Maya's scowl vanished. She finished straightening the bottom of the bed and sauntered to his side with a definitely wicked gleam in her eye. Axell wondered if it was too late to run. Glancing at the sway of her hips, he decided running wasn't an option he wanted to take.
"Actually, you've been doing exceptionally well," she murmured, sliding her hands behind his neck until soft curves brushed him in tempting places, backing him up against the bed. "Let's see if you understand this."
Standing on tiptoes, she gyrated her hips against his zipper until Axell thought his pants would explode. She was right. This, he understood.
Falling backward onto the mattress, he pulled her with him. Before she could scramble away, Axell flipped over, pinning her beneath him. Capturing Maya's flailing arms, he proceeded to kiss her into a different form of passion. Maya did passion exceptionally well.
Tomorrow night, maybe they'd make it to his room.
May, 1970
I cannot tell anyone but my journal, so I have dug it out after all these years to record my tears and joy—my daughter was married today to a fine, upstanding young man. I don't know whether her mother is watching from heaven or hell, but I'm sure she is smiling with the same teary-eyed happiness as I am.
Chapter 31
The more people I meet, the more I like my cat.
Maya gaped at the shiny black Cadillac in front of Cleo's shop. If the rich discovered some of her sister's eccentric artists, business would definitely boom.
Cheerfully, she shoved open the shop door.
"The same arrangement as before," the bald man at the counter was saying as the door chimed. "You owe us," he finished, glancing dismissively at Maya and turning to leave.
The man had an aura the same color as his Cadillac, Maya decided as he shoved past her. She didn't think she was a bigot, but the nasty snarl on the man's face made her think in terms of pit bulls, semi-automatics, and gang colors. This man wore a suit and tie and cufflinks.
As the door closed behind him, Maya searched her sister's weary, resigned expression.
"Matty's upstairs watching TV," Cleo said coldly at Maya's look. "I have to work on Saturdays. It's our busiest day."
Several teenagers lingered near the inexpensive pewter fantasy figurines. No one appeared interested in the two magnificent paintings of a medieval sorcerer and his lady on the high walls. Maya had thought they'd sell quickly. Maybe she had no business sense after all. Maybe Cleo couldn't make a living here.
"That man who just left was pure evil," she hissed quietly so the kids couldn't hear.
"Bigot," Cleo countered.
"Don't give me that. Evil comes in all colors." Terrified, Maya looked closely at her sister but couldn't see any sign of drug use. "Cleo, if you've got trouble, share it. You can endanger yourself if you like, but not Matty. He's too young."
Cleo's expression shuttered. "You don't know what you're talking about. That man is a customer who likes to use mystical party favors. I supply them."
"That man never showed his face the entire time I ran this store," Maya retorted. "Cleo, I'm your sister. We can fight this."
Cleo shook her head. "You always were a dreamer." Forcing a smile, she emerged from behind the counter and spoke to one of the teenagers. "That's a crystal from Nepal. It's supposed to have the power to heal..."
Maya marched up the stairs and retrieved Matty. As she held the boy's hand through the shop, he tugged and dragged his feet. "Don' wanna go," he protested.
Furious with Cleo, Maya marched on.
"Mama needs me!" Matty whined, fighting her hold.
Arrows of pain piercing her heart, Maya halted and kneeled beside him. "Of course your mama needs you, sugar. She loves you. But she needs to be by herself right now."
Wiping his eyes, Matty shook his head. "The bad man was here. I'm gonna kill him!"
Shocked to the core, Maya glanced up to see Cleo hovering in the background, her expression stony but her eyes blurred with tears.
Maya hugged her nephew and lifted him in his arms. "Bad men can't hurt people if they stay away from them," she said loudly enough for her sister to hear. "We'll chase him away like the Boogie Monster."
Swiveling on her heel, she walked out of the shop carrying Matty to safety.
* * *
"It's drugs, Selene, I know it is," Maya sighed into the phone. "How can I repay all of Axell's kindnesses by letting my sister smear his reputation? Axell owns that building. The cops