by C Renee
“Keep it a fucking secret, and let the agency handle it. They have people watching Louise at all times just in case this stalker does anything.” I think I’m going to be sick, I completely forgot about that part, so that means someone is here now watching us. This is fucked up.
“Let’s just go out there and dance with our ladies before we take them home. It doesn’t look like you’re enjoying yourself now. You need Lou, go to her.” Reece gets up and I watch him stride towards Steph. The smile that lights up her face and I can tell she is truly happy with Reece. Way to go man.
I don’t wait long before I’m standing behind Lou, she can feel me press up against her back. She doesn’t say anything and she doesn’t turn around. She just sways with the rhythm of the music; I put my hands around her waist to pull her flush against my chest. Her scent swirls up into my nose and I inhale a deep breath, she is hypnotic.
She will be my ruin.
We dance like this for a few songs before she turns around and smiles up at me.
I can see her eyes sparkle in the light and this blue dress makes her grey eyes stand out more.
She is a sight for sore eyes.
“Lou, Lou lets get more drinks! I’m so thirsty.” Steph shouts over the music, she grabs Louise’s hand and takes her away from me. I look over to Reece and he just shrugs. She has him wrapped around her finger. I never thought I would have seen the day that happened. I quietly chuckle to myself.
The man is hooked.
I walk back to the booth we had before and I watch the girls at the bar, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary.
Reece takes his seat opposite from me and he is watching them too. I wonder what’s happening between them two.
“Reece, how serious are you and Steph?” I should filter my mind from my mouth, but it’s already out there.
“Fuck man, I want to marry her.” Wow, I didn’t expect that. He knows exactly how important marriage is, his parents have been married for 45 years and he plans these every week.
“I’m happy for you but I better be the best man.” I laugh along with him. He really is in love with Steph, I know the feeling. I’m madly in love with Louise and I wish I had the balls to tell her. The simple I like you isn’t enough for me anymore.
The girls walk over with drinks in hand and they can’t stop laughing. I like seeing this happy girl, Louise needs to smile and I’m going to make it my life’s mission to do just that.
“Reece is that you?” I turn to find a small blonde woman standing at the end of our table. I don’t think I’ve seen this woman before. I’m fucking glad that I haven’t slept with this one, she seems evil.
“Yes, it’s good to see you again Roxy.” Reece looks nervous and awkward about this woman standing here. I wonder what happened between these two but whatever it was, it doesn’t look good.
“I haven’t seen you in years, well not since you left with me at my own wedding!” Roxy laughs, she is fucking evil.
“Yep, that was several years ago now. What do you want?” Reece doesn’t look towards Steph who’s face tells everyone here how she is feeling.
“Steph, lets get another drink.” Louise breaks the ice and gets up. She grabs Steph’s hand and leads her towards the bar. I look towards Roxy with a bored expression on my face.
I want this woman out of my sight; no one fucks with my friend.
“Answer the man’s question.” I can’t help myself; I have to defend the ones I care about.
“Oh, I saw you from across the room and I just remembered the amazing orgasms you gave me and the great times we had together. It is sad that I left you; I want to relive that again for one more night at least. What do you say?” Reece looks like he’s going to be sick.
“In your fucking dreams.” Reece gets up and leaves me here with Roxy. Well that didn’t work out how it should have.
“Well, that was unexpected.” Roxy starts to turn away from me, but I’m not done.
“Sit down.” I order her; I get up from my seat and step in her way. I am not done. How dare she come here and mess with Reece like that, I will not have it. He is my best friend and I will stick up for him. Once she is seated, I let a few things off my chest.
“Firstly hag, you don’t come over here and throw the past in his face. Secondly, you have no right to ask that of Reece again. Thirdly, whatever happened between you two will always remain in the past. So I suggest you pick up your plastic ass and get the fuck out of here.” Roxy just nods her head; she gets up and leaves without a word.
That’s how it’s done.
Once I don’t see her anymore, I walk towards the bar and I only find Louise and Steph.
