's phone rang again.
"What?" Lulu said into the phone. "The grass skirts are where? I don't care! They need to be here by nine am tomorrow! Do you really want to be on Kate Howard's bad side? I thought not. I will expect that delivery at three this afternoon."
Dante watched Lulu as she went through inspecting every aspect of the photo shoot unaware that they were being watched.
Gavin stood behind one of the large bushes watching, he picked up his cell phone. "I'll have to tomorrow. It's going to be crazy here… perfect time to have her grabbed."
As the day wore on, the garden of the Metro Court really looked like a tropical paradise. Dante had a glass of lemon aid in his hand he walked over to Lulu who was speaking to the head chef of the hotel about last minute changes to the menu for the party that was going to follow the photo shoot.
"You look like you need this." He handed her the lemon aid.
"Is it spiked with vodka?" She took the glass from him and drank half of it in one gulp.
"It can be," Dante said. "Wow this place looks great. You did a really good job setting this entire thing up."
"It was a lot of work." Lulu drained the last of the lemon aid. "That would have been better with vodka."
"Why don't we go to Jakes after you get off and you'll have all the vodka that you want," Dante said, taking the empty glass from her and handing it off to a passing waiter.
"If I didn't know any better, I think you are trying to get me drunk and have your way with me," Lulu said, wrapping her arms around his waist giving him quick kiss on the cheek.
Dante smiled. "Nah, I just want my lovely wife to unwind after this stressful day. You need it, where is Maxie anyway? Did she leave you to do all the work?"
"Probably on the phone taking to Kate," Lulu answered. "Getting the models set in and catering to their whims I don't envy her right now."
Dante looked around; to him everything seemed to be in place the only things needed were the models and the photographer. "How much longer are you going to be? I mean everything looks set to me."
Lulu scanned the set in front of her. For the first time she actually had a look of her hard labor that lasted all day long. "Wow. I was so busy that I didn't realize how much work was actually done."
Dante came behind her, wrapping his arm around her. "Does that mean I get you to myself?"
"I thought we were going to Jakes," Lulu said.
"Ahh the place that you fell for me," Dante said smiling. "Maybe we can play a game of pool this time we should make the wager a little more interesting."
"Oohh what do you have in mind, stud?" Lulu asked. "I don't think that Coleman will allow us to play strip pool."
"I like the way you think but I was thinking more along the lines of the loser will be the slave for the day and night of the winner."
Lulu turned around in his arms. "Doesn't that mean that we are both winners then?"
"Oh maybe." Dante smiled. "I'll have you wash my gym clothes including my smelly socks. I would also like breakfast in bed served by you only wearing an apron."
Lulu arched an eyebrow. "Oh really? You are so smug. What if I win? Ever think of that? I can come up with several things that you can do for me."
Dante glanced around. "You are done here, right?"
Lulu laughed. "Down boy, give me twenty minutes and I am all yours."
Thirty minutes later, they walked into Jake's hand and hand. Dante led her to the bar. "Coleman my friend, give the lady whatever she wants on me."
Coleman eyed Lulu. "Lesley Lu, you got married and didn't ask me to use Jake's for the reception? I'm hurt."
Lulu held her hands up in mock surrender. "It's out of my hands Coleman, Maxie and my cousin is planning something. It is up to them. Take it up with them."
Coleman set two beers on the bar. "Are you two reliving the night that you two fell in love? I mean everyone could see that sparks flying when you two were playing pool. It was so hot that I thought that the place was going to burn down."
Dante wrapped his arms around his wife. "I thought so too. This one took some convincing."
"Not much you two eloped a few days later."
Dante tried to pay for the drinks but Coleman waved off the bills. "Forget it; the drinks are on the house. Just invite to the shindig that Maxie is planning."
"You got it. Now if you excuse us, I need to beat my wife in a game of pool." Dante led her to the pool table. "We have a little wager going on."
"I have a few rooms available upstairs." Coleman winked at them, tossing Dante a key to a room. "The room is on the house too."
Dante pocketed the key. "Thanks man, are you ready to lose the bet Lulu?"
She laughed as they walked to the empty pool table. "As if, Dom. I went easy on you last time. Now you are going to get. I am going to kick your butt."
"I'd rather you spank it instead." Dante handed her a pool cue then he set up the table.
Lulu's face turned scarlet. She scanned the bar; luckily no one was near enough to overhear his racy comment. "Dom, are you trying distract me?"
