by E. Walsh
“I am good to you.” I said laughing. “So just know that you’re in good hands.” I was good at my job which I started doing at twenty-four years old. I’ve always wanted to be a wedding planner because I wanted to make someone’s wedding sparkle. I’ve been to hundreds of weddings as a kid, which contributed to my love of planning them. Now that I was pushing thirty, I could honestly say that I’m living my dream.
“I know. Thanks for putting up with me.” Charles smiled again. I stood up from my desk and smoothed down my pale pink suit. I brushed my dark and curly hair from out of my face and I walked around my table. My black orbs focused deeply into Charles eyes then and I extended my hand.
“You’re not a problem at all.” I said as Charles took my hand in his and I couldn’t help but to think how warm that it was. “We’ve ran out of time today I’m afraid.” I said as I looked at my clock on the wall. It was already 5 o’clock and it was time for me to close up my shop. I had to cancel two of my other appointments today because Charles’ wedding was priority. Not only was he paying me top notch money, but looking at his gorgeous face was a plus as well.
“Yes, can we meet again on Thursday?” he asked me and I looked at the calendar on my wall. I honestly didn’t have any hour free that day, but I could squeeze him in because after all I was my own boss. When I turned to look at him again I could see his eyes focusing in on my calendar as well.
“Well I see that you’re pretty booked up.” Charles said and just as I was going to protest he looked at me again. “I feel bad for working you like a mule, how about we discuss my wedding some more during dinner?” I don’t know why but I blushed when he invited me to dinner. I knew it wouldn’t be a date or anything like that, but I knew that it’ll probably feel like one. I mean I wasn’t interested in Charles in a romantic way, but anybody with perfect eyesight could see that he was smoking hot.
“Sure,” I said once I realized that I was keeping him waiting by not answering him right away. I just felt giddy for some odd reason. I felt butterflies in my stomach and I felt it twisting into knots. Calm down, I told my flustered body. This was not a date it was a business meeting so there was no point in getting anxious about it.
“Is Thursday at eight good?” he asked. “I can pick you up from your place or you can meet me at the restaurant? It’s your choice.” I thought about that for a moment. It’ll be easier for us to meet at the restaurant because I don’t think that my nerves would allow me to sit next to him for too long. If I was acting like this now in my office only the lord knows how I’d be acting seated right next to him.
“Eight is fine and let’s meet there. I don’t want you to waste your gas by having you come all the way to my house and dropping me back off again.” He laughed.
“I drive all day when I’m not down at my ranch.” Charles said but not in an arrogant way. “But if you feel more comfortable driving yourself then that’s fine as well.” My face heated at that. I didn’t want him to think that I felt uncomfortable around him. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt for me to catch a ride with him. I heard that you can find out more about a man if you see what kind of car he has.
“Well if that’s alright with you then please pick me up.” I wasn’t a child unable to hold herself back, I was a grown woman. Everything will be fine because we’re just talking about work. Charles looked at his watch then and started towards the door.
“Great I’ll give you a call tomorrow morning so that we can work out the details. I’m running a little late for another engagement, see you Thursday.” Charles put on his hat and walked out of the door. I stared after him for a few moments before I walked around my desk and sat back down. My palms were sweaty and my heart was beating fast.
“Get a grip, it’s just a business dinner.” At any rate, I was tired and I really wanted to go home. It’s been a long day and I was starving. I unlocked the drawer that housed my purse and I took my car keys out of it. I wanted to have them already out in my hands instead of having to fumble around my purse for them later. I sighed and stood up and walked towards the door. My receptionist had already left for the day and the cleaning crew hadn’t arrived yet. I locked my office door and headed out into the warm Montana air. It was dusty outside but the smell of the outdoors revived me. The rocky pavement made a pleasant sound as my heels stepped over them. I hated being indoors when it was so beautiful outside, but I wouldn’t trade my job for the world. I got into my red drop top convertible and hurried home.
****
“Ollie!” I called out to my German shepherd as I made my way into my house and I heard him running to me. “Hey boy. Did you miss me?” I said as I bent down to stroke his smooth fur. He barked at me and wagged his tail. I got up and walked into the kitchen and he followed behind me. His water bowl was empty so I refilled it with fresh water and also poured his dinner in his food bowl. “There you go boy, eat up.” I said and made my way to my bedroom. It was a little too hot to be wearing a suit today, but I wanted to look my best because I was professional. I unbuttoned my pale pink jacket revealing my white blouse that barely wanted to stay clasped together.
“I know you want to breathe.” I said jokingly at my breasts. I had definitely gain a little weight in my twins and my shirt was screaming at me to buy a bigger size, but I wasn’t. I personally thought it looked better the way that it is now. Once I discarded my jacket and blouse I struggled getting my pants down my hips. It was a pain to be a little thicker than most, but I wouldn’t trade my body for the world. Instead of going straight into the bathroom to shower, I decided to lay naked on my bed and let the breeze from my central air run over my body. It wasn’t too long after my body relaxed in the bed that my mind drifted to Charles.
