Talking came hours later after another orgasm and a change of sheets.
CHAPTER TEN
Penn
Gideon had securedthe venue Mila had wanted most on the date she’d had as her number one. I’d texted Alex this morning, and he’d been insanely grateful. He and Mila were going to come over next week for dinner; he’d tell her then, and Gideon could see how happy he made her.
Of course, when I’d finally brought up to Gideon the venue thing and the date, he’d rolled his eyes and told me it was easy…and apparently it was for him.
I’d gotten up early since the party organizers, caterers, and whoever else was part of glitzing up the property were coming soon. Gideon was outside watching while they placed cooling fans around the lawn. He wore shorts and a T-shirt, which wasn’t common for him, and I was loving the laid-back look.
I grabbed two mugs of coffee and made my way outside. It was already hot and while the gala wasn’t beginning until later in the afternoon, it was going to be a scorcher.
“Here.”
Gideon turned, smiled, and took the cup. “Thanks.”
I sipped and observed. The fans would be great, and I knew there were portable air conditioners in the closed tents so people wouldn’t start dropping on the property.
“Toni said the security you wanted will be here within the hour. This way you can talk to them about what you want them to do before the guests arrive.”
Gideon nodded. “Good.”
The chaos continued, and I got out of everyone’s way. The twins would be home soon, and while they were excited about the party I knew they’d grumble about the heat, so I made sure they had clean bathing suits if they wanted to hang out by the pool.
Security was everywhere—at the edge of the property and beyond. Inside the house, I swore they were in every hallway. Normally it would irritate me, but I understood that it was for safety reasons. All of these people were Gideon’s, and he wouldn’t have hired them or trusted them in the place his kids slept if they weren’t loyal.
By the time it hit three, I was dressed and ready for the guests to arrive. The twins were marinating in the pool with Matteo, Gideon was talking with Rita and Dean, and Mila and Alex were walking around. It looked to be a very successful evening.
I wasgrateful this wasn’t a black-tie affair, but two hours in I wished I wasn’t wearing any clothes at all. I might not have felt the burn of the sun, but the tackiness from the sweat gathering wasn’t comfortable. I’d popped into the tents to cool as often as I could, but inevitably every time I got comfortable I was called away to deal with something.
“Sir.” Like right now. I’d just grabbed a cool beer and was sitting in front of a cooling fan when one of the security guys approached me.
“Yeah?”
“Mr. Hendrix is indisposed, dealing with the karaoke setup, and we have a small situation.”
Gideon was going to be the MC for the event, which I was thoroughly looking forward to witnessing. There was a small stage set up and as I glanced over to it, I saw he was talking with Rita and some other people who were getting final touches in order.
“Okay, what’s up?”
“There is someone here who has an invitation but isn’t on the list.”
That was odd. The list was supposed to corroborate the invitations of the people attending. Not to mention, the event had been going on for an hour and a half, and I’d assumed everyone was already here.
“Who?”
“Benito and Monica Calvern, sir.”
What. The. Fuck.
I plopped my beer on the table and followed him toward the entrance. “How?”
“He told Gino his friend was invited but hadn’t been able to go, and he thought it would be a great opportunity to meet people in the town he was moving into.”
I quirked a brow. “He said that, did he?”
“Yep.”
