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“It feels great. I’m here to enjoy the evening and to raise support for abuse victims. It’s a cause that doesn’t receive enough recognition, and it’s truly heartbreaking,” he responded smoothly, not missing a beat. Whoever trained him for the media did an excellent job. It wasn’t often I saw him in the public eye, and I couldn’t be prouder.
“Everyone expected you to attend with Camilla or Anna…”
“I have no association with either of the women you mentioned. They’re in the past, and I’m thrilled about that. No more questions,” he said, and we walked inside, the door closing behind us.
Dillon joined me and I confessed, “I don’t think the public will like me very much,” anxiety creeping into my voice. My palms were sweating, and so were my feet.
“I like you more than enough. Fuck the public; let’s go.”
He continued walking, greeted by a sea of people. There must have been a billion people here, all looking stunning. My eyes recognized a few individuals: Bryce, Dillon’s family, some of my colleagues, Lucio, Ronan, and other people I’d seen before but couldn’t name.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Just anxious. There are so many people,” I admitted, my voice shaking.
He smiled warmly and said, “You’ll be fine. We’re going to say hi to a few people and then sit. Is that okay with you?”
I nodded, and we moved to the first group. They appeared to be investors, which I deduced from the booth they were standing near.
I exchanged pleasantries with all of them before we moved on to the next group and all the groups that followed until we made it to where his friends were.
“Hey, gentlemen,” I greeted them, offering friendly hugs and smiles. They greeted me, and we stood in slightly awkward silence. It was easier talking to them, mainly because they were good friends of Dillon’s, but I couldn’t help but notice that Bryce and Mikkel were missing.
“Where’s Bryce and Mikkel?” I asked.
“Bryce is at the food bar, and Mikkel went outside for a smoke,” Ronan informed. “By the way, you look nice, you too Dillon.”
“Thank you, Ronan. Where’s your date?”
I knew Mara was here with Alexander, Lucio was married, Arnoldo didn’t do relationships, but I spotted him with a redhead earlier, Mikkel was single, and Ronan was just here…
The boys, including Dillon, started to chuckle softly, visibly irking Ronan. This was a group of males that was somewhat bizarre, dysfunctional, and funny family.
“I’m here with my ex-girlfriend,” he confessed. Dillon’s head turned sharply, his features hardening.
“Which ex-girlfriend?”
“Nina,” he said, stepping back a couple of paces, “She and I are working things out.”
“Give Nina my best, and this time, don’t fuck it up. Is your and Lucio’s crazy sister here?”
My eyebrows shot up, and I crossed my arms, my natural stance whenever another woman was mentioned in connection with Dillon. “Even if she is, what does that have to do with you?”
“Precious,” he said, his face showing panic, “I didn’t mean it like that. She’s mentally challenged, to say the least.”
He seemed to be deliberately vague, which further piqued my curiosity. I shot a questioning look at Ronan, and he knew it was his turn to provide more information.
“You’re so intimidating, just like your boyfriend,” he muttered, glancing at me. I couldn’t help but smile. “Dillon helped her out once because he owed Lucio and I a favor, and she’s been obsessed with him ever since. She’s just our half-sister, and we don’t even talk that much, but she’s a donor at this event, so she might be here.”
“Great,” I said sarcastically, “another woman after you. When does it end?”
Dillon rolled his eyes and pulled me closer to him. My anxiety faded into the background; Dillon’s friends might be a handful, but they were more tolerable than I’d imagined.
We continued greeting other sponsors and guests. We met representatives from Bank of America, Apple, Samsung, and some of my favorite authors were also here. It was a night to remember.
I noticed that we hadn’t seen Dillon’s family, but we were now making our way toward Mara. For a woman who had just given birth, she looked incredibly put together.
“Mara,” I exclaimed and went over to give her a hug. “You look stunning, and the baby is adorable. I must babysit him someday,” I cooed.
