Page 14 of Mind

She smacks her lips, “Anyway,” she draws out the word. “As I was saying, I called to thank him, and he asked how it was going and what I was waiting on. We chatted, and I explained that I was waiting for the fabric to arrive from Italy. He asked for the vendor info, and today, only two days later, it arrives. Poof! Magic!”

Yeah, no poof, no magic. There were probably a whole lot of dollar bills being exchanged with extra doses of “Yes, sir!” if my guess was correct. I look over at Chase and he throws me a sexy wink. Damn, that man is powerful in more ways than just his overflowing bankroll.

“So, maybe tomorrow I can bring the samples by and show you the new crystals I got,” she says happily.

“Can’t. Have forced family fun at the Davis’ tomorrow for brunch. Oh! You should totally go!” I clasp her hands just as Carson puts his arm around her shoulder.

“Where should you go, sweet cheeks?”

Sweet cheeks?I choke back a laugh and swing my head around to catch Ria’s gaze. “Sweet cheeks?” she mouths and I nod. I remember when Chase tried to give me that one, but at least he did it in private.

“Gigi was just telling me that she has to go to brunch at your Dad’s. How come we weren’t invited?” she sounds concerned. I didn’t mean to put doubt in her mind. Leave it to me and my stupid insecurities to mess something up.

“I don’t know. Hadn’t heard about it either. But, either way, if you want to go we’ll crash it.” He smiles and she ruffles his hair. His eyes never leave hers. Seeing two people so well suited for one another fall in love is a remarkable thing to witness.

“Yes, please, please. I’ll so owe you. I don’t want to be alone with her,” I whisper, hoping Chase doesn’t hear.

“Who? My Aunt Colleen?” Carson asks, his voice loud and booming. Kat elbows him, and I glance her way giving a silent thank you when I hear the resounding “oomph” from the stomach punch.

“What’s this about my mother?” Chase’s arms wrap about me from behind.

“Nothing, just telling Carson and Kat that we’re having brunch there tomorrow and they should come.”

Hopefully, that covers Carson’s big mouth. I’m sure Kat’s going to give him hell later. It’s our job as women to teach our men the best way to gossip. You never give away your best friends. Ever. You blame yourself before getting one of your girls stuck in a compromising position. These are rules that a well-trained man in a long-term relationship will eventually catch onto. Obviously, Carson hasn’t been in many long-term relationships, or he’d be better at discretion. That could be good or bad news for Kat.

“It will definitely make Gillian happy. She’s still finding her footing with Mother,” Chase answers but doesn’t seem altogether happy about the option.

“Really, it’s fine, you don’t have to,” I hedge trying to calm the waters before they turn choppy.

Carson shrugs. “Okay, cool. Then I’ll be keeping my sweet cheeks all to myself,” he nuzzles her nose in a sickening display of public affection.

And with that, Maria grabs Kat and me and pulls us over to the end of the table where Bree and Phillip are getting cozy. His hand is on her bare knee and slowly making its way farther up her thigh. A waiter appears with a couple bottles of champagne and another finishes setting down several large trays of noshes and nibbles.

“Let’s get this party started,chicas!” Maria exclaims loudly. The steward fills four glasses and hands one to each lady. “Gracias,” she tells him. He fills the other four glasses and hands them to each of the men whether they want it or not. “A toast!” she says.

“Ria, remember where we are…” I warn. Her toasts are a blast for us girls, but are usually peppered with colorful language or profanity. Sometimes both.

“Relax, this will be PG. I just want to congratulate our Bree on her twenty-sixth birthday.” We all raise our glasses. “Very few have accomplished so much. Having your own studio and building a business is something to be proud of.” Everyone nods, Kat and me tearing up a bit. “On top of that, your body ismuy caliente.Am I rightPhillipe?” She nudges Phil in the arm. He grins and wiggles his eyebrows. “Besosgirl!” she finishes.

We all laugh, and Bree shushes Maria. I lift my glass, “To you, beautiful,Besos,” I say.

“Yes, to you our sunshine girl,Besos!” Kat finishes.

We all take a sip. “Now let’s eat!” Carson cuts in.

In front of us are several large platters filled with small finger-sized bites and little bowls of dips and sauces. I grab a triangle shaped item and take a bite. I’m treated to a rich spinach and cheese mixture of pure bliss. Chase tells me it’s a Mediterranean dish called Spanakopita. It has flaky pastry layers that hold the melted cheese and veggie goodness. A steward comes and fills our wine with something jammy and red that is to die for. Bree takes a sip of her wine and closes her eyes, basically having a winegasm. I know the feeling. Chase is marvelous at picking wine.

I look over and catch Phil eyeing Bree again. Poor guy. He doesn’t stand a chance. That dress she’s wearing and those moans she’s throwing have me feeling a bit like I’m intruding on a private moment. Chase leans in to whisper in my ear. His breath tickles the hair at my nape. I’d worn it half up, even though he prefers it down, because I wanted him to get the full effect of the dress. He did. Speaking of the dress, his hand keeps creeping its way down my spine, the pad of his fingers trailing along each bump in my spine.

“So what’s their deal? Why does it look like Phillip has a serious case of blue balls?” Chase whispers in my ear.

An unladylike snort slips out and Chase snickers. “Probably because they haven’t had sex yet,” I confide.

“What?” He practically yells. Everyone at the table looks over at us. I know my face has turned bright red.

“Sorry, everyone, just asking a question. Chase couldn’t hear me.” Apparently, Chase needs training on gossip maneuvering as well. Though instead of being annoyed, I’m rather pleased he hasn’t been in a long-term relationship where his girlfriend would have already taught him these subtleties. Now it will be his wife teaching them to him.

Once everyone starts mingling and eating, I lean over. “Try to contain yourself. They haven’t had sex yet.”

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