by K. T. Castle
Josh was incredibly helpful.
He supported me in every decision I made and every word I said. If anyone dared to make a face my way or answer with anything less than an apologetic smile, they got hell from him. Plus, once more, he looked like a dream. He was dressed rather informally, but he gave the impression that he’d just stepped out of the cover of a magazine. His wardrobe was really simple, and at the same time, it emphasized all the right places. He wore a white cotton t-shirt with some black and gray female silhouettes printed on the front, black denim pants, and a black blazer. He looked as hot as a rockstar.
I, on the other hand, wore black yoga pants, a neon orange sports bra, and a white tank top. Not exactly the way I planned on looking during the engagement party starting so soon. However, my pants had been really convenient. I was constantly bending over the tables to reach and rearrange the centerpieces. The dress I planned on wearing to the party wasn’t made for this kind of practice. So, in a way, my clothes worked out.
“If you keep bending over like this,” Josh said as he placed himself behind me while I reached the next-to-last of the floral designs, “I’m going to have to drag you to a dark corner and take care of your teasing little ass.”
My pants were so thin, I had no problem envisioning exactly what his body looked like as it pressed up against me. “You wouldn’t dare,” I said.
“Try me,” he challenged me.
“We don’t have time for this,” I said as I turned around and faced him. The space between us was practically non-existent. He was all over me, and I liked it—to be really honest. But I couldn’t do it. Even if Josh proved again and again how he was a pretty cool guy, I knew he was a complication I didn’t need. He was interested, all right, but was he interested enough to stop fooling around with whatever woman caught his eye? It was difficult for me to trust him. I wasn’t sure my heart could take it again. Edward had been enough. “We have to finish setting the place up.” I continued. Besides, we didn’t have time for it. We had a wedding to plan.
“Like I fucking care,” was his final answer.
What could I say to something like that?
We stared at each other for a few seconds. I found certitude and decision in his eyes. Then he grabbed my butt, and as he squeezed it, he kissed me.
Hard.
I was startled for a second, but I gave in and kissed him back. My body responded completely to the small display of affection. As his hands groped my derriere, I could feel my breasts’ need for attention, and in nothing less than a neon bra.
The kiss was quick. Josh ended it by biting my bottom lip. “Go get that beautiful ass somewhere else before I act on my instincts,” he said with a slap on my behind.
I didn’t even think, I simply followed his instructions as I tried to compose myself. That kiss had meant more that I was willing to admit at the moment.
~*~
About an hour before the party started, the place looked as expected. We were a little bit behind schedule, but nothing too noticeable.
Natalie was the first of our friends to arrive. Why had it taken her so long? She’d had an appointment at the salon. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Then again, she always looked nothing less than awesome.
It was hard to stay angry at her when she looked so adorable. The silly girl had chosen a maternity dress even though she only had a small blimp as proof of her pregnancy. She wore an off-the-shoulder gray dress, cut elegantly and demurely to her knees. It had a girly bow underneath her breasts, as if specifically to emphasize her tiny baby bump. The color of the dress complimented her light skin tone perfectly and gave her eyes a silver undertone, making them pop. Her short, platinum-blonde hair seemed carelessly styled, but I was sure there was nothing negligent about it.
“I’m here, Kassie. Sorry I’m so late,” Natalie apologized as she hugged me. “Andrik left me at the salon earlier today to get my hair done. When I got your text, I asked him to come pick me up, but he was in a meeting. He’s not letting me drive anymore on my own because of my dizzy spells.”
I gave her a not-very-nice smile. First, because I would have liked for her to arrive earlier, and second, because her beauty made me feel as big as a roach at the moment. I was so sweaty that I didn’t want her to get near me and ruin her appearance.
“Now that I’m finally here, what can I help you with?” she asked.
