“I like it. You really look good in that,” I admitted, looking at her up and down. The cinched waist highlighted the swell of her hips, as well as her boobs. “Your boobs look amazing; you should get it for tonight’s dinner. I was thinking I should get a bit dressy as well, for dear old mummy Armstrong.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “She’d probably deport you herself if she heard you calling her that.”
“Yeah well…I wasn’t going to be the one to say it, but I don’t think mummy likes me very much.”
“Why would you say that?” she asked, moving back into the dressing room. “Other than the fact that you’re beautiful, outspoken, brash, sassy and utterly amazing. Don’t worry about it, you’ll grow on her…like a weed.”
I snorted. “Thanks for that inspirational pep-talk. I think I’ll go jump off the London Bridge now.” I sat down in a huff even as Ginny giggled again, the sound muffled as she changed out of the dress. I tried not to let it get to me even though I was serious about Mrs. Armstrong not liking me. I just didn’t get a warm fuzzy feeling from her. She seemed to like Ginny well enough, but she always seemed to be a bit cold to me.
“Give her time, Kari. I mean, it’s not like you’re going anywhere. You and I, we’re the stuff legends are made of. You’re not just my friend, you’re my family. She’ll realize that soon enough,” she nodded as if handing down a final decree. I had to smile.
“You’re right…for once.”
Ginny rolled her eyes in annoyance, but had a smile on her face.
“Now let’s talk about something more fun,” she said, her smile changing to a full on grin. “What do you think of Mike?”
I pretended not to know who she was talking about. “Mike? Mike who? I don’t know anyone named Mike, do you?”
“Uh huh, sure. So you’re not interested in possibly going out on a double-date?” She shrugged, “I guess I’ll just have to find someone else to set him up with. He’s got a great job and an even better sense of humor so I’m sure he’ll get picked up by someone real soon.”
“Absolutely not,” I stood up. “Well…at least not until I figure out if he likes big girls. Sexually speaking, I mean. Liking fat girls as friends and wanting to fuck fat girls are two very different things.”
“Very true,” Ginny conceded. “I know he likes blondes and he stares at your tits often enough. And after seeing him interact with that witch, Vanessa, I can’t imagine Mike going for any of those high society girls. You’re probably like a breath of fresh air for him.”
“Well thank God I’m not high society, then. I’d rather be fresh air…” I teased. “God forbid someone might think I have class or something.”
I tried to think about Mike sexually and was surprised to find that it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it’d be. Mike, while not as mind-numbingly hot as Tristan, was still a very handsome man who could probably have almost any woman he wanted. I resolved to talk to him a little more tonight and see once and for all whether I stood a chance.
Chapter 8 — Ginny
I was excited about tonight’s dinner. Not only were we going to be dining off the creations of one of London’s best chefs, this would also be the night that Tristan and I would try to get Kari and Mike to date. The fact that she was asking me lots of questions about his likes and dislikes meant she was interested. Now, I just had to make sure that during dinner I nudged her over to him, like she did with me and Tristan. Now that I was so happy, I wanted her to be happy with someone who could love her as much as I knew Tristan loved me. For all of Mike’s big talk, I knew he was a really great guy with an amazing sense of humor who just wanted to find someone who’d accept and love him, snarkiness and all.
We’d spent all afternoon searching for the perfect outfits for dinner, especially since we were having it at the Armstrong manor in the fancy-schmancy dining room. It was nice having so much space to spread out in, though I did miss having that spectacular view of the Thames that Tristan had from his old apartment.
The bathroom where Kari and I were getting ready was massive and decked out in pale pinks and gold accents. The huge amount of counter space gave us the freedom to spread out all of the make-up we’d brought between us, as well as all of our hair products. The bottle of wine that Tristan had dropped off before he’d left to get himself ready was already half gone and we’d only just started getting all dolled up.
When I saw Kari pouring more wine into her glass, I made a motion to stop her. “Maybe we shouldn’t have too much more. We’ll probably have a glass or two with dinner.”
