“Forget it,” he fumed, realizing that his staff was not going to give him straight answers. “Clean up, and you are off duty.”
He stormed down the stairs, straight to his quarters. He needed answers, and he needed them now. The only person he could think of that might be able to help was Gerri.
“Where is Gerri Wilder?” Rao snapped to an attendant who stood at his doorway. The man shook his head.
“I’m not sure, sir, but I believe she is not in the castle at this time.”
“Doesn’t anybody know a fucking thing in this castle?” he muttered, stomping away. He quickly got on the phone and rang around all of Gerri’s haunts. After only a few calls, a club confirmed that she was there and had been for the last couple of hours.
Rao teleported himself to the street outside the small club. It was like a jazz club, where budding musicians came to try out their alternative music. He’d been there a few times and found the atmosphere pleasant, but today, the peaceful vibes grated against his frustration.
He entered the club, striding quickly through the tables until he reached Gerri. She looked up at Rao in surprise.
“Rao, what are you doing here?”
He sat down heavily, glowering at the shadows. “I need to talk to you. I had a date with Lexi tonight.”
“Yes, I heard. I’m not liking the look of this,” Gerri said, her voice stern. She tapped a finger on the table and gave him a hard look. “What did you do?”
“That’s just it. I don’t know.” Rao snapped. “Everything was going great. Food, conversation, then a little dance. I kissed her. It was amazing. She was kissing me back. Then ... she just ran away."
Gerri took a small sip of her drink, narrowing her eyes. "She just ran? She didn’t say a word to you?"
"No," Rao shook his head. “Not a single word. Just bolted. Can you please tell me what’s going on in her head?”
Gerri sighed. “I wouldn’t like to try, actually. The worst thing we can do is assume what other people are going through. The best thing to do is ask Lexi.”
Rao frowned, almost glaring at her. “I don’t think that’s very helpful.”
Gerri shrugged. “I know it’s not the answer you were hoping for, but it’s your best chance of finding out what upset her and what to do about it.”
Rao sighed and looked at the floor. He was going to need quite a bit more courage before he attempted to talk to Lexi again.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Gerri said kindly. “You have been coming on awfully strong. Lexi acts tough, but she’s really trapped in her own shell. You have to be delicate and coax her out.”
“How the hell do I do that?” he muttered.
“Very gently,” Gerri said.
Rao sighed. “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll go and see her …”
“Right now?” Gerri cut in, alarmed.
“Sure,” Rao replied. “Why not?”
“This is exactly what I’m talking about,” Gerri said firmly. “Give her some space. Don’t try to talk to her until tomorrow morning. I’m telling you, treat this girl like a shy, young horse, not a lioness ready to throw down with you.”
Rao nodded. “Okay, okay. I think I get it. I don’t know how I’ll wait until morning, though.”
“You asked for my advice,” Gerri said, shrugging.
Rao knew she was right. He headed back to the castle, trying to relax. He tossed and turned all night, barely getting any sleep. The worst thing was that even after thinking about it all night, he still had no idea what to say.
Rao gave up on sleep just before dawn and headed to the kitchens. He sent messages to Alyx asking what kind of foods Earth girls liked. Recipes were sent through for pancakes and waffles. Rao found the selection of syrups slightly confusing. He didn’t understand if maple, caramel, and honey all went on the same dish or separately.
Alyx also recommended a small selection of fruit and other pastries. Bella chimed in and told him to make sure there was a decent serving of very creamy, sweet vanilla ice cream.
Rao had all the food loaded onto a cart and brought three of his best servers. A separate group followed behind with the coffee and a variety of different flavored teas.