“I don’t know,” Kora shrugs. She’s wearing a bright blue wrap dress, which brings out her eyes. “I think that I’ve been waiting for this so long that I’m just super happy that it’s finally happening.”
“Have you been getting any sleep?”
“A lot, actually. I don’t know if you know, but Logan’s paying for this whole thing, and he insisted on hiring us a wedding planner. She has been a lifesaver. She knows exactly what to do and how to do it. She presents me with just a few choices and I pick one. She’s really a relief. If we didn’t have her…this whole thing would take over my life for a year.”
I smile. I had no idea that Logan was paying for this – very generous indeed. Especially for someone who doesn’t seem to be particularly keen on the whole idea of marriage.
“I’m so glad that everything’s working out,” I say, and can’t help but give her a hug. For some reason, I feel a strange connection to Kora. We don’t really have anything in common, and yet I feel like she’s a kindred spirit. Someone who I just get innately, regardless of how long we have known each other for.
* * *
For dinner, all the guests are served with their own freshly-caught lobster on a bed of rice and spices, and we’re treated to a slideshow of the bride and groom and their families and friends through the years. Logan appears in a number of these pictures – there’s the freckled six-year-old, the smart-mouthed eleven-year-old, the cocky seventeen-year-old. There are pictures of Logan’s mom and dad, Liam and their three sisters, who I’ve only met briefly during cocktails, because they were too busy running after their husbands and kids. I don’t mind. This is only our third date.
After the slideshow, while I’m still digging into my lightly buttered and utterly delicious lobster, Logan gets up and gives another touching and eloquent speech. This time, he talks about how much Liam means to him and how he would not be the person that he is today were it not for his brother. Most of the women in the audience tear up, including me.
“Are you okay?” he asks afterwards, as he sits down next to me.
“Yes,” I nod, wiping a tear. I hate when I get this sentimental, but words make a big impact on me. “That was just so sweet, what you said.”
Logan smiles and puts his arm around me, giving me a brief squeeze.
“No, you’re the one who’s sweet,” he says.
Waiters come around with the dessert: cheesecake served with an assortment of local fruit – mangos, pineapple, star fruit, and bananas. The combination of tart and sweetness sends shivers down my spine, and I finish two whole slices before I’m able to stop myself.
Logan’s phone beeps. When he looks at it, he gets a concerned look on his face. He excuses himself and goes out onto the patio.
As I contemplate whether or not I should go get yet another slice of that wonderful cheesecake, I catch Sadie talking and laughing somewhere in the background. She looks just as stunning as the last time I saw her. She’s dressed in an incredibly short satin dress, with delicate straps. It looks like lingerie, and it doesn’t look like she’s even wearing a bra. Despite that, her breasts are perfectly framed and erect. Why does she have to be Logan’s ex? I think to myself. Of all people, why does the mother of his future child have to be so perfect?
If whether or not I had another slice of the cheesecake was a question before, it’s not anymore. I feel crappy about myself, and I only know of one way to drown that sorrow.
Kora catches my arm right before I get to the dessert table.
“Hey, come here. I have to tell you something,” she whispers under her breath. I follow her to a dark corner of the room, away from everyone.
“I just heard from Dolly that Sadie’s had a miscarriage,” she says with excitement. “I’m sorry, I know it’s terrible that I’m so excited, but I just really didn’t like that woman and couldn’t imagine her being the mother of my niece or nephew.”
“She had a miscarriage?” I ask slowly, trying to grasp what that really means.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“She told Dolly herself. I think she’s going to tell Logan tonight.”
“Oh wow,” I mumble.
“C’mon, aren’t you excited? Please smile or something, so I don’t feel like such a horrible person.”
I smile. It’s genuine. I am actually happy.
“Okay, good,” Kora gives me a brief hug.
“How is she feeling?”
“Who? Sadie?”
I nod.
“Fine, I guess. I mean she looks like she’s having fun.”
We both glance in her general direction. She’s draped around an older gentleman and laughing at every single thing he says as if he’s the funniest comedian on earth.
“Yeah, she does seem fine,” I say. Kora takes a step back, staring at me.
“Where the hell did Dolly find you?” she asks.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you are way, way, too good for Logan. I love him to death. But you’re way too good for him.”
“I am not,” I say, shyly.
“Let me tell you this, unless he has changed tremendously in the month that you’ve known each other, you need to be careful. Logan likes the ladies. He has never had a serious relationship in his whole life, for crying out loud.”
“I don’t think you’re being very nice,” I say, suddenly feeling very protective of Logan.
“I’m sure that he’ll agree with me,” Kora says, crossing her arms across her chest. “Wouldn’t you Logan?”
I turn and see him standing directly behind me.
“Agree with you on what?” Logan wraps his hands around my waist.
“I was just telling your girl, Avery, here that she’s too good for you.”
“And I was trying to convince her that I’m not,” I say looking up at him.
“Oh no,” he shakes his head definitively. “You’re definitely too good for me.”
He kisses me on the cheek.
“See?” Kora says and walks away.
