Club Abbott: The Wedding (Club Abbott Series #3)

by Hazel Kelly

  But Ben hadn’t done anything to turn me off since we met. On the contrary, he’d done nothing but turn me on since he walked into my office all wet and full of energy.

  And I was having more trouble breaking character all the time. Not only in the middle of our conversations, but when we were apart.

  Still, the last thing I needed right now was to get hurt again. So I had to keep my wits about me and my feelings in check. Cause it was obviously just fun and sex to him, and even though I wasn’t the kind of girl that considered sex a harmless recreational activity, surely I could maintain that attitude until we made it through the wedding day.

  Because failure wasn’t an option. I needed the job. I needed the leads. And what’s more, I needed the distraction.

  “Good thing you aren’t the bride or I wouldn’t be able to watch,” Ben said. He was leaning back on a small pink couch, his arms spread along the back of it, with one ankle crossed over his opposite knee.

  It was the kind of position that tricked me into thinking about straddling his lap and grinding up against him again, which would no doubt lead to me “pretending to be turned on” and “pretending to wet my underwear.”

  I stayed still while an incredibly short Romanian woman pinned the light mauve dress one fold at a time, slowly bringing it in at the bodice and around my hips. The dress was pretty and plain, but flattering. It was exactly the kind of thing I would’ve expected Ella to choose for her bridesmaids.

  As I looked in the three way mirror, I did my best to ignore the flirtatious eyebrow raising coming from Ben’s corner of the room and thought of the wedding dress I would never wear. It had lace sleeves and an open v-neck that was just plunging enough to toe the line between sexy and tasteful.

  Last time I tried it on, it was a perfect fit, and I could remember losing sleep that night over imagining how Simon’s face would light up when he saw me in it.

  A lump formed in my throat at the thought, and I felt my eyes start to water. I rolled them up and blinked, trying to keep the tears from forming, but one broke through and slid down my cheek.

  “I was just thinking the same thing,” Ben said, bringing his hands down to the cushion beneath him.

  “What?” I asked, wiping the tear away.

  “That you look so beautiful I could cry.”

  I laughed.

  And then I burst into tears.

  “Can you give us a second?” Ben asked the seamstress.

  She nodded, unable to answer on account of her mouth being full of pins, and disappeared through a curtain at the back of the room.

  “Hey-” Ben put his hands on my shoulders.

  The platform I was standing on was tall enough that we were eye to eye.

  “What’s going on?”

  I was completely mortified to have broken down in front of him, and all I could think to do was cover my face so at least he wouldn’t see it twisted in pain.

  He wrapped his large fingers around my wrists and lowered my hands, fixing his eyes on mine. “Take a deep breath,” he said, inhaling in case I didn’t remember how.

  My breath stuttered, but I felt my lungs expand.

  “What’s wrong, Carrie?”

  I shook my head and wiped the tears from under my eyes. “It’s stupid.”

  “C’mon,” he said. “Do you hate the dress or something?”

  I laughed. “No. The dress is beautiful.”

  He raised his eyebrows.

  “I just started thinking about getting fitted for mine and got carried away with the memory is all.”

  He nodded and hugged me carefully, resting his hands on my back only once he was certain they weren’t going to come down on any pins.

  I turned my face towards his neck and breathed him in. It felt inappropriate to take so much comfort in his masculine smell, but I couldn’t help it.

  “He wasn’t the one, Carrie.”

  I pursed my lips.

  “The dress would’ve been wasted on him.”

  “I know,” I said, squeezing my arms around him.

  “Someday you’ll get to wear it for the right guy, and all this shit will have been worth it.”

  I leaned back and looked at him. “You think so?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  I smiled and another tear squeezed out. I reached for it, but Ben swiped it with his thumb first.

  “Thanks,” I said, casting my eyes down. “I’m okay now. Don’t worry.”

  “The only thing I’m worried about is making sure those gorgeous dimples don’t disappear.”

  I pursed my lips, but my smile broke them apart.

  “That’s more like it.”

  I dragged my fingertips under my eyes so I wouldn’t look a bleary mess.

  He squinted at me. “Feel any better?”

  I nodded.

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “Cause if you want me to kiss you all over to make it better, I would do that for you.”

  I looked down at the bottom of my dress where a bunch of pins stuck out in every direction. “Better not. I’m booby trapped.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure? I’m pretty sure it would be worth it?”

  “I’m sure. But thank you for the very generous offer.”

  “I guess I can live with a rain check.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Oh, before I forget.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small square box.

  My heart stopped.

  “I got you a little something to give you some pep in your step on the day.”

  My eyes grew wide.

  He popped the velvet box open, revealing two sparkling diamond studs.

  My lips fell apart.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “I think they look real.”

  He smiled. “So you have a good eye after all.”

  “I can’t accept those, Ben.”

  “You have to.”

  I furrowed by brows. “No I don’t.”

  “Yes you do,” he said, reaching inside his breast pocket. “Cause they match the necklace.” He held the thin gold chain in front of me.