“Where did he go?” I ask Steph, she has tears in her eyes.
Fucking Reece.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care.” She sucks in a sharp breath to hide her sob.
“Wait here, I’ll go look for him.” I leave the girls at the bar and I walk past our booth. There is no sign of him in here; I think he might be out front. I push open the door into the warm night air. I look to my left and he isn’t there. I look towards my right and I see him leaning against the brick wall. Thank fuck.
“Fuck Reece, what was that about?” I ask him when I’m standing next to him.
“Nothing, how is Steph doing?” He looks like he’s in pain, I know what that feels like.
“Not good man, I’m going to ask you again. What the fuck was that?” I urge him to tell me, I can’t help him if I don’t know everything.
“It was around the time Tiff died and I lost you. I started out working at weddings to pay for college. Not everyone had a rich dad to pay for it.” Ouch, that hurt just a little but it was true. I did have a rich dad.
“Sorry man. Anyway I would meet the bridesmaids and I would fuck them into oblivion but it wasn’t enough for me when I would do it all the time. Then I would try and get with the brides. Most of them were too loyal to their future husbands. Then I met Roxy, she was a bridesmaid in her best friends wedding and then SIX months after that she was going to have her own wedding. We fell in love and when I attended her wedding, she couldn’t go through with it. So she left her fiancé at the alter and we ran away together. Not even a week later she left me a note saying ‘sorry.’ I haven’t seen or heard from her since, not until tonight.” Reece inhales a deep breath. Well fuck.
“From that moment onwards, I vowed to myself that I would never do that again and that’s when I became a wedding planner to make sure the brides never do that to their fiancés.” I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this before now.
“You need to explain all that to Steph now, just take her home and work it out.” I pat him on the back and lead us back into the club.
We spot the girls at the bar dancing with drinks in hand, they seem happy again but I have a bad feeling they just drank their body weight in alcohol.
“Sorry man.” I laugh at Reece. He created this problem and now he has to deal with a drunk Steph.
I get to Louise and I swear under my breath. She is drunk too, I look over to Reece and he is laughing now.
“Karma.” That’s all he says when he picks Steph up and carries her out of the club. I do the same with Louise, she just giggles when she’s in my arms.
“Let’s get you home.” I whisper into Louise’s ear.
* * *
We get back to my place and Louise can’t walk straight. I end up carrying her the rest of the way to my room and I set her down on the bed. She doesn’t move but I can see her swaying a little bit. She is going to have a killer headache in the morning.
I walk into the kitchen and fill a large glass full of water and grab two aspirin. She needs to drink and take these so she feels a little better in the morning.
“Here take these and then I’ll help get you into bed.” She takes the tablets and washes them down with the water.
“Thanks Alex, sssorry for beingg… a … umm… drunk… tonight…” Louise slurs her words; She will have a ma
jor headache in the morning.
“Stand up for me.” I help her get on her feet and I slowly unzip the back of her dress. I have waited all night to do this but not exactly what I had in mind.
I pull the dress down her body and I bite back a moan. She is only wearing a blue lace thong. This woman is killing me.
Louise starts to sway, before she falls over I pick her back up and put her in bed. I quickly pull my shirt and pants off and join her in bed.
This is just as nice, I pull the covers over us and Louise moves closer to me. I reach over and turn the bedside lamp off and I feel Louise rest her head on my chest.
“Goodnight Precious.” I whisper into the night.
Chapter Thirteen
Louise
MY HEAD IS POUNDING this morning; I can’t believe the amount of alcohol I drank. That was such a bad idea.
I stretch my limbs in the bed and it hits me. I’m in Alex’s bed, his bed is a good size for just one person but when there are two people sleeping in here, well there isn’t much room to stretch out. If I’m going to sleep in his bed from now on, I think we need to talk about getting a new bed.
Then I look around his room and it’s a little small for the both of us. I’ve already moved in but I can’t keep my clothes in the spare room. I think moving to a house wouldn’t be a bad idea; it’ll be good to get out of the apartment.
