by Raquel Belle
“That’s true. Plus, you won’t be a Conley much longer.” I lean down and give her a big hug. “Okay, let’s do it. A sister sleepover. I’ll make the room service call.”
“Yes!” Laura bounces up and down excitedly on the plush couch. “You’re the best sister ever!”
Am I? I think to myself, turning my face away from her as I head back to the phone in the other room. Here I am, sister of the bride and the maid of honor, hiding the fact that I hooked up with the best man and my future brother-in-law. I feel awful continuing to hide this from Laura but this is one secret that I can’t share with my sister.
Chapter Fourteen
Jason
When Cara refused to let me up to her hotel room, I almost thought about throwing in the towel. Maybe Thomas really had ruined everything with his jackass comments. With that, on top of all the secrecy and her concerns about Laura finding out, things were getting too complicated. But how could I walk away from the girl who was driving me wild enough to make me want to screw in a dressing room? The girl who was bold enough to shout back at a tough guy like Paulie? The girl who loved her family so much, she was willing to forego her own happiness in favor of her sister’s?
Nah. That’s not the kind of girl you walk away from. I just need to get some time alone with her. But I’m such a fucking idiot, I actually never got her number so I can’t even text her to arrange a meeting. I picked her up at her hotel that first night and since then it’s been various wedding events throwing us together, again and again. Sunday morning, the day after she refused to see me at her hotel, I make my final attempt.
First, I call Mario’s, the owner of Mario’s Bistro—the little place I took her to on our first date.
“Mario! It’s Jason Levine.”
“Mr. Levine, wonderful to hear from you. You looking for a table for tonight?”
“Actually, I’m looking for all of them. I want to book the entire place.”
“No can do, I’m afraid. I’ve already got a few reservations on the books.”
“Cancel them. I’ll make it well worth your while.”
“Well…” I hear the hesitation in his voice. Mario has known me for some time and he knows enough about me to know I have the goods to back up my words.
“Look, I’ll give you 20k flat out just to block off the place for the night. I have a very special guest coming and we need total privacy.”
“20k?”
“20k. I can have my assistant take care of the details this afternoon. You’ll have the money by tonight.”
“Okay then. When can I expect you?”
“I’ll be there at 8 p.m. sharp.”
“Got it.”
“And Mario?”
“Yeah?”
“Make sure the oysters are really topnotch tonight. And set aside your best bottle of Pinot Grigio please.”
“You got it.”
“Great. My assistant will be in touch shortly.”
I end the call and drop a quick line to my assistant, who is basically on call 24/7 and even available on Sundays, and give him Mario’s number to coordinate the cash details.
Then I head to Cara’s hotel. I don’t try to see her again though, not after being turned away last night. Instead, I drop a note off with the hotel concierge. I don’t sign my name. All it says is “Mario’s at 8:00 p.m. I have to talk to you.”
She knows where the place is, and that it’s tiny and out of the way. And of course she’ll know who sent the note. Now, all I have to do is wait. I hate to admit it but it’s the longest Sunday of my life. I hate waiting, I hate uncertainty, and I hate the fact that I have no clue whether or not Cara will turn up tonight.
At 7:55 p.m., I’m already seated, there’s a glass of chilled Pinot in front of me and another one sitting across the table, in front of an empty chair—which, hopefully, won’t be empty for long.
Mario greeted me with a huge smile when I came so I guess the money has been taken care of. But then sensing my dark mood (and seeing that I was alone) he quickly poured a couple glasses of wine and retreated to the kitchen in the back, silently.
I’m seated at the table by the window, staring intently outside, down the empty side street. Then, beyond the fountain, I see a figure slowly coming closer. I feel my heart thump in my chest as the slight figure gets closer and closer, finally close enough that I can see that blonde shining halo of hair on top—and Cara’s searing blue eyes, blazing through the dusky night, straight through the window to meet my gaze.
She’s wearing a plain black slip dress in some kind of float-y material that wafts behind her as she walks…and her hair is down, loose and slightly curly, hanging over her shoulders. When she enters the restaurant, she does a small double take as she notices that it’s totally empty except for me.
“You came.” I say, as she slides into the seat across from me.
“I guess you were expecting it,” she answers, nodding to the untouched glass of wine in front of her.
“I was opting for optimism.” I shrug and adjust the collar of my shirt slightly. She’s here but her eyes are distant. There’s no hint of warmth to her smile, which looks sad and forced.
“So, what did you so desperately need to speak with me about?” She asks, taking a sip of the wine.
“Hang on.” I gesture to Mario, who quickly bustles over with a plate of oysters and then retreats, leaving us in peace. “I had to see you. When you said the other night that we should stop—that didn’t sit right with me. This,” I gesture to Cara and myself, “this isn’t something you just stop.”
She purses her lips and drums the fingers of one hand on the tablecloth lightly.
“We’ve already gotten caught by one person,” she finally says. “What if that hadn’t been Thomas but Jared or, even worse, Laura?”
“I know, I know. That was dumb. I understand that you don’t want to get caught. You’ve made that much clear. That’s why I suggested Mario’s again. I figured it would be dead on a Sunday night.”
