by Vivian Ward
“Tony G’s,” I answer him. “But we’re going to Hooks.”
Hooks is my favorite place to go to for seafood. Everyone likes Red Lobster, but they’ve got nothing on Hooks. You want to talk about the freshest, best seafood in the Midwest? That’s the place you go.
It’s near impossible to get fresh seafood since we’re not anywhere near the ocean but you can get it there. They fly in fresh lobster, crab, oysters, fish, and everything once a week.
You pay through the nose for it, but it’s totally worth it. Once you’ve had it fresh, you won’t want it any other way. And it’s not Deb’s favorite place, but it’s mine, and she told me that I could pick dinner tonight.
“Oh, we haven’t eaten there in a long time,” he says, rubbing his stomach. “Sounds good.”
“I thought so,” I beam up at him. “I told her about the party tomorrow night and how I was going to have to cut my bridal shower short so she said we could eat where ever I want to go to tonight, and she’ll eat at Tony G’s tomorrow with her old friend, Kathleen.”
“Are you sure you want to come to my party at Ford’s place and ditch your best friend? I know the two of you haven’t seen each other in so long and you probably want to hang out.”
“No, I’m going to that party,” I insist.
With all the things I’ve done like meeting with his boss, dress shopping and rearranging most of my bridal shower, I’m not going to miss his party unless I’m on my deathbed and even that’s optional.
“Okay, okay,” he says, holding his hands up in the air as if he’s being taken hostage. “I just want you to know that you can get out of it if you want.”
“Well, I don’t want to,” I say. “We’re going to it together, we’re going to have fun, and you’re going to make partner at Ford and Associates.”
Deb finally comes walking toward us, weighed down with luggage strapped over her shoulder as well as the giant suitcase that she’s rolling behind her.
“Hey, hey, hey!” she cheers, donning a huge smile.
“Deb!” I run to her and leap into her arms. “It’s so good to see you!”
“You too!” she drops her bags and embraces me.
While the two of us squeal and hug each other, Logan picks up all of her luggage and waits for us to finish acting like teenage girls at a sleepover.
“Hi, Logan,” she turns to him. “Thank you so much for carrying everything. Do you want me to help you with some of it?”
“No, I’ve got it. What’s in here? A few dead bodies?” He turns to me and asks, “Is she moving in with us? You didn’t tell me that.”
We all have a good laugh.
“Don’t be silly,” she says. “I’m going to be staying with you long enough for the bridal shower and the wedding. I had to come prepared.”
We swing by our house to drop off her things before heading out to Hooks. I’m so glad that she’s finally here. I can already feel the stress leaving my body because I know she’s got my back in all of this.
“We’re going to open gifts after they all finish stuffing their faces,” Meagan whispers to me.
“Do you think we’re being rude? I feel like we’re kind of rushing things along.”
Part of me feels bad that we’re hurrying through everything, but none of my friends seem to mind or notice. Maybe it’s a good thing that they let Meagan take charge of everything back when she started planning it all out.
They have no idea how many things we’re skipping or how short we’re cutting the party, but I still can’t help that I feel like an asshole. What kind of friend cuts their bridal shower short because she has other things to do?
This day is supposed to be about my friends and me, not my fiancé and his managing partner, but they don’t need to know that. To all of my friends, they have no clue how closely Meagan and I are watching the clock.
“No, we’re not being rude,” she assures me. “But geez, do you think they could shovel it in a little faster?”
We both laugh because it sounds so silly.
“Megs, I just want to thank you again for being such a good friend through all of this, and for helping me come up with a master plan. You have no idea how much of a lifesaver you are.”
“Don’t mention it,” she winks at me. “What are friends for? I’m just glad that we came up with something.”
Meagan doesn’t give our poor friends hardly any time after they finish eating before she starts gathering them around me to open gifts.
All of my thoughtful, and very generous, friends have a mound of gifts stacked up in a pile that looks like it’ll take me forever to get through and I just don’t have that kind of time.
“Do you think I’ll look like an ass if I just rip through the paper and open everything as fast as I can to get through them all?” I ask Deb and Meagan.
“I’ve got an idea,” Deb says.
She clears her throat as she takes the center of the room and catches everyone’s attention.
“Excuse me,” she announces to them.
Once everyone looks up at her, and all eyes are focused on the front of the room, she smiles pleasantly at them.
“I’d like to take a minute to say how lucky we all are to be part of Piper’s wedding. There’s nothing more special than watching a close friend get married and start their new life.”
Light chatter erupts from our friends as they all nod in agreement with her, smiles plastered on their faces.
“And Piper is very lucky to have such amazing friends. Just look at all the gifts she’s about to receive!”
All of their eyes shift toward the mound of presents, and you can practically see their egos swelling with pride; each so proud of their contribution to the pile of presents that are stacked up on a long folding tables.
“But dear Lord, we don’t want her to develop arthritis! She told me that it took her nearly a week to work on all of her wedding invitations and that was only because her mom helped her, so let’s do her a favor and open our own gifts!”