  I watched the diamond charm swing back and forth so subtly I feared I might go into a trance. “Did you just have that jangling around in your pocket?”

  He shrugged. “The box it came with was cumbersome.” He handed me the earrings and stepped behind me. “Plus, I figured it would be safest around your neck.”

  “If you want me to wear them, I will,” I said, looking down at the earrings. “But I’ll have to give them back to you after the wedding.”

  “You’ll do no such thing,” he said, lowering the unclasped necklace down in front of me.

  “But-”

  “There,” he said, letting the diamond hang down in the dip between my collar bones. “How great does that look?”

  I touched the stone, admiring how much it sparkled and realizing I’d missed that bit of glimmer since I stopped wearing my engagement ring.

  “You will take it all back, though, won’t you?” I asked, my eyes dropping to the earrings again before lifting to meet his gaze.

  “Absolutely not,” he said. “What good’s the set to me? My ears aren’t even pierced.”

  Chapter 10: Ben

  Nobody tells you how you’re supposed to feel on your dad’s wedding day.

  Probably because how you feel on someone else’s wedding day is largely irrelevant.

  Still, I couldn’t help but be a little reflective on the occasion, especially considering the fact that I’d worked so closely not only with him over the last year, but with his blushing bride to be as well.

  And for the most part, I was happy for him. How could I not be?

  The guy was financially secure, professionally successful by anyone’s definition of the word, and now he’d found an amazing woman to share his good fortune with. It would be easy to envy anyone in his situation.

  And I suppose I did. Not to an unhealthy point, but simply because
it made me realize how keen I was to forge my own path.

  I figured if I played my cards right, I’d never have to work again by the time I was thirty one. I would, of course, because ambition runs in my veins, but once I had my business in order here and added a few properties to my portfolio on both sides of the Atlantic, I would be in good shape.

  Hell, my grandkids would be in good shape.

  And at that point, I imagined I would be ready to settle down with someone- not that I knew what that would look like.

  I couldn’t see myself wearing grandpa sweaters and being in bed by nine, but perhaps I’d be ready to start a family or travel the world- with the intention of having sex with the same woman in every city instead of different ones. That might be cool.

  But what if everything didn’t go according to plan?

  And by everything, I didn’t mean the business side of things. That would work out. I already had the money to make it work and knew exactly what I had to do to grow my investments and get the club launched and profitable.

  What I meant was, what if I met the right woman sooner than I intended?

  It happened to people all the time. Shit, it happened to my dad and Ella. In fact, I didn’t have any married friends who were looking to settle down when they found the right person. So funky timing could happen.

  The question was, had it already?

  Logically, I knew it was ridiculous to wonder if things could be serious between Carrie and me. Chances are I was just reeling from the fact that her banging body fit mine so perfectly that night at the club. It was like she was made for me. Or at least my dick.

  Plus, I was practically addicted to her dimples at this point. I swear I actually felt physical withdrawal when I had to be away from them.

  Yeah, I used to miss Nadia when we were apart, and we were perfect for each other on paper and supposedly wanted all the same things.

  Except, of course, for fucking other people.

  But Carrie and I even had the same favorite movie. I don’t know. Maybe that wasn’t the biggest deal, but in twenty years when I was resigned to spending my Sunday nights on the couch, having someone beside me who wanted to watch the same things on the haunted fish tank might come in handy.

  What’s more, something happened inside me when I saw her crying in that dress the other day. I knew in the deepest part of my guts that I would’ve done anything to make her stop.

  Anything.

  The thought even crossed my mind that I should marry her myself.

  Sure, I’d probably just been seduced by watching the nimble fingered seamstress stick pins in that dress until Carrie was revealed to me, but any man could do a lot worse than carrying someone as beautiful as she was over the threshold.

  Regardless, I still had the thought. And I was still thinking it… which seemed as ridiculous as the fact that I hadn’t just asked her to be my fucking date for real and said screw it to all this pretend nonsense.

  I only set it up this way because I knew she was vulnerable and not ready to date. But with every day that went by, I was hoping she was getting there because I wasn’t entirely confident that I wanted our little game to end.

  Not anytime soon anyway. And sure as fuck not tomorrow after brunch.

  I raised my fist and rapped the back of it against the door.

  “Ben!” Frank said as he swung the door open. “How are you, buddy?”

  “Great, Frank.” I gave him a hug and a pat on the back as the door to my dad’s penthouse apartment swung shut. “Congrats on the new addition to the family.”

  “Thanks,” he said, straightening his tie. “I heard you’ve been getting your ass handed to you on the court.”

  I looked around for Will. “That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

  “I figured as much,” he said, patting the side of my arm. “But if there’s any time a man’s entitled to big himself up, it’s his wedding day.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll try not to put him in his place.”

  “Sounds good,” Frank said, opening the door. “He’s upstairs, anyway. I just have to duck out for a second to check on the old ball and chain, but I’ll be back in a few.”

