I’d worked up from a grunt to one word. Progress was progress, no matter how small.
Before I could try again, Levi turned to Garrick and Val, who were excitedly catching up about their days. “Should we grab a table?”
He led the way and I tagged along behind, determined to get a seat next to him. He wasn’t escaping me that easy.
We sat down in a curved booth with Val and me in the middle and the guys on either side. We ordered drinks, and Val and Garrick resumed their conversation. I looked Levi straight in the eye. The third time was going to be the charm.
“I’m a big fan of your family’s beer,” I told him. “I look forward to your Christmas brew every year.”
“A big fan, huh?” He stared out at the bar, avoiding my gaze. “Strange that you ordered a Miller.”
Was he serious? This guy was ridiculous! All I wanted was to make this whole wedding experience go down a little smoother, but he was determined to make an ass out of me.
I’d never had a nemesis before, but at twenty-six I finally knew what it felt like. Levi didn’t even know me but he was determined to dismiss me. I couldn’t stand it.
I decided to ice him out for the rest of the night. Maybe a taste of his own medicine wouldn’t be quite so sweet. I turned to Val and asked her if she’d told her fiancé about our dress shopping experience yet. Her face lit up with rainbows.
Chapter 5
Levi
I sucked back another mouthful of beer. I was nearly through my third pint, but the others had barely touched theirs. I debated asking the waitress to bring a shot of whiskey along with the next round.
I couldn’t believe I was out for drinks with Val and her wedding planner again. Twice in as many months was too many times, but I’d promised myself and my brother that I would be amenable and I was determined to see that promise through. Sitting through a couple hours of inane questions and the conversational equivalent of marshmallow fluff was the least I could do for my best friend.
“I still can’t believe the Mount Hood Manor had a Valentine’s Day cancellation and they were able to sneak us in,” Val said, squeezing Garrick’s hand.
Ugh. A wedding on Valentine’s Day. The place would be crawling with lonely single girls, dewy-eyed from the ceremony and searching the halls for their own prince charming. I wondered if Val’s friend-for-hire would be among their ranks, or if she was a seasoned pro at hiding her own tormented heart.
Garrick had told me she was single as if that might entice me to take more of an interest in her, but all it did was make me more suspicious. Frankie loved weddings. She loved marriage. Her damn eyes sparkled just talking about cakes and dresses and happily ever after, so wouldn’t it make sense for her to be bitter that her clients got the fairytale ending she might never have? Every time I looked at her I tried to find the contempt. So far I was coming up empty-handed.
“I spent at least an hour looking at pictures of the hotel yesterday,” Frankie said, holding onto her pint like it was the only thing keeping her from floating away. She had a husky voice for a girl, and it made even the topic of wedding venues kind of sexy. “It’s unbelievably gorgeous. We couldn’t have snagged a more stunning venue, and I can’t wait to get up there and see it.” She turned to Val. “Hey...what do you think about doing photos with silver glitter and falling snow?”
Val liked this idea very much and responded with something between a scream and a giggle. The two of them started a rapid-fire discussion that I checked out of immediately. I looked past them to my brother, who was staring at his fiancé dreamily and didn’t appear to notice that I existed. With nothing better to do, I watched the girls talk.
Frankie looked exhilarated. I could only see her face in profile, but her green eyes were wide with animated delight, and she seemed to stumble over the words in her haste to get them out.
How did she do it? How could she fake this kind of enthusiasm so well? I’d never seen anything like it. To an outsider, she and Val looked like they were just best friends discussing a wedding and you’d never know that Frankie was paid to be there.
I downed the rest of my beer and leaned back into the seat, directing my gaze elsewhere. Val and Frankie continued to gab alongside me about centerpieces and photo walls. Garrick stared at Val. I stared at the TV on the far wall. Finding nothing there but an endless string of commercials, I let my gaze fall back on the girls.