They all look shocked, and whispers from the small crowd erupt once again.
“After you open your gift, hold it up so that Piper can see what she got and then Meagan and I will help her sort through it all.”
“That’s a great idea,” I chime in. “Yes, it would be very helpful.”
I turn to Meagan and Deb and say, “And if you could help me sort it by room—like kitchen, general household or personal items— that would be even more awesome, so it’ll help me organize it all better. I just don’t have a lot of time considering the wedding is one week from today, and I still have to pack for our honeymoon while I make final preparations,” I say to the guests, hoping they’ll understand and agree.
Luckily, they all nod their heads in agreement.
“Yep, no problem,” Meagan says, taking charge. “So ladies, everyone get up and come over here to grab your gift.”
Reluctant, my group of friends who are still a bit surprised comply with her request and slowly go over to retrieve their presents.
It doesn’t take long before they’re all opening their gifts, laughing and talking as they do it.
This has got to be the best idea in the history of bridal showers because it’s saving me a ton of time. Instead of me opening each gift in front of them and cooing over their crystal vases and napkin sets, I can just watch them proudly display their gift in front of me while Meagan and Deb organize everything for me.
After 20 minutes, all of the gifts have been opened, the presents are all sorted, and now we can move onto wrapping things up. Within the next half an hour, everything’s over, and I can start getting ready for the party tonight at Mr. Ford’s.
“Are you sure you’ve got all this?” I ask Deb. “I feel kind of bad that you flew in and are helping Meagan do all of this work while I ditch you.”
I feel awful leaving her and Meagan to clean up the hall that they rented, but I don’t really have much of a choice. It has to be cleaned, and I have to m
ake enough time to get ready for the party.
“Babe,” she says, taking my hands in hers. “Don’t worry about it. I’m your best friend, and I was your friend before you asked me to do anything for you. I’m happy to help. Now, go. Get yourself ready and enjoy the rest of your night. We’ve got this,” she squeezes my fingertips.
“You’re the best,” I hug her. “Thank you so much.”
Before I leave them to get ready for the party, I give Meagan a hug and thank her one last time. I couldn’t have pulled off any of this without the help of her and Deb. It reminds me just how lucky I am.
Chapter 13
Logan
Checking my watch again, the minutes and seconds are ticking by, and it’s making me grow anxious. All I can do is hope that she finishes getting dressed in time before we’re late for the party.
I’m not sure how Ford will like us waltzing in late, but it’s not something that I want to find out. Making this man happy is my number one priority so if that means bowing down and kissing his ass for one night, then I’ll gladly do it.
Normally, I’m not a pushover, but this partnership with his firm has so much riding on it that it’s not even funny. Sure, I could become a partner at another firm, but this is the firm to work with, and there’s not another one in the St. Louis area that can compare to it.
Ford and Associates are the difference between us living comfortably or living in the lap of luxury. And as cliché, as it might sound, I want to give my little princess a lap of luxury to live in.
Piper deserves the world, and I fully intend on giving it to her. Nothing but the best is good enough for her. Diamonds, silk, lace, pearls, expensive vacations, you name it. I want her to have it, and the fastest, most efficient way to ensuring she has it all is by becoming a partner of Ford and Associates.
I don’t want to work for some dinky law firm. I’ve worked too hard and put in too many hours to do that. My dad always said go big or go home, and that’s exactly what I intend on doing.
And maybe that’s why Piper is so insistent on showing her support for me tonight. She doesn’t care about expensive jewelry or going to fancy resorts; she just wants to be by my side. She’d be happy living in a cardboard box as long as we were together.
There’s not a doubt in my mind that if I said I wanted to stop practicing law and do mindless work for a lower working wage, she’d be fine as with that as long as it made me happy. My happiness is her happiness and vice versa.
“I’m coming,” she calls from the bedroom as I check my watch for the twentieth time.
We have to be at Ford’s house in just over a half hour, and it takes about 25 minutes to make the drive, so we’re really pressed for time.
“I hope so. You’ve only taken the last—,” I stop dead in my tracks as she makes her way out of our room and shuts off the light.
She looks like a runway model walking down our narrow hallway, and as she gets closer, I can feel my heart beginning to race.
To say that she looks hot would be an understatement. A clean floral scent with a hint of warm vanilla swirls around her as she approaches me.
Piper looks amazing. I’ve never seen her wearing the dress that she has on but fuck, she looks sexy as hell. It has a thin black strap that holds up the cups of the dress which features shiny black sequins, showcasing her perky breasts.
I’ve always heard of every woman owning a little black dress, but if this is what they’re referring to, then every woman should wear her little black dress every damn day. She looks so beautiful and could easily put any model to shame.
“Piper,” I say, staring at her.
I can’t take my eyes off of her. She’s a hot mess, but she’s all mine.
“Yes?” she answers.
“Wow,” I suck in a deep breath and blow out a low whistle. “With the way you look, I don’t know if I want to take you to the party.”
