Free A Gentleman's Affair by Aj Linn Page B

somewhere, right?”
    “That it is, Lily. How about Mimosas then?”
I put my hand on the small of her back as we walk to the hotel
restaurant.
    The past couple of days have been filled
with non-stop preparations for the big day, which is tomorrow. The
courtyard that sits in back of the La Fuga will serve as the
ceremony site and is almost ready. Pink roses and violets adorn
almost every square inch of the area. White chairs have been
delivered and set up. A tall white arch also covered with flowers
and tiny white lights now sits in the courtyard where the brick
walkway meets at the end.
    My father put this entire courtyard in with
his own hands, and he built it to curve around the fountain that is
nestled in the middle of the garden.  He also put that
fountain in himself when my parents first bought the hotel so many
years ago. He did this all for the love of his life, my mother.
Sadly the only thing my father does since her death is tend to that
garden. I wish I could do something to change that, but he has
always been a stubborn man, and after losing her…well, he died
right along with her. He has been here all week nevertheless,
making sure that the garden is perfect for Lily’s big day.
    Lily’s family and friends have now all
arrived from Florida and the U.K. I join Lily and Christopher in
the lobby to greet them all, finally putting faces to the names of
those that I’ve been hearing stories about all of these years. One
in particular standing out in this crowd is Rebekah, her sister. I
recognized her right away from the many pictures that Lily has
shared with me, and let me tell you, she is even more attractive in
person. Stunning, actually. Tall and beautiful like Lily. Long
raven black hair, hypnotic emerald green eyes and a figure that
demands attention. Shame she lives in Florida, or I would
definitely be asking her out.

    After settling into their rooms and
freshening up, everyone gathers back downstairs in the restaurant
for a welcome luncheon. A wide assortment of imported cheeses,
meats, crudités and fine wines adorn the three buffet tables.
Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, so I slip away and go
downstairs to see how things are coming along at The Underground.
The hotel is starting to have that presence of true wedding
madness, and everyone seems more than ready to party. Every single
room is booked this weekend, and all of the guests are family and
friends of Lily and Christopher.
    Adam, the manager of The Underground, is
overseeing preparations at the club for tonight’s bachelorette
party. The girls have provided some very interesting favors and
decorations, most of which are penis-related in one way or another.
Jared, my bartender, and Patrice, my personal assistant, are in
charge of decorating and when I popped in to check on things I was
unfortunately greeted by the ridiculous over-abundance of penis
balloons in assorted sizes and colors dangling from the ceiling.
The tables were littered with penis straws and hats, napkins in
phallic shapes, and glow-in-the-dark penis necklaces.
    Whoever tries to tell you that men are more
sexually-driven than women is extremely delusional. Women clearly
have it all over us men, and they are in my opinion the filthier,
and naughtier thank god, species. They are just—usually?—more
discrete about it. Not that I’m complaining. I do like that about
them. This…is just odd.
    I got out of there unnoticed, thankfully. I
make my way back upstairs to the kitchen to check in with my
assistant chef on the preparations for tonight’s rehearsal dinner.
I make another quick appearance at the luncheon, taking Lily aside
to remind her that dinner is at seven and that everything is
underway at The Underground as far as the bachelorette party-of-sin
is concerned. She shoots me a confused look, and I assure her that
all is just as she requested and not to worry. I excuse myself and
head upstairs to my penthouse apartment for a shower before the
night gets