Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) (38 page)

“So this place we are going to tonight, you’re gonna love it,” Jayden started.

“It’s my favorite part of the festival,” Callie added.

They laughed and visited as Jayden and Callie filled them in on where they would be going. It was called 'Spanish Nights' and it was the opening event at the California Wine Festival. It was something that took place every year at a local Spanish courtyard where they serve Tapas, a Spanish form of appetizers, have live music and flamenco dancing along with sampling some of the best wines in the region, including many Spanish wines. Jayden said his dads help to sponsor the event each year and that Elias always does the opening toast.

When the foursome entered the lobby, they saw Liam and Elias sitting near each other, engaged in a light hearted discussion of what, they had no idea, but the two of them were laughing. Both men looked like they had showered and Madison kicked herself for not thinking of that as well. They had also changed clothes, Elias opting for a pair of black slacks and a black button down shirt while Liam settled for something more causal, a pair of khakis and a polo shirt. Both men looked over when they heard them approaching.

“The view from 180blũ is spectacular,” Liam said as he and Elias stood.

“Can’t wait,” Madison replied, squeezing Andrew’s hand.

When they arrived at the restaurant they were greeted enthusiastically by not only the server but several other people as well. About four men were talking to both Elias and Liam about the festival and what they expected this evening while the Maître D' waited patiently for the men to cease their conversation before directing them to one of the tables on the veranda.

“Oh my,” Madison gasped as she walked past the table and towards the railing with Andrew close behind her. “Oh, Helios, baby, this is beautiful,” she said almost in tears.

Andrew nuzzled into her hair and gazed upon the stunning view before him. It was still early and they could clearly see the ocean before them, the waves crashing onto the shore. Families and couples were scattered across the sand, enjoying their day. Madison turned to him, love clearly visible in her eyes. No words needed to be said as their lips touched tenderly. Madison turned back around and rested her body against Andrew’s chest as a peaceful tranquility washed over them.

Madison was fascinated with the Bennett’s. There was something about them that commanded respect and admiration. The way they carried themselves and their innate ability to play off of each other in conversations was interesting to witness. It was like watching those old married couples who could finish each other’s sentences and seemed to know what questions their partners wanted to ask before their partners even realized what they wanted to know. In the time she had known Callie and Jayden she could see that same type of thing forming in their relationship and wondered if she and Andrew would one day be like that as well.

When Madison and Andrew had returned to the table they found that Elias and Liam had ordered several appetizers and a round of drinks for everyone. In the hour that they were in the restaurant several people, at various points, had come to visit with Liam and Elias. Most seemed to be fellow wine connoisseurs while others wanted to congratulate Elias on a recent case that had been in the news. The conversations at the table had been light and fun and it amazed Madison how both Elias and Liam could shift so easily from one conversation to the next.

When the time came to leave, they walked outside to find a Cadillac limousine waiting for them. The driver exited the vehicle and opened the door. Madison and Andrew glanced at each other, their mouths agape. 
Are these people for real?
 Madison wondered as she saw that familiar look on Andrew’s face, the one that said he felt out of place. Elias chuckled and tapped Andrew on the shoulder, motioning for him to get inside. Madison slid in next to him followed by Jayden and Callie and then Elias and Liam. The vehicle was not one of those super long stretch limousines. It was more like a large town car that seated eight quite comfortably.

“We will be drinking so it is easier to hire a driver for the weekend then to catch cabs where we want to go,” Liam said reassuringly.

“I feel like I’m on an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” Madison said, snuggling next to Andrew who whole heartedly agreed with her sentiment.

“We live a comfortable life, Madison, but when we travel we like to splurge.” Elias glanced at Liam and grinned. “To be pampered a little every once in a while is a good thing.”

Liam smiled as he took Elias’s hand and then turned to Madison and Andrew. “Trust me when I say we are the least ostentatious people you will meet but like El said, sometimes it’s nice to have people cater to your every whim.”

“We have very few luxuries, but traveling, well, that’s something we have always enjoyed doing as a family,” Elias glanced at Liam again who squeezed his hand.

“No, it’s totally okay, I’m just not used to this. I make decent money in New York but not enough to be remotely in this league. And we,” she smiled up at Andrew before turning back to them, “are very appreciative of your generosity. The way you have helped us, well, we will never be able to repay you for your kindness.”

Elias nodded while Liam got a thoughtful expression on his face. “Will you be going back to New York, Madison?”