She laughed before raising her glass. “Hey! We’re celebrating. For the next three days it’s nothing but a big party as we drink to you and Tristan and your international love affair.” I winced at the slight slur in her voice and tried not to let my emotions show. I sipped from my own glass and tried to relax. Maybe Kari was right and I should just go with the flow.
“Maybe you’re right,” I conceded.
“Of course I am.”
I laughed. That response was very Kari. “Well aren’t you humble.”
She laughed too and bumped her hip against mine, “No need to be humble when you’re as awesome as me. Let your light shine, baby girl! Feel free to be you and all that jazz! But seriously, does Mike like big girls? You never answered me this afternoon.”
“I don’t know. I know Tristan does. He loves these hips, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, baby making hips.” Kari said.
I raised my eyebrows at her, “Maybe it’s an English thing? Maybe all English men like fat girls? Who knows? All I know is, I’ve never heard him say anything different.” I thought back to all of the conversations I’d had with Mike about what he was looking for in a woman. “I mean, he’s as much of an ass as you are, but still a really nice guy. He’s got a great job as well, working with Tristan.”
“I’m not an ass,” Kari sniffed. I stopped what I was doing and stared at her in disbelief. Then she added, “Okay, I’m not a complete ass. I might have my moments, but I’m still nice—”
“Kari.”
“—to people I like.” She finished with a smile.
“True.”
A knock on the door pulled me away from Kari’s side and when I opened it, Tristan was standing there with a crooked grin. His hair was adorably tussled the way it looked after I’d finished running my fingers through it. He was wearing a dark grey Henley with the sleeves rolled up, showing his muscular, tattooed lower arms. The black slacks he wore were tight enough to draw attention to his narrow waist, and I was sure they’d frame his ass quite nicely when he turned around. He was delicious and I had to remind myself to breathe.
For his part, Tristan looked no less impressed by my own outfit. His eyes undressed me as they scanned down my body and I couldn’t suppress my shivers. I was keyed up and ready for—
“Tristan! Is dinner ready?” The sound of Kari’s voice jolted me out of my musings and I looked behind me to see her standing in the doorway of the bathroom. Turning back to Tristan, I could see him grin before a muscular arm curled around my waist and pulled me into him.
“Later, baby,” he whispered against the sensitive shell of my ear.
I had to force my body to relax as we walked into the grand dining room and took a seat with Mrs. Armstrong. Mike was already there and gave us a big smile and I was hoping it wasn’t my imagination when I noticed his gaze glued to Kari longer than normal.
Conversation was a bit stifled at first, but soon Kari and Mike were engrossed in discussing some TV show, their heads bent close together and voices pitched low and private. I couldn’t help but smile before my attention was back to Tristan and his mother.
“So Ginny dear, Tristan tells me you are an amazing cook.”
“Oh! Well,” I glanced at my smiling fiancé, “I do enjoy cooking and it’s nice when others enjoy something you created. It does save money when you’re on a strict budget and trying to work your way up the ladder as well.”
Tristan’s hand covered mine. “She’s being extremely modest, Mum. Her food is absolutely delicious.”
“Wonderful! I look forward to sampling some of your marvelous creations in the future,” she praised, which made me flush with pride.
“Perhaps we should have had Ginny prepare the food for the wedding, rather than hiring an outside caterer,” Mike’s voice cut in. I looked over and saw that he and Kari had finished their conversation and were now focused on ours. I was a little alarmed at seeing Kari having another glass of wine, but wisely kept my mouth shut. I knew how she acted when she was drunk and I hoped this wasn’t one of those times.
Then Tristan said, “Nonsense, Mike. My bride shouldn’t be worried about anything other than being beautiful and not tripping over her feet while she walks down the aisle.”
“I hope I’m not so clumsy!” I laughed.
“Well, you don’t know Ginny. She worries about everything, whether she needs to or not,” Kari cut in. My eyes snapped to hers and I tried to telegraph her a warning in my mind.