Chapter 19 - Logan
My other phone beeps during dessert. As I reach for it, I’m grateful that Avery doesn’t know me well enough to know that this isn’t my usual phone. It’s a text from Truman.
Call me.
I excuse myself and go out onto the patio. There are a few couples here, smoking and drinking and kissing, but it’s a little bit more private than the dining room. When Truman picks up, he starts talking right away. I don’t even get the chance to say hello.
“Sanchez’s yacht will be off the coast of Playa del Carmen tomorrow night. I’ll send you the exact coordinates later.”
I do the math in my head. I need to leave the wedding by 2 a.m, at the latest. The plan is to take a speedboat most of the way and then paddle a dinghy the rest – so that his bodyguards don’t hear me.
“He’s hosting a birthday party for his niece and, from what we know, he’s not coming ashore. The job is to do this quietly. Make it look like an accident, if possible. Do not take care of anyone else.”
I clench my fists. Why does Truman feel the necessity to tell me this? I’m not one of his rogue agents who takes innocent civilians out left and right. In fact, I’ve gotten reprimanded for not taking shots when I should have just because innocent people were present.
“Any questions?” Truman asks.
“No.”
He hangs up without a good-bye.
My mind is still on what I have to do tomorrow as Avery walks up to me.
“Hey stranger,” she says.
I turn to face her. She looks radiant. I love the way her eyes sparkle in the moonlight.
“Everything okay?” she asks.
No. But it will be, I say to myself and lean down and kiss her. She tastes sweet and lemony. I lick my lips after I pull away.
“The cheesecake was delicious,” she announces.
“Do you want to get out of here?” I ask. She nods.
Back in our suite, I sit down on the e
dge of the bed and pull her onto my lap. I move her hair off her neck and kiss it. Gently. Softly. She moans a little from pleasure. Little goosebumps form under my lips, and I kiss them away. Her arms are delicate, but powerful. She’s no waif. Her hands dig into the sleeves of my suit. She tosses off her heels. I wrap my arms tighter around her small waist and pull her closer. The feel of her butt on my dick makes my erection grow bigger and bigger.
I grab at one of her breasts. She responds with a louder moan. I unzip her dress and pull it over her head. I undo her bra and free her breasts. They fall naturally into my hands. She turns to face me and removes my jacket. When Avery pulls my tie over my head, she catches it on my mouth and we both crack up laughing.
I bury my fingers in her long, soft hair and pull her close to me. I kiss her from her neck down to her nipples. I bite down softly on her left nipple, and she cries out in pleasure. I can tell that she likes it a little rougher. I’m going to give her what she wants.
I flip her back around on my lap and pull her back against the headboard along with me.
“You’re as light as a feather,” I whisper into her ear. She turns her head and kisses me hard, pushing her tongue into my mouth.
She tries to turn around, but I stop her.
“This is about you,” I say. She smiles, closes her eyes and lets go. I position her in front of my dick, facing away from me and spread her legs open with my hands. She leans into me as my fingers run down her thighs and find her special spot. She moans harder this time. She pushes on my legs with hers as she moves up and down in pleasure. A few times, she clenches her thighs, but I push them open again. She moves up her feet, opening wider. I bury my fingers within her and start to move faster and faster. Her body responds and rubs harder against my dick. The faster my fingers move, the more energy builds within her.
And then she lets out a big powerful moan. I feel her orgasm pulsate through my fingers and her body starts to shake. A few seconds later, her body goes limp on top of me.
“How was that?” I ask.
“Amazing,” she whispers. “I can’t feel my legs.”
After she climbs off me and lies there motionlessly, I pull off my pants and socks. Now, we’re both naked. I lean down over her and kiss her from her lips down to her thighs. Inside her thigh, I linger for a moment, inhaling her sex.
“What are you doing?” she asks, closing her legs, self-consciously.
“I love the way you smell,” I say and pull them open. I press my lips onto her and tongue her wetness. She’s so deliciously wet.
I pull away for a moment to get a condom.
“Oh my God, did we use one last time?” she gasps.
“Of course,” I smile. Relief sweeps over her face.
After the condom is on, I thrust myself inside of her. Avery lets out a moan and her eyes roll to the back of her head.
I thrust into her again and again, and we start to move in rhythm. She cries out a little with each thrust, making me swell up more and more, as if that were possible. When I start to feel like I’m getting close, I cradle her head and kiss her hard. I feel her body quiver below mine. Her moans get quicker and quicker, and she yells out my name. Suddenly, my whole body convulses and gets tight. I come and empty myself into her.
Chapter 20 - Avery
The following morning, I wake up when the sun kisses my eyelids slightly. I feel the bed next to me. Logan is gone. He said that he was leaving to go golfing with Liam this morning. I look at the time. It’s after ten. I really slept late. I can’t remember the last time I slept in this long! I wrap myself in a bathrobe and make my way to the patio. The smell of the ocean calls to me. After doing a few sun salutations and one very stiff downward facing dog, I go back inside and change into a bathing suit.
I practically run into the water. Unlike the Pacific Ocean, which can be bone chilling even in August, the water temperature here is much more to my liking. It’s lukewarm, and I don’t shiver once getting in.