I feel Alex stir next to me and then last night’s antics come rushing back. I remember dancing, laughing, alcohol, that Roxy woman and oh god, more alcohol, so… much… alcohol.
I think I’m going to be sick, I quickly sit up in bed and the room starts spinning. I rush towards the bathroom and I just make it in time to vomit in the bathroom sink. Argh, my head hurts so much. I can taste the vodka coming back up; it has a vengeance against me. Oh god, I’m going to be sick again.
I throw up in the sink and once my stomach has settled again, I leave the tap running. I splash the cold water over my face and rinse my mouth out. This is going to be a shit day; I was supposed to have a family lunch with my parents and Seth. I haven’t spent much time with them and I miss them. I know Seth wants to go back to work or at least sort out the drama that happened in Paris.
“Louise?” I hear Alex calling my name; it’s about time he woke up.
“I’m in here.” I call out to him.
I hear his footsteps get closer and closer, they finally stop and I can feel him standing in the doorway to the bathroom.
“Are you okay Precious?” I’m sitting on the cold tiled floor, leaning against the cabinets. I didn’t even bother putting a shirt on, I didn’t want to ruin Alex’s.
“I’ll be okay if I can stop throwing up, so much alcohol.” I groan.
I feel Alex sit behind me and he slides me across the floor and now I’m sitting between his legs with my back against his chest. It’s bare; he is only wearing his underwear just like me.
“You’re going to be okay, I’ll feed you and keep you hydrated. You’ll feel better soon.” He strokes my hair and puts a loose strand behind my ear.
I don’t think food is an option here, maybe death?
“Come on, let’s get you dressed and then I’m going to cook.” He slowly gets up and pulls me with him. I turn around and our faces are only inches apart. His green eyes are my safe haven; well Alex in general is my safe haven.
“I… lo…” I think twice before I say the next words.
“I am hungry.” I change my mind; I am too scared that he doesn’t feel the same way about me.
He quickly leans down and kisses me on the cheek Soft and quick, just what I needed.
He takes my hand; he leads me out of the bathroom and into his room again. Alex picks out an old top from his closet and passes it to me. I look at it and on the front of the top it has a faded out picture of a guitar. I watch Alex put on shorts and a tank top. He looks like he is ready to go running; just the thought of running and getting sweaty makes me want to throw up again.
“What do you have planned for today?” Alex’s asks when we reach the kitchen. He makes me sit on the stool while he works away in the kitchen. I think he is making banana pancakes. Yum, my favorite.
“My parents want me over for lunch, they haven’t seen me in a while and they wanted a special meal together before Seth has to get back to work. So I don’t know where he will be off to next.” I look down at my hands; I don’t want Seth to leave this country. I only just got him back and now he wants to leave.
“Then I’ll probably go shopping after lunch with Steph and see how she’s doing after lasts nights antics. That was so wrong of that woman.” I look back at Alex and his jaw is clenched, he knows something that I don’t. Do I wait for Steph to tell me or do I make Alex tell me right now?
“I’ll be home for dinner if Steph and Reece don’t have any plans, I would like to talk to you about a couple of things and I don’t want to put them off any longer.” I see the pancakes beginning to cook on the stove and they smell amazing.
“That sounds like a very busy day for you.” Alex sets the pancakes on the two plates in front of us. He walks back to the fridge and pulls out a tub full of strawberries, this is heaven.
I cut up a few strawberries and place them on my pancakes. I take my first bite and I have to try and keep in my groan. These are so delicious; if they were a person I would have fucked and married them by now. Alex made these; I have to thank this wonderful man.
I look over at Alex and he has already eaten his plateful, I smile at him and I get off my stool to stand in front of him. I lick my lips and I slowly reach his lips. I give them a slow lick and I kiss them. These sweet moments are what I live for.
“Oh, those pancakes were the best I’ve ever eaten and I’m a horrible person. I forgot to ask what your plans were for today?” I take my seat back on the stool next to Alex.
