InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (38 page)

            They pulled up
to the Hancock Building and were immediately met at the car by a man who
obviously held a higher position than valet. “Mr. Miller, sir,” he said reverently
as he held open the door. “It’s an honor to have you visit us this evening.”

            “Glad to meet
you,” Dylan said, shaking his hand.

            The man
reached over to assist Tia, bowing at her as she exited. “Welcome, Miss
Hastings, we are so thrilled to have you and your guests here tonight.”

            He nodded at
Ryan, and helped Lexi out of the car, turning back to Dylan. “Begging your
pardon, sir,” the man said, “I wouldn’t normally do this, and would probably
get in a lot of trouble for it if my supervisor knew, but could I please have
an autograph? My daughter is a huge fan of yours.”

            “Happy to do
it,” Dylan said warmly as the man handed him a sheet of hotel stationary.
“What’s her name?”

            “Madison.
Maddie,” he said happily as Dylan signed the paper. “Thank you so much, it’ll
really mean a lot to her.” He bowed his head again, and led them into the
building. “The elevator is waiting for you…please enjoy your evening.”

            “Thank you,
I’m sure we will,” Dylan replied.

            Ryan couldn’t
help but notice that a small army of people had somehow managed to gather in
the lobby as they walked through, their eyes intently focused on Tia and Dylan,
who smiled and waved like they were fucking celebrities or something.
Oh
yeah
, he thought,
that’s exactly what they are.

            They were led
to a semi-secluded table next to the windows, where they had a breathtaking
view of the city below, and were quickly greeted by a most enthusiastic server
who batted her eyes shamelessly at Dylan while taking their drink orders.
Another attendant rushed over to place their napkins in their laps and fill
their water glasses. “Anything at all I can do for you, anything at all, my
name is Elena,” she said breathlessly as she managed to brush her hand against
Dylan’s while handing him the wine list. Then she turned her attention to Tia.
“Best wishes,” she said, craning her neck to get a look at Tia’s ring. “How
excited you must be!”

            “I am, thank
you,” Tia said graciously as Dylan placed his hand over hers on the table. She
was more than used to women being drawn to Dylan, and just as used to his
automatic reaction of touching her in some way, to reassure her. It had taken
some time, but she was finally getting over the fact that nearly every woman
they met couldn’t take their eyes off her fiancé. Not that she could blame
them.

            Dylan ordered
a bottle of champagne for a toast, and handed the wine list to Ryan. “Would you
like to pick a bottle of wine to go with dinner?”

            Ryan took one
look at the lengthy list and swallowed. He enjoyed wine, sure, but he was far
from a connoisseur, especially with this kind of selection. “I’m clueless,” he
admitted. “I wouldn’t even know where to start.” He handed the list back to
Dylan. “Feel free,” he said.

            “Do you like
reds?” Dylan asked. “I see they have one of my favorites; it’s not too dry, not
too sweet…”

            “Sounds good
to me,” Ryan offered, shrugging his shoulders.

            Elena arrived
with a bottle of champagne in a silver bucket, and another server ceremoniously
popped the cork and filled their glasses before slipping away. “On the house,”
Elena said brightly, “a gift from the manager to congratulate you on your
engagement.”

            “My thanks,”
Dylan said as Ryan’s eyes widened. Freaking Dom Perignon?. If there was anyone
in the room who could afford a bottle as expensive as this one, it was Miller.
And they were giving it to him for free?

            Dylan lifted
his glass, and the others did the same. “A toast, then,” he said, “to old
friends and new, and to happily ever afters.” 

            “In this
case,” Lexi smiled, “I’d say, to ‘
InHap
pily’ ever afters!” 

            “Oh, I like
that,” Tia smiled, leaning into Dylan. They touched the rims of their glasses
together and sipped the bubbly.

