The NYCE Girls!

by Raquel Belle

  “Well, it’s good to see you. How is Laura doing? We’re so glad you’ve been here to help her.”

  “She’s okay, I think… But it’s stressful to put on such a big event.”

  “We wanted to come to town earlier but she insisted she didn’t need our help,” Dad cuts in, shaking his head.

  “We’ve been managing just fine,” I assure him. “How are the renovations on the house coming?”

  “Almost done. We actually had some questions for Jared’s brother.”

  My heart stops momentarily, for the second time today. “Jason?”

  “Oh, yes, Laura mentioned you’d already met him at a brunch here the other day. And his father, Mr. Levine—I mean Bob—told us he’s some bigwig in construction.”

  “Well, I don’t know if I’d use the term bigwig,” a deep voice rumbles from behind me, sending my heart jumping again. I’ll be lucky if I make it to this wedding without having a heart attack first, I think to myself grimly as I turn to face that all too familiar voice—all the while wondering…when did he sneak in here?

  Jason is standing there, clad in a pair of simple black slacks and a pale blue button-down shirt, a beer in his hand.

  “You must be Mr. and Mrs. Conley?” He smoothly continues as I stand there with my mouth hanging open. “I’m Jason.” He extends a hand and I watch in vague horror as first my Dad and then my mom shake hands with the guy I’m having a secret fling with.

  “Oh yes, so nice to meet you, Jason. Jared speaks so highly of you.”

  “Great to meet you as well.”

  “You’re located in New York City, just like our Cara here, huh?” Dad asks. “Maybe you two kids should exchange numbers. You’re going to be family soon enough and it’s always good to have family nearby.”

  “Uh, Dad, I think Jason is pretty busy—”

  “Of course we will,” Jason cuts in smoothly and gives me a huge smile. His eyes rest for just the briefest second on the rose in my hair and his eyes come alive with a fresh fire while one eyebrow raises ever so slightly.

  “I’m just going to grab a drink,” I say shortly.

  “Get some food too, honey, you’re looking so thin,” Mom calls after me with concern as I abruptly whirl on my heel and walk off. How do parents manage to be embarrassing regardless of how old you get?

  I retreat to the bar and grab a couple of baby crab cakes from a passing cocktail waiter while I try to collect myself. Tucked away in a corner, I feel it’s safe to survey the room…and can’t help but feel a twinge at my heart when I see Jason talking and laughing easily with my parents. I bet they’re going to love him… Suddenly he looks over their shoulders and his eyes zone right in on me—like searchlights across the room of people that find me, a deer in headlights, frozen in place.

  “Are you finding everything you need, Cara?” Mrs. Nichols, Jared’s mom, interrupts my reverie.

  “Oh yes, thank you. You’ve outdone yourself with this cocktail party,” I tell her honestly. It’s true. The expansive living room and adjoining dining room have been transformed in to a stylish party space. All the heavy furniture is cleared away and small cocktail tables, adorned with tiny vases of flowers, are set here and there. A bar, manned by young guys in white shirts and black ties, is set up at one end.

  “Well, it was mostly your dear sister Laura’s doing. She’s worked so hard to make this wedding perfect, I thought the least we could do was lend a hand for this cocktail party.” She nods across the room, where Laura is standing with Jared, looking up sweetly into his face. Again, I catch my breath as I’m reminded that my baby sister is a genuine adult. She looks stunning in a pale pink summer dress, her hair hanging loose over her shoulders—and her face, transformed by love, has never looked so gorgeous as it does when she’s looking up at Jared now. “I understand you’ve been a big help to your sister as well,” Mrs. Nichols goes on with a smile.

  “I’m happy to help. Of course, I want her to have a beautiful wedding. She deserves it. They both do,” I give her a smile. “Jared is truly perfect for her.”

  “I think so too. Excuse me, dear, I see Bob looking for me,” she scurries off, her sleek silver bob waving slightly in the breeze as she makes off with her swift movements.

