“Don’t worry about her. I’ll deal with her if she gets out of hand.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. She’ll probably get out of hand just so you have to deal with her. That’s what she did on her yacht New Year’s Eve. I saw the way she was drooling over you just now.” Did I sound jealous? I hoped only a little.
“Don’t worry about her, agápi mou. I’m not going to let Tiff come between you and me.”
“Promise?”
“Promise,” Christos reassured. “Nothing will ever split us apart.”
I winced as a wave of nausea sloshed through my stomach. The word “split” made me think of my parents’ impending divorce.
Christos gave me a compassionate look. “You’re thinking about your parents, aren’t you?”
I nodded mutely.
Christos wrapped a loving arm around me and pulled me into his chest. He kissed my forehead softly. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be by your side, no matter what happens.”
“Really?”
“Really,” he murmured in my ear.
I inhaled the warm loving scent emanating from his chest as I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I love you so much, Christos Adonis Manos.”
“I love you too, Samantha Anna Smith,” he said as he kissed the top of my head.
“Get a room!” Romeo said as he came walking up. “And stop being such a cooch mooch, Christos. You’ve been hogging Sam for the last hour. There’s more than enough of her to go around.” He slid his arm between me and Christos and pulled me to his side for a quick hug.
“Cooch mooch?” I chuckled. “Are you calling me a cooch?”
“You have one, don’t you?” Romeo scoffed, releasing the hug.
“Yeah, but it’s not like I go around calling you a needless penis.”
“I’m hurt, Sam. Are you suggesting my good humor is not wanted?” He made a droopy, sad face, jutting out his lower lip. His shoulders sagged comically.
“Oh, Romeo,” I giggled, “Your penis is always needed.”
“That’s what I’m told,” Romeo grinned. “Do you want to swing by Kamiko’s painting and say hello? I’m afraid someone is going to kidnap her in that dress.”
“Awww, are you worried about her, Romeo?” I crooned.
“Of course I am, Sam. Who knew a cartoon character could be so sexy?” he quipped. “I’d do her if she had a dick.”
I winced. “Wrong image.”
“It would be a very feminine dick,” Romeo said. “Smallish with a tiny little pink wrapper.”
I winced wider. “Not helping!” I warned.
“What’s wrong with dicks, Sam? You like them, don’t you?”
I shook my head, and started laughing. “Romeo, please!”
“What?” Romeo looked at Christos for support.
“Don’t look at me!” Christos chuckled. “I’m all about mooching the cooch.”
I shook my head. “You guys have one track minds tonight. Did we walk into a brothel without me realizing it?”
“Everywhere I go,” Romeo quipped, “I bring the brothel.”
That was one hundred percent true.
Christos, Romeo, and I squeezed through the crowd toward Kamiko’s painting. At the moment, she stood alone. The show had been going long enough that most people had seen all of the art and were now busy socializing and getting drunk.
“Hey, guys,” Kamiko said nervously.
“How’s it going?” I asked. “Has your painting sold?”
“No,” she said, sounding disappointed.
I had noticed that most of the other paintings Christos and I had looked at had red dots on the placards, meaning they’d sold. I wasn’t about to tell Kamiko that.
“It seems like most of the paintings are selling,” Kamiko sighed.
Oh well. She’d figured it out herself. “Yours will sell,” I encouraged.
“Excuse me, guys,” Christos said, “I think I just saw a buddy of mine. I’m going to go say hey.”
“All right,” I said. “I’m going to stay here with Kamiko and Romeo.”
Christos kissed me on the cheek.
“Don’t I get a kiss?” Romeo smirked.
“Next time,” Christos winked at Romeo before walking into the crowd.
I turned back to Kamiko. She looked increasingly distraught.
“I don’t know what I was thinking entering my painting into the show,” she said. “Maybe my parents were right about me being pre-med. This art thing is hard.”
“Don’t be silly, Kamiko,” Romeo said dismissively. “Your art is awesome.”
Kamiko looked at him despondently.
I didn’t know what else to say.
Brandon squeezed through the crowd toward us, “Hey,” he said. He didn’t sound any more enthusiastic than the rest of us.
Disappointmentballs.
“How’s it going?” Brandon asked Kamiko.
She rolled her eyes. “The truth?”
Brandon nodded.
“My feet are killing me. I’ve been standing here two hours.”
Romeo said, “Kamiko, maybe you should unzip the front of your dress and say you come with the painting.”
Brandon chuckled, “While that might work, I’d like to think Kamiko’s art stands on it’s own two feet.”
“Yeah,” she said sarcastically, “but my painting isn’t wearing platform sandals,” she groaned. “I’m the one doing all the standing.”
“Maybe this will help,” Brandon said, leaning toward Kamiko.
I was suddenly sure he was going to kiss her.
Instead, he pressed a red dot onto the placard of her painting. “It sold,” he grinned.
“What?” Kamiko’s face lit up.
“For two thousand,” Brandon smiled.
Kamiko clapped her hands to her face. “Ohmygod! I don’t believe it!”
“Believe it,” Brandon chuckled. “I had two buyers. The price started at fifteen hundred, but they argued their way up to two grand before one of them bought it.”
“Wow!’ I smiled. “You’re a hot commodity tonight, Kamiko! Isn’t she hot, Brandon?” I hinted with zero subtlety.
“She’s on fire tonight,” Brandon smiled before walking off.
I looked at Kamiko and sighed, “I tried.”
“Oh,” Kamiko said, “I don’t care about Brandumb anymore.” She looked disappointed, but then her face lit up and she started hopping in her heels and clapping, “I sold my painting! I sold it, I sold it!”
Romeo smiled, “I knew you would, Kamiko. Come here, you cartoon character,” he said with genuine emotion. He gave Kamiko a huge hug. “I knew you could do it. Didn’t I tell you in high school you were going to be a big artist someday?”
Kamiko’s eyes were watering, “You did. You’ve always stood by me, you monocle wearing fairy.”
They laughed and hugged again.
Kamiko said, “Who needs a boyfriend when I have Romeo?”
“Hey, guys,” Christos said as he squeezed past people to get to us.
“Kamiko sold her painting!” I cheered.
“You did?” Christos beamed. “That’s awesome, Kamiko.”
Kamiko nodded, grinning at Christos.
A cute guy squeezed out from behind Christos. He wore a black suit vest over a gray button down shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, black skinny jeans, and a red bow tie checked in black. His thick dark hair was mussed and a sexy curl dipped over his brow. On each forearm he had a tattoo of a cartoon character. Both were from Adventure Time, Kamiko’s favorite cartoon. I totally recognized them from all the times I’d watched the show with her since school started last year.
Kamiko’s jaw dropped, and she gasped, “What the F? Why do you have tattoos of Marceline and Princess Bubblegum?”
Hipster guy frowned at Kamiko like she was completely stupid. “Duh. Because they rock,” he grinned.
His sexy smile had panty dropping potential for sure. Not that I noticed, but it went well with his emerald eyes. Again, not that I’d noticed.