“True.” She looks around at the empty restaurant appreciatively.
“The point is that I understand we can’t go flaunting our relationship around at this wedding. But I don’t see why we can’t continue in secret and then…I don’t know. See where it goes. We do both live in New York. It’s not impossible.”
“From what I hear you have a few relationships underway in New York already.” She arches an eyebrow and gives me a pointed look as she delicately takes an oyster from the pile in front of her, her face basically saying well, as long as I’m here, I might as well eat.
“You mean that shit that Thomas said? Don't pay attention to him. He’s just a jealous jackass. I can assure you, I’m a single man, Cara. There’s nothing standing in the way of me pursuing a real relationship with you.” I lean forward, pushing the sleeves of my collared shirt up slightly as I rest my elbows on the table and stretch a hand towards her.
She doesn’t take it.
“Thomas isn’t the only one saying stuff. Laura said something as well and even said it was coming from Jared. Your own family seems to think you’re some man-about-town player.”
I lean back in my seat with a heavy sigh. “That’s just the image they have of me because I haven’t brought a girl home. I mean, did I have my fun in my twenties? Yes.” I shrug. “I’m ready for more now. I’m ready for something and someone real.”
“Real real?”
“Real real, whatever that may mean,” I say with a small smile.
But she stays serious. “Real real means monogamous, committed, focused. I’m not trying to be anybody’s side piece.”
“Cara, you are not the other woman. I am a bona fide bachelor. Just a single dude working in the construction business who has done well for himself.”
“Okay…” She pauses, eyeing me dubiously. She’s clearly still not sold.
“Cara.” I lean forward again and put my hand out to her across the table, never breaking eye contact. This time she puts he
r hand, slowly, in mine. “I am not here to hurt you or to lie to you. You’ve literally met my parents and my family. If I was just trying for some cheap wedding fling, there would be way easier ways to go about it.”
She nods slightly. “There’s no denying the logic of that statement.”
“If I was just in this for something physical, I could make life easier on myself and go for someone other than the sister of the bride,” I say with a wry smile.
“You might want to try Melissa,” she replies, finally cracking a smile as she gives my hand a squeeze. “She was practically drooling over you when you came into Vera’s Bridal Shop the other day.”
“Nah. Complicated as this may be, I prefer it.”
“Hey, I’m not complicated,” she draws her hand back from mine and pokes me playfully.
“That’s true. It’s just the situation that’s complicated.” I grab an oyster, feeling like I can finally eat something now that Cara’s blue eyes are sparkling again.
“Yeah, I know. Actually, I was talking to a girlfriend of mine back in New York about the whole mess—”
“Oh, so you've talked to your friends about me?” I can’t help but say.
“Just the one,” she replies but her face colors slightly.
“Anyway, she also suggested I just come clean with Laura.”
“So? Why don’t you?”
“Well, maybe that would have worked a week ago. But now we’ve already been sneaking around for awhile. And I had this conversation with Laura yesterday about how she feels like she’s always been living in my shadow.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. It was rough. She actually stormed out of this family dinner we were having in tears because our parents kept asking me questions about New York and business and all that. They just wanted to catch up, you know?”
I nod, not wanting to interrupt. She clearly wants to get this off her chest. She’s nervously twirling the napkin in her lap between her fingers and biting her lip.
“Laura just felt like the spotlight was on me when it should have been on her, basically.” She goes on, “I guess there’s been a few moments like that since I got into town.”
“Shit,” I say softly, feeling for the first time genuinely guilty about the dress shop incident.
“Yeah.” Cara shrugs, looking sad. “But it was good to talk with her. And then we had this really great night. She slept over in my hotel room and we were just up talking and laughing until late.”
“That’s why you wouldn’t see me.” I suddenly realize why Cara turned me away yesterday.
“Well, I’m not sure I would have let you up anyway to be honest. But today, after I’d smoothed things over with Laura, I felt like… I felt like I could at least come here and hear what you had to say.”
“I’m glad you did.” I drain the last of my glass of wine. “And I’m glad you told me a bit more about you and Laura. I understand now why it’s so important to you to tread lightly.”
“She’s the only sister I have,” Cara says softly, her blue eyes suddenly looking sad again.
“Well, you’re not going to lose her.” I lean forward and stretch out my arm, touching her shoulder gently, giving her a sympathetic squeeze.
“I am, in a way. I learned yesterday that she’s even planning to take Jared’s last name.”
“That's not unusual,” I point out.
“I know. It’s just weird. We’ve been the Conley sisters forever.”
“Would you change your last name?” I can’t help but ask, genuinely curious.
“I don’t know. I’ve built my entire business on that name, you know? It would be complicated.”
“Sure. Susan didn’t change her last name when she married my Pops. And they’re doing just fine. Although it did drive him crazy for a bit,” I add with a chuckle.
“They seem to be doing just fine now,” Cara says with a smile. “They’re very sweet.”
“Yeah. They’re good people. So are your folks.”
She nods.