  Looking around the room, everyone seems to be happily caught up in conversation. I don’t see any sign of Jason. Now is my chance to slip away without any incident unfolding. I’ll just grab the shawl I’d brought from the guest bedroom that’s serving as an an impromptu coat check room, and then say a quick round of goodbyes to the family. I slink to the bedroom, relieved to find it empty, and rifle through the pile of shawls, cardigans, and other summer evening cover-ups that people brought to cope with the cooler nighttime weather.

  But before I can find what I’m looking for, the door opens. Turning, I see Jason, standing in front of me, his eyes alight.

  “You got the flowers,” he says, gently nodding towards the red rose in my hair.

  “Yes. Thank you.” I pause. “I was just going to leave.”

  “Need a ride?”

  “No, it’s fine. I can get an Uber.”

  “Come on, I can take you.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I move to pass him but he puts a hand on my shoulder, urging me to stop.

  “Why not? Once we leave, nobody will see us. We can just sneak off and—”

  “I don’t want to sneak off. I don’t want to sneak around,” I tell him insistently, my voice urgent. “I just had to introduce you to my parents for the first time as a stranger who means nothing to me when...” I cut myself short, biting my tongue.

  “When I’m not a stranger? And I might mean something to you?” He takes a step closer.

  “I don’t know.” I shrug, my thoughts whirling in confusion. “I just know that this can’t happen right here, right now. This isn’t our time. This is Laura and Jared’s time. This is—”

  Before I can go on, he’s taken my shoulders in either hand and kisses me, once, hard. Then he steps back, searching my face for something, I don’t know what. “Are you sure?” He asks.

  I don’t answer him. Instead, I step forward and put my arms around his neck, kissing him again, pressing my body against his, suddenly determined to finish what we started in the dressing room at the bridal shop the other day. Maybe I just need to get it out of my system, I think to myself, preparing to give myself up to this insanity. Just for a moment, I tell myself. A moment is all I need.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jason

  With Cara in my arms and her lips on mine, I forget where I am. She looks so good tonight, wearing one of those crazy wrap-around dresses and showing off a bit of her cleavage—and, as usual, her amazingly toned calves. My favorite part of her outfit was something so small, I doubt anyone else would have noticed it though. It was the fact that she wore a rose in her hair. The rose that undoubtedly came from the bouquet I had sent to her room earlier that day.

  Now I touch it gently with one finger as I cup her face in my hands and pull her firmly to me. I don’t just want to kiss her though, I want to see her. That last look she gave me—when she left me standing in the dressing room at Vera’s Bridal Shop—has been haunting me for days. That little smile she gave me held some kind of promise. It was a sign, clear and bright, that she wasn’t trying to throw in the towel on this anymore—that she saw something too, wanted something more as well, even if the current timing wasn’t perfect.

  I pull back and she shoots me a disappointed look, her lips still parted from our kiss.

  “You look gorgeous tonight,” I whisper the words as if we’re still in the dressing room from the other day.

  “Thank you.” Her cheeks flush slightly and I see that familiar sweet sparkle dance into her eyes. “And thank you for the roses.”

  “Of course. That one in your hair looks nice.”

  She just smiles, those full lips curling up flirtatiously at the sides—the sight of it alone has my cock stirring. I’m
aware of where we are though and know for a fact that we can’t do anything here—not in my parents’ house. It’s too risky. And Cara has made it clear that we can’t get caught. I’ll just give her one last kiss…

  I pull her face towards me again and feel her wrap her arms around my neck once more…firmly, but gently tickling the back of my neck with her fingertips. I keep one hand on the side of her face and run the other one down her shoulders and back, stopping just above her butt, at that little dip in the small of her back, and pull her closer. She gives a small murmur, a sort of mmm sound, as if she’s just eaten something good. The sound has my cock getting harder and harder.

  But then I hear another sound. The sound of the bedroom door opening. Cara hears it too and jumps back from me as if I’m charged with electricity and I’ve just given her a powerful shock. Her face is completely drained of color as she stares at whomever has entered the room behind me…and her mouth is hanging open. I brace myself and turn to find…Thomas.

  He stands there—ridiculously underdressed for the cocktail party in athletic shorts and a t-shirt—and takes in the scene. There’s no way to cover up what we were doing or pretend like we were doing something else. Thomas might be obnoxious but he’s not an idiot.

