Page 34 of Marcellus: House of Drakos
Alex and Kari had showered and changed in his office bathroom suite.
Kari ended up on his lap again and had fallen asleep while he held her and reviewed another contract in need of his signature.
When she occasionally snored, something she declared she never did, he smiled, looked down at that face that was irresistible to him, and kissed her on her nose.
But when knocks were heard on his office door as it was simultaneously opened, his smile disappeared.
He already knew who it was. He already knew that such loud knocking, and then his door opening before he could give permission, was trademark Oz.
Odysseus “Oz” Drakos came bulldozing his way into the office, his long, thick hair flapping beneath the big hat he wore and unbuttoned overcoat that was flapping too because of the exaggerated speed of his movements.
He had just made it back in town from an overseas trip, and he wasn’t happy.
“I cannot believe it!” he bellowed out as he made his way to his brother and sister-in-law.
His booming voice woke up Kari. “And hello to you too, Oz,” she said as she stretched and yawned. “You know Gloria took Jordan and the babies with her to Philly?”
“Yes I know. And hello Kari. How are you, Kari?”
Kari smiled. “Boy bye. You don’t give a shit how I am. The only thing you care about right now is another one of your grievances.”
“What is it this time?” Alex asked his brother.
“How could you allow that man, that insect, to step foot on this property?”
Alex and Kari were lost. “Odysseus, what are you talking about?”
Oz stood erect. He looked from one to the other. “Are you telling me you guys don’t know?”
“We don’t know what?” Kari asked him.
“They put him in the palace suite. The palace suite! I thought you ordered that.”
But Alex was frowning. “They put who in the palace suite? What are you talking about?”
“Oh wow. You don’t know? Wow. This is even more egregious than I thought.”
Alex had had it. “Odysseus!”
“Okay already!” Oz settled down. “I just arrived back in town. As soon as I enter the lobby of this fine hotel, the GM greets me, welcomes me back home, and escorts me to our private elevators that will take me to my apartment so that I can get some much-needed rest. I’m thinking he’s just being nice and considerate.
But before I get on the elevator, he pulls me aside.
He said he was about to bring this up to you, but he handed it to me instead. ” He pulled out an envelope.
“Wait a minute,” Kari said as she got up from Alex, walked over to Oz, and snatched it out of his hand. “This is a Special Guest envelope with an emblem seal on it. Which means only the recipient is to unseal it. Alex’s name is on this envelope, not yours, Oz. And you broke the seal?”
“Of course I broke the seal. It was handed to me.”
“For you to hand to Alex! Don’t play dumb with me.”
“Be that as it may,” said Oz, “it’s done now.”
Alex shook his head as he continued to review his file. “Typical Oz.”
“And when I read it, I assumed you already knew. I thought he was giving me a heads up when he handed it to me.”
“You know better than that, Oz,” Kari said. “You know the protocol. We’ve had Presidents here. Kings stay here. And the notification is always sealed and always with Alex’s name on it. Even I’m not supposed to break that seal.”
“Just look what it says, Kari. Forget protocol. Look at what it says.”
Kari opened the envelope. When she saw who the special guest was, she was floored too. She looked at Alex.
“What?” Alex asked her.
“Marcellus is here.”
Was he one of those A-list international pop stars he had no clue existed, and who went by one name only like Beyonce or Celine or Whitney? “Who’s Marcellus?”
“Oh for crying out loud!” Oz bellowed.
But Alex was genuinely dumbfounded. “Well excuse me, Oz, for not knowing the name of some pop star.”
Both Kari and Oz looked at Alex. “Pop star?” asked an exasperated Oz. “What pop star? We’re talking about Marcellus Drakos, Alex. Our so-called brother? He’s here!”
When Alex heard that name he placed the file in his hand back on the stack of files. It was such a shock to his system that he sat there immobile for several seconds. Then he stood up and walked behind his desk to his huge window. He looked out, but he didn’t see a thing.
“What is that vermin doing in our hotel?” Oz asked.
“When I confronted the GM about it, he said they didn’t know he was coming.
So they had no choice but to put him in the palace suite.
Can you believe it? They gave him the palace suite.
They gave him the best suite in this hotel that even some presidents don’t qualify to stay in.
But they put that roach in it? I said like hell! ”
“Oh Oz get real,” said Kari. “That’s Marcellus Drakos. The man owns Drakos Aeronautics. Where else were they going to put him?”
“In the basement?” Then Oz shook his head. “Drakos Aeronautics. We ought to sue him for using our good name on that shitty-ass company anyway. A company that’s killing their passengers left and right!”
Kari looked at her brother-in-law. “You’re hopeless.”
But Alex continued to take his own counsel as the two of them continued their bickering. And then, as if he’d made up his mind, he began heading for the exit.
“Are you going to kick him out of your hotel or will I?” Oz asked him. “Or, knowing you, are you going to welcome him with open arms?”
Alex didn’t know what he was going to do. But he knew he was headed to the palace suite. Because one thing he knew for sure: Marcellus Drakos didn’t check into his hotel for the hell of it. No way. No how.
Kari and Oz hurried behind him.