“There are still some floral arrangements left to get ready and place on the tables. The waiters are working on setting up the tables, and the chef is finishing the hors d'oeuvres. If you could help me with…”
“Josh! Josh! Where are you? I’m here!” Thin as a twig and tall as a tree, a very blonde young woman entered the place, running and holding a suit bag in one of her tiny hands. “I’m sorry I’m so late. The meeting kept getting longer and longer. I came as soon as I could.”
“Thanks, honey.” Josh greeted her with a smile on his face. “You’re a lifesaver.”
Twiggy-tall-blonde wore a super tight, short black dress with a pair of black pumps about as long as brand new pencils. Her hair was loose and looked silky; it reached her waist in relaxed curls.
“I’m just happy to be here for you,” Twiggy-tall-blonde said.
“Kassie? Are you okay?” Natalie asked me when she noticed I’d tuned out whatever she was telling me. “You were giving me a brief on what was going on before you spaced out. Are the flowers the only thing missing?”
“Sorry, Nat.” I honestly didn’t know what to say at that moment. “I just… You know what?” Natalie looked at me as if I was about to give her the answer to the creation of the universe. “I really need a shower and would very much like to go home and get ready. Do you mind overseeing everything until I come back?”
“Oh, no! Of course not,” Natalie quickly replied. “I totally get it. You don’t have much time to get ready. Go home and be back as soon as you can.”
“Kassie, Natalie, I’m here. What can I do to help?” Sol had arrived at the crime scene, now. She looked beautiful, too—another good reason to make me feel like crap. Marisol looked really good for the first time in years. Since she’d had her baby, she’d left fashion aside and opted to wear mostly comfortable mommy clothes. Sol picked up a very simple dress—shirt-like, dark red and with three-quarter sleeves trimmed in black. Her crimson heels matched the chemise exactly. Her sleek brown hair was loose and framed her oval-shaped face. It was a really good look for her.
“Kassie was about to leave,” Natalie responded. “She needs to go shower and change.”
“Good. ‘Cause I don’t believe Laura’s going to let her be a part of the engagement party dressed like that.” I hadn’t seen Denise come in, and her comment surprised me.
Denise’s attire was probably the most youthful and playful of everyone’s. She’d chosen a white bodice with a flowing coral skirt, using a wide, black belt as an accent. Her hair was braided loosely at her neck in a flowery shape. I had to admit it was a really cheerful look on her, which made me happy, and I was ready to go dress up myself.
“Great, you’re all here,” I finally said. “So, I’ll go get changed, and you follow on those details I mentioned, Natalie. Josh has been here helping me, so he knows what to do too. Any doubts, just sent me a text. I’ll try to take as little time as possible.”
After some encouraging responses from my best friends, I decided to part and let them finish up with the last details. I walked to the door, but not without looking back at Josh and Twiggy-tall-blonde. She now held open the suit bag, showing him what was possibly the clothing he’d wear for the party. They talked amicably, smiling at each other, and my stomach flipped at the friendly exchange.
I needed to go.
I needed to get ready.
The party was about to start.
Chapter 9
I did my best to get ready in the least amount of time. To achieve that, I rushed through my hair and makeup. For an elegant, chic look, I held my tresses up in a French twist so my gol
den-brown curls would display the beautiful silver earrings I wore. Adding some drama into the mix, I fashioned a really dark smokey-eye and kept my lips in a nude tone. I absolutely loved my dress. Maria Fernanda had made it, after all, and in only a few days.
Maria and I had had different ideas in mind for the outfit, but since the beginning, we’d agreed on one thing—you couldn't go wrong with a classic black and white. After that, it all became easier. We just had a minor disagreement on the length and the zone it would emphasize—she said we should take advantage of my booty, but I wanted to show off my boobs. In the end, we agreed on making the dress about the legs. It had a monochromatic palette, aiming for an extra slimming effect on top of the form-fitting cut by using sleek white, gray, and black mismatched panels along its length.
I finally felt like I deserved to stand next to my friends.