Frankie was quite pretty, I had to admit. I’d thought so last time too. Even if she was the bane of my existence. Her long silky hair fell in waves halfway down her back, and the color complemented her beautiful skin tone perfectly. Her plump lips curved around each syllable as she spoke and I found myself watching her mouth.
She’d come inside wearing a long black raincoat, but underneath it, her tight black pencil skirt and red satin shirt clung sinfully to her curves. If she were a stranger in a bar, I’d take her home for a hot, anonymous fuck in an instant. I wondered how those cherry red lips would look wrapped around my cock.
Fuck. I couldn’t think like this. She wasn’t some stranger in a bar—she was Val’s annoyingly cheerful maid of honor who, like it or not, I’d have to see from time to time for almost a whole year. Worse, she was Val’s professional maid of honor. Weren’t any of Val’s friends good enough for the position? The fact that she hired a stranger to perform such an intimate role in her wedding wasn’t helping her case any.
“What are you thinking about?” Garrick asked.
I hadn’t realized that the conversation had turned away from the wedding and his question startled me. I cleared my throat.
“I’m thinking about all the work I have to do tomorrow,” I lied. “I should head home.”
“Yeah, it’s getting late,” agreed Valerie.
Frankie nodded and finished the last half of her drink in two gulps. “Let’s get out of here.”
We spilled onto the street, and my feet had already turned themselves toward home before I realized I needed to say goodbye. I turned to find Garrick and Val face deep in each other and grimaced.
“Oh, relax,” said Frankie, coming to stand beside me. “Surely you don’t find the sight of true love that disgusting.”
I gave her a dubious look but chose not to reply. She frowned and the expression was worryingly cute.
Garrick and Valerie parted and the little blonde addressed Frankie. “Are you getting a cab?”
Frankie shook her head. “I live just by Voodoo.” She gestured down the street. “It’s only a five-minute walk.”
“Voodoo Doughnut?” Garrick asked. “That’s close to Levi. He can walk you home.”
I could have shot him. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one who found issue with the arrangement.
Frankie shook her head emphatically. “Oh, no. I’ll be fine. No need to trouble Levi. He’s very busy.”
“It’s not any trouble at all, is it Levi?” Garrick asked with a devious smirk.
I wanted to smack the scheming ass but I forced a tight smile all the same. I could only get away with a certain level of rudeness, and today I was already maxed out.
“It’s not a problem.”
“Then it’s settled.” Garrick scanned the street over my head and waved to an oncoming taxi. He smiled at Frankie. “It was great to see you, Frankie. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”
“I hope so!”
He and Valerie got into the taxi, and then it was just the curvy wedding planner and me.
“I normally walk this way,” she said, starting forward.
I kept pace easily, even though she was walking just about as fast as her high heels could take her. After a couple minutes of silence, I thought we might be able to make it the whole way without talking, but I should’ve known better.
“Garrick’s really nice,” she said. “He and Valerie make a great match, don’t you think?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”
“And what about you? Do you see wedding bells in your future anytime soon?”
I snorted. “No.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw consternation iron Frankie’s lips into a flat line.
“Are you always this hard to talk to, or do I get special treatment?”
I was amused to find the eternal optimist had a feisty side. I couldn’t help but wonder if that carried over into the bedroom.
“Trust me, you’re nothing special,” I replied.
Frankie stepped into my path, arms folded haughtily across her ample chest, and her eyes narrowed into angry slits.
“Oh, go on then,” I said, cocking a brow. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a good haranguing.”
“What is your problem? I’ve done nothing but try to be nice to you, and you’re acting like I’m the most insufferable person you’ve ever met.”
“You don’t know me that well. Maybe this is just how I act around generally insufferable people.”
“No,” she said, stepping closer. “You don’t know me. There’s no reason for you to be this rude and I won’t stand for it.”