“I think I’m going into work and see if anything needs to be done from me, I still haven’t decided what I want to do with my father’s company. I need to speak with my mom and my lawyers for that matter.” I watch Alex get fidgety; I’m not sure if all that is an act or if he is really unsure of what he wants to do. This isn’t a light choice and I wish he would talk to me more about it. I know I don’t know much about business but I’m here. I’m here in his life and I just want him to open up to me, to trust me with all the burdens he carries.
“Have you got a clear idea on what you want to do?” I try to get an idea of where he is headed.
“Yes, I still want to be a paramedic, maybe part time and I want to run my father’s company but I want Damon to help me with it. I haven’t spoken to him at all since the funeral and I want to be part of the agency. Everything is still up in the air and all decisions are undecided.” I have a feeling he is going to run himself into the ground. That is a lot to take on and I’m not sure he is able to do it.
“I can tell by the look on your face that you don’t think I can do it all, maybe not but I still want to give it a try.” I watch Alex get up and clear the dishes.
I feel terrible about not believing in him but it’s just too much. I want the best for him and I want to support him through this.
“Alex, I’ll always be here to support you. No matter what.” I walk around the kitchen counter and walk right into Alex’s arms. I smell his aftershave and cotton; the warmth from his body sets my skin on fire. I look up at him and smile, to show him that I mean every word I said. He smiles down at me and leans in for a kiss. It was a sweet longing kiss, nothing like the ones where I want to curl my toes in pleasure but it still means a lot.
“Thanks Lou, you better get ready for your day. I should be home tonight if not, you are welcome to sleep in my bed until I get home.” He lets me go and I start slowly walking backward. I think I have hurt his feelings and I didn’t mean to do it.
“Okay, but I’ll sleep in the spare room tonight. You need your space and time alone.” I quickly turn around before Alex says anything else.
I feel awful f
or hurting his feelings, I wanted him to just open up with me and not shut me down.
I pull up at my parent’s house and I noticed Seth’s silver Lexus is sitting in the driveway. My face bursts into a smile, I can’t believe he is here! I still have questions to ask him about his time in Paris but he just shut down. I will make him talk and I will do it today.
It never gets old walking up the path to my parent’s front door; I love the garden and the feel of being home.
Before I could even knock the front door opens and there stands my dad. I have this sudden urge to burst into tears, I look up and give a little smile but dad immediately frowns. He can tell something is wrong because he knows me so well. Before I met and moved in with Matt, my dad was my best friend and I would tell him anything. He would always make it better but lately the bond has been on thin ice. I want that bond back and I hope it can happen in the future.
“Hey kiddo, why the long face?” He always makes everything seem normal and okay.
“Yeah I’m fine, I just missed my family you know?” I walk into my dad’s arms and he hugs me tight.
“Come on, you better spend some time with Seth before he leaves tomorrow.” I knew he would be leaving us again but I never would have thought it would be tomorrow. This news has made me really upset.
“Hey love, have a seat in the living room. Lunch should be ready soon.” I give mom a quick kiss on the cheek before walking into the living to meet Seth. He doesn’t turn my way when I sit down next to him. I thought we left things on good terms, maybe I am wrong.
“Hey Seth.” I turn towards him on the couch.
“Hey Lou Lou.” He uses my nickname, it makes me feel better but I still have this feeling that something is wrong. It could be me or maybe it’s something else.
“What’s wrong? Are you sad that you are leaving me?” I want to get to the bottom of this.
“No, I think I want to leave this place. It doesn’t feel like home anymore. Sorry if that has upset you Lou but it’s the truth.” Seth gets up from his seat and makes his way outside to the backyard. Well that hasn’t helped with any feelings I have towards Seth. I want him to stay home with me and our parents but at the same time I want him to be happy. If that means he has to leave us to do so, then that’s got to happen and I have to support him. I just wish he would open up to me more about what’s really going on with him.