  I breathe a sigh of relief. As far as people walking in on me and Cara making out, this is actually not the worst possibility. I mean, at least it’s not Laura herself. Or Jared. I wouldn’t care but Cara has been so insistent that her sister can’t find out what’s going on with us. Thomas might be a jackass but if I tell him to shut his mouth, he’ll do it. So this shouldn’t be a huge issue. At least, that’s what I’m thinking—until he opens up his big mouth and starts talking.

  “So, Mr. Mogul snagged the maid of honor I see?” He gives a smug grin with one eyebrow arched. Then he slips his phone—which he always seems to have in his hands—in to his pocket and crosses his arms, looking from me to Cara.

  “Could you shut the door please?” Cara, regaining herself, asks breathlessly.

  “Don’t want everyone else to catch the show, huh? Lucky me, I walked right into it.”

  “Look, Thomas,” I advance towards him, pasting a relaxed grin onto my face, “I think Cara and I would both appreciate it if you just kept this to yourself.”

  “Oh sure, man, I’m not interested in gossiping about your conquests.”

  “Conquests?” I hear Cara murmur the word from behind me—a note of disbelief in her voice.

  “Nah, it’s not like that,” I hurriedly assure Thomas, trying to telegraph a warning message to him with my eyes. “You know, it’s just that the focus should be on Laura and Jared right now and something like this might be seen as stealing the spotlight or whatever.”

  “Sure, sure, man. I’m not trying to awaken the wrath of the bridezilla,” Thomas shrugs.

  “My sister is not a bridezilla!” Cara snaps from behind me.

  “Whatever you say.” Thomas looks past me and fixes his gaze on Cara. “Just be careful with this one,” he says, jerking his chin in my direction. “You’re probably not the first chick Mr. Big City Playboy is planning to drag into a coat room at this wedding.”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I tell Thomas. “Cara isn’t just...” I pause, not sure how to go on. Why am I bothering to defend myself or what I have with Cara to this jackass? Plus, the best way to get this guy to actually shut up is to convince him that this is in fact…just some meaningless fling—not that I want to say that with Cara standing right here.

  “Oh, so this is a serious thing and yet it has to be a secret?” Thomas smirks at me.

  “Look man, bottom line is that Cara doesn’t want her sister finding out, okay? So just keep it to yourself.” I’m painfully conscious that other people might come in here at any minute and I need to wrap this conversation up and get Cara, who is still white as a sheet, out of here. My best bet is to just make this seem like a harmless flirtation. “You know how it is, one too many cocktails and we just got carried away.”

  “Sure, sure, I know how it is.” Thomas gives Cara a last up and down look. “Well, you picked the best one of the bunch.”

  “Let’s go, Cara.” I take her gently by the arm. She’s still standing there, mute with shock. “Thomas, I can count on you, right?” I shoot him one last stern look but he’s already got his phone out and is casually scrolling through it. It seems he’s already lost interest in the situation.

  “Yeah, man, no worries,” he says, his tone bored. “I won’t say anything. Your secret is safe with me. You two have fun.” He gives me a wink as I steer Cara out of the bedroom and out the front door.

  Cara remains silent as we walk to my car and doesn’t even say a word when I open the passenger-side door and usher her into the seat. I curse myself momentarily for having driven. I took my Porsche for the four-hour drive from New York to Boston. It’s not exactly the car of an everyday construction worker. Luckily Cara seems too distracted by what’s just happened to even notice.

  “I’ll take you back to your hotel,” I tell her, starting the engine and giving her a sidelong glance. She’s staring straight ahead, her eyes slightly glazed over.

  She doesn’t even respond at first, but then asks, “Do you think Thomas will tell Jared?”

  “No. I doubt it. Thomas is just interested in his own agenda. He won’t gain anything from telling Jared.”

  “But what if he does? Jared will obviously tell Laura.”

  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about Cara, honestly. Thomas is such a narcissist that he won’t even be thinking about this come tomorrow. You saw him! He was already back to scrolling through his phone and ignoring us before we even left the room.”

