Enemy Mine

Chapter 72

Joseph stood against the wall looking miserable while the party raged around him. Vincent and I kept him supplied with beverages of the bottled water variety, and I shared my plate of delicious French canapés, but nothing improved his mood. Even my jokes only evoked forced laughter, and he seemed especially embarrassed to look me in the eye. Thankfully, Caleb and Minnie arrived after a treacherous journey through the swelling storm, adding a much-needed distraction.

"Reese, that dress..." Minnie said first thing. "I think it's missing something."

Caleb followed Minnie's gaze and gaped at my cleavage. "You're right, Minnie. Didn't you pack your black bolero."

"I sure did. You never know when a bolero will come in handy. I'll go fetch it."

Minnie bustled away, and I felt Vincent's warm breath at my ear as he spoke into it. "You should have gone with the green dress. Poor Joseph has nearly swooned three times."

I smacked him playfully. "You bought the dress."

George decided to join us after spending what looked like a painful half hour speaking with Boris, who decided to attend the celebration he had been adamantly against. It was odd seeing George wearing a yellow Tommy Hilfiger shirt and blue silk pants rather than his formal white robe. He looked very California, and after making a botched effort not to ogle my breasts, he greeted everyone as he handed Joseph a glass of wine.

"Here, Joseph. You look like you need this more than I do."

Joseph eyeballed the wine as if it might be poisoned, but after a few seconds of scrutiny, he took the glass and tucked into it.

"You and the family are welcome to use our home," George told Joseph. "Domus Sterling will always be at your service."

"I know, George," Joseph said, looking thoughtful over his glass. "But that plan is riddled with potholes. Our domi are too far, and the Tavareses could not abandon the city like that. We are the last domus standing in Buffalo."

Minnie returned with the black bolero, and everyone watched as I snugged it over my shoulders. Thank goodness Minnie was a broad girl like me.

"That's much better," Minnie said as she tugged the lapels closer, scrunching my breasts together. "Did you tell them about the Barads yet, Caleb?"

Caleb seemed entranced with what Minnie was doing, and he cleared his throat when he realized he'd been put on the stand. "The Barads are not waiting for confirmation from a paternity test," Caleb said. "They are already at the Bourdain domus waiting for Marco's plane to arrive. He's walking into a hornet's nest."

"Do you think he'll go home, or will he make a run for it?" I said. "There's a lot of empty space in Portugal."

"If he runs, I will be very surprised," said Caleb. "Marco is a coward, but he has too much pride to flee. He will face his punishment and find a way to come out smelling like a rose."

"If he manages to pull that off, it will be after he's been stripped of his pride and castrated," Vincent offered sourly.

"I think the traditional punishment is to give the mate of the offending party permission to dissolve the union," Minnie offered. "Castration fell out of practice when our numbers started decreasing."

Vincent nodded to his aunt, acknowledging her but not appearing to agree. "The Barads have always operated on the fringes of gollum protocol. I would not put it past them to rid Marco of his manhood and throw it into the Ganges River."

"What about everyone else who kept the secret?" I said, before anyone could elaborate on Vincent's gruesome comment. "Will the Barad's seek revenge on them?"