by K. S. Smith
I pulled Case from the embrace of his blushing bride, “Dude, don’t we have to practice our exit?”
Addison must’ve overheard me because she chimed in, “I bet you’d like that wouldn’t you? Stay away from my best friend, she’s off limits.”
I shot a quick glance back down the aisle and smirked as I noticed my mom had gotten a hold of her before she could make her escape. Way to go mom, I thought, taking a few steps toward the two of them./
As I rested my hand on the small of my mother’s back she began introducing the two of us in her sing song voice as if we’d never met prior to this moment, “Colton, this is Reagan, she is the maid of honor and Addison’s best friend.”
I reached my hand out to shake hers and my body heated at the touch of our skin, a vivid flashback from the night we spent together playing through my head. Her perfect skin pressed tightly against my body, fitting beneath me like she was made for me and me alone. I relished the moment, remembering how perfect that night had been when I was finally brought back to the conversation that was taking place before me. My mom was talking about weddings being the perfect place to meet new people.
Instantly, I remembered waking up the next morning, completely alone. It was as if Reagan had only been a very realistic dream. There was no sign of her having been anywhere in my suite, except the scent of her perfume that lingered on my pillow. Had it not been for that, I actually may have convinced myself that I’d dreamt the entire evening.
I interrupted my mother, chiming in angrily, “Mom, stop. I’m sure Reagan isn’t interested in a relationship with anyone, she’d probably rather get what she wants out of a man and then leave him in the middle of the night without any explanation.”
I knew from the look on my mother’s face that I was in for a serious tongue lashing, so I stood there ready to take it. Like clockwork, she started in on me just a Reagan began her rant as well.
Without paying the least bit of attention to either one of them I stood there tuning them out as I raked my eyes over Reagan’s perfect body. Watching more intently once she turned to storm off out of the church. The way her hips swayed when she walked and her ass, it was almost too perfect. I could’ve stared at it for days without getting tired of seeing it sway from side to side.
The swat of my mother’s hand across my shoulder pulled my attention from Reagan’s ass and back to her, “Colton, how could you be so rude to that sweet young lady, I am so disappointed in you.”
I slid my arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head, “You wouldn’t understand, mom, that woman is complicated, just stay out of it for once, okay?”
She nodded before patting my chest and then making her way toward my father who was mingling with my Uncle and Aunt.
I turned toward Case, pointed to the silver Rolex that comfortably fit my wrist, and reminded him that we needed to get a move on it or we’d be late to the rehearsal dinner. Luckily for me, my only duty as best man had been to keep Case on schedule the night before and day of the wedding, so I was doing my best to ensure I did a good job.
Case’s voice grew louder as he began announcing that it was time to make our way over to the restaurant, causing a group of Addison’s friends to rush over toward me. The less attractive one of the bunch piped up first, “Oh Cole, we have heard so much about you. We’d love to get to know Casey’s mysterious cousin better; do you have room in your car for a few more?” She asked, batting her eyes.
I glanced at the group of desperate women before me and noted that there was only one really unattractive girl in the group, so I shrugged my shoulders, what the hell, “Ladies, there’s enough of me to go around; I’ve certainly got room for all of you.” Winking up at Case as he shook his head, I turned and threw my arms around the group of girls, forcing them to make their way out of the church.
I clicked the unlock button from the steps of the church and pointed toward my SUV, “Load up, I’ll be over in a minute.” The women ran off toward my SUV practically brawling for the front seat.
My head shook as I let out a deep sigh and glanced around the exterior of the church looking for any sign of Reagan. People were filing out of the church one by one, but each time someone emerged it wasn’t her. I’d finally given up and decided to make my way toward my car, reaching for my phone to shoot her a quick text in the process.
We need to talk.
As I hopped into the front seat I cranked up the engine and pulled out of the parking lot toward the restaurant, the women began to pepper me with question after question. I was only half paying attention to them and I would chime in whenever I knew they required a response, but I couldn’t stop staring at the screen of my phone, practically trying to force a response out of it.
Finally, as I tore into the valet slip my phone lit up, but the response was less than appealing. I jumped out of the front seat and tossed the keys to the attendant before making my way inside, leaving the girls to follow after me. Strolling into the giant room of my cousin’s favorite restaurant I re read the text message from Reagan.
I’m sorry, but I have nothing to say to you! I’ll be civil because Addison is my best friend and I want nothing more than for her to have a perfect wedding,
but I do not want to talk!
I scoffed at her response and then replied without even thinking.
Oh quit being a brat.
I knew that text would pissed her off, but I wasn’t in the mood for her pity party, after all, she’d been the one to walk out on me, not vice versa.
CHAPTER FOUR
Reagan had practically ignored me the entire dinner and ended the night perfectly by slapping me across the face later in the evening. Luckily, by that point most everyone was one too many drinks in and had hardly noticed, or at least, that’s what I was telling myself.