When I returned to The Garden, my friends were greeting people at the door. They made a beautiful threesome standing by the portal, smiling and showing how proud they were to be hosting the party.
“Kassie, what a change!” Denise was the first to greet me. “You look awesome, girl!”
“OMG, Kassie! That is the perfect dress for you!” Natalie complimented.
“I guess Maria Fernanda convinced you to emphasize your curves, huh? You look bootylicious!” Sol said, although I wasn’t thrilled about her observation.
“This dress isn’t about the booty,” I reproached. “It’s about the legs. I should look leggy-licious.”
“Well, girl, with a booty like yours, it’s difficult to look at anything else.” Leave it to Marisol to make a statement like that.
“Well, thanks. I guess.”
“Don’t listen to her, Kassie. You look amazing.” I could always count on Natalie to defend me.
“Whatever it is, now I feel worthy of standing next to you girls and receiving guests,” I stated in order to end that conversation. My backside was a sensitive subject.
“Which reminds me, Kassie,” Denise interrupted us, “Laura’s been looking for you. She definitely noticed that you weren’t here when she arrived.”
Oh, great. What now?
Hopefully, she was excited and super grateful that everything was exactly as she’d wanted it to be.
“Oh, sure. I’ll go look for her.” I left my spot at the door next to the girls and walked inside. Now I could really appreciate its beauty.
The Garden was a really successful spot for events in recent months. When we’d attended Marisol’s civil wedding all those years ago, we hadn’t imagined it would become this successful. But Laura had her eyes on the place, even if Edward wasn’t part of her life at the time. It consisted of a series of terraces surrounded by the most beautiful landscaping. For Laura and Eddie’s party, we used the whole place, unlike in Marisol’s.
The higher terrace was used as their seating area; in it were an dining table for the engaged couple and two other tables on either side—one held a beautiful, three-tiered fondant cake, and the second held their gifts. Its placement gave them importance and a view of everything happening at the gathering.
The largest central terrace was used as the dancefloor, and around it were tables for the guests and the buffet stations. Overall, the place had an amphitheater vibe, mostly covered by majestic canvasses. Christmas lights hung in almost every tree of the place, and all centerpieces included white floral arrangements and candles at different heights. It felt magical, and I really thought the soon-to-be-married couple must be happy with the results.
As I approached Laura, I noticed how beautiful she looked—really breathtaking. She’d selected a white, satin, heart-shaped fitted mini-dress with gorgeous lace detail all around. The lace covered her arms and back, which was mostly bare, so it didn’t look completely like a wedding dress—which was totally what she’d had in mind. She wore nude pumps, and had kept her hair and makeup classically understated. She left her hair loose to show off her ombré highlights, and her face looked angelically natural. Laura was the perfect bride-to-be.
Edward didn’t look so bad himself. In fact, he wore exactly what I imagined he would if we’d ever gotten married—a three-piece, light gray suit with a silver, silk tie. I had to admit, he really looked handsome. What I didn’t expect in my juvenile fantasies was that he’d wear black leather gloves and dark lenses. That seemed a bit over the top. It reflected his arrogant and overbearing personality perfectly.
“Laura, you look wonderful!” I approached her, looking for a hug that never came.
She just glared at me reproachfully and said, “Why, exactly, are you this late, Kassie?”
Was I hearing correctly?
“I wasn’t exactly late, Laura. You must have been misinformed.” I didn’t know what to say. I was speechless. The last thing I imagined was Laura scolding me after I’d spent nearly two hours running around to make her party perfect.
“Well, I arrived fifteen minutes ago, and you weren’t here.” She continued, “There were several things that needed correcting. If it wasn’t for Josh being here to help out, I have no idea what I would’ve done.”
Josh was here helping? Of course he was! Who did she think had called him in the first place?
I was so angry at him. I couldn’t believe he’d used this as an opportunity to place himself as the hero of the day. Sure he helped out—and he did help out a lot—but all of this didn’t happen only because of him. Had he not even mentioned my part in it at all?
