She led the waythrough the crowd, holding back the smirk as several of the men tooknote of her friend. The washroom had four stalls, a long row of sinksand a surprisingly posh-lookingarea at the far end with leather couches and a fireplace.
They really didn’t leave Russiaempty-handed, she toldherself. This place must cost a fortune if the bathroomslook nicer than my living room. Sheled her new friend inside.
“The dress is notright, my lady?” Chela asked.
“It’s justbackwards,” she told her.
“Ah. So I’mdistracting from the seriousness of the occasion.”
Chelan reached down tograb the lower half of her dress. Before Adelina could even realizewhat was happening, let alone suggest disrobing in one of the stalls,the young woman was standing in front of her with the dress in herhand.
Just pretend you’re in the locker room at thegym, she told herself. ButI’ve never seen abs like that at the gym.“Here,” she held out a hand for the dress. “Let’s get this onthe right way.”
And, of course, thedoor opened and three women came in – two cousins and Sarah, afriend of Luna’s from high school. They stopped talking and whocould blame them?
Chelan wasn’tentirely naked. She had shoes on, after all, but Adelina was holdingher dress. Great! Now mom doesn’t have Lunato nag about settling down, she can start in on me for being alesbian.
“Finally gaveup on the fellas or just switch-hitting for funsies?” hercousin Maria asked with a smirk.
Theother two were just staring.
“Funny,” Adelinasaid. “She had it on backwards. I didn’t see you ‘classyladies’ doing anything to help. Get over here, y’ amazon. I’llnever reach over her head on my own.”
She sighed. “Yourealize I mean ‘amazon’ as in tall or statuesque.”
“I know that.”Maria cameover and took the dress. “It’s nice to hear, though. Armsthrough the dress,” she told Chelan.She reached up and draped thedress over the partially intoxicated foreigner.
“It’s not fair,”Sarah said, looking at Chelan. “She looks almost as sexy with it onthe right way.”
“So yousay,” Chelan said. “Some of my friends from… back East werewondering about you ladies.” She gestured to Adelina.
“You for certain.They see a wild beauty in you.”
“In me?” Adelinawrinkled her nose. “You’re drunker than I thought.”
Chelandragged her over to stand where the mirror was. “Look at thisface,” she said. “Wedon’t see faces like this where we come from.”
“You mean therearen’t many Latinas in Kazakhstan?” Sarah giggled. “You learnsomething new every day.”
“They like thesesoft, round curves too,” Chelan’s hands ran down Adelina’ssides, making her shiver, slightly scandalized.
“Most of our womenare hard muscle. They like what a generous layer of fat does toyour... western girls.”
“Maybe thatsounds nicer when they say it inRussian?” Maria ventured.
Adelina stepped awaybefore Chelan’s hands could wander anywhere else. “We should getback out there; there are still a couple of Gleb’s friends indanger of... falling out.”
When theyemerged, there were no further wardrobe malfunctions in evidence.Maybe Luna got to them, shethought. Or one of the bachelors in attendance…
She turned tosay goodbye toChelan becauseshe needed to return to the head table but the young woman wasalready making some pretty overt moves on Dexter. Adelina knew he andAberdeen were a thing. Out of the frying pan,she thought, trying to thinkof a way to diffuse the situation.
Maybe not so much with the ‘into the fire’,she realized. Dexter almost seemed immune.He had the nearest thing to a goddess making it very plain she wantedto take him upstairs for a test-drive and he was acting as if theywere talking about the weather.
Aberdeen was closing infrom the other side of the room but her face didn’t show any anger.Adelina remembered how jealous she used to get with Jacques. If evenhalf of what she was seeing right now had been directed at him, she’dhave been boiling mad right now.
Aberdeenclearly had none of the same doubts about her man. She didgo to the trouble of claiming him, though, perhaps just to saveChelan any further trouble.
Dex turned, surprisedto see her there. His ‘hi’ had that raised tone that telegraphedhis pleasure and she just kissed him like there was nobody else inthe room.
After what had to be atleast a minute, she finished the kiss and gave him an affectionatepat on the chest before turning to Chelan. She leaned forward andwhispered something to the tall woman who had to lean down for her.
Chelan’s eyebrowsrose in apparent interest. “Really?” she asked.
“Mm hm!” Aberdeennodded, then grabbed Dexter by the shoulder so she could stand up onthe toes of her shoes to get a better look around the room. Itcouldn’t have given her much height because she was already inheels.
She must havefound what she was looking for because she dropped back down andwaved toward the entry side of the room. Chelangave her a nod of thanks and moved in that direction. “Tellhim Aberdeen says ‘hi’!” shesaid to the departing woman.
“You’re terrible!”Dexter said, but in a tone of wonder.
“And you’rethe best!” Shenestled into his arm. “Though, I doubt Kacewillwant to share yoursentiment!”
Ethappeared beside Adelina.“We are moving everyone to the dining placenow,” he said, offering his arm. “We must set the example, yes?”
She took his armand they followed Dexter and Aberdeen out into the main hallway whereGleb and Luna waited to lead the procession tothe atrium.
Chelanintercepted them in the large indoor garden at the center of theatrium. “… keep it in the group, but does… count?” wasall that Adelina could hear.
Gleb laughed andnodded.
Chelan positivelybeamed. She turned and waved toward a woman near the elevators whowas talking with Kace.
Good Lord!Adelina thought. Aberdeen deliberately steered that womantoward her friend? She frowned.But who is the other woman she’s waving to…She sucked in an involuntary breath.
Chelan returned to Kaceand whispered in his ear.
He turned beet red andstammered something back, nodding.
Chelan grabbed his handand dragged him over to the elevator door. She stabbed the callbutton.
Kace did a double-takewhen the other woman linked arms with him. The door opened and thethree of them moved inside. Two more of Gleb’s friends slippedinside just before the doors closed.
Adelina was no doctor,but she was pretty sure Kace shouldn’t have been able to fit eyesthat big inside a head that small.
“You are adirty, dirty girl!”Dexter