  “Alright,” I said, watching the door click shut behind him. I smoothed my tie down and crossed the floor. Then I grabbed the railing on the staircase that led to the lofted bedroom area. “Hey, Will,” I called as I headed up.

  “Hi.”

  When I reached the top of the stairs, he was standing in front of a full length mirror in the corner of the room, looking every bit the groom.

  “You look great,” I said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Very handsome.”

  “Thanks.”

  “She might even say yes after all.”

  “Hilarious,” he said, pulling his shirt sleeves down so he could put in his cufflinks.

  “What can I do for you?”

  “Sit down and keep telling me how great I look.”

  I laughed and parked myself in an armchair a few feet away. “You nervous?”

  “A little,” he said. “Which I wasn’t expecting.”

  “Why don’t you distract yourself by telling me all the things you love about Ella.”

  He looked at me like I was a gay man who’d just made a pass.

  I shrugged. “My buddy told me that was the only thing that kept him from puking on his wedding day.”

  “Fine,” he said. “Though I’m not quite that bad.”

  I reached over to the table beside me and took a sip of what I thought was Frank’s abandoned orange juice, but it turned out to be a mimosa.

  “You can get another glass downstairs,” Will said.

  “I’m good. I don’t want to miss a minute of this.”

  He sighed and downed half the glass on the dresser beside him.

  “Well?”

  “I love that she’s kind. I love that she’s smart, perhaps smarter than me,” he said, raising a finger in the mirror. “But don’t tell her I said that.”

  I nodded.

  “I love that she’s ambitious, and that she never lets herself settle for second best.” He took a step back and flared his hands out to the sides. “Exhibit A.”

  I groaned.

  “I love how she always tries to stop me from giving her my coat if she’s cold and how great she always looks in it when she gives in. And how she’d rather eat a toasted cheese sandwich than almost anything on Earth so I can actually do something in the kitchen that impresses her.”

  I smiled. “Go on.”

  “I love that she primarily sings Disney Princess Songs in the shower, but that she also enjoys Miles Davis and Nina Simone.”

  I draped my hands along the armrests of my chair.

  “I love that she’ll try almost anything once and that she’s generous to a fault.”

  “She is, yeah.” I thought of how quickly she made Carrie feel comfortable and how many hours she put in outside of work to help her mom at The Nest.

  “I love how she looks in my t-shirts and how she always wants to smell me when I get out of the shower.”

  “Careful,” I said. “You’re straying into dangerous territory there.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I love that she chose me over you.”

  I squinted and cocked my head. “That’s not exactly how I remember it happening.”

  He smiled. “I know. I’m just messing with you.”

  I took another swig of the mimosa.

  “Seriously, though, Ben. As much as I hope you’ll have success in business- and that you’ll be as lucky as I’ve been in keeping my good looks- my greatest hope for you is that someday you’re filled with a love like the love I have for this woman. Because I swear to god, all my other riches pale in comparison.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “I hope I find that, too.”

  “Mark my words, a man who has something to look forward to each morning is a king among men.”

  “Duly noted.”

/>   He turned from the mirror and faced me with a raised finger again. “And when you find her, don’t be an idiot like I was and take forever realizing what a good thing you have in front of you.”

  I nodded. “Or at the very least, have a son that’s bold enough to tell me when I’m being an idiot.”

  “Or that,” he said with a smile.

  Chapter 11: Carrie

  All of Ella’s other bridesmaids were gorgeous.

  So even though I felt like a fraud, I couldn’t help but be flattered that she thought I would fit in with the bridal party.

  But they were normal enough. Despite the extravagant wedding that lay ahead of us, it didn’t seem like any of them came from money or anything, which was a relief because I was doing enough acting as it was without also having to pretend I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth.

  Not that it was a requirement that I be particularly impressive in my role. On the contrary, I figured the best thing I could do was keep a low profile, as much as possible anyway.

  I fingered the diamond around my neck and thought of Ben. I wondered how he was feeling, if this whole thing was weird for him, his dad marrying someone who wasn’t his mom. I guess he was probably old enough that he didn’t care, but my parents were such a collective unit it was hard for me to imagine being in his shoes.

  Of course, more than that I wondered if he was looking forward to getting the day over with, if role playing with me was something he was eager to put behind him.

  He texted me the day before to say he booked a room for us at the hotel and made it clear that while he thought it only made sense for us to stay in the same room, I should rest assured that it would have two beds in it.

  I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to take that news.

  At the very least, I hoped it meant I could assume he wouldn’t be sleeping with any of the other wedding guests while I lay across the room, but I found it peculiar.

  Perhaps he was just being polite and knew I would’ve found it presumptuous if he chose a room with only one bed in it. After all, one night on a dirty floor does not make for guaranteed sex on tap.

  However, it wasn’t until I got the text that I realized part of me was hoping we would sleep together again. Not only because I wanted to make sure I hadn’t imagined his monster dick, but because I liked it. And despite the fact that it was all pretend, I couldn’t help but feel that our relationship would be a little less skeevy if we slept together again.