She wore heels and still only reached my chin, but Frankie was determined to intimidate me. Her eyes were hard, jaw clenched tight in grim resolve. Unfortunately, the display didn’t achieve the desired effect. All I could think about was how close those sensual lips were, the ferocity in her eyes, and the heat of her body mingling with mine in the darkness.
“You won’t stand for it?” I leaned in a little closer, dropping my voice to a deep lull. “Does that mean you’re going to take it lying down?”
The hatred in Frankie’s eyes flickered into something darker. She swallowed. I would have paid good money to see what visions I’d conjured up in that sassy little head of hers.
“You’re the insufferable one,” she said finally, though her voice had lost some of its edge. “If you ruin this wedding for Valerie, you’re going to have me to answer to.”
“Can’t wait.” I stepped around her and continued down the street. “Are you coming?”
She let out a frustrated sigh and followed. I made sure to erase the grin from my face when she caught up so she wouldn’t know how much I enjoyed our little argument.
Frankie didn’t break the silence again until we reached her apartment building.
“This is it. Thanks for the walk,” she said dully. “We should definitely do it again sometime.”
Without waiting to hear my response, she turned on her heel and sashayed up to the building’s entrance. I watched her for a second before I realized I was lingering. I never lingered. Then I turned toward home and tried to clear all thoughts of Frankie from my head.
I thought about the way the light from the street lamps reflected on the wet pavement and lit up the whole sidewalk. I thought about the moisture in the air, how the forecast called for rain tomorrow, and about the poor performance of the Oregon Ducks this season.
But then I caught my thoughts trailing back to that moment in the street when Frankie’s body was so close that my hands could have found the perfect spot on her ass to pull her the rest of the way. My lips could have trailed across her eyelids, her cheeks, before they claimed hers in a kiss unlike any she’d had before. I hated myself for wanting this girl. She was fake. She made her living tricking brides into thinking she gave a shit about them so that they’d shell out the extra cash to hire her instead of a regular wedding planner. Worst of all, she was good at it. A woman like that was the last thing I needed in my life, but I didn’t get a choice. How regular a fixture in my life she would be, I didn’t know, but any amount was too much. I’d spent only a few hours with the girl since we first met but she was already starting to tattoo herself behind my eyelids. That was a problem.
I tried to shake myself out of it the whole way to my apartment, but it was no use. By the time I got through my front door I was hard as a rock.
Frankie was good at pretending, but she wouldn’t have to pretend with me. I would make her cum over and over again until her legs turned to jelly and she didn’t have the energy to say even one word.
I undressed in my room and got on the bed, wrapping my hand around my aching cock and squeezing at the base. Pleasure flooded my bones, and I groaned.
I imagined Frankie bent over, pulling down a pair of lacy panties to reveal her juicy ass. I bet it was incredible, and the only thing that would make it better was a handprint or two. She played tough, but I bet in the bedroom she was submissive and sweet, which was my favorite way for a woman to be. She’d take my dick in her mouth and look up at me with innocent eyes, begging me wordlessly to guide her, to take her mouth as I saw fit. And I would. Submission from a girl like Frankie was the most delicious morsel a man could get. I wanted to own her body, have her call my name over and over again as I plunged deep inside of her.
My hand slid up and down my pole, picking up speed as my visions got naughtier and naughtier.
Frankie’s silky mane spread across the pillow, her legs tossed over my shoulders as I plowed her into the mattress. She would have a rasping moan. Girls with voices as sultry as hers always did, and I could practically hear it.
Frankie taking my cock from behind, breasts swinging beneath her and her ass pink from how hard my groin slapped against it. She’d have hips soft enough for me to squeeze my hands right into them, flesh spilling between my fingers.
My cock was so swollen now that I could barely get my whole hand around it. Heat pooled in my balls, and I gritted my teeth, one final image driving me over the edge.
Frankie on her knees, mouth open, waiting for my cum.
“Fuck!”