  “True.” Cara breathes a small sigh of relief and sinks down into the seat. But from the corner of my eye, I can see that she still looks troubled.

  “What was all that stuff he was saying about you? Like that you’re some big city playboy?”

  “I’m afraid that’s just the image that Jared and his friends have constructed,” I tell her, honestly. “Just because I haven’t brought home a serious girlfriend in the last few years, they assume that I’m just playing the field in New York.”

  “Are you?”

  We’re stopped at a red light so I can look over at her. She’s staring straight at me, her lips slightly parted, a tiny crease of worry in the middle of her forehead between her eyes.

  “No.” I tell her, looking her right in the eyes. I reach my hand across the stick shift and squeeze her leg once, wanting to reassure her. “I’m not interested in playing the field now. I’m interested in something real.”

  The light changes and I return my attention to the road as we drive on in silence. She seems to be somewhat reassured though. Unfortunately, as she recollects herself, she comes to notice that she’s sitting in a six-figure vehicle.

  “This is a really nice car,” she murmurs, running one hand over the leather seat.

  “Yeah. I saved up for this one for awhile.” I reach for a white lie, not wanting to throw another surprise bomb onto our night. “Your parents seem really sweet,” I turn the conversation elsewhere before she can ask me more questions.

  “They are.” A genuine smile washes over her face, the first one I’ve seen since Thomas busted up our make-out session. “I’m sorry they dragged you into a conversation about their home renovations.”

  “Not a problem at all. I actually love my work so I don’t mind talking shop.”

  “What did my Dad call you?” A small smile, mixed with confusion, crosses her face. “A bigwig?”

  “Yeah,” I laugh halfheartedly, “I don’t know where he got that idea from.” I’m afraid the conversation will take a turn into unwelcome territory and am praying that she won’t ask anymore questions. “Well, here we go.” I steer the car down a tiny side street towards her hotel.

  “Thanks for taking me back.” Her serious demeanor has returned and she’s evading eye contact as I pull
up in front of The Old Boston Inn.

  “I guess coffee is out of the question tonight…”

  “I think we’d better cool things off for a bit. The most important thing is that Thomas doesn’t say a word to Jared. If he finds out, then Laura will find out. And she was already on edge after you were staring at me at the bridal shop.”

  “Well, you just looked damn awesome. A guy would have to be blind not to stare at you.” I try to keep it lighthearted, wanting to make her laugh or at least smile, but Cara isn’t having any of it.

  She turns those blazing blue eyes on me and there’s no hint of happiness in them. “Just leave me alone for a while, okay? No more stolen moments or sneaky kisses. This is too risky. We need to just stop.” Her voice quavers slightly as she says the last word.

  “Let’s just say we’ll hit pause instead of stop. Okay?” I reach my hand across the car and touch her shoulder but she shrugs me off. She shakes her head over so slightly. Without a word, she removes the red rose from her hair and places it gently in my still outstretched hand.

  “See you, Jason.” And with that, she steps out of the car. No last look, no last smile. Just Cara’s back, straight and firm, walking away from me, her hips swaying ever so slightly from side to side as she crosses the red brick walkway and disappears into the hotel’s revolving doors, out of sight.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cara

  A moment is all I need. That’s what I was thinking just before Thomas barged in on me mid lip-lock with Jason. So stupid! A moment would be all it takes for this entire thing to blow up. As I slink into the hotel, my phone buzzes. I check it as I walk across the lobby and see it’s a message from Grace, asking how everything is going. But I’m too upset to even respond right now. I hurry the last few steps to the elevator that will take me up to my room—and burst into tears the second the elevator doors close after me.

  Once I’m safely in my room—without running into anyone thank God—the tears keep coming. They don’t stop even throughout the long shower I take and my face is still wet with salty water when I lie down in bed. Why am I so upset? Is it just getting caught by Thomas and the stress of Jared, and then Laura, maybe finding out? Is it telling Jason that we have to stop everything? Is it that sad, longing look he gave me when I pulled the rose out of my hair and pressed it into his hand? I’m not sure.