"It's so nice to meet you, Cane. I met Fiona at the grocery store, of all places. We were both looking for some arugula and I guess we hit it off."
Fiona laughs. "Yeah, we were both trying to find the same kind of lettuce for a salad recipe. Anyways, Dad, I think you guys have a lot in common and–"
"Right. Well..." My eyes are unable to look them because I've spotted her. Lucia. She's here. I tense.
"Dad, is something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"No, I'm fine. I haven't seen a ghost," I say. A waitress walks by with a tray of champagne, and I ask her to stop a moment. "Would you care for any?" I ask Samantha.
She smiles. "Please." I hand her one. I'm trying my best to be polite, not wanting to offend anyone, and I give another glass to Fiona and one to her husband. Fiona waves Lucia over and then there are five of us.
"I'm sorry," I say. "I see someone from work I've really got to go talk to." Just as Lucia steps into our circle, sucking on a candy cane, I force myself to walk away. I can't be standing here with all of these people. Not with her here too.
"Dad, I just–"
"I'm sorry. I'll be back," I say. I walk away just as Lucia begins to pout, but I can't stay and explain. I've got to get away because standing there watching Lucia in that teeny-tiny white dress is going to make my cock ache in ways that will cause all of us some serious trouble.
I've got to get some fresh air, stat.
4
Lucia
I'm sucking on a candy cane, annoyed as all get-out. I tried to make a grand entrance, but clearly I failed because now I'm standing here with Fiona, her husband, and some blonde woman whom I've never seen before.
I raise my eyebrows. "What was your dad all flustered about?" I ask her.
Fiona shrugs, "I don't know. He seemed upset. He said he was going to go talk to someone from work, but then he walked outside."
Samantha, the blonde woman, takes a sip of her champagne. "Well, that didn't go as we expected, did it?"
I frown. "What were you expecting?"
She looks at Fiona. Fiona perks up, "I was trying to hook my dad up with Samantha. Remember, I was telling you about her. Sam is a nurse at a local hospital and, well, I thought she and my dad would be so good together. Don’t you think?"
I stick that candy cane back in my mouth and try to come up with something polite to say because no, I do not think that they would be good together. Oh my God, I am completely jealous of this middle-aged woman. I know it's not exactly becoming, to be like, crazy jealous of a woman I don't know. I mean, I get it, that's not a good look on anybody, but I am. Samantha is all wrong for Cane. I know that even though I've just met her.
She keeps talking. "He did seem a little stressed out," she says, her voice gentle and kind, and she's beautiful. I swear she's never had any work done and she's got to be in her mid-forties. Her hair looks well done; the coloring is gorgeous. Her eye makeup is immaculate, and her dress is flattering. Her shoes are ones I've been eyeing for myself, and she has a tasteful clutch under her arm.
I frown. Okay, Fiona really did find a nice-looking person for her father, even if, you know, that person isn't exactly me.
"What?" Fiona asks, noticing that I'm examining Samantha, maybe a little too closely. "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing," I say, trying to be polite. I exhale. "Maybe your dad just has a lot on his mind. There are a lot of people here. Maybe he just needed some fresh air."
"Yeah, he must have."
Just then, my own father walks over. "Hey sweetheart," he says. I give him a kiss on the cheek. "Are you having a good time?"
"Sure," I say. Then, remembering my manners, I say, "Dad, this is Samantha. You remember Flynn, of course."
"Hello," he says to Samantha. "I'm Lex St. Michaels."
"Pleased to meet you," Samantha says. "Do you live in town?"
He nods. "I do. I live at the Crown."
Her eyes widen. "Wow. Everyone here is so fancy."
He laughs. "Something like that. Are you from the Strip?"
She smiles. "I live on the other side of town, but I do end up with quite a lot of people in the emergency room who are having fun on the Strip."
My dad laughs good-naturedly. "Now those are some stories I'd be interested in hearing."
Samantha smiles warmly. "Well, they're not as interesting as they sound. Usually it's someone who thinks they're going to have a really good time and ends up having a miserable one."