“Who really marries somebody that they’ve never met?” I asked myself as I thought about the German woman who was on her way to Montana to marry Charles. “Why not marry somebody that you already know and love?” I honestly didn’t understand why a guy as handsome as Charles didn’t meet and date women the normal way. Then again I hadn’t gone out with anyone ever since my last steady relationship ended. He wanted things that I wasn’t quite ready for. I was just getting started in my career and he was already talking about having a baby. After that, I hadn’t really thought too much about dating until recently.
“Maybe that’s why I’m so antsy about going out with Charles.” Not dating anybody for a long time would make anybody feel a little “rusty”. “It’s not a date Stephanie.” I said again to myself and I sighed. I was started to agitate myself with all of this wishful thinking. I got up then and headed towards the bathroom. “A nice bath will definitely ease my mind.”
* * *
Chapter Two
Wednesday had passed me by like a breeze but Thursday was dragging on rather slowly. Throughout all of my appointments today I felt myself looking at the clock on the wall every five minutes. I knew why I was so anxious to get out of the office. Charles and I were having dinner tonight to go over some more detail regarding his wedding. His wedding, I thought to myself again. The man was taken, even though his was getting ready for a non-traditional union, he was still another woman’s man. It wasn’t like I liked the man or anything, even though I was attracted to him. It’s just something about him that makes me want to get to know him on a more personal level.
“Thank you so much Stephanie.” Tori said as she stood up and extended her hand to me and I accepted it automatically. “These designs will definitely make my wedding the best that this town has ever seen in the last twenty years!” Tori’s hyperactive voice made me smile. She was a cute red haired young woman, but I thought that she was getting married too young. At twenty years old she decided to make that huge committed to be with someone for the rest of her life. Even though I thought something was definitely fishy regarding their upcoming nuptials, she was twenty and the man was pushing fifty, I didn’t say anything about it. It wasn’t my job to try to talk somebody out of getting married, that’ll cost me money. My job was to
plan a breathtaking wedding and that’s what I was surely going to do.
“It’s no problem Tori. I love what I do.” I grinned at her and got up to show her to the door. “Let’s get back together once you get your dress. I want you to take a picture of it so that I can have the right décor to go with your dress.”
“Of course.” She said with a toothy grin. She walked out of my office then and my receptionist, Karla, winked at me.
“You’re going to make a fortune off of that one.” She said to me and smiled. She was right on that one; however, the real money was coming from my companion for this evening. I looked at the clock and notice that it was quickly approaching five and called out to Karla.
“You go on out. I’ll lock up again.” I didn’t have to tell her twice because she was up and out of her chair before I even finished my statement.
“Alright see you tomorrow Stephanie.” She called out as she shut down her computer and picked up her belongings. She was out of there faster than the speed of Tori’s voice, which was fast. I began packing up my belongings as well and began feeling that same anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. I slowly inhaled and exhaled.
“It’s nothing but business.” I told myself and locked up my office.
****
By the time 7:30 had come around I was in a tight fitting black dress which hugged each and every bit of my curves. My hair was a wild mess of curls, the way that I liked it, and my make-up was subtle yet seductive. Even though this technically wasn’t a date, I wanted to look as if I was going out. Ollie came running into my bedroom then and sat down on the ground.
“I shouldn’t be out too long, but don’t wait up.” I laughed at myself as I talked to the dog like he was my teenage child. Just when I looked myself over again in the mirror, my doorbell rang signaling that Charles was here. “Here goes nothing.” I said to myself as I made my way to the front door. I looked out the peephole and I saw his familiar face looking equally as anxious as I felt.
“Hello Charles.” I said as I opened the door and his eyes went wide.
“Stephanie, is that you?” he asked and I lightly blushed as his eyes hungrily ran up and down my body.
“Yes” I said and I laughed trying to ease some of my nerves. “You look amazing.” I told him as I looked over his attire. He had ditched the cowboy hat and vest and in its place was a nice suit with his jet black hair lightly blowing in the wind. He definitely looked like he was going on a date instead of a business dinner as well. “Did you want to come in for a moment?” I asked him when I realized that I just left the man standing on my steps. He shook his head and looked uncomfortably away from me.
“Not at all, you can come right out.” I grabbed my purse and closed the door just as Ollie came running towards the door. “You look beautiful as well, Stephanie.” I grinned at that. I knew that I was a beautiful woman because I knew how to carry myself, but it was always appreciated when someone told me that I looked good.
“Thank you.” I said as he led me to his Chrysler 300. I didn’t know why I expected him to drive a pickup truck just because he wore cowboy gear. Looks can be deceiving I guess and I felt bad for basing his vehicle on a stereotype. “Nice car.” I said to him and blushed when he held the car door open for me.
“Thanks, Joanna actually suggested that I buy this car because she saw it in a magazine where she stays at. I like the car because it gets me to where I’m going.” I frowned at the mention of Joanna’s name. I saw a picture of her, she was pretty with long brunette hair and she was slim. She almost looked like a supermodel. She didn’t seem like a woman that would get Charles’ heart racing. The way that he was looking at me earlier, I could tell he liked his women with a little more curves. I cursed myself for being jealous of a girl who I hadn’t even met. These last few weeks that I spent speaking with Charles did something to my mind that I didn’t like.