Tristan turned to me. “Worried? What are you worried about, baby? Everything’s under control. Right, Mum?”
“Why, yes, darling. It is—”
“—Yeah, it is here, but that shit we had going on in LA….well, it’s better now that my good old friend Chuck is handling it,” Kari slurred. “But you should’ve seen her before I called him. The last time I’d seen her like that was when you two weren’t speaking for the umpteenth time.” Kari’s voice was becoming more and more slurred as she spoke.
I smiled through gritted teeth, afraid she was going to tell Tristan. “I think that’s enough wine for you, Kar.”
“Oh poo! We’re celebrating!”
“What is going on and who’s Chuck?” Tristan’s voice overshadowed Kari’s and his eyes took on a stormy hue. In my peripheral vision, I could see Mrs. Armstrong looking confused and worried.
“No one, just a friend of Kari’s who helped me out with some things,” I said quickly placing a hand on Tristan’s arm. I could feel his muscles bunched and tense. “Nothing to worry about now,” I added.
“Perhaps it’s time for some dessert,” Mike said loudly. Everything was going too fast and I could feel myself start to sweat.
“What did you need help with, babe?” The way Tristan said ‘babe’ made my heart pound even faster.
“Nothing,” I replied desperate to change the subject. “Oh, did I tell you I talked to my parents right bef—”
“Yeah, it’s nothing Tristan. Chuck’s a cop, so he’s got Brad completely by the balls at this point. That asshole won’t be able to upload anything unless he wants to be someone’s bottom bitch in prison.”
“Kari!” I screeched, as Mrs. Armstrong covered her mouth with her hand. Her expression was a mix of shock and disgust as she looked at Kari. Even Mike looked uncomfortable.
“Kari, maybe you should just stay quiet,” he whispered loudly.
“No,” Tristan’s voice rang out. “Maybe she should just tell me what the bloody hell is going on?”
The entire table fell silent. I could feel Tristan’s body practically vibrating with energy and my stomach was in knots.
I looked down at my plate and choked out, “Brad.”
“What about Brad?” he asked me, the tone of his voice almost demanding.
I could tell he was looking at me, but I kept my eyes on the plate in front of me I didn’t want to see the disgust and disappointment aimed my way.
“Oh yeah, that little fu—, oops I mean that nasty person, Brad, has been blackmailing Ginny.”
“He what?” Tristan and Mike bellowed together, making Mrs. Armstrong and I flinch.
“—and he has videos of the Skype sex you and Ginny had. Like… repeatedly had. Like his video got really clear pictures of—“
“We get it, Kari.” I drawled.
“Right. So, we ran into him at the mall and he told Gin to check her email all, cryptic and shit. And when we checked it, he had the file of you guys doing the nasty and now he’s threatening to put it on amateur porn sites unless you give him half a million dollars, cash. You really need to do something, Tristan. He’s a douche bag.”
The silence was crushing. The only sound was the noise of Kari gulping down more wine, but I was past the point of telling her to stop. And God knows, she didn’t.
“So, anyway, I called my cop friend, Chuck, so we could figure out what to do and he told Gin not to worry, that Brad was facing some serious charges for breaking in and recording her without permission. He told me to tell Gin to keep it quiet though until everything was over with and Brad is arrested.”
I inhaled deeply trying to stop my heart from leaving my chest. Fucking Kari. She was so adamant about me keeping quiet and with a little wine, she’d fucking told everyone. I sat still, the only movement from the rise and fall of my chest as I tried to control my breathing so I didn’t pass out. Tristan hadn’t moved his arm from under my hand nor had he relaxed at all. I glanced up and could see Mrs. Armstrong frowning in Kari’s direction and I knew that whatever friend pass Kari had initially been granted, had just been used up.
The side of my face burned under Tristan’s gaze and I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. This was turning into a bigger mess than I’d anticipated and I knew jumping up and running away wasn’t an option.