I scoop her up into my arms and begin running my hands down her back and around her waist until I reach her perfectly round ass.
“Uh-uh,” she shakes her head no. “Be good. You’re on your best behavior, at least until the night is over. Let’s go do this.”
“Oh, I want to do it all right. Let’s go to the bedroom first.”
“Not right now,” she says.
“What? You dirty girl,” I lean down and let my breath tickle her neck. “You want me right here? I can bend you over and give it to you now if that’s what you want.”
I don’t know if that’s what she wants or not, but I sure as hell do. The last thing I want to do is leave. I want to be inside of her, filling her with my seed.
All I can think about is how she looks with those stockings on and that dress. Her stilettos accentuate her already long legs look like they’re a mile long. She looks like a goddess.
“Logan, no. Come on,” she pushes me away. “Let’s get to your party. I went through a LOT of trouble to make sure we get there on time. Now, let’s get out of here.”
I love it when she’s feisty. It makes me want her that much more, but I know that she’s right and we need to get a move on. I’ll have to bend her over later when there’s more time.
Maybe then, I can strip her down to her lacy stockings and take advantage of her. The thought of it makes my cock jerk in my pants.
“You’re mine later,” I warn her.
“Later, you can do whatever you want to me, but right now we have to get to the party on time,” she says as we leave the house.
Admiring her from behind, I let her lead the way as I continue thinking about bending her over in that tight little black dress of hers and fucking her with those heels and stockings on.
If anyone knows how to drive a man crazy, it’s definitely her.
“Here, let me,” I say, rushing in front of her to open her car door.
“Thank you,” she kisses me. “I know it must be near impossible for you to behave but I promise, I’ll heavily reward you later.”
As she slips into the car, her hand cups the bulge in my pants and she gives it a squeeze, feeling how hard I already am for her and all we’re doing is getting in the car. Nothing has even started, but I can’t wait until it does. When it comes to her, I’m always ready to fuck.
“Oh, you tease,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat.
If I wasn’t already slightly hard, I am now. Completely hard.
Fuck. How does she have that type of effect on me?
It’s crazy how a slight brush of her hand can make me go stiff or how just thinking about being with her can make me feel like a teenage boy with an erection that he can’t get rid of, but I love it. She’s hot, and her heart and body belong to me.
I’m a very lucky man.
“You like it, baby,” she smiles up at me as she gets herself buckled. “And if you’re good tonight, I’ll give you some sweet sugar when we get back home.”
I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait until then, but I’ll have to try.
Chapter 14
Logan
Standing on the front porch of Mr. Ford’s house, I can’t believe that my fantasy of being a partner is becoming a reality.
The doorbell chimes a long, beautiful tone before Ford opens the door and greets us with the party already in full swing even though we’ve arrived right on time.
“Logan,” he says and then turns his glance to Piper. “And Piper, come in.”
As soon as we step inside, he shakes my hand and gives Piper a hug and kisses her on the cheek.
It doesn’t quite settle right with me and strikes me as being a little too friendly and a bit odd.
I focus my attention on Piper who doesn’t seem to mind it one bit. A light shade of crimson flushed across her cheeks before she notices me watching her.
She quickly wipes the doting smile off her face and steps away from Ford.
I possessively wrap my arm around her and pull her close to me. He might be the managing partner, but she’s mine.
“Come
on in and make yourself comfortable,” he says, holding his arm open. “Help yourself to cocktails and appetizers.”
We spend the next 20 minutes or so chatting with Ford, who is the center of attention. It doesn’t take long until several of the partners join us, and we’re all circled around him, much like children do with a teacher during story time.
Ford is very animated while telling us about a case that he handled that ended up making him the success that he is today. It’s an interesting enough story that keeps everyone thoroughly entertained even though he’s probably told it several dozen times during his career as an attorney.
He goes into great detail to talk about how he put the bite on the prosecuting attorney and got his client out of murder charges. If it weren’t for who the client was, it would’ve been just another case. The client he got off was the owner of a prestigious nightclub over in East St. Louis; the Larry Flynt Hustler’s Club.
It should’ve been an open and shut case because the guy was guilty as hell; but money can sometimes twist things and turn them into your favor, which is exactly what the guy did.
The owner was banging one of the dancers. She was a pretty little number; a strawberry blonde with cherry red lips. Everything between the two of them was supposed to be on the down-low because it was against company policy for employees to have sexual relationships, especially when it came to the owner poking one of his strippers.
There was this customer, a wealthy middle-aged man who had plenty of green to flash around inside the club for the right ladies. Apparently, as soon as this guy would waltz into the place, the girls flocked to him because he spared nothing for a good dance from one of his favorites.
As things would turn out, the little strawberry blonde who was banging the owner became one of his favorites, and he would pay for private dances in their enclosed area where nobody else could see what was going on.
This guy had a reputation of fucking many of the girls that worked there, but nobody would ever admit that they were sleeping with the guy because it would cost them their job, but it was well known that it frequently happened during these private sessions that he paid for.