Andrew kissed the top of her head and answered for them, “Yes, I think right now the plan is for us to be there by Labor Day.”

“So you will be going with Madison as well?” Elias asked, shocked.

Andrew nodded and Elias started to say something but Liam shook his head and glanced at Madison. “What do you do there?”

“I work for Turner and Crawford, LLP.”

Liam’s smile spread and Madison looked at him confused. “The Wall Street office or the one on 71st Street, oh wait, don’t they have one on 43rd as well?”

“Yes, right now I’m at the one on 43rd but they are talking about promoting me to the one on Wall Street.” She scrunched her brows together. “You know of them?”

“Yes, well, I am familiar with Grayson.” He turned to Elias with a smile. “You remember that guy we met in New Orleans? God, it must have been about 20 years ago. Jayden was just little, maybe six or seven. I had to attend a meeting in the city so we all went down for the weekend.”

Elias thought for a moment and then nodded. “The one that tried to get us drunk and kept debating everything?”

Liam laughed. “Yes, that’s Grayson.”

“What a small world.” Jayden said thoughtfully. He vaguely remembered meeting this person but he did actually remember going to New Orleans.

Liam looked back at Madison. “It’s a good firm, very reputable,” he said with a smile. “The Wall Street office works mostly with Fortune 500 companies. Is that a special interest of yours?”

Madison smiled and nodded. “It is. It’s very intricate work, you have to know so much more than just accounting and numbers, you have to guide and predict, even know a little bit of law. I like that facet of it.”

“Yes, I liked that aspect of the work as well. I don’t do it anymore but once in a while I miss the complexity of it all.”

Elias brought Liam’s hand up and kissed it. “I still think you should branch out.”

Liam shook his head. “I don’t want to do what I did in Texas,” he replied with a frown.

Elias closed his eyes and sighed before looking at him intently. “The two things are not related.”

“I know,” Liam said firmly as he looked out the window. “We’re almost there,” he said changing the subject.

Madison watched them and suddenly felt sad, wondering if she said something wrong. It didn’t take long before they approached the Casa de La Guerra courtyard. As they exited the vehicle, Elias instructed the driver to wait for them and then he and Liam entered first. The facility was intricately decorated for the event that was to occur that evening. They watched as several people came up to Liam and Elias, talking with them animatedly, offering hugs and genuine smiles. As the four friends lingered back, Madison took the opportunity to pull Jayden aside.

“Is your dad okay? I didn’t say anything to upset him, did I?”

Jayden shook his head. “Madison, when we lived in Texas my dad was considered an expert in his field. He knew corporate law, finance, and business management. What he does now is very simple accounting stuff. My dad has been trying to convince him to get back into doing what he did before because my dad seems really bored but he won’t do it.”

“Why did he stop?” Madison asked, glancing at Liam before turning back to Jayden.

“He doesn’t want to do anything that reminds him of Texas.”

When he saw the confused look on her face he realized that in all this time he hadn’t told her what happened and Callie and Andrew had respected him and his parents enough not to tell their story. He took a deep breath before he spoke again.

“We left Texas because we were the victims of a hate crime. My dad Liam was injured pretty badly. My dad Elias was a complete mess. He felt responsible, like he could have stopped it even though there was no way in hell he could have without risking my safety. I still have horrible nightmares about it but not as bad anymore. We left not long after it happened. It took all of us years before we could even go back to Texas to visit my grandma and she doesn’t even live close to where it happened.”

“Oh Jay, I’m so sorry,” Madison said, covering her mouth.

She turned to watch Liam and Elias as they visited animatedly with three people who looked to be in charge. She couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to hurt them. Andrew kissed the top of her head.

“Did you know?” Madison asked him.

He nodded. “Jay told me in Lake Arrowhead. You’re not upset that I didn’t tell you, are you?” he asked, a little worried.

She shook her head. “No, it wasn’t your story to tell.”

Elias turned and waved for the four of them. When they approached, he introduced them to everyone, including a man wearing a traditional Mexican ensemble. Madison thought he must be one of the dancers or maybe the Master of Ceremony. They sat at a table that was marked reserved and visited while various people came by with trays of Tapas, which were very good. Before long, the same man in the traditional outfit came back to the table and Elias stood.

Elias raised his glass and began speaking in Spanish. He waved his hand at the people at his table, smiling at all of them before turning to everyone else. He was speaking very eloquently and Jayden leaned over so that Madison and Andrew could hear him.