            It was a bit
disconcerting to Ryan having so many people fuss over him. He’d been to his
share of decent restaurants in his day, but this place was a little over the
top. Before he even put down his glass after taking a sip of water, someone was
there to top it off. The chef paid them a personal visit to deliver a special
appetizer he’d made just for them, and it seemed that every eye in the place
was fixed on their table. Maybe it wasn’t the restaurant, he thought, but the
company. It seemed everyone in the place made it their personal missions to
make sure Dylan Miller was happy. The other diners watched them with sideways
glances or gape-mouthed stares…whatever the looks, they were all very aware
that there was a celebrity among them. It made him uncomfortable, but Dylan
barely seemed to notice. He probably dealt with it everywhere he went, but Ryan
didn’t think he could ever get used to it.

            “So catch me
up on your news,” Tia prodded. “Tell me about
After Dark—
is Tony a trip,
or what?”        

            “Oh my God,
yes,” Lexi agreed. “But his assistant, Malcolm? That guy’s an absolute beast!”
She turned to Dylan. “Let me just say how lucky you are to have Jessa.”

            “Don’t I know
it,” he agreed.

            “So, you
didn’t know that Bo was going to be on the show with you?”

            “It was a
complete surprise,” Lexi beamed. “I had no clue until Tony announced his name.
I was totally blown away.”

            That was
obvious, Ryan thought bitterly as he listened to her recall their reunion,
subsequent dinner, and how they’d watched the show together. She talked as if
Ryan wasn’t even there, and he still cringed at the excitement in her voice as
she talked about Bo Collins.

            Ryan sat back
as the conversation went on around him. They had a history together, a history
in which he had no part. He had precious little to add, and was glad when their
meals arrived so he’d have something else to focus on besides his wine glass.
He could already feel the buzz in his head; not good when he had an early
meeting with the partners in the morning.

            They’d barely
finished their meals when Ryan saw the woman approaching their table. He
recognized her face immediately—she was one of his firm’s biggest clients. He
didn’t work with her personally; she was from old money, and only the partners
were allowed to handle her affairs. She approached the table with a huge smile
and a wave, and he pulled her name from his memory. Victoria Damon. He hadn’t
recognized her at first because she never smiled; in fact, the staff around the
office called her Victoria ‘Demon’ behind her back—she had a reputation for
going for the balls, and didn’t take shit from anyone.

            “Mr.
Stallworth, isn’t it?” she gushed, offering Ryan her hand for a limp shake.
“What a pleasure to see you this evening.”

            Ryan stood to
take her hand, surprised she even knew his name. The few occasions he’d met
her, she’d barely acknowledged his presence. “Thank you, Ms. Damon,” he replied
curtly, “You look well, as always.”

            “This must be
your lovely fiancé,” she said, offering her hand to Lexi. “Lexi, is it? I saw
you on television a few weeks back. Your future husband’s firm handles all my
affairs; he’s got a bright future ahead, this one; you’re a lucky young lady.”

            “Thank you, I
think so,” Lexi answered cordially.

            Victoria
turned to Dylan, who rose from the table, and Ryan saw immediately the real
reason for her uncharacteristically enthusiastic greeting. She’d wanted an
introduction to Dylan, and wasn’t above using her influence with his firm to
get it. Now he felt as if she had him by the balls.

            “Victoria
Damon, Dylan Miller and Tia Hastings,” he offered as Victoria turned on her
high society charm.

            “Oh, what an absolute
pleasure!” she sang. “I’d like to offer you my very best wishes on your recent
engagement; you must be so happy.”

            “We are,”
Dylan answered simply, “thank you very much.”

            “Do you have a
date yet?” she asked.

            Tia looked at
Dylan. “Not yet,” she said.

            “You know,”
Victoria replied, turning her back on Ryan completely and taking Dylan’s hand,
“one of the divisions of my company, Vida International, specializes in
high-end event planning. We could help you have the wedding of your dreams, and
we take care of all the details. We’ve hosted events for some of the most
influential…”

            Dylan
interrupted. “That’s very kind of you. I appreciate the offer, but we’ve
already got someone working on that.”