“Well I think it’s a great car.” I said again as I tried to force my mind to stop thinking about Charles’ mail order bride. “So where are we going?” Charles glanced at me and grinned.
“To a crab shack!” he grinned and I stared at the side of his face in too much shock to say anything. Did we really get dressed up just to eat some fish? “I’m just joking.” Charles chuckled and I couldn’t help but to laugh as well. “I found this place called ‘La Fleur’ it seems like a nice place to take a lady. I’ve never been personally.” My eyes widened in surprise. La Fleur was actually a pretty high class restaurant, not to mention a go to place for guys trying to impress their women.
“Wow, La Fleur is actually a pretty good fine dining restaurant. I’ve been there once or twice, but it is expensive. You sure about this?” I asked him. I was impressed that he went through the effort to take me to such a classy restaurant, but I didn’t want him to break his pocket for me. “Wait…” I said as a thought crossed my mind. “You sure you want to go there? That’s a place you should take your fiancée.” The word “fiancée” tasted sour as it ran off of my tongue. He shook his head.
“Don’t worry about that. I’m taking you to show you my appreciation.” He reached over and squeezed my thigh in a reassuring way and I felt the electricity from his fingers shoot up my thigh. I was unable to fight back a gasp as the electricity moved its current around my moistening centerpiece. I blushed when I saw him glance over from the corner of his eye. I thought he was going to yank his hand away from me after he noticed that his touch had me flustered, but he didn’t. He lightly squeezed me again sending another current throughout my body right before he pulled his hand away. I saw him glance at me again from the corner of his eye and I could tell that this night was probably going to get a little more interesting.
God, I don’t know what I got myself into, I thought as we drove through the city.
* * *
Chapter Three
“You sure you want to eat here? It’s a little on the crowded side.” I asked once the waitress seated us. She kept smiling at Charles and he gave her one polite smile but he kept his gaze on me.
“Of course,” he said as he shifted in his seat. The chairs were a little small for his muscular frame so I knew that he must have been feeling a little bit on the uncomfortable side. “I aim to please and tonight I wanted to do something good for you.” I blushed when he gave me that little smile that he did that made my heart beat faster. We’re here to discuss his wedding plans, I said to convince myself that talking about his wedding was the only thing I wanted to do tonight.
“So do you have any plans for when Joanna finally moves in with you?” I asked even though I really didn’t want to. I had to try to keep our meeting a little professional and get out of my own fantasy world.
“I mean, there’s not really much to plan.” Charles said and shrugged. “I like to see how things work out instead of preplanning them. That way if everything goes south I won’t be disappointed.” Well that was definitely one way to treat the situation. I mean he was going to be living with a stranger. Personally I felt that the only way he could avoid being disappointed is if he called off this whole mess of an engagement. I loved money don’t get me wrong, but this man was too gorgeous to ruin his life like this.
“Well I’m sure that everything will work out for the both of you.” I lied. What was I going to do? Tell the man the truth? In all honesty it was none of my business what he did in his life.
“You know what…” Charles began and I waited for him to continue. “Let’s forget about the wedding for now. Tell me about yourself.” I looked at Charles for a long time. I couldn’t believe that he said that.
“Well… where shall I begin?” I said before I went into my story of why I decided to be a wedding planner.
****
I swear that we were in the restaurant for hours before they told us that they were closing. We were drinking and laughing and I had to admit I had a really great time getting to know Charles.
“Stephanie, you’re something else.” Charles said smiling as he
held the door open for me. I grinned at him as I slid into the car and he closed the door.
“You’re something else too.” The way that me and Charles was picking at each other once the tension left the atmosphere, one would have sworn that we’ve known each other for a long time instead of just a few weeks. “I can’t believe you used to sing Karaoke as a teen. You do not look like the type of person to do that.” I laughed and he started up the car. I honestly didn’t want to go home because I wanted to talk to him some more. I found him to be entertaining and very full of life.
“I can’t believe that you didn’t. I guess you’re lamer than I thought.” We both laughed. I felt like we were teenagers the way we were poking fun at each other. When we finally pulled up in front of my house, I was a little sad that our night had come to an end. “You mind if I use your restroom before I head out?” he asked me as he unfastened his seatbelt and turned off the car.
“Sure.” I said and I exited the car. I was a little wobbly from the drinks that we had, but I was far from drunk because I could hold my liquor quite well. We walked side by side to my doorstep and I pulled my keys out of my purse. Once I had opened the door I waved Charles inside. “The bathroom is up there to the right.” I said as I turned away from him to close the door. Once I had closed and locked the door, I turned towards the direction that he had went and was surprised when his lips met mines. My eyes widened in surprise because I was definitely not planning for him to up and kiss me out of the blue. I looked over to the corner that Ollie slept in and I was glad to see that he was knocked out and once I was sure that he wouldn’t wake up, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back.