“Oh my God, this is amazing,” I exhale jumping into the waves. I dive under the water. When I open my eyes, I see a school of colorful yellow and black striped fish swarm around me. They nip at my hair and give me little kisses on my hands. I dive down over and over and let the movement of the ocean rock me into a state of utter relaxation. About an hour later, I finally get out of the water, reluctantly, and head back to our room.
“Hey!”
“Oh my God!” I jump back a few feet, clenching my chest. “You scared me!”
“I’m sorry,” Kora says, sitting down on the bed. The room is perfectly put together again. The bed is made. The fruit bowl is refilled. Pillows are plumped. How the maid managed to get it all done so quickly, I have no idea.
I don’t have a towel, and I’m dripping water all over the place. I head to the bathroom and wrap myself in a towel.
“What’s up?” I ask, coming back out, It’s only now that I notice that Kora’s already wearing her wedding dress.
“Oh wow, is this your dress?” I ask the stupidest question on earth. No, she just walks around in beaded white dresses for the hell of it.
“Yes,” she nods. Kora’s dress is formfitting, strapless and with a long, delicate train. I’m sure it looks gorgeous spread out, but pooled at the bottom of the bed, it looks like she’s drowning in a cupcake.
“I love the lace,” I kneel down before her and examine the intricate work.
“It’s all hand sewn,” she says. I expect her to stand up for me and model a little, but she doesn’t move.
“I don’t want to get it all wet,” I say, standing up and moving away.
“It’s okay. I’m not even sure if this wedding is happening.”
“What?” I drop my towel. Kora doesn’t even notice. I pick up my towel, secure it around myself again and sit down on the bed next to her.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, putting my hand around her shoulder.
“I’m just not sure about this whole wedding. Liam and I have been together for so long. What if it’s the wrong thing to do?”
“How could it be?”
She looks at me. Her makeup is a total mess. One of her fake eyelashes is falling off. Both eyes are blackened all around from the smeared tears. In movies, the brides always cry in a delicate, non-eye makeup smearing sort of way, but this is real life, and it’s not a pretty sight.
“I was just thinking about this all night,” she says in between sobs. “I’m pretty much pushing him into this. And after seven years, maybe it’s the wrong thing to do. Maybe he’ll regret it in a few years and then what? I’ll be even more heartbroken.”
“So, this isn’t about you having second thoughts?” I ask.
“No, not entirely. Well, yes, perhaps,” Kora says, wiping her eyes. The back of her hand is dirty and she looks for a place to wipe it off. I guide her away from the lace on her dress and onto my towel.
“How do I know that I actually love him? I don’t feel butterflies anymore. What if I’m not in love with him anymore? What if I’m marrying someone who’s a stranger?”
“Well, the one thing you know for sure,” I say squeezing her hand. “Is that you’re not marrying a stranger. You and Liam have been together for a long time. You know him. And you know that he loves you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’ve never seen anyone look at a woman like he looks at you. He oozes love for you.”
“Really?” Kora’s eyes light up.
“Yes,” I nod. “And those butterflies. You’ll feel those again when you walk down the aisle.”
“And what if I don’t?”
“If you don’t, then you can just write them off to something you feel when you don’t really know someone. Relationships are different in the beginning than they are later on. But what you two have is so much more solid and strong. Butterflies come and go.”
“But what if I never feel them again?” she asks.
What the fuck is with these butterflies? I say to m
yself. But I can’t just leave her hanging. I have to convince her, not remind her, of who they are as a couple and how much love they have.
“You will feel them again when you two do something that you’ve never done before,” I finally say.
“Like what?”
“Like when you buy your first house together. Like when you find out that you’re pregnant. Like when you decorate your nursery. Would you like to do those things with Liam?”
“More than anything,” she says through the sobs.
“See. That’s my point exactly! Butterflies are just things that happen when something is new. In the beginning, it’s the relationship itself. Everything about it is new. Everything you do with that person is magical, because you haven’t done it with anyone else. And later on, you’ll get those same butterflies when you do new things together. Experience something exciting.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Kora mumbles, wiping her tears.
“Maybe? Maybe? No, I am right,” I say confidently. She cracks a smile.
“I think I should head back. The makeup people have their work cut out for them.”
I nod. She doesn’t even know the half of it. I give Kora a warm hug and watch her walk away.
Chapter 21 - Logan
Liam sucks at golf. I don’t know why the hell he has dragged me out here at the crack of dawn to play a round. My favor to him is that I’ll play with him, not that I’ll let him win. I’d prefer sailing. The resort has a beautiful restored, fifty-footer sitting out front. I love the spray of the ocean in my hair and the warmth of the sun on my face. Here, on the golf course, the sun feels more like it is scorching my face as a punishment.
I’m driving the golf cart. Liam looks ahead absentmindedly.
“How are you and Avery doing?”
“Fine,” I nod. Are we really here to talk about that?
“You seem really happy with her? Is she a keeper?”
I look at him. Scrutinize his face. What is the meaning of this? But Liam looks genuinely interested.
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