“He’s thanking everyone for coming, telling them how important this is for us as a family and that he is honored to be here.” Jayden smiled as his dad began speaking very passionately. “Now he’s talking about the history of Spanish wines and what to expect this evening.” A few minutes later Jayden chuckled as did several people in the audience. “He just finished with a joke.” Jayden smiled and watched his father raise his glass again as did everyone else.

Liam looked on with pride as the people present rose and began clapping. Elias ran his fingertips subtlety along Liam’s shoulder before sitting down. Pretty soon more wine was being poured and the entertainment began. Madison and Andrew were having the best time imaginable as they drank and laughed. At one point, one of the female dancers in a beautiful black and red dress kissed Liam on the cheek before snatching Elias’s hand and pulling him out onto the makeshift stage they were performing on. Elias kept shaking his head and laughing but the entire crowd was shouting for him to do it, including Liam. Much to Madison and Andrew’s surprise, Elias started dancing with her while the crowd cheered him on.

“Oh my God! He can really dance,” Madison exclaimed loudly.

Callie giggled and drunk whispered in her ear. “He’s so hot out there, isn’t he?”

Madison nodded crazily, the alcohol clearly taking over. All three men looked at the two women. Jayden rolled his eyes while Andrew narrowed his, and Liam just shook his head at his son and Andrew before leaning across the table, eyeing the two women.

“Yes, he does look extremely hot out there,” Liam remarked with a smirk, watching as the girls gaped at him, not realizing that he had heard them.

Liam turned back around to continue watching Elias. Elias had always been a great dancer and knew almost all the Latin dances. He smiled as he remembered when Elias taught him how to do the merengue, tango, and salsa. Three dances that Elias had insisted Liam needed to know how to do. Liam learned them well enough that he could dance them pretty efficiently, but nothing near what Elias could do. Ultimately, he just loved the lessons as they generally led to hot sex afterwards. He watched as Elias moved and spun as if he were a professional dancer and not one of the highest paid defense attorneys in the country. When the dance came to an end, people rose from their seats and clapped as Elias and the woman bowed. Elias glanced at his table and offered Liam a sexy smile. Elias then strutted back to the table as people continued to clap and cheer. He leaned down close to Liam’s ear.

“Did you like that, baby?” he whispered, his voice raw with desire.

Liam grinned. “Most definitely, I think maybe I need another lesson,” he whispered back.

Elias turned to him, his eyes darker than they were a few seconds before. His first impulse was to take him right there but he contained his desire and instead sat down and moved his hand under the table. Liam turned to him and Elias smiled mischievously.

“That can be arranged,” he said seductively, watching Liam try desperately to control his facial expression. A moment later, someone walked up to the table and Elias removed his hand, feeling victorious as Liam took a steadying breath.

Andrew was enjoying himself but wanted to get Madison back to the suite. He was already feeling a little lightheaded from all the wine he had drunk and didn’t want to miss an opportunity to make love to Madison. In addition, the more Madison drank, the more handsy she got, which meant he was going to have a difficult time concealing his arousal. Suddenly, Madison and Callie stood up and made their way to the dance floor. Liam and Elias glanced at each other and grinned as they joined them. If Andrew didn’t know for a fact that the Bennett men were gay, he would have been in a rage that Elias had his hands on Madison. He stared open mouthed at them, watching Madison move seductively.

“Come on, man, let’s get our girls,” Jayden said, nudging him.

“I can’t dance like that,” Andrew said in a panic.

Jayden laughed. “It’s easy, man. I’ll show you. Come on.”

Hesitantly, Andrew rose and they interrupted the girls. Andrew took Madison’s hand and held on to her as she started swaying sexily against him. He glanced at Jayden to see if he and Callie were doing the same thing but they were doing an intricate dance number that could rival the dancers on that show Madison’s grandmother liked. 
Great! He dances as good as his dads and I look like an idiot
. Andrew sighed and Madison turned around, putting her arms around his neck.

“Follow what I do, baby,” Madison said with a smile.

She showed him a few quick steps and after some practice he had them down and pretty soon they were dancing close together. They lost track of time and place, feeling as if they were the only ones there on the dance floor. Madison felt right and perfect in his arms. No one would ever be able to make her feel so wanted, so desired, so loved. Soon they came back to earth and heard the music shift.

“I wonder when we can go back,” Andrew whispered as his lips ghosted over hers.

“Soon, I hope,” she muttered as their lips touched.