Ben chuckled. “It might, or it might inflate it incredibly. Weddings can be tricky.” Frank nodded. “Did Jayden tell you about the engagement ring?”
“Yes! That’s why he sent me over here so quickly. He wants to order the ring for Karen as soon as possible,” Frank explained.
“Are you okay with me offering you the stones for Penny’s ring?” Ben asked.
“I’m very grateful for your offer! I’m sure they’re better than anything I could afford to buy her this early in my career,” Frank said self-consciously.
“They’re just pretty rocks. I don’t get the appeal, but women like them. These didn’t cost me anything, but my daughters deserve to have something pretty to wear on their hands,” Ben said and pulled the small envelope he’d prepared for this from a nearby drawer. He handed it to Frank, and the man poured them into his palm.
“Oh my! These are… big!”
Ben shrugged. “They’re the same size as the ones for Karen. Jayden thinks it might help ward off the Romeos who hit on Karen, but creeps will be creeps, ring or no ring.”
“Agreed,” Frank replied, then slipped the diamonds back into the envelope. “Thank you, Ben. This is over the top generous.” He tucked it deep into the front pocket of his jeans.
“Just keep my Penny happy and safe. That’s all I ask,” Ben said.
“Yes, sir–Ben!” Frank said as his face heated up.
They shook hands, and Frank’s cell chirped. He jumped.
“That’s Jayden’s alert that Penny noticed I’m not there,” Frank said worriedly.
“Off you go, then!” Ben said, shooshing him upstairs. The younger man grinned and ran for the stairs. By the time Ben got to the front door, he spotted Frank halfway to Penny’s home, running as fast as his legs would take him.
As he closed the door, he felt a wave of warmth pass through him as he realized both of his daughters seemed to have found someone worthy of them. He was just a little concerned that Penny was potentially modeling her chosen mate after her adopted father. In that regard, he’d been worried about Karen, as he’d once overheard her confessing to Penny that she was hot for daddy. That worry had proven to be unfounded, so he let himself relax about Penny too.
His daughters were getting engaged!
He felt so proud!
Thankfully, he had well over a year to prepare, for once.
-=-
Friday night, sometime after eight, Ben was relaxing in his living room, reviewing the engineering boards, when his phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Hi Ben, it’s Ed Walters.”
“Hi, Ed! What’s up?”
“I’m just calling to confirm you and your family will be coming to visit this Sunday,” Ed said, and Ben could hear the smile in his voice. Ben winced as he’d forgotten to get back to the man about the change in plans. Earlier in the week, Tina and Lucy made alternate plans for the weekend when it seemed like Ben would be confined to the neighborhood due to the unknown security status.
“I’m sorry, Ed. This week, there was… an issue with my security, so I think we’ll have to take a rain check on the party. I should have called you earlier, but I’m sorry to say it completely slipped my mind.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Ed replied, and Ben could hear the man deflate at the other end of the line. He frowned as he really liked Ed, and he should have warned him earlier. He thought about an alternate plan.
“Due to the issue, my family made alternate plans, so they can’t join us, but if you’re okay with a shorter visit, I could do the home design review with you and my security team on Sunday. Would that be all right?” he asked.
“Sure! That would be fine! What time?” Ed said, his mood bouncing right back to happy.
“How about eleven? We’d only be there for an hour, two at most, so you can get us out of your hair and get back to enjoying your pool party,” Ben suggested. “Remember, we have our flight to Hong Kong that night.”
“Yes! I’m really excited about the trip!” Ed gushed.
“It should be fun,” Ben chuckled, enjoying the other man’s enthusiasm.
“See you Sunday!” Ed said, and Ben made a sound of agreement, then hung up.
He looked up to see sad expressions on Tina and Lucy’s faces, and his smile dropped away. “I’m sorry, it’s just too much of a logistical nightmare for a full-day visit with everyone at this time.”
Tina shook her head. “It’s not that. We’ll miss you while you’re away,” she said, and Lucy nodded.
Ben gazed at their sad expressions and wondered what he could do to–a wicked idea came to mind.
“Can we get a babysitter tonight?”
Eyes lit up with curiosity and excitement. “I’ll call Ashley!” Tina said and immediately began dialing.
He dialed Liliya, and she picked up on the second ring. “Yes, Ben.”
