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“Too bad,” Jude whispered, and it took a moment for Delilah to recover from sensation enough to be offended.
Graham laughed as she slapped Jude on the knee. “I really want to know! Tell me!” she pleaded. They both shook their heads as Graham removed a bowl of ripe strawberries from a minifridge in the corner.
“Just drink some champagne and fill that succulent mouth with some almost-equally-succulent berries.” Before she could protest, he held one to her lips until she bit, sucking on the juice that gushed from it. She sipped from her fluted glass and enjoyed the sweet tingling that bubbled up into her nose.
“Mmmm, I wish I’d had some of this at bath time!” she enthused.
“We can make that happen.” Jude’s voice was full of innuendo as he slipped one of her straps from her shoulder and brushed a kiss onto the bare skin.
Heat spread from her belly up to Delilah’s cheeks and down to her thighs. Graham laid a hand on her knee and the pressure through the soft fabric was almost too much. She laid her head against the seat and moaned.
“We may want to slow down.” Graham chuckled. “No point getting her revved up this early.”
“That and we’re here,” Jude said.
Delilah looked out the window and gasped. She had never seen anything so magical in her life. Graham exited the car and held his hand out to her, helping her from the vehicle.
The limousine had stopped at a park. Oaks, elms, and firs stood in clusters around which a brick footpath wound. Fairy lights hung in the trees, illuminating the copses and the people walking under them.
A sign at the park’s entrance said “Rembrandt Gala” in cursive script, and a queue of people in formal attire had formed in front of it. In the distance, Delilah heard violin music. “What is this place?”
“Its daytime alter ego is just your average park,” Jude explained. “But at the moment, it’s all decked out for a black-tie music and arts festival.”
Graham led them to the front of the line, where a man in a tuxedo was checking invitations against a list. To Delilah’s awe, he waved them through with barely a glance. “Who does one have to bribe to getthatto happen?” she asked.
“The Arts Committee,” Jude answered without missing a beat.
Graham blushed. “The company makes sizable donations to the artistic fund every year becausewebelieve it benefits the community. Keeps art in schools, that kind of thing.”
“Plus, we get membership to events where we get to dress fancy and walk in parks,” Jude added. Graham rolled his eyes. “What? Ilovedressing fancy to walk in parks.” Delilah laughed.
The men escorted her down the pathway. Each grove of trees housed a painting set upon an easel with an informational plaque next to it. Beside each painting was a musician in black playing with an orchestra.
Confused, Delilah leaned toward Graham and whispered, “I hear an orchestra, but I don’tseean orchestra.”
Graham pointed to tiny speakers hidden among the foliage. “Each player has a set of mics that are run by Bluetooth to a sound box. It combines the effect of all the instruments and pipes it through the speakers so you see one instrumentalist at a time, but hear all of them playing the same piece. I believe this one is a Locatelli concerto, in case you’re interested.”
Delilah raised her eyebrows, but before she could express her amazement, Jude piped in, amused. “Don’t be too impressed. We designed the sound system and Graham picked out the music himself.”
Delilah smiled and threaded her arm through Jude’s. “I’m not sure that’s a reason not to be impressed.” She brushed a kiss on each of their cheeks. “You two are fabulous.”
They led her through the exhibit, stopping to enjoy each painting and musician along the way. Wait staff with silver trays appeared from time to time with champagne, fruit, and hors d’oeuvres. When they reached the end, a screen was set up, on which the image of each musician was projected so viewers could see the whole orchestra.
“Another creation of yours, I presume.” Graham blushed again as Jude nodded. Delilah wouldn’t have suspected a man of Graham’s confidence and abilities to be so humble, and it endeared her toward him even more. On the other hand, Jude’s matter-of-fact assertions about their work could hardly be viewed as arrogant.
Looking at each of them in turn, her heart felt full. She knew she could never choose between them—neither could ever be more important to her than the other—and that made these moments and the opportunity to enjoy them with both men all the more special.
As they reached the end of the path, she saw the car waiting to pick them up. “Surely the evening isn’t over!” she objected.
“Of course not!” Graham assured her. “We wouldn’t send the lady home on an empty stomach, now, would we?”
When the car stopped this time, it was in a far less natural location. Delilah stood in front of a high-rise building in the middle of downtown. Graham and Jude led her through the building to a hidden express elevator that took them to the top floor.
Getting off the elevator, Delilah was stunned at the view from the walls of glass enclosing a restaurant. Terraces wrapped around the structure and sconces lent the golden atmosphere a warm glow. “What’s wrong?” Jude asked.
Delilah shook her head. “Nothing! Nothing at all. I’m just… why would you do this for me?”
Graham and Jude exchanged self-satisfied glances. “We just want to spoil our girl,” Graham said. “We don’t want to dwell on the past but on our future together.”