Now where the hell was he?
“The poor thing didn’t even get a chance to go home and change,” Laura said as she pointed his way. Josh stood next to one of restrooms available for guests, and Twiggy-tall-blonde struggled with his tie. “He’d be here wearing jeans all night long if his date hadn’t brought him his suit. And where exactly were you, Kassandra?” Laura babbled nonstop about how Josh saved the day, all the things that went wrong before the event started, and how I hadn’t been here to make it happen.
I was furious.
The moment Josh felt my heavy gaze on him, he turned and looked my way. There was a playful smile on his face, and he absentmindedly made Twiggy-tall-blonde let go of his tie. He then walked our way and joined our little heart-to-heart.
“Oh, Josh! You look incredible,” Laura complimented. “You would definitely be on my list if I wasn’t already engaged,” she added shamelessly.
Edward, as usual, stood boringly next to her.
Josh didn’t acknowledge either of them. He kept looking at me and said, “Kass, wow! That dress looks totally sweet on you.”
I completely ignored his comment and looked at the door. Laura’s parents arrived.
“Eddie, my mom’s here,” Laura said. “Let’s go greet my parents at the door.”
“Sure, honey,” he replied.
Laura and Edward walked behind me. I could feel Ed staring at my ass. He’d constantly told me I needed to work out to make it look good when we’d dated. Well, I worked out a lot to keep the area in excellent condition. So now, I’d give him the opportunity to look. Later on, I would kick him in the nuts for it.
Josh kept looking at me—or I guess I should say admiring. His gaze held a certain quality of adoration I wasn’t used to receiving from him. But I was so angry at him, I wasn’t processing that information at the moment.
“Stop staring. It’s uncomfortable.”
“Sorry, babe. You just look fucking awesome,” he said, hungrily keeping my gaze.
“Well, at least you appreciate it. Because apparently, those thirty minutes I took to get me looking like this got me in trouble,” I said. He looked really confused. “So, now you’re playing dumb?” I wasn’t about to fall for his handsome face, his perfect body. He looked unbelievable in his outfit.
He wore an outfit similar to Edward’s but without the obnoxiousness. And he looked way hotter. His suit was a darker shade of gray, only a two-piece, with thin silver stripes along the sumptuous fabric. The silk tie with which he still struggled was
of the same silver. In all honesty, Josh looked like one of my wet dreams.
“Why would you having gone home to get ready get you in trouble?” he asked. Even his voice sounded genuinely confused.
“Well, I can only assume that someone told Laura I wasn’t here to help out during the whole engagement party crisis,” I responded simply. I was tired of playing silly games. If he wanted someone to spell it out for him, I could do it.
“I’m not sure I’m following, babe.” Josh reached for my hand. “But if it makes you feel any better, I haven’t talked to Laura since she got here.”
He seemed sincere, so why didn’t I believe him?
Someone had to have told Laura that I wasn’t here to do my part, and he’d been the only one who’d both shown up early enough to know what had happened and been appointed the ‘party hero’.
I took a step back, retrieved my hand from his grasp, and inquired, “So you didn’t tell Laura that you did this all on your own.”
“Of course not. Why would I? That’s a shitty move.” Again he looked completely honest. It was really confusing. “You were the only one here all concerned about their stupid, conceited party.”
The rage quieted inside me a little, and I felt a bit better about him at that moment. I briefly took the time to give his outfit more credit, which it definitely deserved, looking him up and down for any signs of dishonesty.
Josh eventually noticed my reluctance in believing and stated, “If I had anything my way, we’d be at my place. In bed. Certainly not playing party planner at The fucking Garden.”
His total honesty caught me by surprise, and my body prickled as it remembered our earlier flirting. Then he reached for me; it wasn’t only my hand this time. He pulled me to him with full force, plastering my body against his in all the right places.
“What do you say, gorgeous? Wanna bail on them?” he whispered in my ear. His hot breath made me shiver.