“So what now?” I ask. “Do you have any maid of honor obligations tonight?”
“No,” she says, her lips slowly spreading into a big smile. “I’m actually free tonight. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I know this place…”
“I really can’t risk running into anybody from the bridal party,” she breaks in hurriedly, a tiny note of panic in her voice. “Remember, I have to tread carefully.”
“Oh, no worries,” I tell her confidently. “The place that I have in mind is top secret. Nobody will find us there. It would be just the two of us.”
“Is that a promise?” She asks boldly, her eyes shining as a devilish grin spreads over her face. She licks her lips lightly, staring me down, and I feel my cock getting hard already.
“Oh, it’s a promise. Just one question.”
“Yeah?” She looks at me expectantly.
“You don’t get sea sick, do you?”
Her eyes widen as I continue.
“Because there’s this boat we could camp out on—it’s uh, it belongs to a friend of my dad’s.” I thought out this excuse earlier. “He gave me the keys for the night. We could spend the night there and then take her out for a spin tomorrow.”
By the time I finish talking, her face is shining with excitement.
“If you’re up for it, that is,” I can’t help adding mischievously. From the look on her face, the answer is a clear yes.
Her voice is breathless with excitement as she asks, “How fast can we get there?”
Chapter Fifteen
Cara
I don’t know a thing about boats. I may have grown up in Boston but my parents definitely weren’t the types to live the yacht life and my friends—likewise—weren’t from flashy families. So, I don’t have a basis for comparison, but I’m still pretty sure that this is a really nice freaking boat.
As we approach it, walking in silence along the creaking dock, it’s just a white blur against the dark night. There’s no moon—it’s hidden by cloud cover again—and I clutch Jason’s hand as he leads me confidently, barely a half step ahead. He clambers on first and then turns back to give me a hand as I follow him, gripping him tightly as I feel the boat slowly bob up and down in the water once I’m on.
“Easy, easy.” He steadies me with a hand on either side of my waist. “All good?”
“Yeah.”
“Follow me.”
We boarded on the back of the boat, which is adjacent to the dock. The pointed front is facing out into the open water. To the left, the twinkling city lights can be seen along the curving shore. To the right, there’s just a dark expanse of water.
“So give me the grand tour,” I nudge Jason playfully.
“Well, that’s the captain’s chair,” he points to a huge white leather chair at the front of the boat, facing out towards the water. There’s a steering wheel in front of it and a complicated looking panel of various controls.
“Can you actually drive this thing?” I ask.
“I’ll show you tomorrow,” he replies with a self-assured grin. “Come on.” He takes me by the hand and brings me over to a long cushy lounger, also in white leather, that runs along one side of the boat deck. “Sit for a second.”
I do as he says—in part because I’m grateful to get off my feet. My legs feel wobbly with the swaying of the boat. There’s a small table—bolted to the ground to avoid tipping over I guess—in front of me. Underneath is a large box. He opens it up and takes out a couple candles, affixing them to the table with some putty before lighting them. Then he whips out a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
“So you were really optimistic I’d show up tonight, huh?” I can’t help pointing out with a smile.
“I like to maintain a positive outlook,” he replies with a wink.
“And what’s that?” I gesture to a large square hole on the far side of the boat opposite me. A silver ladder leads down into darkness.
“Oh, there’s
just a small bedroom down there.”
“Oh sure. Just a small bedroom. On a freakin’ boat.” I can’t help but let out a big laugh at his nonchalant attitude.
He joins in my laughter and simultaneously pops the champagne cork, adding to the moment of merriment as the candles flicker around us.
“So, care for a glass?”
“Yes, please.”
He fills one of the champagne flutes and hands it to me carefully before filling a second one for himself. Then he joins me on the lounger, putting his arm around my shoulders as I snuggle into him. The night air has cooled and I’m grateful for the warmth coming from his body.
“It was nice of your dad’s friend to loan you this boat.”
“Yeah. Wait until you get to experience it in the daytime, out on the open water.”
“It’s pretty nice at night, too,” I murmur softly, craning my head back on to his arm as I take in the twinkling stars above us. A patch of sky seems to be clearing, and with the moon still obscured, the stars actually look like they’re shining brighter than usual. Although, that could just as easily be the company and the setting.
“You like it?” He asks me.
“Yes. It’s so quiet away from the city. And it feels very private…and safe. Just us two.”
“Come here.” He softly nudges the arm I’m leaning on, urging my head up towards him. “Kiss me.” He says the words like a command but his voice is soft and his eyes are gentle. I close my eyes and lean forward, letting our lips meet as my body sinks into his.
“So you’re the boss of this boat, huh?” I lean back and look at him slyly.
“Yeah, you can just call me captain.” He grins.
“Nah, you don’t even have the hat.”
“Oh, I don’t? Hang on.” He gets up with a small laugh, strides quickly to the far end of the boat and disappears down the silver ladder leading into the blackness below. Seconds later, he reappears with a dorky looking white captain’s hat perched on his head.
I let out another big laugh at the sight.
“Don’t you like it?” He stands in front of me, turning his head to the side.