Chapter 9 — Tristan
The chef had cooked us a delicious meal and up until this point, the evening had been going very well. Everyone around the table had been chatting and laughing but Kari’s drunken revelations of how Brad had been harassing Ginny while I wasn’t with her in the States had changed the atmosphere completely.
“Oh yeah, that little fu—, oops I mean that nasty person, Brad has been blackmailing Ginny.” Kari obviously didn’t have a filter between her brain and her jaw when she was in this state of mind and I was hoping she’d shut up to save us all from more embarrassment, but she just kept going. “You really need to do something, Tristan. He’s a douche bag.”
My mum looked horrified as the full extent of what had been going on spilled from Kari’s mouth. I tried to play the whole thing down, but inside, I was in shock hearing the news.
As more of the story unfolded, I wondered why the hell Ginny hadn’t told me about this sooner. I tried to get her attention, but she wouldn’t make eye contact with me at all. Now wasn’t the time or the place to talk about this in front of my mum and Mike, so I tried to reassure her that I wasn’t angry by diverting the conversation to something else.
“Sweetheart, I was thinking we could all go clay pigeon shooting on Friday. Have you ever tried that?”
“No, I haven’t, and I’m not sure we should be giving Kari a loaded gun!” she giggled. “Speaking of loaded,” Ginny looked over at Kari and stood up. “Care Bear, let’s get you upstairs and in bed.”
“Oh, party pooper! I’m sorry if I told it, Gin. I didn’t mean anything by it,” she said as she pushed her chair back and got up from the table. She was a little unsteady on her feet; the Chateauneuf du Pape she’d been knocking back all evening had done its job. “Thanks for a great evening, Mrs. Armstrong and Tristan, don’t worry about me, hon. I’ll be just fine tomorrow! I’ll outshoot your English ass anytime you like with those clay pigeons!” she laughed.
Ginny got up from her chair as well and linked arms with Kari to steady her. “Kari, relax. Let’s get you to bed. You reek.”
She looked back at me “Let me make sure party girl gets upstairs safely then I’m going to get ready for bed as well.” She turned to my mum. “I’m so sorry about this Mrs. Armstrong and thank you for a lovely evening,” and she turned around and guided Kari towards the dining room door. I was mesmerized by the sexy wiggle of my beautiful wife’s bum as she walked away from me. I was one lucky fucker to have her as my wife.
I heard the two of them chatting and laughing as they walked out into the hall and up the staircase to the guest rooms on the first floor.
/> My mum turned to me with a real look of concern on her face. “Tristan, darling, I don’t care for that Kari girl after her awful behavior this evening but while they’re upstairs, I want to have a little chat with you in private.”
Mum glared at Mike who took the cue to leave. “Cheers for the lovely dinner, mum. It was…interesting.” He swallowed the last bit of wine, nodded towards me and left the dining room. “Good night.”
I knew what was coming, and I didn’t want to talk about it. “I’m not sure now is a good time, Mum. Ginny will be coming back downstairs soon and I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable.”
“She’s said she was going to bed and she’s only just gone upstairs. Now, please don’t get upset about what I’m about to say. I like Ginny, I think she’s a wonderful girl and you two seem very good together.”
“Of course we are, Mum. We’re ma—” Shit! I almost let it slip that she was already my wife and I really wished I could tell her the truth, but tomorrow it would all be over anyway. I'd have to bite my tongue until then.
“We’re made for each other is what I was going to say. I think she’s amazing.”
“I know you do, darling, and you know I don’t like to interfere in your personal life, but listen to me for a minute. You’re my only son, and I love you more than you will ever know, but I’m very worried that you’re leaving yourself and the company exposed if anything should ever go wrong between you two.”
“That’s not going to happen, Mum,” I interrupted.
“Wait, son. That’s easy to say now while your love is young and everything is wonderful, but what about the future? Who knows what will have happened in five years time? I mean, look how scandalous her best friend is! Now, I’ve taken the liberty of having this prenuptial agreement drafted for the pair of you to sign.”
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