Chapter 81

Felicity leaned over the centre console of the car, kissing Marc’s shoulder. He was just parking out in front of Gregory Stanhope’s absolute mansion of a house in the Bridle Path neighbourhood of the city, northeast of downtown. Marc had once heard of the neighbourhood being called ‘Millionaire’s Row’ by a Real Estate agent, and that might have been true at one point but with the overpopulation of the city and the skyrocketing real estate prices it was probably more like ‘multi-millionaires row’ at that point.

Of course, Gregory certainly qualified for that title, sitting on the boards of several highly profitable companies as he did.

Marc turned to Felicity and found her smiling at him as she rested her chin on his shoulder. Her eyes, bright and glittering from the house lights, were mirroring her smile.

“What is it, ma petite fée?” he asked, taking her hand in his own and giving it a squeeze. They were both wearing gloves, his leather driving gloves and hers fashionable long suede gloves to match the coat he’d given her the previous winter.

“I’m just really happy,” she said, a little wistfully.

“I’m very happy you’re here too,” Marc replied, leaning in and giving her a gentle kiss. He could feel her continue smiling.

He got out of the car and went around to open the door for her, helping her up and out since she was wearing heels that he’d chosen for her to match her dress. They were entirely unsuitable for the weather, but she looked fantastic. Then, with her on his arm, they walked across the cleared driveway and up the steps to the front door.

“Do we know who else is expected?” Felicity asked.

“Only Gregory and his daughter Andrea,” Marc said. “But I’m sure it will be a selection of the regular rogue’s gallery.”

She flashed him another smile, this one more of a smirk, as they reached the door and he thumbed the doorbell. “The fact that you still consider your friends a ‘rogue’s gallery’ tells me that you’re still a lovable little boy at heart, darling.”

Marc chuckled and let his eyes drift down from her face to her cleavage, which was peaking delightfully from the top of her coat. “Well, if that’s the case, then this lovable little boy is easily distracted.”

That made Felicity laugh, and it was perfect timing as the door opened and Gregory, clad in a wool knit sweater, slacks and house slippers broke into a chuckle of his own because the blonde’s smile and laugh were often infectious.

“Felicity, my dear,” Gregory said, offering his hands and helping her up the stoop and into the house. “It’s so good to see you!”

“Oh, it’s been too long, Greg,” Felicity said, sweeping him into a hug.

“Marc,” Gregory grinned, offering his hand for a firm shake. “Glad you could make it.”

Their coats were taken and hung up, Gregory made the appropriate ‘Oohs’ and ‘Aahs’ over Felicity’s dress without going overboard, and he led them deeper into the house to his parlour. The regular furniture had been rearranged and a couple of the couches moved somewhere else in the house to make room for a big card table that would have fit fairly easily onto a casino floor. When men of Gregory’s means decided to host a party to do something like help their daughter learn a mildly obscure card game, they rented a professional table and hired a professional dealer. That dealer was a pretty black woman, her curly hair neatly tucked back and her glasses giving her a ‘nerd chic’ look while her crisply buttoned blouse had its sleeves rolled up. This, of course, was to provide a dramatic frame for her hands as she did shuffling tricks for the amusement of some of the guests.