I seized up as a shot of cum squirted from my cock, followed by another and another. Stars blinded me. All my hair stood on end. It was the most intense orgasm I’d had in a long time, and it took me a couple of seconds before I remembered to breathe. I sucked in a big gulp of air and let my head fall back against the headboard, sweat prickling my forehead.
I’d naively thought that jacking off to the thought of Frankie would ease some of my lust for her. Now I just wanted her more.
That meant it was more important than ever for me to stay away from her.
Chapter 6
Frankie
Who the hell did he think he was? Sure, Levi Wheeler was wealthy. And sure, he was also incredibly sexy. But did that make him king of the world? Not in my book, but apparently in his.
I stormed all the way up to my apartment and slammed the door when I got inside. I’d played it cool as we parted ways outside, but I was fuming mad. Admittedly, it wasn’t all Levi’s fault.
Well, it was Levi’s fault, but not in the same way it was his fault for being a piggish jerk. I was just as angry at myself because despite him being one of the world’s least pleasant human beings, my heart flipped when he looked at me, and I couldn’t stop checking him out every time my eyes happened to pass his way.
I hated him. I. Hated. Him.
The fact that I also lusted after him was just the icing on the whole cake. It proved I had the worst taste in men.
I remembered there was half a bottle of Pinot Grigio in my fridge and the world suddenly became a little more bearable. I went to the cupboard to grab a glass but decided to skip it. Who was I kidding?
I slumped down on the couch with my bottle and sipped away at it like it was a bottle of beer, staring at the blank TV screen and replaying the night’s events in my mind.
That moment when I stood up to him I’d been so close to slapping him. I was a little tipsy, and that always tended to bring out the worst in me, which was funny since so did Levi. That meant booze and the best man were a deadly combination. Good to know for the future.
Trust me, you’re nothing special.
That stung a little. I didn’t know if Levi meant his words to hit so hard, but it brought back thoughts and memories I didn’t care to revisit. Instead, I let my mind wander to the sly tilt of his lips as he casually inquired whether I would take it lying down. Whatever it was. Fire had shot through my veins, and I was sure
he could tell.
His eyes were like coal mines. They were dark, impossibly dark, but also hot, and made me feel small and powerless. His lips and nose could have come straight off a Roman bust, all straight lines and perfection. When I stood close to him—a grave tactical error—I caught a whiff of his spicy, masculine scent and my body lit up.
I chugged back more wine and felt it burn down my throat.
Why did he have to be so mean? I felt like a stupid schoolgirl even asking myself that question, rather than the successful professional woman I was. How was it fair that one man’s arrogant attitude could reduce me to a sniveling child?
I wouldn’t allow him to take up this much room in my head. I couldn’t. I had bigger things to worry about.
I finished up the wine and staggered to the kitchen, placing the bottle on the counter before locking up for the night. I fell into bed with all the grace of an elephant doing ballet, and within a couple of minutes, I was blissfully asleep.
I couldn’t remember why Val insisted on hiring a single saxophone player for her wedding, instead of the band I suggested, but this guy was killing it. I stood off to the side and watched the crowd clap and cheer as the sax man rocked back and forth, up and down, dancing all over the stage.
Someone handed me a cone of cotton candy. A cotton candy stand? I didn’t remember signing off on this. There was no way Val would have wanted cotton candy at her wedding. It wasn’t a damn circus.
I turned to the person who’d handed it to me, and my heart thudded to a halt. It wasn’t that Levi was standing there, looking impossibly tall and devilishly handsome in his tux, it was that he was smiling at me. He had a beautiful smile.
“Hey gorgeous.” He plucked a piece of cotton candy from my cone and plopped it into his mouth.
“What’d you just call me?”
“Do you want to dance?”
He was behind me now, at my ear. My skin prickled as his hand came around my waist, resting just above my belly button. I craved more of his touch, all of it. But why was he being so nice? Had everything gone topsy-turvy at the wedding? Should I find Val and make sure she married the right guy?
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