He laughed. It sounded more like a cackle to her ears. “Ah, yes, that does tend to happen. I can escort you to the bathroom next time to make sure you make it safely. The night is getting late and people are getting more inebriated. I don’t trust the look of some of the men.”
“That’s very kind of you, Franklin, but—”
“Oh my God, I’m having a bride freak-out.” Lily grabbed Sarafina’s arm, ripping her out of Franklin’s arms. “I need to borrow Fina. You understand, Frankie, don’t you?”
His expression told her he was pissed by the intrusion, but nodded. “Of course, we wouldn’t want any issues to arise on your day. The night’s been going well. I’m not sure why you’d be having a freak-out now.”
“Dress malfunction.” Lily smiled, then pulled Sarafina away to a dark corner of the room. “Pretend you’re messing with the bustle of my dress.”
“Thank you. How did you know?” Sarafina asked as she fiddled with Lily’s dress, eyeing a button that had become loose.
“You’ve never liked Frankie. The minute I saw him pull you onto the dance floor I knew I had to save you. Or were you enjoying yourself?”
“Jeepers, no. His grimy hands made a play for my butt the minute he pulled me out there. He has no respect. I feel like I need a shower now.”
“Sorry. He’s such a loser. How come I haven’t seen you dance with Dax yet?”
Sarafina wished she could avoid that answer, not even sure how to answer it. It was a very good question. “I haven’t? The night’s still young.”
Lily stepped away. “My dress is fine now.”
“Actually, you had a loose button. I fixed it. Crisis averted.”
Lily looped her arm around Sarafina’s and started walking. “Thank you. I knew you’d fix my crisis. Now, let’s fix yours.”
“What crisis? You already fixed that when you saved me from Franklin.” Sarafina had a difficult time keeping up with Lily’s quick movements.
“Not that one, silly. This one,” she whispered as she stopped in front of Dax, who sat at a table by himself. “Dax, Fina needs to rest for a moment. Her feet are starting to ache from those blasted heels I made her wear. I’m such a bridezilla. Do you mind if she sits with you?”
He looked like he’d seen a ghost when she said that but nodded with a tentative smile. “Of course.”
“What are you doing?” Sarafina whispered into her ear.
“Fixing your crisis. There was a spark between you two. I saw it. Now quit avoiding it. Talk to the man.” Lily smiled, then pulled out a chair for Sarafina and walked away.
“Sorry about that. If you want me to sit somewhere else, I can.”
Dax smiled tenderly at her this time, his eyes sparkling with desire. At least, she interpreted it that way. Hoped. Wished upon a star. Anything to make that look in his eyes real and honest.
“I’d like the company. As funny as it may sound, my feet ache a little as well. New shoes.”
“Are you enjoying yourself? I know you don’t know anyone but Ryan.”
“I am. I’ve met a lot of people. It’s been nice getting to know everyone. Ryan’s a lucky man. Lily seems very special.”
“She is. They’re a beautiful couple. As much as I’ve enjoyed this evening, I’m almost ready to go home.”
Why did she say that?
Her face flamed with heat. Jeepers, he would totally interpret that in the wrong way. What an idiot.
“I know what you mean. Another hour or two left. We can manage that, huh?”
Or maybe he hadn’t. So much for thinking she saw a spark of desire. “Yeah, we can.”
Then he looked at her, his eyes saying something, yet she wasn’t exactly sure what. Did she really want to know what they were saying?
“I’m sorry about Lora.”
His eyebrows rose. “Sorry? I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You two seemed to hit it off in the limo, then she sort of ditched you. She’s a beautiful woman.”
“She is.” Resting his elbow on the table, he leaned closer. “She’s not as beautiful as you. I’m not sorry she walked away. Confused, maybe, because she was giving me clear signals, but I'm not sorry.”
“I can clear up that confusion for you.”
He leaned back in his chair. “How’s that?”
“You don’t know much about the Chilanis, do you?”
“I only met them today.”
For some reason, she felt like he was avoiding her question by not answering it clearly. “Mr. C is the head of the family. Then comes Mrs. C, and so on and so forth.”
“Mr. C? Martin Chilani, you mean.”
She nodded.
“I imagine he is. He is the father. Normally they are the head of the family.”
“Yeah, but I mean it in a different sense. Everyone, including extended family, listen to him. If he says something, you listen.”
He nodded, understanding her better. “Does that include you? Do you listen to him as well?”
“Of course. He’s like my second father. If Lily got into trouble, I was tagging along getting a firm talk as well from him. I don’t know how many times we snuck out of her house, just to get caught in the act. He was pretty understanding, except that one time.”
Leaning forward again, almost reaching his hand toward hers that rested on the table, he asked, “What happened that ‘one time’?”
“We snuck out, as usual, to go to a party. Of course, we weren’t old enough to drink yet, but that never stopped us. Mr. C was pretty laid back about our nightly adventures, but that time he flew through the roof when we got back.”
“Because you were out drinking?”
“No. He berated us for that, but it was for losing our detail. He hated that. I had never seen him so angry before. It scared me.”
His brows dipped into confusion, concern marring his features. “Detail? Do you mean bodyguards?”
Sarafina glanced around and bit her lip. Why did she bring this up? Should she be talking to him about this? She probably shouldn’t, but he made it easy to forget she barely knew him.
“Yes, that’s what I mean. Mr. C does a lot of international business. What that entails, I have no clue, but he always makes sure the safety of his children is his main concern. He didn’t mind us sneaking out as long as we had our detail following us. So, really, we weren’t sneaking out, but he was giving us a chance to act like normal teenagers. He was so upset that night because we managed to slip our detail. Lily and I had the greatest laugh that we actually managed to do it.”
“I know you said you don’t know what his business entails, but why would he think bodyguards are necessary?”
“I know he deals with a lot of money. You can tell from this wedding that he has a lot. Over the years, there have been a few threats to the family. I don’t know the details of that either, just rumors. I remember Lily telling me about a time when someone tried to snatch her when she was little. I didn’t know her at the time, but she remembered it being the worst feeling in the world. Bodyguards are a part of her life. I’ve even gotten used to them, it’s almost like they don’t exist, they blend in so well. And they have come in handy. I was with her one time when this creep came out of nowhere, trying to force her into a car. If not for those bodyguards, she would’ve been taken right before my eyes. I understand why he was so upset at us that night. Anything could’ve happened.”