            “Oh, well, of
course,” she said. “I’ll just leave you with my card, if I may. If you have any
questions at all, you can contact me directly.” She handed Dylan a gold
business card, and he slipped it into his pocket. “I’m also the CEO of ‘4 the
Children,’” she added. “We’re an international charity dedicated to bringing
basic medical treatment to children in developing nations. I’m hosting an event
at my home weekend after next, and I’d love to have you as my guest. Perhaps
you’d even consider donating a personalized item for our silent auction? It’s a
very good cause.”

            “I’m afraid my
calendar is bursting at the seams, Ms. Damon, so I won’t be able to attend,”
Dylan said. “But I’ll pass on your card to my assistant—I’m sure we can do
something as far as a donation. I’ll have her contact you later in the week,
and I wish you the best of luck with your event. I’m always happy to support a
worthy cause.” He put out his hand.  “It was very nice meeting you; enjoy the
rest of your evening.” He took his seat, an indication that he was finished
with the conversation.

            “Call me
Victoria, please,” she smiled, not taking the hint. She reached into her
overpriced bag and pulled out another foil business card. “Here, let me give
you another card for your assistant, just in case you decide you’d like to hear
about my wedding services.”

            “All right
then,” Dylan replied, taking the second card and adding it to his pocket with
the first. “Do have a nice evening, now.”

            She seemed to
suddenly come to her senses. “Oh. My, yes…well the pleasure has certainly been
all mine,” she breathed, batting her eyelashes at Dylan and taking his hand
once more. “If you find you have that Saturday open, don’t hesitate to contact
me. I’m sure I can fit you in, even at the last minute.”

            Dylan took his
hand back, and picked up his wine glass, tipping it slightly in her direction.
“I’m afraid it’s not possible, but again, I wish you the best of luck.”

            “Yes, well, do
take care…I hope we meet up again real soon. Have a beautiful evening, and
again, best wishes!”

            She turned and
left without a goodbye or even another glance at Ryan, who fumed silently. He
was humiliated that one of his firm’s clients; someone who barely knew him;
would use him like that just to shake Miller’s goddamn hand, and then turn her
back on him like he didn’t even exist. He clenched his teeth as he sat back
down at the table.

            “I’m
incredibly embarrassed and sorry about that,” Ryan said. “That was really
fucking rude of her, and I’m actually shocked that she’d behave that way.”

            Dylan waved it
off. “Not your fault—don’t sweat it,” he said. “Happens all the time,
unfortunately.  So, should we order some dessert? They do a nice little
assortment so we can taste a bit of everything.”

            The only thing
Ryan tasted at the moment was bitter. He’d been demoralized in front of his fiancé
and her celebrity friends, and the rest of them were just going on with the
evening as if nothing had happened. He felt the heat of anger rush to his face
and pressed his hands to his water glass, then to his cheeks to cool them.
Maybe this sort of thing happened all the time to people like Dylan Miller, but
Ryan hadn’t been made to feel so insignificant in a very long time; if ever. He
sat back and watched the three of them laughing; more private jokes that he
wasn’t part of.

            “So, you don’t
have a final date set yet?” Lexi asked.

            “We do,
actually,” Tia said; tipping her head in and looking around to make sure none
of the over-attentive staff were listening. She looked at Dylan for approval,
and he answered with a shrug. “We’re not planning to announce it publicly for a
few more weeks, but it is going to be Memorial Day weekend, and it’s going to
be so amazing, I can’t even tell you!”

            Ryan’s heart
sank. He and Lexi had been engaged nearly a year, and now Tia was going to get
married a month before them? Fireworks or no, their wedding wasn’t going to be
the spectacular gala that theirs would be. This night just kept getting worse.

            “Oh my God,
where?” Lexi asked excitedly.