I watched on as she and Addison made their way toward the exit of the restaurant before I walked over to Case, flinging my arm around his shoulder and handing him a beer, “Alright man, it’s your last night of freedom, do we do it up right and invite some ladies back to the suite or do you stay true to your girl?”
Case elbowed me in the ribs and then lifted his beer bottle up, taking a long sip, “You know I love that woman more than anything and there’s no way in hell I’m screwing it up. But,” he took another giant sip of beer and an evil grin took hold of his face, “I do want to know what in the hell is going on with you and Reagan. What was that slap for?”
I chuckled under my breath and changed the subject before he could grill me anymore, “You staying at my place tonight or what?”
Case nodded, “Yep, I’ve got my bag in the car.”
I passed a hundred dollar bill and Casey’s valet slip to the attendant giving him strict instructions to get Case’s car home in one piece before jumping into my driver’s seat and heading off toward home, my nosy cousin in tow.
“Dude, I’ve got to ask you again, what in the hell was up with that slap? I’ve known Reagan for a long time and it’s not like her to react that way, what happened?”
I hastily ran my hand through my hair, rolling down the window to get some air in the process. I had to grip the steering wheel to brace myself for what I was about to tell my cousin. “Remember that girl I was telling you about, the one I met the night of your bachelor party?”
Case glanced my way, a smirk coming over his face, “Yea, I remember her, the one with perfect ass and legs for days, what about her?”
Hoping Case would put two and two together on his own I gave him a minute to process what I was saying while the two of us walked into my suite. As I poured us a couple of drinks it was obvious he’d finally figured it out.
“Oh shit, it was Reagan?” Case let out a barking laugh, “Your one night stand that left your ass high and dry was none other than Reagan Larson, this gets better and better by the minute. Addison is going to be ecstatic when she finds out. She’ll have you and Reagan getting married before the two of us can even walk down the aisle tomorrow
.” Case continued to laugh and then proceeded to pull out his phone.
I leaned over and swiped the cell phone from his hands, stuffing it deep into my pocket, “There’s no way in hell you’re calling Addison. The last thing I need is her going over every detail of that night with Reagan. Besides, isn’t there some dumb ass rule about not talking to the person you are marrying the day of your wedding?”
Case chuckled, because obviously that was the only thing he was good at in this particular moment, “You’re so far from marriage, you’ve got no freaking clue, man.”
I nodded my head in agreement, all the while thinking to myself, more like you’ve got no clue how close I’d be to marrying that woman if I could actually get a few moments of alone time with her.
****
As I leaned back against the bar stool I took a swig of my drink and slammed it back down onto the cool granite countertop, replaying Case and Addison’s wedding day over and over again in my mind.
Everyone was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Addison, but I couldn’t have cared less, sure, she was about to be my cousin and the wife of my best friend, but there was only one thing I’d been interested in and that was Reagan, making her way down the aisle toward me.
She was breathtakingly beautiful as she practically floated down the aisle, her eyes purposefully avoiding any form of contact with mine. The long dress she had on hugged every single curve of her body in all the right places, practically begging for me to take her out of it right there in the house of the Lord.
The wedding had been a hit and Case and Addison were the happiest I’d ever seen them, I’d even felt like I’d made some progress with Reagan. My mom filled me in on Reagan’s parents earlier that day, so when the waterworks began during Addison’s dance with her father my protective instincts kicked in as I did my best to show her I could comfort her in her time of need.
Glancing over at her beautiful brown eyes I watched as the tears spilled over her lids. I lifted my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to me. Her body was rigid under my embrace, “My mom told me about your parents. I’m so sorry, Reagan. I know this has got to be difficult for you.” Suddenly she relaxed, letting me comfort her as I squeezed her tighter to me, taking in the floral scent of her perfume. I hardly knew this woman, but everything about her made my body crave her.
I inwardly thanked Case and Addison when the DJ announced that there would be a bridal party dance, this was the perfect opportunity for me to get my arms around Reagan, again. Her body was pressed tightly to mine as I swayed the two of us back and forth, “I’m sorry their dance made you so upset.” I whispered to her as I lifted her chin and looked deep into her eyes.
A hint of sincerity flashing across her face as she did her best to put on a good front, “It’s no big deal, don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine.”
I knew her words were a complete contradiction of how she really felt and I wasn’t going to let her make light of the moment, “You aren’t a superhero, Reagan. Quit acting like you don’t have any emotions.”
I pulled her body up against me, tighter this time and let her go on about how it really wasn’t a big deal, but I knew that wasn’t true. She was hurting and I wanted to be the one who made everything better for her.
The rest of the evening had been going wonderfully and then out of nowhere, just as we were getting into the groove of things Reagan was back on her high horse, accusing me of never calling her. Pissed at her accusation I up and left her, alone, in the middle of the bridal table where she could wallow in her own self-pity.
The buzz of my cell phone pulled me out of my thoughts and I reached into my breast pocket, to retrieve my phone. It was a text from Reagan and it instantly caused me to regret how harsh I’d been just moments earlier.
I’m sorry.