Dante trained his eyes over Lulu's outfit. She was wearing a shirt that came down to her knees and a buttoned down shirt. If anyone was going to be the distracting he had a feeling that it was going to be Lulu.
"Nope, I'm just making a list for you when I beat you at pool." He pointed to the pool table. "You break."
The first game Lulu beat Dante. He complained that it should be best out of five games. It was tied after four games. Dante didn't care who won the bet. In the end they would both be winners.
Lulu picked up her cue stick. She had one ball left. "Eight ball corner pocket," she announced as she set up her shot and the ball went into the packet. "Ha I win!"
"I think we both win, Lulu." Dante took the cue from her, setting it against the wall. "Why don't we go home?"
Lulu smiled. "I can come up with my list on the way home."
The next morning, Dante surprised Lulu with breakfast in bed. He carried over a tray loaded with pancakes with all the fixings. "Good morning my beautiful wife," he said as he set the tray down next to her on the bed. "I had Kelly's deliver it. I hope you wouldn't mind."
Lulu picked up a piece of bacon, taking a bit. She noticed that he was still in his PJ's. "You had it delivered so you wouldn't have to make me breakfast only wearing an apron?"
"Thought that I would save that for tonight after the shoot, I'm going to make you a killer dinner," Dante said as he snagged a piece of her bacon. "I got you everything considering that you will probably be too busy to eat until the shoot is over I wanted you to have a big breakfast."
"And I love you for that," Lulu said with her mouthful of pancake and syrup.
"You have some syrup…" Dante leaned in for a kiss, taking the wayward syrup with him. "Hurry up and finish your breakfast and I'll take you to the shoot; you still want to get there two hours early right?"
"Been married less than a month and you know me so well," Lulu teased giving him a quick kiss. "I'll be ready in about thirty minutes."
True to her word, Lulu was showered, made up, and dressed in thirty minutes. She was in a bright print tank dress that would fit in perfectly for the shoot. She wore a pair of the highest heels that he'd ever seen. He wondered women could walk in such high of a heel.
"Ready?" Lulu asked.
"Ready."
He had changed into a pair of jeans and a tight black shirt.
Lulu arrived to the garden of the Metro Court it was a flurry of activity. The make-up artists were beginning to set up as the models entered the garden to get made up for the shoot and the photographer set his camera on a tripod.
As if on cue, her phone began to ring. "Hello? Yes, bring out the ice sculpture and place it by the pile of the tropical fruit. It should go well there considering its palm tree with coconuts."
When she hung up the phone rang again. She gave Dante a quick kiss on the cheek before answering it. "I think I'll need a full body massage after this is finished," she said. "Hello? Yup it's on its way out. It looks great. You'll love it. I can't wait until you get back from Paris. No, I have everything under control."
She hung up. "That's Kate, still stuck in Paris. She won't be able to fly because of the volcano. She's over her cold and a little pissy that a volcano all the way in Iceland is causing this much trouble for air travel. She won't be able to get a flight until next week."
Dante grinned. "That means her office is going to be unoccupied until next week, huh?" Dante scooped her in his arms and kissed her passionately.
Lulu broke the kiss, giggling. "Down boy, I have a lot of work to do! That will have to wait until later!"
"When? When there is a lunch break?" Dante asked as Lulu's phone rang again.
"Hello? Great! I'm going to head over there in a minute." She hung up again. "The shoot is about start."
Dante watched as she headed over to the palm trees and followed behind her to keep an eye on her. It was going to be a busy day.
The shoot was going on for hours. For one of the sessions, the models were wearing coconut bras and grass skirts. Dante wished that he could snag one of those outfits for Lulu to wear for him later. He sighed; he wished that it was him that won the bet instead of Lulu. He would have insisted that she take the bra and skirt and give him his every own hula dance in their loft.
He caught a glimpse of Lulu as she dashed to where the makeup artists were adding more makeup on one of the models for the swimsuit portion. He was going to follow her but a garment rack obscured his view of her. To his horror, it was just a first of a train of garment racks that kept coming and coming with all sorts of clothing to be used.
Without seeing an end in sight, Dante ran into one of the garment racks, knocking it over and having several people shout expletives at him. Dante didn't care as long as he saw Lulu with his own eyes and made sure that she was okay.
He reached where Lulu was standing not that long ago and found nothing. He craned his neck, his pulse racing. He didn't see her.
Lulu seemed to vanish into thin air…..