“Last minute plan. I want to take Tina and Lucy out dancing tonight–”
“We’ll be there momentarily. Rose can sleep at your place?” the woman responded immediately.
“Of course! Thank you!” he said and heard her disconnect.
Next, he called Evelyn, and she said she’d be right over.
Ben made one more call.
It picked up on the third ring. “Hi, Ben!” Lisa said happily.
“Hi! Oh, are you and Lori on your way to a party?” he asked. He could hear the hum of traffic.
“Just to a club to do some dancing. Do you want to join us?” she immediately asked.
Ben smiled at the plea in her voice. “Actually, I’m taking Tina and Lucy to Club Eon–”
Lucy leaped to her feet with a squeal as she heard this, and Tina beamed him an excited grin.
“Oh my god, Ben! Can we join you?” Lisa begged on the phone.
He chuckled. “Why did you think I was calling?”
He had to hold the phone back from his ear as she squealed excitedly. Cautiously, he put the phone back to his ear and heard Lisa telling Lori. More squealing.
Lisa came back on the phone. “Should we just meet you there? Oh! Rain is with us. Hang on.” There was some muffled conversation then Lisa was back. “She’d like to see what it’s all about too!”
Ben smiled and nodded as he imagined she’d be wearing the yellow tourist ring tonight. He’d have to see if he could get his security detail the purple identifiers to ensure they didn’t get approached. The logistics were getting complicated, but he refused to let this prevent him from enjoying the evening with the ladies. He’d promised them this so long ago.
“Great. Let’s meet there at… nine?” He suggested as he saw Tina and Lucy nodding excitedly.
Lisa squealed again. “This is going to be so much fun!”
“See you there,” Ben said and hung up.
“Ashley will be over shortly,” Tina said and rushed away to get dressed, Lucy at her heels.
Ben chuckled at their excitement.
He went after them and quickly dressed in a charcoal grey shirt under your black blazer and slacks. It was what he wore on his last visit, but the shirt was new.
The doorbell rang softly, so Ben returned to the door to open it.
Liliya stood on the porch with Rose in her arms. She stepped inside, and Ben scooped the sleepy girl from her arms. He carried her to the guest bedroom and slipped her under the sheets, giving her forehead a smooch. Rose grinned and quickly faded again.
Ben rejoined his security detail at the door.
Liliya was dressed in a sleek dark blue dress, and Tatiana wore a black and shiny bodysuit. It almost looked like latex, but it moved like silk. Evelyn was in her black commando gear and looked badass as usual.
He gave them all a smile. “Sorry for the last-minute call, but I’m going to be away for over a week, and Tina and Lucy deserve this.”
“It’s fine, Ben. You don’t need to explain. We understand you’re just as affected by this arrangement as we are,” Liliya said, and Evelyn nodded.
“Where are we going?” Tatiana asked bluntly.
“Club Eon. It’s an alternate lifestyle club for people who enjoy Dom/Sub relationships. There are badges we wear to indicate our preferences and intent. I was thinking of asking the management to supply you three with the purple badges which indicate members are not to approach–”
“Perhaps we can choose our own badges?” Tatiana asserted.
Ben watched her silently and saw she was reverting to her antagonistic behavior. “Do as you please.”
He turned his gaze to Liliya, who did her best to keep her smile in place.
The doorbell chimed again, and Evelyn let Ashley inside.
“My! Don’t you all look so nice!” she gushed and turned to face Tina and Lucy, who joined them. Tina wore a tight black dress with a lot of very revealing lace that hinted at the treasured within. She also had a slim black choker around her throat with a silver ring attached at the front.
Ashley’s eyes widened as she saw Lucy’s matching choker was the same pale pink as her silk blouse. She was wearing it open almost all the way to her belly button. Ashley’s eyes locked on the fine gold chain crossing the blouse’s gap, seemingly from nipple to nipple. “Oh my stars!” she said softly.
Ben pulled Ashley into a hug. “Thank you so much for watching over the kids tonight. Do you have plans for tomorrow? Maybe we could take the kids out for mini putt?”
Ashley snapped out of her daze and grinned at Ben. She nodded. “That sounds wonderful! They’d love that!”
Ben gave her a kiss, making her squeak in surprise as he gestured for the others to step outside.
Ashley’s eyes returned to the chain distractedly as Lucy slipped past.
“Would you like a chain of your own?” Ben asked her quietly when they were alone in the entrance.