Those two words instantly caused an ache in my heart. You’re an asshole, Cole. I thought to myself as I placed my phone back down onto the countertop. I leaned back in the chair and let out an exasperated sigh before taking another sip of my drink, then glanced around the bar. I was surrounded by happy couples, or at least that’s what it looked like. After I stood from the chair I snatched my cell and made my way back into the reception hall, running into my mom in the process.
“Honey, would you care to have a dance?” she asked, reaching for my arm. I scanned the entire room to see if I could find Reagan, but she was nowhere to be seen. So I lead my mother toward the dance floor, figuring I’d have a better view from the middle of the room.
My mother was mid spin when she started in on me, “Colton, what on earth are you looking for? You haven’t stopped scanning the room over and over, what is it honey?”
I did my best to relax my stiff frame, looked down at my mom who was hardly chest level with me and I smiled, trying not to concern her, “I’m looking for Reagan, I need to speak to her before she leaves for the night.”
My mother’s smile turned into a small frown, “I’m afraid she’s already left, I saw her saying goodbye to Addison’s parents on her way out just a few moments ago.”
As the song came to an end I thanked my mom for the dance and decided to call it a night. If Reagan was already gone there was nothing I could do.
I made the rounds as quick as possible to say goodbye to family and friends and then slipped from the reception, just in time to run into one of the other bridesmaids, luckily for me she was one of the more attractive ones.
The blonde bombshell ran her fingers down my arm, “Well, well, look what we have here.”
I could smell the alcohol on her breath and I knew -had she been sober- she would have probably run the other direction for fear of rejection.
“I think you deserve to take at least one of the bridesmaids home with you tonight, don’t you?” She slurred into my neck.
Not fully able to disagree with her I slipped my arm around her hip, mostly to keep her from toppling over, but of course she took it as an invitation as she continued to slur, what I can only assume was seductively, “We all figured it’d be Reagan, although we haven’t a clue what it is you men see in her, but since she is long gone and you are alone, why not me?”
I couldn’t help but grin at her boldness as I forced our bodies toward the front desk, “May I have a key to one of our available rooms?” I asked.
Tina immediately handing over a key card, “Room 202 is available this evening.”
I thank Tina while giving her that save me look at the exact same time before I pulled the blonde along toward the elevator, pressing the call button just as her arms locked around my neck and her lips met mine.
I could taste the amount of alcohol that she’d consumed as I pulled her face from mine, “Easy there killer, let’s not get out of control. We’ll be to the room in just a moment.”
She smiled up at me and a hiccup escaped her mouth at that exact moment.
This isn’t going to be good, besides, she’s not Reagan and I don’t know if I can fake it through another tryst imagining it’s her, I thought to myself as we entered the elevator.
I opened the door and blondie, whose name I’d yet to ask for, began twirling around the room, finally collapsing onto the bed where she attempted to discard her tightly zipped dress. More hiccups flowed from her lips and then the laughing ensued, “Oh Cole, can you please help me out of this damn dress, it’s so tight.”
My body shook with light laughter, amused by her desperate antics as I made my way toward her, lifting her from the bed and turning her body so I could gently slide the zipper from the top of her back to just beneath the tiny pink bow that sat snugly on the back of her bright pink thong panties.
She bent right over in front of me and slipped the dress to her ankles, stepping out of it as she turned toward me, exposing her perky breasts. “I’m going to take a shower, feel free to join me.” She begged, pressing her half naked body up against me.
I rubbed my hands down the lengths of her arms and whispered, “I think I’ll pass. Why don’t
you get cleaned up while I go grab a drink…” and before I could finish my sentence she repeated my last word.
“Drink,” her hands quickly covered her mouth, “I think I’m going to be sick.” Blondie bolted toward the bathroom and the first thing I heard after the toilet seat slamming was the sound of vomit being expelled from her body.
I walked over to the door and peeked in, “It looks like you’ve got everything under control, just call room service if you need anything else.”
I slipped from the doorway and made a run for it, leaving her and her future hangover all alone. Thankful that I’d avoided another pointless evening with a woman who would never amount to Reagan Larson.
CHAPTER FIVE
The elevator doors opened into the lobby of my office and I was greeted by the scent of heavy perfume, which meant only one thing, Heather, my assistant, had already made it into the office.
“Good morning, Heather, how was your weekend?” I greeted her on my way down the hall toward my office.
She quickly jumped out of her chair, scurried down the hallway after me, and slipped into the chair across from my desk, “My weekend was great, thank you for asking, Friday evening I had a date, but that didn’t go over well, turns out he was more interested in the server than me. Saturday I went to The Limelight with a few girlfriends and yesterday I spent the day tanning by the pool.” She ran her hand up and down the length of her arm as she batted her lashes, “Can you tell?” She inquired, regarding her tanned skin.
I couldn’t tell, nor did I care, but I wasn’t going to burst her bubble so I lied, “Yea, it looks great, would you give me a minute, and close the door behind you, please.”